An Iowa College in the Liberal Arts Tradition
In the Next Room
Written by Sarah Ruhl
Directed by Dr. Robert Vrtis
Center for the Arts: Jewel Theatre
November 13-22, 2014
Director's Notes
Set at the dawn of electricity and in a historical moment when physicians believed that hysteria in women (an occasionally in men) had reached epidemic proportions – this play centers on the family and the practice of Dr.Givings, a gynecological specialist hoping to find a modern solution to this supposed age old disease.
In part, this is a comedy about discovery, curiosity, and the quest to know oneself. More than anything however, this play is a love story. Catherine Givings and her husband struggle to connect with one another in the face of personal and social norms that have made them strangers to one another.
