But this outcast child raised by strangers becomes a remarkable young woman who falls in love with a prince. With the odd help of a country scoundrel, she faces danger to heal two families and two lands.
Then with the aid of an old woman who becomes his conscience and maybe a magician, the remorseful king gets an unexpected second chance at happiness, in one of the most dramatic endings in Shakespeare.
In between there’s an assassination plot, an oracle, a shipwreck, a rescue, star-crossed lovers, fraud, narrow escapes, a country festival, songs, dances and a man pursued by a bear.
“Even as an undergraduate English major I just loved this play,” says Rae Robison, assistant professor in the Theatre, Film & Dance department at HSU, and the director of The Winter’s Tale. “It’s Shakespeare’s last romantic comedy, but it’s often overlooked. I wanted to do something that people don’t often see.”
The play centers on a jealous king, Leontes, whose rash acts of violence set in motion a set of circumstances that end in death for some, and otherwise determine the lives of several characters in two countries and over the course of more than 16 years.
“Because of the choices that Leontes has made, not everything is made right in the end,” Robison said, “but there is this wonderful sense of forgiveness and redemption, and the choices that we make in our lives bringing us to those moments. That’s what made me really love this play.”
“It’s a completely student cast, with student set designers, costume designers, student sound and makeup and hair—and they’re all doing just phenomenal work.”
“There are reasons Shakespeare is still around,” she added. “I think it’s important to do a Shakespeare every few years. There are still things to be learned, and things to be said about his work, and it’s just a great part of a student’s college experience to participate in a Shakespeare show.”
THE WINTER’S TALE, Shakespeare’s magical romance of passion and redemption, Thursdays through Saturdays, Oct. 16-18, 23-25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Van Duzer Theatre on the HSU campus in Arcata. $10, $8 seniors and non-HSU students, HSU students free with ID, from HSU Ticket Office (826-3928) or at the door. Http://HSUStage.blogspot.com. A production of HSU Theatre, Film and Dance, directed by Rae Robison.