I directed Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare at Coeurage Theatre Company.

5 actors. 2 chairs. No limits.

Played at The Space Theatre from July 23 – August 8th 2010.

My director’s notes, which sort of explain my take on the show:

When walking into a theatre, one is often asked to suspend disbelief. This would assume that we are in a constant state of disbelief. I hope that’s not the case. As you walk in this theatre I’d like to ask you to, instead, engage your imagination. William Shakespeare’s Henry V has a prologue apologizing to his audience for the lack of real-life royalty that is about to appear onstage. He invites his audience to imagine, saying, “tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings.”

I find producing this play this year is very timely. It’s a play about justice, honor, and the corrupting power of authority. I’ll let you draw your own parallels. No matter your opinion on these themes, it’s a great story that should be told.

The actors you will see onstage will be using little other than their own instruments of voice and body to tell the story. The stage is bare, the set is a couple of chairs, and the costume/prop items are minimal. In this manner we are celebrating the unique capability of theatre to engage the imagination to make the invisible visible. I invite you now to imagine. In the words of the Henry V prologue: “piece out our imperfections with your thoughts.” And now I “your humble patience pray: gently to hear, kindly to judge our play.”