Expand the Canon will feature annual list of nine works by women playwrights
Who: Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre, Ma-Yi Theater Company, the Classical Theatre of Harlem, American Players Theatre
What: Inaugural curated list of classic plays written by women
Where: Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre online
When: Tuesdays & Thursdays, September 21 – October 1, suggested donation $15, 8:00
Why: On Monday, September 21, at 8:00, in “The Matchlorette: Meet Your Classical Play Match!,” Brooklyn-based Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre, in conjunction with Ma-Yi Theater Company and the Classical Theatre of Harlem, will drop its inaugural annual curated list of nine classic and classical plays by a diverse group of women. The works, selected by an international committee of eleven women from American Shakespeare Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Texas, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and other organizations, will kick off “Do This Play: Expand the Canon Virtual Reading Series,” with several of the plays, including two new translations, being performed online Tuesday and Thursday nights through October 1. The cast features Hedgepig ensemble members Madeline Egan Addis, Desirée Baxter, Fara Faidzan, Jamal James, Kubbi, Andrew Hutcheson, Sara Hymes, Jory Murphy, Skye Pagon, Gregory Jon Phelps, Basil Rodericks, Rachel Schmeling, and Olivia Williamson, in addition to actors from partner companies. The suggested donation for this inclusive call to action, which focuses on timely, relevant works, is $15; we will add the full schedule below following the official announcement. [Ed. note: The selected plays are House of Desires by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, A Bold Stroke for a Husband by Hannah Cowley, A Bold Stroke for a Wife by Susanna Centilivre, Her Soul by Amelia P. Roselli, Rachel by Angelina W. Grimke, Restless Night in Late Spring by Fumiko Enchi, Spunk by Zora Neale Hurston, The Drag by Mae West, and Wedding Band by Alice Childress.]
Tuesday, September 22, 8:00
Bold Stroke for a Husband, by Hannah Cowley, directed by Emily Lyon, and featuring Skye Pagon, Shannon Corenthin, David Huynh, Basil Rodericks, Sara Hymes, Rachel Schmeling, Jory Murphy, Andrew Hutcheson, Gregory Jon Phelps, Marcus D. Johnson, and Madeline Addis
Sunday, September 27, 8:00
House of Desires, by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, directed by Melisa Pereyra, produced in partnership with American Players Theatre, featuring Cher Alvarez, Eduardo Xavier Curley-Carillo, Triney Sandoval, Alejandro Cordova, Sebastian Arboleda, Basil Rodericks, Jamal James, Olivia Williamson, and Desiree Baxter
Tuesday, September 29, 8:00
Restless Night in Late Spring, by Fumiko Enchi, directed by Chari Arespacochago, produced in partnership with Ma-Yi Theater Company, featuring Sasha Diamond, Shannon Tyo, Daniel K. Isaac, and Fara Faidzan
Thursday, October 1, 8:00
Spunk, by Zora Neale Hurston, directed by Bianca LaVerne Jones, produced in partnership with the Classical Theatre of Harlem