Measure for Measure

The Eno River Players presents a new staging of Measure for Measure, William Shakespeare’s most searching exploration of sexual politics and social justice. The play takes place in Vienna, a city beset with brothels and loose morality, that is besieged with a syphilis pandemic. Director Leo Egger sets his production in the hallway of a small Christian hospital in the late 1980s. A custodian takes on the role of The Duke, who refuses to clean up the city, and quickly spins his fantasy, enlisting those around him—head nurse, resident, chaplain—to fill out the roles. Though the story unfolds in 17th-century Vienna, the theatrical machinery is drawn entirely from the world of the hospital. As the play progresses, the hospital is overwhelmed, though for the staff, the chaos and misery have become routine.