IN THE NEXT ROOM Comes to the Blackfriars Theatre This Month

Enjoy a stimulating evening with Blackfriars Theatre (795 East Main Street) as they rev up for the dangerously funny play, In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play, by Sarah Ruhl, running October 24th – November 9th.

Audiences have been electrified by Sarah Ruhl's cheeky masterpiece ever since it won the Tony Award for Best New Play in 2010. Nominee for the Pulitzer Prize that same year, In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play, is set at the dawn of the age of electricity in a seemingly perfect, well-to-do Victorian home, where scientist Dr. Givings has innocently invented an extraordinary new device for treating “hysteria” in women: the Chattanooga vibrator. Adjacent to the doctor's laboratory, his young and energetic wife Catherine tries to tend to their newborn daughter and wonders exactly what is going on in the next room. When a new “hysterical” patient, Sabrina, and her husband bring a wet nurse and their own complicated relationship into the doctor's home, Dr. and Mrs. Givings must examine the nature of their own marriage, and what it truly means to love someone.

At the top of the list of people who are thrilled to be bringing this story to life is Patricia Lewis Browne, leading the project as the show's director. “In the Next Room is a very funny yet serious exploration of what it means to love and be loved, as well as a searing commentary on a woman's place in society,” says Browne. “Sarah Ruhl combines farcical comings and goings with heart-wrenching moments of missed human connection. It provides a true tour de force for the actors who must navigate both rollicking satire and intimate moments of storytelling.”

In the Next Room was chosen as the second of six shows in Blackfriars' 76th regular subscription season. As a drama with a well-developed sense of humor, it seems a fitting piece to sandwich between two outright comedies. “Part of what we love about this piece is its ability to make serious themes feel accessible by approaching them from a place of innocence,” says Blackfriars artistic director, Brynn Tyszka. “These women barely begin to know their own bodies, let alone their subconscious emotional and societal needs. Watching them discover that knowledge and strength throughout the piece is empowering and uplifting. It's almost surprising how topical it still feels today… and yet not surprising at all.”

Blackfriars Theatre provides an intimate theatre-going experience, with 126 seats in a wraparound configuration—audiences are never more than thirty feet from an actor on stage. Because of the limited seating, it is always recommended that patrons purchase their tickets early to ensure availability. Audiences can see In the Next Room at Blackfriars Theatre from October 24th through November 9th.