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April 11, 2008/FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Anne Kohn, 336-460-7013, productionpr@ncarts.edu BAWDY COMEDY AND WAR-TORN DRAMA COMBINE IN SHAKESPEARE'S HENRY IV
WINSTON-SALEM – One of the world’s foremost directors of and experts on Shakespeare will direct the Bard’s epic history play Henry IV at North Carolina School of the Arts later this month. NCSA School of Drama Dean Gerald Freedman, who was the first American invited to direct at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, will direct Dakin Matthews’ award-winning adaptation. Henry IV will be performed in the Thrust Theatre, Performance Place on the NCSA campus, 1533 South Main St., Winston-Salem, at 8 p.m. April 17-19 and 23-26 and at 2 p.m. April 20 and 26. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. For more information or to order tickets, call the NCSA Box Office at 336-721-1945 or visit www.ncarts.edu/performances.	Scenes from Henry IV rehearsal
Conspiracies, rebellion and a battle for the crown lie at the heart of Shakespeare’s tale of a country at war. Some of the Bard’s most memorable characters, including Sir John Falstaff, combine bawdy comedy and dark drama to tell the story of Prince Hal’s tumultuous journey to the throne. Actor, director and educator Dakin Matthews has adapted Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 into this three-act drama. Matthews will be attending the performances. Gerald Freedman’s directorial credits range from Broadway to regional theatre to the international stage. He has staged 26 of Shakespeare’s plays, along with dozens of other world classics. He has served as the artistic director of Great Lakes Theater Festival, the American Shakespeare Theatre and Joseph Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival. His Broadway directing credits include: The Robber Bridegroom, The Grand Tour, the revival of West Side Story (co-directed with Jerome Robbins), the premiere of Arthur Miller’s The Creation of the World and Other Business, and Mrs. Warren’s Profession. Adaptor Dakin Matthews is an associate artist of the Old Globe Theatre, a founding member of The Acting Company; former artistic director of California Actors Theatre, Berkeley Shakespeare Festival and the Antaeus Company; and an emeritus professor of English at Cal State, Hayward. As an actor, he has appeared with such companies as the Old Globe, the Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Repertory Theatre and in numerous summer festivals. He has specialized in Shakespearean roles, including Falstaff, Bottom, Julius Caesar, Brutus, Dogberry, Macbeth, Shylock, Friar Lawrence and many others. He has given master classes in Shakespearean acting across the country and has taught and directed in professional training programs at The Juilliard School, American Conservatory Theatre, Cal Arts and USD/Old Globe. The North Carolina School of the Arts was the first state-supported, residential performing arts school in the nation. Today, it is a leading conservatory of international renown, offering professional training for careers in the performing, visual and moving image arts. The School of the Arts is a campus of the University of North Carolina. ###
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April 11, 2008/FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Anne Kohn, 336-460-7013, productionpr@ncarts.edu

BAWDY COMEDY AND WAR-TORN DRAMA COMBINE IN SHAKESPEARE'S HENRY IV

WINSTON-SALEM – One of the world’s foremost directors of and experts on Shakespeare will direct the Bard’s epic history play Henry IV at North Carolina School of the Arts later this month.

NCSA School of Drama Dean Gerald Freedman, who was the first American invited to direct at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, will direct Dakin Matthews’ award-winning adaptation. Henry IV will be performed in the Thrust Theatre, Performance Place on the NCSA campus, 1533 South Main St., Winston-Salem, at 8 p.m. April 17-19 and 23-26 and at 2 p.m. April 20 and 26. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. For more information or to order tickets, call the NCSA Box Office at 336-721-1945 or visit www.ncarts.edu/performances.

Scenes from Henry IV rehearsal

Conspiracies, rebellion and a battle for the crown lie at the heart of Shakespeare’s tale of a country at war. Some of the Bard’s most memorable characters, including Sir John Falstaff, combine bawdy comedy and dark drama to tell the story of Prince Hal’s tumultuous journey to the throne. Actor, director and educator Dakin Matthews has adapted Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 into this three-act drama. Matthews will be attending the performances.

Gerald Freedman’s directorial credits range from Broadway to regional theatre to the international stage. He has staged 26 of Shakespeare’s plays, along with dozens of other world classics. He has served as the artistic director of Great Lakes Theater Festival, the American Shakespeare Theatre and Joseph Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival. His Broadway directing credits include: The Robber Bridegroom, The Grand Tour, the revival of West Side Story (co-directed with Jerome Robbins), the premiere of Arthur Miller’s The Creation of the World and Other Business, and Mrs. Warren’s Profession.

Adaptor Dakin Matthews is an associate artist of the Old Globe Theatre, a founding member of The Acting Company; former artistic director of California Actors Theatre, Berkeley Shakespeare Festival and the Antaeus Company; and an emeritus professor of English at Cal State, Hayward. As an actor, he has appeared with such companies as the Old Globe, the Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Repertory Theatre and in numerous summer festivals. He has specialized in Shakespearean roles, including Falstaff, Bottom, Julius Caesar, Brutus, Dogberry, Macbeth, Shylock, Friar Lawrence and many others. He has given master classes in Shakespearean acting across the country and has taught and directed in professional training programs at The Juilliard School, American Conservatory Theatre, Cal Arts and USD/Old Globe.

The North Carolina School of the Arts was the first state-supported, residential performing arts school in the nation. Today, it is a leading conservatory of international renown, offering professional training for careers in the performing, visual and moving image arts. The School of the Arts is a campus of the University of North Carolina.

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