KING LEAR
The tragedy of King Lear is about an aging monarch who divides his kingdom among his daughters based on flattery, disowning the honest Cordelia. Elder daughters Goneril and Regan betray him, causing Lear to go mad while a fierce storm rages. Set in a present day alternate reality where only a handful of leaders control the entire human population and the world has become a capitalist technocracy completely reliant and slave to industry and development. The play asks the question: What is nature? And how much should we or do we even care about it? Like our planet, is human connection and authenticity worth saving?
—-Directed by Aurora Donaldson
Aurora Donaldson, this year’s guest director, was born and raised in the theatre, Aurora Donaldson (she/they) has been creating for as long as she can remember. Her first taste of the stage was playing a lost boy in Peter Pan - and finding that it was possible to play every day of her life, she realized that acting was the key to “never growing up.” Aurora went on to study the world of theatre through a broad lens: focusing on acting and directing but also dabbling in technical designs with the intent to become a theatre educator. Also being an avid reader, Aurora began reading Shakespeare plays at the age of eleven and fell in love with Shakespeare’s masterful manipulation of the English language and his intense analyses of the human condition. Now thanks to the Mammoth Shakespeare Festival, Aurora is able to explore her favorite tragedy and bring Shakespeare to life for the first time in her career. Aurora is no stranger to Mammoth as she recently married in! Skyler Kenny is her brother and law and she has seen several summer productions. She is incredibly grateful for this opportunity and excited to explore with a new set of “playmates” in this Mammoth Theatre “Playground.”
Performing Shakespearean plays alfresco is a world-wide summer ritual and a natural fit for the stunning outdoor beauty of Mammoth Lakes. This Mammoth tradition dates back to 2001, when Sierra Classic Theatre performed A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Hayden Cabin. For the past 16 years local and visiting audiences have brought their evening picnics to The Woods at Mammoth Lakes (formerly Sam’s Woods Site) for an evening of outdoor family fun. These productions have a tremendous following and keep dazzling audiences with unique takes on old classics: A post-apocalyptic Macbeth, Twelfth Night set in the wild west; The Two Gentleman of Verona set in the roaring 20’s; As You Like It set in 1969 California, Much Ado set in Vegas, Measure for Measure, A Winter’s Tale, Romeo and Juliet and A Mammoth Midsummer Night’s Dream set right here in Mammoth Lakes. This is also our chance to to give back to the community – since only a $15 donation is requested.
It takes a village and Sierra Classic Theatre is deeply grateful for the generous support of The Town of Mammoth Lakes, Mono County, Craig Albright, Mammoth Mountain, Mammoth Brewing Company, Sierra Event Management, M & M Events & Party Rentals, Measure U, the Frome Foundation and all of our donors.
We are particularly grateful for our Emeritus Board President, Chuck Scatolini who passed away peacefully on June 12th. There are no words to express how much we miss and will continue to miss him. He was a force, a friend, a cheerleader for theater in the Eastern Sierra and for each one of us.