Margaret Cavendish's "The Convent of Pleasure": A Dramatic Reading+

Kirk Davis, Jr. 2027 Annual Public Shakespeare Lecture
Co-sponsored by Illuminations: The Chancellor's Arts and Culture Initiative

Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673), Duchess of Newcastle, was a playwright, poet, philosopher, and pioneering writer of speculative fiction. In her Sociable Letters, she wrote of Shakespeare, "nay, one would think that he had been Metamorphosed from a Man to a Woman, for who could Describe Cleopatra Better than he hath done, and many other Females of his own Creating?"

In our mission to expand understanding of early drama and the literary world that Shakespeare helped build, we are thrilled to produce an enhanced dramatic reading of Cavendish's 1688 play The Convent of Pleasure. With echoes of Love's Labor's Lost and Twelfth Night, The Convent of Pleasure tells the story of a group of noblewomen, led by the exuberant Lady Happy (Mikayla Conley) and her chaperone Madame Mediator (Rachael Van Wormer), who set out to establish a women’s community. But when a Princess enters their convent, only to be revealed to have been born a Prince, that community is tested as never before. Neah Lekan's adaptation, directed by Sammie Moore, is a tragicomic reimagining of Cavendish’s original, blending Shakespeare’s time and our own to tell a poignant transfeminine story. 

Join us after our matinee on Saturday for a special panel with guest scholar Martine Van Elk (Cal State Long Beach) and the artists involved in this project. Moderated by Jamie Rawn (UCI English). 

WHEN
Friday, November 6th @ 7pm
Saturday, November 7th @ 2pm
WHERE
UC Irvine, the Little Theater at Humanities Hall 161

Register to receive parking information and directions to the venue.

Explore Margaret Cavendish's extraordinary literary production at The Digital Cavendish Project.