Concordia Nebraska to present fall mainstage production

Concordia University, Nebraska will present its annual fall mainstage production the first two weekends of November. This year’s production is William Shakespeare’s King Lear with a modern translation by Marcus Gardley.  

King Lear is a Shakespeare tragedy. It follows the events set into motion after a king decides to divide his land amongst his three daughters. In order to decide how to divide his kingdom, he asks his daughters to prove who loves him the most. The older two lavish their father with loving words, but the youngest daughter, who truly cares about him, chooses not to play the game of proving love that way. As a result, the king becomes angry and kicks her out. The other two sisters then take advantage of their father to the point of taking everything away from him. This drives the king to madness and sets the plot in motion. 

Bryan Moore, professor of communications and theatre arts, chose this show because he wanted to give the actors and the audience the chance to experience a Shakespeare tragedy. He selected King Lear because it integrates more comedic moments than the standard tragedy. 

“The play itself is a fun, complex story that integrates more levels of humor and drama than the traditional tragedy,” he said. “Usually when we think about tragedy, it feels like it’s sad or angry all the time. This play challenges that idea, where you can find lighter characters and moments that help break up the dramatic and tragic moments.” 

This production is a modern translation of the original play. This means that the show stays true to the original plot, but the specific language used is adjusted to be more accessible to contemporary audiences.  

“The actors have connected well to the meaning, language and rhythm of the text, and we are excited to tell this engaging story.”

Gardley’s translation was part of a project by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival called Play On Shakespeare. This project commissioned playwrights to write new translations of 39 Shakespeare plays in order to make his work more accessible and relevant to modern audiences while maintaining the quality of Shakespeare’s verse. 

“I think the modernization of the text allows us to relate to these on-stage relationships a little better, so I welcome the audience to think about the messages that are being shared between characters,” said Moore.  

Moore also notes that there are some mature themes in the show, including revenge, self-harm, violence and death. He also says that amidst these extreme actions there are a lot of important messages.  

“Shakespeare can be challenging, but I feel like the students have really taken on this challenge maturely and passionately. It’s great to see that they are engaging with the story and wanting to tell the story in a responsible way,” he said. “It’s an important story. There’s something to be said about what the true message is. There’s so much going on, but when we really listen to what these characters are saying, there’s a lot of important messages that are being shared.” 

“The actors have connected well to the meaning, language and rhythm of the text, and we are excited to tell this engaging story.” 

Tickets for the show are $10 for general admission and $5 for Concordia Nebraska students.  

Performances of King Lear will take place in Weller Auditorium on the following dates: 

Friday, Nov 6 at 7 p.m. 

Saturday, Nov 7 at 4 p.m. 

Sunday, Nov 8 at 6:30 p.m. 

Friday, Nov 13 at 7 p.m. 

Saturday, Nov 14 at 7 p.m. 

Sunday, Nov 15 at 2 p.m. 

Students involved in the production include: 

Jordan Hagemann, Hamel, Minnesota 

Aubrey Burmeister, Albuquerque, New Mexico 

April Abbett, Platte City, Missouri 

Lucy Eggleston, Lawton, Iowa 

Aiden Jenik, Colorado Springs, Colorado 

Caleb Brandon, Tomball, Texas 

Claire Horacek, Papillion, Nebraska 

Joshua Nikodym, Grand Island, Nebraska 

Jason Church, Auburn, Washington 

Duncan Carrasco, Sidney, Nebraska 

Naomi Eden, Vassar, Michigan 

William Ebel, Salina, Kansas 

Sarah Stepp, Lincoln, Nebraska 

Meadow Burk, Parker, Texas 

Catherine Vyhlidal, Morse Bluff, Nebraska 

Mi-Ree Zwick, Minden, Nebraska 

Mackenzie Schepmann, Macomb, Michigan 

Sara Erickson, Omaha, Nebraska  

Onyx Stone, Aurora, Colorado 

Hannah Mattsfield, West Plains, Missouri 

Alyssa Heimann, New Athens, Illinois 

Kerria Wright, Madison, Nebraska 

Naomi Truwe, Cole Camp, Missouri 

Morgan Davis, Andover, Kansas 

Abigail Braun, Ypsilanti, Michigan 

Vaclav Fiala, Herculaneum, Missouri 

Nathan Aschmann, Kearney, Nebraska 

Mary Pieper, Algonquin, Illinois 

Katelyn Pratt, Las Vegas, Nevada 

Emma Fiala, Herculaneum, Missouri 

John Comer, Phillips, Nebraska 

The theatre program at Concordia University, Nebraska helps students find their voice, both in and out of the classroom. Theatre at Concordia Nebraska is an active part of campus life and well-integrated into a variety of degrees in education and liberal arts programs. Full-length productions and a variety of student-directed one acts bring together students from all disciplines to offer the campus and surrounding communities with excellent theatre.