Cymbeline
Britain is in crisis. Alienated, insular and on the brink of disaster. Can it be saved? Queen Cymbeline has become consumed with grief at the death of two of her children and her judgment is clouded. Behind the throne, a power-hungry figure plots to seize power. When Innogen, the only living heir, marries her sweetheart Posthumus in secret, an enraged Cymbeline banishes him.
Innogen's exiled husband is soon tricked into believing she has been unfaithful to him and in an act of impulsive jealousy begins a scheme to have her murdered. Warned of the danger, Innogen runs away from court in disguise and begins a journey that will eventually reunite Cymbeline with a long-lost heir and reconcile the young lovers.
an adaptation by Kira Atwood-Youngstrom
For this high-concept adaptation of Cymbeline staged in Portland, OR, I wrote a wide-ranging score with electronic and acoustic elements. The director was interested in using portions of text from the play for the lyrics. I was especially happy to set the tender and haunting “Fear no more the heat o’th’ Sun” to music, because it is one of my favorite passages in all of Shakespeare’s work.
“director Kira Atwood-Youngstrom brings a full, spirited vision to the material, involving dance, New Wave songs, exciting costumes, and queer romance....It’s rare to see Cymbeline performed, and it’s almost certainly unprecedented to encounter it presented as a kind of sci-fi rock opera, but it’s unlikely anyone will complain.”