Can you please describe the nature of Nicu's Spoon's Richard III?
We see it from his point of view -- with the highlight this season on the disabled. We don't see Richard as a "wink-wink" villain, but as a disabled man who has been treated like dirt all his life, and the play begins the day he snaps and says: "I've had enough, I want power, women, money -- all of it -- and I deserve that. And I am willing to risk whatever it takes to get it." We also show the two sides of Richard, the inner and more intimate side when he talks to the audience, and the outer side where he deals with the "abled" world around him -- thus he is played by two actors, one disabled and one able-bodied.

How did the company come to this new perspective?
It is part of what we do -- we turn classics on their head, work with a variety of artists, colors, ethnicities, abilities and ages. It is what we do to shake up the theater world around us and reflect the society we see today.

What drew the company to stage this particular play?
In looking at a Shakespearean piece, as we hadn't done one yet and we always look to be different from our last piece -- immediately you are drawn to Richard III when dealing with a season about disabled artists. The role is always is played by a tall, good-looking guy who is not disabled. This time when Richard walks onstage, its not funny or cute -- he IS disabled and his opening speech rings true with a poignancy that can't be touched by an able-bodied actor. It also impacts on the fact that he is not evil, just fighting the only way he knows how -- and it shows the play in a new light.

How did the new perspective on the play affect the staging and performance?
I think the artists and cast always have to make adjustments with a disabled actor onstage, as we deliberately cast the rest of the cast non-disabled in order to really make Richard stand out. But our Richard is an amazing persona and is doing things onstage that doctors have said he could never do -- we need greater entrances and exits to accomodate his arm crutches, but we planned for that anyway as we renovated. We also split the role to emphasize his dual nature, his innner self and his public persona (played by a big, tall, buff actor -- perhaps how Richard sees himself in his mind). Its a new twist on it, but if anyone can do it, we can. That is what we do onstage!

Catch a new take on Richard III with Nicu's Spoon -- only for $5 and only through High 5