The Inside Scoop

A spotlight on Emily Lyon 

She’s cold calls Chinese Literature professors for Expand The Canon. She started and runs a film production company that brings awareness to the dangers of facial recognition technology. She is developing new work with the Civilians. She is our associate artistic director, and a leader in her field. Check out this conversation with Emily Lyon and James La Bella from the Civilians about the ways Emily is helping to shape a new canon of classics.

[Hedgepig's] mission was a natural fit for Lyon, who attributes her initial interest in feminist classical theater to a (frustrated) connection with Midsummer’s Helena.“I would see version after version after version [of A Midsummer Night’s Dream], and every single time Helena was just the butt of the joke. She would get on her knees and beg for Demetrius to kick her, spur her, strike her and I thought – I don’t know any women like this.So, when I later directed Midsummer, I was really conscious of wanting to make sure not only that Helena was funny – but was a woman that I recognized. That’s the lens I have been looking at Shakespeare and directing and dramaturgy through – cutting these scripts, so they work for a modern audience such that all people, including female and nonbinary folx, are represented as fully fleshed-out humans. And that’s what I’ve found at Hedgepig.”And indeed, since 2011, the Ensemble has chased this goal. They’ve produced cabarets, adaptations, re-cuttings, and fully realized version of classical texts – with the intention of finding empowerment, empathy, and nuance in all of the characters represented.Further, Hedgepig commits that the list reflect the diversity of classical writers. “[We wanted to] not just shift the classical canon from dead white dudes to dead white ladies. We want it to be a space that is truly representative, and that honors the truth of these people – that there have been these writers and these voices that we just haven’t been recognizing.” Commented Lyon. This meant in some cases expanding the definition of “classical” past the public-domain-era. It also meant acknowledging the Eurocentric-limitations of texts available (even by translation) in English, and text-based-theater as a form. The company still grapples with these limitations, and for the 2021 list has placed a specific emphasis on bilingual readers who might be able to adjudicate otherwise-inaccessible works. “My hope is that these plays are taught [and produced] alongside Shakespeare, alongside Chekhov…that we see the depth and breadth of who was writing, and what.” Concluded Lyon. “Part of the point is that there is a legacy here…that women of all colors have history.”Read the full article here.

What is Expand the Canon?

A curated list of excellent, timely, and producible classical playsby a diverse set of women.This list is a call to action for theaters around the world to do these plays...and our 2021 list is around the corner.Stay tuned!