Women's Rights At Heart Of Artemisia Theatre's Two New Plays In 2022: ROE V US and TITLE X 

Chicago's Artemisia Theater will return to in-person performances in 2022, providing platforms for fiercely feminist viewpoints with two daring new productions.

i??This summer, Artemisia will premiere Roe v US, a world premiere written and directed by Kelcey Anyá, July 14-17, 2022, at Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood.

Roe is your teacher, your sister, your mother, your cousin. Roe is your friend, your mentor, your pastor's wife. Roe is the CEO of a Fortune 500 company; Roe is the 5-star athlete; Roe is you or someone you're close to. In a society that views human rights as an issue of right and wrong, Roe v US puts on trial society's commentary on morality and confronts the grueling real-life consequences of choice. How do you handle your right to choose? Are you redeemable and by whose standards are you judged? Is redemption inherent or is it earned?

With Roe v. Wade in jeopardy like never before, Roe v US gives voice to the women who made the choice. Show times for this workshop-style production are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets, $25, go on sale May 6 at artemisiatheatre.org. i??

i??In fall, Artemisia will premiere Title X by Julie Proudfoot, a world premiere docudrama, co-directed by Proudfoot and Kelcey Anyá, about abortion rights in America from 1974 to now. The play is told through the lens of eight radically different female characters: A 17-year-old wrestles with her choices under Title X.

The director of a women's clinic defends her patient's right to reproductive justice. A member of Operation Rescue protests in front of an abortion clinic. An asylum officer interviews detainees, victims of the refugee crisis, at the U.S.-Mexico border. A woman in her twenties confronts haunting memories of sexual harassment by her professor during a visit to her former college campus. A conservative congresswoman urges her pro-life supporters to fight the battle for the unborn with Christian love. A survivor of sexual assault reclaims her life after taking her boss to trial for rape. A lesbian exposes her complicated but loving relationship with her partner, who died of AIDS. In the end, the 17-year-old, now a mature woman, discovers the empowering life lessons she has learned.

"I wrote Title X over the course of a year while sheltering at home," said Proudfoot, "while Trump was succeeding in reverse funding under Title 10 via coercion tactics. It exposes the way the system works against women and keeps women from having autonomy."
The venue, performance schedule and ticket sales for Title X are to be announced.

i??Leading up to the return of live performances, Artemisia will offer a series of live, online workshops for emerging professionals taught by Artemisia's artistic team. The following workshops, designed to help artists focus their career, trust their voice, embrace their unique talent and build winning relationships, will run Sundays and Mondays, May 2-June 12:

The Business of Acting with Julie Proudfoot (May 1, 15 and June 5)
Prepare a Great Theater Audition with Julie Proudfoot (May 22 and June 12)
How to "Make It" as an Early Career Professional with Willow James (May 1 and 15)
Making Music for Theater taught by Willow James (May 22 and June 5)
Social Media & Website Etiquette for Performing Artists with Kelcey Anyá (May 2 and 16) The "Teaching" Artist with Kelcey Anyá (May 9 and May 23)

All workshops will be taught via zoom and include Q&A and open discussion. Cost is $39 per 90-minute session, $60 for two workshops. To register, visit artemisiatheatre.org.
For more information about Artemisia's plans in 2022, visit artemisiatheatre.org or follow the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. i??

To post a comment, you must register and login.