Balancing act: ‘The Winter’s Tale’ weaves tragedy, comedy into one

Amidst the tragedy woven throughout Shakespeare’s “The Winter Tale,” bits of comedy flare through.

Much suffering can be found in the story of Leontes, whose jealousy and paranoia leads his life to unravel and hurts the ones he loves best. At the same time, humor emerges in strange places — magical beings, mistaken identity, and a scene that ends with a bear chasing a character away.

For performers with Agape Theater Company, striking that balance between the two adds a unique element to the production.

“Because it’s Shakespeare, there’s so much deeper meaning to everything he writes,” said Grace Steib, who plays Hermione, the Queen of Sicilia in the show. “It’s not a tragedy, it’s not a comedy, it’s both, so you really have to be distraught and down-trodden in the first half, and then really happy in the next.”

Agape’s staging of “The Winter’s Tale” opens Friday at Indy Fringe Theater in downtown Indianapolis, with additional shows on Saturday and Sunday, and Feb. 24 through 26. The play continues the theater company’s tradition of unique Shakespearean performances, previously seen during productions such as “A Midsummer’s Night Dream,” “The Tempest” and “Macbeth.”

Being part of the show has been a challenging yet exciting experience, said Caleb Wilson, who plays Leontes in the production.

“It has a very powerful message about love and forgiveness. It shows the highs and lows of passion — hatred and paranoia vs. love and elation,” he said. “The peaks and valleys make it a unique experience.”

Agape Theater Company was founded as a theater ministry of Our Lady of Greenwood Catholic Church to provide more opportunities for young actors on the southside. Since that time, it has staged works ranging from “The Pirates of Penzance” and “Into the Woods Jr.” to “Macbeth” and “Newsies.”

Their production of “Les Misérables” won the Most Impressive Youth Theater Production of 2017 Award, while the production of “The Tempest” won the Most Impressive Youth Theater Production of 2019 Award.

In tackling “The Winter’s Tale,” the theater troupe meets the challenges of one of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays, which brings audiences on a journey from jealousy and outrage to forgiveness and healing.

In truly Shakespearean fashion, the tumultuous storyline is driven by King Leontes, the ruler of Sicily whose deep distrust for his wife, Hermione, leads to imprisonment and death.

Though the emotional gulf between different acts of the play has drawn its critics from over the years, “The Winter’s Tale” showcases a positive nature the young cast could learn from, said co-director Kathy Phipps.

“Many people see ‘The Winter’s Tale” as a problem play because as a romance it shifts tone from a tragedy in the first half of the show to a comedy in the second half,” she said. “I love this play because it shows the power of forgiveness and the mature happiness that comes from a greater understanding of human nature. In this powerful production, we realize that some rash actions can’t be undone, but through the gift of forgiveness, we see the restoration and redemption.”

Phipps and fellow co-director Gwen Adams put together a talented cast who has shouldered the load of portraying the complex play.

For Wilson, the preparation has been fast-paced and exciting.

“It’s been really fun. This has been a quicker turn-around schedule than I’ve done with a lot of other shows, so it’s been a lot of learning it, rehearsing it a few times and moving on,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to solidifying everything during tech week.”

Playing such a complex characters as Leontes has required him to dig into his acting repertoire.

“That paranoia and fear can be very paralyzing. I’m coming from a place where I think everyone is going to turn on me,” he said. “My character is angry, but very scared for much of the show, and trying to retain some semblance of control. So I try to show that in the pauses, in shifting from one side of the stage to the other.”

Streib, on the other hand, had to portray Hermione as a character blindsided by betrayal, left to make sense of how her life has fallen apart.

“She’s accused of cheating on Leontes with her friend, Polixines, which takes her completely by surprise, because she’s just friends with Polixines,” she said. “After going through all of this pain and anguish, flabbergasted that this is happening, she has to go to court to plead her case.”

Showing such a range of emotions has been the key to her character.

“It’s been a lot of thinking about how she would act to her whole world being turned upside down. And a lot of figuring out how to read her lines, because she’s so dignified at the same time she’s very angry and upset and sad too,” she said.