SHEkspeare’s all-female group to reign supreme with its modern twist on Richard III

With few female lead roles in traditional theatre, all-female theatre group SHEkspeare continues to create opportunities through its latest production Ricky York: A Rewrite of Shakepeare’s Richard III.

Writer and director Louie Frayland said Ricky York, a modern take on Richard III, was an absurdist tragic tale inspired by “bubblegum horrors” such as Heathers, Do Revenge, Bodies Bodies Bodies and Jawbreaker to be staged at The Forge, Gwynneville from 9-17 August.

Louie said the group formed about six years ago, with every production having a Shakespeare play at its heart and a focus on female-presenting characters.

“It came from the need to have a lot more opportunities for female-presenting or gender non-conforming performers to really shine in roles that normally wouldn’t be considered for them,” they said.

“We’ve done quite a few productions in the past, but this is our first original show.

“That [bubblegum horror] genre has always been one of my favourites, and I love how dramatic and petty the characters are, so that’s something I wanted to bring forth.

“I feel like Shakespeare is quite dramatic and petty at times too, so it just made so much sense to create this.”

Louie said while the original was about a devilishly evil man who lusts for the British throne, this storyline involved a group of long-time companions who were preparing for a night of celebration after their families’ horses win big at the races.

Ricky York is set on making the night miserable for everyone involved, maybe even secretly for themselves.

“I got the idea for it around five years ago. I studied it for my HSC, and it just stuck with me,” they said.

“The reason why we’re doing an original this time is because we’ve done quite a few standard Shakespeare works, which people have put their own spin on.

“So for example, Julius Caesar was set in an early 2000s pageant.

“There was a cabaret-style show that had a spin on The Bachelorette with Shakespeare characters.

“But there was a real need to really up the ante and I’ve always had this idea to rewrite the show.

“It’s in modern language, but it stays quite truthful to the original especially with its structure and themes.”

Louie said the idea for it centred on themes surrounding connections young girls had with each other, and the way that in patriarchal society they were often pitted against each other.

“The story I’ve written is about a young group of people who are having a party, and throughout this party they point out each other’s flaws and are quite overdramatic about it,” they said.

“So it’s a satirical take, and quite dramatic in a lot of ways.

“There’s that iconic line from the original play, ‘A horse, a horse. My kingdom for a horse’, and that stuck with me, too.

“So these characters, their families all own horses, and they’re quite up themselves about the fact they have winning horses.”

This is the first time Louie has written a full show and will feature seven cast members.

“The original Richard III that it’s based on, it had around 50 or so characters that I had to reduce down, so it’s quite a challenge,” they said.

“I want it to be quite spectacular, despite the fact we’re in such a small space, so they can expect something very different.”

Louie said producer and venue owner Adam Patrick O’Brien was a great promoter of female and indie creators fronting their own projects.

“For me, a lot of it does come from that need to have opportunities to perform a role you wouldn’t normally be considered for, because a lot of the bigger roles are male-presenting,” they said.

“We have a lot of incredibly talented female-presenting actors in our community, and it really gives them a chance to shine in those roles and bring something forth that really makes the role special.”

Tickets for Ricky York: A Rewrite of Shakepeare’s Richard III are now on sale for shows from 9-17 August at The Forge, 3/164 Gipps Road, Gwynneville.