Mary Mary Stuart Stuart

author of the play Peter Oswald produced by Hilary Adams and Margaret Chapman assistant produced by Helen Bard-Sobola and Fred C. Lash directed by Kathleen Barth assistant directed by Mia Amado and Jenna Dawkins

PRESIDENT Frank D. Shutts II

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

ARTISTIC SUPPORT....................................................................................................................... Beverley Benda

BOX OFFICE Ira Forstater

BUILDING Myke Taister

DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................................................. Christopher A. Tomasino

EDUCATION Heather Sanderson

FRONT OF HOUSE Monty Montgomery

MEMBERSHIP Stacey Becker

PRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... Hilary Adams

PUBLIC RELATIONS Fred C. Lash

SEASONAL PLANNING Eleanore Tapscott

TECHNICAL SUPPORT......................................................................................................................... Ken Crowley

Treasurer Christopher A. Tomasino

Secretary to the Board ................................................................................................................... Lynn O’Connell

Executive Secretary ................................................................................................................................ Jamie Blake

Archivist Charles Dragonette

Business Manager Kim Smith-Salmon

Box Office Manager....................................................................................................................... Jeffery Westlake

Legal Counsel Brian T. Goldstein, Esquire

The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 Public Performances: Wed.–Sat. at 8:00 p.m. and Sun. at 3:00 p.m.

Licensed by arrangement with The Agency, 24 Pottery Lane, Holland Park, London, W11 4LZ info@theagency.co.uk Any videotaping or other video and/or audio recording of this production is

Director’s Notes

The exciting drama of British history first cast its grip on my imagination when I was a child. My desire to discover women who forged their own chapters in history inspired me to read books on Empress Matilda, Eleanor of Aquitaine and, of course, Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots. Directing Mary Stuart provided an irresistible opportunity for me to present this intriguing story of two queens, bound by blood yet separated by circumstance, for an American audience.

There was little precedent for female rule during the respective reigns of Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary was the first queen regnant (a queen ruling in her own right) of Scotland, and Elizabeth I was only the second in England. The fact that Mary and Elizabeth were distantly related and ruling separate kingdoms inevitably sparked comparisons between the two queens and prompted questions about a woman’s ability to rule.

While Elizabeth was generally regarded as cautious and cunning, Mary was considered romantic yet reckless. Elizabeth famously decided not to marry, exalting herself as “The Virgin Queen” to keep power and avoid diluting England’s political influence. Mary followed a more traditional path for both a queen and a woman of her time by marrying and giving birth to a son and heir. However, she made unwise decisions when forming marriage alliances, and those poor choices contributed to her downfall and eventual abdication. What Friedrich Schiller depicts, and what I’ve attempted to portray onstage, are two distinctly different queens whose diverging leadership styles and life choices affected the course of their own lives and the nations they ruled.

The biases against female leadership in Schiller’s Mary Stuart feel frighteningly modern. On more than one occasion in the play, Lord Burleigh insinuates a woman’s supposed emotional and irrational tendencies by describing Mary’s “judicious use of tears.” Even Talbot says, rather clumsily in front of Elizabeth, that “women are not strong.” Although the events depicted in Mary Stuart occurred over 400 years ago, this drama presents a fascinating backdrop for our own intolerance toward women in leadership roles today.

Kathleen Barth, Director