tragedy
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‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore
One of the most shocking plays produced in England during the reign of Charles I, 'Tis Pity She's A Whore chronicles the disastrous results of an incestuous affair between fatalistic Italian siblings, Giovanni and Annabella. As suitors vie for Annabella's hand, various webs of deception and revenge intertwine, culminating in a bloody finale. (Summary by Elizabeth Barr) CAST LIST Bonaventura, a Friar/ Bergetto, Nephew to Donado: alanmapstone A Cardinal, Nuncio to the Pope AND Banditti: Algy Pug Soranzo, a Nobleman: tovarisch Florio, Citizen of Parma: Bob Neufeld Donado, Citizen of Parma: Arnie Horton Grimaldi, a Roman Gentleman: Ric F Giovanni, Son to Florio: Chuck Williamson Richardetto, a supposed Physician: Denny Sayers Vasques, Servant to Soranzo: Chris Marcellus Poggio, Servant to Bergetto: laurenburwell Annabella, Daughter to Florio: Elizabeth Barr Hippolita, Wife to Richardetto: Elizabeth Klett Philotis, his Niece: Charlotte Duckett Putana, Tutoress to Annabella: Amanda Friday Officer(s): Libby Gohn Servant: CaprishaPage Narrator: Kristingj
Adelgitha; or, The Fruits of a Single Error
The second original tragedy written by Gothic writer Matthew Lewis, Adelgitha; or, The Fruits of a Single Error is a markedly more serious affair than his melodramatic output, dealing as it does with a fallen woman who is mercilessly blackmailed by a ruthless tyrant when she spurns his advances. Set in Otranto during the High Middle Ages, and featuring fictionalized depictions of historical rulers Robert Guiscard (of the Normans) and Michael Ducas (of Byzantium), Adelgitha is an archetypal Gothic drama that, while not especially refined or meritorious in terms of quality, still manages to thrill in that deliciously overwrought way that Lewis knew how to sell. Sit down with it during a stormy night, turn off the lights, and prepare yourself for a few hours of treachery, murder, madness and despair! - Summary by Tomas Peter Michael Ducas, Emperor of Byzantium: Tomas Peter Robert Guiscard, Prince of Apulia: Larry Wilson Lothair, a Norman knight: ToddHW Alciphron, a Grecian nobleman: Sam Monsen Dercetus, a Grecian nobleman: TJ Burns Rainulf, an officer of Guiscard: Son of the Exiles Julian, an officer of Guiscard: Alan Mapstone Adelgitha, Princess of Apulia: Leanne Yau Imma, Princess of Byzantium: Devorah Allen The Abbess of St. Hilda: Sandra Schmit Claudia, an Italian lady: Sonia Chorus: Roger Melin Female Peasants: Eva Davis & April6090 Narrator: Foon Editor: ToddHW
Adrienne Lecouvreur
This drama was written in 1848 for the great French tragedienne, Rachel, by Eugene Scribe and his writing partner, Ernest Legouve. Scribe is remembered for devising the compositional technique now known as the ?well-made play? that dominated play-writing for most of the 19th century. This plot is loosely based on events in the life of the actress, Adrienne Lecouvreur of the Com?die-Fran?aise and the tragic outcome of her love affair with Maurice, Comte de Saxe (Summary by Kelly Taylor) Cast List Maurice de Saxe Andrew Latheron Prince de Bouillon Jake Malizia Abbe de Chazeuil Alan Mapstone Michonnet Adrian Stephens Poisson Greg Giordano Quinault James R. Hedrick Servant David Purdy Call-boy Jim Locke Princess de Bouillon Wendy Katz Hiller Duchess d?Aumont Matea Bracic Marquise de Sancerre Michele Eaton Countess de Beauveau Lynette Caulkins Adrienne Lecouvreur Kelly S. Taylor Mdlle. Jouvenot Joanna Michal Hoyt Mdlle. Dangeville Rebecca Brown Suzanne, the maid Jenn Broda Stage Directions Tchaikovsky
Agamemnon (Browning Translation)
The play Agamemnon details the homecoming of Agamemnon, King of Argos, from the Trojan War. Waiting at home for him is his wife, Clytemnestra, who has been planning his murder, partly as revenge for the sacrifice of their daughter, Iphigenia, and partly because in the ten years of Agamemnon's absence Clytemnestra has entered into an adulterous relationship with Aegisthus, Agamemnon's cousin and the sole survivor of a dispossessed branch of the family (Agamemnon's father, Atreus, killed and fed Aegisthus's brothers to Aegisthus's father, Thyestes, when he took power from him), who is determined to regain the throne he believes should rightfully belong to him. Summary by Wikipedia
Agamemnon (Morshead Translation)
The Oresteia is a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus concerning the end of the curse on the House of Atreus. The name derives from the character Orestes, who sets out to avenge his father's murder. The only extant example of an ancient Greek theater trilogy, the Oresteia won first prize at the Dionysia festival in 458 BC. When originally performed, it was accompanied by Proteus, a satyr play that would have followed the trilogy. Proteus has not survived, however. In all likelihood the term "Oresteia" originally referred to all four plays; today it generally designates only the surviving trilogy. Many consider the Oresteia to be Aeschylus' finest work. Principal themes of the trilogy include the contrast between revenge and justice, as well as the transition from personal vendetta to organized litigation....The play Agamemnon (?????????, Agamemn?n) details the homecoming of Agamemnon, King of Argos, from the Trojan War. Waiting at home for him is his wife, Clytemnestra, who has been planning his murder, partly as revenge for the sacrifice of their daughter, Iphigenia, and partly because in the ten years of Agamemnon's absence Clytemnestra has entered into an adulterous relationship with Aegisthus, Agamemnon's cousin and the sole survivor of a dispossessed branch of the family (Agamemnon's father, Atreus, killed and fed Aegisthus's brothers to Aegisthus's father, Thyestes, when he took power from him), who is determined to regain the throne he believes should rightfully belong to him. - Summary by Wikipedia
Ajax (Campbell Translation)
Ajax is a Greek tragedy written in the 5th century BC. The date of Ajax's first performance is unknown and may never be found, but most scholars regard it as an early work, c. 450 - 430 BC. It chronicles the fate of the warrior Ajax after the events of the Iliad, but before the end of the Trojan War. At the onset of the play, Ajax is enraged because Achilles' armor was awarded to Odysseus, rather than to him. He vows to kill the Greek leaders who disgraced him. Before he can enact his extraordinary revenge, though, he is tricked by the goddess Athena into believing that the sheep and cattle that were taken by the Achaeans as spoil are the Greek leaders. Much of the play shows the disintegration of Ajax in the face of this humiliation, leading ultimately to his suicide. - Summary by Wikipedia (edited by Expatriate)
Alcestis
Alcestis is the earliest surviving play by Euripides. Alcestis, the devoted wife of King Admetus, has agreed to die in his place, and at the beginning of the play she is close to death. In the first scene, Apollo argues with Thanatos (Death), asking to prolong Alcestis' life, but Thanatos refuses. Apollo leaves, but suggests that a man will come to Pherae who will save Alcestis. Euripides' play is perhaps the most unusual Greek drama ever written: a tragedy that is not a tragedy. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett) Cast Admetus: Todd Alcestis/Chorus: Elizabeth Klett Pheres: Bruce Pirie Little Boy: Lyn Silva Manservant: bala Handmaid: Arielle Lipshaw Heracles: mb Apollo: Libby Gohn Thanatos: engineerdst Chorus Leader: Caprisha Page Narrator: David Lawrence Audio edited by Elizabeth Klett
Alcestis (Way Translation)
Alcestis, queen of Pherae, is one of the noblest heroines in all of Greek drama. Her husband Admetus is the supposedly virtuous king of Pherae who wins the friendship of the god Apollo. Apollo tricks the Eumenides into an agreement that when the time comes for Admetus to die, a willing substitute will be accepted in his place, allowing his friend to go on living. Admetus selfishly tries to persuade anyone to agree to be his substitute, even his own parents, but no one is willing to make that sacrifice; this disappointment and its tragic consequences embitter him, leading him ultimately to disown his father and mother. Finally his wife Alcestis nobly agrees to die for him, unwilling to leave her children without a father. When the play opens, the moment for the death of Alcestis is at hand and an unexpected guest is at the door. ?Alcestis,? first produced at the City Dionysia festival in 438 BCE, has always been hard to categorize. Its ambiguous, tragicomic tone?which may be "cheerfully romantic" or "bitterly ironic"?has earned it the label of a "problem play." "Alcestis" is, possibly excepting the "Rhesus," the oldest surviving work by Euripides, although at the time of its first performance he had been producing plays for 17 years. (Expatriate; supplemented by Wikipedia)
All for Love; or, The World Well Lost
All for Love is widely considered to be John Dryden's finest work, dramatic or otherwise. A tragedy written in blank verse, it retells the story of Roman general Marc Antony's love affair with the alluring Egyptian queen Cleopatra and their eventual double-suicide. Compared to the more famous rendition of the tale by William Shakespeare, however, which is grand and hectic in terms of setting, Dryden chooses instead to focus in on the lovers' last days in Alexandria as the threat of their defeat looms and their legacies are contested. The result is a swelling, elegant, emotional drama that perceptively considers such themes as loyalty and love, fidelity in marriage, the lasting endurance of friendship, and even the tenuous construct of masculinity. In short, it's truly a gem of the Restoration repertoire. - Summary by Tomas Peter Cast List: Mark Antony: Tomas Peter Ventidius: Peter Tucker Dolabella: Phil Schempf Alexas: Dafni Ma Serapion: Alan Mapstone Myris: Chuck Williamson Gentleman 1: Mike Harris Gentleman 2: ToddHW Cleopatra: Beth Thomas Octavia: Sonia Charmion: Leanne Yau Iras: KHand Agrippina: Zoe Trang Antonia: Jenna Eleni Narrator: Rob Board Editor: ToddHW
Coriolanus
Shakespeare was passionately interested in the history of Rome, as is evident from plays like Titus Andronicus, Julius Caesar, and Antony and Cleopatra. His tragedy Coriolanus was probably written around 1605-07, and dramatizes the rise and fall of a great Roman general, Caius Martius (later surnamed Coriolanus because of his military victory at Corioli). This play is unusual in that it provides a strong voice for the ordinary citizens of Rome, who begin the play rioting about the high price of food, and who continually clash with Coriolanus because of his contempt for plebians. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett) Cast Caius Martius Coriolanus: thebicyclethief Citizen: Patti Cunningham First Citizen/Second Officer/Second Patrician: Chuck Williamson Cominius: Bob Gonzalez Fifth Citizen: Availle First Conspirator/First Officer/Lieutenant/Second Senator/Second Servingman: Todd First Lord/Sixth Citizen: Tricia G First Senator: DublinGothic First Servingman: Leonard Wilson First Soldier/Herald: John Fricker Gentlewoman/Second Soldier/Third Lord/Young Coriolanus: Martin Geeson Junius Brutus: Ron Altman Menenius Agrippa: Algy Pug Roman/Second Conspirator/Seventh Citizen: Kristingj Second Citizen: Peter Makus Second Lord: Chuck Donovan Sicinius Velutus: Ric F Third Citizen: Joshua Letchford Third Conspirator: Heather Phillips Third Roman: Lucy Perry Titus Lartius/Aedile: Delmar H. Dolbier Tullus Aufidius: Arielle Lipshaw Valeria: Tiffany Halla Colonna Virgilia: Amy L. Gramour Volsce: Max Korlinge Volumnia: Elizabeth Klett Narrator: Diana Majlinger Other roles (crowd voices, etc) read by members of the company. Audio edited by Elizabeth Klett
Creditors
Creditors is a tragicomedy by August Strindberg that plumbs the depths of the twisted triangular relationship between Tekla, her husband Adolph, and her ex-husband Gustav. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett) Cast: Tekla: Elizabeth Klett Adolph: mb Gustav: Bruce Pirie Narrator: Diana Majlinger Audio edited by: Elizabeth Klett
Faust I
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust is a tragic play in two parts. It is Goethe's most famous work and considered by many to be one of the greatest works of German literature. This first part of Faust is not divided into acts, but is structured as a sequence of scenes in a variety of settings. After a dedicatory poem and a prelude in the theatre, the actual plot begins with a prologue in Heaven and Scene 1 in Faust's study. (Summary modified from Wikipedia) Cast List: Narrator, Stage Directions, Dedication: Alex Foster Mephistopheles: om123 Faust: Stewart Wills Margaret (Gretchen): Lucy Perry Manager (scene 22), Chorus of Disciples, Beggar, Crane: George Deprez, PhD Dramatic Poet, Chorus of Disciples, Citizen 2, Wizards, Minister, Worldling: bish Merry-Andrew, Chorus of Disciples, Apprentice 1, Citizen 3, Siebel, Valentine, Wizards, Purist, Leader of the Band, Sceptic, The Heavy Fellows, Parvenu, Oberon, The Adroit, Dancing-Master: ToddHW Raphael, Chorus of Angels, Student 1, Author, Musagetes: tipaew Gabriel, Chorus of Angels, Student 2, Proktophantasmist, Xenies, Dogmatist: David Lawrence Manager (Prelude), Michael, Chorus of Angels, Citizen 1, Servibilis, Hennings, Idealist: Peter Yearsley The Lord, Old Peasant, Spirits, Ci-Devant Genius of the Age, Supernaturalist: Marty Kris Wagner, General, Weathercock, Realist: John Burnett People, Witches, Titania: Ana Sim?o Chorus of Women, Servant-Girl 2, Peasants, Chorus (scene 20), Voice 2, Half-Witch, Witches, Orchestra: Kalynda Martha, Chorus of Women, Servant-Girl 1, Peasants, Citizen's Daughter, The She-Ape, The Witch, Lisbeth, Huckster-Witch, Young Witch, Witches, Solo, Little Couple, Dancer: Natalie Chorus of Women, Old Woman, Spirits, Evil Spirit, Old Witch, Matron: Rosalind Wills Apprentice 2, Soldiers, Northern Artist, The Heavy Fellows: Lars Rolander Spirit, Apprentice 3, Soldiers, Peasants, People, Chorus (scene 20), Ariel, Spirit Just Growing into Form, Will-O'-The-Wisps: TriciaG Apprentice 4, Soldiers, Peasants, Chorus (scene 20), Voice 1, Orchestra, Little Couple, The Awkward: Liberty Stump Apprentice 5, Soldiers, The He-Ape, The Orthodox, Shooting-Star: Bob Gonzalez Frosch, Will-O'-The-Wisp, Inquisitive Traveller: Ransom Brander, Herald, Good Fellow: Algy Pug Altmayer, Puck: John Fricker Editors: Stewart Wills om123 Natalie David Olson Hennell Annise TriciaG Roseanne Schmidt Corinna Schultz Linette Geisel David Lawrence
La Boh?me
In 1830s Paris, four struggling Bohemian artists: the poet Rodolfo, the painter Marcello, the musician Schaunard, and the philosopher Colline, live poorly, but happily. On Christmas Eve, to celebrate, the four split the month's rent and decide to go out drinking in the Latin Quarter. Rodolfo stays behind to finish a poem, when their frail neighbor, Mimi, knocks on the door. An equally poor seamstress, she begs him to light her candle. In an instant, his candle goes out as well, and Mimi drops her key in the dark. As they search for it, they fall in love. And thus, a tragic love begins, as tuberculosis threatens to tear Mimi away from person and people she has come to love. Originally written in Italian, but translated into English, this libretto is the base for one of Giacomo Puccini's most beloved and often performed operas. It is also the inspiration of the famous 1994 rock musical and 2005 movie Rent by Jonathan Larson. This recording is a dramatic reading. Summary by Mary Kay. Cast List: Narrator: Kalynda Rudolph: Tomas Peter Schaunard: alanmapstone Benoit: Donald Gilmore Mimi: Lydia and Linda Olsen Fitak Marcel: ToddHW Colline & Sargant: Nemo Musetta: Eva Davis Parpignol: Joseph Tabler Alcindoro de Mitonneaux: Jason in Panama Customs House Official: Algy Pug Chorus Members: Donald Gilmore, Leanne Yau, Grace Keller Scotch, Algy Pug, MaryAnn, Kieren Metts and Nemo Editors: Linny, Devorah Allen and Eva Davis Prooflisteners: afutterer and NemoR
The Birth of Tragedy, or Hellenism and Pessimism
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