Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship

In cooperation with Arena Stage in Washington D.C., the Department of Theatre and Dance at Central Michigan University is proud to present a reading of My Body/No Choice featuring monologues from eight of America’s most dynamic female playwrights. The monologues elevate the conversations about women’s choices and bodily autonomy; from the ability to choose—or not—to have an abortion, to the freedom to choose one’s body size, to making a decision around when to end one’s life.

These short stories are both fiction and non-fiction by eight of America’s most exciting female writers: Lee Cataluna (Home of the Brave), Fatima Dyfan (Woolly Mammoth Theatre New Work Fellow), Lisa Loomer (Roe), Dael Orlandersmith (Stoop Stories), Sarah Ruhl (In the Next Room, or the vibrator play), Mary Hall Surface (Perseus Bayou), V (formerly Eve Ensler) (The Vagina Monologues), and “Anonymous.” These tremendous artists and their monologues represent a rich diversity of theatrical storytelling and personal experiences.

This work has been offered by Arena Stage at no cost to universities for readings around the country ahead of the mid-term election.

Molly Smith, Artistic Director at Arena Stage says:

“To say I was devastated when Roe v. Wade was smashed by the Supreme Court is an understatement. After reading voraciously about the decision, I knew that I had to quickly make a theater piece that provided a forum for the shared experience of how this makes women feel.

For far too long, women have been afraid to tell their stories. The national conversation around gay rights changed dramatically when people came out to their families, friends, and neighbors. Suddenly everyone knew someone who was gay, and being gay was normalized. Now, women need to change the conversation around choices that are being made for them around the autonomy of their bodies, in large part by people who have no experience of what it is like to be a woman. We need to tell our stories; it’s past time.”

A reading of My Body/No Choice by CMU faculty, staff and students will be presented at Central Michigan University on Saturday, November 5, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. in the Townsend Kiva in Moore Hall. Admission is free, however, general admission seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.