Welcome
This website is an archive of the productions and word of Mary Baldwin College's 2013-14 MFA class in Shakespeare and Performance, Rogue Shakespeare.
To learn what our graduates are up to now, visit our facebook page.
Stay tuned for information about our book of essays, Rogue Shakespeare: Scholarship and Stagecraft in an Ensemble-Based MFA Company.
To learn what our graduates are up to now, visit our facebook page.
Stay tuned for information about our book of essays, Rogue Shakespeare: Scholarship and Stagecraft in an Ensemble-Based MFA Company.
From March 30 - April 7, 2014, Rogue Shakespeare will present all five of our productions in repertory. The festival week will also include many other events designed to highlight not only our MFA Company, but the MLitt program as a whole. Additionally, we will be welcoming back and celebrating the achievements of our alumni. Listed below are the events that are open to the public. All performances are suggested donation of $10 for adults and $5 for students. The festival kicks off with the opening of Fuente Ovejuna.
THE SHOWS
Fuente Ovejuna
by Lope de Vega translated by G.J. Racz directed by Beth Burns March 30 & 31 and April 7 8:00 pm Blackfriars Playhouse, Staunton, VA Based on an actual incident from 1476, the play recounts the revolt of the people of the small town of Fuente Ovejuna against their corrupt and abusive Commander and the unexpected outcome of their actions. Treason transforms the once tranquil town in this surprisingly contemporary story. Fuente Ovejuna will be the first Spanish Golden Age play performed on Staunton's recreated Blackfriars stage. The company will use the staging conditions that Lope de Vega, writing in Spain in 1612, had in common with early modern English playwrights. These include universal lighting, audience contact, the doubling of characters, and live music. |
Macbeth
by William Shakespeare directed by Riley Steiner Shakespeare’s famous play Macbeth follows the story of a lord and soldier who receives a prophecy from three weyard sisters which tells him that he will gain titles and ultimately become king. This prophecy, and the encouragement of his wife, spur Macbeth to take matters into his own hands and kill King Duncan. One bloody act leads to another and Macbeth discovers that his actions to secure his throne only increase his enemies. The cast performs Macbeth in a sacred circle with all the actors on stage for the entire play reflecting the storytelling traditions of both Scotland and our neighbors in Appalachia. Mon. 3/31 @ 2pm: Blackfriars Playhouse |
The Insatiate Countess
by John Marston, et al. directed by Kelly Elliott In the sexual satire The Insatiate Countess, the actual text of the play defies the loyalty of authorship. This play was written and rewritten by four different authors, including John Marston, and the corruptions of the text add an extra layer of complication to an already complex play. In multiple parallel plots, the characters of The Insatiate Countess are willing to overthrow commitment and loyalty in order to follow their lusts. Isabella, the eponymous Countess, remarries immediately after her first husband’s death only to abandon matrimony for lover after lover. Two young wives, Abigail and Thais, are wooed by each other’s husbands and hatch a plot to keep their erring spouses in check. Meanwhile, the lusty Mendoza pursues the prim widow Lady Lentulus. It all adds up to a hilariously bawdy evening full of lust and trickery. Wed. 4/2 @ 8pm: theS.P.A.C.E. @ 107 Mon. 4/7 @ 2pm: Blackfriars Playhouse |
Richard II
by William Shakespeare directed by Charlene V. Smith In Richard II, Shakespeare portrays the downfall of King Richard II and the rise of Henry Bolingbroke through a lens of ambiguity. Shakespeare never makes it completely clear whether Richard abdicates or is deposed, or whether Bolingbroke is a loyal subject or a usurper. Richard II backs the audience into a corner by forcing them to swap sympathies between the falling King Richard and the rising Bolingbroke. The production explores the themes of identity and changing loyalties with a five-actor, all-female cast. Tues. 4/1 @ 2pm: Blackfriars Playhouse Sat. 4/5 @ 2pm: theS.P.A.C.E. @ 107 |
Dr. Faustus
by Christopher Marlowe After selling her soul to the Devil, Dr. Faustus spends 24 years with Mephistophilis acting as her servant until the time comes to pay up. In a rare and daring twist Rogue Shakespeare re-genders the roles of Faustus and her protégé Wagner to women in order to explore the desire for power and wealth from a woman’s point of view. This production provides excitement for patrons and actors alike creating a fresh experience that truly unfolds in front of the audience as we explore current theories of early modern improvisation practices. This production also includes the work of puppetry and masks. All puppets and masks seen in the production were created by hand by members of the company and are made of everyday materials including papier mâché, fabric, Styrofoam, and book pages. Tues. 4/1 @ 8pm: Blackfriars Playhouse Fri. 4/4 @ midnight: Blackfriars Playhouse |
Special Events
We are pleased to announce that we'll be hosting three special guests during our performance festival:
Beth Burns, from Austin, TX's Hidden Room Theater, will be in town for the opening of Fuente Ovejuna. Ms. Burns arrived at the end of February to start rehearsals as Rogue Shakespeare's guest director on this wonderful Spanish Golden Age play. (http://www.hiddenroomtheatre.com/)
G.J. Racz is visiting the S&P program to watch the opening night of Fuente Ovejuna as well as to talk with the students about translation. Dr. Racz is a translator of many Spanish Golden Age plays, including this production of Fuente. (http://www.liu.edu/Brooklyn/Academics/Faculty/Faculty/R/Gregary-Racz)
Lisa Wolpe, of Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company, will be joining the S&P program during the events of the Alumni Weekend. (http://lisawolpe.com/)
Beth Burns, from Austin, TX's Hidden Room Theater, will be in town for the opening of Fuente Ovejuna. Ms. Burns arrived at the end of February to start rehearsals as Rogue Shakespeare's guest director on this wonderful Spanish Golden Age play. (http://www.hiddenroomtheatre.com/)
G.J. Racz is visiting the S&P program to watch the opening night of Fuente Ovejuna as well as to talk with the students about translation. Dr. Racz is a translator of many Spanish Golden Age plays, including this production of Fuente. (http://www.liu.edu/Brooklyn/Academics/Faculty/Faculty/R/Gregary-Racz)
Lisa Wolpe, of Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company, will be joining the S&P program during the events of the Alumni Weekend. (http://lisawolpe.com/)
Full SCHEDULE
Friends & Family Weekend
Sunday, March 30th
Fuente Ovejuna
8:00 pm
Blackfriars Playhouse
Monday, March 31st
Macbeth
2:00 pm
Blackfriars Playhouse
Fuente Ovejuna
8:00 pm
Blackfriars Playhouse
Tuesday, April 1st
Richard II
2:00 pm
Blackfriars Playhouse
Dr. Faustus
8:00 pm
Blackfriars Playhouse
Wednesday, April 2nd
The Insatiate Countess
8:00pm
theS.P.A.C.E. @ 107 E. Beverley Street
(Reservations required)
Thursday, April 3rd
Staged Reading of The Trojan Women
8:00pm
Masonic Building, 5th Floor, Blue Room
13 W. Beverley Street
S&P Alumni Homecoming Weekend
Friday, April 4th
Dr. Faustus
Midnight
Blackfriars Playhouse
Saturday, April 5th
Or,
by Liz Duffy Adams
10:00 am
Blackfriars Playhouse
(Or, is a second-year MLitt production)
Richard II
2:00 pm
theS.P.A.C.E. @ 107 E. Beverley Street
(Reservations required)
Monday, April 7th
The Insatiate Countess
2:00 pm
Blackfriars Playhouse
Fuente Ovejuna
8:00 pm
Blackfriars Playhouse
Sunday, March 30th
Fuente Ovejuna
8:00 pm
Blackfriars Playhouse
Monday, March 31st
Macbeth
2:00 pm
Blackfriars Playhouse
Fuente Ovejuna
8:00 pm
Blackfriars Playhouse
Tuesday, April 1st
Richard II
2:00 pm
Blackfriars Playhouse
Dr. Faustus
8:00 pm
Blackfriars Playhouse
Wednesday, April 2nd
The Insatiate Countess
8:00pm
theS.P.A.C.E. @ 107 E. Beverley Street
(Reservations required)
Thursday, April 3rd
Staged Reading of The Trojan Women
8:00pm
Masonic Building, 5th Floor, Blue Room
13 W. Beverley Street
S&P Alumni Homecoming Weekend
Friday, April 4th
Dr. Faustus
Midnight
Blackfriars Playhouse
Saturday, April 5th
Or,
by Liz Duffy Adams
10:00 am
Blackfriars Playhouse
(Or, is a second-year MLitt production)
Richard II
2:00 pm
theS.P.A.C.E. @ 107 E. Beverley Street
(Reservations required)
Monday, April 7th
The Insatiate Countess
2:00 pm
Blackfriars Playhouse
Fuente Ovejuna
8:00 pm
Blackfriars Playhouse