A civil war rages. One giant army marches north to confront another in a battle that will determine the outcome of the war. It is the bloodiest battle ever fought on the country’s soil, and the subject of legends for generations to come.
Gettysburg as told by Ken Burns? Actually, it is Towton, the climactic battle of the Wars of the Roses, as told by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s “Henry VI” trilogy established his reputation in London, and the plays were as popular in Elizabethan times as today’s “Game of Thrones,” which is largely inspired by the war and its political intrigue.
The Henry VI trilogy bridges the gap between Shakespeare’s greatest history plays, “Henry V” and “Richard III.” The problem for modern audiences is that we lack the attention span to follow the arc of the story over the course of three lengthy plays.
Vince Carlson-Brown has solved that problem by distilling the plays to their essence as part of Nebraska Shakespeare’s thirtieth anniversary celebration. The result is two free standing plays, “A War of Roses: Foreign Flames” and “A War of Roses: A Fire Within”, which will be produced in collaboration with the Creighton and UNO theater departments this November.
Nebraska Shakespeare’s Artistic Director Vince Carlson-Brown says the project has been in the works for nearly four years, when he began his adaptation. “We wanted to celebrate our thirtieth anniversary with an epic cycle that would include current and former actors from both schools.” The project definitely involves theater royalty, with Professors D. Scott Glasser and Amy Lane directing the likes of Scott Kurz, Charleen Willoughby, Anthony Clark-Kaczmarek, Nick Zadina, Vince and Sarah Carlson-Brown, and 2016 TAG Scholarship winner Ben Adams.
“Foreign Flames” begins with Henry V and his band of brother’s victory at Agincourt. His reign is tragically short, leaving behind a weak young heir, Henry VI, his resolute queen, Margaret of Anjou, and military reversals as the French army rebounds under the leadership of Joan of Arc. The campaign ends in disaster and the loss of France. In “A Fire Within,” the resulting political fallout between the Lancaster and the York factions leads to civil war across England and a popular revolt in London under Jack Cade. The Lancasters of Henry VI gain the early upper hand in the war, only to suffer catastrophe at Towton, establishing the reign of Edward IV and the rise of his younger misshapen brother, Richard Plantaganet, Duke of Gloucester. The winter of our discontent is sure to follow.
“A War of Roses: Foreign Flames” will be performed November 3-6 and November 10 at the Weber Fine Arts Building on the campus of the University of Nebraska, Omaha. “A War of Roses: A Fire Within” will be performed November 11 and 17-19 at the Lied Center on the campus of Creighton University. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m., with the Sunday matinee curtain at 2:00 p.m. On Saturday, November 12 and Sunday November 13 you can see both productions; with a 2:00 p.m. matinee performance of “Foreign Flames” and a 7:30 p.m. performance of “A Fire Within.” There will be a TAG Nite Out preview for “Foreign Flames” on November 2 and a TAG Nite Out preview for “A Fire Within” on November 9. Tickets are $16 for adults and $5 for students. There are a variety of special deals to see both shows, including with a special intermission package between the November 12 shows that will include dinner and drinks. Information regarding the productions, special ticket packages, advance ticket sales and box office contact information can be found on the Nebraska Shakespeare website at: http://www.nebraskashakespeare.com/a-war-of-roses/buy-tickets.