THE ROSE, THISTLE, & SHAMROCK by Maria Edgeworth (1817)

On Her Shoulders is pleased to present a staged reading of The Rose, Thistle, and Shamrock by Maria Edgeworth. Malini Singh McDonald directs. Doors open at 6:45pm for a 7:00pm start with The Play in Context introduction by Lexi Silva, who situates the script in its historical time and place, followed by the reading and a post-performance Q&A with refreshments.

Admission is by Donation. You may give any amount, but we suggest $15 to support artist fees for this presentation.

MARIA EDGEWORTH was a playwright and author who is considered one of Ireland’s greatest novelists. Born in England, she moved to Ireland when she was five years old after the death of her mother and became devoted to the social, religious, national, and economic issues that her adopted country faced during her lifetime. Edgeworth was a Children’s Theatre pioneer with six plays for young people. Her plays for adults dealt with the differences between the English and Irish, and societal perceptions on culture, gender, and disability. Edgeworth faced difficulty in getting her plays produced, so instead they were primarily performed for family and friends at her home. The Rose, The Thistle and The Shamrock, originally published in 1817, is set during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. The play follows three young people from Ireland, England, and Scotland as they navigate shifting political ties and commitment to their countries. This is one of Edgeworth’s more notable comedies as it tackles political strife with quick wit and an unforgettable love story.

MALINI SINGH MCDONALD (Director) is a New York City–based director specializing in new work and identity-driven storytelling that amplifies underrepresented voices. A native New Yorker of Indo-Caribbean heritage, she brings a culturally informed lens to projects exploring diaspora, belonging, and resilience. Recent directing credits include the two-time award-winning solo production Notes from a Narcissistic Negro and Other N Words; Hossam’s People, The Discovery, Bumble, and The Absurdity of Life with New Perspectives Theatre Company; the award-winning reading of Lakhmi Counts Her Arms and Legs; and Ghosts of Bogotá. Her work also includes The Wiz, Torch Song Trilogy, The Colored Museum, and Look Back in Anger. She is the founder of Theatre Beyond Broadway, a platform that supports independent artists. Malini holds an MFA from The Actors Studio Drama School; BA and MPA from Baruch College, and is an Associate Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation.

LEXI SILVA (Dramaturg) is a Portuguese and Palestinian-American playwright and dramaturg. She is currently an MFA Playwriting student at The Lir National Academy of Dramatic Art at Trinity College, Dublin. Prior to her arrival in Dublin, Silva was the Dramaturgy Fellow and a Visiting Professor at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a dual appointment at PlayMakers Repertory Company. She began her career as a Literary Intern at Steppenwolf Theatre Company and has been published in American Theatre magazine, Indiana University Press, and spearheaded a dramaturgical writing series featured on the PlayMakers' Unscripted blog. Silva is an alumna of Indiana University where she completed an MFA in Dramaturgy, and CA State University/Stanislaus, from which she holds an MA in English Literature and a BA in Theatre and English. Silva is proudly one of many first generation Americans and college graduates from California's Central Valley.

ON HER SHOULDERS was founded in 2013 to present rehearsed, staged readings of plays by women from across the spectrum of time and place, with contemporary dramaturgs contextualizing scripts for modern audiences. Since its creation, the OHS reading series has presented 68 plays by 53 writers from circa 955 to 1970 as well as special events on Theatre Women in the Suffrage and Radical Theatre Movements. A unique aspect of the Reading Series is the Play In Context component, which includes a dramaturgical essay that analyzes each featured play within its own time and place; a substantial playwright biography; and an introduction to a reading or performance by a dramaturg who brings a personal perspective to the dramatist and her work. All readings include a post-performance talk-back with refreshments. OHS also hosts a unique international database, 1,000 Years of Women Writing Plays, which is free to all: Link to Database

For more information about ON HER SHOULDERS, contact Program Manager Liadin Stewart or visit https://tinyurl.com/OHSatNPTC

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Host or Publisher New Perspectives Theatre Company