All the world’s a stage, and all these men and women are equal players.
An outdoor production of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV” (parts one and two) will bow on June 30 with a woman in the major role of Prince Hal, son of Henry IV. One man in his time plays many parts, and the Smith Street Stage theater company has cast 13 actors into the play’s 65 parts without regard to how they fill a codpiece.
Those behind the play say they were not interested in changing the spirit of the play, just showing audiences that there is no one right way to tell a story.
“Gender wasn’t going to factor in to casting no matter what play we did,” said Joby Earle, the show’s director. “Audiences are really smart. The country as a whole is examining what the idea of gender really means. Gender is quite fluid. It means a lot of different things.”
The actor in the role of Prince Hal never imagined she would have the chance to play the part.
“I’ve worked on Hal’s monologues and scenes before, mostly just for fun or to feed my creative self,” said Hannah Sloat. “People do all sorts of things to Shakespeare. This is just another way for audiences to take it in.”
One of the play’s major themes is the troubled relationship between the king and the prince, but Sloat said that the strength of Shakespeare’s writing — and some good advice from Earle — gives her the confidence to deliver her half of the dramatic father-son dynamic.
“These characters are so rich and full that they have the ability to speak for themselves,” Sloat said. “Joby reminded me that as actors, we are constantly playing characters different than ourselves. This is just another version of that.”
“Henry IV” in Carroll Park [Smith Street between Carroll and President streets in Carroll Gardens, www.smith
