Every Inch a Queen: Reckoning with Misogyny/Reclaiming the Feminine in Shakespeare's King Lear

This paper presents a production concept for Shakespeares King Lear, to be adapted and directed by Alistair Newton as a part of the 35th Anniversary of Canadian Stages Shakespeare in High Park presentations. The production employs a conceptual framework which seeks to interrogate the misogyny inherent in the play by recasting the king as a queen, inspired by the final days of queen Elizabeth I. Shakespeares play is put into its historical context, the original source material that inspired its writing is examined, and an interrogation of Elizabethan attitudes towards gender is undertaken. This leads to the description of a directorial concept which addresses the plays problematic aspects, and employs the conceptual strategies of cross-gender casting, drag and gender play, and a queer reading of two of the central characters as a method of challenge and reinterpretation. The design for the physical production is then described in some detail.

This paper presents a production concept for Shakespeares King Lear, to be adapted and directed by Alistair Newton as a part of the 35th Anniversary of Canadian Stages Shakespeare in High Park presentations. The production employs a conceptual framework which seeks to interrogate the misogyny inherent in the play by recasting the king as a queen, inspired by the final days of queen Elizabeth I. Shakespeares play is put into its historical context, the original source material that inspired its writing is examined, and an interrogation of Elizabethan attitudes towards gender is undertaken. This leads to the description of a directorial concept which addresses the plays problematic aspects, and employs the conceptual strategies of cross-gender casting, drag and gender play, and a queer reading of two of the central characters as a method of challenge and reinterpretation. The design for the physical production is then described in some detail.