

HENRY VI
Parts 1 & 2
June 17th–22nd
Factory Series at the Chain Theatre
312 W. 36th Street, 3rd Floor
Ned Bannon as Henry VI
Costume: Nancy Nichols
Photography: Mercedes Wilby
The king is dead. Long live the king.
The year is 1422. England is reeling from the sudden death of its beloved king. His heir, the newly-crowned Henry VI, is underage, unprepared—and unsuited to the throne.
Personal feuds are running rampant. Riots are breaking out across London. And everyone is starting to resent Henry’s well-intentioned, overprotective uncle. Meanwhile, the ongoing war in France has turned catastrophic, thanks to mismanagement and in-fighting—not to mention the machinations of the self-proclaimed prophetess Joan of Arc. Amidst the chaos, energetic young Richard of York, orphaned and dispossessed, uncovers an earth-shattering family secret and springs into action.
Surrounded by back-stabbing courtiers and facing the first stirrings of civil war,
Henry has only two options: step up, or be forced to step down.
Choose your side. Take your chances.
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King Henry VI
Ned Bannon
Underage. Overprotected. Underprepared.
Good news: he has plenty of help.
That's also the bad news.
Don't ask what she would do for her country.
No, really. You don't want to know.
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Joan of Arc
Leah Schwartz
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Richard of York
William Oliver Watkins
He's been living in the shadow of his father's crimes.
Maybe one day he'll even find out what they were.
He always plays by the rules.
But everyone else has switched to a different game.

Humphrey of Gloucester
Alexander Nero
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Richard of York
William Oliver Watkins
Paying for his father's crimes.
If only he knew what they were.
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Margaret of Anjou
Charlotte Blacklock
She's penniless, unwelcome, and far away from home. This isn't the life she imagined.
Don't worry. She's very adaptable.
Powerful. Passionate. Petulant.
At least he didn't inherit his father's insanity.
Probably.
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Charles of France
Thomas Shuman
Costumes: Nancy Nichols
Photography: Mercedes Wilby
an unmissable theatrical event
The Henry VI plays are rarely performed. They have enormous casts that are impractical for most theater companies, and meandering narratives that are likely to perplex modern audience members who are not already well-versed in the relevant history. As a result, generations of theatergoers have missed out on some of Shakespeare’s funniest scenes, most vibrant characters, most beautiful language, and most heartbreaking plot twists—not to mention, onstage demon-summoning ceremonies and murderous pirates!
We are proud to provide New York’s theater community with a rare opportunity to finally experience these extraordinary plays. To make that possible, we have heavily abridged and streamlined them, distilling the sprawling originals into an intimate, urgently-paced, character-driven political thriller. We are, to put it mildly, staunch Shakespeare devotees, and we believe in remaining faithful to his text and intentions; this is not a watered-down version or a gimmicky modernization. Instead, we have carefully crafted a unique, unforgettable theatrical event: a gripping, poignant, wickedly funny saga of power, passion, and betrayal, featuring 16 expert performers, exhilarating sword fights, spectacular medieval costumes, and much more.
With only 7 performances, tickets are in limited supply. Don’t miss out on the chance to join the adventure; get yours today!
We plan to present the rest of the Henry VI trilogy in our next season.
16 extraordinary performers
Justin Bennett*
Charlotte Blacklock*
Chris Clark
Zachary C. Clark*
Timm Coleman*
Ken Coughlin
Keara Dooley
Gabe Girson*
Clayton Hamburg
Seth Hatch
Alexander Nero
Larry Reina
Leah Schwartz*
Thomas Shuman*
William Oliver Watkins*
AND INTRODUCING
Ned Bannon as King Henry VI
ADAPTED & DIRECTED BY ADRIANA ALTER

*appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association