By William Shakespeare
Directed and Adapted by John Blondell

Cast of Characters
King Lear, King of Britain – Irwin Appel
Goneril, Lear’s Eldest Daughter – Brian Harwell
Duke of Albany, Her Husband – James McCarthy
Regan, Lear’s Second Daughter – James McCarthy
Duke of Cornwall, Her Husband – Brian Harwell
Cordelia, Lear’s Youngest Daughter – Nina Sallinen
Fool – Matthew Tavianini
Earl of Gloucester – Vardan Mkrtchyan
Edgar, His Elder Son – Mitchell Thomas
Edmund, His Younger and Illegitimate Son – Duane Henry
Kings, Messengers, Stewards, and Others – The Company

Creative Team
Scenography and Costumes – Blagoj Micevski
Music Composition and Performance – James Connolly
Toy, Puppet, and Photographic Art – Yulya Dukhovny
Lighting Designer – Landon Moir
Assistant Lighting Designer – Joel Michelson
Stage Manager and Assistant Director – Ciena Fitzgerald
Production Assistant – Jake Siaki

Lit Moon created its Lear during the summer of 2024, in the village of Capari in North Macedonia. It was created specifically for the Ohrid Summer Festival, and premiered at the Church of Saint Sophia, a 9th century Orthodox Church, in late July. The show was created by an international company of artists from North Macedonia, Armenia, England, Finland, and the US – what we now call Lit Moon World. The play interweaves stories of two families. In one, Lear divides his kingdom between two daughters who flatter him and exiles his youngest who loves him. In another, the Duke of Gloucester trusts a treacherous son, and suspects a loyal one. The stories merge into one by play’s end, after much heartache. The play ends with some of the most moving scenes in Shakespeare, when loyal children find their battered and beleaguered fathers. Lit Moon World’s production compacts the story, presenting vivid images and visual storytelling, fused with Shakespeare’s incomparable language. The performance evokes worlds lost and times past, atmospheres drenched in ancient rituals, ghosts and dreams, simple storytelling, and original music.

For more information, www.litmoontheatre.com