William Shakespeare's Long Lost First Play (abridged)

Folger Theatre produced the Reduced Shakespeare's Company's performance of William Shakespeare's Long Lost First Play (abridged) from April 21 to May 8, 2016.

Reed Martin, Teddy Spencer, and Austin Tichenor in William Shakespeare's Long Lost First Play (abridged) Folger Theatre, 2016. Photo by Teresa Wood.

Synopsis

The wonderfully inventive and wildly hilarious Reduced Shakespeare Company® returns to Folger Theatre in this eagerly anticipated World Premiere. Discovered in a treasure-filled parking lot in Leicester, England, an ancient manuscript proves to be the long-lost first play by none other than the young William Shakespeare from Stratford. Using questionable scholarship and street-performer smarts, the trio of comic actors throw themselves into a fast, funny, and frenzied festival of physical finesse, witty wordplay, and plentiful (pitiful) punning. William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged) is written and directed by two of the world’s most famous Shakespearean comedians, Austin Tichenor and Reed Martin, stars of the PBS film The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), and authors of The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) (Helen Hayes Award nominee for Best New Play) and the definitive, irreverent reference book Reduced Shakespeare: The Complete Guide for the Attention-Impaired (abridged) (published by Hyperion).

Production

Entertainment unions represented in Folger Theatre productions include The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (**), United Scenic Artists (***), and the Actors' Equity Association (*), which includes members of the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers.

Cast

  • Reed Martin*: Reed
  • Teddy Spencer*: Teddy
  • Austin Tichenor*: Austin

Creative team

  • Reed Martin, Co-Author and Co-Director
  • Austin Tichenor, Co-Author and Co-Director
  • Skipper Skeoch, Costume Design
  • Brittany Diliberto, Lighting Design
  • Brandon Roe, Sound Design
  • Elaine Randolph*, Production Stage Manager

Production team

  • Teresa Wood, Casting Assistant
  • Elizabeth Brodie, Sean Taber, Production Assistant
  • Cidney Forkpah, Wardrobe Head
  • James Neylon, Master Electrician
  • Amanda Kircher, Light Board Operator
  • Brandon Roe, Sound Engineer
  • Alli Bostedt, Tim Holtslag, Jennifer Rugyt, Props
  • Freya Marcelius, Puppets and Masks
  • Jane Martin, RSC General Manager
  • Alli Bostedt, RSC Company Manager
  • WiT Media, Advertising Agency
  • Teresa Wood, Production Photography
  • Daniel Coston, Playbill Cover Photography
  • Heather Daniels, Lee Fanning, Mark Fastoso, and APTV, Promotional Video
  • WAPAVA, Archival Video
  • C2, Open Captioning

Folger Theatre

  • Janet Alexander Griffin, Artistic Producer
  • Beth Emelson, Associate Artistic Producer
  • David Polk, General Manager
  • Charles Flye, Theatre Production Manager
  • Rebekah Sheffer, Assistant Technical Director
  • Katherine Pitt, Humanities Programs Assistant

Other media

Watch the trailer for this production of William Shakespeare's Long Lost First Play (abridged)."

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