FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Sarah Snyder
ssnyder3@umd.edu
301.405.8151
March 29, 2013 – College Park, MD – The University of Maryland’s School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) presents In Time of Roses, a sexy, fast-paced, political thriller based on the true story of Margaret of Anjou, a woman forced to lead an army to save her family, April 26 - May 4, at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. Not only was Margaret the wife of Henry VI of England, and as such, Queen consort of England, she also claimed to be Queen Consort of France for a time. Directed and arranged by playwright and TDPS Professor, Ashley Smith, In Time of Roses depicts Margaret’s epic journey from girlhood to motherhood, from throne to battlefield, and from love to loss and exile by piecing together various Shakespearean texts.
Join guest panelists Professor Alex Huang from George Washington University and UMD’s Dr. Michael Olmert for a post-performance discussion on April 28 following the 2pm performance. The artists will present a post-performance discussion after the May 2 performance.
About In Time of Roses
The story of Margaret of Anjou has been fictionalized by some of the most notable authors throughout literature. She is arguably one of William Shakespeare’s greatest female creations, in the same league with Cleopatra and Lady Macbeth, and appears in four plays—Henry VI-Part 1, Henry VI-Part 2, Henry VI-Part 3, and Richard III. In Time of Roses attempts to lift Margaret’s story-thread from Shakespeare’s vast and complex Wars of the Roses tapestry, interlacing it with texts from Shakespeare’s sonnets and original material.
In the creation of In Time of Roses, director Ashley Smith, who also arranges the play, notes, “My goal is to distill the story of the life of Margaret of Anjou in chronological sequence, focusing on the love triangle between Margaret, King Henry VI and the Earl of Suffolk…I’m particularly interested in how the seduction and conscription of Margaret—Suffolk’s plot to sell her into marriage to King Henry in order to “rule both her, the king and realm”—was, as Shakespeare imagined it, the spark that ignited the Wars of the Roses and transformed the youngest son of the House of York into the most brilliant and diabolical villain in western literature: Richard III.”
Tickets
More information can be found on our web site. Tickets for this performance are $25/$10 (Students/Youth), and can be purchased online or by calling (301) 405-ARTS (2787).
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The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland is a collaborative space shared by the School of Music (SOM), the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) and the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library. The Clarice Smith Center presents performances and programs by visiting artists as well as by students and faculty of SOM and TDPS in an environment of creative learning, exploration and growth. A national model for a performing arts center on a major research university campus, the Center enables innovative partnerships and extraordinary experiences.
The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. An agency of the Department of Business & Economic Development, the MSAC provides financial support and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations, units of government, colleges and universities for arts activities. Funding for the Maryland State Arts Council is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.