November and December 2014
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The Rape of Lucrece
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C. B. Smith &
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Planet Arts presents
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Planet Arts presents
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The Rape of Lucrece
Penned originally in 1594, Shakespeare’s poem The
Rape of Lucrece recounts the legendary
tale of the beautiful Lucretia and her brutal demise at
the hands of Tarquin, who has been enflamed by reports
of her incomparable chastity. This violent act sends
ripples throughout the entire Roman Empire. Hodge’s
adaptation challenges audiences to ponder not only
Tarquin’s crime, but our society’s own views of women.
Dan Hodge is a Philadelphia-based actor and director
with a strong foundation in Shakespeare and the
classics. As an actor, he has performed in over twenty
full productions of Shakespeare’s plays across the
country at Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Michigan
Shakespeare Festivals, Lantern Theatre, Two River
Theatre Company, and The Old Globe (San Diego). In
Philadelphia, he has directed recent acclaimed
productions of Macbeth (Hedgerow theatre), The Tempest
(Curio Theatre), Richard III (Commonwealth Classics),
and Timon of Athens (PAC).
When asked about the
content of the poem directly, Hodge explains: “The
subject matter seems to be something that is,
unfortunately, always timely. The events of the last few
months and the wider public discussion surrounding
gender roles and rape culture seem to cry out for a
response. It’s horrifying to consider that the mindset
surrounding the justification of rape has remained
unchanged since Shakespeare’s time and likely long
before.” Hodge further notes that “Great theater is
seldom about nice people doing good things for one
another. Creating work that is difficult or even
outright horrific for an audience will hopefully
challenge them to dig deeper into their own lives to
seek answers and possibly change their ways of
thinking.”
“It’s hard to know which is the more
astonishing: the revelation of a work by Shakespeare
unknown to almost everybody, or the impassioned
performance by Dan Hodge in delivering the epic poem,
The Rape of Lucrece. Either way, this production by PAC
(Philadelphia Artists’ Collective) is not to be missed.”
Toby Zinman, Philadelphia Inquirer
“Not only the
performance of a lifetime by the incomparable Dan Hodge,
but also a momentous socio-political statement and a
stirring call to activism. This is a production that
transcends the entertainment value of live theater and
affirms its power in the sphere of human ethics … By my
calculation, when you factor Hodge into Shakespeare, the
sum of genius is multiplied exponentially.”
Debra
Miller, Phindie
“Extraordinary … It’s a rare
opportunity to hear a reading of Shakespeare’s poetry –
rarer still to be able to witness it performed as a
piece of theater … A riveting performance.”
Howard
Shapiro, Shapiro on Theater
“Hodge deserves
congratulations and acclaim for his sterling performance
as well as for grasping the intrinsic drama in “The Rape
of Lucrece” and having the foresight and courage to
bring it to the stage. His work is nothing less than a
bravura tour de force to be savored.”
Neal Zoren,
NealsPaper
“Dan, in roughly 90 minutes, brings
to life Shakespeare’s epic poem and puts on display the
power of performance … If there is one show that is not
to be missed, it is the PAC’s production. It is as
relevant today as it was 400 years ago.”
Brock D.
Vickers, Brock D. Vickers Blog
The Philadelphia
Artists’ Collective, founded in 2008 by Damon Bonetti
and Dan Hodge, is committed to promoting rarely
performed classical plays through workshops and readings
in the greater Philadelphia area. It is comprised of a
group of performance and visual artist seeking to
encourage the development of a common vocabulary and to
promote arts awareness within the Philadelphia
community. Its past readings and workshops have featured
some of the region’s finest artists, and its full
productions (Duchess of Malfi, Changes of Heart,
Creditors, Timon of Athens, The Sea Plays, and Mary
Stuart) have garnered wide audience and critical praise.
Website:
www.philartistscollective.org.
C.B. Smith & The Lucky Devils
C.B. SMITH & THE LUCKY DEVILS
is a modern bluegrass quartet featuring
singer-songwriter-guitar maven C.B Smith (a Catskill
resident since 2007), fiddle phenom Megan Gugliotta,
Berklee-trained bassist Bill Strohm, and mandolin
prodigy Brendan Donovan. Their repertoire is a unique
mix of originals, bluegrass classics (like the Bill
Monroe Centennial set that was the centerpiece of their
2011 season), "grassed up" versions of American Songbook
standards, and surprises like the occasional Tom Petty,
Stephen Foster, Richard Thompson, Neil Young or Rolling
Stones song. For this concert they'll be featuring the
songs from their brand-new album BLUEBIRD.
C.B.'s 2011
release FLESH & BONE received glowing accolades:
"Flesh & Bone is authentic, alright, so much so that you
can hear the picks and fingertips on the metal of guitar
strings...it's like you're right there in the room,
feeling the electricity flash...Something ‘Bout a Train
does in three minutes what most films can't accomplish
in two hours in evoking the romance of rail travel." -
Roll Magazine, February 2011
"Awesome work!
C.B.'s songs ring true. There's no higher compliment as
far as I am concerned." - singer-songwriter Mary
Gauthier
"A gem...from the introspective title
track...to the dark and delicious North Country Blues,
Smith hits home and hits hard." - David Malachowski,
Daily Freeman, Kingston, NY
"A world of talent!" -
Rex Fowler of Aztec Two Step
