News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

Behind the Sheet 2019 - Articles Page 9

Run Time:
One hour and 30 minutes, with no intermission
Ages: 16+
Opened: January 17, 2019
Closing: February 10, 2019

Behind the Sheet - 2019 Off-Broadway History , Info & More

Ensemble Studio Theatre
549 West 52nd Street, 2nd Floor New York, NY 10019

Behind the Sheet is inspired by the story of Dr. J. Marion Sims, who is widely known as the controversial "father of modern gynecology." Inventor of the speculum and creator of a technique to cure severe gynecological ailments, he was a champion for women's health when medical schools taught nothing about female reproductive anatomy. However, he made his discoveries by repeatedly performing experimental surgery on his female slaves, including three, Anarcha, Lucy and Betsey, about whom no more is known than their names.

Playwright Charly Evon Simpson imagines the experiences of these women lost to history. In her play, Dr. George Barry purchases slaves who developed painful fistulas during labor. Simpson dramatizes their involuntary participation in Barry's surgeries, as they yearn for a cure and dread the pain of each new surgical experiment. Alongside their suffering, Simpson traces the friendships, loyalties and rivalries that develop between the women as they endure a string of failures in pursuit of the slim hope of relief.


Behind the Sheet - 2019 - Off-Broadway Cast

Get Behind the Sheet Email Alerts

Be the first to get ticket offers, news, photos & more.

Behind the Sheet - 2019 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 9

Behind the Sheet History

Other Productions of Behind the Sheet

2019   Off-Broadway Ensemble Studio Theatre World Premiere
Off-Broadway

Videos