Liba Vaynberg's THE MATRIARCHS To Premiere At Theaterlab This Fall

The Matriarchs, a new play by O'Neill playwright Liba Vaynberg directed by Dina Vovsi, is set to premiere in a strictly limited engagement at Theaterlab from September 10 - September 28, 2025.

It's Shabbas. And six squabbling teenage girls at a weekly Talmud lesson negotiate snacks, sex, their souls and everything in between. Loosely based on the underwritten women of the Torah, The Matriarchs charts the journey of six friends as they grow up and out of the orthodoxy. This is a play about girls, gods, mothers, and other creators: for anyone and everyone who doesn't always know what to believe in.

Originally developed with the Civilians and programmed at the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, this THEATERLAB PRESENTS production is produced by Anna & Kitty, Inc., with generous support from the Bronx Cultural Visions Fund, ART/NY Creative Opportunity Fund, and the Venturous Theater Fund of the Tides Foundation.

The cast of The Matriarchs includes Molly Carden (Amerikin at Primary Stages, Emotional Creature at Signature), Helen Cespedes (Broadway: Cripple of Inishmaan & Fefu & Her Friends at TFANA), Rachel Botchan (And Away We Go at the Pearl, God of Vengeance), Rebecca S'manga Frank (At The Weddingat LCT3, Love All: world premiere), Arielle Goldman (Let's Call Her Patty at LCT3, Birthright: world premiere), Anna O'Donoghue (Broadway: Rock'n'Roll, Eurydice at Second Stage), and Frankie Placidi (I'm Repeating Myself at the Brick, Mercury Store Resident Actor).

"This is a play about girls and god. Through a Jewish lens, of course. It's about Judaism, but it's not about Israel and the Holocaust," says playwright Liba Vaynberg. "Because it's important to center Jewish joy, to remember what we're fighting to live for in the first place, and why we keep bringing life into the world and blessing it." Talkbacks for the play include a night with Lilith Magazine as well as discussions with Kelsey Osgood (author of Godstruck), Rabbi Dr. Wendy Zierler, and Leah Gottfriend (creator of Soon By You).

The creative team for The Matriarchs includes Cate McCrea (scenic design), Johanna Pan (costume design), Leslie Lura-Smith (lighting design), Grace Oberhofer (sound design), Jiaying (Erica) Zhang (props design), Sara Minisquero (production stage manager), Jeron Dooling (assistant stage manager), and Miranda Jackel (dramaturgical assistant).