JUNE 17–22
Factory Series at the Chain Theatre
312 W. 36th Street, 3rd Floor
HENRY VI
Parts 1 & 2
Glory is like a circle in the water,
Which never ceaseth to enlarge itself,
Till, by broad spreading, it disperse to naught.
— Joan of Arc, I.ii
About the Play
The year is 1422. England is reeling from the sudden wartime death of its beloved king. His underage heir, the diffident, unprepared Henry VI, is only a figurehead—and, all around him, the kingdom is crumbling.
The escalating personal feud between Henry's guardians, the hot-tempered, blindly idealistic Duke of Gloucester and the ambitious, underhanded Cardinal of Winchester, is threatening to destabilize the country. Meanwhile, the ongoing war in France is turning catastrophic, thanks to the sinister machinations of the self-proclaimed prophetess Joan of Arc. Amidst the chaos, the dispossessed young Duke of York—son to an executed traitor—uncovers an obscure genealogical claim and begins to eye the throne.
Plagued by dangerous infighting and facing the first stirrings of civil war, King Henry stands at a crossroads: he must hasten his journey into adulthood and take full command of his kingdom—or risk losing everything.
About the Adaptation
The Henry VI plays are rarely performed, in large part because their epic cast size is impractical for most theater companies and because their individual internal structures presuppose historical knowledge that today’s theatergoers, unlike Shakespeare’s original audience, are unlikely to have.
In order to bring you this production, we have sought to address both of these issues: we have abridged the script, assembled a talented cast capable of doubling and tripling roles, and exercised some creative license by combining Henry VI, Part 1 with about two thirds of Henry VI, Part 2 to create a cohesive narrative arc. The result is a streamlined adaptation that remains true to the spirit of the original play, while still maintaining logistical feasibility and prioritizing accessibility for modern-day audiences.
We plan to present the rest of the Henry VI trilogy in our next season.