A true story from the 16th century is brought to life through the trials and tribulations of Italian prima donna Isabella Andreini and King Henri III, one of France’s first openly gay kings.
Written by internationally award-winning playwright and Douglas College Creative Writing instructor Elaine Avila, To Please the Audience is a dark comedy that explores religion, sexuality, power, revenge and love. In a revolt against royal authority, Huguenot rebels capture Isabella and her theatrical comedy group while travelling to Paris to perform for the king, who must now deal with a new chapter in a monumental religious war.
Presented by the Douglas College departments of Theatre and Stagecraft & Event Technology, To Please the Audience will have its opening night on Nov. 3 at 7:30pm in the New Westminster Campus’s Laura C. Muir Theatre.
The genesis of To Please the Audience is rooted in Avila’s own experiences as a university student.
When she initially asked her university theatre history professor about the famous Italian prima donna, she was told there wasn’t time to cover Andreini in class.
“This was a common response to anything to do with marginalized groups, including women, LGBTQ2S+ people, peasants, non-Europeans and workers. There wasn’t time for us,” said Avila. “It inspired me to become a playwright – to write the stories missing from our stages.”
Guest director Scott Malcolm, who has directed and performed in circus theatre in France, Italy, Argentina and Canada, said that while the play is set in the distant past, the themes presented are equally or more prevalent in the present day.
“Persecution for sexual preferences is still relevant in modern society,” said Malcolm. “Furthermore, the abuse of power, corruption and political manipulation are all playing out as strongly today as ever before.”
Malcolm hopes that audiences will walk away from this play with the intuition to question if the information and opinions we are presented with through the media are true and accurately represent history and reality.
“In our age of false information, manipulation and division, the need for fact-checking and validation has never been more relevant,” he said.
The cast of To Please the Audience includes Bradley Wade (Vancouver), Janis Peraworasakul (Thailand), Kyra Mantas (Richmond), Sarah Ibarra (Mexico), Logan Vonder Muhll (Cloverdale) and Gabriel Eum (South Korea).
To Please the Audience will run from Nov. 3–10. For more information about tickets, please visit douglascollege.ca/artsevents.
Douglas College is the largest degree-granting college in B.C., combining the academic foundations of a university and the employer-ready skills of a college to graduate resilient global citizens who adapt, innovate and lead in a changing world.
For more information, visit douglascollege.ca
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