King Lear was the very first theatrical production that I was involved in. Obviously, this was a very ambitious undertaking for a freshman dramaturg, but I had taught the play several times in a British Literature Survey course, so I knew it quite well already. We began rehearsals the day after Christmas, and opened in mid-January.
During rehearsals, I was asked to research the history and ritual behind the practice of throwing down the gauntlet for some stage business we were experimenting with in V.iii prior to the duel between Edgar and Edmund.
Outside of rehearsals, I researched and wrote two articles for the production, which were published in the Play Guide and the Sprint Series Learning Guide: “Shakespeare’s Sources for King Lear” and “The Court Fool in History and King Lear.” Using as a starting point some wonderful art books supplied by John Ezell, Hall Foundation Professor of Design at UMKC, I also researched Celtic artifacts and compiled captions for a photo essay in the play guide titled "The Celtic Era: A Pictorial Album."
Later, I wrote another article on the production for the 2007-08 edition of UMKC's nationally-distributed publication of Theatre Training News, in which I discussed the tremendous collaboration between UMKC Theatre and the Kansas City Repertory Theatre on King Lear.
