Fair Em, The Miller's Daughter of Manchester
November 6-8, 2025 at MadLab Theatre (227 N 3rd St, Columbus, OH 43215)
BUY TICKETS : https://www.madlab.net/tickets.html
Fair Em, The Miller's Daughter of Manchester
Secret identities, unwanted suitors, the Norman Conquest, grain to mill – what’s a Northern lass in love to do? This is the plot of Fair Em, the Miller’s Daughter of Manchester, an anonymous romantic comedy first performed in London, c.1590. The tenuous but no less tantalizing possibility of Shakespearean authorship has dominated what little critical and editorial attention Fair Em has received. Setting aside the distraction of the play’s authorship, ample material commends it as a dynamic work of drama resonating with modern audiences (e.g., a witty and sizeable female title role) and contemporary critical concerns (e.g., gender, class, and autonomy; the body and identity; region and nation; history and myth; national security and good government).
Cast and Crew↓
CAST
- Blanche ~ Joey Lee, a freshman in Human Nutrition
- DeMarch ~ Soren Veney, a sophomore in English
- Em ~ Analese Mitson, an alumna (’25) in English
- Goddard ~ Colton Weiss, an advisor in Geography
- Lübeck ~ Nick Wear, a post-baccalaureate student in Language Arts Education
- Manville ~ Elizabeth Richmond, a senior in Language Arts Education
- Mariana ~ Juanita Mejia Restrepo, an MA student in Theatre
- Mountney ~ Godfred Ogoe, a PhD student in English
- Sweno ~ Antony Shuttleworth, an assistant professor in English
- Trotter ~ Rida Alamoudi, a sophomore in Theatre
- Valingford ~ Gwendolyn Tankovich, a senior in History
- William the Conqueror ~ Caroline McCoy, a senior in Chemistry
CREW
- Director ~ Cat McMahan, MFA alumna in English (Fiction)
- Assistant Director ~ Jane Dimel, alumna (’23) in English
- Stage Manager ~ Mikayla Schutte, MFA candidate in English (Fiction)
- Dramaturge ~ Lila Wright, PhD candidate in English
- Vocal Coach ~ Colton Weiss, an advisor in Geography
- Assistant Stage Manager ~ David Caitre-Thill, PhD student in Theatre
- Creative Director ~ Sarah Neville, associate professor in English and Theatre
Paratexts↓
Media: Mischief, constancy and fun: discovering Fair Em with Lord Denney’s Players (https://english.osu.edu/news/fair-em-lord-denneys-players)
Production: Program - will be available after November 8, 2025
Production: Edited Film - will be released in early 2026!