Pericles to be Staged at Folger Theatre

Shakespeare's Pericles, as directed by Joseph Haj from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, will be restaged at the Folger Theatre from November 13 through December 20, 2015. This fantastical tale of a father's heroic odyssey stars Washington, D.C. native Wayne T. Carr in the title role. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.folger.edu/theatre or by calling the Folger Box Office at (202) 544-7077.

Opened in Ashland, Oregon in February 2015, Pericles has received much critical praise, hailed by The Oregonian as "a magical, must-see Pericles" and The Times Standard calling it "one of the most dazzling visual feasts you will ever encounter." The New York Times stated, "remarkable...strikes the heart most deeply." Following its run at Folger Theatre, the production will travel to The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, where Haj was recently named Artistic Director.

"We are delighted to welcome Joseph Haj back to the Folger," said Janet Griffin, Artistic Producer for Folger Theatre, "and to bring Pericles to our stage for the first time. With such an outstanding ensemble of designers and actors assembled, bringing this ambitious adventure tale to the stage, this production is sure to move and astonish audiences here in D.C."

Pericles, Prince of Tyre, sets sail on an extraordinary journey through the decades and is blown from the coast of Phoenicia to Greece and to Turkey. Chased by the wicked King of Antioch, Pericles finds his true love in Thaisa, but loses her and their daughter, Marina, on the rough seas. One of the most popular plays of its time, Pericles expands on the notion of the "romantic play" to encompass life's dramatic scope-birth, separation, healing, resurrection, and death-amidst an adventure tale replete with storms, shipwrecks, and pirates.

"Pericles is a playful, funny, moving, powerful meditation on what it is to be human," says Haj. "It is a powerful story that belongs to a folk tradition, a tale that is told in both spoken text and song, with a message of healing at its core. It has been a pleasure crafting this piece with such extraordinary collaborators-and to bring this production to the inspiring setting that is the Folger Theatre."

The original cast of The Oregon Shakespeare Festival production will continue at Folger Theatre. The cast also includes Brooke Parks as Pericles' wife Thaisa, Jennie Greenberry as their daughter Marina, Armando Durán as Gower, Michael Gabriel Goodfriend (Richard III at the Folger) as Lysimachus, Michael J. Hume as Helicanus, Scott Ripley as Antiochus, Emily Serdahl as Lychorida, and U. Jonathan Toppo as Thaliard. The production also features Barzin Akhavan, Darcy Danielson, Cedric Lamar, Zlato Rizziolli, and Samuel L. Wick.

This production of Pericles features live music composed by Tony Award®-winner Jack Herrick, with visual projections by Francesca Talenti and scenic design by Jan Chambers-all of whom worked on the Helen Hayes Award-winning Hamlet at Folger Theatre in 2010. The creative team also includes Raquel Barreto (costume design), Rui Rita (lighting design), Amadon Jaeger (sound design), and Joy Dickson (Oregon Shakespeare Festival casting).

Folger Theatre is proud to announce that part of the Pericles proceeds will be donated to the important work of The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), also known as the UN Refugee Agency, which helps and protects refugees and people displaced by violence, conflict, and persecution. The UN Refugee Agency helps to provide life-saving essentials around the world, including those families in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan risking perilous journeys by sea, hoping to find safety in Europe. The UNHCR, founded in 1950, is the world's leading organization aiding and protecting people forced to flee their homes, assisting an estimated 50 million refugees restart their lives.

This production of Pericles was originally produced at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Bill Rauch, Artistic Director, Cynthia Rider, Executive Director.

Pericles plays at Folger Theatre from November 13 to December 20, 2015. Tickets are $35-$75. Lower-priced previews and discounts for students, seniors, military, educators, and groups of ten or more are available and may be purchased at the Folger Theatre Box Office at (202) 544-7077 or online at www.folger.edu/theatre.