Photo by Heather MacLeod
This production was scheduled July 19-August 11, 2024.
A timeless play, a summer evening outdoors, and a chance to share good food and wine. Sounds like the recipe for a special outing with friends and family, and this year the folks at The Central Coast Shakespeare Festival are preparing quite a feast for all to enjoy.
On the menu is one of the Bard’s greatest plays. A great meal starts with the best ingredients, they say, and you can’t get better than King Lear to sink your teeth into—and that goes for actors as well as audience.
For some time, co-directors Zoe Saba and Cynthia Totten have wanted to produce the story of the aging king who divides his kingdom among his three daughters, but they say it took veteran local actor John Pillow’s interest in the title role to make it the focus of the festival’s 2024 season.
“John Pillow is a well-known, talented, seasoned actor who brings gravitas and humor to the title role,” according to the directors. “As Lear journeys from powerful king to a man who fears he is going mad, John imbues him with moments that are magical, brilliant, and flat-out transcendent. Audiences will love him and empathize deeply with the plight of his character.”
Saba and Totten say the company comprises the largest cast the festival has seen since COVID and includes “beloved seasoned veterans who have been with CCSF for years and talented newcomers who are joining us for the first time.”
In addition to Pillow, the play features Janet Stipicevich, Heather MacLeod, Mark Klassen, Jude Walker, Tyler Lopez, Gryphon Strom, Dorian Green, Jason Sumabat, Jeremy Helgeson, Kristie Siebert, and Vicky Culman, with ensemble members Julianna Cementina, Mickey Danza, Roger Winer, Krystal Kirk, Jill Turnbow, Amelia Vance, Isabel Skene, and Steve Evans.
Recently Saba and Totten together responded to SLO Review‘s questions about sharing King Lear with Central Coast audiences.
King Lear is a beautiful play with timeless themes, great moments of levity and gravitas.”
Q: First, why King Lear—a tragedy?
“We have not done a tragedy since Romeo & Juliet in 2016. Both times that we produced Cyrano de Bergerac, most recently in 2022, the combination of humor and tragedy in this romantic swashbuckling tale resonated with our audiences.
“Over the years, audience members have remarked that the tragedies strike them as cautionary tales that play out the worst scenarios and show them the what ifs of situations that go terribly wrong. Tragedies often teach a lesson, allowing us to feel both pity and terror for the characters, to empathize with what is happening. King Lear is a beautiful play with timeless themes, great moments of levity and gravitas.
“We have focused on finding the lighter moments of humor in the show to make the pathos/tragedy even darker. The Fool is a jester who makes jokes about dire situations throughout the play. Edmund the bastard villain has a wicked sense of humor as he deceives his father Gloucester, plots the downfall of his legitimate brother Edgar, and woos Lear’s daughters Goneril and Regan.
“Humor, even in its darkest form, helps us deal with the horrors that life throws at us. King Lear makes a disastrous choice in conceding his power too early and his frivolous plan to divide his kingdom among his three daughters backfires in his face, leading to family divisions, banishment of the two people who most love him (Cordelia and Kent), sparking a war between France and Britain, and numerous tragic deaths.”
We hope that the audience will root for the good guys who are striving to make things right.”
Q: How do you think audiences will respond to the production?
“King Lear is about an aging king who divides his kingdom among his three daughters, a plan that goes disastrously awry. The play addresses fissures in family relationships and how one poor decision can create a domino effect of tumbling horrors.
“Like all Shakespeare’s plays, there is both humor and pathos. We hope that the play resonates with everyone, for it explores how power can corrupt those who want to seize it for their own gains rather than for the good of the whole.
“We hope that the audience will root for the good guys who are striving to make things right. We hope people say what a beautiful area we live in and what a wonderful opportunity to see Shakespeare under the stars.”
We make all decisions together for the good of the show with the rest of our artistic team.”
Q: Two directors . . . how do you split the workload?
“We have co-directed together for years, and our strong working dynamic translates into a kind of shorthand as we move from project to project.
“We talk about the play in advance to create a unified vision for the production. We discuss each moment of the play, what is happening, what the characters are saying, what they are fighting for. We block the play together, trouble-shooting and problem-solving patterns of movement onstage. We work in tandem at rehearsals, tag-teaming to direct the actors and stage each moment of the play. We each take notes during rehearsals, then come together to talk through them and decide what works best.
“After rehearsals we give verbal notes and/or type our notes to email them to the cast. As we move the show into the performance space at the Filipponi Ranch, we adjust the blocking to fit our set. We make all decisions together for the good of the show with the rest of our artistic team.”
Designer Al Schnupp has created a beautiful intricate throne that functions in a variety of unexpected ways throughout the show.”
Q: What do the members of your artistic team have in store for us?
“Choreographer Jason Sumabat has staged powerful fight combat sequences with swords, daggers, and halberds, in addition to performing the role of Albany in his acting debut with CCSF. In addition to stage combat, Jason has assisted us since 1997 with choreography and other stage movement moments.
“Designer Al Schnupp has created a beautiful intricate throne that functions in a variety of unexpected ways throughout the show. He designed the beautiful unit set that we’ve used since 2022. Tim Hutchinson has constructed additions to our stage, with an expanded main deck and a new lower level affectionately known as the veranda.
“Costume designer Roger Upton is creating roughhewn medieval costumes that will be stunning in their detail. Randal Sumabat has designed a wildly beautiful crown of weeds and flowers for Lear’s mad scene based on the plants listed in the play.
“Dramaturg Diane Mayfield has conducted extensive research into the play and shares insightful, interesting facts and contexts for our whole company.”
There are so many scenes, so many characters, so many moving parts to coordinate.”
Q: Have you had any specific obstacles to overcome in mounting this production?
“King Lear is a majestic bear of a play, even with Zoe’s insightful editing. There are so many scenes, so many characters, so many moving parts to coordinate.
“Everyone onstage and offstage is working hard to create and to tell this moving story in a way that honors Shakespeare’s language and makes the play accessible to all. This demands exacting attention to detail and a high level of committed artistry, so producing King Lear is an all-consuming labor of love adventure.”