ANN ARBOR—”Midnight’s Children,” based on Salman Rushdie’s award-winning novel, will have its U.S. premier at the University of Michigan March 12-16.

The production and 16-day residency, featuring the Royal Shakespeare Company, was funded, in part, by the University of Michigan, as well as support from the University’s affiliated on campus arts presenting organization, the University Musical Society. Additional support for the stage adaptation of “Midnight’s Children” was made possible by Columbia University.

“New works of art give the world new knowledge and a unique prism through which to interpret human experience,” said U-M President Mary Sue Coleman. “We are proud to be a partner with the University Musical Society, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Columbia University in commissioning and producing a work of such magnitude as the stage adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s ‘Midnight’s Children.’ “Academic institutions are increasingly aware of the pivotal role they can play in the support and creation of art as a means of offering a stimulating environment on campus, as well as a method of contributing to their surrounding communities. Initiatives such as the RSC residencies serve as such models, and we at U-M are proud to be part of the forefront of these developments,” Coleman said.

The 16-day residency also offers new stagings of Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor” and “Coriolanus.” The calendar of events includes three public forums with Rushdie, on-stage “Insight” presentations in which RSC cast and crew give behind the scenes lecture/demonstrations, and numerous public lectures and educational activities. (For a complete list of the performances and events, go to www.umich.edu and click on Royal Shakespeare at bottom right). The 2003 Michigan Residency is the second in a planned three-residency agreement over a five-year period (2001-2005) between the RSC and the University of Michigan and its affiliated on-campus presenting/producing organization, the University Musical Society.

The current residency builds on the first U-M/UMS/RSC collaboration in 2001, when the University provided support toward the production of Shakespeare’s History Tetralogy: “Henry IV: 1, 2 and 3” and “Richard III.” The University of Michigan was the exclusive venue for the History plays. The 12 performances played to sold-out audiences from 30 states and five countries, and won the RSC’s Michael Boyd the Laurence Oliver Award. For the 2003 residency, the University of Michigan provided funding to the University Musical Society toward producing the first stage adaptation of Rushdie’s “Midnight’s Children,” as well as new stagings of “The Merry Wives of Windsor” and “Coriolanus.” The third and final residency is planned for 2005. “When the Royal Shakespeare Company made its University of Michigan debut two years ago with the History plays, people wondered how we could possibly top that experience,” said Kenneth C. Fischer, president of the University Musical Society. “I believe the 2003 residency achieves just that by doing what the RSC does best—Shakespeare and epic theater. The collaboration among U-M, the UMS and Columbia University has enabled us to undertake the bold venture of bringing Midnight’s Children to the stage in Ann Arbor, along with a great wealth of opportunities for the public to gain a deeper understanding of the creative work.”

“The Merry Wives of Windsor,” directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, is set in the aftermath of World War II, a time in which the wives have just stopped worrying about rationing and Falstaff and his band can no longer depend on a black market income. “Coriolanus”, directed by David Farr, is a rarely performed political thriller set in ancient Rome, and uses Samurai influences to illustrate the modernization of an ancient ritualized culture.

For further information:

http://www.umich.edu/pres/rsc/ or http://www.ums.org/

Contact:
mjnesbit@umich.edu
Nancy Connell, (734) 764-7260 or nconnell@umich.edu