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RedWit Theatre presents
In the Next Room (Or the Vibrator Play)

Written by Sarah Ruhl and Directed by Mallory Fisher
A play about the importance of including women in the room of invention.

Set at the dawn of the age of electricity and based on the bizarre hypothesis that Victorian doctors used vibrators to treat ‘hysterical’ women (and some men), this play centers around a doctor, his wife, the patients, and their respective households through an exploration of this new invention that has the potential to change everything.

In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play) explores the danger of being denied language to describe your experience, the power women wield through ownership of their sexuality, and the pursuit of freedom through the destruction of binaries. By pulling this story to a contemporary realm, our production challenges how much progress has actually been made since the notoriously prudish Victorian era. In this production we imagine a new world order that demolishes extant power structures provoking the question: where do we go from here?


In the Next Room (Or The Vibrator Play) was written by Sarah Ruhl as commissioned by the Berkley Repertory Theatre for it’s premiere in February, 2009 before opening on Broadway in October, 2009. The play was nominated for three Tony Awards, including: Best Play, Best Featured Actress in a Play, and Best Costume Design. RedWit Theatre’s production is directed by Mallory Fisher (Three Sisters/Richard III, Wolf Manor Theatre Collective) and Intimacy Directed by Scott Emerson Moyle (Dauntless Theatre). The production features Hannah Wayne-Phillips as Catherine Givings (King Lear/Twelfth Night, Canadian Stage) Allison Shea Reed as Sabrina Daldry (A-Door Me/Living with Olivia Cadence Donovan, RedWit/New York Theatre Festival), Christina Fox (Three Sisters, Wolf Manor Theatre Collective) as Dr. Givings, Asha James (Theory, Tarragon Theatre) as Elizabeth, Krystina Bojanowski (Romeo and (her) Juliet, Headstrong/Urban Bard) as Annie, Sepehr Reybod (Territorial Tales, Canadian Stage) as Leo Irving, and Tristan Claxton (Hamlet(s), Skipping Stones Theatre) as Mr. Daldry. The creative team consists of Stage Manager and Lighting Designer Olivia-Cassidy Stupka (Living with Olivia Cadence Donovan, Red Wit), Costume Designer Judie Plaza (Debordering/Peeled), Hair and Make-up Designer Emily Power (Sheridan College), Associate Intimacy Director Lisa Karen Cox (Now You See Her, Quote Unquote Collective/Why Not/Nightwood), Associate Producer and Set Designer Hannah Wayne-Phillips (Living with Olivia Cadence Donovan, RedWit), and Executive Producer Allison Shea Reed. (Artistic Director/Founder, RedWit Theatre)

RedWit Theatre was founded in 2017 by Allison Shea Reed out of pure frustration with the lack of intelligent and fulfilling roles for young women in the theatre, let alone more than one in a piece. Since, RedWit Theatre has mounted three shows: A-Door Me (New York New Works semi-finalist), Living with Olivia Cadence Donovan (NY Theatre Festival), and Living with Olivia Cadence Donovan (Canadian Premiere). RedWit Theatre is committed to producing theatre that addresses themes and issues pervasive in North American Culture that regularly go unspoken or are considered taboo. We strive to bring theatre to audiences through education and frank portrayals that we hope will open up an honest and respectful dialogue while simultaneously creating allies for communities that are stigmatized and inadequately portrayed in the entertainment industry. Our goal at RedWit is not just to make spectacular theatre but to make theatre that matters. Find out more at: https://redwittheatre.com

CONTENT WARNINGS: This show is not suitable for all audiences. Contains sexual content and partial nudity, recommended ages 15+.

Playwright – Sarah Ruhl

Director – Mallory Fisher

Intimacy Director – Scott Emerson Moyle

Catherine Givings – Hannah Wayne-Phillips
Sabrina Daldry – Allison Shea Reed
Dr. Givings – Christina Fox
Elizabeth – Asha James
Annie – Krystina Bojanowski
Mr. Daldry – Tristan Claxton
Leo Irving – Sepehr Reybod

Executive Producer – Allison Shea Reed

Associate Producer – Hannah Wayne-Phillips
Stage Manager – Olivia-Cassidy Stupka
Associate Intimacy Director – Lisa Karen Cox
Hair/Make-up Designer – Emily Power
Costume Designer – Judie Plaza
Sound/Lighting Designer – Olivia-Cassidy Stupka

Production Media Contact: Allison Shea Reed, Executive Producer E: redwitproductions@gmail.com

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