Q&A with Henry VIII Director
Derek Charles Livingston, the director of new plays at the Festival, directed this season’s production of Shakespeare’s political drama, Henry VIII.
In past few years at the Festival, Livingston served as the interim artistic director, and the director of last season’s A Raisin in the Sun. He also played Thurgood Marshall in the Festival’s production of Thurgood in 2022. Livingston was previously the managing artistic director at the Celebration Theatre, program manager/production and new play producer at the Playwrights Project, and the artistic producer for Plays in Progress at Cygnet Theatre. He won the New Hampshire Drama Award for his leading role in Driving Miss Daisy, and the LA Scenie Award for directing Sweeney Todd and M Butterfly.
Livingston received an MFA from the UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television, as well as a BA in theatre arts from Brown University.
The Festival talked to Livingston and asked him about his preparation and experience directing this historical drama.
The Festival: Why were you excited to direct Shakespeare’s Henry VIII?
Livingston: It’s not done often, so it’s a chance as an artist to delve into a Shakespeare play that a lot of people don’t know, to give it shape. I’m always thrilled by political intrigue because the human decisions, selfishness, and selflessness come from people’s internal wants.
I’m excited for audiences to get to see the character of Katharine who I think is one of the best female characters Shakespeare ever wrote. People know about Lady Macbeth and Kate [from The Taming of the Shrew] and Beatrice [from Much Ado About Nothing] and Juliet, but Queen Katherine has some amazing monologues. Anytime we can elevate the voice of women within Shakespeare, we should do it.
The Festival: King Henry’s love affairs often get a bad rap. What should we know to better understand the circumstances in this play?
Livingston: He has an awful reputation when it comes to wives and women. It’s important for our audiences to know that we are the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and that we’re presenting the Henry that Shakespeare wrote—which requires some context and understanding. Shakespeare couldn’t disparage Anne Boleyn, because that would be to disparage Queen Elizabeth [who was Henry and Anne’s daughter], and was very loved. He was walking a tightrope in creating this play, and what he chose to focus on were specific moments of crisis.
This play focuses on two relationships: his relationships with Katharine and Anne. The audience should come in expecting to learn about Shakespeare’s interpretation of the relationships.
Deservedly so, Henry has a bad reputation when it comes to his wives and other women—as there were extramarital relationships as well—but there was almost seven years between the time Henry met Anne and declared his interest, and when he made her his wife—which speaks to me that there must have been a real affection and love there [to span that time period].
The Festival: For those that are intimidated by Shakespeare’s more political plays, what would you say? Why should they come see Henry VIII?
Livingston: We think we know who Henry was, but here’s a chance to see the alternative of it. My plan was to stage and create a show that anyone can follow the storyline without necessarily understanding every nuance of the language. There are moments that are visually arresting, such as the coronation for Anne and the christening of Elizabeth.
[In addition], Bill Black, one of our longest-serving costume designers, does his best work in this [time] period, and he designed this show. It really should offer something for people that just lean into pure theatricality, to be able to enjoy, and the language will come.
Go to our seminars and orientations, as it really helps set up the context of the play. That’s why Fred [C. Adams] started them, so people could approach Shakespeare fearlessly.
The Festival: As playgoers, what should we watch for in this show? Are there any special “Easter eggs” you have implemented into the play as a director?
Livingston: Patrons should look for paper. Anytime a piece of paper appears onstage, someone’s life is about to change. That to me is the level of political intrigue in which we are playing. I want people to watch for how decrees and papers and letters are almost used as a sword.
Our set designer Apollo Weaver and I talked about what some of the emblems on the flags in Henry’s court should look like, and plan to combine the house of York and Lancaster to create the Tudor line symbolically.
There’s [also] the great seal, which is something that would mark an official letter, carried by Wolsey, and patrons should watch how this becomes an important moment, along with Wolsey’s ring.
The Festival: What statement/realization/feeling do you hope audience members leave with after seeing the play?
Livingston: I want people to leave saying, “Henry really emerged and pulled that off. He went through that crisis and emerged as his own person.”
I hope they walk away appreciating the moments of royal pomp and pageantry. I hope that patrons, especially if they came with the preconceived notion of who Henry is, go and do their own research to understand how and why Shakespeare wrote the play the way he did.
There’s been a recent book on Anne Boleyn that explores her mind and her position within the time, and she was far more than just the lady-in-waiting. She was a woman with her own mind and was probably very influential to Henry on the idea of moving away from the Catholic church. [We aimed to make] sure that Anne comes across as an intelligent woman with her own mind, so audiences will be intrigued by her as well, because history gives her a bad rap.
The Festival: What challenges came with preparing to direct this play?
Livingston: The biggest challenge is the known story of Henry, and all the variations and interpretations of the Tudor family—so I think people approach this play with a very strong notion of who they think Henry VIII is. The challenge is acknowledging that, but also being faithful to the story that Shakespeare is trying to tell.
Because Shakespeare wrote the play for an audience that understood [royalty], those things aren’t necessarily explained to our modern audience. This can get very lost on a modern American audience, and so part of the challenge has been to make sure to tell the story of this king who is in romantic, constitutional, political, and moral crises in a royal realm without the audience necessarily having to know what each of these royal ranks mean and represent.
The Festival: You have a long history of directing highly-acclaimed shows. What draws you to be a director?
Livingston: I continue to direct because I love bringing stories to the stage and I love creating compelling and interesting moments where the audience leans in and really listens. I love working with actors and being in the rehearsal process, and the collective discovery that can happen.
To purchase tickets to Henry VIII, visit bard.org or call 800-PLAYTIX.
