Summer 2015
Capital Fringe Festival
THE BLOODY BANQUET
by Thomas Dekker and Thomas Middleton
This gory tragedy was extremely popular in the early 1600s, remaining in the professional repertoire for three decades. After 1642, however, the play disappeared from cultural consciousness and remained unperformed for over three hundred years. We believe Brave Spirits will be the first professional theatre company to produce this play in the modern era. The play tells the story of a tyrant, Armatrites, who catches his wife committing adultery. He murders her lover, has his quartered body strung up, and tells his wife that her lover’s body shall be her only food. The plot is ripe with horrific elements: usurpation, revenge, and cannibalism. BST’s Artistic Director Charlene V. Smith partners with blood and violence expert Casey Kaleba to co-direct this play.
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Fall 2015
HENRY IV, parts 1 and 2, in repertory
by William Shakespeare
In William Shakespeare’s Henry IV, parts 1 & 2, three central themes exist: family, warfare and honor. In traditional productions, audiences are typically encouraged to explore these themes through three central figures: King Henry, Prince Hal and Sir John Falstaff. Next season, Brave Spirits will challenge audiences to explore these themes through an almost complete re-gendering of the two plays. This intimate production will leave audience members second guessing their preconceived notions of gender roles in modern society, holding light to this quote by Albert Camus: “We used to wonder where war lived, what it was that made it so vile. And now we realize that we know where it lives … inside ourselves.” Brave Spirits is thrilled to welcome Kevin Finkelstein as the guest director of Henry IV.
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Spring 2016
THE MAID’S TRAGEDY
by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher
To celebrate Brave Spirits’ fifth year of production, co-founders Victoria Reinsel and Charlene V. Smith return to the stage together in this sexy Jacobean revenge tragedy as two women determined to get what they want in a world ruled by the whims of men. Aspatia (Reinsel) is in love with the young gentlemen Amintor. He breaks their betrothal when the King bids him instead to marry Evadne (Smith). Eager to take his new bride to bed, Amintor is shocked when he learns that Evadne will not have sex with him because she is mistress to the King. Amintor joins up with Evadne’s brother to plot revenge and the fatalities soon start piling up. Directed by Angela Pirko.
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Season auditions will be scheduled most likely in April 2015. To receive information, sign up here: