RiverStage presents “I Know What’s Best For You: Stories of Reproductive Freedom”

RiverStage Community Theatre will present original stories by women about
the choices they must make when it comes to parenthood and healthcare in
America in a brand-new play, I Know What’s Best For You: Stories of
Reproductive Freedom. Performances will be at Greenspace Center, 815 Market
Street in Lewisburg on October 14 and 15 at 7:30pm and Sunday, October 16
at 2:30pm. Admission is FREE and no tickets are required, though donations
(suggested donation $10-20) are gladly accepted at the door or online at
http://www.gofundme.com/riverstage-iknowwhatsbest to support the theatre. A
portion (15%) of all proceeds will be donated to The Brigid Alliance, a
nonprofit nationwide service that arranges travel support to those who must
travel for reproductive healthcare access. Copies of the book will also be
on sale in the lobby. For more details, visit
http://www.riverstagetheatre.org.
I Know What’s Best For You: Stories of Reproductive Freedom is a
world-premiere theatrical adaptation of the 2022 anthology collection of
short stories, essays and poems edited by Shelly Oria. This brand-new
RiverStage adaptation of the book, performed in a reader’s theatre style
with different actors dramatically reading each story, explores how
“reproductive freedom” is much more than just a person’s stance on
abortion. Through a series of twelve scenes, the audience and performers
take a broad look at the world of choices that women make throughout their
lives when it comes to parenthood, reproduction and health. In “Let’s Just
Be Normal and Have a Baby,” a woman’s decision to be child-free is tested
when her husband’s dying wish is for them to become parents. In “It Began
In Another Land,” two friends correspond about motherhood in the time of
global pandemic. In “We Bled All Winter,” an immigrant couple’s future is
put in jeopardy by an affair and its consequences. The other stories
confront freedom, medical care, climate, equal rights, and many other
timely events ripped from the headlines. The show does contain mature
language and themes regarding reproduction, and it is not recommended for
children.
The show features Sarah Bell, Michael Conard, Kathy Coup, Lon Diffenderfer,
Cathy Emery, Paige Kaszuba, Dennis Merkle, Rachael Moody, Storm Pryor,
Lindsey Sauer, Mary Ann Stanton, Ashli Starks, and Ian Sterner. The
production is designed by Susan Diffenderfer, with assistant direction by
Rachael Moody and lighting design by Rowan Shoemaker.