Christina Casano
Ghostlight Ensemble presents the penultimate play in its series on historically overlooked female playwrights, Warp and Woof. The play by the British novelist and playwright Edith Lyttelton scrutinizes the ethics of power, commerce and labor in a deeply unequal society.
Though written in 1904, Warp and Woof remains startlingly relevant, according to director Christina Casano. Over the last year, society has had to classified grocery store workers, public transit workers, streets and sanitation workers, factory workers and the like as “essential” — and yet many of them are paid minimum wage at most, and treated as if they are easily replaceable, she explained.
“This play questions the assumption of who deserves rest, leisure, love and protection,” Casano said. “It also asks who is entitled to our time, and whose time we are entitled to.
“People working in service positions should not be expected to bend over backwards and be on call for those that are wealthy. They should not be expected to do that for paying customers of any status, because there is a difference between professionally fulfilling the needs and expectations of a job, and being asked to do the impossible day after day.”
Warp and Woof contrasts the lives of upper crust London society with the lives of the poor dressmakers who work long hours in a sweatshop to provide those elite with the latest fashions as fast as possible. The play asks important questions about what we require from those who labor to support our lifestyle.
The cast is: Justin Broom, Norm Burt, Song Marshall, Sydney Ray, Kylie Anderson, Eileen Doan, Jay Españo, Reagan James, Serina Johnston, Stephen McClure, Cat McKay, Nevada Montgomery, Jessye Mueller and Brittani Yawn
Casano is the Artistic Director of The Plagiarists. Her training includes a B.A. in theatre from Miami University and the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's Summer Professional Training Program. She was selected for Victory Gardens Theater’s Directors Inclusion Initiative for the 2019-2020 season, and served as the assistant director for How To Defend Yourself.
Full bios of the actors, director and playwright will be available here.
The initial broadcast of Warp and Woof takes place over Zoom at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 25, and a talkback with the director will take place immediately following. A recording of the performance will be available to stream through May 9.
Tickets are pay what you will, with a minimum of $5 per reading and the average donation for such virtual offerings at $15. Tickets are available on our website at GhostlightEnsemble.com/For-Your-Reconsideration. Please make sure to select the production and performance you are interested in receiving a link to view.
Featuring a variety of distinct voices and styles from different historical periods, For Your (Re)Consideration seeks to bring attention to remarkable women who have been sidelined by history for reasons that had nothing to do with their talent and everything to do with their gender and, in many cases, their race. The series is curated by Ensemble Member Holly Robison.
The initial play in the series, The Convent of Pleasure, written by Margaret Cavendish and directed by Andrew Coopman, premiered on April 2 and is now streaming on-demand, as is Distinguished Villa, written by Kate O’Brien and directed by Elizabeth Lovelady, which premiered on April 11; and Mine Eyes Have Seen by Alice Dunbar Nelson and War Brides by Marion Craig Wentworth, both directed by Angelisa Gillyard, which premiered on April 18.
The final play in the series, The Enchantment by Victoria Benedictsson, adapted by Clare Bayley and directed by Holly Robison, is set to premiere at 2 p.m. on May 2.
Find out more about For Your (Re)Consideration and the entire 2020-2021 Season at GhostlightEnsemble.com.
