Cymbeline

Kristin Clippard Director	Jim Alexander Lighting Designer	Rayne Barrett* Assistant Stage Manager	Mikayla Burse Assistant Stage Manager
Germán Cárdenas Alaminos Scenic Designer	Cynthia Davis Props Supervisor	Michelle Handley Costume Designer	Hannah Levine Intimacy Director

Ryan McGowan Sound Designer	Melissa A. Nathan* Stage Manager	Ethan Shaw Fight Captain	Elana Sheinkopf Assistant Stage Manager
	Adriaen Shi Wardrobe & Wig Supervisor	Sally Wood Fight Director

*Appearing through an agreement between this theatre, Theater at Monmouth, and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

A.J. Baldwin* Pisanio, Jailer, Sicillius Ghost	Sandy Clancy Arviragus, First Lord, First Brother Ghost	James Noel Hoban* Cymbeline, Philario, Roman Captain
Kelly Letourneau* Queen, Belarius, Frenchman	Anthony Michael Martinez* Iachimo, Cornelius	Amber McNew* Guiderius, Second Lord, Second Brother Ghost
Lucas Prizant Posthumus, Cloten	Ethan Shaw Caius Lucius, Messenger, Jupiter, Understudy	Jazmin Wilkins Imogen, British Captain, Matron Ghost

*Appearing through an agreement between this theatre, Theater at Monmouth, and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

This play is uncategorical. It feels like an escape and yet it is full of lessons on faith, loyalty, trust, love, duty, repentance, forgiveness, acceptance, and more. It contains all kinds of nefarious acts like murder, misogyny, hypocrisy, attempted rape, identity theft, kidnapping, gambling, villainy, colonization, war, intolerance, violence, etc. Is it a history? A romance? Tragic-comedy? Or is it a good old-fashioned folk tale? It might be all of those genres rolled into one spectacular adventure.

At its core this play is about Imogen, a beloved princess who embarks on a journey of truth to defend herself and discover her husband Posthumous’ aim. She becomes an imprisoned daughter, a slandered wife, a runaway in disguise, and a turncoat. Imogen is the third largest female role in Shakespeare’s canon. It is profoundly interesting to me that Shakespeare’s own daughter, Susanna, was being publicly accused of adultery by a man (and suing him for it) after Shakespeare wrote five plays surrounding slandered women. This theme was in the Jacobean air.

Imogen’s persistence, faithfulness and passion are attractive features in her character. Conversely, a lack of fidelity is echoed in the Queen and Cymbeline’s relationship. Iachimo is a devious, dirty schemer. Cloten is a complete and laughable lout. Even humble Belarius has a dark past. There is deceit everywhere they turn, but there is usually an attempt to right the wrong. In the final scene, there will be revelations about why the journey was worth it.

The story spans many genres – it’s as if William Shakespeare urgently needed to pack in as many plot points as possible in order to share some wisdom. Our story is told by a community who annually honors the gods with its telling, and teaches the next generation to learn from its characters. By enacting Imogen’s story, they’re paying tribute to her sacrifices and holding up her legend as a tale for the ages. In this ancient culture, the people believe that if they are in the god’s good graces, they will have a fortunate journey. They do this to remember their roots, their follies, their triumphs, and their connection to the recent past.

Here we have reverence for the gods, but we also laugh a lot along the way. Absurd, things happen every day. Even though the Gods are with us, it might not always turn out the way we planned. But we will come through adversity and see a brighter side eventually. Sometimes we have to experience pain in order to feel deep love and peace. As it is said in act four, scene two:

Be cheerful; wipe thine eyes:
Some falls are means the happier to arise.
Enjoy the show!