Friedrich Schiller's Mary Stuart has been a favorite neoclassical text of mine for years, so the opportunity to work on a production was one I jumped to seize. Director Marya Mazor saw the text for its resonance with modern times: a woman in a position of power, yet robbed of any control by the men surrounding her. Too often in productions of Mary Stuart the character of Queen Elizabeth is reduced to that of the villain simply because she opposes the titular character of Mary. Mazor was sure to negotiate and validate the separate viewpoints of these diametrically-opposed female rulers, both alike in their place of paralysis at the hands of their male underlings, by creating a world of industrial, imposing structures, constantly shifting scenery, and ever-present masculine entities watching even the most private of moments.

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As dramaturg, my research was multi-focused: on the historical content, on Schiller's inspiration and invention in his original German text, and the particularities of Mike Poulton's poetic, expansive adaptation.

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Production Team:

Director: Marya Mazor

Dramaturg: Ryan Stevens

Sound Design: Yasmine El-Tayeb

Set Design: James Maloof

Light Design: Jeff Behm

Costume Design: Marisa Melideo

Choreographer: Evelina Stampa

Stage Manager: Nura Ferdowsi