The Knight of the Burning Pestle

The Knight of the Burning Pestle

The Knight of the Burning Pestle by Francis Beaumont

Presented by King’s Crown Shakespeare Troupe

April 28th — 30th, 2022; Columbia University (Kent Plaza)

Francis Beaumont’s The Knight of the Burning Pestle is a meta-theatrical romp through Elizabethan theater tradition and a celebration of the joy of live theater. Two unruly citizens George and Nell disrupt a performance of a fictional play, The London Merchant, and send their serving boy Rafe up to the stage to improvise his own version of a chivalric romance.

The Knight of the Burning Pestle was an outdoor, site-specific production and the first KCST Spring Show production following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lauren Unterberger as Nell and Ava Slocum as Humphrey.

Creative Team

Frankie DeGiorgio (Director/Producer), Evelyn Van Ness (Stage Manager), Ryan Puterbaugh (Dramaturg), Maya Shore (Wellness Captain), Anjali Ramakrishnan (Assistant Director), Grace Rawlinson (Assistant Producer), Evie Barenburg (Assistant Producer)

Design Team

Noelle Nafus (Costume Design), Maya Shore (Hair and Makeup Design), Sylvia Giordano (Set Design), Lee Hayes (Set Design)

Photography by Maya Shore

Company

Lauren Unterberger (Nell), Nick Porsborg (George), Luisa Nahr (Rafe), Miranda Paiz (Jasper), Sofia DeSanto (Luce), Ava Slocum (Humphrey), Roxane Carré (Mistress Merrythought), Max Bauer (Michael), Wesley Schmidt (Old Merrythought), Sophie Simons (Venturewell), Mimi Gillies (Ensemble), Sparrow Greene (Ensemble), Angela Lee (Ensemble), Monroe Lemaire (Ensemble), Caroline Taylor (Ensemble)

“The production was a joy to experience, as it did not take itself too seriously, even as every detail had been carefully considered and attended to. The troupe did not fall victim to the challenges of staging an outdoor performance; their voices seemed to pierce the biting cold with resolve.” — Columbia Spectator

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