Mother’s Daughter is the third part of a Queenmaker trilogy by Kate Hennig. The trilogy explores the lives of  Elizabeth I, Mary, Katherine Parr, and other influential women in the monarchy, who have often been overshadowed by the dominant male narrative. This specific play follows Princess Mary—daughter of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon—after the death of King Edward VI when she seizes the throne from Edward’s rightful heir and becomes England’s first queen regnant.

Not too long after her ascension into her royal title, the ghost of Mary’s mother, Katherine of Aragon (called Catalina), appears to her and begins to make Mary question the motives of her cousin Jane and half-sister Bess. Queen Mary is tossed into a whirlwind of distrust, politics, religion, and ethics, forcing her to make some hard decisions. Should she execute her opponents before it’s too late, as her father did? Should she scramble to find a husband who can give her a rightful heir? This new queen must face xenophobia, religious nationalism, and strained familial bonds in the power struggle, which would end up earning her the name “Bloody Mary.” 

Kate Hennig’s series of plays is distinct because it covers the lives of important women in history who are easily overlooked or criticized. There isn’t much information about who these women were outside of their political roles as Tudor Queens. Hennig humanizes them by not sugarcoating their issues and struggles. Instead, she highlights their thoughts and feelings rather than focusing solely on the events that occurred. Hennig also draws attention to the need for agency and freedom of choice these characters had, during a time when even Queens didn’t have much power. History books are mostly based on men’s views of these Queens during their reign and are extremely biased due to external views of women in power during that time. 

From March 20 to 29, there will be a production of Mother’s Daughter by the drama program in the Greystone Theatre, directed by Fraser Stevens, a new professor with the USask Drama Department. 

The cast for this play consists of students from the USask Drama Department including:

• Rebecca Spilchak as Mary, the new queen. 
• Paulina Salisbury as Basset, a progressive and bookish lady-in-waiting for Mary. 
• Nick Gillis plays two characters: Bess, Mary’s intelligent and precocious half-sister, and Anne Boleyn, an ambitious mother.
•  Cadence Brehaut as Catalina (Katherine of Aragon), Mary’s deceased mother. 
• Alida Schulhauser as Lady Jane, Mary’s sixteen-year-old cousin who is very committed to her faith and exudes innocence and naivety.
•  Toni San Antonio as Susan, Mary’s protective and devoted lady-in-waiting
• Corbin Basso as Simon, an impatient diplomat who helps guide Mary through this new political world she has been thrown into.

Students are also involved in the management and design team for this production. Aiden Maddison and Scott Eaton are the stage manager and assistant stage manager, respectively. Nicole Tarry designed the set, while Patrick Lomas worked on the lighting design. 

There were also a few professors and staff members from the drama department who contributed to the production as well. Carla Orosz worked with Patrick Lomas on the lighting design. Ken MacKenzie served as the production manager and helped with projection design. Brooklyn Bitner selected and crafted the props the actors interacted with in the play. Beverly Kobelsky was the head of wardrobe, which means she put together the costuming for the actors on stage. Finally, there is Rochelle Wright, the composer and sound designer for this production. 

The set is quite simple yet extremely beautiful and elegant. An assortment of white fabric hanging from the ceiling, tied together to depict different scenes and environments. It adds an eerie feeling to the environment at times in combination with the light that heightens the emotions in the scene. The costumes are a mixture of modern and Tudor fashion, fitting with the script and story of Mother’s Daughter, which uses modern slang occasionally to tell Queen Mary’s story.

Mother’s Daughter will run once daily from March 20 to March 29 (excluding March 23) at the Greystone Theatre. For tickets and more information on the play, visit https://artsandscience.usask.ca/news/articles/10113/Greystone_Theatre_Mothers_Daughter. Tickets can be purchased through the Greystone Theatre’s website or in person at specific times in the Greystone Theatre Daytime Box Office (Room 183 in the John Mitchell Building). Student tickets are offered for a reduced price. 

Support USask Drama students and the Greystone Theatre by attending and experiencing this enticing play!