The Rover

Notes from the Director

About the Author

Aphra Behn (1640-1689) was a feminist, royalist, spy, closet Catholic, and the first Englishwoman to make her living by the pen. Known for her wit and daring, Behn titillated London society with her plays, which were among the most popular of their day. The subject matter of her work was no more bawdy than that of her contemporaries, but was much more scandalous to playgoers because women were not supposed to have sexual thoughts, let alone write them down. Even more shocking, Behn lived her words, taking many lovers throughout her life (The Rover is, in fact, an adaptation of Tomasso, a play by one of those lovers, Thomas Killigrew), living an independent life and, no matter the consequences, always speaking her mind.

The World of the Play

The Rover premiered in 1677, during the reign of Charles II, a charismatic and womanizing monarch in whom Behn was a true believer. The Restoration Era (which began when Charles was "restored" to the throne in 1660) was a period of relative calm that followed years of Civil War and decades of warfare with neighboring states, particularly the Netherlands (a fellow Protestant state), France, and Spain (Catholic states). Competition over trade routes was the usual cause of strife, and intermarriage between countries the cure, but every time an English royal was married to a Catholic foreigner, the country erupted in panic, convinced that the plague of "Popery" was about to sweep the land.

The English Civil Wars and Revolution (1642-1649) ended in the beheading of Charles II's father, Charles I, and marked the ostensible destruction of the monarchy in England in favor of a Commonwealth government (1649-1660). Not a class war but a war of ideology and, by extension, religion, the Civil Wars pitted everyone against everyone else in increasingly complicated permutations. The two sides are simplistically remembered as Cavaliers (royalists) and Roundheads (Parliamentarians, or, more specifically, Puritans, recognizable by their "round-head" haircuts). Behn paints the Puritans (as Shakespeare did before her) as small-minded religious bigots obsessed with stomping on civil rights, personal freedom, and good, old-fashioned fun. Behn's Cavaliers, on the other hand, are the preservers of cosmopolitanism, style, wit, freedom of religion, and small "c" catholicism: joyful sexuality, play as an important part of life, and the chance to be forgiven for one's sins. She gives us three such cavaliers as the heroes of The Rover.

For fighting on the side of the monarchy, the property of many cavaliers had been seized, leaving them with little choice but to make their living in other ways. Some, like Charles II himself, fled England and lived abroad. Finding themselves homeless, property-less, and forced to earn a living, the cavaliers in the play have become mercenaries while they await the chance to fight for England again. You will hear mentioned both King Charles and his nephew Prince Rupert, the great warrior general for the Cavaliers. Prince Rupert's main opposition in battle was the Earl of Essex, who was renowned almost as much for his battle strategies as for his scandalous failures with women (he was left by not one but two wives-both named Frances-for being "less than a man"). No wonder the cavaliers want to see the Essex-native Blunt, their benefactor but not a true compatriot, beaten and whipped by a woman!

The Rover is set in the Kingdom of Naples, Italy, which was at the time of the play a colony of Spain, ruled by a Vice-Roy. What place more irresistible to the displaced cavaliers? If there is no freedom and fun at home, why not visit their age-old rival, the Spaniard, and flirt with his women? Since the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 (Sancho's "quarrel with old Queen Bess"), the English had waved a banner of superiority over the Spanish, whose Golden Age was in rapid decline. No doubt The Rover's cavaliers hope to continue their conquest in small ways until they regain their own country from which to wage war properly. Restoration audiences, in turn, must have seen the cavaliers' exploits-in-exile as evidence that the great spirits of liberalism and royalism lived even through those difficult years.

Behn sets her play in a faraway land during Carnival times, when society turns upside-down and rules can be circumvented, again, giving us the comic version of the sense that royalists must have felt in their own country during the Commonwealth. Everyone is in a foreign land, and all are doing just what is not expected of them. And even when the enemy is running the world in real life, the heroes win the day on stage. The Carnival theme also expedites Behn's long-running personal agenda, since the rules of Carnival allow women to escape social roles as much as men can. In The Rover, high born women play harlots for fun while a courtesan named Angelica Bianca (White Angel) searches for love that is pure; and girls can escape the bondage of forced matrimony by aligning themselves with men who share their love of freedom or simply their love of love. Mirroring the life and loves of her adored King Charles II, Behn offers a title character who is lascivious as the day is long and compatriots who, though honorable, surely like their wine, women and song. Their partners in crime, though, the heroines of the play, are truly matches for their men. Belvile, honest and true, wins the heart of the ingenue Florinda, and both are willing to fight for their love. Hellena and Valeria, the minxes, care not if their men chase every skirt they see, for these women see the freedom in that to chase their own desires. As Callis says early on, "I see that women may do most of their own business on earth themselves, if they would but leave spinning and try."

And so, whatever we may think in 2003, having fought our own battles in a society governed by presidents lascivious and presidents puritanical, there is a true beauty and grace to this play'sŠ yes, moralŠ that people must be free to be themselves and that, as Willmore says, "a Woman's Honour is not worth guarding when she has a mind to part with it." We hope this production will help you see life through the topsy-turvy looking-glass of Carnival. Here, no one is bounded by social or gender roles, everyone is welcome to play, and all is forgiven in the end.

Bios

• Alexia Burland (Don Pedro/Lucetta)
  • is delighted to be taking part in this summer's production of The Rover with Woman's Will. This is her acting debut in the Bay Area, following her former theatrical exploits in the UK. Favorite experiences to date include appearing in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in an improvised storytelling of The Lord of the Rings, creating a fresh perspective on some of the Marquis De Sade's short stories in Sade-isms, and playing Millie in Terence Rattigan's The Browning Version. Musical roles include Sandy in Grease, Lucy in Snoopy, Poopsie in The Pajama Game, Ruby in Andy Capp, and Belle in A Christmas Carol.
• Joan Bernier (Moretta)
  • Ms. Bernier is delighted to revel with Woman's Will. She was last seen as Portia in Subterranean Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, romped with Shotgun Players, and can be seen in Want: the Movie in festivals near you.
• Kendra Chell (Hellena)
  • The Rover marks Ms. Chell's debut with Woman's Will. She is a recipient of a Dean Goodman Choice Award for her work with Bare Bones Theatre Company in Watching Porn. Other credits include Picasso at the Lapin Agile, A Lie of the Mind, Naked, The Physicists and By Jupiter. She holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from San Francisco State University and has studied with the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, American Conservatory Theatre, and The San Francisco Mime Troupe.
• Desdemona Chiang (Assistant Director)
  • is thrilled to be participating in her first Woman's Will production. Previous theater production credits include Stripped (Tilted Frame Improv, C.A.F.E.), The Tempest (A.C.T. Conservatory), Romeo and Juliet (A.C.T. Conservatory), and Hot Property (Evidence Room, Los Angeles), among others. Ms. Chiang is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley where she double majored in Integrative Biology and Dramatic Art.
• Darlene Dhillon (Stage Manager/Stephano)
  • This is Ms. Dhillon's first production with Woman's Will, and she is thrilled to be part of this brilliant cast. Her recent stage management credits include Scenic Routes with Golden Thread Productions at the EXIT Theatre and The ReOrient Festival 2002. She thanks Torange Yeghizarian, Valerie Weak, and her family: Miche, Tim, and Myrfy.
• Lianne Marie Dobbs (Florinda/Diego)
  • is thrilled to be making her Woman's Will debut. She recently performed as Helen Burns in Jane Eyre at TheatreWorks. Other credits include the premiere of The Difficulty of Crossing a Field with American Conservatory Theater and Kronos Quartet, Ragtime at TheatreWorks, You Can't Take It With You at Willows Theatre, Evita at American Musical Theatre of San Jose, Closer at Pacific Repertory Theatre, A Little Night Music at Lamplighters, The Night of the Iguana, A Christmas Carol, and The Wizard of Oz at Center Rep and several staged concerts with 42nd Street Moon. Ms. Dobbs trained at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford and holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from San Francisco State University.
• Jeanette Harrison (Valeria/Biskey)
  • is delighted to be working with Woman's Will after having played a barrio princesa eaten by a demonic banana slug two PlayFests ago. Ms. Harrison has worked at theatres in Chicago and throughout Northern California, including Playhouse West, Golden Thread, SF Shakes, Actors' Theatre of Sonoma County, Bus Barn Stage, and Court Theatre. Favorite roles include Rosalind in As You Like It, Julia in Two Gentlemen of Verona, Trillian in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Susan in The Heidi Chronicles. She is a member of story theatre and improv troupe C.A.F.E., and her next project is starting a professional actor training program and repertory theatre in San Rafael with Annie Stuart.
• Rami Margron (Willmore)
  • is a graduate of the Bennett Theatre Lab. Recent shows include Pericles (Woman's Will), under milk wood and The Canadian Play (Shotgun Players), You Can't Take It with You (The Willows Theater), Love's Fire (La Vache Enragée) and Aladdin (S.F. Shakespeare Festival). In addition to being a proud company member of Woman's Will, Ms. Margron performs improv comedy with The Original Action Pack and dance of the African Diaspora with Reconnect.
• Desiray McFall (Frederick)
  • performed in The Vagina Monologues at Laney College in Spring 2003 and most recently as a plethora of characters (Polly Garter, Mrs. Pugh, Mrs. Dai Bread Two, Drowned Sailor) in Dylan Thomas's under milk wood with the Shotgun Players. She studied at Laney College and American Conservatory Theatre, and can also be seen in several short films and training videos. She feels honored to be apart of this production of The Rover with Woman's Will.
• Erin Merritt (Director)
  • With Woman's Will, Artistic Director Erin Merritt has directed four productions (most recently 2002's critically acclaimed Pericles) and acted in three, playing Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest, Lucio in Measure for Measure and the title role in Coriolanus. A teacher, dramaturg, director and actor, Ms. Merritt has also worked in the Bay Area and beyond with such companies as Berkeley Repertory Theatre, California Shakespeare Theater, Shotgun Players, Center REPertory Company, Pacific Repertory Theatre, Willows Theatre Company, and Washington's Taproot Theatre Company and Interplayers Ensemble. Favorite past roles include The Woman in Scotland Road, Li'l Bit in How I Learned to Drive, and the title role in Sylvia.
• Amy Nielson (Costume Goddess)
  • This is Ms. Neilson's first production (of many, she hopes) with Woman's Will. Satisfying all of her theatrical cravings, she is pursuing a MFA in dance choreography and performance at Mills College. Big thank yous to Erin, the fabulous cast/crew, the Wall, and all who helped these garments be fantastic!
• Carla Pantoja (Fight Choreographer)
  • The Rover marks Ms. Pantoja's second fight choreographed show with Woman's Will. The previous was Pericles. She has studied stage combat for several years, training at RADA and The Academy of the Sword. Ms. Pantoja is a member of Woman's Will and has performed in several shows with the company, most recently as John/Ernest in The Importance of Being Earnest. A Bay Area actor, she has worked with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, TheatreWorks, BRAVA! for Women in the Arts, Teatro Visión, City Lights Theatre Company, Bus Barn Stage Company, and Northside Theatre Company. She also currently serves on the Artistic Committee for Teatro Visión.
• Bernadette Quattrone (Angelica Bianca/Masquer)
  • This is Ms. Quattrone's first production with Woman's Will. Favorite roles include Sarah in Impact Theatre's Love is the Law, and Lou in Emerald Rain Productions' Young Zombies in Love. She has also enjoyed working with Willows Theatre Company, Golden Thread Productions, Napa Valley Shakespeare, and Broken Buddha Productions.
• Emily Rosenthal (Belvile)
  • is excited to be working with Woman's Will for the first time. Last seen in C.A.F.E.'s Fear Project, her local credits include work with California Shakespeare Theater, Bare Bones Theatre, New Conservatory Theatre Center, Warehouse Repertory Theatre, Opera San Jose, and Broadway By the Bay, and she survived an 8 months as Barbara DeMarco in the San Francisco production of Shear Madness. Ms. Rosenthal is a graduate of the Dance program at San Jose State University; her dance credits include performing with Mark Dendy Dance and Theatre, N.Y. and the Limón West Dance Company. She has also completed a recently released independent film, Speaking of Murder. Big thanks to all the family.
• Teri Stockton (Blunt/An Officer)
  • is a long-time Bay Area performer and stand-up comic. Her roles have ranged from solo work based on her grandmother and male roles like Angelo in The Comedy of Errors and Elvis in Sirens of the 23rd Century to a frog in Antenna Theater's production of Pandemonium. She is happy to be working with Woman's Will.
• Alison Tassie (Sets/Props Magician)
  • has worked in various capacities in Bay Area theatre for twenty-plus years. She has designed for Women in Time, Aggro Theatre Company and the EXIT Theatre, among others. Ms. Tassie designed the site-specific set for the Woman's Will production of The Importance of Being Earnest and is delighted to be returning to the Woman's Will fold.
• Alison C. Wright (Callis/Don Antonio/Sancho)
  • is appearing for the first time in a Woman's Will production. As an actor/playwright, her solo works have appeared at The Theater Offensive, Boston, MA; Highways, Santa Monica; Center for the Arts, Tarpon Springs; Afro Solo Festival; Queer Arts Festival 2002; Venue 9; Solo Mio; Yerba Buena; Climate Theatre; and Theatre Artaud's Lollapolozza. She has also appeared at Theatre Rhinoceros (Hillbillies on the Moon and You + You + You), African American Shakespeare Company (Katerina in Taming of the Shrew), in Skin, the Black and White of It (Luna Sea at the Luther Burbank Center, Santa Rosa), and in Switch, which was featured in the 23rd International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in San Francisco.

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Press

• East Bay Express Review
• Oakland Tribune Review