Renaissance Center

Broadcast of "The Henriad" on WMUA

War. Betrayal. The rise and fall of kings and kingdoms, as told by the greatest storyteller in the English language…

The Renaissance Center Theater Company and WMUA proudly present
The Henriad, William Shakespeare's epic four-part history cycle, broadcast on radio and the web for the first time.

The series will air on four successive Saturdays, from May 23 to June 13. Each broadcast will be from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. EST. There are three ways to listen:

1. If you live in western or central Massachusetts, tune in to WMUA 91.1 FM during the scheduled broadcasts.
2. If you live outside the broadcast range, stream the simulcast online at http://www.wmua.org/listen.php
3. Purchase a CD or download of The Henriad. Ordering information is available at the production website. Proceeds will support the Massachusetts Center for Renaissance Studies in its project to build the first reproduction Tudor-style great hall in the United States.

The broadcast schedule is as follows:

May 23: Richard II – The arrogant King Richard banishes his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke, from England. But when Richard's extravagant ways anger his nobles, Bolingbroke returns from exile and seizes the crown to become King Henry IV.

May 30: Henry IV, Part One – Several years later, Henry is betrayed by the friends who brought him to power. To crush the growing rebellion, the king must turn to his son Hal, who wastes his days in a London tavern with that villainous, abominable, misleader of youth, Sir Jack Falstaff.

June 6: Henry IV, Part Two – In the aftermath of war, the country is again beset by civil strife as the surviving members of the rebellious faction attempt to reunite their powers. While the armies regroup, the king falls ill and fears chaos for his realm.

June 13: Henry V – King Henry IV is dead and Hal is now King Henry V. To unite his divided people, he declares war on their legendary foes, the French. In the series' thrilling conclusion, Henry rallies his outnumbered army to victory at the legendary Battle of Agincourt and to claim for himself the throne of France.

Upon your imaginary forces work, as this monumental saga is brought to life on the air and online by a company of actors from across western Massachusetts, including Walter Carroll, Hannah Duff, Gershon Eigner, Arthur F. Kinney, Greg Kleciak, Sean Landers, Peter Ludwig, Ann Maggs, Dan McNamara, Matteo Pangallo, Lucy Y. Robinson, Matthew Roehrig, Chris Rohmann, and Bob Williams. The Henriad was adapted for radio and directed by Matteo Pangallo, with sound engineering and design by Tom Shread, sound engineering by Kathleen O'Keefe, and was produced by Lucinda Kidder.

Funded by the Massachusetts Center for Renaissance Studies, the UMass Arts Council, and the Office of the Provost of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

For more information, or to order a copy of the show on CD or by download, visit: TheHenriad.org

Panel on the Great Hall

Tuesday, April 7th, 4:30 pm
Rand Theater

PLEASE ANNOUNCE TO YOUR CLASSES, AND CONSIDER GIVING EXTRA CREDIT FOR ATTENDANCE AT THIS UNIQUE EVENT

The role of the 16th-century English country Great Hall in the history and development of Early Modern dramatic performance will be the subject of an international panel convened by the Center on Tuesday, April 7, at 4:30 pm. The event is a collaboration with the University of Toronto’s Records of Early English Drama institute (REED), the organization engaged for the last thirty-one years in collecting and publishing information about provincial performance gathered county by county from all over England. This event is sponsored by the UMass Office of the Provost. It will be held in the Rand Theater in the Fine Arts Center and is open to the public at no charge.

The panel, chaired by UMass English Professor Adam Zucker, will feature several pre-eminent scholars in the field, including Sally-Beth MacLean, director of REED and Barbara Palmer, former professor of literature at Mary Baldwin College and specialist in great hall performance. Lawrence Manley, William R. Kenan Jr Professor of English at Yale will speak as will Paul Werstine of the University of Western Ontario, general editor of the New Variorum Shakespeare and Kate McLuskie, Director of the University of Birmingham’s Shakespeare Institute. Gail Kern Paster, Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC will serve as respondent for the panel.

Shakespeare Game Night

Friday, February 27th, 7-9:30pm

Join us for an evening of fun such as Queen Elizabeth and her
courtiers might have enjoyed at the Massachusetts Center for Renaissance Studies
on Friday, February 27, from 7-9:30 pm. SHAKESPEARE GAME NIGHT will feature
period games such as Fox and Geese, Alquerque, and Nine Man Morris as well as
such current favorites as Othello, and The Bard Game. No previous experience
with Shakespeare is necessary; a cash prize of $100 will be won by one lucky
participant. The suggested donation for the evening is $10, and proceeds will
benefit the Center’s Great Hall Fund.

SHAKESPEARE GAME NIGHT is sponsored by the Renaissance Center Reading Group
under the leadership of Nancy Gregg and Vivienne Carey. In addition to
supervising the play, group members, including local food writer Claire Hopley,
are concocting refreshments from authentic 16th-century recipes and will be
happy to share their culinary secrets.

The Massachusetts Center for Renaissance Studies is an internationally leading
center for the interdisciplinary study of the culture and achievements of the
Renaissance period (1400-1700). The Center contributes to the field of
Renaissance studies through research, teaching, and outreach to the University
of Massachusetts Amherst campus, the Amherst community, and beyond. For more
information about the Center and a full calendar of activities, visit the
Center’s web page at www.umass.edu/renaissance.

Open Auditions for Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor

Sunday, March 1st, 1-4 pm
Monday, March 2nd, 7-9 pm

The Renaissance Center Theater Company will hold open auditions for
its spring production of William Shakespeare’s rollicking city comedy, THE MERRY
WIVES OF WINDSOR on Sunday, March 1 from 1-4 pm and Monday, March 2 from 7-9 pm
at the UMass Renaissance Center, 650 East Pleasant Street, Amherst. Interested
people may contact Director moc.cam|renragnna#renraG nnA for information and
to sign up to audition, though walk-ins are welcome.

Auditioners may come with a prepared piece or read one provided. Rehearsals
begin week of March 9, with 3-4 rehearsals per week. The production will be
ensemble-driven. There are lots of parts, some large, some small, all very
funny. Not everyone will be needed for every rehearsal, but those who are called
will definitely be used. Performances will be held April 17-19, 24-26 at the
Renaissance Center.




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