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The Wooing of the She-Wolf
April-May 2007
The Wooing of the She-wolf, an extravaganza that will ignite your imagination with verse, dance, bawdy comedy – oh, and courtly love and death. Wolves and shepherds vie for supremacy over the Woods of Cabaret and the Muses of Inspiration are called upon to aid a troubadour in his deadliest joust of all – with Death Himself.
Set in 12th century France The Wooing of the She-wolf tells the tale of troubadour Peire Vidal, the ‘fool par excellence of all Provence’ and of his quest for courtly love, a love that is destined to endure throughout the centuries.
In a dark forest, under the light of the full moon, Peire Vidal strikes a bargain with the King of the Wolves that he may run as his kind as a wolf and thus have a far greater chance of wooing “The Loba”, the She-wolf, the most beautiful woman in all Provence, who is hunting in the same forest that night.
But – there other, even darker forces at work in the forest this night. Death Himself walks abroad. Bored with Eternity, Death has decided to distract himself from his morbid duties by exploring the concept of love.
With these and several other forces homing in on the most sought after woman in the land we witness a struggle develop which challenges the eye, the ear and the heart. For a woman’s love can only truly belong to one person, but… who will it be?
This is a brand-new, ambitious play that looks at the age-old issue of love and power between the sexes. Written by Newtownabbey-based poet, Jim Johnston, it is a take on sexual politics and relationships. It is presented in a highly-stylized manner that involves dance and live music, and runs the gamut of emotions from love to despair, through to triumph and self-realization. With a cast of 18 members, many in exotic costumes, it will be a feast for the eyes and a delight to the soul.
Jim Johnston has this to say about his play: ‘People say that human nature never changes, but culturally it does. And I believe there was a major cultural watershed in Europe at the time this play was set, when Romantic Love became the new way for men to view (or review) the disempowerment of women. Our culture has never been the same since, and I think it’s worth exploring that moment when Courtly Love came on the scene, as a new, dangerous, secular heresy.’
Adrian Cooke is the producer, and a founding member of Theatre Knights. He is also playing the major role of troubadour Peire Vidal. Adrian said: ‘A play such as The Wooing of the She-wolf is one of the reasons why we set up Theatre Knights in the first place. To bring local talent to public attention, and to provide a showcase for new writings. The Wooing of the She-wolf is a play with a classic structure, but with a modern, cutting edge sensibility to it.’
The director, Jo Prinsen, is originally from Antwerp in Belgium; she concludes: ‘I see it as a tribute to a man’s inner wolf, a celebration of a woman’s lupinosity.’
Dedicated to bringing to the public the works of new writers for the stage (Theatre Knights have previously presented The Singing Psychiatrist by Thomas Muinzer, who also stars in this production; In the Glass House, by Ruth Kennedy, a play dealing with the issue of bi-polar disorder) The Wooing of the She-wolf will also make theatre history by being the first production to be staged in the Atrium of the Art College in York Street.
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eeds and the desires of the times.”
