Reproductive Liberty and Body Justice for All
a digital event featuring responsive short plays by
Cris Eli Blak, Pampi Das, Cayenne Douglass, and Rawchayl Sahadeo
Premiering Thursday, October 13 at 7pm ET
Prompted by the recent dismantling of the protections laid out in Roe v Wade, four of Company One Theatre’s Volt Lab playwrights — all playwrights of color, all rising voices of the American theatre — have each chosen one item from the National Network of Abortion Funds' list of demands as a jumping off point for a short play and exploration of the actions we can take together for a more just society. Join our digital watch party on Thursday, October 13 at 7pm ET to watch the plays in community and take action with us!
‣‣ Inspiration
We know that the repeal of Roe v. Wade will have repercussions that extend far beyond the status of abortion laws. Reproductive justice is a broad issue that includes everything from family planning, to trans-inclusive and gender-affirming health care, to reducing maternal mortality, to increasing access for care in systemically under-resourced communities. C1's Volt Lab writers are interested in how we tell stories and take action in a post-Roe world.
As part of that exploration, we looked to documentation of what reproductive care in Boston was like in the years before Roe v Wade legalized abortion nationwide. Abortion and Women’s Rights 1970 is a short, groundbreaking film telling real-life stories of people seeking abortions at a time when their fates were decided by predominantly white, male doctors and legislators. The film follows two women, one middle-class and one-working class, in pre-Roe v. Wade Massachusetts. As the filmmakers note: nationwide, more than 800,000 people had illegal abortions in 1970 — 300,000 suffered complications and up to 8,000 died. Poor women of color were 90% of those who died, and their maternal mortality rate was (and is) four times that of white women. The four women who made this film did so as a call to action — we take inspiration from them as we bring you Reproductive Liberty and Body Justice for All.
‣‣ About Volt Lab
Company One Theatre's PlayLab Circuit Volt Lab provides mentorship opportunities for pre-professional playwrights to practice and enhance their craft while actively engaging with our productions and community engagement programming. The Volt Lab Cohort meets monthly online as a group with our Resident Playwright Kirsten Greenidge, during which they present and develop a writing project of their choice, learn best practices for giving and receiving feedback, and more.