Henry VI, Part 3

I saw what Game of Thrones had borrowed from Shakespeare, and I decided to borrow it back for this production. Henry was a Shakespeare Repertory Project at YSD and my first time directing a classical play. I selected and cut this script to explore our desire to romanticize war as entertainment. The characters of this world were unapologetic in their willingness to destroy their own families in order to acquire power. With people like Queen Margaret and Richard III in conflict with one another, the production asked the audience to cheer for these tyrants and also fear their determination. The training at Yale in verse language was intensive - my mentors Karin Koonrod, Liz Diamond, Peter Francis James, and Riccardo Hernandez played major roles in our team’s preparation for this. The design team transformed the Iseman Theater into a vast battlefield stage where the audience was blasted with lights and sound. Mike Rossmy, Kelsey Rainwater, and a group of bloody-minded actors brought the war to life with multiple large combat scenes.

Creative Team: Alex McCargar (Secnic Design), Beatrice Vena (Costume Design), Nic Vincent (Lighting Design), Megumi Katayama (Sound Design), Elena Tilli (Projections Designer), Kevin Zhu (Stage Manager) Alex Vermillion (Dramaturg), Laura Copenhaver (Technical Director), Mike Rossmy (Fight Director)

Featuring: Gregory Saint Georges, Rachel Kenney, John Colley, Brandon E. Burton, Ciara Monique, Juliana Aiden Martinez, Sarah Lyddan, Dario Ladani Sanchez, Evelyn Giovine

Production Photos: Elsa Gibson-Braden

Archival footage of this production is available upon request