Women Beware Women

Destruction triumphs in Toi Whakaari end of year show.

Playing the system means playing the game, in this world where the fresh and beautiful are hot commodities.

Toi Whakaari presents Women Beware Women by Thomas Middleton (1657), reconceived by Fiona Samuel (2020) and directed by 2015 NZ Arts Foundation Laureate, Sara Brodie.

Love is swiftly corrupted and the innocent schooled to survive. A virgin is beguiled into her uncle’s bed, a wife is pawned, and her cuckolded husband is bribed to be a widow’s sugar boy. She who controls their secrets manipulates the game. But the servants see all and the silenced will speak. Deadly snares are set towards a Jacobean finale in which destruction plays her triumph.

“Fiona Samuel has created a sharp, lighting paced, and insightful new take on Thomas Middleton's play. It is an arch and transactional world, not that dissimilar from our own, thrown into stark relief and suitably Jacobean tragic extremes; a lesson in playing the system, much like a game of chess, and the inevitable collateral damage,” says Brodie.

Toi Whakaari, Tumuaki, Tanea Heke says a production of this scale provides an opportunity for all disciplines taught within the school to collaborate.

“The Term Four production is the chance for our students to showcase their skills to diverse audiences including industry, friends, whānau and the public demonstrating how far their training is taking them”, says Heke.

Women Beware Women is designed, created and managed by Toi Whakaari graduating Arts Management, Design, Set & Props and Costume students while our second year Actors take the stage.

There is nothing quite like ‘live’ theatre to bring to life a Jacobean tragedy with all its deadly snares in which destruction plays her triumph.

Learn by me to know your foes!

Tickets are on sale now for this exciting season https://toiwhakaari.ac.nz/current-shows/women-beware-women

Women Beware Women
By Thomas Middleton
Reworked by Fiona Samuel