Folger Theatre and the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company's world premiere co-production of Lauren M. Gunderson's A Room in the Castle will be presented March 4鈥揂pril 6 at the Folger Shakespeare Library on Capitol Hill.
Kaja Dunn directs the reimagining of Shakespeare's Hamlet from the perspectives of the women within the troubled castle walls. The work was commissioned by Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, where it was staged earlier this year.
The cast includes Sabrina Lynne Sawyer (The Winter鈥檚 Tale) as Ophelia, Oneika Phillips (1776, Fela!, Amazing Grace) as Queen Gertrude, and Burgess Byrd (The Amen Corner, The Importance of Being Earnest) as Anna. Casting is by Daryl Eisenberg.
In the new work, Gunderson shifts the spotlight to Ophelia, Gertrude, and Anna, Ophelia鈥檚 steadfast handmaid, as they contend with the chaos and danger surrounding them in the male-dominated court. The work invites audiences to consider whether the women鈥檚 narratives must end in Shakespearean tragedy or if they may write their own story.
"In this current moment, a story about women fighting for liberation, finding autonomy, and helping the next generation thrive feels incredibly urgent and relevant,鈥� Dunn said in a statement. 鈥淲e have the unique opportunity to examine who the women in Shakespeare are, who鈥檚 been telling their stories, and how that shapes how we see ourselves. Collaborating with Lauren has allowed us to envision a world we aspire to create and actively bring it to life."
鈥淭his play dances and duels with Shakespeare's Hamlet, foregrounding the women in the play and re-imagining them with agency, vitality, and radical hearts eager for a new ending,鈥� adds Gunderson. 鈥淎 play about women defying a rotten patriarchy by ripping a hole in the fabric of their suffocating story is certainly the work I want to be doing right now. Because this play is anything but hopeless and tragic. These women of this play鈥攖he characters, the actors, and the women-led creative team鈥攁ren't holding a mirror up to nature. We're shattering the glass.鈥�
Joining Dunn on the creative team are scenic designer Samantha Reno, costume designer Nicole Jescinth Smith, lighting designer Max Doolittle, sound designer Sarah O鈥橦alloran, projections designer Robert Carlton Stimmel, dramaturg and assistant director Shana Laski, and production stage manager Hope Villanueva.
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