SHE WOLF MARGARET OF ANJOU By Katie Bender to be Presented by UCSB'S LAUNCH PAD

The UCSB Department of Theater/Dance's new play development program, LAUNCH PAD, will present a preview production of a new play, SHE WOLF Margaret of Anjou, written by Katie Bender and directed by Artistic Director Risa Brainin. Bender brings an innovative, remarkably contemporary perspective to the historical figure of Margaret, Queen of England. Experience her journey through 1400s English monarchy at UCSB's Performing Arts Theater February 22 through March 5, 2023.

Playwright Katie Bender joins us in residence from Austin, Texas. When asked why SHE WOLF was such an important story to tell in our society today, Bender shared, "The issues Margaret was dealing with way back in the 1400s - civil unrest, extreme inequality, xenophobia, misogyny, the plague - are all part of our current national conversation. Margaret was married to Henry VI in an effort to broker a peace, only to be posthumously written off as a power-hungry 'she wolf' whose reign brought the country to war."

UCSB's LAUNCH PAD program invites playwrights to work in residence for one quarter with a team of professional designers, UCSB faculty, and student actors, to develop a fully staged preview production of their new work. Designers are working in real time as the playwright develops the play. "This play is set in the 1400s but, as with all theater, it comes to life in the theatrical now time that exists between audience and performer. The big design question we faced was how to bridge history and this present moment. Early on, costume designer Kim Sorenson shared gorgeous images of contemporary couture pieces that had touches of the gothic: a heavy wool collar, an embroidered sleeve. It was a real a-ha moment for the whole team," said Bender.

Why develop the play through UCSB's LAUNCH PAD? "I'd bring all my new plays to Risa Brainin and LAUNCH PAD," Bender explained. "LAUNCH PAD is such a unique program in the new play development ecosystem in America. SHE WOLF is a very new, very theatrical and very ambitious script. Having so many talented artists work on the play has made the script better, and my understanding of what the play can do for an audience, so much clearer."

Audiences will not want to miss the opportunity to be among the first to see this new work from Katie Bender. Join us once, twice, three times, or more as the play continues to be developed throughout the run of the show! SHE WOLF Margaret of Anjou plays from February 22 through March 5, 2023 in UCSB's Performing Arts Theater. Click HERE for more information about the play and artists.