WOMEN OF WILL to Open at Edinburgh's Summerhall, Presented by Soho Theatre
Siofra Dromgoole's new play, directed by Michelle Joyner, explores Shakespeare's heroines through two unlikely friends.
WOW Productions and Insouciant, in association with Soho Theatre will present Women of Will. Two strangers in a pub bond over the evolution of the women in Shakespeare's canon. Performances will run at Summerhall, 18 – 31 Aug.
Inspired by the seminal book by actress, director and founder of Shakespeare & Company Tina Packer, this new play by Siofra Dromgoole follows an aspiring drama school student Ava and an older actor Jack who meet during her pub shift. As they connect over subsequent pub visits, Shakespearean verse becomes the spark for an unlikely friendship and a shared exploration of his heroines. Jack, a recovering alcoholic, finds solace in the familiarity of the pub and discovers a new sense of purpose in debating and performing Shakespeare with Ava. With a crucial audition on the horizon, the pair bring some of his most famous and lesser-known characters to life, revealing how his writing evolved alongside his understanding of the female perspective. A celebration of the women at the heart of Shakespeare's life and work, Women of Will is a joyful and inspiring reminder that they didn't just populate his plays, they shaped his world.
The production stars actor Ella Loudon, who was directed by Tina Packer in productions of Titus Andronicus and Cymbeline, and Nigel Gore who starred in the original adaptation. Women of Will is the first play to launch The Gallery Library, the newest performance space in Summerhall.
Ella Loudon said “When I asked Siofra Dromgoole to write a new version of Tina Packer's brilliant Woman of Will, I knew that there was no better place to premiere it than in my hometown of Edinburgh. To get to do it in a unique space, with the support of the team at Summerhall, is a dream come true. Exploring Shakespeare's characters, through the prism of Siofra's characters, takes away the binaries of good and bad, tragedy and drama and the sexes. Shakespeare wrote for the masses, Women of Will is every bit as vibrant."
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