Play: Cymbeline by the Actors Ensemble of Berkeley

Let's watch Cymbeline by William Shakespeare, produced by the Actors Ensemble of Berkeley

I will arrive about 3:00pm to John Hinkle Park to reserve spots. I will post a picture of myself on the day and try to upload to comments so finding me will be easier.

Event is free, but donations are recommended to the Actors Ensemble of Berkeley.

Snacks and drinks to share are always welcome.
Bring your own chair and/or blanket.
Dress in layers.

FOR MORE INFO about the play and the venue including how to get there, check out their website (http://aebofberkeley.org/). Here is a direct link to Cymbeline info.

SOME DETAILS:
Cymbeline is a dark fairy tale of love and loss, loyalty and betrayal, grief and survival, with multiple interwoven story lines that all converge in a final scene of forgiveness, reconciliation, and hope. It is a strange loop—a Mobius Strip on which two separated lovers travel at different speeds until they meet again, always moving forward yet returning to where they began.

William Shakespeare's epic romance, CYMBELINE, adapted and directed by Glenn Havlan and Gaby Schneider, presented by Actors Ensemble of Berkeley free-of-charge in the John Hinkel Park Amphitheater.

The beautiful Imogene, daughter of the torn Celtic British King Cymbeline and in love with Posthumus, now banished to Italy, must survive the plots of the treacherous Queen and her dastardly son Cloten, along with the interference of the meddling Romans and court intrigue, in order to save her love and the kingdom.

As one of Shakespeare’s lesser known works, this play will feel totally fresh even to many long-time Shakespeare fans, while still being easy for newer audience members to follow. The characters are largely archetypal, with personalities and motives that are immediately clear, yet they reveal greater depth and complexity as they develop over the course of the story.

CYMBELINE has something for everyone. If you’re a romantic who loves stories about childhood sweethearts defying their disapproving parents, lovers separated by tyranny and reunited by perseverance, and long-lost family members discovering each other by chance, this play is for you. If you’re a history nerd obsessed with the Roman Empire and/or the Celts, this play is for you. If you’re a feminist who wants to see men learning to treat women better, this play is definitely for you. If you want to see a thoroughly awful villain get a satisfying smackdown, this play is for you, and if you want to see a charming trickster villain go through real moral growth and feel remorse, this play is for you, too! It’s got journeys across the picturesque countryside, attempted witchcraft, mistaken identity, a severed head, and more. And it has the most principled, steadfast, and courageous heroine in all of Shakespeare.

THE VENUE
John Hinkel Park Amphitheatre is at 41 Somerset Pl., Berkeley, CA 94707. Access is via Arlington Avenue, turn right on Southampton, then continue straight onto Somerset. Note that Google Maps will direct you to locations at the top of the park along San Diego Road - quite a hike down. There is very limited parking at the amphitheatre, due to the addition of a playground which swallowed up most of the existing parking. There is some parking along Arlington, Somerset, Southhampton, and San Diego Road - we encourage folks to ride bicycles or use ride services. The closest BART station is the North Berkeley BART. The #7 AC Transit bus stops right at the corner of Arlington and Southampton.

DURATION
The production lasts about two hours, including a short intermission where hot dogs, veggie dogs, and corn-on-the-cob will be available.