Live Arts
Set Designer

In the new era of domestic electricity, in the height of the Gilded Age, at the dawn of women’s rights, technology advanced to treat a vague medical disorder known as “hysteria.” The treatment? Pelvic massage via mechanical manipulation with the intent to induce a healthful paroxysm. Which is to say—doctors would use vibrators to induce medically-approved orgasms.

IN THE NEXT ROOM explores the home life of one such doctor and his wife, delving into the disconnect between strict Victorian social norms and the raw abandon of this new “treatment.” Comedic and tender, IN THE NEXT ROOM explores the farcical, tender connections between marriage, science, propriety, and desire.

“This production is one of the best I’ve seen in a very long time.” —Elizabeth Derby, C-VILLE