LEAR

Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre (GTNT), La Troupe du Jour (LTDJ), and Never Never Shakespeare (NNS) will be presenting LEAR, a trilingual play, co-directed by Jennifer Dawn Bishop of GTNT and Bob Wicks of NNS, in Saskatoon. LEAR will have its world premiere presentation at the BackStage Stage at the Remai Arts Centre beginning April 25th.

King Lear decides it's time to divide his kingdom between his three daughters. A trusted advisor to Lear, The Earl of Gloucester, brings his bastard son back to court after a nine-year absence. Lear battles the nature without and within him, while Gloucester endures the cost of helping the King. Full of deception and disguises, our reimagining of Shakespeare's literary masterpiece will be presented in Cree, French, and English without the use of sur/subtitles.

LEAR is a made in Saskatchewan adaptation of King Lear, created by local Indigenous and fransaskois artists who translated and adapted the work for a modern audience. The process of adapting LEAR with the support and insight of numerous translators and artists has helped us shape this show into a modern adaptation that highlights the more visceral emotional story at the heart of Shakespeare’s King Lear, and sheds the intellectual husk that Shakespeare often carries. It also allowed us to highlight the cultural and family dynamics intrinsic to the story through languages. Determining which characters speak Cree, French, or English, gives the audience a glimpse into their heritage and how they are perceived and understood by the other characters.

This production has been over three years in the making and we hope that it will help you, as Bob Wicks said, “Erase the idea that Shakespeare ‘should be’ anything and help unlock imagination for what Shakespeare ‘could be’ with a re-introduction to a story acknowledged as one of the greatest acts of literature - as only Saskatoon artists can.”

Starring

Creative Team

* The participation of this Artist is arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the Dance•Opera•Theatre Policy.

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