UNCSA presents a contemporary take on a Shakespearean classic

Ambition. Betrayal. Corruption. Retribution. An empire in turmoil. No, these aren’t today’s headlines, but they could be.

The timing, therefore, is fortuitous for the University of North Carolina (UNSCA) School of Drama’s upcoming production of William Shakespeare’s still-relevant, still-timely political saga Coriolanus, which opens Feb. 17 in the Patrons Theatre of Alex Ewing Performance Place, located on the UNCSA campus, 1533 S. Main St., Winston-Salem.

This production, presented in collaboration with Play On Shakespeare, a non-profit entity that fashions modern translations of Shakespeare’s works, was adapted by Sean San José and is helmed by guest director Raelle Myrick-Hodges, former artistic director of San Francisco’s Brava Theater.

Coriolanus will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17 through Saturday, Feb. 19; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20. Tickets are $20 (general admission) and $15 (students with valid ID) and can be purchased in advance by calling 336-721-1945 or visiting www.uncsa.edu/performances. UNCSA venues are now open at full capacity and, due to local health mandates; audience members are required to wear masks.

The cast includes Maddy Brown, Reagan Carraway, Olivia Daponde, Lukey Klein, Julie Lopez, Yasmin Pascall, Kobe McKelvey, Devlin Stark, Mimi Viglitetti, and Michael Washington. Many cast members will be performing multiple roles in the production, with Daponde, Klein, and Stark alternating as the titular character.

“Our production of Sean San José’s Coriolanus is such a boon for UNCSA and especially for the Division of Liberal Arts to contribute to the production life at UNCSA,” said Martine Kei Green-Rogers, interim dean of the Division of Liberal Arts, who helped facilitate the collaboration with Play On and serves as the production’s dramaturg. “We are especially excited to welcome Play On Shakespeare to UNCSA and for the educational opportunities will open for UNCSA students.”

Originally written by Shakespeare in the early 1600s (the exact year is unclear), Coriolanus is among the Bard’s final tragedies, one fraught with intense passion and political tumult, as it follows the rise and fall of the Roman general Caius Marcuis, celebrated for his heroic exploits on the battlefield but castigated for his disdain for the populace of Rome. His political aspirations prove his undoing. If he can’t lead the empire on his own terms, he’ll attempt to destroy it without mercy or remorse. 

Playwright San José, the artistic director of the Magic Theatre in San Francisco, has carefully updated Shakespeare’s language into contemporary English. Since its inception in 2015, the Play On program has commissioned dozens of contemporary playwrights and translators to adapt almost 40 Shakespearean plays into modern English. Many of the commissioned productions have been directed by minority and women playwrights, thereby adding further modern dimensions to these already-timeless works. Play On has teamed with artists and organizations worldwide to advocate and promote these translations in live theatrical productions, podcasts, publications, and film. The production of Coriolanus marks the first collaboration between UNCSA and Play On.

Over the years, such esteemed performers as Laurence Olivier, Ian McKellen, Paul Scofield, Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken, Tom Hiddleston, and Robert Ryan have portrayed the ferocious general. For his 2011 feature directorial debut, Ralph Fiennes played Coriolanus in a modern interpretation that also featured Gerard Butler, Jessica Chastain, Brian Cox, and Vanessa Redgrave, and earned Fiennes a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer.

In conjunction with this production, UNCSA’s Division of Liberal Arts will present “Found in translation? A panel discussion on issues of translation,” a free virtual event scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16. UNCSA faculty member Hans Gabriel will moderate the panel with playwright Sean San José along with the hosts of the On Translation podcast: Mohammed Albakry, professor of English and linguistics at Middle Tennessee State University, and Joseph McAlhany, assistant professor at the University of Connecticut Department of History. To register for this free panel, visit www.uncsa.edu/performances.

The official UNCSA website is https://www.uncsa.edu/.