Concordia University, Nebraska

Concordia Nebraska to present fall mainstage production

Seward, NE (10/23/2026) — Concordia University, Nebraska will present its annual fall mainstage production the first two weekends of November. This year's production is William Shakespeare's King Lear with a modern translation by Marcus Gardley.

King Lear is a Shakespeare tragedy. It follows the events set into motion after a king decides to divide his land amongst his three daughters. In order to decide how to divide his kingdom, he asks his daughters to prove who loves him the most. The older two lavish their father with loving words, but the youngest daughter, who truly cares about him, chooses not to play the game of proving love that way. As a result, the king becomes angry and kicks her out. The other two sisters then take advantage of their father to the point of taking everything away from him. This drives the king to madness and sets the plot in motion.

Bryan Moore, professor of communications and theatre arts, chose this show because he wanted to give the actors and the audience the chance to experience a Shakespeare tragedy. He selected King Lear because it integrates more comedic moments than the standard tragedy.

"The play itself is a fun, complex story that integrates more levels of humor and drama than the traditional tragedy," he said. "Usually when we think about tragedy, it feels like it's sad or angry all the time. This play challenges that idea, where you can find lighter characters and moments that help break up the dramatic and tragic moments."

This production is a modern translation of the original play. This means that the show stays true to the original plot, but the specific language used is adjusted to be more accessible to contemporary audiences.

Gardley's translation was part of a project by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival called Play On Shakespeare. This project commissioned playwrights to write new translations of 39 Shakespeare plays in order to make his work more accessible and relevant to modern audiences while maintaining the quality of Shakespeare's verse.

"I think the modernization of the text allows us to relate to these on-stage relationships a little better, so I welcome the audience to think about the messages that are being shared between characters," said Moore.

Moore also notes that there are some mature themes in the show, including revenge, self-harm, violence and death. He also says that amidst these extreme actions there are a lot of important messages.

"Shakespeare can be challenging, but I feel like the students have really taken on this challenge maturely and passionately. It's great to see that they are engaging with the story and wanting to tell the story in a responsible way," he said. "It's an important story. There's something to be said about what the true message is. There's so much going on, but when we really listen to what these characters are saying, there's a lot of important messages that are being shared."

"The actors have connected well to the meaning, language and rhythm of the text, and we are excited to tell this engaging story."

Tickets for the show are $10 for general admission and $5 for Concordia Nebraska students.

Performances of King Lear will take place in Weller Auditorium on the following dates:

Friday, Nov 6 at 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov 7 at 4 p.m.

Sunday, Nov 8 at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov 13 at 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov 14 at 7 p.m.

Sunday, Nov 15 at 2 p.m.

Students involved in the production include:

Jordan Hagemann, Hamel, Minnesota

Aubrey Burmeister, Albuquerque, New Mexico

April Abbett, Platte City, Missouri

Lucy Eggleston, Lawton, Iowa

Aiden Jenik, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Caleb Brandon, Tomball, Texas

Claire Horacek, Papillion, Nebraska

Joshua Nikodym, Grand Island, Nebraska

Jason Church, Auburn, Washington

Duncan Carrasco, Sidney, Nebraska

Naomi Eden, Vassar, Michigan

William Ebel, Salina, Kansas

Sarah Stepp, Lincoln, Nebraska

Meadow Burk, Parker, Texas

Catherine Vyhlidal, Morse Bluff, Nebraska

Mi-Ree Zwick, Minden, Nebraska

Mackenzie Schepmann, Macomb, Michigan

Sara Erickson, Omaha, Nebraska

Onyx Stone, Aurora, Colorado

Hannah Mattsfield, West Plains, Missouri

Alyssa Heimann, New Athens, Illinois

Kerria Wright, Madison, Nebraska

Naomi Truwe, Cole Camp, Missouri

Morgan Davis, Andover, Kansas

Abigail Braun, Ypsilanti, Michigan

Vaclav Fiala, Herculaneum, Missouri

Nathan Aschmann, Kearney, Nebraska

Mary Pieper, Algonquin, Illinois

Katelyn Pratt, Las Vegas, Nevada

Emma Fiala, Herculaneum, Missouri

John Comer, Phillips, Nebraska

About Concordia University, Nebraska

Concordia University, Nebraska, founded in 1894, is a fully accredited, coeducational university of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod located in Seward, Nebraska, which currently serves more than 1,700 students. Concordia offers more than 100 undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in an excellent academic and Christ-centered community that equips men and women for lives of learning, service and leadership in the church and world. For more information, visit cune.edu.

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