“What separates a good leader from a good person?” Shakespeare in the Schools actor Evan Joslyn asked an East Helena High classroom after the troupe’s Dec. 8 performance of “Richard III,” about a nobleman who manipulates and murders his way to the English throne.
Richard, Duke of Gloucester, spreads false rumors about his rivals to turn public opinion against the rightful heirs – before having them murdered. His deceitful reign eventually collapses when a challenger, the Earl of Richmond, defeats him in battle.
The show and follow-up discussion were part of a months-long tour of more than 50 Montana and Wyoming schools. Directed by Riley O’Toole and presented through Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, Shakespeare in the Schools’ (SIS) first staging of one of the playwright’s histories repeatedly touched on some of today’s hot-button issues: online misinformation, manipulation and questions of truth versus power.
