Loyalty & betrayal : Upstart Crows bring the 'Wars of the Roses' to life

Nov. 26—The Upstart Crows are offering a feast of Shakespeare through condensed versions of "Henry VI," Parts 1, 2 and 3.

Comprised of two casts of actors ages 8-18, the show runs from Thursday, Nov. 30, through Sunday, Dec. 3, at the Crow's Nest Performance Space in Eldorado. Director Alejandro Amundah edited the plays together.

"It's a riveting play of the English civil wars," said Caryl Farkas, Upstart Crows founder.

"There's a lot of drama; there's the civil war between the houses of York and Lancaster. The play 'Richard III' is the finale of this story."

These rarely performed "history plays" dramatize the struggle between two families to rule England in the 14th and 15th centuries. They tell the story of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars fought from 1455 to 1485 between the houses (or families) of Lancaster and York for control of the English throne. Themes of loyalty, love, betrayal and family tie the parts together.

King Henry VI was a member of the house of Lancaster. A sensitive, pious man who was better suited to a life of contemplation and peace, the young king becomes caught in the rivalry of his overprotective ministers, and as the English struggle among themselves, they lose land in their war with France (the Hundred Years' War.) The Earl of Suffolk has persuaded Henry VI to marry Margaret of Anjou. Suffolk plans to use the alliance to take power for himself.

"Henry V has died; he was his country's hero," Farkas said. "Henry VI was crowned as an infant. He has uncles who run the country until he comes of age. As a man, Henry is more inclined to meditate. He would have been a lovely monk. So there's all these power struggles. This is so much more than a regular betrayal because it's coming from your uncle; it's coming from your nephew."

The production includes so many swordfights that Farkas enlisted the help of fight director Rylie Philpot.

"There are 30 acts of stage violence," Farkas said. "They're having a great time. They like the fights and I think they like the drama; the story is pretty intense."

The double casts give all the actors substantial roles with no experience necessary.

Farkas launched the Crows in 2014 after seeing a similar youth troupe perform "Measure for Measure" in Madison, Wisconsin.

"My 5-year-old was just riveted," she said. "Part of it was her peers doing this work. She asked to meet the director and wanted to sign up right away."

The 2012 and 2016 British television adaptations of the "Henry" plays starred Benedict Cumberbatch, Hugh Bonneville, Jeremy Irons, Judi Dench and Sophie Okonedo.