THE ARMS AND ARMAMENT OF STEPHEN BLOIS to be Presented by EXIT Theatre
"The Arms and Armament of Stephen of Blois" is a story of how we make peace with our imperfect past, present, and future.
Exit Theatre will present "The Arms and Armament of Stephen of Blois:
Part 2 of the Anarchy Quartet" written by Stuart Eugene Bousel, directed by Nick Trengove, and featuring Fred Pitts as Stephen of Blois.
The show will be performed live and streamed online at www.youtube.com/exittheatre and www.facebook.com/exittheatresf at 7pm (Pacific Time) May 27, 2021 as part of EXIT Theatre Presents, EXIT Theatre's online performance series hosted by Christina Augello.
Free, donation requested.
Stephen of Blois (1092-1154), having "won" the war for the crown against his cousin, the Empress Matilda (1102-1167), now rules the majority of England as King but finds the achievement progressively undercut by personal loss, compromise, and the embarrassing truth about how he missed drowning along with most of the English court in the infamous "White Ship" disaster. Preparing for his wife's funeral, Stephen reflects on his past to a young page tasked with helping him put on his ceremonial armor, never realizing his own death is a mere two years down the road.
"The Arms and Armament of Stephen of Blois" is the second monologue by Stuart Bousel in a series about the period of English history known as "The Anarchy" which followed a tragic boating accident in when most of the English nobility were killed, sparking a civil war and decades of political and social unrest. The first monologue in the series, "The Snow Walk of the Empress Matilda," featured Catherine Luedtke as Eleanor of Aquitaine, fighting a war for the crown of England against her cousin Stephen of Blois, as she reflected on her life and the struggle to reconcile the strength required for her position with her human weaknesses and insecurities.
"The Arms and Armament of Stephen of Blois" is a story of how we make peace with our imperfect past, present, and future. It gives us a man whose place in history feels more carved out for him by happenstance and the meddling of others than seized with the passion and bravery that characterized his opponent.
Playwright Stuart Bousel says "as I looked for a way into Stephen's story I realized we needed to hear what it was like to win without winning. Stephen's assumption of the throne was pretty underwhelming, made possible through compromises between himself and Matilda, rather than any kind of victorious conquest. That felt decidedly contemporary to me, anti-romantic in every way, and disturbingly similiar, I think, to how many of us Americans feel about finally flopping onto dry land after the last four years of insanity."
On May 25, the Tuesday before the live performance of "The Arms and Armament of Stephen of Blois," Stuart Bousel will be interviewed on "Hanging Out In the EXIT Cafe," hosted by Amanda Ortmayer TUESDAY MAY 25 @ 7PM streaming online on EXIT Theatre's YouTube channel and Facebook page at www.youtube.com/exittheatre/ and www.facebook.com/exittheatresf
DETAILS:
"The Arms and Armament of Stephen of Blois:
Part 2 of the Anarchy Quartet"
written by Stuart Eugene Bousel
directed by Nick Trengove
featuring Fred Pitts as Stephen of Blois
streaming live 7pm (Pacific Time) May 27, 2021
on EXIT Theatre's YouTube channel
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