Kill Shelter at Theatre of NOTE

World Premiere. Written by Ashley Rose Wellman. Directed by Shaina Rosenthal.

Colleen manages an open-admissions, government-funded animal shelter. This means her shelter accepts all animals. When animals prove unadoptable because of advanced age, illness, injury, or aggressiveness, they may be subject to euthanasia. Overcrowding at the shelter may also put animals in line for euthanasia. Colleen is a compassionate animal lover whose duties put her at odds with her instincts.

Colleen is also the single mom to a teenager who disapproves of her mom’s job. When young Ellie finds herself pregnant by a boyfriend who withdraws his affection, her understanding of her mother’s work is suddenly brought into sharp focus.

Complicating things further is Colleen’s burgeoning romance with a much-younger subordinate.

The play’s narratives underscore headline-relevant issues of choice, autonomy (both human and animal) and power dynamics.