Feminist Dramaturgy in Practice: Lazarus Theatre Company’s Staging of Elizabeth Cary’s 'The Tragedy of Mariam'

Elizabeth Schafer, Sara Reimers

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

Abstract
In 2013 Lazarus Theatre Company staged the first professional production of Elizabeth Cary’s 400-year-old play The Tragedy of Mariam. Cary’s play – the first original play in English to be published by a woman under her own name – has been neglected in performance and the Lazarus production represents an important intervention in Mariam’s limited performance history. This chapter explores the significance of the production’s fringe context and examines the unique gender politics of this specific context. Taking Lazarus’s Mariam as a case study, we focus on how editing, casting, staging and ensemble work combine to constitute what we term feminist dramaturgy and suggest that such an approach can contribute to innovative and imaginative productions of classical drama that put women centre stage.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Palgrave Handbook of the History of Women on Stage
EditorsJan Sewell, Clare Smout
Place of PublicationHoundmills
PublisherPalgrave Macmillan
Pages655-77
Number of pages22
ISBN (Print)978-3-030-23828-5
Publication statusPublished - 20 May 2020

Keywords

  • "Elizabeth Cary"
  • "The Tragedy of Mariam, Fair Queen of Jewry"
  • "Lazarus Theatre Company"
  • dramaturgy

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