Program

From Murisa Harba

What if the women of Shakespeare had been given a different choice?

Leaving Shakespeare invites us to reimagine some of literature’s most iconic female characters—not as victims of fate, but as women capable of rewriting their stories. While Shakespeare’s works have endured for centuries, the struggles faced by Cleopatra, Desdemona, Emilia, Bianca, and Lady Macbeth remain strikingly familiar. They navigate toxic relationships, societal expectations, power imbalances, isolation, and the pressure to sacrifice themselves for the desires of others. Their circumstances may be centuries old, but their challenges are not.

This production asks what might have happened if these women had found the support, courage, and resources to choose differently. What if Cleopatra had claimed the partnership she deserved instead of accepting the role assigned to her? What if Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca had a community of women helping them recognize and navigate manipulation and abuse? What if Lady Macbeth had received the care and healing her body and mind so desperately needed? What if these women were empowered to rise beyond the narratives written for them?

Michelle & I co-directed this production as an immersive experience that dissolves the traditional boundary between performer and audience. Rather than simply observing these women break free, audiences become part of the journey. They are invited into the world, the choices, and ultimately the transformation itself.

At its heart, Leaving Shakespeare is both a celebration and a rebellion. It honors the timeless brilliance of Shakespeare while daring to imagine new possibilities for the women he created. Our hope is that audiences leave not only entertained by a powerful theatrical experience, but inspired to examine the stories they have inherited, the roles they have been assigned, and the places in their own lives where they, too, have the power to choose differently.

By Michelle Merring

Almost 7 months ago I received a copy of Leaving Shakespeare from my friend Burt. His wonderful friend Dana had written a series of monologues about the women of Shakespeare’s time, and he asked me to read it.

If you know Shakespeare, you know that he misaligns women. He calls them names like hags, He doesn’t give them a say in their future, sends them off to a nunnery,  beats them, makes them into whores, and sometimes kills them. 

Shakespeare doesn’t seem to like women very much.

And it seems to me that the Shakespeares of today are doing the same.  For people who identify as women, many of us feel our voices are muted,  our worth devalued, our safety and body autonomy threatened.  We  may feel isolated, alone in a world where men, time and time again, get paid more, are believed more, and continue to put us behind.

Yet what I saw in Dana’s works gave these women a chance to breathe and grow and take back their power. Her words really sparked and inspired me, and when Burt said that Dana wanted to make it into a play, I was excited to see it be heard.

And here we are, seven months later, in our very own home, About The Work Studio. Our use of this non-traditional space invites you, the audience, to be a part of the story. The characters walk around and through you. We invite you to clap and laugh and talk and be a part of the story in an active way.

My hope is that you take away how valuable a community can be. How, when we stand up and support each other, we can amplify our voices. I hope you can learn that you don’t need to look outside to see your value but to look within. I hope you feel the sense of strength in the power of the collective of women and how we can uplift, protect, give value and make sure that we are making a better world for each other.

I have so much gratitude for these wonderful actors, who gave me their time and talent to create this world. Thank you, my dearest friends. And for Murisa, Burt, Kevin you are my heroes and are a blessing in my life. Dana thank you for your words, your graciousness, your willingness to let us play in your words. Jason and Jazz, thank you for always saying yes, always having my back and holding me up. Love to you all.