Jephthah's Daughter's Name at Point2Productions

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Jephthah's Daughter's Name

Written by: Carina Kanzler, Directed by: Camryn Rose Pillay

Five Evangelical girls. Two months of freedom. One sacrifice that changes everything. Don’t tell their pastor.

Jephthah’s Daughter’s Name is a new 90-minute play queering the Old Testament, told by an entirely female, non-binary, and gender-non-conforming cast and crew. This is a workshop showing, where the performance will be staged, but not fully off book. Following each show, there will be a 30-minute audience talk-back to discuss the material. 

Open your bibles to Judges 11:1. We’d like to introduce you to Jephthah’s daughter. Promised as a sacrifice to God by her father in exchange for a military win, she asks for two months of freedom from a war-torn society with her friends as an impromptu funeral for her life. As they trek into the woods, free for the first time from an overbearing male gaze, this group of friends confront their relationships to womanhood and heteronormativity — inextricably linked to their relationships with God. They must reckon with the culture of violence that has led to the death of their fathers, brothers, and now best friend, and ask themselves whether they will question it or continue to buy in. Jephthah’s Daughter’s Name asks: What does it mean to be a sacrifice for something larger than yourself and in the end, is it worth it?

As traditional church pews become emptier and emptier, hundreds of young women across all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds continue to flock to megachurches. They forgo their individuality and personhood in pursuit of the belonging that comes beyond the flashing lights, intoxicating music, and hellfire sermons delivered by a man in Gucci sneakers. Why? It turns out the death of a nameless girl in the Old Testament has a lot to teach us about the magnetic cult of Evangelical Christianity – a cult which demands sacrificial conformity, not just from its members, but from an entire country now facing a major crossroads.

Where: 1945 Wright Blvd, Schaumburg, IL, 60193

When: Friday, September 13th @ 7:30pm
           Saturday, September 14th @ 2:00pm
           Saturday, September 14th @ 7:30pm
           Sunday, September 15th @ 2:00pm