The last show of Wagner College Theatre’s Fall 2020 season, “The Queen’s Men,” a co-production between WCT and Shakespeare on the Oval, is a collection of reimaginings of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” “The Winter’s Tale” and “Antony and Cleopatra,” all conceived and directed by senior theater majors Divya Khanna, Kira Wiggins and Savannah Yates.
Three performances of the plays will be presented on an outdoor stage on Friday, Nov. 13, Saturday, Nov. 14 and Sunday, Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. These performances will be open to only current Wagner College students, faculty and staff. The audience will be socially distanced, and masks will be required.
The show on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. will be live streamed via Facebook Live. Use this link to view the webcast.
“Macbeth: A Reimagining” is adapted and directed by Divya Khanna. It features students Amanda Rose Miller, Charlie Rudalavage, Katrina Wischusen, Katie Cox and Bridget Yost. Say goodbye to the “Macbeth” you know — this version relocates Shakespeare’s famous play to the imagination of a young author working on a novel. As her real life becomes entangled with the characters and action in her book, things become messy and she can no longer differentiate between fantasy and reality — or control either one.
“The Winter’s Tale” is adapted and directed by Kira Wiggins. It features students Hunter Anderson, James Brautigam, Emory Garber, Katie Cox, Greyson Riley, Megan Gomez-Campbell, Justino Tesoro and Katie Cox. “The Winter’s Tale” is a cautionary fable of when toxic male fragility usurps trust in a woman’s innocence. At the heart of this play is a powerful message: Believe women. It is a testament to the power of women’s strength, compassion, and charity.
“Cleo + Tony: A Toxic Rock Opera” is adapted and directed by Savannah Yates. It features students Katrice Jackson, Tommy Folderauer, Matt Storti, Paul Hogan, Alex Moss and Sammy O’Neil. The greatest love story of all time is actually a jealous, unfaithful hot mess set to rock music (and a Beastie Boys rap). The queen of Egypt and a wannabe dictator go to war as Italy descends into fascism. “Cleo + Tony” flips the classic narrative to show powerful, intelligent women and the incompetent, power-hungry men they have to deal with.
The creative team for the staging of this group of three short plays includes Phill Hickox (production manager), Cameron Russell (video supervisor), Conchetta Aronawitz ’20 (sound supervisor), Kyle Hoolahan (sound designer), Brendan Flanagan (props master), Addi Oakley-Neel (production stage manager), Theresa McCarthy (WTC producer), Katie Cox (choreographer, “The Winter’s Tale”) and Bobbi Rene Fullerton (lighting designer).
