In the summer of 2017, NAU's Crooked Figure Theatre received a grant to continue work on a production of William Shakespeare's Henry V that we had workshopped the previous summer. The show was produced specifically at the La Posada Hotel in Sedona, Arizona, and moved from the inside dining hall to the hotel's courtyard, with various scenes places throughout the property.
I cast a female actor to play King Henry as a female king--one of the first times such a re-gendered casting has occurred in the play's production history. Henry's gender focused the narrative on her struggles to prove herself as a king to her followers and enemies alike. This production is one of three that form the backbone of my analysis of casting practices in American productions of Shakespeare's histories in my book project, Like a King: Casting Shakespeare's Histories for Citizens and Subjects. The workshop version of the production is also featured in my article "Like a King: Re-Gendering Henry V, under consideration at Shakespeare Bulletin.
I cast a female actor to play King Henry as a female king--one of the first times such a re-gendered casting has occurred in the play's production history. Henry's gender focused the narrative on her struggles to prove herself as a king to her followers and enemies alike. This production is one of three that form the backbone of my analysis of casting practices in American productions of Shakespeare's histories in my book project, Like a King: Casting Shakespeare's Histories for Citizens and Subjects. The workshop version of the production is also featured in my article "Like a King: Re-Gendering Henry V, under consideration at Shakespeare Bulletin.
