Feb
10
Duchess Margaret’s Queer Convent
Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was one of the enigmatical figures of the English Restoration. Among her many published writings were two volumes of plays, which went unproduced during her lifetime but have recently received increasing attention. Most popular among these by far is The Convent of Pleasure, which dramatizes an aristocratic heiress’s quest to avoid marriage by founding a convent reserved only for women. In this workshop, we’ll explore the queer and trans resonances of Cavendish’s play and its striking parallels with contemporary political discourses on trans rights.
Image credit: Model and actor Erin Cessna
New Swan Shakespeare Center and UCI's Ye Olde Theatre Eaters welcome you to Classical Drama, Reimagined, a public series of unexpected perspectives, open to all. Over the course of four sessions, our group will revisit and reinterpret such theatrical classics as Shakespeare’s Henriad, Romeo and Juliet, dramatizations of Greek myths, and Margaret Cavendish's The Convent of Pleasure. Co-led by Center guest scholar Neah Lekan and various UCI students, our studies and conversations will guide you through new and unexpected perspectives on beloved, familiar stories.
Humanities Instructional Building 135