Kingdom

About

The Old Globe’s 2009 production of Kingdom was the inaugural new work of its Southeastern San Diego Residency Project, directed by Ron Daniels with music by Ian Williams and book/lyrics by Aaron Jafferis. The staging embraced a raw, Shakespearean lens on power, fear, and survival within gang culture. Williams’s score aligned distinct musical idioms to emotional states—rock’s grit for anger and Latin rhythms for celebration and dance. Scenic designer Sean Fanning’s cityscape integrated authentic graffiti, realized in partnership with Writerz Blok, whose artists painted tags across the set’s rough surfaces. The modular set was engineered to transfer seamlessly from Lincoln High School Center for the Arts to The Old Globe’s Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage, reflecting the production’s community-centered approach.