JUST ANNOUNCED! 2022 Expand the Canon Titles
JUST ANNOUNCED!
The 2022 Expand the Canon Selections:
Rachel by Angelina Weld Grimke
February 27, 2022
2pm & 7pm | Rodef Shalom
A Bold Stroke for A Wife by Susanna Centlivre
May 8, 2022
2pm & 7pm | Rodef Shalom
The Black Eyed by Betty Shamieh
May 29, 2022
2pm & 7pm | WQED Studios
We are delighted to announce the final three titles in our inaugural Expand the Canon Staged Reading Series: three stories that focuses on the experiences of women, told in their own words.
Angelina Weld Grimke’s Rachel, first staged in 1916, is a story centered in Black love and Black joy. This American drama focuses around Rachel, a young Black woman in the South, who wonders if it is wise to bring children into a world rife with the bigotry and racism that has touched her family and community firsthand.
We then move from tragedy to comedy with Susanna Centlivre’s 1718 political satire A Bold Stroke For A Wife, which tells the story of a military officer who wants to marry Miss Anne Lovely, but is met with a formidable obstacle – four guardians who have their own idea of an ideal husband. Our playwright pokes fun at all the stereotypes of the time, expressing her unabashed support of the Whigs, criticizing the Tories, and fearlessly sending up the business of marriage, commerce, fashion, academia and religion.
Closing out our inaugural season is Betty Shamieh’s riveting The Black Eyed. Four strong Arab women from different eras find themselves occupying an anteroom of the afterlife, hauntingly connected by violence. Written right after September 11, 2001, this political abstract piece echos with ancient choruses and modern themes. A thought-provoking and powerful experience.
We hope you join us for these exciting plays, presented free to our audiences throughout our 25th Anniversary Season.