When in 2012 Plyllida Lloyd was raising him “Julius Caesar” of Shakespeare at HM Prison Holloway, with an all-female troupe in male roles, the idea was hailed by some as ‘ground-breaking’; and perhaps only the feminist ‘wing’ of English theater reacted with some fervour. By the time she completed her trilogy on Shakespeare (followed by “Henry IV” and “The Tempest”), again with a female cast and again with a ‘setting’ of female penitentiaries, another five years and many more British productions had passed where classic male roles were performed by female protagonists. Phyllida Loyd had, apparently, fertilized a serious dialogue.
Of course, it wasn’t the first time that female actors attempted male Shakespearean roles; but it was the first time that it happened as a political gesture, publicly raising a crucial question: Do women have job opportunities in the theater? Little wonder that Loyd, although she already counted 30 years of experience in English cultural events, soared her reputation internationally. It is this gesture that brings her to Athens in a few days, as his guest Rolex Arts Festival.
Where are women in the theater?
In fact, Phyllida Loyd was sticking to a path she had taken early on. “I was shocked that women, in the real theater world, settled for small roles. I was thinking, God, we have to get back to work. To feel again what it’s like not to taste a thin slice of the cake, but at least half the sweet one”. The idea of the trilogy was born when the British director was discussing with one of her actresses, Harriet Walter, protagonist of the entire Shakespearean trilogy. “We were talking about what concerns most of the women in our line of work: The slim chances of working if they’re not the right age and body, accent, background, and so on.Walter recalls.
- The “Rolex Arts Festival: Celebrating 20 Years of Mentoring”, the three-day event which will be held by 26 to 28 May 2023 in many venues throughout Athens, comes to the Greek capital for the first time, together with dozens of the most talented artists from around the world.
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Source :Skai
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