Archive: Arts & Entertainment

Left to Right: Emily Kunkel as Aphra Behn, Austin Jones as William. Ashley Hildreth as Nell Gwynne, Photo by Rachel Philipson
The Hangar Theatre Company opens its 45th Mainstage summer season with the farce, Or, What She Will, a fast and witty play directed by Morgan Gould. This play by Liz Duffy Adams imagines Aphra Behn, the first recognized female playwright, during one raucous, racy night in the 1600s. Performances will run from June 13-22 with matinee and evening shows.

The play follows spy and female playwright Aphra Behn, played by Emily Kunkel. After escaping prison with the help of King Charles II, Aphra aspires for greatness on the London stage. With a pending opportuntiy from an eccentric producer, Aphra has only one night to complete her masterpiece, juggle lovers of both genders, avert a royal assassination, and secure her place in history- all before daybreak.

While Or, What She Will is set in the Restoration period, it plays off the echoes between the 1660s, the late 1960s, and the present. This makes for a timely, unique, and inclusive portrayal of history. One need not be a history buff in order to enjoy the story because, according to Gould, "It's actually a modern feminist farce set inside the envelope of the Restoration. Duffy's Aphra Behn is a woman trying to be a lover and a writer and a career woman and pay the bills and be socially acceptable and and...the list goes on! Her struggle, while hilarious (and slapstick!), also feels very genuine and relatable to me as a woman in 2019. How can we balance it all, while remaining true to all the things we are? As the play notes 'we all embody opposites within, or else we're frankly far too dull to live.'"

In addition to the real life historical figures, the show introduces us to a whole world of hilarious and larger than life characters, each played by the remaining two actors, Ashley Hildreth (Nell Gwynne, et al.) and Austin Jones (King Charles, et al.) The Hangar welcomes back Jones after his performance in last season's Pride and Prejudice and 2017's The Foreigner.

Behind the scenes, the set was designed by Luciana Stecconi and the period costumes were created by Suzanne Chesney, while lighting and sound are the work of Matt Richards and Josh Maywood, respectively.

Performance Schedule:
Thursday 6/13 at 7:30 p.m. Preview*
Friday 6/14 at 8 p.m. Opening Night*
Saturday 6/15 at 3 p.m. (Pay)What You Will*
Saturday 6/15 at 8 p.m. Late Night at the Hangar*
Sunday 6/16 at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday 6/18 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday Talkbalk*
Wednesday 6/19 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Thursday 6/20 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday 6/21 at 8 p.m.
Saturday 6/22 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Free prologue discussions are offered 45 minutes before each and every performance.

*Special Event Performances

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