SEASON 29 | SEPTEMBER 2016

THE DROWNING GIRLS

By Beth Graham, Charlie Tomlinson, and Daniela Vlaskalic
Directed by Jenny Lavery

Drowning Girls is the story of three women who have been murdered by their husband in the same grisly style, welcoming the audience into their purgatory to tell us their dark, unapologetic tale and challenge audiences to explore the shadows of our existence.

Inspired by the real-life "Brides in the Bath Murders" in 1912 England, this award-winning drama offers more than a few moments of dark humor as each of the women resurrect the circumstances that led them into contact with the con man they married and whose trips to the afterlife provide a shocking dose of realism over romanticism.

The characters, Alice Burnham, Margaret Lofty and Bessie Mundy, recreate through poetic and graphic language the almost ritualistic, psychological abuse they suffered at the hands of their common husband and murderer George Joseph Smith.

Combining the weight of the historical struggle for women’s rights with poetic, evocative language, this work speaks to the audience on levels that will provoke a deep, visceral experience. The work also examines the lengthy history of misogyny and domestic abuse in modern civilization.

In line with Theatre en Bloc’s mission to promote and support the work of women, the play, written by three female playwrights, illustrates how far women have come in the fight for equality in the past 100 years.

CAST

Christin Davis, Sarah Danko, and Bridget Farr.

PRODUCTION TEAM

Directed by Jenny Lavery. Designed by Chris Conard, Blake Addyson, Kate Ducey, Jenny Hanna-Chambers. Stage Management by Ashton Murphey.