King Lear opens November 12 at Berea College. Presented by The Actors from the London Stage

King Lear follows the story of an aging king who decides to divide his realm amongst his three daughters.  He begins by asking which one of them loves him the most.  When the favored daughter, Cordelia, refuses to flatter him, she is disinherited and banished, and Lear’s nightmare begins.

The Actors from the  London Stage is a traveling troupe of five actors who perform Shakespeare’s plays in their entirety with only the group of them and minimal set and costume pieces.  Their mission is “to make exciting Shakespeare, performed by fine professional actors, available and affordable to American colleges and universities in the context of an extraordinary, weeklong teaching experience.” (http://www.nd.edu/~aftls/mission/)

While at Berea, the troupe will visit classes on campus and work with students  in a variety of subjects.  “It’s a wonderful opportunity for our students to have meaningful dialogue and interaction with these professional performers, and to see Shakespeare brought to life onstage in such a creative way,” says Deborah Martin, of Berea’s Theatre Department and the tour coordinator on campus.

Performances of King Lear are 8 p.m. November 12-14 in the McGaw Theatre.  Tickets range in price from $5-$10 and can be reserved by calling the Theatre Box Office at (859)985-3300 Monday through Friday 1-5 p.m. and one hour prior to curtain.  Admission for Berea College students has been pre-paid as part of their student fees, but a valid ID is needed to receive a ticket.  A sign-interpreted performance is scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13.  It is expected that most, if not all, performances will be sold out; advance reservations are strongly suggested.