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Background of the project: RICHARD THE FIRST, Parts 1, 2 & 3 is a trilogy of plays about an ill-fated crusade in a brutal medieval world. In 2003 Central Works developed and produced Lionheart (the last great crusade), a gritty, intimate portrayal of a disastrous military adventure in the Holy Land at the end of the 12th century. The play drew striking parallels between events of the distant past and the current U.S. military involvement in the Middle East. Robert Avila of the SF Weekly called the play "an exceptionally sharp and timely portrait of 'holy war.'" In the intervening years since Central Works first produced the play, political events have drawn us back irresistibly to the story of King Richard's failed attempt to recapture the Holy City of Jerusalem from the Muslim "infidels."

The plan for the trilogy: the three plays correspond to the three “parts” of Richard's great journey to the Holy Land, a quest for absolution from a dark, primal sin. In Part 1 Richard "takes up the Cross,” and journeys to Palestine by way of a tempestuous “family reunion” in Sicily. Part 2 depicts the disastrous events surrounding Richard’s attempt to re-capture Jerusalem from the sultan Saladin. And Part 3 follows the king’s shipwreck, capture, and final reckoning in a far-off dungeon, the aftermath of the crusade. Taken as a whole, the trilogy is an epic tale of over-arching pride and vanity, a warrior king's quest for redemption that leads his country to the brink of bankruptcy and ruin.

The developmental method: a Central Works Method play begins by bringing together writer, actors and director at the very outset of the playwriting process. In a supportive workshop environment, group research and collective brainstorming contribute to the development of the script. In this way, the entire artistic team participates in the creation of the new play from its inception. As workshop sessions progress, the writer introduces new pages, and the script emerges in a rich mix of group research, dramaturgical analysis and collective imagination. The play is then further refined in rehearsal and production.

In this case, the point of departure for the project is a pre-existing play: Lionheart (the last great crusade) first developed and produced by Central Works in 2003. RICHARD THE FIRST conceives of Lionheart as the second play in a projected trilogy, adding one play before, and one after. The two new plays will be developed in a schedule of 10 three-hour workshops between January and August, 2012. The workshops will involve the cast of 6 actors, writer Gary Graves, director Jan Zvaifler, and sound designer Gregory Scharpen. Rehearsals begin during the week of August 27, 2012, and continue for 7 weeks.

The production: the trilogy of plays opens on Thursday, October 18, 2012, and plays “in rotation” (that is, Part I on Thursday, Part II on Friday, Part III on Saturday, etc.). On Sunday, November 11 and Sunday, November 18, all three parts will perform consecutively, at 1pm, 5pm, and 8pm. The estimated total running time for the trilogy (all 3 plays together) is approximately 5 hours.