There will be one, fifteen-minute intermission

Cast List:

Ralph………………………..…………………..………………...………...………..Sam Corey

Lord Courtall………………………………….……….…..……………………..George Durfee

Sir Gregory………………………………..……..…….…………………………..Chase Fowler

 Plainman/Mistress…………………………..….....….……….…………………..Kara Hankard

Mark/Midge………………………………….……...…………………….…….Kelsey Harrison

Rightwit…………………………………………….………………….....Andrew Steven Knight

Leonora/Philaro…………………………………....………………….……….....Kelsey Linberg

Sir Makelove……………………………………….…....……………….…...Madison Mayberry

Mr. Zany…………………………………………….…….………………………..…..Cole Metz

Speak…………………….………….…………….……….………………..…....…..Gil Mitchell

Lady Meanwell………….…………….…………..………………..….………….....Kailey Potter

Clarabell………………………………………….………………...……….....Rosemary Richards

Procreate/Drawer………….…………………….……………….……………...Madison Rudolph

Swallow…………………………………………...……..……..……………….. Beth Somerville

Faith/Turnkey/Constable……………….………...………….…………..…………....Ariel Tatum

Sir Meanwell……………………………………...………………...….……....…Cameron Taylor

Production Roles:

Directors……………………………………...……..…....….…..Sara Hymes, Gregory Jon Phelps

Assistant Directors…………………………...………...…..…...…….....Kara Hankard, Cole Metz

Stage Managers……………………………...………...……........Kelsey Linberg, Beth Somerville

Assistant Stage Manager/Swing..………...…………………..……….……......…….....Beth Harris

Choreography………..………………….………...….………..….……………....Madison Rudolph

Combat…….………………………....…….….Andrew Steven Knight, Gil Mitchell, Kailey Potter

Costumes……………….………….………....Sam Corey, Chase Fowler, Rachel Louis, Cole Metz

Dramaturgs...……………………….….………....Macy Foss, Madison Mayberry, Cameron Taylor

Intimacy Director…………...…...……………………….....……………………..Natasia Reinhardt

Music…………………….....George Durfee, Kelsey Harrison, Kelsey Linberg, Rosemary Richard

Props/Set…………….………………………..……………..……..Rachel Louis, Madison Rudolph

Pub/Mark…….....Kara Hankard, Madison Mayberry, Kailey Potter, Madison Rudolph, Ariel Tatum

Special Thanks:

   American Shakespeare Center

Mary Baldwin University Shakespeare and Performance

Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre

Mary McDermott

Staunton Antiques Center

Dramaturgy Note

As one of the first comedies written by a woman for the purpose of independent income, The Frolicks by Elizabeth Polwhele is an early staple of women’s empowerment. Though somewhat forgotten in time, this world premiere staging brings to light a wild farce of social convention. Written at the beginning of the Restoration, The Frolicks took many of the conventions of Early Modern Drama and both challenged and reimagined them. A similar cultural reimagining occurred in the 1960 where we set our show, when the strict cultural norms of the 1950s gave way to an era of civil rights milestones and free love. Setting our show in the 1960s, we mirror those institutions that have carried on throughout the centuries and challenge them in a comedy of manners that transcends time.

Directors’ Note

At the recent Tony Awards, while accepting the award for “Best Revival of a Play” for A Soldier’s Play, director Kenny Leon said, “No dis to Shakespeare, no dis to Ibsen, to Chekhov, to Shaw; they’re all at the table. But the table’s got to be bigger.” We couldn’t agree more.

While it’s a shame that centuries of audiences have missed out on the joys of The Frolicks, its lack of production history frees us up from the weight of preconception. Our passion to work with our fellow Hedgepig Ensemble members to expand the classical canon and include more diverse voices has come to fruition here with this production, and we couldn’t be more proud of the advocacy, talent, and effort put forth by every name in this program (and so many others not mentioned) to diversify the Classics. This play highlights the many talents of our cast of collaborators, knowing that original music, unfamiliar and complex text, and the stagecraft of a Restoration comedy are elemental challenges to which students of Mary Baldwin University’s Shakespeare & Performance graduate program would be perfectly suited.

In celebration of championing an overlooked female playwright and a story with strong female characters, the team was inspired to set this particular production in the 1960’s second-wave feminist movement. While there was a tremendous amount of forward movement on equality at that time, we also realize that there were still many underserved and underrepresented voices of Black, Brown, Indigenous, and LGBTQIA communities left out during a movement that was largely defined by white, educated, middle-class women. The Frolicks certainly does not give particular agency to those underserved voices, and isn’t necessarily a story about major political upheaval or huge social justice movements. But because we know that we can’t solve every social issue in one fell swoop, we can’t expect one play to fix the world. Therefore, part of our work as artists demands starting a dialogue and advocating for more diverse stories and storytellers. The Frolicks offers one of many tiny cracks in the patriarchal foundation that invites in a bigger conversation and more room at that proverbial table. 

This is a story about love, deception, and allowing women agency over their lives. The Frolicks is not without its issues, however. It highlights a shift in the otherwise male-dominated power dynamic, but it doesn't necessarily end with accountability for wrongdoers and manipulators. One might argue that this could be Polewhele’s attempt at compromising the female-forward values promoted in her play in an effort to appease the producing powers of the time (interestingly, our dramaturgs uncovered some ultimately unsuccessful appeals by Polewhele to high-ranking men for production of this play). Regardless, we felt the responsibility to not color this premier production with our modern sensibilities; it would be a disservice to the text to try to completely adapt around the problem spots. Leaning into these tricky moments in the text only speaks to the importance of supporting underrepresented writers who didn’t/don’t have the luxury of having support through all stages of the writing process (editing, collaborating, workshopping, production, etc).

As an audience, it’s up to you to decide whether Rightwit and Clarabell deserve the happy ending that they get. Who is the hero? Has anyone learned responsibility? Or are they - like all of us - complex works in progress? We’re thrilled to have you along with us on this uncharted journey as we search for renewal, rejuvenation, and readiness to continue vital discussions about power and gender. For now, let’s play. Let’s dance. Let’s frolick.

Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre: What is #ExpandtheCanon

Expand the Canon is an annual, curated list of excellent and producible classic plays by women and underrepresented genders. Both a celebration and a call to action, Expand the Canon demands space in the classical canon for more diverse playwrights, many of whom were underproduced or utterly un-produced in their lifetimes. Elizabeth Polwhele’s The Frolicks is one of the nine plays on Hedgepig’s 2021 curated list of excellent and producible classic plays by women and underrepresented genders. By insisting that excellent plays by a diverse group of women be regarded as classics, we can redefine theatre’s values, and by staging these stories in our communities, we can shift culture.  

The Mary McDermott Visiting Artist Program

Named for Mary McDermott, who established the position with a gift in the Fall of 2017, McDermott Visiting Artists spend one semester in Staunton embedded with the faculty and students of the MBU Shakespeare & Performance graduate program.  Their work includes counseling MFA students in professional preparation, working with and on S&P shows currently in production, responding to student work during post-mortems, and teaching a practicum developed around the Visiting Artist’s particular competency. McDermott artists also take part in other faculty and student activities within the general course of the academic semester. This year, the position was offered to Sara Hymes and Gregory Jon Phelps, two multi-hyphenate actors with years of experience at the American Shakespeare Center, several other professional regional theatres, and in NYC.