This past Friday, January 26th, was the opening night for “In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play”, a comedy that the Augustana theatre program has been working on for the past several months.
According to Dr. Jennifer Popple, director of the play, “In the Next Room” takes place in upstate New York in the 1880s and highlights how women, and some men, used to be treated for hysteria: with a tool called the vibrator.
The show depicts Dr. Givings who had created the vibrator to treat his patients after the recent invention of electricity at the time, Dr. Popple explained. Highlighting his relationship with his wife as well as focusing on the lives of some of his patients, the audience learns quickly how little was known about the sexuality of women during the Victorian era.
“In the Next Room” is a play that is very unique because of these aspects, however, according to Dr. Popple. With the focus that is placed upon a specific time in history that is not very well known, the show is educational even as it makes the audience laugh.
“Like a lot of the show is about this complete lack of understanding of women’s bodies and women’s sexuality and, you know, this idea that we’re seeing right now where women’s stories about what’s going on with themselves are not believed,” Dr. Popple said.
Dr. Popple expanded on that idea explaining that even the language used in the play suggests how little people knew about the sexuality of women at that time.  “There’s all this weird language about ‘you have this pent-up emotion in your womb,”’ Dr. Popple described.
First-year SophiaRose Brown, who played Annie, Dr. Givings nurse, shared similar sentiments about the play. Brown described the play as being an eye-opening experience that makes a statement.
“It’s definitely out of the box for some people…But I think it’s an interesting thing and especially during the month of February with Vagina Monologues and V day and things it really meshes well to bring awareness to the sexuality of women,” Brown explained.
A challenge for those involved in the production of “In the Next Room, Dr. Popple explained, was the knowledge that  generally the patients receiving treatment during this time period did not view what was happening as a sexual experience as people today might. In rehearsal, she and the cast thought about what it meant for the characters in the play to be receiving such treatment without today’s sexual connotations and how they might react.
“That’s been an interesting part of the rehearsal process…we had to like disconnect the way that we think about the treatments…the patients go through the treatment but they don’t understand it as what we would read as a sexual experience,” Dr. Popple began. “So, we had to completely sort of create like, well then what do they sound like? I mean, what would it mean if you’re having an orgasm but you don’t know that that’s what’s happening?”
Both Brown and Dr. Popple highlighted the fact that the subject matter can seem provocative due to the nature of the content. However, the play serves to create a safe and welcoming atmosphere not only for the cast but for the audience as well.
For Brown, a play like “In the Next Room” is able to start a conversation and get people talking. She urged those who might be hesitant to see the show to come out and see it anyway just to experience it.
“I know some people are wary about going to see it because it’s so taboo…If you’re wary about coming to see it, go see it anyways,” Brown said.
“In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)” is a comedy that will have audiences laughing in their seats, while also shedding light on an important historical situation that was faced by many women during the Victorian era.
“You know, it’s a play about the invention of the vibrator. But to see how we can have those kinds of conversations with humor and with respect to the actors’ process and bodies, and you know just to remember that there are people that really went through this…I think it’s a thought provoking show,” Dr. Popple explained.
“In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play” will be shown again February 2nd and 3rd at 7:30 p.m. and February 4th at 1:30 p.m. in the Brunner Theatre Center.
Photo above: (left to right) are SophiaRose Brown (Annie), Melina Herman (Sabrina Daldry), Tristan Odenkirk (Dr. Givings), and Micaela Cushing (Catherine Givings). Photo courtesy from Kevin Carton.