A Badass Playwright and Two Badass Actors Tell It Like It Is

<p>Today I am joined by two amazing women: Margaret Upchurch and Naomi Love as they prepare for their upcoming performance of Aphra Behn’s <em>The Rover</em>. What’s it like to be the first professional female playwright? To have to make up a husband in order to have some kind of social standing? To kill off said fictional husband in the plague? Meet Aphra Behn. There are many mights and maybes surrounding the mythical Behn but the certainty is that, as Virginia Wolf said, “All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn, which is, most scandalously but rather appropriately, in Westminster Abbey, for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds.” And while I do suggest that pilgrimage, for those who would like to stay closer to home, there is no better way to pay your respects than to go support her work and the work of other women. What’s it like to be a woman in the theater industry? To face a shortage of substantive roles? To be cast not only on your performative abilities but your body type, your hair style, your height? Does this happen to men too? Of course, but today, as Aphra Behn dictates and I second, it is about the women. We talk about finding opportunity or, as Aphra Behn did, creating their own. We discuss the politics imbedded in academic institutions and the hard lessons these women have learned along their journey. We talk about taking on roles where that push them out of their typical roles and comfort zones. </p><p>Support Aphra Behn’s work - ESPECIALLY if you have never heard of her - and support these two amazing women as they grace the OSP stage as the leading ladies, Hellena, the anti-nun, and Florinda, who none of us can believe doesn’t want to become a nun by the end of the play. <strong>OSP is hosting a performed reading of Aphra Behn’s The Rover with a limited showing April 10th-12th. </strong>It’s an intimate, indoor theater so get your tickets soon!</p><p>The arts are under attack, and buying tickets and books is a great way to show your support and fight back. </p><p>Buy Tickets for OSP’s: <a href="https://www.okshakes.org/play-reading-series" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">The Rover</a></p><p>PLEASE SUBSCRIBE! <a href="http://www.theshakespeareanshrew.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠www.theshakespeareanshrew.com⁠</a> </p><p>https://www.youtube.com/@ShakespeareanShrew </p><p>Please follow us on Instagram: @theshakespeareanshrew</p><p>TikTok: @theshakespe