Smooth Faced Gentlemen are a theatre company with one purpose: to create fast, fun, fresh and faithful productions of Shakespeare using an entirely female cast.
We like our Shakespeare fast and fun. We see the audience at the centre of our work. We work with small, tight ensembles, involving lots of doubling. We aim to make the work accessible to new audiences, whilst still staying true its complexity. We love playing with conventions and preconceptions by experimenting with new interpretations of characters and events.
We use the single gender convention as a lens to cast a new light on these well know plays, challenging audiences to take a fresh look at Shakespeare’s wonderful stories.
As a company, we don’t set out to promote any overt political message, feminist or otherwise. We do all want to see equality in the arts, but we believe the individual preconceptions surrounding our company says more about the state of gender equality today than any mission statement.
Our audience come to our work expecting to be affected by the absence of male actors. Our audience leave affected by the story, the interpretation, the staging, the pace, and the fresh take on Shakespeare’s wonderful tales. That’s our aim.
Education is at the heart of our work.
Many of our team have a background working in schools and universities, and our collaborators Three’s Company have provided workshops, residencies, and schools performances for a variety of institutions.
We can offer:
- Performances of our work at your school or university
- A range of workshops and practical sessions
- Post show discussions and Q&As at your institution
We offer workshops and talks on a variety of topics, including approaching Shakespeare from alternative perspectives (including comedy, live art, and traditional verse), textual analysis, running a theatre company and producing fringe theatre.
