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Thursday, September 04, 2025
For Maev Beaty and Irene Poole, Stratford’s Ransacking Troy offers a chance ‘to smash the Bechdel test all to pieces’
Intermission Magazine: Erin Shields’ new play Ransacking Troy refuses to travel the path of least resistance.
Now playing at the Stratford Festival, this feminist reimagining of Homer’s epics, directed by Jackie Maxwell, casts a searing look at sacrifices made in the name of male glory. More daring still is the play’s confrontation with the question of how to create systemic change.
2 comments:
Mothman
said...
This article reminds me of a news story I read a few years ago about how the Bible had only been translated by men up to that point and when a woman translated it she noticed some discrepancies. The translation choices that previously had been made by men had been biased and sexist, whether intentionally or not is up for debate but it makes a difference. And this take on Homer reminds me of that and how a women’s feminist perspective can add and change a lot about historical work when given the chance. It is so frustrating to live in a world dictated by the patriarchy and systems and culture that tells women to be silent to be gracious and never angry and being able to express anger is very cathartic when it has been something that is seen as wrong. Especially when there is a lot for women to be angry about.
This was such an interesting article and such an interesting concept for a show. There are two major thoughts that I had while reading this article. The first was how I love modern works that depict events from Greek Epic Poems. I do not know what it is about them or me, but I just find them so fascinating and interesting. I got the opportunity to see Punchdrunk’s The Burnt City, which was a truly immersive choose your own adventure experience that was loosely the story line of the fall of Troy, and it was one of the coolest experiences that I have ever had. The other thought that came to mind was this notion that the article claims is play, “smashes the Bechdel test all to pieces.” I have some questions about this. I personally am not a big fan of measuring a work's goodness by whether it passes the Bechdel test or not, because to me, passing the Bechdel test should be the baseline for any modern work.
2 comments:
This article reminds me of a news story I read a few years ago about how the Bible had only been translated by men up to that point and when a woman translated it she noticed some discrepancies. The translation choices that previously had been made by men had been biased and sexist, whether intentionally or not is up for debate but it makes a difference. And this take on Homer reminds me of that and how a women’s feminist perspective can add and change a lot about historical work when given the chance. It is so frustrating to live in a world dictated by the patriarchy and systems and culture that tells women to be silent to be gracious and never angry and being able to express anger is very cathartic when it has been something that is seen as wrong. Especially when there is a lot for women to be angry about.
This was such an interesting article and such an interesting concept for a show. There are two major thoughts that I had while reading this article. The first was how I love modern works that depict events from Greek Epic Poems. I do not know what it is about them or me, but I just find them so fascinating and interesting. I got the opportunity to see Punchdrunk’s The Burnt City, which was a truly immersive choose your own adventure experience that was loosely the story line of the fall of Troy, and it was one of the coolest experiences that I have ever had. The other thought that came to mind was this notion that the article claims is play, “smashes the Bechdel test all to pieces.” I have some questions about this. I personally am not a big fan of measuring a work's goodness by whether it passes the Bechdel test or not, because to me, passing the Bechdel test should be the baseline for any modern work.
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