Henry IV Part 1 meets Star Trek – dirceted by Tanya Piejus
Our next Bard in the Yard production is Shakespeare’s most accessible history play, Henry IV, Part 1. It will be directed by Tanya Piejus (pictured at right) who is new to BCTT but may be familiar to you as the director of productions for KAT Theatre (Woman in Mind, Of Mice and Men, A Streetcar Named Desire), Wellington Repertory Theatre (Midnight in Moscow, The Diary of Anne Frank) and Stagecraft (Frost/Nixon, Proof, Cold Comfort Farm).
Henry IV, Part 1 will be Tanya’s sixteenth play as director, but first Shakespeare and she is excited to be working with BCTT. She is a big Star Trek fan and this production will be inspired by the sci-fi series with the King’s court and Eastcheap becoming the bridge and bar of a starship, and the other characters coming from various non-human species. Setting the production in the future makes cross-casting of any role more credible and acceptable, so all roles will be open to all genders. There will also be opportunities for those who enjoy fight choreography to take part in the final epic battle scene.
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