Forced into the Senate by his overbearing mother, the Achilles-like Coriolanus does nothing to hide his disdain for democracy, which works against him as Rome’s leader. His citizens are hungry; his Senate peers are disloyal. Eventually banished by his own people, this God of War does the only thing he knows to do: lead his own enemy’s army to kill the very people he serves. Shakespeare’s tale of extreme betrayal is also one of his bloodiest and most political tragedies.

Featuring Chris Kayser as Cominius and Heidi Cline McKerley as Volumnia

A part of The Shakespeare Evolution Series!

Director's Notes

Directed by Drew Reeves

I have spent 22 years of my life focused on the works of Shakespeare. The question does come up whether it is time to focus on something different. How much more can be gleaned from 400 year old plays?

As I have become more intimate with the text of CORIOLANUS over the past several months once again there’s amazement in the discovery just how relevant Shakespeare can be to the world around me. At the beginning the poor are claiming they’re not getting their fair share. The rich are claiming that to get more the poor should be doing their fair share. The poor are claiming there’s a surplus of food so everyone could have the same amount. The rich are claiming there’s not enough for everyone to have the same amount or they will run out completely. The truth appears somewhere in the middle of the two extremes but neither side will give an inch towards understanding the other’s point of view.

As a step towards a solution the citizens are given the opportunity to elect representatives to serve as their voice in the government which they judge to be oppressive. The unavoidable catch-22 is that these representatives then must become a part of the government the citizens judge as oppressive. To maintain their place the representatives must put their own interests ahead of the citizens they are supposed to be serving.

Take the paragraphs above out of context and they could be taken as opinions on the current state of our country rather than the sociopolitical situation behind a Shakespearean play.

The puzzle for me was the character of Caius Martius, who receives the title “Coriolanus” during the course of the play. I could not find a connection with this great warrior and savior of his country who seemingly holds a lot of contempt for those who do not serve their country. At some point the idea of Coriolanus as a soldier having emotional difficulties adjusting to life in society, even to violent and self-destructive extremes, connected to what I was hearing on the news about Chris Kyle, both the trial of his killer and the film based on his life.

Many have stated in various ways that Shakespeare understood and wrote about every aspect of the human condition. I do believe in this play Shakespeare does show an understanding of the psychological effects war has not only on the soldier himself but also on those around him. He is confused by the mixed messages from a society that at the same time shows both appreciation and condemnation toward those who commit acts of violence in the name of their country.

These are connections I’ve made. You may not see them and find your own. Shakespeare tapped so many universal truths not limited to personal experience or the time period they were written. Teenagers still commit suicide. People still murder for power, prejudice, and jealousy. Being in love still causes people to do silly things.

There’s so much more to be found here. I’ll stick with it a while longer.