Written and performed in1622 and first printed in 1653, “The Changeling,” is a joint effort between John Middleton (a protégé of William Shakespeare and co-
writer and adapter of some of Shakespeare’s plays) and William Rowley (a collaborator/playwright best known as an actor) and is considered one of the best tragedies of the Jacobean period and the first tragicomedy.
The plot (Beatrice-Joanna, Alsemero and Deflores) and subplot (Lollio, Isabella, and Antonio) mirror one another, disguise and deception, and thus the use of the very large mirrors on the set that reflect the deformity of human nature and the iniquitous fall into insanity or recognition of their faults in both storylines. The motif of “eyes,” used to see beauty and moral goodness, betray us by imposing on us what we want to see and not what is there in reality, leading to the tragic choices that cause the fall.
J. Barrett Cooper (director) returns to Idyllwild Arts Academy where he taught Shakespeare and Stage Combat and directed “A Midsummer Nights Dream” and is in his first semester as chair of the Theatre Department.
Performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24 and 25, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26 in the IAF Theatre on campus.
Performances are free to the public and the theater is handicap-accessible.
