The 4th Expand The Canon List Drops In A Live Podcast Event At Caveat In Manhattan

The current cultural climate demands proactive efforts towards equity for women and non-binary folks in theatre, and Hedgepig Ensemble is more excited than ever to do that by dropping their much anticipated Expand the Canon List their live podcast event at Caveat (21 A Clinton St. in Lower Manhattan).

The live podcast, hosted by Hedgepig's Artistic Director Emily Lyon, will feature audacious exchanges by leading and pioneering artists and scholars. This conversation will not only entertain attendees, but will also reveal why each of the nine plays featured in the 2023 List Launch is a CLASSIC. "When an audience member sees or reads a classic, they access an intergenerational throughline of humanity that transcends the centuries. When those classics are by women and non-binary writers, that throughline expands to honor the agency, complexity, and legacy of the people who have been historically ignored in the Western canon," says Emily Lyon, Artistic Director of Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre.

This fourth Expand the Canon list brings Hedgepig's number of celebrated works to 36 plays. Coincidentally, 2023 marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's First Folio, which contains his 36 plays.

"It's truly amazing that we are able to bring attention to 36 classics in four years-four hundred years after the world recognized the Bard's 36 classics," says Corri Oster, Managing Director of Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre.

Olena Hodges, the Executive Artistic Director of Island Shakespeare Festival, has committed to producing three years of ETC plays and said on an episode of This is A Classic: "I think it is crucial that we Expand the Canon. It only enhances our future and makes our future brighter to tell those stories, and experience those stories, and to know that we've always existed."

Attendees will not only get the scoop on nine plays everyone SHOULD know, but they will also have an opportunity for fellowship and community with folks who want to change the current reality of who gets to tell what stories and whose stories get told. Tickets can be found at https://www.caveat.nyc/events/this-is-a-classic-live---36-plays-by-women-you-should-know-9-29-2023

The Expand the Canon curators are as follows.

Shannon Corenthin, Actor/Producer (2020-2023)

Gagarin, Actor/Ensemble Member of Hedgepig (2023)

Kalina Ko, Literary Assistant of Roundabout Theatre Company (2023)

Emily Lyon, Director/Dramaturg/Artistic Director of Hedgepig (2020-2023)

Skye Pagon, Actor/Director/Producer/Ensemble Member of Hedgepig (2020-2023)

Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre was founded in 2012 with a mission to reimagine the classics and create a legacy of storytelling with gender equity at its core. In continuation of making that mission even more profound and impactful, Hedgepig created Expand the Canon (www.expandthecanon.com) in 2020 as a call to action for theatres to embrace and produce plays by women and non-binary writers as classics. The works on the Expand the Canon have been seen at major companies like Roundabout Theatre, Repertorio Español, The Classical Theatre of Harlem, Island Shakespeare Festival, Stratford Festival, and Theatre for a New Audience and helped shape curricula of universities across the country. Additionally, Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre has grown their research database to over 5000 historic plays by women and non-binary writers. Subscription opportunities for access to these classic plays and more information about Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre and Expand the Canon can be found at hedegpigensemble.org.

Emily Lyon (Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre Artistic Director and Live Podcast Host) is a director and dramaturg crafting witty, thoughtful theatre for social impact. As Artistic Director of Hedgepig Ensemble, she leads and curates Expand the Canon - a call to action to include a global intersection of historical women writers in the canon of classics. Over the past three years, she also created a Social Impact Writers Lab, founded Future Facing Films, helped develop the 2021 Hollywood Climate Summit, joined the first US cohort of the Creative Climate Leadership, and created an environmental justice card game with The Civilians R&D Group. With Hedgepig, she has directed 9 productions, including A Bold Stroke for a Husband, All's Well That Ends Well, Mary Stuart, A Taste of Shakespeare, and Secret in the Wings. As a freelance director, Lyon has directed 8 world premiere plays, and worked with Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Geva Theatre, The Old Globe, LaMaMa, Yale Rep, The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Folger, University of Michigan, and others. As a freelance dramaturg, she's worked with writers on shaping 25+ new plays, as well as editing classical texts, including the Expand the Canon plays, and The Tempest for Shakespeare in the Park. Find out more at EmilyALyon.com.

Caveat is a cabaret comedy theater located deep under Clinton Street. The venue describes itself as a location that champions nerdy, funny art - and sells cheap drinks. Caveat is fully accessible. Access their elevator by calling (212)-228-2100 (also posted on the door). Please note, tickets for in-person shows at Caveat DO NOT guarantee a seat. This venue is a cabaret theater, with a standing-room bar. For any questions or concerns, email contact@caveat.nyc or call 212-228-2100.

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