We are proud to introduce Micael Bogar! Roman Women is Micael's debut with We Players, and we are so happy to have her wit, depth, and collaborative spirit.
Here's what Micael had to say about the process:
Q: What's been the most profound aspect of working on Roman Women?
A: Feminist theatre so often goes into what's wrong with society and how women are unequal in so many ways. While this play certainly has a lens to that, this play also stands on its own two feet as a piece of bad ass theatre. The physicality, language, relationships, musicality, and space make it a damn good piece of theatre that was created by women and is performed by women. What's more feminist than that?
Q: What's been the most surprising part of the process?
A: The wind. It's so windy and cold. If you're coming, dress for the arctic. It's cold outside at the Palace of Fine Arts.
Q: Do you have a funny memory of the process?
A: There's been a lot of laughter and some tears too, throughout the process. The funniest memory was when we were exploring bird bodies in a studio space and we turned into a pack of vultures and descended onto a bathroom. We shredded this handful of paper towels. It was intense. Wasteful to the environment, but seriously intense. I guess you had to be there.
Q: Why should people attend Roman Women?
A: Getting to spend two hours (if dressed appropriately) at the Palace of Fine Arts is reason enough, its a beautiful beautiful venue. That coupled with the music in the show is even more of a plus. And then when it comes to the actual show, there's a lot to explore in terms of the power of ritual, the power of women's voices, the power of seeing and being seen. There's orgasms, there's blood, there's a birth canal. I mean...ya....
Q: What makes Roman Women relevant?
A: We've taken the text of an old well-known Shakespeare play and turned it on its head. We've shaken it and seen what's left standing. We've done this with a feminist lens and our hope is that you will never experience the roles of women in Shakespeare plays the same way again.
Don't miss Micael in Roman Women, extended by popular demand through June 3rd. Get your tickets now!
http://www.weplayers.org/roman-women-2018
Spotlight on: Emily Petrice Stone
It's our great pleasure to introduce you to Emily Petrice Stone! Roman Women is Emily's first production with us and we are so glad to have her! We caught up with Emily to ask her a few questions about the piece and its process. Here's what she had to say:
Q: What's been your favorite aspect of working on Roman Women?
A: Working in the Palace after dark, when the stars come out and the lights come on! Or rehearsing while facing out onto the lake and witnessing a swan or night heron doing its thing, grooming itself and bobbing out on the water.
Q: What's been the most surprising part of the process?
A: How much the space itself influences the development of the piece. This is the first full-length devised piece I’ve been a part of, and it’s also a site-specific piece. The Palace of Fine Arts shapes the production in fascinating and unexpected ways.
Q: Do you have a funny or amusing memory of the process?
A: All of the women in our ensemble are hilarious. They make me laugh every day. So much raunchy humor.
Q: Why should people attend Roman Women?
A: You can bask in the majesty of a landmark of San Francisco, while experiencing a unique and thoughtful piece of theater that strives to do the space justice!
Q: What makes Roman Women relevant?
A: The female experience in the last 2,000 years has changed and certainly improved, but we are still grappling with many of the same questions, the same demons, the same barriers. Roman Women follows the thread that unites women of today with women of the Roman Republic.
Don't miss Emily in Roman Women running through May 28th only! http://www.weplayers.org/roman-women-2018
Photo by Lauren Matley
Costumes by Brooke Jennings