Lighting Designer

Resident Conductor Lina González-Granados leads this major company premiere. Grammy winner Osvaldo Golijov’s dramatic, flamenco-inspired score meets a poignant libretto by David Henry Hwang in what the LA Times calls “one of the most moving and meaningful operas of our time.” Ana María Martínez takes center stage as Lorca’s muse Margarita Xirgu, recounting the poet’s life and his last days in the Spanish Civil War. Daniela Mack steps into the role of Federico García Lorca, the man whose pen proved just as dangerous as any pistol.

Ainadamar

The Music Center

### Event Description: Kenneth Branagh in King Lear by William Shakespeare

**Event Title:** Kenneth Branagh in King Lear by William Shakespeare

**Venue:** The Griffin Theater at The Shed, 545 West 30th Street, New York, NY 10001

**Dates:** October 26 - December 15, 2024
- **Previews:** October 26 - November 13

**Overview:**
Experience a powerful staging of William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, "King Lear," featuring Kenneth Branagh in the title role. This production, set in the barbarous landscape of Ancient Britain, is co-directed by Rob Ashford, Branagh, and Lucy Skilbeck. It showcases a cast of rising stars from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and promises a fast-paced, intense portrayal of the play’s power and turmoil.

**Cast Highlights:**
- **Kenneth Branagh** as King Lear
- **Mara Allen**
- **Deborah Alli**
- **Raymond Anum**
- **Doug Colling**
- **Dylan Corbett-Bader**
- **Eleanor de Rohan**
- **Chloe Fenwick-Brown**
- **Joseph Kloska**
- **Corey Mylchreest**
- **Caleb Obediah**
- **Hughie O’Donnell**
- **Jessica Revell**

**Creative Team:**
- **Co-Directors:** Rob Ashford, Kenneth Branagh, Lucy Skilbeck
- **Set and Costume Designer:** Jon Bausor
- **Choreographer:** Aletta Collins
- **Projection Designer:** Nina Dunn
- **Lighting Designer:** Paul Keogan
- **Sound Designers and Composers:** Ben and Max Ringham
- **Fight Director:** Bret Yount

**Ticket Information:**
- **General Tickets:** On sale now. View the seat map and purchase tickets online.
- **Under 30 Tickets:** Guests under 30 years old can purchase up to two tickets at $25 each for seats at the front of the theater. Valid photo IDs listing proof of age must be presented to pick up all tickets.

**Special Notes:**
- **Running Time:** Approximately two hours, no intermission.
- **Content Advisory:** Contains scenes of violence and torture. Not recommended for those under the age of 13.
- **Effects:** Includes haze effects, strobe/flashing lights, and moments of nearly total darkness.
- **Late Seating:** Limited and latecomers may not be admitted until a suitable break in the performance.

**Accessibility:**
- **Accessible Seating:** Available. Contact accessibility@theshed.org or call 646-455-3949 to discuss needs and options.
- **Assistive Listening Devices:** Available at the theater entrance. A driver’s license will be held to check out the device.
- **Accommodation Requests:** Can be submitted through The Shed’s online ticketing system.

**Contact Information:**
- **Email:** info@theshed.org
- **Phone:** 646-455-3494

**Support and Partners:**
Major support for "King Lear" is provided by the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Commissioning Fund, the Shed Commissioners, and the Charina Endowment Fund, with additional support from the New York State Council on the Arts.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit [The Shed's website](https://www.theshed.org).

EPSG:4326

Kenneth Branagh in King Lear by William Shakespeare

The Shed

Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov’s Grammy Award–winning first opera dramatizes the life and work of poet-playwright Federico García Lorca, who was assassinated by Fascist forces at the start of the Spanish Civil War for his socialist politics and homosexuality. His story emerges through the memories of Catalan actress Margarita Xirgu, Lorca’s muse—sopranos Angel Blue and Gabriella Reyes—who reminisces to her student Nuria, portrayed by soprano Elena Villalón. Lorca himself makes a dreamlike appearance, sung as a trouser role by mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack, and flamenco singer Alfredo Tejada completes the principal cast as the Falangist politician Ramón Ruiz Alonso, who arranged Lorca’s execution. Combining features of both an opera and a passion, Ainadamar, conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya in his Met debut, crackles with the energy and rhythms of flamenco and rumba, as well as the violent backdrop of civil war, all of which springs forth on the Met stage in a vivid company-debut production by Brazilian director and choreographer Deborah Colker, renowned for her work with Cirque du Soleil.

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

As part of our ongoing commitment to exploring the themes of our productions through conversation, we have invited Laura Twagirayezu to curate and host a series of round table discussions with local artists and cultural figures on themes emerging from The Sugar Wife.  

The Sugar Wife

Abbey Theatre

Violetta, a high-spirited, popular courtesan. Alfredo, her devoted but naive lover. The rural bliss they choose is shattered by fear of scandal. When their love reasserts itself, she is already on her deathbed. Opera’s most moving reunion.

La traviata

Cork Opera House

The Gaiety Theatre

National Opera House

Opera meets flamenco in Osvaldo Golijov’s Fountain of Tears, which reimagines the life of revolutionary poet Federico García Lorca, whose political views and sexual orientation led to his violent death during the Spanish Civil War. The production powerfully blends dance, projections, and poetry.

Lighting Designer

Paul Keogan

Events

Past events

Apr 26 - May 18, 2025

Ainadamar · LA Opera

Oct 26 - Dec 15, 2024

Kenneth Branagh in King Lear by William Shakespeare · The Shed

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