Director: Michael Sexton

Playwright: William Shakespeare

Set Design: Brett J. Banakis

Costume Design: Tilly Grimes

Lighting Design: Bradley King

Sound Design: John D. Ivy

Stage Manager: Michael Palmer

With: Jolly Abraham, Rachel Botchan, Bradford Cover, Steve Cuiffo, Dominic Cuskern, Peter Francis James, Tom Nelis, Imani Jade Powers, James Udom.

Director Michael Sexton, head of New York’s Shakespeare Society, knew the pitfall of so many Winter’s Tale productions: that Sicilia so often seems cold and remote before Leontes has his breakdown. As a remedy for that, our production was staged in a Brooklyn brownstone, at the end of the long dinner, when the warmth and happiness felt between Leontes, his wife Hermione, and his best friend Polixenes, is palpable.

Of course, we got to set Bohemia in the same middle class 1980s brownstone, so my first entrance as the clownish Shepherd’s son obviously came right through a fireplace.

To my delight upon opening a box as my dad (Dominic Cuskern) holds the abandoned baby Perdita: “You’re a made old man! If the sins of your youth are forgiven you, you’re well to live. Gold! All gold!