In the background buildings on fire, in the foreground people protesting.
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Coriolanus

Presented by OSF and Portland Center Stage
By William Shakespeare
in a modern verse translation by Sean San José
Directed by Rosa Joshi
Produced in association with upstart crow collective and Play On Shakespeare
July 23 – October 13, 2024 Thomas Theatre

Fragile democracy and treacherous alliances

When civil unrest wracks Rome as the famine-ravaged underclass battle the ruling elite, a war hero steps into the spotlight to serve his nation—only to turn on it and seek its overthrow. Shakespeare’s rarely produced tragedy comes to visceral life in the intimacy of OSF’s Thomas Theatre, helmed by visionary director and OSF Associate Artistic Director Rosa Joshi in a powerful, movement-focused production featuring a cast of female and non-binary actors. Sean San José’s modern translation brings the story to the forefront, illuminating Shakespeare’s themes of ambition and delicate democracy that will particularly resonate during an election year.

 

Approximate running time: 2 hours and 20 minutes, including one intermission.

Notes to the audience: Theatrical haze, loud explosions, and alarms are used in this production.

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Suitability Suggestions
Coriolanus examines politics, mob mentality and personal pride. A war hero steps into the spotlight to find there's a big difference between winning battles and winning votes. The play’s investigation of leadership and political machination is especially relevant and accessible during a presidential election year. Coriolanus contains complex language and some violence; suitable for well-prepared high school students and up.

For additional content warnings regarding violence or graphic depictions that may be upsetting to some audience members, please see our Content Warnings page (may contain spoilers).
Accessibility
The Thomas Theatre is outfitted with an elevator to the theatre level.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is committed to accessibility. We recognize the needs of persons with disabilities and strive to make our facilities and productions accessible to all. Please visit our Accessibility page for details about 2024 programs and services as they develop.

Immerse

Rosa Joshi
Director’s Notes

I’m thrilled to be sharing Coriolanus as my first production in my new role as OSF’s Associate Artistic Director.

I had always thought of Coriolanus as a very male-driven play about war and revenge—a great showcase for a brilliant, highly physical male actor. But digging into the play, I began to see a story that had a much more political foundation, that was about injustice and a crisis of democratic rule. I connected to a story of a downtrodden populace manipulated by ambitious, duplicitous politicians who themselves are threatened by a formidable, uncompromising war hero. This vision was aided by Sean San José’s modern verse translation, which honors the poetry of Shakespeare while elevating the contemporary political resonances of the play in a way that makes the story feel more immediate and charged.

What upstart crow collective always strives to brings to the classics is a physically driven world that prizes the poetry and clarity of the spoken word alongside bold, theatrical ensemble storytelling. To Coriolanus, particularly, we bring a new way of experiencing masculinity and the warrior ideal. And I hope we also bring the excitement of watching an ensemble of seven brilliant female and non-binary actors grapple with this epic tale, taking on all the characters: citizens and senators, soldiers and civilians, mothers and sons, enemies and allies. The ensemble approach helps us expand the focus from a singular person, telescoping our vision out to see society itself as the central character: Rome, the birthplace of western democracy, becomes a proxy for our own troubled democracy.

As with all the work I do with Shakespeare, I’m hopeful that this play will help those who have felt excluded or marginalized by the classics to see themselves in these stories—and for all of us in general to see how truly expansive the stories can be in reflecting who we are as a society and the world we live in today.

—Rosa Joshi

Creative Team

Cast

* Member of Actors' Equity Association (AEA)
** AEA Professional Theatre Intern

Understudies

Thomas Theater seating chart.
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Thomas Theater seating chart.

OSF thanks our show sponsors

  • LEAD SPONSORS
  • Charlotte Lin and Robert P. Porter
  • PlayOn! Shakespeare
  • The Paige Family -
    In Loving Memory of Claudette Paige
  • PRODUCTION SPONSOR
  • Shirley and David Urdal
  • PRODUCTION PARTNERS
  • Lynne Carmichael
  • Carol Fellows and Tim Bewley,
    in support of the FAIR Program

OSF's 2024 Season