Shakespeare BASH'd Puts Women in the Forefront in CYMBELINE

Fresh-off her first season at the Stratford Festival, BASH'd Co-Artistic Director Julia Nish-Lapidus helms this fantastical interpretation of Shakespeare's fairy tale of epic proportions. Using the intimacy of the barroom setting, the audience turns accomplice for the characters in this story, being asked to consider their own complicity in the murky sides of human nature.

Nish-Lapidus aims to anchor this sweeping story with the fierce heroine Innogen's deeply personal journey. BASH'd Associate Artistic Director Catherine Rainville, who's turn as Desdemona in last season's production of Othello garnered critical acclaim, takes on the challenging role, bringing out the character's power, and flawed and nuanced humanity. In true BASH'd style, the genders of several of the traditionally male characters have been altered, offering a unique and fresh take, and allowing more female voices to tell this complicated story.

The forceful female cast bringing themselves to traditionally male roles includes Stratford Festival's Déjah Dixon-Green and Melanie Leon (Dauntless City Theatre) as the hidden heirs to Cymbeline's throne, Kiana Woo (Theatre Calgary) as Philario, who unwittingly starts the portending bet that catapults the action of the play, and Bailey Green as Pisanio, Innogen's confidante, illuminating a deep female relationship at the centre of the story.

Rounding out the cast is an experienced group of actors including David Mackett (Artistic Producer of Fly on the Wall Theatre) as the title character, Jesse Nerenberg (four seasons at St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival) as Innogen's banished husband Posthumous, Emilio Vieira (Shakespeare in High Park and Stratford Festival) as the cocky and foolish villain Cloten, while his mother, the Queen (and evil stepmother to Innogen) is played by Mairi Babb (War Horse, North American tour). BASH'd regular Daniel Briere (three seasons at Stratford Festival) returns to play the manipulative soldier Iachimo and BASH'd Co-Artistic Director James Wallis returns to the stage in the dual roles of the exiled Belarius and the Roman ambassador Caius Lucius.

Cymbeline marks BASH'd's first foray into Shakespeare's later plays. This intimate staging full of magic, romance, and wickedly dramatic characters, will challenge and excite Shakespeare and non-Shakespeare audiences alike.

Showtimes:

Tuesday, February 4 - 7pm
Wednesday, February 5 - 7pm
Thursday, February 6 - 7pm
Friday, February 7 - 7pm
Saturday, February 8 - 2pm
Saturday, February 8 - 7pm
Sunday, February 9 - 2pm

Tickets:

$20 online at www.shakespearebashd.com
$25 at the door

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