September 22, 2022
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THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND DANCE
PRESENTS
In Sisters We Trust,
or My F*cked Up American Girl Doll Play
BY JUSTINE GELFMAN
IN COLLABORATION WITH SUSANNA WOLK
DIRECTED BY JENNY LAVERY
OCTOBER 20-29, 2022
AT THE B. IDEN PAYNE THEATRE
Texas Theatre and Dance is pleased to present In Sisters We Trust, or My F*cked Up American Girl Doll Play by Justine Gelfman in collaboration with Susanna Wolk, directed by Jenny Lavery. This pointed, witty and darkly-humorous new play tells the story of the much-beloved American Girl Dolls who are all grown up and gathering for a televised Bachelor-style reunion to decide the fate of the company. Suddenly, the girls start disappearing; something glitches and we’re thrown into a glossy feminist co-working space on the brink of expansion. The progressive women at the helm are still perpetuating age-old oppressive practices, now just in a shade of millennial pink. In Sisters We Trust, or My F*cked Up American Girl Doll Play investigates how corporate feminism is repeating and rebranding mistakes of the past instead of finding new pathways to empowerment. On stage at the B. Iden Payne Theatre October 20-29, 2022.
“I’ve always been fascinated by American Girl Dolls and the overpriced girlhood empire of my youth,” shares playwright and M.F.A. candidate Justine Gelfman. “In Sisters We Trust, or My F*cked Up American Girl Doll Play is a form-bending, unconventional and hyper-theatrical play that excavates corporate feminism; investigating how feminism has been commodified and curated for the masses. I’m excited to present this piece at an institution that is having many of the complicated conversations that we see within the play. I think it’s important for artists to consider the work they are making, why and for whom. Drawing from American Girl Doll publications and extensive research on women’s clubs, the play interrogates why feminism is rebranding as opposed to finding new pathways to liberation, connection and empowerment.”
Justine Gelfman (Playwright) is a current M.F.A. candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. Her work has been developed or produced at Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Dennis and Victoria Ross Foundation Playwrights Program, Theater Masters’ Take Ten, IRT Theater, Einhorn School of Performing Arts/Primary Stages, Dixon Place, The Flea, New York International Fringe Festival, Pete’s Candy Store, Kenyon College and Northwestern University. She has been a resident at SPACE on Ryder Farm, Sewanee Writers’ Conference and Kenyon Playwrights Conference. B.A. Northwestern University. justinegelfman.com
In Sisters We Trust, or My F*cked Up American Girl Doll Play comes to life with a powerful cast, including Simon Salinas Jr. (Joaquin/Bob), Ava Nielson (Felicity/Grace), Chantell Gonzalez (Josefina/Aerin), Angela Mata (Kristen/Stefanie), Ashley Diaz (Samantha/Maude), Keeley Bryant (Kit/Jemma), Grace Featherston (Molly/Lulu), Madison Palomo (Kaya/Maggie), Mack Thorton (Addy/Jordan) and Barbara Chisholm (Harmony/Elder).
The production team for In Sisters We Trust, or My F*cked Up American Girl Doll Play includes Meagan Beattie (Costume Designer), Sarah Elliot (Lighting Designer), Rebecca Fitton (Dramaturg), Clarissa Garcia (Stage Manager), Daniel Geld (Technical Director), Justine Gelfman (Playwright), Andy Grapko (Intimacy Director), Inji Ha (Scenic Designer), Jason Lee Huerta (Technical Director), Jenny Lavery (Director), Elias Merlo (Associate Sound Designer), Tobie Minor (Fight Director), Benjamin Randall (Projection Designer) and Peter Stopschinski (Sound Designer and Composer).
For more information about In Sisters We Trust, or My F*cked Up American Girl Doll Play, please visit JoinTheDrama.org
CALENDAR LISTING
October 20-29, 2022 – The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance presents In Sisters We Trust, or My F*cked Up American Girl Doll Play by Justine Gelfman in collaboration with Susanna Wolk at the B. Iden Payne Theatre (300 E. 23rd St.), located in the F. Loren Winship Drama Building. A map of the campus: theatredance.utexas.edu/about/location-directions-parking
Performance times are October 20 at 7:30 p.m. (PREVIEW), October 21 at 7:30 p.m. (Opening), October 22, 26-29 at 7:30 p.m. and October 23 at 2:00 p.m. ($26 adult, $21 UT faculty and staff, $15 student; Preview performances: $10 adult, $5 student) are available for sale at F. Loren Winship Box Office and online at JoinTheDrama.org.. Office locations and hours: theatredance.utexas.edu/ticketing
ABOUT TEXAS THEATRE AND DANCE
The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance is a world-class educational environment that serves as the ultimate creative incubator for the next generation of artists, thinkers and leaders in theatre and performance.
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