Dearly Begotten

Guidelines for American Shakespeare Center’s 2019 ‘Shakespeare’s New Contemporaries’ competition were to create a play ‘in conversation with’ one of the announced ASC’s upcoming season’s plays. Dearly Begotten was written to relate to Titus Andronicus.  Instead of reflecting on the gore of Titus, this play focuses on parenthood.

In Titus Andronicus, the Moor Aaron comes to Rome with the Goth captives victorious Titus parades in triumph: Queen Tamora and her three sons. Despite Tamora’s anguished pleas, Titus orders the execution of her eldest, Alarbus, in revenge for his sons killed in the war. Tamora silently vows revenge; publicly she marries the new Roman emperor Saturninus. Meantime she continues her long-standing love affair with Aaron, which near the end of the play produces a baby. Tamora orders Aaron to kill it; the dark-skinned child will prove her adultery. But he cannot.

Although he has gleefully encouraged every vengeful act imaginable against Titus and his family, Aaron loves his tiny son. He knows he’ll be put to death for his crimes, but first extracts a promise from Titus’ successor Lucius to preserve the infant’s life. In return Aaron will tell all—and in the telling actually exaggerates his evil deeds.

Shakespeare isn’t clear about whether Lucius will keep his promise. In one BBC production, there’s an infant coffin at the end; in Julie Taymor’s superb film Titus’ grandson holds the baby in the final frames as he walks into the future, offering hope for a new Rome.

Dearly Begotten takes up the question of the infant’s survival. In Webber’s version, Aaron names his son Ishmael. In this play, following the court performance of Titus Andronicus, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men present The Masque of Ishmael which ends in dancing joined courtiers and ladies as often happened after palace productions. Slightly bizarre, following such a horrific story, but the masque softens it. No further spoilers, only that the author of the masque is unexpected (though of course the masque was actually written by Jinny Webber).

As it turned out, sadly, a production of Titus Andronicus wasn’t part of that anticipated ASC season after all. ©️2020

Play version of Bedtrick

As Bedtrick was composed around conversations and conflict, with narration added later, it wasn’t difficult to make into a play. After theatrical cuttiing and shaping the play, it was submitted to 2019 Ashland New Plays Festival competition. Four hundred submissions were accepted, from which four plays would be selected for that October’s festival. Bedtrick was a semi-finalist, but alas didn’t make the final cut. ©️2020

From Eve’s Fair Hand, a staged reading in celebration of Women’s History Month.

Co-written with Terre  Ouwehand, From Eve’s Fair Hand was presented by DramaDogs of Santa Barbara. Featuring women writers in their own voices from Shakespeare’s era until before World War II, this play previewed at the Santa Barbara Public Library in March, 2017, followed by a benefit performance for Domestic Violence Solutions at the Santa Barbara Unitarian Society in May and the Carpenteria AAUW in September 24, 2017.

Qualities of Mercy

Play was presented by DramaDogs as part of the Santa Barbara Reads focus on Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, Spring, 2015. Qualities of Mercy brings Bryan Stevenson’s study of incarceration of African American males to life theatrically with an emphasis on the grandmothers, who feature large in the book. Musical accompaniment created and performed by Josh Jenkins. Presented at the Santa Barbara and Solvang Public Libraries with the permission and encouragement from Bryan Stevenson.

Tales of Woo and Woe, A Journey of the Heart

DramaDogs’ Valentine’s celebration in February, 2014., Tales of Woo and Woe  premiered at Center Stage Theater, Santa Barbara, and subsequently was performed at the Santa Barbara Public Library. This compilation of quotations and short scenes from Shakespeare’s plays and poems is divided into five sections: love at first sight, the folly of wooing, vows of love, torment and pain, and love endures. The play was created for six actors, three female and three male, with music created and performed by one of the actors, Josh Jenkins.

Queen Undaunted: Margaret of Anjou

This one-woman show was performed by E. Bonnie Lewis and directed by Ken Gilbert, co-artistic directors of DramaDogs in 2011 and 2012 at Center Stage Theater, Santa Barbara. Queen Undaunted tells the story of Margaret, a minor French princess, who married King Henry VI of England. Sources for her story: the three parts of Shakespeare’s Henry VI and Richard III, where she’s the old cursing and prophesying former queen of England.

Short Stories

Most recently,  “Becoming a Priestess of Aphrodite: the Metamorphosis of Teiresias” was published in Blood and Roses, a Devotional to Aphrodite and Venus, July, 2017, Bibiliotecha Alexandrina.

In May, 2017, “Serendipity in the Stacks”  appeared in Library Book: Writers on Libraries, edited by Steven Gilbar, a celebration of the Santa Barbara Public Library’s 100th anniversary. Available in Santa Barbara bookstores and at https://www.amazon.com/Library-Book-Libraries-Steven-Gilbar/dp/0996601503

“Portia and the Three Caskets” came out in the online and print magazine, Splickety Spark: Literary Change of Heart, for Valentines’ month, February, 2017. Available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Magazine-February-Literary-Reimaginings-ebook/dp/B06VX9FB66

Greek Myths Revisited, Wicked East Press, 2011 included  “Jocasta Speaks”, the Oedipus story from the perspective of his mother, who, unknowing, later married him. https://www.amazon.com/Greek-Myths-Revisited-Isabelle-Rose

Illustration: “Offering to Venus,” John Williams Godward, the cover image for Blood and Roses.