UNCW’s theatre department puts an all female twist on a Shakespeare play

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Shakespeare play “Measure for Measure” is known for its all-male cast of characters.

UNCW’s theatre department is putting their own twist on the 17th century play.  

“…it’s a completely all women cast of ‘Measure for Measure’ that we are playing women and men,” says Gonzalez.  

It’s all part of the department honoring the ‘Riot Grrrls’ movement, a social movement in the early 90’s which allowed women to become part of the punk rock genre, creating a space where women could express themselves.   

UNCW theatre student Bela Gonzalez, playing protagonist ‘Duke Vincentio’, says this woman dominated representation is important.   

“Playing men and presenting it to an audience is something that I think is just, it plays on gender, it plays on the patriarchy, and power and stuff like that, and so I think it’s really important as women playing these roles for people to see that we are still able to do these roles, just because it’s technically men playing them,” said Gonzalez. 

Evelyn Bircher, playing ‘Angelo’, the play’s antagonist, says that women playing these male roles, specifically in this play, should help the audience connect with these characters.   

“If you don’t leave this show angry or feeling something for these women, we didn’t do our job right, especially in the ‘Riot Grrrls’ way,” said Bircher. 

Bircher added that this all female dominated cast is also meant to send a message of representation, as well as arguing against gender roles and the patriarchy.  

“The entire show is very patriarchal and gives nothing for the women of the show, as it does in the time that it was written, so it makes sense in that time. But for this specific play, doing it ‘Riot Grrrls’, we want the audience to be angry. We want them to feel our riot; we want them to feel the feminist movement that began ‘Riot Grrrls,’ that started ‘Riot Grrrls’,” said Bircher. 

“Riot Grrrls: Measure for Measure” will open September 25th and will run until October 5th. To see more details about show times, click the link below.  

https://uncw.edu/academics/colleges/chssa/departments/theatre/productions/