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Aquila Theatre Company Brings Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales To Life
Napa, CA – Aquila Theatre Company, a troupe of British and American artists dedicated to classical drama, performs The Canterbury Talesby Geoffrey Chaucer at the Napa Valley Opera House Friday, March 16 at 8 p.m. Founded in London in 1991 by Peter Meineck, Aquila is now based in New York City and tours both nationally and internationally.The New Yorkerraves, “The classics made relevant with superb acting and clever staging.” Tickets are $35/$30/$15 student with ID.Chaucer’s famous poem is rightly considered one of the cornerstones of both western literature and drama. It draws on a rich tradition of classical Greek and Roman poetry and medieval literature to produce a work of sublime storytelling that is poignant, hilarious, spiritually uplifting, wonderfully lewd yet thoroughly thought provoking.
On a warm spring morning in April a group of travelers gather at the Tabard Inn in Southwark near London and prepare to journey to the sacred shrine at Canterbury, the resting place of the martyr Sir Thomas Becket. This is England in the 80s – the 1380s, and these medieval pilgrims are drawn from all walks of life and come from vastly different classes. Men and women, young and old, clergy and lay people – all united in their common aim – the magnificent cathedral city of Canterbury. Some are here out of a sense of piety, others for spiritual renewal and there are those who have come just for the sheer fun of it!
A work meant for performance, the Aquila Theatre Company believes passionately that the stage is the place for Chaucer’s tales to entertain and captivate a new generation of American audiences. Aquila has become internationally renowned for its uncanny ability to bring a modernly hip sensibility and a universally accessible freshness to classical texts without diminishing these great works. Aquila’s work is sophisticated, dynamic, innovative and while being eminently understandable, it is surprisingly challenging and entertaining.
WHO: Aquila Theatre Company in
WHAT: Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales
WHEN: Friday, March 16, 8 PM
COST: $35/$30/$15 student with ID
WHERE: Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main Street, Napa, CA 94559
PUBLIC INFO: (707)-226-7372, www.NVOH.ORG
CONTACT: Teri Stevens, teri@nvoh.org, 707-603-2338
More than 30 years in the making, The Napa Valley Opera House, a national historic landmark, restored the Margrit Biever Mondavi Theatre in June 2003, a second-floor theatre that was originally constructed in 1879. The NVOH 2007 Fall Season marks the fifth year of programming in the intimate 500-seat theatre, the “Jewel of Napa Valley” located in the heart of downtown Napa. Patrons experience an eclectic array of performing arts including theatre, dance, comedy, jazz, blues, world music, and family programming in a world class setting.
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