- Elizabeth Rex
"Elizabeth Rex" is a play by
Timothy Findley .One of the play's central themes is challenging notions of
gender ; the primary dramatic focus is the interaction betweenElizabeth I of England , the queen often said to have ruled like a man, with Ned Lowenscroft, aShakespearean actor who specializes in playing women's roles. In one of the play's central lines, Elizabeth says to the actor, "if you will teach me how to be a woman, I will teach you how to be a man."This play takes place in two different barns on the night before the execution of the earl of Essex. There is a curfew on that night because the authorities are afraid that there will be riots.
The play premiered at the
Stratford Festival of Canada in 2000, starringDiane D'Aquila andBrent Carver . It also won the 2000 Governor General's Award for English language drama.In 2007, it received its Australian premiere from the Canberra Repertory Society [ [http://www.canberrarep.org.au] ] . In 2008, it received its French-language premiere ("Elizabeth, roi d'Angleterre") at the
Théâtre du Nouveau Monde inMontreal , translated byRené-Daniel Dubois . [ [http://www.tnm.qc.ca/saison-2007-2008/Elizabeth-roi-dAngleterre/Elizabeth-roi-dAngleterre.html] ] as well as its New York City premiere at theNicu's Spoon Theater Company , where it later moved to an Off-Broadway premiere and garnered two NY Innovative Theater Award nominations. [ [http://wwwnyitawards.com] ]References
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