Friday, August 14, 2026

Boston Court Sets Its Shipwrecked Prince in an Evacuation Center

[photo credit: Boston Court Pasadena]

A rarely staged Shakespeare arrives on North Mentor Avenue in Ellen McLaughlin’s modern verse translation

The prince at the center of Shakespeare’s Pericles loses nearly everything to storms and shipwreck. Boston Court Pasadena has set the play inside an emergency evacuation center.

Margaret Shigeko Starbuck directs, and Boston Court presents the production in partnership with Play On Shakespeare, describing the staging as a re-conceptualization that uses movement and music. Previews of what the company bills as the West Coast premiere begin Thursday, August 20, at 70 North Mentor Avenue. The performance on Friday, August 21, at 7:30 p.m. is the second of six previews, ahead of the August 29 opening, and the run continues through September 27, 2026.

Randolph Thompson plays Pericles. Joel Swetow, making his Boston Court debut, plays Gower; Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson plays Marina; and Nicole Javier, a faculty member at Pasadena City College, plays Thaisa. The ensemble also includes Julanne Chidi Hill, Desirée Mee Jung, Adam J. Smith, Alexander Matos, Jamie Gallo and Rio Rasch, several in multiple roles.

John Ballinger is sound designer, composer and music director, and Estela Garcia is movement director. Michelle Joo designed the set, Nala Zinngrabe the costumes and Pablo Santiago the lighting.

The running time is approximately two hours and 15 minutes, including one intermission. The company recommends the play for ages 13 and up, and advises that it contains references to incest, threats of sexual violence and depictions of human trafficking.

Boston Court credits the City of Pasadena, the Pasadena Community Foundation, the David Lee Foundation, the Hitz Foundation and Play On Shakespeare with supporting the production.

The company offers $10 Community Access Tickets, facility fees included, for every live theatre performance except opening night and closing weekend, and says previews typically offer the best availability for them. At least four are held for each performance, first-come, first-served. Student tickets are $25. Rush tickets for high school students are free at the box office an hour before curtain, subject to availability, and are also withheld from opening nights and closing weekends. Groups of eight or more may arrange discounts in advance.

The run includes an ASL-interpreted performance on Friday, September 4, and six post-show discussions the company calls Illuminations, on August 30 and September 4, 6, 12, 13 and 20. Accessible seating is available in both of Boston Court’s performance spaces, assisted listening devices are free, and the restrooms are wheelchair accessible.

The Friday, August 21 performance is at Boston Court Pasadena, 70 North Mentor Avenue, Pasadena, California 91106, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are listed at $25 to $82 on the Playhouse Village Association calendar. Boston Court’s ticket policies add a $5 ticketing fee and a $2 facility fee per ticket. Parking is free in the theater’s lot behind the building, with the driveway entrance on the north side, and the lot opens two hours before curtain. Metro riders should get off at the Lake station, cross south of the freeway, go east one block to Mentor Avenue and walk south three blocks. The lobby opens an hour before curtain, and the building is cashless.

The script is still changing, according to the company. Even the running time may not hold.

NEED TO KNOW

Pericles plays at Boston Court Pasadena from Thursday, August 20 through Sunday, September 27, 2026, with the second of six preview performances on Friday, August 21, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are listed at $25 to $82 on the Playhouse Village Association calendar, with a $5 ticketing fee and a $2 facility fee added per ticket under Boston Court’s policies; $10 Community Access Tickets, facility fees included, are held for every performance except opening night and closing weekend, at least four per performance, first-come, first-served, student tickets are $25, and rush tickets for high school students are free at the box office an hour before curtain, subject to availability. The venue is Boston Court Pasadena, 70 North Mentor Avenue, Pasadena, California 91106. Parking is free in the theater’s own lot behind the building, with the driveway entrance on the north side; the lot opens two hours before curtain, street parking is available along Mentor Avenue, and a paid garage sits across the street. For more, call 626.683.6801 or visit bostoncourtpasadena.org/events/pericles.

Links

• Tickets: https://ci.ovationtix.com/112/production/1252158
• Production page: https://bostoncourtpasadena.org/events/pericles/
• Parking, access and ticket policies: https://bostoncourtpasadena.org/visit/