Brave Spirits Theatre which is located in Alexandria, Virginia at the Lab at Convergence is known for its visceral and intimate Shakespearean era productions with a focus on female artists and feminist viewpoints. BST productions Contrast the elegance of poetry with the basest elements of humanity, work to tear down the perceptions of these plays as proper and intellectual and instead use them to explore the boundaries of acceptable human behavior.

This Season they will be presenting a group of Shakespearean histories which they collectively call The Kings Shadow. The group includes Richard the Second, Henry the Fourth, Part 1 and Part 2 and Henry the Fifth. The Kings Shadow is directed by BST Artistic Director Charlene V. Smith.

The ensemble cast includes Michael Bannigan Jr., Justin J. Bell, Zach Brewster-Geisz, Dean Carlson, Jaqueline Chenault, Gary DuBreuil, Brianna Goode, Lisa Hill-Corley, Tom Howley, Caroline Johnson, Brendan Edward Kennedy, Annette Mooney, Duane Richards, Jillian Riti, Ian Blackwell Rogers, Nicole Ruthmarie, John Stange, Molly E. Thomas, and Joshua Williams. The production and design team includes Kristen P. Ahern (costume designer), Jason Aufdem-Brinke (lighting designer), Megan Behm (intimacy choreographer), Jenna Berk (dialect coach), Caolan Eder (props designer), Hannah Fogler (makeup designer), Amanda Forstrom (movement director), Jordan Friend (associate director, composer, music director), Marshall B Garrett (dramaturg), Megan Holden (set designer), Casey Kaleba (fight director), Jen Katz (production stage manager), Claire Kimball (project dramaturg), and Emily MacLeod (dramaturg).

The Kings Shadow follows the transfer of the crown fromRichard II to Henry IV and then to his son Prince Hal (Henry V). (Henry IV, Part 1 introduces audiences toFalstaff.)

The next season will be The Queens Storm and will include Henry the Sixth, Part 1, 2 and 3 and Richard the Third.

I had a chance to interview one of their ensemble actresses,Lisa Hill-Corley.

Bio: Lisa is an actor and writer. BST: The Trojan WomenProject (Betty/Hecuba), Doctor Faustus (Ensemble), The Incest Rep: TisPity Shes a Whore (Donata), A King and No King (Ensemble), Henri IV(Westmoreland/Worcester) Nest StopTheatre:Much Ado About Nothing (Antonia); Theatre Prometheus: Macbeth (Witch); LandlessTheatre Company: Psycho Beach Party (Berdine), A Christmas Story (MissShields), Capital Fringe Festival: Antigone Reflected (Antigone); PrinceGeorges Shakespeare Festival: Romeoand Juliet (Lady Capulet. ).

So, Im a rarity in this area, I was actually born here inDC. Ive lived in DC and Maryland and am currently in Fairfax, about 10 minutesfrom the house I lived in from ages 9 18. My kids go to my old high school. Itsall weirdly small town. I playedorchestra in high school and did a writing degree in college so I reallystarted in theater as an adult. I did volunteer theater. Then, I went through the program at StudioTheatre Conservatory, where I decided I wanted to pursue professional work. Myfirst Brave Spirits project, funnily enough, was Kevin Finkelsteinsall-female rep of the Henry IV plays back in 2015! Since then, Ive appeared inanother rep with the best name ever, The Incest Rep, (Tis Pity Shes a Whoreand A King and No King), and two other shows, Faustus and The Trojan WomenProject.

The roles that people may recognize are the Gardener andDuchess of York in Richard II, Worcester in Henry IV, Part 1 and MistressQuickly in the Henry IV plays and Henry V, and the Queen of France in HenryV.

Some of lesser known hidden gems are Lady Ross, who is kneedeep in the Bollingbroke rebellion in Richard II, Silence, a justice of peacewho sings drunkenly in an orchard in Henry IV, Part 2, and Gower, where Illget to the be straight man to the awesome Ian Blackwell Rogers Fluellen, in HenryV.

Worcester remains a favorite of mine; I played the role backin my first rep. Its the kind of role you dont really see in canon for womenin the way she is involved in the main plot of the play and leads the action insome scenes. That said, its a two-way tie for second with my girls Quickly andDuchess of York, because who doesnt love bringing the funny after the audiencehas been through a couple of serious scenes?

Ill have to you let know you how it goes keeping all of the plays in my head. Ive only got nearly three memorized so far! Believe it or not, though, I find Shakespeares verse much easier to memorize than modern text. It has rhymes or patterns that you can use as mental tricks to help you remember. For example, Worcester has a passage that has words ending in the tion sound:

And think how such an apprehension

May turn the tide of fearful faction

And breed a kind of question in our cause;

We hang onto little things like this to remember lines, and plus, our boy Will loves his lists. Many of the longer speeches can be broken down into lists. I record each scene and leave space to say my lines, and Ive found I need to run that for myself before each performance. I think the Histories performances will stay fresh for me because its the same company, and its always interesting to watch people in their different pairings and how they approach and develop each character. Plus, some things are just great to watch every night, but you know its live theater. Something always happens thats a little different from other nights, and its fascinating to watch people take that in and use it in their performances.

I would have to say playing Betty, The Hecuba figure inRachel Hynes Trojan Women Project. That play is close to my heart, builtfrom the ground up by women and gender fluid actors that included scenesbetween characters we just dont see on DC stages still. Theres a little bitof Betty in the Richard II Gardener.

Charlene Smith, our Henriad director and BSTs artisticdirector introduced me to a fabulous play called Emilia by Morgan LloydMalcolm. Its this amazing piece inverse about women of color. Im dying tobe in that.

As far as Shakespeare, oh, all the normal biggies for women,Lady M, Cleopatra, Beatrice. But I feel like Gertrude in Hamlet is mostlikely in my future. I think its thelaw that you have to play her once you become a woman of a certainage

The Histories project is probably the most traditionally cast of any of the BST shows Ive been since what were going for is to remark on white male patriarchy. To work within that, the women and people of color have been cast where they are with great thought, and sometimes to undermine the traditional readings of these plays, like in the case of my female gardener. She approaches Richards queen with bad news about his being usurped as one woman in the realm to another, versus the often-traditional version, where its an older guy man-splaining current events to the young Queen. Next years plays will build even more on that, as well see women as crucial kingmakers and in other featured roles, as we deal with the nonsense of male kings!

Brave Spirits Theatre presents their plays in repertory. So, there are various dates for eachplay. Check their website forinformation and to buy tickets online.

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'A Quick 5' with Lisa Hill-Corley at Brave Spirits Theatre - MD Theatre Guide