Posted 10-11-10
Madison, WI -- Forward Theater Company will open its second season at Overture Center with a production of In the Next Room or the vibrator play, a new script by Sarah Ruhl. In its stunning Broadway debut in late 2009, the play was lauded by critics and audiences alike.  The New York Times raved, “Insightful, fresh and funny, the play is as rich in thought as it is in feeling.” The script was also a finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for drama and the production was nominated for a Tony Award for best play.

In the Next Room focuses on a doctor who is obsessed with the marvels of medical technology. His wife, Catherine, is only a bystander in her husband’s world, listening at the door as he treats his female patients with a strange new electric device. The doctor is not sure exactly how vibrators cure the women he treats, but they do keep coming back. The only woman not helped by the doctor is his own wife, who longs to connect with him – without the aid of electricity. A tender tale that takes place in the twilight of the Victorian age, this elegant comedy is lit by unexpected sparks from the approaching era of electricity, equality, science, and sexuality.

“We were absolutely thrilled to get the rights to this remarkable play. Our production will be the regional premiere,” said Sarah Marty, Forward Theater’s General Manager. “It’s a story that’s both very funny and very touching. Set in the late 1880s, it deals with love, relationships, communication, and connection in a way that resonates very clearly today.”

Jennifer Uphoff Gray, FTC Artistic Director and director of the production agreed, praising the script and its award-winning author. “Writing a sex comedy on the topic of vibrators would be easy. Writing a character-driven piece that examines the medical profession’s misguided treatment of women’s health issues is a greater challenge. Fortunately Ruhl rises to it with grace and humor.”

The cast of Forward Theater Company’s production of In the Next Room includes Jessica Lanius, Richard Ganoung, Leia Espericueta, Karen Moeller, Mark Ulrich, Marti Gobel, and Ryan Schabach. Production designers include Frank Schneeberger (sets), Scott Rott (costumes), John Frautschy (lighting), and Joe Cerqua (composer).

In the Next Room, or the vibrator play, generously sponsored by UW Health and the Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission, will run November 4-21 in the Playhouse at Overture Center. Single tickets are now on sale ($35 for adults, $25 for students and seniors 62+). They may be purchased online at overturecenter.com, or by calling the Overture Center ticket office at (608) 258-4141.

About the Author
SARAH RUHL has written numerous award-winning plays, including The Clean House (Susan Smith Blackburn Award, 2004, Pulitzer Prize finalist, Pen Award), Melancholy Play, Eurydice, Late: a cowboy song, Orlando, Demeter in the City (NAACP Image Award nomination) and Passion Play: a cycle in three parts (Fourth Forum Freedom Award, Kennedy Center). Originally from Chicago, Sarah Ruhl received her MFA from Brown University, where she studied under Paula Vogel. Her plays have been performed at Lincoln Center Theater, Second Stage Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theater, Wilma Theater, Cornerstone Theater, Madison Repertory Theatre, Clubbed Thumb, and the Piven Theatre Workshop, among other theaters across the country. Internationally, her plays have been translated into German, Polish, Korean, Russian and Spanish. She is the recipient of a Helen Merrill award, Whiting Writers’ Award and a MacArthur Fellowship.

Charles Isherwood of the New York Times wrote, “Ms. Ruhl’s theatrical vision is an idiosyncratic one. She is not a journalist of domestic life, as so many playwrights today seem to be, but an adventurer who is not afraid to blend the quotidian and the fantastic, deep feeling and airy whimsy.”

About Forward Theater Company
Founded in March 2009, the mission of FTC is to create a home base for Wisconsin theater professionals that will expand the economic and cultural life of the greater Madison area.

For more information about this release, please contact Jennifer Uphoff Gray, Artistic Director, (608) 332-7737, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Gwen Rice, Communications Director (608) 240-3526 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .