Livy Scanlon
Worcester Playmaker

JUDITH 
Written by Katie Bender, this Shakespeare-adjacent solo show with Virginia Woolf vibes explores ambition, self-worth, and queer identity. Scroll down for plot synopsis, information on the World Premiere, regional productions, project history, and more!

​Plot Synopsis

Let me imagine, since facts are so hard to come by, what would have happened had Shakespeare had a wonderfully gifted sister, called Judith, let us say.

Virginia Woolf

SYNOPSIS.  Dressed in drag, Judith assumes her brother's identity and heads to London to save his reputation. In a patriarchal, politically-charged, deeply divided nation, she discovers the pleasures and pitfalls of passing as a man while becoming the poet known around town -- and to history -- as The Bard. Gallivanting in and out of character, Judith is an unexpected solo show that explores ambition, self-worth, and queer identity.

Written by Katie Bender
​Conceived + Performed by Livy Scanlon

Katie Bender, Playwright

World Premiere

World Premiere
​Reviews + Audience Reactions

A wonder of a one-woman show...the ultimate point of Judith seems to be that all of us have untapped potential within...
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Florida Gabber

Scanlon is a Shakespearean shapeshifter, changing voices, accents and body language in the blink of an eye. Along with Judith, Scanlon plays nine other roles in this show.... The mercurial performance is a delight to watch.

Observer

Directed by Brendon Fox... Scanlon is lively, touching and believable as a woman daring to reach beyond the normal to discover more about herself and life in general.
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Sarasota Magazine

Bender tells the story in a style that naturally mixes a contemporary sensibility with the heightened language of the past.
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Sarasota Herald Tribune

World Premiere
​Creative Team

Producer, URBANITE THEATRE.  Director, BRENDON FOX.  Scenic Design, JEFREY WEBER.  Costume Design, ALISON GENSMER.  Lighting Design, MICHAEL PASQUINI.  Sound Design, REW TIPPIN.  Properties + Stage Management, DANIELLE McKAY.  Photography, SORCHA AUGUSTINE.

World Premiere
​Production + Publicity Photos

World Premiere
​Archival Video

Available upon request! 

Regional Productions

2024
Regional Premiere

Presented by The Hanover Theatre Repertory ​in partnership with Urbanite Theatre at the BrickBox Theater in the Jean McDonough Arts Center. Directed by Brendon Fox.

Scenic Design,  CREATIVE TEAM.  Costume Design, ALISON GENSMER (Urbanite). Lighting Design, LAURA J. ECKELMAN.  Sound Design, REW TIPPIN (Urbanite). Properties, DANIELLE McKAY (Urbanite). Production Stage Manager, RAFI LEVAVY.  Photography, MIKE HENDRICKSON.

Project History / Development

2020. Livy Scanlon shares core plot concept with and commissions Katie Bender to write Judith.

2021-2022. Katie develops plot concept and script at Hyde Park Theatre in Austin, TX, where Judith enjoys a staged reading and non-Equity workshop production directed by Madge Darlington, earning a B. Iden Payne award for Best New Script.

March 2023. Judith receives a $14,000 JMAC Access Grant from the Barr Foundation for a live/live-streamed Equity staged reading presented by The Hanover Theatre Repertory in the BrickBox Theater at the Jean McDonough Arts Center, directed by Brendon Fox and pictured above. Photo credit, Mike Hendrickson.

November 2023. Judith enjoys an Off-Broadway reading in New York City produced by All for One at WP Theatre, directed by Alex Keegan.

2024. Judith's World Premiere is produced by Urbanite Theatre in partnership with The Hanover Theatre Repertory, which hosts the Regional Premiere in Worcester, MA. Directed by Brendon Fox.