Something wild is coming to Soulpepper Theatre Company this month.
Written and directed by award-winning theatre artist Kat Sandler, “Wildwoman” is a play based on the true story that inspired “Beauty and the Beast.” The show explores the lives of three women in the orbit of King Henry II – including Catherine de Medici – as they fight for survival in 16th-century France.
“The story came out of research,” Sandler said in an interviewwith CP24.com. “I went down a total rabbit hole about this. 99.9 per cent of the story is true – you really couldn’t make this stuff up.”
Sandler says she became “obsessed” with the world of Catherine de Medici.
“She’s one of the OG historical bad girls,” she said with a laugh.
“I love a female anti-hero. In my work, I’m always trying to find out how we can present stories where women behave as badly as the men we find so highly watchable, like Dexter and Hannibal and [Macbeth]. I’m not trying to absolve Catherine of these crimes she committed – the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, for instance, and poisoning her enemies – but I’m trying to contextualize her struggle, and the struggles of the other two women in the play as well.”
Sandler says if her take on Catherine de Medici had a theme song, it would be Billie Eilish’s “bad guy,” which speaks to the overall tone of the play.
It’s not the first time Sandler has directed her own work, and she says she likes it that way.
“It’s my preferred way of working,” she said.
“I really hate working in a vacuum, and I actually hate the process of writing itself. The thing I love is getting in a room with people, and talking about something, and melding it into something new. Ultimately, it’s the people in the cast and the designers who will run the show. I want to create something where they feel agency in that – it’s a living, breathing experience that we’re building together.”
Sandler says the biggest discovery from working on “Wildwoman” has been her own thoughts on good versus evil – and the play frequently addresses that schism.
“There are no real clear villains and heroes, ever,” she said. “I’m trying to write people who are making choices, and existing, rather than serving the purpose of being a device in a story. I f***ing adore living in the gray area. I don’t want it to be easy.
“We’ve made progress in terms of women’s work, and the role of women in society,” she continued, “but we’re still not that far.”
“Wildwoman” kicks off the Her Words Festival at Soulpepper Theatre Company, opening for previews on Oct. 5 and running until Oct. 29. Tickets are available on the Soulpepper website.
