About
About
From the Artistic Director…
Live theatre has a responsibility to be different. Going to the theatre should never be the same experience as going to the multiplex on a Saturday night. But all too often it is. Audiences sit quietly in the dark, safe within the cocoon of their assigned seat, passively watching the events onstage through the sanitary buffer of the so-called “fourth wall.” The audience exists in one reality, the actors in another. With younger audiences, such a drastic separation can sometimes lead to boredom or, worse, apathy. This is especially true with regards to Shakespeare. Sadly, most students begin to doze off at the mere mention of his name. We want to change all that.
At Knighthorse, our mission is simple: make Shakespeare cool again. We do that by making him FUN! By getting him off the page and onto the stage, where he belongs. But not just any stage, OUR stage. A Knighthorse stage is unlike anything you have ever seen. It has no dimensions, no boundaries, no limits. We are not constrained by the “fourth wall” because for us it doesn’t even exist. Actor and audience occupy the same space. We touch you, talk to you, sit down next to you. We turn on all the lights because we need to see you. Only then can we truly share our performance with you. And, what’s more, you can share it with each other. After all, going to the theatre should be like going to Fenway Park; it should be a communal experience filled with cheers, jeers, fears and tears.
Every Knighthorse production is a work of art. And you are an essential part of bringing it to life. We need you to do more than just watch, or even listen. We need you to become actively engaged. We ask that you join us on a magical journey into a make-believe world. Your energy, enthusiasm and “willingness to play” are absolutely vital to our success. Because we travel without sets and use only minimal props, the “magic” of our productions is wholly dependant upon the supremacy of Shakespeare’s language and the vast, untapped potential of our combined imaginations. But we wouldn’t have it any other way. Because, when delivered with clarity and conviction, Shakespeare’s words can inspire images in your “mind’s eye” that are far more distinct, elaborate and truly beautiful than anything we could build with some wood, a bucket of paint and a few nails.
At Knighthorse, we create living, breathing theatre. Every performance is new; each show is unique — because of YOU! Let us lead you into the light. We will take you places you never thought you’d go.
~ Tyrus Lemerande
