No jest, Upstart Crows to perform 'King Lear'

Jun. 4—Itai Rosen was launching his own production of "King Lear" when he died suddenly in 2022.

This month, the Upstart Crows of Santa Fe are honoring that production with a staging of Shakespeare's tragedy at La Tienda at Eldorado.

"He had amazing ideas," founding director Caryl Farkas said. "He kept notebooks full of sketches and ideas."

Rosen had been creating his first Blackfriars production, a program offered to graduating company members to direct a play that contains great meaning to them. Founded in 2014, the Upstart Crows are a Shakespeare troupe for young people ages 10-18.

Shakespeare isn't only for adults, Farkas said.

"You talk to 10-year-olds in the group and they will tell you their ideas about Cordelia," Farkas said. "The kids get the text right away. They're not just memorizing something. They comment on one another's performance based on the text. They make little graphs on their scripts for the beats."

King Lear of Britain, elderly and wanting to retire from the duties of the monarchy, decides to divide his realm among his three daughters, and declares he will offer the largest share to the one who loves him most. The hypocritical Goneril and Regan make grand pronouncements and are rewarded; Cordelia, the youngest daughter, who truly loves Lear, refuses to make an insincere speech to prove her love and is disinherited. The two older sisters mock Lear and renege on their promise to support him. Cast out, the king slips into madness and wanders about accompanied by his faithful Fool.

The cast is following Rosen's notes and conversations with his fellow company members.

"By the end of the rehearsal, it's as if they've been given these magic decoder rings," Farkas said.

The play will be performed by two casts; a total of 28 actors. One is entirely comprised of young Shakespearean actors; the other is a mix of adult actors.

"Nothing told them this stuff was hard and they couldn't understand it," Farkas said. "My dad used to recite Shakespeare. That was his lullaby. So I loved it when I was little."

Rosen selected the music for the half-hour preshow. It includes a sea shanty and Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide."

'King Lear' by William Shakespeare

Presented by Upstart Crows

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 8, Friday, June 9, Saturday, June 10, and Sunday, June 11; repeats June 15-18

WHERE: The Garden Stage at La Tienda at Eldorado, 7 Caliente Road, Santa Fe

HOW MUCH: $20 adults; $10 students, at upstartcrowsofsantafe.org