Hold Me Well
A World Premiere by Eva Suter
Directed by Rudy Ramirez
​
Is desire the key to humanity’s survival or its destruction? What happens when past mistakes inflict fresh wounds? When fear turns to paranoia and dedication turns to deception? Join us for Shrewd Productions' world premiere of Hold Me Well, a post-apocalyptic re-imagining of one the most captivating tales of seduction, jealousy and betrayal ever written, William Shakespeare’s Othello.
​
Inspired by 70's era sci-fi and Shakespeare's Othello, Eva Suter’s Hold Me Well envisions a desolate, Central Texas inhabited solely by women after a weapon, the result of a catastrophic war, has eradicated the male population. With the threat of another war dangling precariously over their heads and a new romance quickly unfolding before them, five women bound by the tragedy must entrust their lives to one another in order to save themselves and humanity. Charged with the treacherous task of protecting “the seed,” an old grudge, constant fear and waning hope threatens to upend their unity and their safety.
Hold Me Well ran July 15 - August 7, 2017 at the Off Shoot
Cast
Amelia - Ellie McBride
Desiree - Hayley Armstrong
Odele - Elizabeth Mason
Casey - Emily Rankin*
Raquel - Taylor Flanagan
Production Crew
Director - Rudy Ramirez
Producer - Clarissa Smith Hernandez, Shannon Grounds
Stage Manager - Amy Lewis
Set Design - Patrick Anthony & Chaz Sanders
Costume Designer - E.L. Hohn
Lighting Designer - Patrick Anthony
Sound Design - David DeMaris
"There are no wasted words or scenes. In fact, every moment of the play builds on the preceding with deliberate and energizing certitude. Like modern movies or Netflix serials, every ten minutes or so there is another twist, another mini-cliffhanger drawing the audience along with suspense-ridden curiosity and amplified intensity."
Brian Paul Cipione - CTX Live Theatre
​
"The most interesting aspect of Suter's work is her approach to its feminist themes. Absent a gender dynamic, Suter plays authentically with ideas of civilization without patriarchy. The world she's crafted is no matriarchal utopia that's better off without men; it's crumbling because of the stunning and sudden decline in population. And the women depicted here miss the men – their fathers, sons, brothers, husbands, and lovers. They honor them as souls lost to calamity. They find solace in companionship, honoring one another as survivors, each a part of a new world, trying to find their place, hoping to continue the human race however possible. Ramirez's direction reflects this thinking, from the play's first moment of discovery to its stunning conclusion (departing from Othello in all the right ways). Ramirez focuses on the script's painstaking attention to the many forms of love these women have for each other."
Shannon Weaver - Austin Chronicle
Video Trailer - Magic Spoon Productions
Publicity Photos - Errich Peterson
Production Photos - Kimberley Mead