Keely and Du
By Jane Martin
Directed by Laura Dickinson-Turner
Venue: Arena Theatre
Performance Dates: October 6 - 8 @ 7:30pm; October 9 @ 2:30pm; October 11 - 13 @ 7:30pm
CW: abortion, discussion of sexual assault, violence, intimate partner violence, forced pregnancy, religious abuse
Keely wants to terminate her pregnancy. But on her way to the clinic, she is abducted. She wakes up in a basement, hundreds of miles from where she was, restrained to a bed. Across from her sits an older woman named Du, who has been assigned to watch over and care for Keely, while Keely carries her pregnancy to term. Working under guidance from Walter, a religiously-motivated pro-life organizer, Du does her best to convert Keely to a pro-life stance. On the surface, the characters’ conflicting viewpoints seem predictable, with clear villains and heroes delineated on either side. But as the taut narrative unfolds, the characters and audience are faced with a reality that is far more complex and complicated than pro/anti labels could ever encompass.