Starting July 9 Celebrate Blood And Bodies With Laughter, Performance And Products

LadyM, an ensemble-devised show about witches and the power of menstruation inspired by Shakespeare's Macbeth and interviews with DC residents, starts previews on July 9 at Joe's Movement Emporium in Mt. Rainier, MD.

LadyM is a transformative, spell-casting, absurdist comedy and that concludes with a chance for audience members to experience, educate, and actively choose their own path towards a new relationship with menstruation. With the help of a grant from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities they were able to interview more than 400 menstruators. "We saw themes of silence, shame, isolation and lack of knowledge-sharing," reflects Lead Producing Playwright Rachel Hynes, "We wanted LadyM to reflect what we saw and heard, but also wanted to transform the silence, stigma and lack of knowledge-sharing into open conversation and education."

The conversation will be expanded by the Sunday Period Pop-Up Markets on July 14 and 21st, from 2 to 5 p.m.. The Sunday Markets are curated by Femme Fatale DC and hosted by LadyM and the Welders. The Markets will feature self-care and period-positive products made by local womyn artisans and entrepreneurs along with interactive craft lessons. The market will be open to the public and provide a chance to meet local artisans and personally make art.The Welders and LadyM collaborators have developed partnerships with a variety of local communities which have led to have "Period Circles," informal knowledge-sharing, community conversations, and meetings with other activists in reproductive justice and menstrual health issues. The Period Pop-Up Markets will provide space to highlight the others working to end menstrual stigma.

The penultimate production of the second generation of The Welders playwrights' collective will feature the collective creative prowess of Rachel Hynes, Anastasia Wilson, Francesca Chilcote, Vanita Kalra, Claudia Rosales-Waters and Deidre Staples. LadyM gives space to Rachel Hynes' vision of aesthetically excellent collaborative creation with real social impact.

As reproductive rights are put on the line nationally it is time to speak loudly about the role that menstrual stigma plays in our lives, beyond the bathroom. Accessible for menstruators and non-menstruators alike, the play invites all audiences to explore the deep, dark, and bloody history of stigmatized bodies in society through the lens of grotesque comedy.

Tickets: General Admission: $30
Discount tickets: $15
Under age 18: $12
Additional discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Please contact connect@thewelders.org to make arrangements.

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