If you’re looking for an irreverent class comedy featuring a gritty female lead… consider this romp of mistaken identities by the 18th century master of dialogue, Hannah Brand. The willful and mischievous Adelinda is set to marry the wealthy Count D’Olstain – much to her weary parents’ relief. The only problem – Adelinda is already secretly married to a lowly servant! Schemes and mistaken identities abound, lost children are returned, and some snooty parents get a rightful scolding in this comical and quippy caper about the lengths we go to for a happily ever after. 

Hosted by Emily Lyon and Kalina Ko.

Edited by Steven Baek

Scene Performed by Madeline Egan Addis and Desireé Baxter

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If you’re looking for a tragi-comedy where the lyric insight of Virginia Woolf meets the electric cruelty of Hedda Gabler… consider this post-war portrait of a woman created and creating through destruction. Claire Archer attempts to transcend the constraints of modern life through the breeding of new plants, despite a literal Tom, Dick, and Harry trying to stop her. As the blossoming of her latest creation approaches, her sanity is called into question and tensions around her unique way of life explode. A piece that is by turns devastating philosophical portraiture, droll farce, and scathing feminist cry, The Verge comes together in a pressure cooker analysis of prescribed womanhood.

Hosted by Emily Lyon and Kalina Ko.

Edited by Daniel Opkara

Monologue performed by Gwen Kelso

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If you’re looking for a plot-twist-filled farce with bold schemes to fight prejudice… consider this comedy from the elusive Irish playwright, Alicia Sheridan Le Fanu. When the eldest daughter of an upper-class English family marries an Irishman, she is cast out and the whole family is thrown into disarray. But what if that Irishman comes back to prove himself to the family… disguised as a distinguished secretary? What secrets does he uncover? Can the family ever look past their own bias and reconcile? Full of comedic mix ups and shocking plot twists, Sons of Erin shines a light on the nonsensical nature of prejudice.

Hosted by Emily Lyon and Shannon Corenthin. Scene performed by Madeline Egan Addis and Sam Ogilvie. Edited by Erica Ricketts.

For more info on the Le Fanu family, visit: https://www.lefanus-online.org/history.html

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If you’re looking for a madcap Comedy of Errors with chaotic Gen-Z wit…consider this arch, rollicking take on love and freedom from German dramatist Charlotte Von Stein. Once upon a time, Menonda was happily in a relationship – until her brother, bent on destroying all romantic love, got between her and her beloved. Now, due to a mistaken kidnapping and several misplaced identities, she finds herself held captive under the same roof as both her jilted lover and her bumbling brother. Will the lovers reunite? Will the kidnapping be avenged? Does anyone know what’s going on? A confetti of comedy’s favorite pleasures served up with a healthy dose of camp, this is the perfect piece for any theater looking to engage a younger crowd in the classics.

Hosted by Gagarin and Shannon Corenthin.

Scene performed by Nazlah Black and Danielle Cohn.

Edited by Steven Baek. Dramaturgy by James La Bella.



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This season, we have 8 partner companies diving into our 2023 list with us and producing readings. We were honored to have 4 of our New York partners represented –– Jessie Austrian from Fiasco Theater, Nicola Murphy Dubey from Irish Repertory Theatre, Lou Moreno from INTAR Theater, and Devin Brain from The Acting Company. Director of Outreach and Development Triza Cox lead the panel, digging into the state of classic theatre and why this work is important. Recorded live at Caveat NYC on January 22, 2024, this is Part 2 of 2.

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If you’re looking for a dramedy about reframing your life and learning to fall in love (with yourself) again… consider this powerful Chinese play about love, loss, and artistic identity. Taking place in West China during the Sino-Japanese War, Heaven Challenges centers around Shih Kun-Yi, a housewife who has given up her love of painting to serve her husband. When he divorces her in an attempt to climb the social ladder, Shih Kun-Yi must discover how to fall in love all over again: with herself, her art, and her friends who are just as lost as she is. If the confrontation of gender roles in Ibsen’s A Doll’s House speaks to you, dive into this striking tale.

Hosted by Kalina Ko and Shannon Corenthin

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Now that we've released our 4th list and have 36 featured plays by historic women playwrights, our curators get together to dish about our favorite plays. Recorded live at Caveat NYC on January 22, 2024, this is Part 1 of 2.

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If you always wished you could see Lady Macbeth take on Don Juan… consider this reimagining of the Don Juan myth from a celebrated Ukrainian author. Donna Anna is looking to transcend her position in society, and an ineffectual Don Juan might just be her ticket out – inciting an impassioned game of cat and mouse. Told in the Spanish Golden Age tradition, this play’s masquerade balls, moody cemeteries, and sword fights will keep an audience in joyful suspense until its surprising conclusion. With complexity, romance, and modern-sounding verse, Ukrainka examines the power struggles that still hold sway in our relationships today.

Hosted by Gagarin and Skye Pagon

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If you’re looking for an atmospheric romance where the truest love story is one with home and community… consider this heartfelt struggle between new and old. After 30 years in the Big City, Antonio Lozano returns with his adult children to his village in Mexico, focused on innovating farming practices in his rural home. The cosmopolitan meets the pastoral, conflict abounds, and the entire valley must decide whether to adapt to a modernized future or to stick with traditions steeped in history. Addressing globalization, romanticized change, and our relationship to the environment, this sensitive story asks us what it truly means to return home.

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Artistic Director Karen Ann Daniels of Folger Theatre joined us for a panel last year after we released our 2022 list. Enjoy this replay of her conversation with Artistic Director Emily Lyon on what makes a classic, what their value is today, and how to use them going forward.

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If you’re looking to blend the political intrigue of Shakespeare’s histories with the visceral drama of a Greek tragedy… consider Catherine Bernard’s tight verse play featuring a moral yet conflicted Queen trapped in a tragic love quadrangle. Caught between her heart and her sense of place, Laodamia, the Queen of Epirus, has always lived a life of self sacrifice– until she falls in love with her sister’s betrothed. Set against the backdrop of an impending revolution, this tragic love story is as much about deep sisterly bonds as it is about political intrigue. As her feelings conflict with the world’s expectations and the whole court is thrown into chaos, Laodamia must decide whether to follow her heart or her sense of duty. Tense, vibrant, and a true vehicle for a powerhouse female actor, this play will keep you in suspense until the last climactic second.

Hosted by Emily Lyon and Shannon Corenthin.

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If you’re looking for a live-wire take on fossil fuel and the American labor system… consider this incendiary drama exploring the intersection of racism, capitalism and environmentalism. Set against the backdrop of a rural coal mine, a young Black man struggles to confront his heritage when his white father arrives to survey the mine his white daughter is set to inherit. A tack-sharp look at systemic violence and ultimately a plea towards empathy, it is a perfect drama for the Miller or O’Neil slot in your season.

Hosted by Mary Candler and Shannon Corenthin

Thanks to Greg Phelps for editing this episode!

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Island Shakespeare Festival, off the coast of Seattle, has committed to produce THREE YEARS of Expand the Canon plays! ISF Artistic Director Olena Hodges chats with Hedgepig's Artistic Director Emily Lyon –– who is directing the first ISF partnership play, A Bold Stroke for a Husband –– about the 'bold' move to partner with us and produce these titles.

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If you’re looking for a farcical skewering of the aristocracy that evokes an Arrested Development for the 18th century… consider this contemporary roast of old-money values. The notable Von Ahnensoltz family deigns to allow a bourgeois gentleman to marry their noble daughter… and pay off all their debts, of course. However, their daughter isn’t sold, instead creating delicious chaos with her formerly affianced… and delicately, sort of, sticking it to the man. Dusty heraldry, fashionable hypochondria, and, of course, debt abound in this frothy class commentary that would elevate the Tartuffe or Imaginary Invalid slot of any season.

Hosted by Emily Lyon and Skye Pagon.

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If you’re looking for an ethereal folk story about the perils of love and loneliness… consider this elusively modern take on a traditional Chilean folktale. Legend has it that long ago, three lonely women lived in harmony alongside a lake – until their lives were altered forever by a mysterious stranger with whom they each fell in love. Driven to extremes by forbidden love and the gendered constraints of their world, the women struggle with their new worldviews and each other, leading this tightly wound story to its haunting climax. Aguirre’s elegiac masterpiece is grounded by its portrait of the realities of female loneliness in a patriarchal society, making it as raw and intimate as it is otherworldly.

Hosted by Skye Pagon and Mary Candler!

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Repertorio Español has a festival of Golden Age Classics –– and this summer, they're all by women! Emily and Gagarin chat with director Kathleen Capdesuner, who's directing our 2020 List play, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz's Los Empeños de Una Casa. Like most shows at Repertorio, it will be performed in Spanish –– but Kathleen shares her vision for how this show (of course!) is for everyone!

The production runs July 14, 15, 16, 22, & 23 in New York City. Tickets at https://repertorio.nyc/

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If you’re looking for the German Jane Austen’s riff on a marriage plot where the impressionable ingenue turns out to be a shrewd strategist… consider this fresh, delicate romantic comedy. Löwenberg needs his Uncle’s approval for his intended marriage to Anna, but he knows he’ll never get it from such an avowed bachelor... unless he can trick his Uncle into falling in love with his beloved himself! But the plan works a little too well. After ridiculous miscommunications, deceptions, and delightful physical interludes, Anna emerges as a self-possessed agent of her own fate and Princess Amalie ensures that her leading lady has the last laugh.

Hosted by Shannon Corenthin and Skye Pagon.

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If you’re looking for a wistful story about immigration, identity, and the American dream… then dive into the powerful yet sparse world of Wakako Yamauchi’s And the Soul Shall Dance. Set in Great Depression Era California, this play follows two Japanese immigrant families and their young daughters as they struggle to make ends meet, integrate into US society, and survive the whims of nature and each other. United by circumstance, the women find solace in each other, building bonds despite their differing impressions and traumas, and savoring the art that makes their souls dance. Intimately specific yet universally felt, this historical family drama illuminates the realities of immigration, labor struggles, and gender inequities that still resonate today.

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We initially connected with Roundabout Theatre's Refocus Project in 2021, when they used the first Expand the Canon list to create their first Refocus list! Now we have even more crossover, including both working with curator Kalina Ko.

Emily and Kalina chat with Roundabout's Literary Director Anna Morton about the origin of Refocus, how they've grown, and the necessity of programs that grow our understanding of theatre history and legacy.

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If you’re looking to gamble on love with this multi-generational comedy featuring headstrong heroines and aging Romeos… consider this raunchy Restoration Comedy about sex, marriage, and consent. The ripened, spry, and sometimes lecherous Sir Cautious Fulbank and Sir Feeble Fainwou’d used their money and status to land young wives. But both wives had young suitors they already loved… who are trying to win them back! While the old men gamble, bribe, and swindle, the young suitors assume double identities, dance with a Devil(!), and put their livelihoods on the line –– with plenty of help from their crafty ladies. Delight in this unapologetic critique of capitalism and patriarchy while asking: are our motives in love and partnership ever truly altruistic?

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Hosted by Mary Candler and Gagarin!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/this-is-a-classic-the-expand-the-canon-theatre-podcast/donations