OH THESE TIMES! by Catherine the Great
-Satire-
-Hypocrisy-
-Class Mobility-
Wait… Hold on… the Russian Empress Catherine the Great??
She wrote a “searing” comedy about dissatisfaction with your station in life?
THAT’S RIGHT! Not only was Catherine an advocate for public education, theater, and art during her long reign, she also found time to write many plays, essays, and even operas!
Oh These Times! (1772) was written 10 years into her thirty year reign that lasted from 1762 to her death in 1796 (& her ascension to the throne was so dramatic and murderous, it was turned into a Hulu Original).
About the Translator
Translator Lurana Donnels O’Malley has done extraordinary work translating Oh These Times! and some of Catherine’s other works into English, and we have been so thrilled to be connected with her.
Dr. O'Malley is a retired Professor of Theatre at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. O'Malley's translation of this script from the Russian is available in the following book: Two Comedies by Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia: Oh, These Times! and The Siberian Shaman (1998). O’Malley is also the author of The Dramatic Works of Catherine the Great: Theatre and Politics in Eighteenth-Century Russia (Routledge 2006); her newest book Black Activists Write Wheatley and Washington (Routledge 2025) highlights the contributions of Mary Church Terrell for the 1932 George Washington Bicentennial.
Are you a translator interested in connecting with Expand the Canon?
We want to get to know you! Email Us at [email protected] and let us know what languages you are proficient in translating!
On August 12, Expand the Canon partnered with Chicago’s Midsommer Flight for a smashing success of a reading of Oh These Times! at The Understudy Bookstore in Chicago.
Wow. So glad I came. It is funny on the page, but they took up to 11! Great cast. Audience was rolling in the aisles.
Wanna Get Your Hands on a Copy?
Email Us at [email protected] for information on the script & how to connect with Lurana.
This month, Triza Cox and Emily Lyon cover The Mannequin by Germaine de Staël & The Falcon by Marie-Anne Barbier, two plays that Triza recommends for grass roots theaters and universities. If you want to hear about when women are the smartest people in the room, lover’s quarrels, and snappy satire, give this month’s podcast a listen!
Both plays are available for download with a Full List Subscription at Expandthecanon.com
Listen On…
Or wherever you listen to podcasts by searching “This is a Classic”
TWO WEEK LEFT to Catch Anima!
Don’t miss the Expand the Canon Partnership Production of Anima (Her Soul) by Amelia P. Rosselli, directed by ETC Artistic Director Emily Lyon running until August 30 at Island Shakespeare Festival
One of Anima’s splendid reviews ⬇️
The uniformly outstanding ensemble delivers a stellar experience and wonderful counterpoint to the classic Shakespeare work… Judging from this outstanding production, the [Expand the Canon] partnership really works. I, for one, am looking forward to future productions.
