Daughters of Io (program)
Date
2015-11-20
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Abstract
"Daughters of Io came into being as a response to a demographic imbalance: in our theater today there are more actresses than actors and in our Western theater tradition more parts written for men. Hence, there are fewer opportunities for women to perform both at the college level and in the professional theatre. Annoyed by this imbalance, the director, Kathleen Dimmick, challenged the author to write a play for an all, or nearly all, female cast. Daughters of Io is the result.
The play has twin inspirations, the first being Aeschylus’ Suppliant Women.
While only the first play of the original trilogy survives, the myth on which the
trilogy was based – fifty sisters, descendants of the goddess Io, chased from Egypt
to Greece by fifty cousins hell-bent on marrying them – is extant and potent as
ever. The other inspiration was the history of Bennington College in which a
group of determined educators establishes a progressive college for women in
the backwoods of Vermont in the teeth of the depression.
Out of this unlikely but fruitful marriage sprang a welter of innocent
milkmaids, wicked farmboys, students of all stripes, overwhelmed trustees and
administrators, all trying to cope with each others’ conflicting demands, and all
played by a dedicated ensemble of actresses – and one actor." - Quincy Long.
Performed in Lester Martin Theater on November 20, 21, 22, 2015.
Starring Michaela Brown, Fiona DeVito, Erin Gildea, Lily Houghton, Sarah Jack, Maya Knell, Sam Levit, Annie Stone and Viva Wittman.
Performances: November 20, 21, and 22, 2015
Performances: November 20, 21, and 22, 2015
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Keywords
Bennington College Drama Productions, Lester Martin Theater