Feminist Fringe Show Inspired By Roe V. Wade to Open in September

The Pecking Order is a live performance event born out of grief and disbelief after the 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The piece is inspired by the wife and daughters of the supreme court judge who penned the original opinion, Justice Harry Blackmun. 

He was married with three daughters, one of which became pregnant out of wedlock and dropped out of college at 19. This 70s-inspired tragicomedy imagines a make-believe version of what their dinner table conversations might have been like, and highlights the absurdity of women's rights being thrust back in time. In a typically unpredictable Paper Dolls fashion, The Pecking Order asks provocative questions about unplanned pregnancy, family dynamics, and women's rights.

“Our initial impulse was to scream 'abortion is healthcare' from the rooftops. But to separate this difficult conversation one degree from the 'real world,' we are using the metaphor of chickens and eggs. This symbolism illustrates how America views gestating bodies: as machines and vessels of production. We are committed to exploring the complexities of what a gestating person experiences when confronted with pregnancy, the absence of choice, and how to navigate the private decision being of public dispute,” says Artistic Director, Sara Vanasse. 

The Pecking Order runs from September 21 - October 1 at the Player & Players Skinner Studio. Admission is Pay What You Decide, $20 suggested. For tickets visit https://phillyfringe.org/events/the-pecking-order/ 

 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Eliza Carson (she/her, “Bonnie”) is an actor and educator who graduated with a BFA in Acting from the University of Connecticut in 2022. She also trained at Shakespeare and Company in the Summer Conservatory of 2019. At UConn she appeared in many productions with Connecticut Repertory Theatre including The Wolves, Food for the Gods, Pericles, and It's A Wonderful Life. After touring France with Pickles Theatre Company this winter, she moved to Philly and is so excited to get to know this theatre community! www.elizacarson.com

Grayce Carson (she/her, “Fanny”) is a versatile and passionate multidisciplinary artist, deeply engaged in the realms of theatre and marketing. This co-founder of Paper Doll Ensemble is a Pennsylvania native now rooted in the vibrant community of West Philly. She is an alumna of UPenn (C'16), where she performed in the Penn Museum and Edinburgh Fringe Festival. With a diverse range of marketing projects, Grayce has collaborated with clients including the Cannonball Fringe hub, Applied Mechanics, Broken Mirror Studio, Plays & Players Theatre, the All Bones Considered podcast, and more. She has performed with ArcheDream for Humankind, White Box Theatre, White Pines Production, GoPuff (commercial), and others. She is also the momager for Pepper Rose, her TikTok influencer pup. @pepperrosepuppy www.graycecarson.com 

Dr. Marcia Ferguson (she/her, “Dottie” and Composer) is a Barrymore-nominated actor, director and educator. She has acted in film and television in LA, New York, Philadelphia and Tokyo, and appeared in/directed several original shows for Edinburgh and Philadelphia Fringe festivals. Philadelphia theatre: the Wilma, Painted Bride, Act II Playhouse, Irish Heritage, Paper Dolls, White Box, Mediums, Juniper productions, the Daedalus String Quartet, and others. The author of two books on theatre, she has trained extensively with Meredith Monk and was certified in neutral mask by the London International School of Performing Arts. She recently retired from 23 years as a core faculty member of Penn's Theatre Arts Program, which she directed from 2013-2016, where she received the Provost's Award for Excellence in Teaching. She is thrilled to be playing Dottie, and thanks the dolls for this opportunity! www.marcialferguson.com 

Chad Haddad (he/him, Stage Manager) has designed and managed for a variety of theatre companies and devised projects in Philadelphia including Quince Productions, the Daedalus Quartet, White Box Theatre, Juniper Productions, The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium, and Paper Dolls Ensemble. Chad still practices as a registered nurse and is board-certified in gerontology and emergency nursing. He thoroughly revels in the unique niche of devised, femme-focused absurdity that the Paper Dolls Ensemble has unleashed onto Philadelphia. Wish Chad luck as he is applying to medical schools this year!

Amanda Jensen (she/her, Lighting and Set Designer) is a Philadelphia based lighting designer and founding member of Paper Doll Ensemble. Amanda has designed for 1812 Productions (This is the Week That Is), The Arden (No Child, Treasure Island, Snow White), Theatre Exile (Really, D-Pad, Abandon), The Lantern (The Heir Apparent, The Lifespan of a Fact), Inis Nua (A Hundred Words For Snow, Monster In The Hall), Almanac (Xoxo Moongirl, Communitas), Missing Bolts Theatre Co. (Rail), and Delaware Shakespeare Co. (Midsummer, Tempest). Her design work in lighting was exhibited at the 2019 Prague Quadrennial as part of the USITT/USA exhibition of professional designers. 

Simi Toledano (she/they, “Joni”) is delighted to perform in their third Paper Doll Ensemble production! Simi recently directed an original play So Sad, So Sexy at The Tank in NYC. They studied acting with Terry Knickerbocker at The William Esper Studio. Currently she is developing a new show unofficially titled “The Ancestor Project” with Tapestry Collective, an NYC based feminist devised theater collective she co-founded in 2016. Simi is also an award winning filmmaker and writer, certified consulting hypnotist, and ritual leader based in Philadelphia.

Sara Vanasse (“she/her, Outside Eye”) is a theatremaker, actor, and visual artist. Sara holds an MFA in Devised Performance from The University of the Arts (2016) and a certificate from the Pig Iron School for Advanced Performance Training (2015). She is a co-founding member and the Artistic Director of Paper Doll Ensemble. Previously, she has been a creator and performer with Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Revamp Collective's Artist's Lab, The Hopefuls, Antigravity Theatre Project, Automatic Arts, Beacon Theatre Productions, Butter & Serve Theatre Company, and The National Theatre Institute at the O'Neill Theatre Centre. Love to Luke, Carl, & Gus. 

Ava Weintzweig (they/them, Sound Designer) is a Philly-based actor and sound designer. Some of their recent credits include THE LAST PARADE with InterAct, IS EDWARD SNOWDEN SINGLE? with Single Carrot, CARROLL COUNTY FIX with Azuka, and PLUM BUN with EgoPo. When they're not working onstage or backstage, they can be found in box offices across the Greater Philadelphia Area. To find out more about their work, you can check out their website at https://aweintzweig.wixsite.com/home, or follow them on Instagram @weintswag.

ABOUT PAPER DOLL ENSEMBLE

Paper Doll Ensemble is a feminist theatre collective founded in 2017 by Amanda Jensen, Sara Vanasse, and Grayce Carson. Paper Dolls devise original work that combines comedy, dance theatre, and visual art to create captivating worlds with character-driven narratives that illuminate the absurdity of everyday life and our political climate. Their work has been featured at Plays & Players Theatre in Center City, the Philly Fringe Festival, Ukraine Fringe, Alabama International Fringe, and "East to Edinburgh" with 59E59 Theaters in New York. For more, visit paperdollensemble.com

ABOUT PLAYS & PLAYERS

Plays & Players began in 1911 as a social club devoted to expanding and developing new theater experiences for and by its membership. The first President, Maud Durbin Skinner, was the wife of the famed American actor Otis Skinner. The Plays & Players Theatre, then called the “Little Theatre of Philadelphia,” first opened its doors in 1913. The theater was founded by Beulah E. Jay and her husband Edward G. Jay, Jr. with acquaintance F.H. Shelton in an effort to produce “American plays of ideas,” an underrepresented genre at the time. During its 100 years of performing, Plays & Players theater company has produced innumerable notable performances — some of the most noteworthy being the world premiere of the acclaimed Broadway play “Stalag 17” in 1949, and a childhood performance by actor Kevin Bacon in “Member of the Wedding” in 1974. 

In the 1960′s Plays & Players decided to grow from being a members only club to an all inclusive one, and opened its productions to the entire community. In the 70′s the Plays and Players Children's Theater was added to its busy schedule. On March 14, 1973, Plays & Players Theatre was entered in the National Register of Historic Places. Over the course of the twentieth century, Plays & Players expanded its repertoire beyond community theater to include workshops, classes and more. In 2011-2012, Plays & Players celebrated its 100th season of performances by local artists in Philadelphia.

Once an exclusive club, Plays & Players has grown over the years into a professional theater devoted to supporting established and emerging local artists in practicing and performing their craft. A historic company existing in a vibrant modern arts scene, Plays & Players continues to change and grow with the times while always keeping an eye on its rich and powerful past.

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