MAT production tells of 17th century plot

Government deceit, a failed terrorist plot and Shakespeare are all part of the latest production being put on by Montana Actors' Theatre, known as MAT.

"Equivocation," an off-Broadway play written by Bill Cain, will begin its three-week run Friday at the Little Theatre on the Montana State University-Northern campus.   

Grant Olson, who teaches acting at Northern, is the play's director.

Olson said Equivocation is really about "telling the truth under difficult circumstances."

The play is a fictionalized account of the aftermath of the 1605 gunpowder plot, a failed attempt by a contingent of English Catholic radicals to blow up Parliament as means to assassinate King James I.

In this account, William Shakespeare is then commissioned by the prime minister under King James I to write an official history of the plot in the form of a play.

But as Shakespeare and his acting company, the Globe, look further, they begin to suspect that the official account of the plot, being pushed by the king, might be part of a cover-up.

"It's fictional, but it takes real life events and pops them in there and kind of puts an idea out about the gunpowder plot (and) about Shakespeare being asked to write about it," Olson said.

Olson said the real life official account of the gunpowder plot is riddled with holes, and the play takes a "plausible look" at a theory of what happened.

Each performer in the nine-member cast plays, on average, five parts. And, along with the central plot, there are fragments from Shakespearean plays both real and fictional, within the production.

Olson said some scenes such as sword fights and executions can be difficult to set up and execute.

With so many characters, interlocking stories, action-packed scenes and other elements, Olson said capturing all of those elements, while ensuring the play remain accessible to the audience, was a constant challenge.

However, Olson said, despite the many pieces, "it's a complicated idea, but the way it plays out is really easy to understand and watch."

"Equivocation" opens Friday at 8 p.m. Subsequent performances will be at the same time on Saturday and Sunday of this weekend, June 2 to June 4 and June 9- to June 11. The doors and backstage lounge open at 7:30 p.m. each night.

Tickets are $15 for adults. Students, seniors and members of the military are $10 with an ID. There is no charge for Northern students with a current ID.

Tickets can be purchased at Five Heads, Bear Paw Meats, Computer Center, Greytak Realty and http://mtactors.com.