Starting on Oct. 14, Duke City Repertory Theatre presented a production of “King Lear” as a part of its “Bard Crawl” series. A wildly unconventional take on the works of William Shakespeare, “Bard Crawl” is exactly what it sounds like: a play performed in several different bars throughout Albuquerque.
It has been held in the spring since 2017, with a two-year hiatus during the pandemic. Due to the success of the prior shows, Duke City Rep was able to put on a fall “Bard Crawl” for the first time this year. It has historically been a comedy, making this the first time that the company has performed a Shakespearean tragedy.
“Bard Crawl” is unlike most theatrical performances. As Duke City Rep’s website reads, the rules of the event are “Serious Actors, No Director, One Rehearsal, In a Bar!”
Given the unconventional preparation method, actors are expected to forget some lines. However, at any point, they can call for “Line!” and be prompted. Audience participation is encouraged; members cheer when actors call for lines, help to create the sounds of rain during a climactic scene, and occasionally interact directly with actors.
Evening Star Barron, who played King Lear, said the intimacy of the performances makes “Bard Crawl” unique.
“There is no separation between the actor and the audience. There is no proscenium and dark seats,” Barron said. “It gives the audience a sense of complicity in the play. When we look at you and we speak to you, we’re bringing you into the world of the play with us, which I think makes for better catharsis.”
Kane Distler, who played King Lear’s daughter Regan, added that part of “Bard Crawl’s” magic is its ability to make Shakespeare fun and accessible.
“I don’t mean that in a ‘people are too stupid for Shakespeare’ way. I mean that in a ‘when Shakespeare is performed, it’s kind of elitism and masturbatory,'” Distler said. “I think ‘Bard Crawl’ gives people the opportunity to experience the words of Shakespeare in an environment where they’re comfortably engaging and not just sitting quietly in a theater like they normally would.”
Barron said Shakespeare’s works are timeless.
“There’s a way to keep them in relevance by changing who’s playing what part,” he said.
For example, while gender-swapping roles in contemporary Shakespeare productions is nothing new, “Bard Crawl” goes even further with this artistic choice, referring to Lear with “she/her” pronouns, while also still addressing her as “king” and “sir.”
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Many other characters are also played by actors who identify as a different gender than the characters they play. The production’s atypical casting allows for “King Lear” to be viewed in a different light, forcing the audience to reflect on what it means for these roles to diverge from Shakespeare’s original intention.
Switching the genders like this, Barron said, can sometimes result in a completely new play.
“I think that’s what I love the most about Shakespeare,” Barron said. “They are still stories that matter, and we can make them new … 400 years later.
Addison Fulton is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
Elijah Ritch is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. They can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
