Interview: Michelle Britton & Ann Candler Harlan of PLAYHOUSE CREATURES

Houston has a new production company named LIONWOMAN PRODUCTIONS, and they are going to do a spectacular play at the MATCH this month. On November 7th, they debut PLAYHOUSE CREATURES by April Deangelis. It is a show about the point in history when women were first allowed on the stage, and it is an all-female cast. One exciting aspect is the piece includes a dramatic swordfight that women will execute under the hand of experienced fight coordinator Ann Candler Harlan. Michelle Britton founded the group, and I got a chance to speak with her and Ann about this upcoming show and the challenge of getting a show-stopping swordfight onto the MATCH stage.  

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Brett Cullum: How did you come up with the idea of founding this company? 

Michelle Britton: Lionwoman Productions is an idea I've had for a few years. Actually, I did do some work during COVID. I created some Zoom readings and an original concept show about sharing personal stories between people for an audience. And that went really well. That reminded me that I really like pulling people together, and I've been producing in some way or another for a long time. Ultimately, it's about helping people understand each other better. Theater is a way to do that and hopefully to really make positive change in our society or have it be an instrument for making positive change. 

Brett Cullum: So, about this production of PLAYHOUSE CREATURES, tell me a little bit covering what it is. 

Michelle Britton: Yes, PLAYHOUSE CREATURES is a feminine comedy about the first women who could legally work on stage in London during the Restoration or the 1660s. All of the characters are based on real-world women who lived at the time! Their lives are imagined, but the characters' names really exist. The playwright, April Deangelis, really trusts her audience to get where things are going, so there's not a lot of overwriting. In fact, there's none that I can see so far, and it is unsentimental. So, some harsh things happen to these characters. But there are some very funny triumphs, comedy, and all of that. And there is an absolute resonance for where we are today, especially in Texas. And there's a fabulous, wonderful mock swordplay scene between two characters who are ladies, or rather women pretending to be men because it was safer to travel that way. It's from an actual play at the time. 

Brett Cullum: Well, yeah, when you said, “I've got a fight, choreographer for a play with all women!” I was instantly all in. It's like BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER! I love any piece that turns this idea of violence being masculine on its head! Ann Candler Harlan, tell me what this fight is about! 

Ann Candler Harlan: It's a sword fight and a play within a play. It's a breeches scene, as we would call it, a pants scene from a historical play. I could not find out if these particular women actually played this role in real life. I couldn't find whether or not we have any evidence that either of them actually knew how to use a sword. But that's kind of immaterial. All of these things are historically based, and what it really highlights is at the particular moment, in the time that this scene comes up, the women are going through this amazing moment of empowerment in society and in this profession. And they're saying, “Okay, we deserve more, not just the scraps.”

I tried to approach it in terms of the history of how stage combat was done. How would these women, if they did this, might they have thought about this? We played with that concept. After I spoke with Marshall Mays [the director]  a few different times about how he saw it fitting in the big picture. I'm really very excited about it. It's turning out really well, and I think the audience is really going to enjoy it.

Michelle Britton: Well, I just wanted to add that in some of the scenes, we do something from the Amazon warriors, these breeches fighters. There's Shakespeare in it we do a scene from CLEOPATRA. We do a scene from MACBETH. It's material that is consistent and true to the time, and all of it is based on real plays. And it's interesting to me that the playwright chose scenes from these particular works. And why did she have the characters in her play the particular characters in those works? One of the things that we know is that most of these plays were designed to be titillating; that's what the men came for. They wanted to see ladies on stage. Show us your ankles. Some of the material that we present is really sort of funny and designed to be flirtatious. 

You appreciate their struggle, and none of them is sentimental. None of them ever feel sorry for themselves. They just get on with it. It's never a play about, “Oh, society should do better!” You get to walk in their shoes and see what they have to deal with, and that has a lot of resonance for other human situations. Now you can understand better why someone would make the choice they did. It is how hard a situation can be when you have the whole ocean against you and you're trying to be who you are. So it really has. 

Brett Cullum: And you've got Marshall Mays directing. PLAYHOUSE CREATURES features Michelle Britton, Jennifer Doctorovich, Tyne Jeanae, Jeana Magallón, Christianne Mays, Alexandra Szeto-Joe, and Cat Thomas. So it's an all-women cast, right?

Michelle Britton: Yes, for this one. The idea of really being diverse and including a wider audience is very important. It's really about finding out everything we have in common. I think people are going to leave this play going, “This can apply to my situation. I've got struggles that I can relate to this.”  I don't have any wild ambitions. I'm not aiming to become THE ALLEY or something. I am content with doing a mission-oriented performing arts organization. I find projects that I think reflect the values I'd like to promote and help me make positive change. That's why I chose this show. 

Brett Cullum: How did you connect with the fight choreographer Ann Candler Harlan?

Ann Candler Harlan: Oh, my gosh, Michelle, was it? Okay? I don't know if we want to say it out loud, but I think it was 1992. We met through EXPRESS THEATER which was a children's theater. We were both young, hungry artists doing all the things! And we've both been part of the Houston scene ever since. We haven't had that many opportunities to really work together. So I was really excited when Michelle reached out to me to do this because we get a chance to get to know each other all over again, and we're in a whole different phase of our lives, which is also addressed in this play. 

This is Tyne Jeanae's very first time ever handling a sword. She's doing a great job. Alexandra Szeto-Joe actually has some stage combat and fencing experience. So she's doing a great job. Cat Thomas is perfect as a fight captain. Not only does she have a lot of good training and experience, but she's ambidextrous.

When I got into this field, it was very male-dominated. But a number of men approached me and said, “You know. I actually think women are better at this.” Women seem to be a little more concerned about the other person and themselves, and there was a trust factor. I got hired a lot as a fight choreographer because sometimes an actress is really uncomfortable and wants a woman to handle it.

If you have someone with certain anxieties, fears, or weaknesses you're ensuring their success along with the bold, brave, and athletic. So, like in this production, we've got someone with a lot of experience and someone else with little or no experience. And so in working with them, you want to be sure everyone feels comfortable, and it's safe, and they can do it successfully. And so I don't know if it's fair to say that women or men are better at it. We just tend to approach it a little bit differently. But the work will still be approached in a very methodical fashion, with safety first and foremost. Making sure everybody's safe and comfortable while knowing what they're doing.

Michelle Britton: I just wanted to add this because I'm thinking about it. Ann will do a couple of swordplay demonstrations for the show on Thursday the 7th and Sunday the 17th of November. We're inviting people into the theater, and Ann's going to do a sword demonstration. It's just part of the fabulousness that we offer our audiences.

Brett Cullum: You've got a lot going on. I'm excited. PLAYHOUSE CREATURES! Women, Shakespeare, and swords! I don’t think you could find something more exciting right now. 

Michelle Britton: Yay!

PLAYHOUSE CREATURES opens on November 7th at the MATCH complex and runs through November 23rd. Special nights include: 

Thursday, November 7, 7:30 PM: Preview performance, with wine reception immediately following.

Friday, November 8, 8:00 PM: OPENING NIGHT

Sunday, November 10, 5:00 PM: Talkback with Playwright April De Angelis, who will Zoom in from London to chat with the audience and cast about her play.

Saturday, November 16, 4:30 to 6:00 PM: A panel discussion for the public - Women Empowerment: Changing the Landscape/Playhouse Creatures indeed! Tickets are available at MATCH. Playhouse Creatures | MATCH (matchouston.org)    

Photo features Tyne Jeanae and Cat Thomas, taken by Natasha Nivan Photography 

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