1 Henry IV by William Shakespeare

Summer 2024 - Midwest tour in July and September, Mackinac Island Shakespeare Festival in August

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Produced by Starling Shakespeare Company, touring the Midwest with a month-long residency at the Mackinac Island Shakespeare Festival

In my first reread of 1 Henry IV since college, I was struck by the timeline of warfare - Richard II is a play I’ve worked on and have thought quite a bit about, and I didn’t realize how close on the heels of that play 1 Henry IV took place. I was surprised by the very beginning of this play, in which King Henry tells the court that they’ve just finished up a civil war and now he wants to go do their duty to God and fight in the Crusades. But we must break off from the plan for the Crusades because both Scotland and Wales are kicking up problems, and now Hotspur has added to the tension by refusing to send prisoners of war to the King. The war machine keeps rolling.

And of course, I was reading this play showing the endlessness of war while Gaza was and continues to be under attack by an occupying force, the war in Ukraine continues on against Russia, and conflict is roiling across Sudan and the Congo. In reading Henry’s tying up one war and proposing another, I was reminded of An Illiad, the history of warfare and how it has spread across the world. I became interested in how warfare is used by the characters in this play to achieve their ends - holding onto power, gaining wealth and land, maintaining or regaining honor. I had great collaborations with production designer Andrea Williams and fight choreographer Madison Hill to shape this piece, and am grateful for a wonderful cohort of actors to bring this story to life with the complexity and depth that kicks off the Henry plays.

Photos by Noelle Kirscht Photography

Plot summary by Jessica Boyles and Jessie Lillis:
Henry IV Part 1 begins with tensions already running high. Although King Henry wants to lead a crusade to Jerusalem as penance for his part in the deposition and murder of Richard II, he is unable to do so because of feuds with Wales and Scotland, in addition to disloyal lords in his own court. He also has to contend with his son, Henry (aka Hal), who would rather revel at a local pub than take up the responsibilities attached to his role as heir apparent and Prince of Wales.  

King Henry demands loyalty from the Percy family, made up of the Earl of Worcester, the Earl of Northumberland and his son Henry (aka Hotspur). The hot-headed Hotspur doesn’t agree with the king’s treatment of his family or the refusal to pay the ransom for Hotspur’s brother-in-law Lord Mortimer (Richard II’s chosen heir) to the leader of Wales, Owen Glendower. Don’t worry about Mortimer though - he marries Glendower’s daughter, creating a new and important alliance. This is when the Percy family decides to take matters into their own hands.

Meanwhile, Hal is busy getting into all kinds of shenanigans with his friends at the Boar’s Head Tavern. The ringleader at the pub, Sir John Falstaff, is a degenerate, aging knight who thoroughly enjoys Hal’s company. They drink, they laugh, and they rob, oh my! Well, Falstaff robs two travelers with the help of highwayman Gadshill and bar patron Bardolph, while Hal and his other pal, Poins, end up robbing their friends while in disguise. Falstaff spins a gallant, tall tale of how the group both stole and lost the money, but the truth comes to light when Hal shares his prank. It is in the middle of a performance in which Hal and Falstaff are imagining a conversation between the prince and the king, that a sheriff arrives to find the men responsible for the robbery. This, along with concerning news abroad around the growing rebellion, prompt Hal to reconsider his priorities.

There’s no turning back as the Percy’s ally with Wales and Scotland and declare themselves rebels with an aim to take down the king.

Will Hotspur and the rebels overpower the King and his forces? Will King Henry forgive Hal for his degenerate ways? Will Hal step up and become the Prince of Wales that England needs? Watch as the fighting comes to a head at The Battle of Shrewsbury, where Henry, Prince of Wales and Henry Percy face off, and only one Henry can reign supreme!