“She’s The Man,” an unhopped IPA, celebrates THT Rep’s Twelfth Night and Judith
PRESS RELEASE / April 9, 2024 WORCESTER, MA – Redemption Rock Brewing Co. and The Hanover Theatre Repertory (THT Rep) today announced the release of a new collaborative beer that celebrates the April 13 opening of the theater’s two newest plays: William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, and Judith – a brand new Shakespeare-inspired play created by Livy Scanlon, the Artistic Director of THT Rep.
The beer, called “She’s The Man,” is an unhopped IPA brewed with spruce and fir tips, grapefruit peel, and heather. The idea was sparked from a line from Twelfth Night, “Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?” In Shakespearean times, “ale” differed from “beer” specifically by not using hops but with various other botanicals. Drawing inspiration from this, the brewery aimed to recreate the popular IPA style without using hops, its typical signature ingredient.
“We’re excited about ‘She’s The Man’ because it not only explores historical brewing traditions, but, like Twelfth Night and Judith, it messes around with expectations of identity and expression to create something new, exciting, and a bit silly,” said Dani Babineau, CEO and co-founder of Redemption Rock Brewing. “It’s both subversive and fun, just like the plays it’s inspired by.”
In Twelfth Night, the romantic comedy by Shakespeare, hilarity ensues when genders are swapped, identities are mistaken, and love triangles entangle. The story centers on twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck. Stranded, Viola dresses as a man to protect herself, only to fall in love with the Duke Orsino. The Duke, in turn, is in love with Countess Olivia. Upon meeting, however, the Countess falls in love with Viola, mistaking her for a man. The play served as inspiration for the iconic 2006 Amanda Bynes film, She’s The Man.
In Judith, a new solo play created by and starring Scanlon and written by Katie Bender, Judith – an imaginary sister of Shakespeare conjured up by Virgina Woolf – assumes her brother’s identity and travels to London to save his reputation. In a patriarchal, politically-charged, deeply divided nation, she discovers the pleasures and pitfalls of passing as a man while becoming the poet known around town – and to history – as The Bard, and explores ambition, self-worth, and queer identity.
“The concepts of gender, identity, and expression are as timeless as Shakespeare’s works, which is why they’re still inspiring new plays, movies, and even beers centuries later,” said Livy Scanlon, Artistic Director of THT Rep. “Both Judith and this unhopped IPA take Shakespearean-era ideas and apply them to modern times, and we’re delighted to be able to enjoy both at the same time.”
“She’s The Man” Unhopped IPA is currently available on tap and in four-packs at the Redemption Rock Brewing taproom at 333 Shrewsbury St. in Worcester, Mass. Enjoy samples of “She’s The Man” at The Hanover Theatre Repertory’s FREE Opening Day Open House from 4-7pm on April 13 or throughout THT Rep’s entire run, while supplies last! Twelfth Night runs April 11 to May 5 and Judith runs April 13 to May 3, both at the BrickBox Theater in the Jean McDonough Arts Center in Worcester, Mass.
Redemption Rock Brewing Co. opened its doors in January 2019, in Worcester, MA. It is a Certified Benefit Corporation (B Corp). It was founded by a team of lifelong (or so) craft beer fanatics. It’s built on the idea that life’s too short not to celebrate great beer and people. Think the beer fest experience: good times with friends, an opportunity to explore all that beer has to offer, and a strong sense of camaraderie and community.
