“David Fox is astonishing.” “A performance not to be missed.” “Astounding!” “Mesmerizing!” “Heart-breaking!” “A more moving Lear you will not see.”

William Shakespeare’s KING LEAR is often regarded as Shakespeare’s greatest work, the masterpiece among masterpieces. It is a domestic tragedy examining the breakdown of family relationships on a huge canvas, yet drawn with a very intimate brush.

The chaos in KING LEAR is the result of the inevitable dynamics that can emerge in any family situation. Lear is not only a king, he is a family patriarch whose plans to divvy up his kingdom among his daughters backfires, causing a civil war that gets played out as a large scale family crisis.

In seeking to shorten the gap between the world of KING LEAR and ours, Director Rod Carley sets the story within the colonial aping of the British court in pre-confederation Upper Canada in 1837. Mr. Carley has garnered a national reputation for his directorial adaptations of Shakespeare. He was the 2009 winner of TVO’s Big Ideas/Best Lecturer competition for his lecture: “Adapting Shakespeare within a Canadian Context.”

Mr. Fox’s professional acting career spans 50 years, from early 70’s collective creations at Theatre Passe Muraille to new Canadian works across the country to the Stratford Festival to film and television performances on such shows as Anne of Avon Lea. Mr. Fox is heralded as one of Canada’s finest actors.

KING LEAR features a cast of seventeen, including Hume Baugh as the Fool in addition to an acting company comprising both Toronto and Northern Ontario actors. KING LEAR is operating under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association’s Artists Collective Agreement.

Award-winning set designer Frank Vona is transforming Theatre Passe Muraille into the 1837 world of Lear.

Tickets are $30.00 and available at the Theatre Passe Muraille box office. Call 416- 504-7529.416 504 7529

Contact Brad Stenning at brad@stenning.com for sponsorship opportunities.