Shakespeare’s Queens: A One-Woman Play WITH POORNIMA KIRBY

Shakespeare grew up under the reign of Elizabeth I—a mercurial, intelligent, and powerful queen—and her influence is written across many of Shakespeare’s finest female characters. Whether in his dangerous siren-queens like Lady Macbeth and Margaret, in playful, wayward leaders like Titania and Kate, or redemptive characters like Hermione and Miranda, Shakespeare seems fascinated by how each of these women wielded power and made choices. Should they speak their minds, or keep to the shadows? Work together or stand alone? And where does their power lie: in tyranny or mercy? Wordplay or swordplay? Created and performed by Shakespearean actress Poornima Kirby, this jewel of a play dances between Elizabeth’s story and Shakespeare’s own life as a writer and father to two strong-minded daughters. With history, humor, and sparkling poetry, Shakespeare’s Queens is a heartfelt and refreshing exploration of some of the Bard’s loveliest verses.

Poornima Kirby is a classically trained actress, writer, and director, based in Concord, MA, specializing in classical and poetic texts, as well as co-created theater. She studied drama at Vassar College and trained in acting and Shakespeare performance at Shakespeare & Co. and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. Her regional theater credits include “Sleep No More” with the A.R.T., “Hamlet” with Actors’ Shakespeare Project, “Daughters of Venus” with Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, and “Much Ado about Nothing” with Bay Colony Shakespeare. She has also appeared in several independent films, commercials, industrials, and voice-overs, and has worked as a teaching artist in the Boston Public Schools and Tufts Medical Center. She is Artistic Director for Theatre of Eternal Values—America (a branch of an Italy-based international company), where she has written, directed, and performed in several original productions. She is also a cofounder of New Muse Productions, where she has scripted or adapted one-hour, two-person versions of King Lear and A Christmas Carol—sometimes playing 18 characters in a single performance. Shakespeare’s Queens is her first original solo production. She is passionate about bringing live theatre directly to audiences where they live, work, and play! Read more at: www.PoornimaKirby.com