Illustration: Sally Thurer, based on a photo by Johan Persson, courtesy KBTC.
October 26 – December 15, 2024, in The Shed’s Griffin Theater
Tickets go on sale April 19; Shed member presale begins April 15
Following a sold-out London run last year, The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company (KBTC)’s new production of William Shakespeare’s King Lear will have its exclusive US presentation at The Shed in its intimate 500-seat Griffin Theater (545 West 30th Street) for a strictly limited, 50 performance engagement this fall. Performances begin on October 26, running through December 15 with opening night on November 14. Tickets go on sale on April 19 at theshed.org (Shed member presale begins April 15).
Kenneth Branagh plays the title role in this new production of Shakespeare’s King Lear, set in the barbarous landscape of Ancient Britain. Featuring a cast of rising stars from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art directed by Branagh, this production releases the play’s power and turmoil in a fast-paced staging.
In playing Lear, Branagh completes a trifecta of great Shakespearean tragic roles, complementing past appearances as Hamlet in his Academy Award–nominated film version of the play (1996) and on stage as Macbeth in a celebrated immersive production (2014).
The cast includes Mara Allen (Curan), Deborah Alli (Goneril), Raymond Anum (Burgundy), Melanie‐Joyce Bermudez (Regan), Kenneth Branagh (King Lear), Doug Colling (Edgar), Dylan Corbett‐Bader (France), Eleanor De Rohan (Kent), Chloe Fenwick‐Brown (Oswald), Joseph Kloska (Gloucester), Corey Mylchreest (Edmund), Hughie O’Donnell (Cornwall), Caleb Obediah (Albany), and Jessica Revell (Cordelia/The Fool).
Support
Major support for King Lear is provided by M&T Bank, Founding Bank of The Shed.
About Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company (KBTC)
KBTC was formed in 2013. The company’s inaugural Plays at the Garrick Season presented seven plays at the Garrick Theatre from October 2015 to November 2016: The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare, Harlequinade/All on Her Own by Terence Rattigan (double bill), Red Velvet by Lolita Chakrabarti, The Painkiller by Francis Veber, adapted by Sean Foley (first premiered in a limited run at the opening season of the New Lyric Theatre, Belfast), Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare, and The Entertainer by John Osborne. They went on in 2017 to bring together company members from the Garrick Season and teamed them with RADA graduates past and present, for a special fundraising production of Hamlet for and at RADA. Kenneth Branagh is partnered in the company by producer Tamar Thomas. They first met as part of The Renaissance Theatre Company, where Thomas began her career as an assistant stage manager. They have since worked together for over 30 years across theater, film, and television.
About Fiery Angel
Headed by Edward Snape and Marilyn Eardley, Fiery Angel is an award-winning international production company based in London’s West End. Recent productions include Unexpected Twist (UK tour), Animal Farm (UK tour), The Good Life (UK tour), Hairspray (West End), Touching the Void (West End), The Son (West End), The Night of the Iguana (West End), Fleabag (West End), Home, I’m Darling (West End and UK tour), Long Day’s Journey into Night (West End, New York, and Los Angeles), Mary Stuart (West End and UK tour), Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein (West End), Love From A Stranger (UK tour), Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company; The Winter’s Tale, All On Her Own/Harlequinade, Red Velvet, The Painkiller, Romeo and Juliet, The Entertainer (West End), Ben Hur (Tricycle Theatre), The 39 Steps (nine years in the West End, three UK tours, three years on Broadway and presented in over 40 territories worldwide including Olivier, Tony, and Moliere Award wins), To Kill a Mockingbird (Barbican Theatre and UK tour), The Scottsboro Boys (West End), The Ladykillers (West End and UK tour), Ghost Stories (West End), and Dial M for Murder (UK tour). Fiery Angel has acted as a coproducer alongside The National Theatre on its West End productions of Nine Night, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and The Lehman Trilogy. Fiery-angel.com
About The Shed
Under the leadership of CEO Meredith “Max” Hodges and founding Artistic Director Alex Poots, The Shed is a cultural institution of and for the 21st century. We produce and welcome innovative art and ideas, across all forms of creativity, to build a shared understanding of our rapidly changing world and a more equitable society. In our highly adaptable building on Manhattan’s west side, The Shed brings together established and emerging artists to create new work in fields ranging from pop to classical music, painting to digital media, theater to literature, and sculpture to dance. We seek opportunities to collaborate with cultural peers and community organizations, work with like-minded partners, and provide unique spaces for private events. As an independent nonprofit that values invention, equity, and generosity, we are committed to advancing art forms, addressing the urgent issues of our time, and making our work impactful, sustainable, and relevant to the local community, the cultural sector, New York City, and beyond.
