April 9, 2026 – May 2, 2026
“Handsome and bold — you are the man for my lady.”
— Act V, Scene III
In Madrid, scandal is never far away. Don Carlos has lost more than his heart—he’s accidentally signed his fortune over to his mistress, Laura. Now, desperate to win it back, he teams up with his old friend Don Julio, whose return to the city sparks a tangle of flirtations and mistaken identities.
Meanwhile, Olivia, a sharp-tongued heiress who refuses to be married off, keeps every suitor guessing—including her music-loving admirer and her exasperated father, Don Caesar. When her cousin Victoria arrives in disguise to reclaim her straying husband, secrets unravel, plans backfire, and love turns the city upside down.
From secret letters to midnight encounters, Hannah Cowley’s A Bold Stroke for a Husband is a witty whirlwind of scheming lovers, clever women, and social satire. This rediscovered comedy comes to the ASC through Expand the Canon, an initiative uncovering and uplifting overlooked classic plays by women.
Run Time: TBD, Estimated Time 2 Hours
Age Policy: We welcome young theatre-goers ages 7 and up.
View our Spring 2026 Digital Program.
Creative Team
Emily Lyon, Artistic Director at Expand the Canon, is the Director for A Bold Stroke For A Husband (2026) at the American Shakespeare Center.
Cait Redman is a dedicated theatre artist whose insightful direction and love for Shakespearean performance shine at the ASC and beyond.
Alexander Carey is a Stage Manager whose expertise and passion bring seamless productions to life at ASC and beyond.
Rachael Sheffer, Assistant Stage Manager at the American Shakespeare Center.
Aimee Amelia Greco is an Assistant Stage Manager for the Spring 2026 Season at the American Shakespeare Center.
Blake Henri is an accomplished actor who brings dynamic and captivating performances to ASC and beyond.
Christopher Seiler is a seasoned actor and musician whose performances embody transformation and connection, captivating audiences at ASC and beyond.
Christopher Joel Onken is an actor at the American Shakespeare Center. Explore his theater experience, education, and background.
Summer England is a gifted actor whose compelling and elegant performances light up the ASC stage and beyond.
Angela Iannone is a celebrated actor, known for her nuanced performances and captivating presence at ASC and beyond.
Haley Fentriss Roberts is an accomplished Intimacy Choreographer dedicated to fostering meaningful connections on stage at ASC and beyond.
Doreen Bechtol is a seasoned movement consultant, actor, and educator with extensive experience in theatre, choreography, and original devised works.
Costume Designer
Caroline Cook is a Costume Designer at the American Shakespeare Center.
Thomas J. Coppola was part of the American Shakespeare Center from 2015 to 2025.
Conrad Gothard worked at the American Shakespeare Center from 2023 – 2026
Grace Easterday, Prop Shop Manager at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, VA.
Amy Monsalve is Wardrobe Manager & Design Assistant at the ASC, recognized for her attention to detail and passion for bringing costumes to life.
Trina Yager is the Costume Coordinator & Wardrobe Supervisor at the American Shakespeare Center.
Rebecca Bailey is a versatile performer and theatre artist whose dynamic talent shines in productions at ASC and beyond.
Meet Analise Toone, Dramaturgy Fellow for the Spring 2026 BOLD STROKE FOR A HUSBAND production at the American Shakespeare Center.
MARCY GIRARD is a prop shop intern for the ASC’s Spring 2026 Season.
Cast
Angelique Archer is an actor at the American Shakespeare Center.
Darin Earl is an Actor at the American Shakespeare Center.
Topher Embrey is an actor at the American Shakespeare Center. Explore his theater experience, education, and background.
Summer England is a gifted actor whose compelling and elegant performances light up the ASC stage and beyond.
Blake Henri is an accomplished actor who brings dynamic and captivating performances to ASC and beyond.
Angela Iannone is a celebrated actor, known for her nuanced performances and captivating presence at ASC and beyond.
Justin McCombs is an Actor at the American Shakespeare Center. Explore his theater experience, education, and background.
Christopher Joel Onken is an actor at the American Shakespeare Center. Explore his theater experience, education, and background.
Isabel Lee Roden is an actor at the American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, VA.
Christopher Seiler is a seasoned actor and musician whose performances embody transformation and connection, captivating audiences at ASC and beyond.
Acting Fellow
Samuel M. Acosta is an Acting Fellow at the American Shakespeare Center (ASC). Explore his extensive theatre experience and upcoming roles.
Guy Aiken, Acting Fellow at the American Shakespeare Center.
Lydia Sophia Christensen is a dynamic performer whose versatility and passion bring captivating characters to life at ASC and beyond.
Madeleine Cook is a dynamic performer whose versatility and passion bring captivating characters to life at ASC and beyond.
Oliver Chase Marten, Acting Fellow at the American Shakespeare Center.
Evin McQuistion, Acting Fellow at the American Shakespeare Center.
Kathleen Mitchell is a passionate performer whose compelling portrayals bring Shakespearean and contemporary characters to life at ASC and beyond.
Kelsey Rich, Acting Fellow at the American Shakespeare Center.
Chris Rothbauer, Acting Fellow at the American Shakespeare Center.
Nick Trusty, Acting Fellow at the American Shakespeare Center.
Special thanks to Emily Lyon, Artistic Director of Expand the Canon for providing the “Stuff That Happens…” for A Bold Stroke for A Husband.
- Don Carlos realizes he gave his whole estate to his now-ex mistress, Laura. Upset with her (and, perhaps, himself), he tries to get it back… but Laura now has eyes for someone else.
- Don Julio returns to Madrid after several years away — and is feeling flirty. And he’s excited to see his old friend Don Carlos… who has gone from a fellow flirt to a woeful married man! Julio receives a flirty note asking him to meet up at night… and Carlos invites himself along.
- Olivia, the rich daughter of Don Caesar, has been impossible to marry off. She drives away all of her suitors — including Don Garcia, who just stopped by. Caesar is worried about keeping the wealth in the family… so if she won’t get married, he will.
- Victoria, a cousin and friend of Olivia, recently arrived in Madrid. She is Don Carlos’s wife — and needs to get him and their wealth back. Luckily, she has a plan up her sleeve…
- Minette, Olivia’s waiting woman, loves a good secret — and is good at keeping them. Though she’s in on most, there’s one she still doesn’t know: who Olivia truly loves.
- Don Vincentio, a man obsessed with music, comes to woo Olivia. It seems like he is willing to adapt to almost all of her quirky requests… but Olivia tries to find his weakness.
- That evening, Julio and a drunk Carlos meet a veiled Olivia and veiled Victoria in the town square…
- Frustrated with his daughter’s lack of a marriage, Don Caesar decides he’ll propose to his neighbor’s 19 year old daughter, Marcella.
- Laura has been seeing Florio and is deeply enamored. It also “just so happens” that Florio is… Victoria in disguise! Victoria hopes that, with Laura’s affections, she can win back her and Carlos’ estate.
- Don Garcia and Don Vincentio run into their friend Don Julio — and have very different experiences with trying to woo Olivia. Convinced they must not be talking about the same person, Don Julio resolves to see her himself and sort out who’s lying about her character.
- Don Julio wants to find the identity of the flirty woman with whom he had an evening rendezvous. For the first time, his interest is truly piqued… if only she’d have taken off her veil!
- Confused identities, schemes for love, sneaky hjinks, and vulnerable reveals ensue…
I started directing classics because I loved the language — and yet I wanted to “fix” how the women were portrayed. With edits, carefully-framed moments, and gender-bent casting, I took the classic plays I knew and twisted them into pretzels to better present the dynamic women I knew in real life.
…then I discovered that women have always been writing. Expand the Canon is a celebration of just that: classics by women throughout history. We’ve researched, found, and read hundreds of them. And to make it easier for you, we curated a list of our favorites. (Discover them all for yourself at ExpandTheCanon.com!)
This 1783 play by Hannah Cowley challenges many of our assumptions about the period: especially that women had little control over their fates. In Bold Stroke for a Husband, all five women have agency around what happens to them, who they marry, who they love, and setting their own boundaries. This isn’t a new idea, and we don’t have to go only to contemporary work to find it!
Hannah Cowley was inspired to become a writer in response to men’s plays. With direct reference to Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew (and several other titles: I’ll let you listen for the easter eggs), she – like Shakespeare – takes the best elements of a story and draws out the world she’d rather see.
As with Taming, we have a father hoping to marry off his daughter. And that daughter resisting each match. But here, it’s not for a man to tame her – but to capture her heart. As with Taming, we get a pair of fun-but-unsuccessful suitors and plenty of witty wooing. But unlike Taming, we see a land-owning woman, romantic and sexual freedoms, a contrastingly gentle approach to wedded love,and a woman leading the disguise plot.
But rather than steeping ourselves in comparison, I invite you to enjoy the fun, passionate world of Hannah Cowley’s romantic idea of Spain. I believe she wrote the plays she wanted to see, with the kinds of women she knew, loved, and understood shown there. I hope you, too, love, understand, and laugh with these brilliant characters — knowing that women’s history and legacy have always been much more dynamic than we’ve acknowledged. Find 50+ more plays at ExpandTheCanon.com, or on our podcast, This Is A Classic!
– Emily Lyon