BEOWULF
Adapted by Julian Glover
Directed by Gus Menary
Book-It Repertory Theatre
Jul. 22-Aug. 7, 2022
"After over 20 months, and a season and a half of audio dramas, Book-It Repertory Theatre (Book-It) will return to in-person, live performance on the Center Theatre stage.
Adapted by renowned thespian Julian Glover (The Empire Strikes Back, Game of Thrones) and starring local favorite Brandon J. Simmons (he/him; The Canterville Ghost, The Picture of Dorian Gray), Beowulf marks the first in-person directing project at Book-It for new Artistic Director Gus Menary (he/him; The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes). Audiences are welcomed back to gather and share the joy of community with one of Seattle's most enduring and lauded arts institutions.
Born from the desire to mount a one-person show, Julian Glover lit upon the memory of a story his mother told him when he was a child: Beowulf. "I had only to read the first few lines to realize that this was The One," Glover reminisces. After finding translations that suited his particular needs, he was ready to begin the process of transforming an epic poem into a night of modern theatre. "My task, as I saw it, was to tell the story of the definitive hero," he remarks, "to convey the excitement and joy of it through my own enthusiasm to people of all ages brought up in a climate of sophisticated theatre, film and television..."
Poster by Jake Fruend
Photos by Anthony Floyd