The Revolutionists at Violet Surprise Theatre (touring)

The Revolutionists by Lauren Gunderson celebrates four women of the French Revolution: writer Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, Haitian activist Marianne Angelle, and infamous ruler Marie-Antoinette. Described by Gunderson as a comedy, a quartet, a revolutionary dream fugue, and a true story based on real women, real transcripts, and real executions, the play is simultaneously insightful and hilarious. The production is non-hierarchically double-cast, with cast ensembles named Femme Brûlée and The Guillo-Queens, featuring performers including Pearlie Blue Leaf, Whitney Pipes, Tera Flores, Allison Fradkin, Kit Kelly, Leslie SR Beebe, Scottlynn Stroming, and Bonnie Hart, directed by Iris Sowlat. The touring production performs in non-traditional community spaces across Chicago, Milwaukee, and northern Illinois, including public libraries, churches, and parks, with a talkback following each performance.