The University Wits, the student organization of Mary Baldwin University’s MLitt/MFA program in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in Performance in Partnership With Shenandoah Shakespeare, will present Women’s Festival 2005: An Exploration of Women’s Roles in Society and Culture from Shakespeare’s Time to the Present from February 22-26. Events will include a poetry reading by Mary Baldwin University professor Sarah Kennedy, staged readings of two new plays by women, presentations of papers by Mary Baldwin students, an exhibit of images from women’s lives from the 1550s to the present, and a fashion show of the changes in women’s clothing through the ages.
The complete schedule of events is:
February 22 and 23 at 8:30 p.m.
Blackfriars Playhouse
Queen Margaret: Tiger’s Heart, Wrapped in a Woman’s Hide
Written by William Shakespeare and conflated by Mary Baldwin University MFA candidate Megan McDonough, this play focuses on one of Shakespeare’s most powerful female characters.
February 24 at 7:00 p.m.
Masonic Building, 13 W Beverly
A Poetry Reading by Sarah Kennedy
A staged reading of the new playThe Orange Tree
A story about a woman named Kit, a free spirit who struggles for security, and a man named Duncan, a strong silent type who hopes for love. by Mary Baldwin University MLitt/MFA alumna Laura Pyle
February 25 at 7:00 p.m.
Masonic Building, 13 w Beverly
A presentation of Scholarly papers
February 26 at 7:00 p.m.
Masonic Building, 13 w Beverly
A staged reading of the new playSomething Blue
A story about Ebby, her family, her loves, and her quest for forgiveness by Mary Baldwin University MLitt/MFA student Lori Larson
A Fashion Show of Women’s clothing from 1550-1950
Admission to all events is free to the public. For further information on times and locations call Lori Larson at (540) 886-3175.