Theatre for a New Audience Presents

HENRY IV
By William Shakespeare
Adapted by Dakin Matthews
Directed by Eric Tucker

GET A NEW DEAL TICKET TO ANY PERFORMANCE FOR JUST $20!*
If you are 30 years old or under OR a full-time student of any age, you can purchase a $20 New Deal ticket (up to $95 value). Choose your seat, choose ticket type New Deal (change from Standard), and use promo code NEWDEALSKINT. ONE ID PER TICKET, FOR OTHER ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS – SEE BELOW.

YOU’RE INVITED TO OUR NEW DEAL NIGHT!
If you’re eligible for the New Deal, join us at New Deal Night on Sunday, February 16! Buy your $20 New Deal ticket for the 1:00PM performance of Henry IV and stay for a free post-show talkback. This talkback will be immediately followed by a party at Fulton Hall with complimentary food and drinks and wonderful opportunities to connect with other artists and theatregoers.

SINGLE TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR ANYONE FOR $65** WITH CODE SKINT65!

GET TICKETS AT TFANA.ORG

Running time: 3:45 including two intermissions

Henry IV, Part One is one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, but Henry IV, Part Two is rarely produced. Dakin Matthews has taken Henry IV, Part One and Part Two and adapted them into one three-act play of 3:45 including two intermissions, creating one play approximately half the length of the two separately.

With vivid, indelible characters drawn from 15th-century England’s civil war, the Adaptation is gripping and epic, exploring timeless questions about legitimate authority and how the private lives of rulers conflict with their public lives. When the play begins, King Henry IV has taken the throne from his cousin Richard. Henry is plagued by guilt and challenged by a rebellion led by the brave Henry Percy (Hotspur). Prince Hal, King Henry’s son, is alienated from his father and, rather than assuming the duties of the heir apparent, spends his time in a tavern with the old knight Falstaff, an outlaw, liar, and great wit with insatiable appetites.

Matthews writes “The two plays are one in conception…(and) together tell of the transition of power from father to son. Hal’s growth … and the choices he must make on the way to becoming Henry V, organize the entire action…It is the story of a man becoming a king. Simultaneously, it is the story of a boy becoming a man, and of a son disappointing, surprising, frustrating, pleasing, and ultimately outgrowing his own father.”

Emma Smith, Shakespeare scholar and author, observes Henry IV is also “deeply concerned with real and imagined relationships between fathers and sons. There’s Northumberland and his son Hotspur as well as King Henry and his son Hal. But when King Henry wishes, at the outset of the play, that the brave Hotspur were really his son… his wish for an alternative son legitimates Hal’s own wish for an alternative father.”

Henry IV introduces Falstaff, one of Shakespeare’s most compelling creations. Harold Bloom describes Falstaff as “the most intelligent person in all of literature” and also says of him, “Falstaff is life!”

Elijah Jones as Prince Henry (Hal), Dakin Matthews as King Henry IV, Cara Ricketts as Lady Percy, Jay O. Sanders as Sir John Falstaff, and James Udom as Henry Percy (Hotspur) lead this cast of sixteen.

The full company is William Bednar (Musician/Traveler/Messenger/Servant), Jordan Bellow (Ned Poins/Prince John/Feeble), Steven Epp (Earl of Worcester/Francis/Silence), Nigel Gore (Earl of Warwick/Sir Richard Vernon), Slate Holmgren (Nym/Sheriff/Mouldy/Earl of Douglas), Elijah Jones (Prince Henry (Hal), PJ Ju (Musician/Traveler/Messenger), John Keating (Earl of Westmoreland/Robert Shallow), Owen Laheen (Lady Mortimer/Traveler/Servant to Hotspur/Davy/Messenger/Page), Dakin Matthews (King Henry IV/Traveler), Cara Ricketts (Lady Percy/Doll Tearsheet), Michael Rogers (Earl of Northumberland/Owen Glendower/Bullcalf), Jay O. Sanders (Sir John Falstaff), Sandra Shipley (Mistress Quickly/Lady Northumberland/Archbishop of York), James Udom (Henry Percy (Hotspur)/Pistol), and Elan Zafir (Bardolph/Edmund Mortimer/Lord Hastings).

Polonsky Shakespeare Center: 262 Ashland Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217

* Each New Deal ticket holder must be 30 years of age and under, or a full-time student. A valid ID proving eligibility must be presented for each ticket purchased. IDs must be presented at entry beginning two hours prior to curtain. Failure to show proof of age or student ID will result in a surcharge for a full price ticket.

** $65 ticket discount offer expires 3/2/2025. Full price up to $95. Subject to availability. All internet and phone orders are subject to a handling fee. The offer may be discontinued at any time. Not valid for previous purchases.

Box Office hours are Monday–Saturday, 1–7pm and it can be reached at 646-553-3880 or tickets@TFANA.org.

Face masks are encouraged, but not required.
Click here to learn more about our policy on refunds and exchanges.

Henry IV Parts One and Two adapted by Dakin Matthews into a single play are the thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth plays by William Shakespeare in his thirty-eight-play canon which TFANA has produced. This production of Henry IV is supported by the donors to the Theatre’s Completing the Canon Fund: Frank and Aileen Drury, Alan Jones and Ashley Garrett, and the Michael Tuch Foundation.
Additional support for the production of Henry IV and related education programs in the New York City Public Schools was provided by The Achelis and Bodman Foundation.

Design by Paul Davis Studio / Paige Restaino

Deloitte and Bloomberg Philanthropies are the 2024-2025 Season Sponsors.

Principal support for Theatre for a New Audience’s season and programs is provided by the Bay and Paul Foundations, The Jerome and Marlène Brody Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Jerome L. Greene Foundation Fund at the New York Community Trust, The Dubose & Dorothy Heyward Memorial Fund, The Polonsky Foundation, The SHS Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and The Thompson Family Foundation.

Theatre for a New Audience’s season and programs are also made possible, in part, with public funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities; the National Endowment for the Arts; Shakespeare in American Communities, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

sponsored post

tuesday

tues 12:30pm: ice theatre of new york: 2024-25 city skate pop-up performances: professional ice dance company ice theatre of new york brings a series of short, free performances to public outdoor rinks through the season. today: bryant park. >>

sponsored: tues 7pm: brooke shields is not allowed to get old: actress, model, icon, and activist brooke shields presents an intimate and empowering exploration of aging that flips the script on the idea of what it means for a woman to grow older. with remarkable candor, shields paints a vibrant and optimistic picture of being a woman in the prime of her life. in conversation with editor-in-chief of glamour magazine, samantha barry, at symphony space (uws). skint readers can get a $20 tier 2 ticket using code: ‘shields’ (please note that a copy of brooke shields’ book is not included in this special price). >>

tues 8pm doors (monthly): sweet comedy show: sweet ’25: seth herzog’s long-running live comedy show kicks off 2025 with guests thomas middleditch (silicon valley), rick velez (comedy central), michael cruz kayne (colbert), and gabby bryan (let me ask my dad). chelsea music hall, save 50% with promo code ‘baby’ >>

tues 8pm: redeussical: a parody seussical: actor, writer, and comedian ellington berg reinterprets seussical as a solo show combining childhood wonder with adult mania. c’mon everybody (bed-stuy). $10 adv, $15 day of. >>

sponsored

The Civilians
presents

RADIO DOWNTOWN: RADICAL ‘70s ARTISTS LIVE ON AIR

Co-Written by Steve Cosson and Jocelyn Clarke
Conceived and directed by Steve Cosson

With Robert M. Johanson, Jennifer Morris, Joshua David Robinson, Maya Sharpe, and Colleen Werthmann

Made from archival interviews from WNYC’s “Arts Forum,” a 1970s radically open format radio show about avant garde artists, this world premiere from The Civilians (Mr. Burns, a post-electric play) enlists an experimental storytelling method in homage to its downtown subjects. The result is a hilariously naturalistic, wholly live experience.

The cast of Radio Downtown channels some of the era’s most audacious visionaries like Harry Smith, Yvonne Rainer, and Kenneth Anger using their words verbatim with arresting images and films made by these artists. The resulting show invites us to see a future as imagined by these ’70s trailblazers—an erasure of the line between art & audience; a cultural community that embraces political activism; and an abundant, wild, and fully democratic creative life for America.

Use code SKINT to snag $19 tickets* (incl. $4 fee – reg. $44)!
Valid for all performances

Performances: January 11 – February 9, Tues-Fri 7:15; Sat 2:15 & 7:15; Sun 2:15.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

59E59 Theaters – a quick block from SUBWAY 4/5/6 N/W/R at 59 St.

*Standard service fees apply to all phone/internet orders. Limit 4 tickets per order. All offers subject to availability. This offer may be revoked or modified at any time without notice. Not valid with any other offer.

wednesday

weds thru 1/29: new york jewish film festival 2025: the jewish museum and film at lincoln center collaborate once again for the new york jewish film festival. spotlighting documentary, narrative, and short films from around the world that explore the jewish experience, the 34th edition presents nearly two dozen features, documentaries, and shorts. opening film: midas man by joe stephenson; centerpiece film: of dogs and men by dani rosenberg; closing film: ain’t no back to a merry-go-round by ilana trachtman. lincoln center’s walter reade theatre (uws), $19 general, $17 seniors/students. >>

weds 7pm (monthly thru april): brooklyn poetry slam: slam poets gather for a night of words and community, hosted by mahogany l. browne and dj jive poetic at brooklyn museum. brooklyn museum’s rubin pavilion (prospect heights), pay-what-you-can admission ($10 suggested). >>

weds 7pm (monthly): adam wade: live in new york: 20-time moth story slam winner adam wade returns to under st. marks theater with a storytelling show featuring three to four different stories from his extensive catalog (no two shows will be the same) and a different special guest who’ll kick things off. under st. marks theater (east village), sliding scale admission. >>

weds 7pm: speakeasy: ‘the definitive speechwriting comedy show’: professional speechwriters and comedians are really into speeches talk about the techniques they love, the clichés they hate, and the written remarks that rocked their world. hosted by chandler dean. caveat (les), $15.67 adv with promo code ‘speakcheaply’ (reg. $20+). >>

weds 7:30pm: the secret history of the rape kit: a true crime story: author and journalist pagan kennedy launches the secret history of the rape kit, a true crime biography that tells the story of martha goddard’s development of the rape kit in the 1970s. honor jones, senior editor at the atlantic, joins kennedy for an discussion, followed by an audience q+a and signing. greenlight bookstore (fort greene), free admission, $22.80 ticket includes a copy of the book. >>

weds 7:30pm: we have fun: a stand-up show: hosts zach sims and dan wilbur bring the fun-ny to young ethel’s (park slope), with stand-up by guests haley dercher (netflix), abe gatling (comedy central), ashley bez (younger), and laura sogar (don’t tell comedy), and jim search. free admission. >>

thursday

thurs thru 2/28: winter glow at the flatiron: explore the diamonds by perséides studio and spectrum by mirari from qdsinternational, two new interactive art installations on view outdoors at the flatiron public plazas. launch event 1/16 at 4:30pm. >>

thurs thru 2/26 (thurs-sun): gallery players 28th annual black box new play festival: gallery players’ annual playwright-focused festival presents six new short plays across two programs. gallery players (south slope), $25 general, $20 seniors. >>

thurs 6:30pm: set tournament: game, set, match! test your skills at the national musuem of mathematics’s 2025 set card game tournament. open to both competitive and causual players. free. >>

thurs 7pm: opera america’s new works showcase: start the evening on a high note at opera america’s new works showcase. featuring four works currently in development selected from applicants across the country, the showcase takes place alongside opera america’s new works forum. a casual reception follows the event. opera america’s national opera center (midtown west), $10 general, free for students. >>

thurs 7pm (monthly): facts machine: science, comedy + trivia: scientists and comedians share the stories behind their favorite facts, ‘conduct experiments’ (play drinking games), and test their knowledge with a trivia challenge loosely inspired by tonight’s theme: extraterrestrials. hosted by scientists and pub trivia hosts em costa, noah guiberson, and rob frawley. caveat (les), $18.76 with promo code ‘theskint’ (reg. $24-$25). >>

thurs 7pm (+ thru 3/7): filmmaker magazine presents at the paris theater: filmmaker magazine partners with the paris theater (midtown) for a new monthly screening series. tonight: mr. + mrs. bridge (1990), followed by q+a with director james ivory and actor kyra sedgwick, moderated by filmmaker magazine‘s vadim rizov. in february, greg mottola’s the daytrippers (1997) will screen with actors hope davis, liev schreiber, and campbell scott participating in a q+a. in march, director kelly reichardt and producer larry fessenden will join for a screening of wendy and lucy (2008). $17 general, $15 seniors/students. >>

thurs 7:30pm (monthly): pete’s reading series: hear from literary icons and newcomers alike at this long-running reading series, hosted by temim fruchter and brian gresko. tonight’s event features helen phillips (hum), maureen sun (the sisters k), simon wu (dancing on my own), and ledia xhoga (misinterpretation). books will be available for purchase. pete’s candy store (williamsburg), free admission. >>

thurs 8pm (monthly): the lord of the rings: the fellowship of the ring entirely from memory: blindly-cast ten bones theatre company performers will attempt to recreate peter jackson’s the lord of the rings: the fellowship of the ring (2001), using only what they can remember from watching the film once recently. as chaos ensues, drinks are drunk while the players are challenged to incorporate lines written by the audience and create ‘deleted’ scenes. littlefield (gowanus), $12 adv, $14 day of. >>

ongoing

our roundup of 30+ ongoing events and attractions: the janarts festival, light installations, ice skating, and more. >>

stay safe and healthy
– the skint

The Civilians
presents

RADIO DOWNTOWN: RADICAL ‘70s ARTISTS LIVE ON AIR

Co-Written by Steve Cosson and Jocelyn Clarke
Conceived and directed by Steve Cosson

With Robert M. Johanson, Jennifer Morris, Joshua David Robinson, Maya Sharpe, and Colleen Werthmann

Made from archival interviews from WNYC’s “Arts Forum,” a 1970s radically open format radio show about avant garde artists, this world premiere from The Civilians (Mr. Burns, a post-electric play) enlists an experimental storytelling method in homage to its downtown subjects. The result is a hilariously naturalistic, wholly live experience.

The cast of Radio Downtown channels some of the era’s most audacious visionaries like Harry Smith, Yvonne Rainer, and Kenneth Anger using their words verbatim with arresting images and films made by these artists. The resulting show invites us to see a future as imagined by these ’70s trailblazers—an erasure of the line between art & audience; a cultural community that embraces political activism; and an abundant, wild, and fully democratic creative life for America.

Use code SKINT to snag $19 tickets* (incl. $4 fee – reg. $44)!
Valid for all performances

Performances: January 11 – February 9, Tues-Fri 7:15; Sat 2:15 & 7:15; Sun 2:15.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

59E59 Theaters – a quick block from SUBWAY 4/5/6 N/W/R at 59 St.

*Standard service fees apply to all phone/internet orders. Limit 4 tickets per order. All offers subject to availability. This offer may be revoked or modified at any time without notice. Not valid with any other offer.

sponsored post