Ladies & Fools to Present ALL THE DAUGHTERS OF VIOLA'S HOUSE Beginning This Month
Performances will be held on July 23, 30, and August 6.
Ladies & Fools will present All the Daughters of Viola's House created and directed by Natalie Kane. The production will be presented as part of the 2024 So Many Shakespeares Festival hosted by Sour Grapes Productions at The Vino Theater (274 Morgan Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211) with performances on July 23, 30, and August 6. Tickets ($10) are available for advance purchase at http://sourgrapesproductions.com/tickets. The performance will run approximately one hour.
Through monologue, scene, and tableau, All the Daughters of Viola's House explores the variety and evolution of "breeches roles" in classical theatre. Performed by a powerhouse ensemble of three, this hour-long piece weaves together text and moments from Viola's journey through Twelfth Night and other beloved Shakespearean examples, as well as fascinating variations on the trope from female+ dramatists such as The Frolicks by Elizabeth Polwhele (1671) and A Bold Stroke for a Husband by Hannah Cowley (1783). How will this fadge, indeed. Join our hosts and guides as they probe the social and gender commentary wound within this popular theatrical device and celebrate the range and power of these daring characters, iconic and lesser-known alike.
The cast will feature Tia Cassmira (she/her), Rhiannon Ling (she/her), and Piper Woods (they/she).
Natalie Kane is a New York-based director and dramaturg passionate about broadening the definition and the audience for classical theatre. Her curation of texts for this project is in part inspired by her work with Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre on their Expand the Canon initiative (www.hedgepigensemble.org/expand-the-canon).
Ladies & Fools presents classically-inspired, contemporary-minded productions which center language, bring new voices into the canon, and spark conversations with comedy. This summer Ladies & Fools will also present Fools in the Forest at The Little Shakespeare Festival (UNDER St. Marks) in August. www.nataliekanedirector.com/ladies-fools
The So Many Shakespeares Festival is Sour Grapes Productions' annual celebration of all works Shakespeare-inspired, centering a chosen play as inspiration each year. This year the festival's theme is Twelfth Night.
Sour Grapes Productions was founded in 2007, incorporated in New York in 2014, and turned into a non-profit in 2019 by two disgruntled actors who like to challenge the rules. Sour Grapes Productions is the home of SILENT BUT DEADLY: A Clown & Mime Experience (2019 - present), Chemical X: The Powerpuff Girls Improv Show (2019 - present), The Addams Parody (2021 - present), Joke & Dagger: Dungeons, Dragons, & Improv (2022 - present), and What We Improvise In The Shadows (2023 - present), and hosts the So Many Shakespeares Festival, the Down to Clown Festival, and the Sex Jokes & Murder Short Play Fest. http://sourgrapesproductions.com
