Delaware Shakespeare is pleased to announced that the role of Henry will be played this summer by Emilie Krause.
Emilie played Silvia for Del Shakes in 2013’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona. As frequently happens, actors that we engage early in their careers proceed to exciting heights. Emilie has since worked with some of the top theatres in Philadelphia, including Arden Theatre Company and People’s Light & Theatre Company. She received a Barrymore nomination for her performance in Theatre Exile’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and she is just coming off a well-received production of Three Sisters at The Studio Theatre (one the top companies in the D.C. theatre scene).
Emilie is over the moon at the opportunity to play Henry, and to work at Delaware Shakespeare again. You can learn more about Emilie HERE.
You may have noticed something about Emilie. Indeed, Emilie is a female actor who will be playing a male historical king. We thought we’d take a few moments to give you insight into why this casting decision was made.
We auditioned men and women for the role. Without a particular actor in mind, we wanted to cast the net as wide as possible to find the most exciting actor for the part. Emilie topped our list.
In Shakespeare’s Henry IV plays leading up to Henry V, Henry is characterized as an underdog king, a young ruler who no one anticipates will be up to the task of ruling.
“I became interested in who we traditionally look to as potential leaders and what great leaders we miss out on because of that,” director Jessica Bedford says. “Casting a woman as Henry helps in subtle ways to create an atmosphere of a ruler who faces challenges to their authority, a ruler some people might overlook.”
For proof of Jessica’s point, one need only look at the percentages of women CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and women in the US House and Senate.
We look forward to sharing Emilie’s performance with you this summer!
