The King's Farewell
Historical Shakespeare play to end theatrical season
By KATRINA GARCIA
Bring out the trumpeters. The King is here.
“Henry IV, Part I,” one of Shakespeare’s historical plays, will be performed at Fresno State as the last production of the year. And director Terry Miller wants to end this theater season with a bang.
Hours of prep time go into costumes and makeup before every “Henry IV, Part I” dress rehearsal. Adam McGee finishes his eye makeup backstage on Monday. Photo by Joseph Hollak |
Or rather, with a slash of a sword.
The play, which opens today, is packed with humor and plenty of stage combats that Miller hopes will excite fans of Shakespeare and convert those who pass on the playwright.
“I believe that if students don’t think they’re going to enjoy Shakespeare, we have a surprise for them,” Miller said.
Perhaps it’s because audiences won’t have to read “Henry IV’s” Cliff’s Notes before the show to understand or enjoy the story. Adam McGee, who plays Prince Hal, said the actors have been working on making the language “userfriendly” for the playgoers by playing up contrasts and comparisons in the dialogue.
“Shakespeare’s so specific,” McGee said. “Once you figure out the words you need to stress, the meaning becomes clear.”
Miller said the audience should get used to the language in a short time. That is, if they’re not focusing on the set design, or the battle scenes, or the musicians on stage.
 Four herald trumpeters open the show. In addition, original music was composed for “Henry IV.”
“We’re the icing on the cake,” said Mason Morin, one of the trumpeters. “They can do it without us, but they’re choosing to do this, and it’s adding another flavor to the whole thing.”
While costumes and props are necessary parts of any play, what many don’t know is that some of the 29 cast members who are on stage help backstage, too.
Mike Oldham, who plays Hotspur, also took part in designing armor for the show. McGee was in charge of making the prop letters actors must open for every performance.
Costumes designer Caroline Mercier said capes were all that could be used from the costume shop because nothing else fit the time period Henry IV is set in.
Students have been working Saturdays to finish up the costumes, and Mercier, who calls the production “the little beast,” is pleased to see the team effort.
“Student participation is really great, and it should be noticed,” Mercier said.
Even if all the effort goes unnoticed, one thing both Miller and the actors can count on for making “Henry IV” a success is the final act of the play. Professionally choreographed fight scenes will offer a riveting finale.
“I hope they can see what an amazing job of storytelling [Shakespeare] does, and I hope they’ll laugh a lot,” Miller said. “I hope they’ll come away saying, ‘Shakespeare is the man.’ ”
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