This is a Classic: The Expand the Canon Theatre Podcast

This year, we released a book instead of a list! Still, our Research Team was hard at work. These episodes do a deeper dive on what it's like on the inside.

Actors Rachel Schmeling and Desirée Baxter have been strong members of Expand the Canon –– back from when they were both members of Hedgepig Ensemble. Together, they talk about the shift in brand and vision, how the mission is still connected, and what it's been like to expand their experience of Hedgepig.

If you are looking for a piercing drama about family, poverty, and access to healthcare redolent of “August: Osage County”… consider this raw, tender one-act. In Georgia Douglas Johnson’s Plumes, mother Charity grapples with whether she can afford medical treatment for her ailing daughter. Unsure if the treatment will be successful, Charity must decide whether it would be better to honor her daughter’s life by way of an extravagant funeral instead. This play is a moving exploration of grace and dignity under the obscene circumstances of poverty and inadequate access to healthcare.

If you’re looking for an elegant, subtle, and subversive blend of heart and politics… Alice Childress works her magic again with Florence. Set in a train station in the Jim Crow south, Mama waits to board to New York City, planning to bring her daughter Florence home from trying to “make it” as a stage actress. A jaded white actress awaits the same train, and though first seeming to help, it becomes clear she thinks nothing of Florence’s prospects –– and Mama has to decide if she'll support or deny her daughter's dreams. This sinuous story holds the tension of rebellion and heartbreak, painting a vivid picture of the so-called white northern ally erasure of Black joy, worth, and humanity. 

Hosted by Triza Cox and Emily Lyon.

If you’re looking for a cousin of commedia with a razz on dads… Nannuccio & His Fifteen Stepdaughters by Sister Annalena Odaldi should do the trick. This short and bittersweet farce tells the tale of Nannuccio Di Pierone, a widower down on his luck, looking to remarry using the goods and riches his deceased wife left in her will. The only problem is, she actually left everything for her fifteen daughters’ dowries, and not to the avaricious, self-aggrandizing Nannuccio. What will happen if the law gets involved? This play is a wise-cracking, smart, almost tragicomedy about greed, inheritance, and the absurdity of male ego.

If you’re looking for a satirical comedy where every character lives life in the panic lane and practices the opposite of what they preach… consider Catherine the Great’s Oh, These Times! A maid attempts to help her naive lady marry the sweet Mr. Milksop, while dodging her grandmother’s fears of lower class social climbers. From catty gossips to sheltered virgins, no one seems happy with their station –– and their schemes and complaints pile up. Preempting Chekhov’s darkly yearning comedic sense by 100 years, Oh, These Times! is a searing reflection of our modern day social anxieties and the farces we put ourselves through to soothe them.

Hosted by Triza Cox and Gagarin

If you’re looking for a one-person piece that grapples with the legacy of women writers and the artifice of gender… consider this sharp short by Wu Zao. In A Reflection in Disguise, a writer grapples with her inner idealized artistic self and the boxes society has placed her into. She poses before a portrait of herself cross-dressed as a male scholar and sings to the portrait about her frustrations as a woman of talent. Can she ever truly reconcile the two selves and win the acclaim she deserves? Through lush Chinese poetry, this monologue yields searing insight into the artifice of gender and the psyche of women in literature in the 19th Century.

If you’re looking for a play that leverages the existentialism of Beckett but ratchets up the stakes through erotic powerplay… you’ll love Maria Irene Fornés’ Tango Palace. Isidore, a genderfluid bon vivant, has trapped their lover, the earnest and noble Leopold, in a room. The space becomes the pair’s entire universe and the stage on which they dance, dissect, and detonate their desires. The dangerous co-dependence of their erotic relationship spills over as they tango, driving them towards death in this searing and sensual examination of masculinity and destructive desire. 

Hosted by Gagarin and Kalina Ko.

If you’re looking for a satirical critique of the blinding effects of media and consumerism… look no further than Dolores Prida’s Screens. In Prida’s masterful work, three telenovela stars reenact the highlights of their career while trapped in their house. As an ominous apocalypse looms outside, they continue to restage these scenes. The lines between life and art start to blur to disastrous outcomes. Blending sharp political insight with an accessible comedic edge and wrapped together in a love triangle, this play offers a powerful critique of modern identity and environmental disaster in the face of mass media’s demands.

If you’re looking for a wartime story about the choices women must make when fighting for their rights… Soldadera is the play for you. Tasked with safeguarding a stockpile of weapons, the play follows a group of women soldiers trying to protect their own sense of honor – and their lives. An expansive and yet intimate story of gendered oppression, Niggli’s claustrophobic drama traces the parallels between global conflicts and our personal lives. In our ever-tense political climate, this exploration of revolution and the ways political ideals play out at home is as relevant today as it was in 1936.

Hosted by Skye Pagon and Emily Lyon.

If you’re looking for a snappy satire of the sexist dating scene… consider this tight one-act from literary luminary Germaine de Staël. Although he’s always lived in Germany, Monsieur de la Morlière glorifies all things from France as the pinnacle of culture –– and therefore secured a noble French suitor for his daughter, Sophie. However, our clever heroine is ready with a deliciously silly scheme to reveal the pompous French Count for the fool he is. With both frothy fun and physical comedy, this short play packs a lasting punch with its sharp commentary on the hypocrisy in relationships cordial, familial, and romantic.

If you’re looking for a verse romcom with snarky sidekicks and a lover’s quarrel… look no further than Marie-Anne Barbier’s The Falcon. Federic has spent every penny on impressing Axiane – but she has remained unsure of his true affection. Their friends push and pull for them to see reason, yet fear and flirtation drive them to extremes. This quippy period piece asks, is love worth self-sacrifice? How much? And can we ever truly trust a lover’s meaning and intentions? Beatrice and Benedick but with Bridgerton vibes, this charming cat-and-mouse game of logic and love reminds its audience that personal insecurity is often our deepest romantic challenge.

Hosted by Triza Cox and Emily Lyon

*drumroll* We are now, officially, Expand the Canon – all day every day. Join some of our fabulous team to toast to this long-time-coming shift. We discuss the change, what all we do here at Expand the Canon, and what we're looking forward to for our next chapter.

Mission:

Expand the Canon champions women and gender-expansive playwrights whose works should have always been considered classics. For over a decade, our partnerships with theaters, educators, and advocates have established a legacy of storytelling with gender equity at its core. By curating a collection of excellent historic plays, we’re building a more inclusive and accurate theatrical canon.

Featuring: Alicia Carroll, Marketing Associate; Emily Lyon, Artistic Director; Maraika Lumholdt, Managing Associate; Rhiannon Ling, Social Media Coordinator; Desirée Baxter, Tia Cassmira, Kate Pitt, Natalie Kane, Research Team.

This month's two plays: The Guitarrón by Lynne Alvarez & The Girls from the Five and Ten (Les filles du 5-10-15) by Abla Farhoud

If you’re looking for the hot queer drama and dreamy magical realism of Angels in America set against the beaches of Veracruz… look no further than The Guitarrón by Lynne Alvarez. During a cataclysmic fishing drought, six members of the local village fight to find their way out. Underscored by a mysterious cellist with a mesmerizing instrument, in this play each member of the community tries to save the ones they love while navigating the transactional nature of their own relationships. A story about the drought in our souls when the cruelty of reality keeps us from the seas of our dreams, The Guitarrón would be a fabulous addition to any season.

If you’re looking for the darkly vulnerable drama of Suburbia told through the lens of two sisters… The Girls from the Five and Ten gets to the heart of what it means to be overlooked as an immigrant in a new country. Trapped in their father’s variety shop with never-ending work and rude customers, Sisters Amira and Kaokab sacrifice their personal lives in the hopes of someday selling the store and returning to Lebanon. But as their escape seems further and further away each day, the two must decide whether their dream of going home is actually worth the cost. Defiance, sisterhood, rebellion, and oppression are all at the forefront of Farhoud’s heartbreakingly tender sister story.

Hosted by Skye Pagon and Kalina Ko

This month's two shorter plays: The Inheritance by Kim Ja-Rim 김자림 and Rain of Ice by Hasegawa Shigure

If you’re looking for the character-driven naturalism of Strindberg through the lens of intersectional poverty… consider this one-act drama from the mother of Japanese realism. In her final hours, the terminally ill Tamayo wrestles with delusions of the past as well as anxieties of the present. A former sex worker, she now contends with the role transactionality has played (or not played) in her relationships, interrogating her friends’ true loyalties and fearing for her own daughter’s naivete. Through heartfelt prose and raw, naturalistic dialogue, Hasegawa Shigure digs into the grim realities facing impoverished women, telling an intersectional story of depth and intimacy.

If you’re looking for the character-driven naturalism of Strindberg through the lens of intersectional poverty… consider Rain of Ice from the mother of Japanese realism. In her final hours, the terminally ill Tamayo wrestles with delusions of the past as well as anxieties of the present. A former sex worker, she now contends with the role transactionality has played (or not played) in her relationships, interrogating her friends’ true loyalties and fearing for her own daughter’s naivete. Through heartfelt prose and raw, naturalistic dialogue, Hasegawa Shigure digs into the grim realities facing impoverished women, telling an intersectional story of depth and intimacy.

Hosted by Kalina Ko and Gagarin

This month's two shorter plays: Pleasure by Rachilde and Three Women by Sylvia Plath!

If you’re looking for a play that reveals how the pursuit of sensuality can both liberate and ensnare… then Rachilde’s Pleasure is the two-hander of your dreams. An intimate, delicate, and emotionally charged conversation between two young lovers, Pleasure offers feminist undertones with a dangerous and erotic edge. The play’s themes of sexual politics, youthful desire, and the consequences of indulgence are as timely today as they were in its origins in the Belle Époque. Fans of Sarah Kane, Sam Shepard, and Edith Wharton alike will delight in its dark twists and lush poetry, making this a standout choice for a contemporary or a classical season.

If you’re looking for an achingly lyrical play probing the complex beauty and pain of pregnancy… consider this dramatic poem that brings Sylvia Plath’s raw emotionality to the stage. Interweaving three contrasting perspectives, this piece wrestles with childbirth, loss, and motherhood as perceived by a trio of women. One welcomes a wished-for and beloved child; another comes to terms with a miscarriage; the third gives her child up for adoption following the trauma of sexual assault. The resulting chorus paints a sharp and unflinching portrait of having, or losing, a child. Three Women is a daring piece to engage a community in conversation around the choices and agency of reproductive rights arcing towards glimmers of hope and healing.

Hosted by Skye Pagon and Emily Lyon