Role Players Ensemble Presents THE ROVER

It's Carnival time in Naples. A band of banished English cavaliers is looking for adventure and love, and so are the women they meet. Who's chasing whom? Everyone meets their match. Full of seduction, sword fights, and bawdy humor, The Rover is credited with launching the phrase "the battle of the sexes."

The Rover was written by Aphra Behn, a woman decidedly ahead of her time. Born not long after Shakespeare died, Ms. Behn was a poet, novelist and playwright, as well as a spy for the King of England. She was the first English woman to openly consider herself a writer by profession. Virginia Woolf said of her: "All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn . . . for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds."

The Rover was produced in 1677 during the period called The Restoration, when England experienced a reversal of previous strict Puritan morality. Theatres reopened, bawdy "Restoration comedies" became popular, and women were allowed onstage. The Rover is among the most popular and successful of these comedies, both shocking and delighting audiences with abundant sexuality. The principal role of a courtesan was played by Nell Gwyn, mistress of King Charles II. Let the frolicking times roll!

Featuring the talents of: Barbara Bandy, Zach Bender, Marc Berman, David Bohnet, Sheila Cress, Lisa Danz, Nicolette Ellis, Rob Evans, Durand Garcia, Robert Bo Golden, Jon Gourdine, Filip Hofman, Malakiva Jayasimha, Amanada Kelly, Willem Long, Kenneth Matis, Deborah Murphy, John Osgood, Jessica Riley, Terrance Smith and Danielle Tortolani.

Tickets: $20-$30; online at www.RolePlayersEnsemble.com; at Danville Community Center, 420 Front St, Danville; or call (925) 314-3400.

Sneak Peek: Tuesday March 20, 2018, 7 PM, Danville Library (400 Front Street). Free admission to this entertaining look at the production process with the director, actors and designers.