Katrin Talbot
A & C
“He was not for an age, but for all time!” exclaimed Shakespeare’s peer Ben Johnson in an ode, and as improbable as our modern world might seem to The Bard were we to rudely resurrect the poor chap from the dead, he would find his legendary oeuvre still resonant.
That’s why Incite Shakespeare Company Artistic Director Ariana Karp sees the almost painful sociopolitical germaneness of Richard III, one of the plays in the War of the Roses tetralogy.
“I think the play changes depending on the audience,” says Karp, “but it’s so unbelievably relevant right now.”
Richard III tells the story of how the manipulative Richard of Gloucester slaughters and connives his way to the English throne. In the end, however, his rival, Henry Tudor, raises an army against him and kills him in the Battle of Bosworth Field.
Karp says she was first inspired to produce Richard III after watching the House Speaker election that finally put US Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in power after an exhausting series of 15 ballots. But like any Shakespeare play, Richard’s complicated history relates to so much more than just Machiavellian American politics. Shakespeare’s play sheds light on the odious aspects of our humanity, and this production aims to expose the reality of that side we often want to ignore.
“Political struggles have been happening for thousands of years, and history helps put that in context,” Karp tells SFR.
Originally dubbed the International Shakespeare Center when three Santa Fe bardolators banded together in 2015, the theater company brought seminars, classes and professional performances to town. In 2020, the New Mexico Actors Lab took over ISC’s Parkway Drive studio space when COVID-19 threatened to shutter its doors. Karp created the Radio Shakespeare Lab during the transition to maintain a presence in the community, allowing the company to continue planning new shows.
After the members of the ensemble meditated on their values and mission at the start of this year, the organization rebranded itself as Incite Shakespeare Company Santa Fe.
“The name change really had to do with clarifying our mission,” says Karp. “When ISC started, much of our focus and energy was on bringing in globally renowned artists to Santa Fe for really exciting events. We still want to do that, but we have discovered that our essence is as a performance ensemble.”
By drawing on the so-called original practice techniques that try to replicate the methods Shakespeares’ own troupe would have used in their rehearsals as well as more contemporary acting techniques, Karp and her crew hybridize history with the present in their newest production. And with original compositions written and performed by Geoffery Pomeroy that complement a contemporary set, Karp guarantees it’ll be a refreshing show.
Most of all, Karp wants members of the audience to start a conversation about what’s in front of them.
“I would like the audience to be intellectually, emotionally and imaginatively provoked to engage with each other and talk about what they have experienced,” she says.
Richard III may not be as well-known as Shakespeare’s other works, but its themes will resonate with viewers no matter how versed they are in Shakespearia or 15th-century history.
Richard III: 7:30 pm, July 14, 15, 20, 21, 22; 2 pm, July 16, 22, 23. Recommended $30. The Actors Lab, 1213 Parkway Drive.
