Rediscovery Series Readings Of Shakespeare's "Lost" Plays

Works for the ReDiscovery Series are chosen by Artistic Director Michael Kahn and presented by members of the artistic staff. Guest artists join members of the Washington theatrical community to investigate these great but lesser-known plays of world literature five times a year at the Lansburgh Theatre.

Edward III attributed in part to William Shakespeare, directed by Merry Alderman, February 12, 2007, at 7:30 p.m.

Scottish rebels threaten England 's border and John of France seizes the French crown. As King Edward sets out to restore order in the north, he sends his son Prince Edward to France and into battle for the first time. Against overwhelming odds, the Prince fights to regain the French crown for his father. Rediscover one of Shakespeare's "lost" plays, first published anonymously in 1596 and filled with passages as sophisticated as those found in Shakespeare's early histories.

The History of Cardenio by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher an imaginative reconstruction by Gary Taylor, directed by Stephen Fried, April 23, 2007, at 7:30 p.m.

Don Ferdinando forces marriage on his friend Cardenio's beloved Lucinda, betraying both Cardenio and his own lover Violante. Brokenhearted, Violante and Cardenio plot to be reunited with their true loves. Based on characters from Don Quixote, The History of Cardenio returned to the London stage in 1727 as Double Falsehood -a contemporary adaptation of an earlier manuscript written by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher. Shakespeare scholar Gary Taylor reconstructs this 17th-century play that had been virtually lost to audiences for centuries.

Following the matinee performance of Titus Andronicus on Sunday, April 22, Gary Taylor will deliver a Shakespeare In Washington lecture titled Cardenio-Evidence of Authorship at the Lansburgh Theatre. Admission is free. Reservations are required. Interested patrons should call the Shakespeare Theatre Company Box Office at 202.547.1122 for additional information and to verify the program's official start time.

Sir Thomas More attributed in part to William Shakespeare, directed by David Muse, May 14, 2007, at 7:30 p.m.

Unlike the plays in the traditional Shakespeare canon, Sir Thomas More exists only in manuscript form and features three complete pages believed to be written in Shakespeare's hand. In this politically sensitive play loosely based on the real-life events of the wise scholar and public servant, More must decide whether to honor his allegiance to the king or follow his conscience. Censored and then revised by Shakespeare and other playwrights, Sir Thomas More brings to life the spirit of this English Renaissance man and his fall from grace.

ReDiscovery Series

Works for the ReDiscovery series are chosen by Artistic Director Michael Kahn and presented under the direction of the Company's artistic staff. The readings occur at the Lansburgh on five Mondays throughout the year where guest scholars, translators and adaptors involved with the evening's reading also frequently participate in rehearsal, performance and post-performance discussions.

Now in its 14th season, the ReDiscovery Series has investigated many rarely produced classics that resulted in mainstage productions including Schiller's Don Carlos ( produced on the Shakespeare Theatre Company mainstage during the 2000-2001 season), A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde (produced on the Shakespeare Theatre Company mainstage during the 1998-1999 season), T he Silent Woman by Ben Jonson (produced on the Shakespeare Theatre Company mainstage during the 2002-2003 season), a new translation and adaptation of Alfred de Musset's Lorenzaccio by Washington playwright John Strand (produced on the Shakespeare Theatre Company mainstage during the 2004-2005 season), and a world-premiere translation and adaptation of George Farquhar's The Beaux' Stratagem by Thornton Wilder and Ken Ludwig (produced on the Shakespeare Theatre Company's mainstage during the 2006-2007 season).

The series also included the world-premiere, standing-room-only performance of Tennessee Williams' newly discovered one-act plays, Five by Tenn (of which three plays were read as part of the series) at The Kennedy Center, and re-mounted in New York at The Manhattan Theatre Club. -- www.shakespearetheatre.org