ROE Begins Performances Tomorrow at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts

Whidbey Island Center for the Arts is one of the first theaters in the country to secure the rights to playwright Lisa Loomer's current script of Roe. The first production of Roe was originally commissioned in 2016 through the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's American Revolutions program. Six years later, the world has changed, and playwright Lisa Loomer reworked the original play to reflect current events - including the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court Decision of Roe v. Wade.

About Roe

Roe travels through various landscapes evoking different Americas. Roe v. Wade was conceived in a pizza parlor, argued in the U.S. Supreme Court, and has been at the center of heated debates ever since. Playwright Lisa Loomer, a Whidbey Island Hedgebrook alum and co-writer of the screenplay Girl Interrupted, brings to the stage a fundamental divide between the cast of 13 characters, along with a large cultural divide.

"WICA's choice to produce this play at this time is a powerful one," said Director Rose Woods, founder and first Artistic Director of Island Shakespeare Company. "A human's right to choose what is right for their own body and beliefs is tantamount to why I chose to do this," said Woods. "It isn't an easy story, but it is an important one."

WICA's Executive Artistic Director Deana Duncan says she was intrigued by the original script, but didn't think it was "spot on" anymore. "Wouldn't it be great if the playwright could update it to now?" Duncan asked. Turns out that Lisa Loomer updates the script every time it's produced in order for it to stay relevant and fresh. "With the help of a Hedgebrook alum, I was able to get in touch with Lisa and her agent," said Duncan. "We won the rights to be one of only three theaters in the country to fully produce this updated script after the fall of Roe v. Wade."

The cast of 11 adult actors and two youth, who portray 52 characters, comes from the Greater Seattle area and Whidbey Island.

Teresa Hess
Helen Roundhill
Katrina Collins Bentsen
Julie Boren
Jacq Babb
Abie Ekenezar
Gail Liston
Lexi Warden
Miles Harrison
Zachary Schneider
Jeff Natter
Layla Akhtar
Kaia Bentsen

Performance Details:

What: Whidbey Island Center for the Arts presents Lisa Loomer's premiere of Roe, directed by Rose Woods.

When: October 7-22, 2022 (Preview is October 7, Pay-What-You-Will at the door. Opening Night is October 8 at 7:30PM).

Where: Whidbey Island Center for the Arts is located at 565 Camano Avenue in Langley, Washington

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