Temple Theaters Will Present THE ANASTASIA TRIALS IN THE COURT OF WOMEN
The play is written by Carolyn Gage and directed by Temple Professor Lynne Innerst.
By: Nicole Rosky Jan. 30, 2026
Five women stand accused. The plaintiff is Anastasia Romanov, sole survivor of the massacre of the Russian imperial Romanoff family in 1918. Are these women guilty of robbing poor Anastasia of her identity, or she a fraud? The verdict is in your hands.
Inspired by the enduring mystery of the "lost Romanoff" and true tales of hucksters who attempted to bend the tale for their own purposes. The Anastasia Trials in the Court of Women is a funny and profoundly engaging feminist courtroom comedy-drama where the audience serves as judge and jury, deciding motions and determining the final resolution.
Written by award-winning playwright Carolyn Gage and directed by Temple Professor Lynne Innerst, The Anastasia Trials in the Court of Women performs at the Randall Theater (2020 N 13th St, Philadelphia PA) on February 19th, 10th, 21st, and February 23rd at 7:30pm, and February 21st and 22nd at 2pm.
The Anastasia Trials premiered in 2002 at Cauldron & Labrys Productions in Portland, Maine and has been performed internationally, translated into Italian, and was a national finalist for the Jane Champers Award by the Association for Theatre in Higher Education. Called, "A feminist Noises Off." by the Washington City Press, Off Our Backs said the play was a "fabulously interesting, brilliantly thought-provoking and exquisitely funny... masterpiece of feminist theater." Temple Theater's production marks The Anastasia Trials Philadelphia premiere.
The format is play-within-a-play, where we find a radical feminist theatre troupe coming together to perform a courtroom drama. The work they create is shaped by audience decisions to overrule or sustain the attorneys' motions. Because of this intriguing device every night's audience may see a different show with a different outcome. Just who IS the woman who sits before you?
The Anastasia Trials is a farcical and insightful excursion into the hidden world of ethics for women who are both survivors and perpetrators of abuse. In the end, the show poses a profound question surrounding what it means for women to betray women patriarchal systems.
COVID POLICIES FOR THE 2025-26 SEASON
Temple University continues to be informed by guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the City of Philadelphia. Masking is no longer a requirement in Philadelphia, and is optional in indoor, non-healthcare spaces at Temple University. Due to the size of our venues, and for the safety of our unmasked performers, we strongly encourage audience members to be masked. Additionally, we ask any patron who is exhibiting symptoms to please coordinate with the Box Office to reschedule their visit. Visit the university's COVID-19 Resource Hub for additional information.
ABOUT TEMPLE THEATERS
Located on the northern edge of the Avenue of the Arts, Temple Theaters is the production arm of the Department of Theater, a program that has established itself as a destination for some of the finest university theater training in the nation. Temple University's Department of Theater offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in acting, design, directing, musical theater, playwriting and theater education. As part of Center for Performing and Cinematic Arts, the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts offers hallmark programs in theater, film and media arts that engage students with nationally and internationally recognized faculty and fuse the high-quality training with rigorous scholarship and artistry.
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