Masterclass: An Introduction to Cymbeline
Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center
Moderated by Dakin Matthews
6:30 - 9:30pm
This Academy class is open to everyone—from theater enthusiasts and newcomers to seasoned actors looking to deepen their understanding of Cymbeline.
$100 for one 3-hour session
An Introduction to Cymbeline
Coming to see the Antaeus production of Cymbeline, but want a little advance knowledge about the play? Antaeus Co-founder and Shakespeare scholar, Dakin Matthews, will give you an introduction to the play that will make your experience much richer. He will examine the complex plot, the sources Shakespeare drew on, some of the key characters, the sometimes complex language, and most importantly the kind of play it is—neither a comedy, tragedy, or history, though it has elements of all three, as well as a number of twists and turns you may recognize from earlier Shakespeare plays, cannibalized and refitted into this late romance. And he’ll talk briefly about how director Nike Doukas’ approach to the play tries to recreate for a modern audience the kind of effect Shakespeare meant it to have for his audiences.
Bring a copy of the play if you have one, a sense of fun, and an open mind.
About Dakin Matthews
At ANTAEUS: The Wood Demon, Mysteries and Mayhem, Of Mice and Men, The Man Who Had All The Luck, Mercadet, The Liar, The Proof of the Promise, Swansong, King Lear. Broadway: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Iceman Cometh, Waitress: The Musical,The Audience, Rocky, The Best Man, A Man for All Seasons, Henry IV. Off-Broadway: Measure for Measure, All’s Well That Ends Well (Shakespeare in the Park); The Winter’s Tale, The Cherry Orchard (Bridge Project); The School for Scandal, The Hostage (Acting Company).
Regional: over 200 productions for (among others) Center Theatre Group, Old Globe, South Coast Rep, California Actors Theatre, Berkeley Rep, Dallas Theatre Center, and various Shakespeare Festivals. Film: over 25 films, including Lincoln, True Grit, Zero Charisma. TV: over 250 episodes, recurring on Desperate Housewives, Gilmore Girls, King of Queens. Also an Emeritus Professor of English, former Juilliard Instructor, Shakespeare scholar, and award-winning playwright, translator, and dramaturge.
