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http://www.maryhillmuseum.org

NEWS RELEASE Media contact:

Colleen Schafroth, Executive Director

(509) 773-3733, colleen@maryhillmuseum.org

 

 

Portland Actors Ensemble To Perform King Lear
at Maryhill’s Stonehenge on June 20

Free Performance Part of Shakespeare-in-the-Parks Program

 

(GOLDENDALE, Wash., June 10, 2009) – Maryhill Museum of Art invites the public to celebrate summer’s longest day with a captivating performance of King Lear, set against the backdrop of the museum’s full-size replica of England’s Stonehenge.  The free performance, presented by Portland Actors Ensemble, will take place Saturday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Stonehenge Memorial, located three miles east of the museum.  

Often referred to as one of Shakespeare’s most insightful plays, the tragedy of King Lear examines the human condition on every level of society, from the absolute monarch to social outcast. The tale centers around the proud King Lear, who declares his intention to divide his kingdom between his three daughters based on which one loves him most. Authority, loyalty, obedience, service, servility, dignity, and pride are principal themes that are woven to support each character’s journey.

The production is part of the Portland Actors Ensemble’s Shakespeare-in-the-Parks program, which is celebrating its 40th season of making classical theater accessible to audiences in non-traditional environments. King Lear is stark, soaring, and majestic, so the Ensemble chose perform this great tragedy in two locations that invoke those qualities: under the St. Johns Bridge in Cathedral Park in Portland and at Maryhill’s Stonehenge Memorial.

Built as the nation’s first World War I Memorial, Maryhill’s replica of Stonehenge lies at what was the original Maryhill town site. Believing the original in Great Britain was used for sacrifices, Maryhill founder Sam Hill constructed the replica in honor of the war dead of Klickitat County. Hill wanted the memorial to serve as a reminder that “humanity is still being sacrificed to the god of war.”

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ABOUT MARYHILL MUSEUM OF ART:

Housed in a glorious Beaux Arts mansion on 5,300 acres high above the Columbia River, Maryhill Museum of Art is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most enchanting cultural destinations.  Founded by Northwest entrepreneur and visionary Sam Hill, Maryhill opened to the public in 1940; today the museum boasts a world-class permanent collection, rotating exhibitions of the highest caliber, and dynamic educational programs that provide opportunities for further exploration by visitors of all ages.

The museum’s collection includes more than 80 works by Auguste Rodin, European and American paintings, objects d'art from the palaces of the Queen of Romania, Orthodox icons, unique chess sets, and the renowned Théâtre de la Mode, featuring small-scale mannequins attired in designer fashions of post-World War II France. Baskets of the indigenous people of North America were a collecting interest of Sam Hill; today the museum’s Native American collection represents nearly every tradition and style in North America, with works of art from prehistoric through contemporary.  

 

Maryhill’s Outdoor Sculpture Garden features work from the permanent collection by Tom Herrera, Mel Katz, Heath Krieger, Alisa Looney, Jill Torberson, Julian Voss-Andreae, Jeff Weitzel and Leon White.  Each year the museum also hosts an Outdoor Sculpture Invitational showcasing artists of the Northwest. The Maryhill Overlook is a site-specific sculpture by noted Portland architect Brad Cloepfil; nearby are Lewis and Clark interpretive panels. Four miles east of Maryhill is a life-sized replica of Stonehenge, Stonehenge Memorial, which Sam Hill built to memorialize local men who perished in World War I. Nearby, the Klickitat County War Memorial honors those who have died in service of their country since World War I.

 

The museum was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 2001 the museum was listed as an official site of the National Historic Lewis and Clark Trail and in 2002 was accredited by the American Association of Museums.


VISITOR INFORMATION:

Maryhill Museum of Art is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 15 to November 15. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $2 for children age 6-16. Admission to the Stonehenge Memorial is free; it is open from 7:00 a.m. to dusk daily.

 

Sandwiches, salads, espresso drinks, cold beverages, and freshly baked desserts and pastries are available at Café Maryhill; the Museum Store features art and history books, jewelry, Native American crafts and other mementos. 


Maryhill is located off Highway 97, 12 miles south of Goldendale, Washington. Drive times to the museum are 2 hours from Portland/Vancouver, 3.5 hours from Bend, 4 hours from Seattle, and 1.5 hours from Yakima. 
For further information, visit maryhillmuseum.org.


Above: Maryhill's Stonehenge Memorial. Photo by Scott Thompson. King Lear (Curt Hanson) prepares to banish his daughter Cordelia (Clara Weishahn) in the opening scene of King Lear performed by Portland Actors Ensemble. Photo credit: stagerightphoto.com.

 

A selection of 300 dpi images is available for use by press - click here.

Maryhill Museum of Art | 35 Maryhill Museum Drive | Goldendale, WA 98620 | 509-773-3733
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