Henri IV: the Re-Gendered Henry IV Repertory

October 29 – November 22, 2015

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. This fall, 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.

In Part One, Queen Henri has a problem — she faces rebellion from the north, from the Countess of Northumberland and her daughter, Hotspur; and in the west the “wild and irregular” Glendower plots her own insurrection. Civil war is on the horizon, and Henri’s tenuous claim to the throne is threatened — but that’s nothing compared to her problems at home. Hallie, Henri’s eldest daughter and heir, is less interested in affairs of state than in carousing around the seedy London neighborhood of Eastcheap with her friend, Jill Falstaff. Part One culminates in an epic battle between the Henri’s forces and the rebels.

In Part Two, military drama takes a backseat to the issues of the family. As Henri nears death, she worries about Hallie’s ability to lead the nation she is leaving behind. Falstaff’s comic exploits in the Gloucester countryside lighten the mood, and the play ends on a bittersweet note as the young Hallie comes into her own as Henri V.

Besides gender-flipping the characters and performing the two plays with a cast of ten women and two men, Brave Spirits has assembled a production and design team that is 80% comprised of female artists.