SCENES FROM COURT LIFE,

or the whipping boy and his prince

by Sarah Ruhl

directed by Mark Wing-Davey

Originally produced at Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, CT

September 30–October 22, 2016

About the Premiere Production:

Synopsis: History, remixed. In 17th-century Great Britain, the Stuarts—Charles I and Charles II—defend their divine rights, with the help of a whipping boy. In our own time, Jeb and George W. Bush play hardball—both politics and tennis—battling for power, as siblings and statesmen. By turns intimate and epic, Sarah Ruhl’s astonishing new play reveals the cost of dynastic privilege.

Artistic Statement: Ms. Ruhl investigates the meaning of political dynasties and entitlement and the quest for parental approval by comparing Charles II’s ascendency at the Restoration to George W. Bush’s rise to America’s highest office. At the edges of this drama hovers the implication that, for those in power, the quotidian dynamics of family have massive repercussions for countries.

Grant Statement: The Edgerton Foundation's grant will allow Yale Rep to add an extra week of rehearsal to our typical production calendar, providing the artistic team and cast the opportunity to further refine the text and fully realize the artistic intentions of the production.