I’m in a play where I say the most foul things I’ve ever said in my life.
- Hayley Pace
- 18 hours ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 minutes ago
Hayley plays Lady Capulet in new play, A Man Called Paris, for it’s second run at The Frigid Little Shakespeare Festival August 8th & 9th at Under St. Marks Theatre.
I’ve been working with theatre troupe, Kultur Kanonen for sometime now. The last production I did with them was a Drunk Shakespeare rendition of Macbeth. I’ve loved working with them since.
I met the founder of this company, Maximillian Johnsson, when I did Midsummer a couple years ago with another group. I was designing the set, building, doing props, and acting. What I noticed about Max right away, was that he came to help me paint the stage at 9am sharp, with a bright and sunny, can-do attitude. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to not only be around Max, but work with him again.
While working on the Drunk shows, I met Hannah Rae, who was running the board. Hannah was writing her first play, and she asked me to join the cast.
When I read the script for the first time, I was frankly baffled. I hadn’t read anything like this before. A queer reimagining of R&J, the play follows a gay Count Paris, and his journey into being forced to marry the Capulet daughter, Juliet.
Yes, we know. Sort of…
Hannah had a different take. Instead, Paris meets the love of his life, Hugh Grant, and thus, the trajectory of farcical chaos ensues. Yes, you read that right — the past-his-prime, Hollywood romantic lead, Hugh Grant.
I was casted as Lady Capulet. But in Paris, she’s not the woman you have seen show after show. She’s aggressively oppressed, oozing with rage at the limits of her gendered place in this world. She’s at the final stages of her Catherine The Great moment to launch her coup and transcend the world of men.
I have a monologue that’s almost a page long. Like a balloon ready to pop, she releases decades of fury onto Paris. No one will get in her way, and nothing, not even love, will ruin her path to monarchy. The language is so filthy, I was almost unsure if I should invite anyone to see it. Maybe I would just perform this one for myself? But then again, I loved it. Hannah and I share the same sense of humor, and it raised green flags for me. I pushed past my doubts and committed to the truth of Lady’s pain.
When we played full houses at The Tank, we got rave reviews from the audience. They loved it too! So many women approached me, saying they felt every single word. Lady Cap became one of my favorite characters I’ve ever played. She is a drag performance of a woman, which for me, is cathartic. I no longer identify in binaries, but it is still a part of me. I can see it from the outside, and something new has emerged from it. I am excited to play a female role that fits me, but isn’t me. I’ve always had an issue with fitting into the “all-American” woman, and many auditions for regional theatres look for that. Additionally, my look has always been specific; I’m either exactly what you want, or not what you want at all. Which can mean that bookings that are fitting come rarely, but when they do, it’s a home run.
As more queer stories hit the stage and screen, I’m seeing more roles open up to me; roles that actually reflect my experience of being outside the binary. Furthermore, I have never belonged to a space that has made me feel at home in my queerness. I feel a sense of ownership with my gender in a way I haven’t before. I am acknowledged as non-binary. In many spaces, I am not. In essence, I have found a road to radical self acceptance.
It goes hand-in-hand with the ensemble’s dedication to the work. As I stand in tech for Frigid on the stage at Under St. Marks, I see everyone working toward making this play great. I have a deep feeling of gratitude, knowing with certainty it will leave a mark in the New York theatre scene. Everytime I walk to rehearsal, I’m excited to be there. It’s a privilege and a pleasure.
Check it out! I would love for you to be there.
Tickets here:
Shows:
August 8th at 6:30pm
August 9th at 2pm
Where:
Under St. Marks
94 St Marks Pl, NY, 10009
