Crooked Figure Theatre Returns to El Portal Sedona Hotel

El Portal Sedona Hotel is pleased to announce Crooked Figure Theatre’s return to Sedona August 3 and 4, 2018. William Shakespeare’s King Lear is the story of a diseased mind and heart that leads to the downfall of a kingdom. The incredible actors of Crooked Figure Theatre will be doing a staged reading of the play in El Portal’s secluded courtyard. Actors will be moving and interacting with guests, but with scripts in hand.

Crooked Figure Theatre is a summer production company based in Northern Arizona University’s Department of Theatre. Crooked Figure Theatre marries direct, honest storytelling with experimentation and audience engagement. Their site-specific company tells both old and new stories in culturally relevant and imaginative ways, pushing the creative boundaries of what a theatre can be and the impact it can and should have on everyday lives. CFT is sponsored in part by Northern Arizona University Department of Theatre. A staged reading of a show is done every summer to experiment with a text/productions style that the theatre company wants to explore in full production the following summer.

“Crooked Figure is focusing its work on representations of mental illness in Lear. We’re re-imagining one of the play’s characters as a voice in Lear’s brain that results from the sudden recognition that he has, possibly for the first time in his reign, made a grave error that destroys his family. The guilt and grief that result from this decision, and the depression that Lear falls into, create space within his mind for a growing disturbance. We’re excited to explore these contemporary issues of mental illness within Shakespeare’s classic story,” says director Gutierrez-Dennehy. The reading features 12 talented actors, including Ben Alexander, CFT’s Resident Scenographer as Lear.

King Lear is 6:00 p.m. on August 3 and 4 at El Portal Sedona Hotel (95 Portal Lane, Sedona, AZ 86336). The production will be free of charge to the public. No reservations are needed; seating is first to come, first served. Parking will be available at El Portal and in nearby lots, signage will direct guests to parking locations.

To celebrate this exciting event, El Portal Sedona Hotel is having a Summertime Special! Stay three nights and receive half-off the third night! This is for new bookings only and must be booked by phone 1.800.313.0017.