The Woman Who Would Be King

3.54 (13)

The Woman Who Would Be King

6 performances between April 20, 2016 and May 1, 2016
One woman show
Written & Performed By Esosa E • Dramaturgy by Magda Romanska • Direction by Wynne Bredenkamp
65mins

Before Cleopatra, Nefertiti, or Joan of Arc...there was Hatshepsut, The Woman Who Would Be King.

This fictional one woman play written and performed by Esosa E., is inspired by the life of Hatshepsut, the first female pharaoh and her journey to the throne. Hatshepsut was the fifth pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt, and is generally regarded by Egyptologists as one of the most successful pharaohs, reigning longer than any other woman of an Egyptian dynasty. Known for establishing prosperous trade routes, and launching elaborate building projects, toward the end of the reign of her successor Thutmose III, an attempt was made to remove Hatshepsut from pharaonic records. Her images were literally chiseled off many stone walls, leaving very obvious gaps in the artwork. According to Egyptologists she is known as one of the first great women in history.

DRAMATURG
Magda Romanska is Associate Professor of Dramaturgy and Theatre Studies at Emerson College, and a Research Associate at Harvard University's Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies and Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies. She has also been Visiting Associate Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures and Visiting Associate Professor of Dramatic Arts at Harvard University. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University’s program in Modern Thought and Literature, she earned her Ph.D. from Cornell University’s Department of Theater, Film, and Dance in 2006. While she was a graduate student, she was a special student at Yale School of Drama and visiting scholar in the Department of Comparative Literature at Yale University.

A wide-ranging and prolific scholar and practitioner, she recently wrote an important new study of great Polish directors, The Post-traumatic Theatre of Grotowski and Kantor (2012); authored a play, Opheliamachine (2013), which had its premiere in Los Angeles; and was sole editor of The Routledge Companion to Dramaturgy (2014), the most comprehensive anthology ever of its kind. Her two co-edited anthologies, Reader in Comedy: An Anthology of Theory and Criticism and The Theatre of Tadeusz Kantor are forthcoming in 2016.

Romanska served as the dramaturg for the Boston Lyric Opera, Yale Rep, and SITI Company. In addition, she is the co-founder and co-Executive Director of the Theatre Times website (launching this summer at www.thetheatretimes.com), which will include 45 global editors and will connect an international community to facilitate transcontinental collaborative models. In addition to serving as Esosa’s dramaturg she is also developing her own multimedia opera, The Life and Times of Stephen Hawking.

COMPOSER

Tarus Mateen’s creative genius and mastery of acoustic bass, electric bass, rhythm guitar, and piano make him one of the most sought-after musician/producers in hip-hop, house, blues, rock, reggae, soul, and straight ahead jazz. He is quite possibly the only musician to receive critical acclaim in all these musical genres at once. Since 1996, there has not been a Top 10 jazz album that didn’t feature Tarus Mateen. This is a phenomenal feat for any artist, certainly for one of only 48 years in age.

Tommy Hilfiger. Monica. Betty Carter. Common. Terence Blanchard. Outkast. Goodie Mob. Korn. Bernard Purdie. The Roots. Sly and Robbie. Jason Moran. Speech. Ice Cube. Milt Jackson. George Benson. Joe Clausell. Marc Cary. Sean “Puffy” Combs. Christina Aguilera. All superstars in their own right, each member of this group sought the light of Tarus Mateen so that they could shine their brightest.

Known in the jazz world as a genius on bass, his first instrument was actually the piano. A consummate artist, Tarus isn’t afraid to explore any musical genre. His repertoire says it all. Two of hip hop’s shining southern stars, groups Outkast and Goodie Mob, can credit their critical acclaim, and platinum commercial success with Tarus’s contributions to their albums. He is consistently requested for performances and studio sessions with R&B and hip hop artists including Q-Tip, Lauryn Hill, Ghostface, Ice Cube, and The Roots. Tarus was the bassist of choice for Lauryn Hill in 2002 to jumpstart her studio performances. Tarus has also made his mark on film with trumpeter/composer Terence Blanchard on the scores for Sugar Hill, and for the Spike Lee film Malcolm X, as well as the Grammy nominated Malcolm X Jazz Suite. Playing as part of a new generation of jazz crusaders, with award winning artists such as Jason Moran, Nasheet Waits, Marc Cary and Roy Hargrove, Tarus is the world’s best bassist. Find out more about him on tarusmateen.com.

DIRECTOR

Wynne Bredenkamp is a theatre maker, casting director and actress who graduated from the University of Cape Town with distinction in a BA in Theatre Making and Performance. In her final year of study, she was a co-winner for the Most Promising Student Writer award, as part of UCT’s performance of Behind Every Yawn is a Silent Shout in the National Arts Festival student programme. Writing, directing and producing her own work, she attended the NAF professionally the next year and won a Standard Bank Ovation Award for her first production, Salt, as well as a PANSA New Writing Award. This year, Wynne is set to be part of the Theatre Arts Admin Collective Emerging Director Bursary and will assistant direct under Greg Karvellas Clyborn Park, set to run at the Fugard Theatre. In addition to being casting director at The Casting Studio and Traffik Studio, Wynne tutors the Live Performance classes at AFDA, Cape Town, and has directed year-end work such as Reza De Wet's Good Heavens and the Oresteia, Agamemnon.

WRITER/ACTRESS

Esosa E. is an award winning producer, writer, actress, health expert, and fashion designer who was named a “Young African Visionary” by Obaseema Magazine and included in Applause Africa's list of “30 Most Intriguing Africans in NY." Currently she plays the role of Ngozi on the hit international TV and web series An African City, which has been featured on the BBC, NPR, CNN, Vogue, EBONY, ELLE Magazine (France, South Africa, & Sweden), Glamour Magazine (France), International Business Times, Madame Noire, Forbes Africa and more. She is currently attached to star in a number of different film and television projects with acclaimed filmmakers worldwide including Rise of the Orisha, a superhero movie inspired by African mythology. Esosa is a graduate of Cornell University where she earned a B.S. in Textiles & Apparel Design and studied Directing, Producing, and Marketing Management at Columbia University. For more information visit: www.esosae.com.

Recent Press: ELLE Magazine South Africa http://www.elle.co.za/meet-an-african-citys-esosa-e/

Audience Responses

Excellent use of props and character definition by this amazing artist. I was greatly impressed with her ability to depict the various characters by use of posture, head positioning and her scarf. What stood out to me the most was that she made the message of the piece so relevant by mentioning at the end how it relates to modern day women. An excellently portrayed historical piece, it was stimulating, thought-provoking and (that most effective message-conveyer) humorous. I hope to see more pieces /shows given by this particular artist, as well as other such historical and interesting, yet relevant drama pieces.

Cindy-Joy • Attended April 29, 2016, 7 p.m.

5.0

Loved the show! Esosa E was amazing and compelling. A little problem with the lighting in the beginning with the side light from the desk person (near the theatre entrance) shining in everyone's eyes - a bit distracting so many of us sitting on that side missed the opening lines. Food also took a bit long coming out before the show- we were there just after six and didn't get our cheese/ charcuterie board until just before the show started! Love the ambiance at Alexander Bar- the staff are very nice, although might brush up a bit on the cocktail menu... We will definitely be back!

Laurie • Attended April 30, 2016, 7 p.m.

4.0

Not bad. Too many characters and not enough variations in their voices so it made it a little difficult to follow them. Maybe better usage of props might have helped. But it was an interestingly told story of one of my favorite sheros.

Yaa • Attended April 30, 2016, 7 p.m.

3.0

The truth is that my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the very talented Esosa e (?) Reading the blurb and watching the performance, she is obviously one very talented lady. It was a great shame there were only 10 of us in the audience to appreciate her performance.

Stephen • Attended April 26, 2016, 7 p.m.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. What an excellent performance by Esosa E and a splendid story. Thank you

Nonikiwe • Attended April 30, 2016, 7 p.m.

4.0

Dreadful!

Alison • Attended April 30, 2016, 7 p.m.

1.0

A well written play, good flow,awesome use of the props as few as they were. Enjoyed the journey we were taken through especially since it was a one man show and roles played. It's a very layered story .Excellent , if a lot more people knew about it they would thoroughly enjoy. I would rate it 5 a lot of work went into it.

Nqabisa • Attended April 30, 2016, 7 p.m.

1.0

It was a wonderful production. The costume was well executed. The prompts were just enough.

Noélle • Attended April 29, 2016, 7 p.m.

4.0

An absolutely fabulous show-can't wait for the next one

maureen • Attended April 30, 2016, 7 p.m.

5.0

I thought the show was great! Fabulous the way Esosa changed identity with the use of her shawl and her stance. Will recommend to the members of the Egyptian society at our meeting tonight. Only downer was that we found it very warm in the theatre.

Wendy • Attended April 25, 2016, 7 p.m.

4.0

Not bad. Too many characters and not enough variations in their voices so it made it a little difficult to follow them. Maybe better usage of props might have helped. But it was an interestingly told story of one of my favorite sheros.

Yaa • Attended April 30, 2016, 7 p.m.

3.0