War, Love, Sex and Death in Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida

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Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare will be presented at 243 Rosedale St. (New Life Presbyterian Church) beginning October 30th and running through November 22nd. Friday and Saturday performances are at 8pm; selected Sunday performances on November 15th and 22nd at 2pm. Single tickets range from $6-$12 and may be purchased at BreadandWaterTheatre.org. For more information, call (585) 271-5523.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 8th, 2009
Contact: J.R. Teeter
Artistic Director
585.271.5523
JR@BreadandWaterTheatre.org

War, Love, Sex and Death in
William Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida

It is the seventh year of the Grecian's siege of the city of Troy, brought about by Paris' abduction of Helen from her Greek husband Menelaus. Achilles has refused to fight causing the war to stalemate once again. During this moment of calm, two star-crossed lovers begin their courtship. The idealistic Troilus and the witty Cressida are brought together with the help of her Uncle Pandarus in the hopes that a loving union may be made. As both factions approach the war's endgame brutal truths are uncovered that may spell doom on the battlefield. Witty and ruthless, Shakespeare transforms the most defining tale of classical literature stripping it bare in what could best be described as his most scathing satire of doomed love, chivalry and war run amok!

"Troilus and Cressida speaks to the audience member who has enjoyed Shakespeare's other tale of star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet while at the same time appealing to those that enjoy the court intrigue of Richard III or the devilishness of Macbeth (warning: it is bad luck to say 'Macbeth' in a theatre!) and for that reason it has been difficult for historians to describe the play in simplistic terms," says J.R. Teeter the show's director, "For me part of the appeal is the role of women in this play and in this production. As we are well aware with the recent conflicts in the Sudan, Afghanistan and Iraq, women are not immune to the horrors of war and Troilus and Cressida speaks to the struggles of these women in a way that is very contemporary. Cressida is the daughter of a traitor trying to survive in an environment that innately distrusts her. During the course of the play she is exchanged as part of a prisoner swap to the Greeks who hate her for her devotion to the Trojans. Cassandra is a woman who can see the future, but is cursed with never being believed. In many ways she represents the victims of war rape whose honesty is never rewarded and shunned by their own family. Hector's wife, Andromache represents the modern soldier's wife who desperately fears for her husband's safety. The connections to modern conflicts is endless.

Intermixed with the complexities of war is a heart wrenching love story between Troilus and Cressida. They are young and unsure of themselves in the midst of the chaos that surrounds them and want very much to be left alone in the pursuit of their love. The war, however, is raging onward and risks tearing them apart forever when Cressida is traded to the Greeks to appease her father Calchas who traitorously aligns himself with Agamemnon, the commander-in-chief of the Greek forces.

In a traditional Shakespearean tragedy the plot would move its characters to an untimely death, not so in Troilus and Cressida. Shakespeare has loftier goals in mind. He speaks to the heavier topics at play: the death of ideals, of love, the unforgiving nature of war, and the death of chivalry leaving many of the characters physically unscathed by the war, but forced to deal with the consequences of their emotionally-scarring actions.

The cast includes: Emily Appel (Cressida), Danny Kincaid Kunz (Troilus), Roger Gans (Pandarus/Calchas), Ray Salah (Thersites), Doug Kester (Ajax), Daniel Horrocks (Ulysses), Elliot Fox (Achilles), Tom Bohrer (Nestor/Priam), Zachary Reeb (Diomedes), Liz Porta (Helen/Andromache/Myrmidon), Jeffery Jones (Hector), Jonathan Wetherbee (Paris/Margaralon), Michael Adam Celso (Aeneas), John Davison (Patroclus), Philip Frey (Agamemnon), Amanda Walter (Alexander/Menelaus/Cassandra), Amanda McFaul (Antenor/Myrmidon), Nathaniel Dudley (Myrmidon). Mr. Dudley previously appeared in BWT's Lambda Project: Au Naturel, The Last Sunday in June and a reading of The Designated Mourner. Mr. Fox previously appeared in the Designated Mourner. The rest of the cast are making their BWT debuts.

The crew includes: J.R. Teeter (director/artistic director), Sara Gallagher (costume design), Brian Kehoe (sound design). Mr. Teeter is the founder of Bread & Water Theatre directing over seventeen productions for the company. Ms. Gallagher previously designed for The Witnesses of Kitty Genovese, The Lambda Project: Au Naturel, My Gay Family and The Crochet Penis. Mr. Kehoe previously appeared and designed sound for The Last Sunday in June.

Founded in 2000, Bread & Water Theatre is committed to making the arts accessible and affordable to a broad-based audience and acting as a positive agent of change in its community. Under the artistic direction of J.R. Teeter, BWT develops theatre that speaks to our living, evolving, and dramatically changing world through new and rare works of drama, and aspires to be a major force in American theatre, providing audiences with challenging contemporary drama and innovative community outreach programs.

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ARTISTIC STAFF AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS AS THEIR SCHEDULES PERMIT
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