Excitement and anticipation emanate from the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts (WICA) mainstage. Under the warm glow of the house lights, the cast of the upcoming production Falstaff in Love meet for the first time—reading through the play that takes William Shakespeare’s beloved character Sir John Falstaff and imagines the life before he was known as “a lazy, gluttonous, boastful, selfish, lying, and debauched old knight.”
“One of the most challenging aspects of being a playwright is finding a performing arts organization willing to assume the risks of producing new work,” says playwright Scott Kaiser. “WICA took a chance on my play Falstaff in Love, committing to a full production rather than waiting for another institution to prove the commercial viability of the work. For this reason, I am forever grateful to my colleagues at WICA, whose bold artistic engagement provides invaluable resources—both to professional theatre artists like me and to the Whidbey Island community.”
Premiering on Friday, December 8 with a ten-show run, the play is the hilarious prequel to Shakespeare's Henry IV plays, commissioned by the highly respected Oregon Shakespeare Festival and premiering in full production at WICA. A play by Scott Kaiser and directed by WICA Executive Artistic Director Deana Duncan, it features local and national artists in a beautiful homage to Shakespearean charm, posing the questions of “who was Falstaff” and “was he ever truly in love.”
The cast for the WICA production is as follows:
Jeff Natter, Host, Guard
James Hinkley, Corporal Bardolf, Gardener
David Mayer, Duke of Aumerle, King Henry the Fourth
Andrew Yabroff, Jack Falstaff
Jameson Cook, Boy
Rosaletta Curry, Nell
Sommer Harris, Queen Mary
Shelley Hartle, Lady Katherine
Aleah Stacey, Faith, The Earl of Kent
Tom Harris, The Earl of Salisbury, Crew
With rehearsals beginning, set design underway, and a steady hum of activity at WICA as preparations move forward, Falstaff in Love’s December premiere and performance run is less than a month away. Tickets for the play are on sale now! Visit www.wicaonline.org to purchase your tickets today.