Sir Philip Sidney (1554–1586) was an English courtier and poet. “Arcadia,” dedicated to his sister the Countess of Pembroke, was a work in the new genre of prose romance. It depicts Basilus, a foolish duke, who consults an oracle about his future, and he is less than pleased with what he learns. To escape the oracle's horrific prophecies about his family and kingdom, he withdraws into pastoral retreat with his wife and two daughters. When a pair of wandering princes fall in love with the princesses and adopt disguises to gain access to them, all manner of complications, both comic and serious, ensue. Part-pastoral romance, part-heroic epic, Sidney's long narrative work was hugely popular for centuries after its publication in 1593. Arcadia was one of Shakespeare’s inspirations for the plot of King Lear.
James Magruder made his Broadway debut with the book for Triumph of Love. His adaptations of Marivaux, Molière, Lesage, Labiche, Gozzi, Hofmannsthal, Dickens, and Giraudoux have been staged across the country in Germany and Japan, and his dissertation, Three French Comedies, was named Outstanding Literary Translation of the Year in 1997. Also a fiction writer, Magruder has published Sugarless (a Lambda Literary Award Finalist), Let Me See It (a story collection), Love Slaves of Helen Hadley Hall, and the recently-released Vamp Until Ready. He teaches dramaturgy at Swarthmore College and French drama at the Yale School of Drama. Learn more about Magruder here.
The Go-Go's (Charlotte Caffey, Belinda Carlisle, Gina Schock, Kathy Valentine, and Jane Wiedlinare) are considered the most successful all-woman rock band, performing catchy, well-crafted songs that formed a bridge between the brash urgency of L.A. punk and the dark melodies of new wave pop. Known for their raw and energetic live shows, the band circumvented record label sexism and released their debut album, Beauty and the Beat, in 1981, the first—and, to date, only—album by an all-woman band that played its own instruments and wrote its own songs to top the Billboard albums chart. The Go-Go's earned a 1982 Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. They continue to be celebrated for their D.I.Y. punk roots and role in revolutionizing the music industry and smashing barriers for women musicians. Learn more about the Go-Go’s here.
—Adapted from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Larry Sousa, Director/Choreographer (SDC) is an award-winning director and choreographer whose work has been presented on stages across the U.S., including Goodspeed Musicals, The Joyce Theatre in NYC, The Garry Marshall Theatre in Los Angeles, Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, The New York Fringe Festival, Musical Theatre West, North Coast Rep in San Diego, Wyoming Theatre Festival, Utah Musical Theatre, Creativiva in Toronto, and many more. Learn more about Sousa here or at larrysousa.com.
Bethany Aiken, Music Director is a Boston-based music director, pianist, composer, and teaching artist who has served as music director for more than 100 productions with companies such as Greater Boston Stage Company, Weston Drama Workshop, Lyric Stage Company, Gloucester Stage Company, Hub Theatre Company, The Company Theatre, Arlington Friends of the Drama, Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre, Boston University, and American Repertory Theater, whose world premiere production of The Black Clown—for which Aiken performed keyboard—won an Elliot Norton award for Outstanding Musical Production. Learn more about Aiken here.
Jorge Arroyo, Lighting Designer, who hails from Puerto Rico and is based in Boston and New York, and has more than 25 years of experience in theater, dance, concerts, corporate events, opera, and television. His work has been seen at venues such as The Apollo Theater, Carnegie Hall, The Public Theater, Westport Country Playhouse, La Mama, Weston Playhouse, TheatreSquared, and others. In addition to serving as resident lighting designer for Dreamcatcher Repertory Theater, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, and Luna Stage, he has collaborated with three-time Emmy nominee Stacey Tookey (choreographer for So You Think You Can Dance) and featured in Lighting Dimensions Magazine as a "designer to watch." Learn more about Arroyo here
