“Let us drink and be merry.”
- Falstaff
Henry IV, Part One
SEASON 9
2023
5 Day 2023 Run at Brice Station
“…excellent 10 actor ensemble execute 40 different characters, 2 huge Shakespeare plays, and do it effortlessly in one night.”
Stephen Daly as Lord Chief Justice, Mike Evans as King Henry IV, and Lauren Trask as Blount
Mike Evans as King Henry IV, Lauren Trask as Blount, and Elyse Sharp as Hotspur
Ross Aldrich as Bardolph and Lillian McLeod as Peto
Lillian McLeod as Peto, Ross Aldrich as Bardolph, and Matthew Hobgood as Prince Hal
Michael Crich as Falstaff and Jackson Dodds as Poins
Elyse Sharp as Drunkard
Ensemble
Ensemble
Matthew Hobgood as Prince Hal
Ensemble
Ross Aldrich as Bardolph and Elyse Sharp as Drunkard
Michael Crich as Falstaff and Ross Aldrich as Bardolph
Mike Evans as King Henry IV
Mike Evans as King Henry IV and Matthew Hobgood as Prince Hal
Mike Evans as King Henry IV and Matthew Hobgood as Prince Hal
Mike Evans as King Henry IV and Matthew Hobgood as Prince Hal
Mike Evans as King Henry IV and Matthew Hobgood as Prince Hal
Set Design
Matthew Hobgood as Prince Hal and Jackson Dodds as Poins
Elyse Sharp as Hotspur
Ensemble
Ensemble
Jackson Dodds as Vernon and Matthew Hobgood as Prince Hal
Mike Evans as King Henry IV and Holly Heath as Mortimer
Mike Evans as King Henry IV and Matthew Hobgood as Prince Hal
Matthew Hobgood as Prince Hal and Elyse Sharp as Hotspur
Matthew Hobgood as King Henry V
Photos by: Phil Montgomery Photography
2023 Production
Our limited run of Henry IV allowed us to prepare for our full-scale 2024 production, celebrating 10 years of Shakespeare on the Vine Theatre Company.
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Director’s Program Note
“glory is like a circle in the water, which never ceaseth to enlarge itself, till by broad spreading it disperse to naught.”
Welcome to Shakespeare on the Vine Theatre Company’s ninth season and our staged reading of Henry IV. We’ve adapted two Shakespearean Histories, King Henry IV Part One and Part Two, the middles of a four-part cycle about the British monarchy, into one play.
Each season, this company has brought new theatrical experiences aimed to shift your perspective and engage you in new ways; this staged reading is no different. The majority of our work is done in the year leading up to performance, including our meticulous table-work process to discover meaning in Shakespeare’s words. We dedicate time to the text work because we believe strongly that if our actors understand what they’re saying, then you will too. A staged reading allows us to bring you into the process more deeply.
By keeping production elements minimal and carrying scripts, actors continue to play and explore the words. This allows us to stay centered on the story, this chapter of the History Cycle, and our adaptation’s intentional focus on Prince Harry’s journey, played by Matthew Hobgood.
This story picks up after the previous play, Richard II, with King Henry IV threatened by an internal rebellion spurred by his deposing of King Richard and needing his young son to help in the upcoming battle. Prince Harry (Hal) is not attending his courtly duty but instead defiantly drinking at the Boar’s Head public house with his friend Falstaff and miscreants. As you watch Hal’s journey and choices, consider the actions that make a strong leader. Is Hal’s recreant behavior shirking responsibility or a more deliberate choice as he learns how to lead the people?
Will he eventually take his royal lineage and the cycle of succession seriously before his father leaves this life and passes down the crown? Or will the kingdom falter to the rebellious Hotspur?
I hope you appreciate watching Prince Harry’s arc to become King in this season’s staged reading. Consider staying after the show for a talkback to discuss Shakespeare’s History Cycle and more with the company. Finally, I invite you to join us for the conclusion of Harry’s story and the end of this particular cycle by joining us next summer, 2024, for Shakespeare on the Vine Theatre Company’s 10th season presenting Shakespeare’s Henry V starring Matthew Hobgood in the title role.
Sincerely,
Tara Kayton
Producing Artistic Director