Austin – Austin Community College drama professor Guy Roberts will direct “Henry V” as part of the Austin Shakespeare Festival’s 2002 season. “Henry V” is a tale of a king seeking to heal his land and unite his people after civil war. Although the play won’t be performed until the fall, a work-in-progress performance, free and open to the public, will be given on Saturday, July 27 at 8 p.m. in the Rio Grande Campus Main Theater located at 1212 Rio Grande.

“The play is timely now with all that’s going on in the Middle East,” says Roberts, the artistic director for the Austin Shakespeare Festival. ” although the play has a highly charged political agenda, I don’t want it to be anti-war or pro-war. I want to let people draw from it what they may.”

In “Henry V,” the title character ascends to the throne of England and to assert himself, he immediately wages war against France. After conquering France, Henry V marries the princess of France to create an alliance.

“It’s about unity and struggling as an underdog,” says Roberts, who’s taught at ACC for three years. “The country comes together to achieve something great.”
Speaking of something great, Roberts’ versatility as a director has been lauded by the Austin Critic’s Table, who named him the most promising director in 2000 for his adaptations of “The Taming of the Shrew” and “A Macbeth.” Roberts also won the B. Iden Payne (BIP) for directing the latter production. Roberts has directed the ASF’s production of “Hamlet,” in which the lead was played by a Hispanic female; and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Such Sweet Thunder.” He will also be directing the ASF’s production of “Twelfth Night,” which will be performed at the Zilker Park Hillside Theater in September. He also directed the ACC drama department’s productions of Arthur Schnitzler’s “La Ronde” and August Strindberg’s “The Stronger.” Both plays were part of the 2002 FronteraFest.

Roberts’ talent shines behind the scenes as well as in them. He most recently played Caliban in the State Theater’s production of “The Tempest”; Jason in “Wit,” for which he was nominated for a B. Iden Payne; Ray Dooley in “The Beauty Queen of Leenane,” which earned him another BIP nomination; and Lord Alfred Douglas in “Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde,” which garnered him a Critic’s Table Award nomination.

ACC students are benefiting not only from Roberts’ wealth of experience and passion for the theater, but also from his association with the Austin Shakespeare Festival. The July 27 work-in-progress performance of “Henry V” will afford ACC drama students the opportunity to assist backstage and gain hands-on experience of the staging of a theatrical performance. The students will learn about props, the set, lighting, staging, how actors rehearse, and the role of the director. This experience may count as credit toward lab hours for theater students.

“We are making an effort to get students more involved with production so they have some practical experience to complement their theatrical training,” says Cynthia Cone, ACC’s dean of arts and humanities. “The on-the-job training is invaluable to a well-rounded education, whatever the discipline.”