麻豆影院

The classic romantic comedy gets a feminist makeover with director Lisa Wolpe

CU 麻豆影院鈥檚 2016-17 theatre season continues with a highly anticipated all-female production of Shakespeare鈥檚 鈥淭welfth Night.鈥� Directed by renowned Los Angeles actor, director, teacher and producer Lisa Wolpe, the production runs Nov. 4-13 in the University Theatre.

A story of mistaken identities and love at first sight, 鈥淭welfth Night鈥� is the original romantic comedy. In the kingdom of Illyria, a shipwrecked Viola dresses in men鈥檚 clothing to find work and turns the court of Duke Orsino upside down. Chock full of poetic soliloquies and hilarious farce, it鈥檚 William Shakespeare at his finest and funniest.

鈥淭o run this exquisite writing through the minds and hearts of eighteen strong and curious young women will no doubt offer some rare and rich rewards,鈥� Wolpe says. 鈥淚 think the gender flip will provide an opportunity for another level of wit and wordplay. It can offer both a hilarious and intelligent examination of class and gender expectations and stereotypes.鈥�

For four centuries, Shakespeare鈥檚 world hasn鈥檛 welcomed women warmly. In the Bard鈥檚 time, women didn鈥檛 perform on stage; instead, men donned makeup and dresses to perform the few female roles in each play. But even as that changed, many women grew frustrated to find that few of Shakespeare鈥檚 female characters, including title roles, were as meaty and complex as the male counterparts.

鈥淚 think women have become rather strong in the theatre scene, and they鈥檙e looking for more of a story to play,鈥� says Wolpe. 鈥淧laying a larger Shakespearean role is certainly in the capacity of any woman I know.鈥�

And if anyone can say that for certain, it鈥檚 Wolpe. She founded the Los Angeles Women鈥檚 Shakespeare Company more than 20 years ago, and her passion for giving women the spotlight on stage has sparked trends in New York, in London and all over the world.

Wolpe says there鈥檚 never been a better time to experiment with gender bending or to explore the complexities of personhood and identity on stage.

鈥淧eople have become very passionate about individuality and about being vocal and strong as a woman, which society has shunned in the past,鈥� Wolpe says. 鈥淭hose are great themes to explore in a play where everything鈥檚 topsy-turvy, where the king is a fool and the fool is a king.鈥�

While 鈥淭welfth Night鈥� is chock full of complex themes, it鈥檚 as comedic as it is cerebral. At its heart, the play is a hilarious romp bursting at the seams with both swordplay and wordplay.

鈥溾�楾welfth Night鈥� is a brilliant comedy with imaginative, exaggerated characters鈥攃lowns, pirates, drunkards, lovers and fools,鈥� Wolpe says. 鈥淲e have a terrific cast of fascinating actresses and a really talented design team. I have no doubt that we will come up with something surprising and new.鈥�

Performances
Friday, Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 6, 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 10, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 13, 2 p.m.

All events take place in the University Theatre.

Tickets for 鈥淭welfth Night鈥� start at $20. To purchase tickets, visit the CU Presents box office in person (972 Broadway), call 303-492-8008 during business hours or visit us online anytime. Note: All online and phone orders are subject to a service fee. To schedule interviews or for other media information, contact Jill Kimball at jill.kimball@colorado.edu.

Coming up later this season is the Second Annual New Play Festival, featuring readings of brand new works; the premiere of 鈥淯nspoken,鈥� which follows a group of young friends living in New York City; and 鈥淭he Rocky Horror Show,鈥� a classic, outrageous musical full of campy fun, characters from grade B horror flicks, 1960s beach party jams听and vintage rock 鈥榥鈥� roll.

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