The Oresteia, Shakespeare Theatre Company
Oversimplification is the enemy of discourse, but nevertheless, two things seem true: the Greeks understood how to make theatre that works, and so does Michael Kahn.
To focus on Kahn for a moment, this production of The Oresteia (in a new version by Ellen McLaughlin) is Kahn's final statement in his time leading the Shakespeare Theatre Company as its founder and Artistic Director. Next year, Simon Godwin steps into the AD role with his first season (though he won't direct for the company until winter 2020), and so throughout the 2018-2019 season, we've been building to this production as Kahn's farewell to STC and his time directing for Washington audiences. It's a bold choice of material, an epic story that is rarely seen due to the breadth of the material and the demands it makes on actors. Of course, the glory of Greek theatre, like all classical theatre, is that you've never needed pyrotechnics, towering revolving stage pieces, or special effects; you onl…
To focus on Kahn for a moment, this production of The Oresteia (in a new version by Ellen McLaughlin) is Kahn's final statement in his time leading the Shakespeare Theatre Company as its founder and Artistic Director. Next year, Simon Godwin steps into the AD role with his first season (though he won't direct for the company until winter 2020), and so throughout the 2018-2019 season, we've been building to this production as Kahn's farewell to STC and his time directing for Washington audiences. It's a bold choice of material, an epic story that is rarely seen due to the breadth of the material and the demands it makes on actors. Of course, the glory of Greek theatre, like all classical theatre, is that you've never needed pyrotechnics, towering revolving stage pieces, or special effects; you onl…
