Henry the Fourth, Part 1

This production closed early due to COVID-19

January 30 – April 18, 2020 (The King’s Shadow Rep)
June 2 – June 23, 2021 (Full Histories Rep)
July 1 – 11, 2021 (Histories Marathons)

View all Henry the Fourth, Part 1 dates and times VIEW LIST

Part of the first half of Shakespeare’s Histories, The King’s Shadow

Now entrenched as England’s monarch, Henry Bolingbroke replaces his cousin Richard’s government with an iron rule. As old allies turn foe and Henry fights to erase the past, his future holds new challenges in the form of his rebellious son, Prince Hal. The tavern and its inhabitants prove a fine hiding place for the king’s heir, but civil war looms close and with it comes a reckoning for the young prince.

Content Warning

The staging and discussion of this play will engage with depictions of violence, lewd gesture, language or verbal abuse, sexism, fatphobia, and death. Please be advised that blood effects will be used.

The Lab at Convergence
1819 N. Quaker Lane
Alexandria, VA 22302

2 hours and 30 minutes, including intermission

Regular Tickets $35
Preview Tickets $20
8-Ticket Multi-Pass $250
Marathon Package $350 (no ticket fees!)

Special Events

Thursday, January 30, 2020, 8pm: Preview – tickets $20 in advance or name your price at the door
Friday, January 31, 2020, 8pm: Preview – tickets $20 in advance or name your price at the door
Friday, February 7, 2020, 7:30pm: Pre-show discussion and Q&A with Dr. Scott Trudell
Friday, February 7, 2020: Post-show talkback with the artists
Saturday, February 15, 2020, 1:30pm: Pre-show lecture
Saturday, March 28, 2020: Post-show talkback with the artists
Thursday, April 9, 2020: Post-show talkback with the artists

Cast

John Stange Henry IV
Dean Carlson Northumberland / Sir Walter Blunt / Edmund Mortimer
Joshua Williams Hotspur
Brendan Edward Kennedy Prince Henry of Wales
Michael Bannigan Jr. Prince John of Lancaster / Poins

Ian Blackwell Rogers Sir John Falstaff
Tom Howley Glendower / Sir Richard Vernon
Lisa Hill-Corley Mistress Quickly / Worcester
Jillian Riti Lady Percy / Westmoreland

Molly E. Thomas Douglas / Lady Mortimer / Gadshill
Zach Brewster-Geisz Bardolph / Archbishop of York
Brianna Goode Peto
Nicole Ruthmarie Frances

Production Team

Charlene V. Smith Director
Emily MacLeod Dramaturg
Casey Kaleba* Fight Director
Megan Behm Intimacy Choreographer
Amanda Forstrom Movement Director
Jordan Friend Composer / Music Director

Jen Katz Stage Manager
Kirra Sharpe Assistant Stage Manager
Kristen P Ahern Costume Designer
Megan Holden Set Designer
Jason Aufdem-Brinke Lighting Designer

Hannah Fogler Makeup Designer
Caolan Eder Properties Designer
Jenna Berk Dialect Coach
Dan Stevens Welsh Consultant

* Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.

Welsh lyrics from the poem “Creawdwr” by Grahame Davies

Judging from the quality of the work here, Washington theatregoers are in for a truly rewarding experience of the Histories. … Brave Spirits is well on their way to one of the more vital repertory seasons inside the Beltway that we have seen in quite some time.

Andrew White, Broadway World

If you like your Shakespeare characters to behave and react like flesh and blood people, and not esoteric abstractions, Brave Spirits Theatre’s Henry the Fourth, Part 1 is a play you’ll love… a gift for theater and history lovers alike.

William Powell, DC Metro Theater Arts

This is a play with some of Shakespeare’s most famous characters, biggest showdowns, steamiest relationships, the Bard at his hottest, fiercest, and bawdiest. Brave Spirits captures much of these elements, infused with moments of buoyant humor, intelligent and studious direction, actors who work their tails off; it’s a creditable production that very nearly hits it out of the park.

John Geoffrion, DC Theatre Scene

Shakespeare’s Histories: The King’s Shadow. Directed by Charlene V. Smith. February-March 2020. Brave Spirits Theatre. Photo by Claire Kimball.

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Special Support for the Histories

The King’s Shadow is supported in part by Jason Aufdem-Brinke, the City of Alexandria, the Nora Roberts Foundation, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, The Morgan Fund at Seattle Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Shakespeare's Histories