Shakespeare's Sisters

MAY 15, 2022

After many venue changes, Covid policy changes, and date changes, Stanford’s GRAD REP finally happened. For my part in this project, I directed the first US production of Shakespeare’s Sisters, a play developed by Al-Harah Thearer in Beit Jala. The play was created from interviews with Palestinian women, written by Pietro Floridia, and translated by Mirna Sakhleh.

The women are struck by an idea in Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own” — if Shakespeare had a sister, how would the patriarchy have affected her life? Nesma’s dreams and ambitions propel her to create a space inspired by this imagined sister, a space to recharge, regroup and, if necessary, to revolt. This one is special to me.

Photo credit: Frank Chen

Costume Design (Cecilia Ergueta), Sound/Projection Design (Rob Bergenstock), Lighting Design (Espen Garner & Christian V. Mejia).