Chicago Shakespeare Theater - Courtyard Theater (Chicago, IL)
Chicago Shakespeare Theatre presents Richard III. The classic story of a deformed king whose nefarious schemes lead him to the throne and threaten the safety of England was Shakespeare's first great stage success, and remains wildly popular. Helen Hayes Award-winning actor Wallace Acton plays the title role.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
We attended Saturday night when an understudy was playing Richard III and were afraid we'd be disappointed. However, the understudy was great - funny and expressive and pulled the audience into the play. Lady Anne and the Duchess of York were particularly wonderful. It was my first time at the Shakespeare Theatre and outside of being chilly (dress warmly) because of the mist used as part of the backdrop for most of the play, it was great!
First Shakespeare theate experience and my expectations have been exceeded!
Brilliant actors and actressess, Wallace Alton was wonderful.
Excellent work by all the cast, especially those of Richard III and Margaret of Anjou.
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Chicago Shakespeare Theater is prominently located on Navy Pier, the Midwest's most-visited destination. It's a seven-story, glass curtain-walled structure, housing a courtyard theater and an upstairs theater, affording panoramic vistas of the Chicago skyline.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) kicks off the 2009/10 Subscription Series with Richard III, William Shakespeare’s tale of a brilliant, scheming hunchback who murders and seduces his way to the English throne. The production will be staged by Chicago Shakespeare Theater Artistic Director Barbara Gaines with Helen Hayes Award-winner Wallace Acton in the title role.
Shakespeare’s first great stage success, and one of his most enduring, Richard III has entertained audiences around the world for centuries. As the final chapter of the playwright’s sweeping chronicle of the English Wars of the Roses, Richard III dramatizes the life of one of the most diabolical and manipulative, yet charming and witty villains in Shakespeare’s canon. Embittered by his own physical deformities, the power-hungry Richard will stop at nothing to gain control of England, seducing and murdering his way to the throne.
Since its stage premiere in 1592 with Shakespeare’s colleague Richard Burbage in the title role, audiences worldwide have been fascinated by Richard III. The American tradition of translating Shakespeare’s works to film began with André Calmettes and James Keane’s 1912 silent version of Richard III— believed to be the oldest known complete surviving film made in America. The play continued to be referenced in films such as Neil Simon’s 1977 comedy, The Goodbye Girl, in which Elliott, performed in the film by Richard Dreyfuss, is cast in a production of Richard III and is asked to perform an outlandish stereotype of the title character. Al Pacino explored the complexity and the physicality of the title character in his 1996 documentary, Looking for Richard.
“Richard is one of Shakespeare’s most brilliant characters,” says Artistic Director Barbara Gaines. “As he seduces us as his audience, we become complicit in his crimes. He plays with us, toys with us, manipulates us. We know we’re being manipulated but it’s such an enjoyable ride and he’s such an interesting character that we don’t care.”
Chicago Shakespeare Theater offers a broad spectrum of theatrical experiences year-round, engaging and entertaining audiences from all walks of life and from around the world. The plays of William Shakespeare form the core of our company's work and Subscription Series, featuring selections from Shakespeare's 38-play canon complemented by other dramatic works--from traditional classical theater to new classics that resonate with Shakespeare's timeless insights into the human condition. As Chicago Shakespeare strives to share our uniquely American brand of Shakespeare with the world, so do we also strive to bring to Chicago some of the best theater the world has to offer. To our World's Stage Series, we bring international theatrical productions to our city, presenting new cultural expressions and experiences for Chicago audiences and artists alike. Chicago Shakespeare is committed to making theater an expansive, ever-changing and lifelong relationship. For our family audiences, CST Family presents abridged Shakespeare productions and classic musicals. Our education outreach program, Team Shakespeare, helps Shakespeare come alive for students and teachers in classrooms throughout the Midwest--and this year will reach its millionth student. Two complementary performance spaces in our theater on Navy Pier provide a perfect home for artists and audiences alike. The thrust stage of the 500-seat Jentes Family Auditorium (inspired by the Royal Shakespeare Company's Swan Theatre) necessitates an intimate relationship between the actors and their audience members, who sit around three sides of the stage. By contrast, the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Theater, a 200-seat black box, offers practically limitless versatility to suit the creative choices of an artistic team. Through a 48-week season encompassing more than 600 performances, CST leads the community as the largest employer of Chicago actors. CST attracts 225,000 audience members annually, including 20,500 subscribers and nearly 50,000 students and teachers.