Thesmophoriazusae; or, What Women Want

Written by Aristophanes, Adapted by Amanda Dawson and Richie Call, Directed by Richie Call

Synopsis

In this ancient Greek comedy, Euripides is on trial for his crimes against women in the plays he has written. When Euripides enlists his cousin to disguise himself as a woman to plead his case before the women, it doesn’t take long for the women to outsmart them and for hilarity to ensue.

Dramaturg Note

From Ancient Athens to the Modern Stage 

Charlotte Harris and Jayke Martin

Ancient Greek theatre is known as the beginning of Western theatre. Though the art form has evolved in many ways since then, the influence of Greek playwrights like Aristophanes and Euripides is felt to this day. They were just two theatre masters during the Athenian Golden Age in the 5th Century BCE. They wrote comedies and tragedies, respectively, cementing the genres in the fabric of Western theatre. Every year, Aristophanes and Euripides both participated in the Dionysia, a theatrical contest held in Athens, where they developed a strong rivalry. Aristophanes was inspired by this rivalry when writing Thesmophoriazusae, using a real-life women’s festival, the Thesmophoria, as a setting to mock Euripides and critique the way he portrayed women in his plays. Ancient Greece, especially Athens, was an extremely patriarchal society, where women were expected to marry, stay indoors, and bear children, with no opportunity to represent themselves-- onstage or otherwise. Whether Euripides’s treatment of women in his works was more severe than his male peers’ (including Aristophanes’s) is a subject as debated then as it is now. This context was considered by Richie Call and Amanda Dawson in reimagining the play. Their adaptation of Thesmophoriazusae; or, What Women Want brings Aristophanes’ ancient comedy into a modern context while maintaining the humor and theatricality of the original. Call and Dawson create space for audiences to look back at the gender roles and theatrical traditions of ancient Athens while considering how those ideas continue to shape theatre today.

The Department of Theatre Arts would like to dedicate the 26-27 season to our friend, Geno Schupp.

Event Information
  • Calendar icon
    October 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 @ 7:30pm
    October 3 @ 1:00pm
  • Calendar icon
    Approx. 1 hours and 45 minute
    total run time
    Location icon
    No intermission
  • Location icon
    PG-13
    equivalent movie rating
    Location icon
    Contains flashing lights and loud sounds

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Credits

Cast

Name

Sydney Rhine

Professor Markus

Name

Niko Barlow

Professor Damen

Name

McKade Biggs

Mnesilochus

Name

Zack Christensen

Euripides

Name

Riley Kyle Thompson

Agathon

Name

Riley Kynaston

Servant of Agathon, Chorus of Men

Name

Emily Alvey-Despain

Crieress

Name

Esther (Es) Barnes

Micca

Name

Xendria Childs Hutchings

Myrtle, Chorus of Women

Name

Grace Lynn Owen

Critylla

Name

Dakota Sanches

Cleisthenes, Fight Captain

Name

Ella Hassard

Philista, Chorus of Women

Name

Juan Mendez

El Capitan, Chorus of Men

Name

Adrean Gonzalez Vasquez

El Sargento, Chorus of Men

Name

Aleena Hiatt

Chorus of Women

Name

Joely Sudweeks

Chorus of Women, U/S Myrtle

Name

Aurelia Harrison

Chorus of Women, U/S Professor Markus

Name

Bella Jolley

Chorus of Women, U/S Critylla

Name

Aspen Campbell

Chorus of Women, U/S Crieress

Name

Dee Thimmes

Chorus of Women, U/S Philista

Name

Brianna Kelly

Chorus of Women

Name

Maria Ramirez

Chorus of Women, U/S El Capitan, El Sargento

Name

Kylie Betts

Chorus of Women

Name

Lily Parker

Chorus of Women

Name

Austin Nield

Chorus of Men

Name

Cache Despain

Chorus of Men, U/S Professor Damen

Name

Damien Kroeger

Chorus of Men, U/S Servant of Agathon

Name

Isaac Peterson

Chorus of Men, U/S Cleisthenes

Name

Grayson Jenkins

Chorus of Men

Name

Cooper Powers

U/S Mnesilochus

Name

Tristan McIntire

U/S Euripides

Name

Lucas Johnson

U/S Agathon

Name

Jay Haskell

U/S Micca

Production Staff

Name

Richie Call

Director

Name

Anna Wright

Asst. Director

Name

Stephanie R. White

Choreographer and Intimacy Director

Name

Megan Campbell

Stage Manager

Name

Dan Becerra

Asst. Stage Manager

Name

Saki Grobe

Asst. Stage Manager

Name

Charlotte Harris

Dramaturg

Name

Jayke Martin

Asst. Dramaturg

Name

Katie Ludlow

Sensory Roadmap

Name

Lily Carlson

Scenic Charge

Name

Ian Buchanan

Master Electrician

Name

Gavin Lee

Co-Asst. Master Electrician

Name

Cira Mazdai

Co-Asst. Master Electrician

Name

Cooper Innes

Projectionist

Name

Andrea DeHaan

Interim Director of Marketing

Name

Kaitlyn Millar

Art & Entertainment Marketer

Name

Dycie Jo Photography

Photographer

Designers

Name

Carter Hulet

Scenic Designer

Name

Lauren Loertscher

Costume Designer

Name

Chloe Satern

Asst. Costume Designer

Name

Vero Gould

Lighting Designer

Name

Daniel Francis

Asst. Lighting Designer

Name

Audrey Allen

Projection Designer

Name

Natalie Pulsipher

Asst. Projection Designer

Name

Ben Peterson

Sound Designer

Name

Aubrey Warner

Props Designer

Run Crew

Name

RyeLynn Blair

Light Board Op

Name

KarLyle Bowles

Wardrobe

Name

Elise Carter

Foley Operator

Name

Emma Colburn

Projection Board Op

Name

Meghan Crook

Wardrobe

Name

Raquel Leonard

Wardrobe

Name

Olivia Lilya

Deck

Name

Graydee Noyes

Sound Board Op

Name

Jordan Radford

Wardrobe Head

Name

Axar Williams

Deck

Name

Hailee Winward

Wardrobe

Theatre Department Faculty & Staff

LuAnn Baker

LuAnn Baker

Academic Program Coordinator

Vanessa Ballam

Vanessa Ballam

Head of Musical Theatre

Leslie Brott

Leslie Brott

Head of Acting

Richie Call

Richie Call

Department Head

Amy Critchfield

Amy L. Critchfield

Technical Director / Production Manager

Dr. Amanda Dawson

Amanda Dawson

Asst. Department Head / Dramaturgy Advisor

Stefan Espinosa

Stefan Espinosa

Visiting Asst. Professor of Acting

Dennis Hassan

Dennis Hassan

Professor of Scenic Design

Joseph Hawkner

Joseph Hawkner

Adjunct Professor of Acting

Brent Innes

Brent Innes

Head of Design Tech

Kelsey Koga

Kelsey Koga

Production Stage Manager

Joshua Legate

Joshua Legate

Graduate Advisor

Phillip R. Lowe

Phillip R. Lowe

Costume Advisor

Paul T. Mitri

Paul T. Mitri

Professor of Acting

Lydia Semler

Lydia Semler

Costume Shop Manager

Stephanie White

Stephanie R. White

Professional Practice Assistant Professor

Walker Zupan

Walker Zupan

Temporary Asst. Professor/ Head of BA Program