THE BELLE'S STRATAGEM Opens at Cal State Fullerton This Month

Timeless and triumphant comedy "The Belle's Stratagem" opens March 10 and runs through March 25 in the Hallberg Theatre at Cal State Fullerton. Written in 1780, Hannah Cowley's rom-com romp is a witty parody that upends the conventional gender norms and marital expectations of eighteenth-century English society. The "belles" at the center of the play concoct two distinct stratagems, or ruses, to change the minds of the men in their lives and subvert the status quo. When the two plot lines converge in a dazzling masquerade ball, their fearless scheming ignites a comic chain of events where equality is named the victor.

Hannah Cowley (1743-1809) was one of the most successful English playwrights of the late 18th century. Also known for her poetry, Cowley's first play, "The Runaway," was produced in 1776 at Drury Lane. "The Belle's Stratagem" premiered in 1780 at Covent Garden and was first published in 1782. It remains Hannah Cowley's most popular play to date and was very before it's time for showcasing strong and intelligent female characters. Over the course of her career, Cowley authored thirteen plays, including two tragedies, eleven of which were published.

The play is directed by award-winning director, producer and actor, Collette Rutherford. Trained at both the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and American Conservatory Theater, Rutherford has directed Jessica Swale's "Blue Stockings" for CSUF, and a virtual production of John Lyly's "Gallathea" for Infinite Jest Theatre Company and the City of West Hollywood. Her Los Angeles directing projects include "Joan" (Catworks Productions), "Romeo & Rosalind" (Inglewood Playhouse), and "This is Not a Drill" (SkyPilot Theatre). Other local projects: "Lysistrata Unbound" (Not Man Apart/Odyssey Theatre Ensemble), The Blank Theatre's annual Young Playwrights' Festival, "Five Women Wearing the Same Dress" and "Major Barbara" (Infinite Jest Theatre Company), Pick of the Vine One-Acts Festival (Little Fish Theatre), New American Theatre's Festival of New One Acts, "Julius Caesar" (Redlands Shakespeare Festival) and "Fefu and Her Friends" (Odyssey Theatre Ensemble). She is an Associate Member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers; a member of PlayGround-LA, Directors' Gathering, and Emerging Arts Leaders of Los Angeles. More information: ColletteRutherford.com; Social: @LaCollette

The cast of "The Belle's Stratagem" includes Catherine Holper, Braxton McGrath, Brooke Halliday, Kainoa Miller, Alex Jerard, Evelyn Menchaca, Jayden Leacock, Fallon Heaslip, Charlie Duval, Braden Michael Harrison, K. Zedric Acruz, Cheyenne Stetson, Michael Jamison, Katheryn Mercer, Noah Secades, Christian De La Torre, Parker Claudio and Leyna Camacho.

Faculty design mentors for the production include: Scott Bolman, Rebecca Kessin, Hyun-Sook Kim, Fred Kinney, and Kathleen Price, with set design by Mio Okada; costume design by Gwenyth Sloan; hair/makeup design by Jasmine Evans; lighting design by Alecia Bennett; and sound design by Joaquin Guadamuz.

"The Belle's Stratagem" runs March 10 - March 25, 2023, with performances Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 pm and Saturdays, at 2:00 pm in the Halberg Theatre at Clayes Performing Arts Center. An ASL translated performance will be on March 16 at 8:00 pm; talkbacks on March 18 at 2:00 pm and March 23 at 8:00 pm. General Admission tickets are $14/$12 (Titan Discount) and are available by calling (657) 278-3371, 12-4 pm, Tuesday through Friday at the Clayes Performing Arts Center Box Office or online.

Up next in our spring season is "Fefu and Her Friends" by María Irene Fornés, directed by Amanda Rose Villarreal. It's 1935 and Fefu and her seven female friends are gathered at her country house for a raucous reunion. Conflicts arise as the women gossip, plot, expose, and interrogate each other and themselves in provocative ways that conceal more than they reveal. Hailed as game-changing and challenging, "Fefu and Her Friends" is an innovative theater experience where the audience moves through four different stage sets as the drama unfolds around them. "Fefu and Her Friends" runs April 7-16, 2023 at 6:30 pm in the George C. Golleher Alumni House on the campus of Cal State Fullerton. General Admission tickets are $14/$12 (Titan Discount) and are available by calling (657) 278-3371, 12-4 pm, Tuesday through Friday at the Clayes Performing Arts Center Box Office or online.

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