Cottey Theatre Department presentation set for Nov. 11-12

Thursday, November 3, 2011

The Cottey College Department of Theatre will present The Anastasia Trials in a Court of Women at 8 p.m. November 11 and 12 in the Auditorium of the Haidee and Allen Wild Center for the Arts.

The Anastasia Trials in a Court of Women makes theatre history with an interactive courtroom drama that engages the female members of the audience to serve as both judge and jury. The play is shaped by the decision of the women in the audience to overrule or sustain the attorneys' motions. Every night's audience passes a verdict based on the unique courtroom drama witnessed that night. The interactive nature of the play makes it a different play each night.

The Anastasia Trials in a Court of Women is a farcical, but profoundly engaging excursion into the hidden world of ethics for women who are both survivors and perpetrators of abuse toward women. The format is a play-within-a-play, where a radical feminist theatre company comes together in order to perform a courtroom drama.

In presenting the play, the Emma Goldman Theatre Brigade had instituted a new system to insure equal opportunity for the actors: a lottery. As the women assemble to draw their roles from the hat for the evening's performance, sisterhood is put to the test. The performance itself is a conspiracy trial against five women accused of denying a woman her identity. The plaintiff is none other than Anastasia Romanov, sole survivor of the massacre of the Russian imperial family in 1981. The audience is required to serve as judge and jury for the case, providing both rulings on the motions and the final verdict.

The Anastasia Trials in a Court of Women is under the direction of Dr. Rusalyn Andres, Cottey professor of theatre and speech.

Tickets for The Anastasia Trials in a Court of Women are $5 for adults, and $4 for those under the age of 18 and over the age of 61. Tickets will be available at the door the evenings of the performances.

The Center for the Arts is located on the northeast corner of Austin and Tower streets in Nevada, Mo.