“Troilus and Cressida”
Presented by the Wichita Shakespeare Company
The Wichita Shakespeare Company (WSC) closes its 2011 Shakespeare-in-the-Park series with “Troilus and Cressida.” This Trojan War-era play tells the story of Troilus and Cressida, two young lovers torn apart by the long-running war between the Greeks and the Trojans. The play is difficult to categorize by genre, as it includes elements of both comedy and tragedy. It had been neglected for several centuries – not coming into its own until the last century. For this reason, and due to its centric theme on the futility of war, it has frequently been called “the Shakespeare play for the 20th century.”
The play is directed by veteran WSC director Dan Schuster. Previous WSC directing credits include “Coriolanus, “Pericles, “Measure for Measure, “Two Noble Kinsmen, “Cymbeline, “Love’s Labours Lost”, and “The Winter’s Tale.” The impressive cast assembled for this production includes Ben Blankley as Troilus, Charlene Grinsell as Cressida, Jim Crawley as Achilles, and Kenneth Mitchell as Ulysses. Others in the cast include Elizabeth Anderson, Kate Corbin, Heather Jewell, Anna Kraus, April Karber, Vonda Schuster, David Weills, Eric Olson, Robert Esau Rutherford, Mark Schuster, Damian Padilla, Isaac Banta, and Joey LeCompte.
Shakespeare-in-the-Park will return to the very popular Central Riverside, Buffalo, and College Hill Parks in Wichita. Parks in Andover, Park City, Derby, and Haysville will complete the tour. All shows will begin at 7:00 pm, with an approximate running time of two hours. The show is rated PG-13 due to violence and adult content. As always, the play is performed free to all audiences but donations are accepted and appreciated. Those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets and, of course, bug spray.
In the event of inclement weather, there will be a message posted at 6 pm on the WSC line (316-655-2017) alerting if the show has been cancelled for that evening.
Exact park locations and dates are as follows:
Friday Sept 2 – Central Riverside Park
Saturday Sept 3 – College Hill Park
Sunday Sept 4 – Andover Sports Park, Andover
Friday Sept 9 – Buffalo Park
Saturday Sept 10 – Hap McLean Park, Park City
Sunday Sept 11 – Riggs Park, Haysville
Friday Sept 16 – Central Riverside Park
Saturday Sept 17 – College Hill Park
Sunday Sept 18 – High Park Amphitheatre, Derby
For additional information regarding this show or press release, contact Dan Schuster at (316) 655-2017.
Additionally, check out our website at www.wichitashakespearecompany.org or find and “like” us on www.facebook.com.
Click “Continue Reading” to view photos, the video, and the show poster.
Troilus and Cressida Poster (PDF)
