Looking for Guenevere
Looking for Guenevere is a one–act play in three scenes that retells Arthurian legend from a woman's perspective. The characters are two contemporary women who, over the course of an evening, embark on an imaginative search for the "real" Queen of Camelot. Beginning with reminiscences of their first encounters with Arthurian myth, they begin to share stories from their own lives that are similar to events in Guenevere's. When they devise and play a game in which each, in turn, "becomes" Guenevere, the lighthearted nature of their discussion changes. They uncover previously hidden aspects of the Arthurian tales, and more importantly, of their own life stories which are alternately painful, terrifying, and comforting.
Looking for Guenevere had a premiere sold–out run at DCAC (District of Columbia Arts Center), March 18 thru April 2, 1994. That production was truly a multimedia event. The actors were accompanied on stage by two silent characters, or "conjurers," who acted as a kind of participating chorus, commenting with movement on the dialogue between the two women. Original music connected the three scenes and also wove in and out of the text, and the set included an elaborately painted three–paneled backdrop that changed with each scene.
What the press had to say:
Solari's background as a poet is often obvious in her choice of imagery, and she's a bit of a comic, too. The message – that Guenevere's transformation into abbess after her life of passion was a positive choice – is convincingly delivered and surprisingly uplifting.
–The Washington Post
Solari studies the legend with an objective eye and comes up with telling observations. Even her speculations, as the two women take turns inventing entries in Guenevere's journal, feel right. Very good indeed.
–The Washington Times
For further information on Looking for Guenevere, including performance rights, contact Rose at [email protected].