Dragon Theatre to Celebrate Aphra Behn in October

This October offers an unusual theatergoing experience - see the fictionalized story of pioneering English female playwright Aphra Behn in Or, by Liz Duffy Adams at the Dragon Theatre in Redwood City, then see The Rover, one of Aphra Behn's most successful plays, at Shotgun Players in Berkeley as a part of their season of plays by women.

Or, director Vera Sloan says "I'd grown so tired of people saying that they were underproducing plays by women because they were just trying to build the best season, as though somehow you have to compromise quality to give more space to women's voices. How staggeringly untrue that is. I love Liz Duffy Adams' work and this play in particular, the way it shines a light on a lesser known story about female artists and offers multiple juicy roles for actresses, but once you even scratch the surface of the work female playwrights are doing right now, there's such an embarrassment of riches. I'm thrilled that Shotgun is showing that it's not some sort of sacrifice to feature work by women, it's a great way to build a strong, vibrant season of theatre. Isn't that what we should all want, as artists and audiences?"

Aphra Behn's first job was as a spy in Antwerp where she was to report on English exiles who were plotting to overthrow the King of England. She soon learned that spying is an incredibly expensive job. Getting reimbursed from King Charles II was neither fast nor easy and she soon went into debt. Legend says she came home to England and did a short stint in a debtor's prison, though that can't be confirmed. She then became one of the first women to earn her living by writing. She wrote some fairly modern pieces that examined such scandalous topics as gender roles, sexuality, and slavery. She achieved a large amount of acclaim and income as a writer and became friends with such luminaries as John Dryden and the notorious libertine the Earl of Rochester. Behn is now regarded as a key English playwright and a major figure in Restoration theatre. She was buried in Westminster Abbey and her grave stone reads "Here lies a Proof that Wit can never be Defence enough against Mortality."

This "playful, funny and inventive comedy" (NY Times) offers a fictional peek into the true story of Aphra Behn, Restoration Era spy and pioneering female playwright. Sprung from prison under the secret patronage of King Charles II, Aphra longs to be a giant of the London stage. When opportunity knocks in the form of an eccentric producer, Aphra has just one night to complete her masterpiece, juggle would-be lovers and ex-lovers, and avert a royal assassination before daybreak. Don't miss this "hilarious history lesson" (SFGate) about a woman centuries ahead of her time.
Or,'s director, Vera Sloan, is a theatre artist and educator who has performed in, taught, directed, designed for, and produced theatrical works at Bay Area companies of all sizes since 2002. She is the Artistic Director Emeritus of Silicon Valley Shakespeare and an alumna of the Theatre Arts program at San José State University. This is her second show with Dragon Productions.

Vera says that "there are societal restrictions around gender, sexuality, and love that modern people tend to think of as "traditional," assuming that those who reject those restrictions in 2015 are doing something new and strange. One of the many things I love about this story, Aphra's story, is that it disrupts those assumptions. It challenges us to recognize that there have always been people rejecting those rules and bucking those systems, that many people and times that we think of as being very old fashioned were actually deeply revolutionary, even by our 2015 standards. I don't think that the value of experiencing stories like that, recognizing connections between ourselves and a woman and artist like Aphra Behn, can be understated."

Featuring: Naomi Evans (Nell Gwynne/Jailer), Kathryn Han (Aphra Behn), Doll Piccotto (Maria/Lady Davenant), and Michael Wayne Rice (King Charles II/William Scot)

Designers & Production Team: Ashley Taylor Frampton (Production Manager), Josiah Frampton (Box Office Manager), Meredith Hagedorn (Executive Artistic Director), Rebecca Heine (Costume Designer), Kimberly Johnson (Stage Manager), Brittany S. Mellerson (Sound Designer), Linda Olbourne (Company Manager), Jesse Ploog (Properties Design/Assistant Stage Manger), Vera Sloan (Director), David Tousley (Scenic Designer), Kimberly Wadycki (Managing Director and Press Inquiries)