SEX AND THE ABBEY To Begin Performances Off- Off Broadway This Month

The Omnivores, The Sõng Collective, and the Obie-winning Brick Theater have announced the world premiere of "Sex and the Abbey," a groundbreaking production.

It is believed to be the first production of a Viêt female playwright's work in New York City.

"Sex and the Abbey," written by Diana Ly and directed by Emily Lyon, is inspired by the story of Hrotsvit (hr?t sv?′t), the first known Western female playwright. Set in a medieval abbey teeming with teenage canonesses, the story revolves around their efforts to save the abbey through a performance of a play by Hrotsvit. As they navigate lustful conflicts, the rigors of daily prayers, and fervent moral debates, these women must unite to protect Gandersheim Abbey from a male takeover.

Co-produced by the newly formed playwrights' collective, The Omnivores, and The Sõng Collective, in association with Wiley Water Productions, the show will feature a BIPOC, all female- or non-binary-identifying cast, and a majority BIPOC and female- or non-binary-identifying production team.

Performances will take place at The Brick Theater (579 Metropolitan Ave) from August 22 to September 7, 2024. Tickets range from $25 to $50.

While the plot of the play is based on Ly's informed imaginings, Hrotsvit was a real secular canoness living at Gandersheim Abbey in 10th Century Saxony. Abbeys were not only for cloistered religious devotion, but havens where wealthy families sent their daughters to be educated and socialized, even if they were destined for marriage. These young women were coming into their sexuality, their expectations for the future, and grappling with their place in a society that saw them as tokens for transactional marriages. Abbeys like Gandersheim were the only places where women could be themselves and in community with each other. But that doesn't mean they were free.

"I was surprised that there are no known records of Hrotsvit's plays being performed in her time. It seemed likely that the women at the Abbey would have leapt at the chance to present her plays to their illustrious visitors, like Emperor Otto I. As I learned what little could be found about Hrotsvit's life (not surprising for someone whose work wasn't discovered until five hundred years after her death), including the distinctions between secular canonesses and nuns, I realized that this was where all the smart, interesting women (of means) were hanging out. Their problems didn't seem so far away from ours anymore. I wrote this play out of empathy for them, and wish fulfillment for Hrotsvit. I want to, in whatever small way I can, give her the legacy she deserves."

-Diana Ly, Writer, Sex and the Abbey

"Over time, I have developed an instinct that I trust very deeply. When I experience a reading or workshop and I KNOW, I just really know. When I saw Diana's reading at Rough Draft, I was so tired, running late, sweating and cranky. By the end, I was so deeply in that I immediately started the conversation that has led us here. Great ideas and writing can reach into the soul of even the most depleted and weary. And that is a beauty that I live for. I hope that people come out and give Diana a chance to get into their souls, too. It is worth it."

-Theresa Buchheister, Artistic Director, The Brick