In the summer of 2018, Ruth Stage unveiled Wars of the Roses, an epic reimagining of Shakespeare’s history cycle conceptualized by the legendary Austin Pendleton and Matt de Rogatis. By fusing and sculpting the texts of Henry VI, Part 3 and Richard III, the collaborators forged what felt like a newly unearthed Shakespearean tragedy;  a sweeping psychological chronicle tracing Richard’s evolution from loyal son and brother to the sociopathic tyrant shaped by civil war. Pendleton not only directed but portrayed the fragile Henry VI, while de Rogatis co-adapted the work and assumed the title role of Richard III, charting a searing descent into madness at the center of the storm.

Premiering in a bold, Brechtian staging at 124 Bank Street Theater before transferring later that year to a larger venue at Theater for the New City, the production was deliberately scaled down to its raw essentials, stripping away spectacle to place maximum focus on the acting. The result was immediate, confrontational and actor-driven - a choice widely praised by respected theater critics, who singled out the performances as outstanding. Playing to acclaim in both engagements, the production became known as an “Off-Broadway darling,” as noted by Roma Torre in her NY1 interview with Pendleton. So successful was its original runs that it continues to be developed for an even larger Off-Broadway revival in the years ahead.