On the evening of April 30, at Camel City Playhouse, members of the Winston-Salem community crowded into the tiny black box theater to witness a performance featuring Victorian era healthcare, messy relationships, and orgasms. “In the Next Room” is a comedy centered around a young doctor who has created a new device to treat women with “hysteria”. Using electric currents, and a phallic shaped instrument, he has created the first vibrator, and his patients can’t get enough. As his wife Catherine listens through the locked door, she starts to wonder what treatments are happening inside. Eventually, she has to find out for herself.
This play was a “finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and was nominated for three Tony Awards, including Best Play” according to the event’s Facebook page. The cast are all volunteers, and had a total of 5 weeks to prepare for this production. After the play, I had the privilege of gaining an interview with Heather Levinson, the actor who performs as Mrs. Daldry in the production, and is pictured above in the metallic bronze dress. She began life as a dancer, and then “started working on acting in college”. As well as rehearsing for this play, she is simultaneously participating in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” with the Little Theater of Winston-Salem, which is a play centered around Charles Dickens’ last novel. When asked about her experience with “In the Next Room” she shared how grateful she was to get to work with such a “thoughtful, and really focused” cast. In preparation for the production she revealed that the cast worked with an intimacy coordinator, who ensured that the many intimate scenes throughout the play were carried out in a safe and respectful manner.
Before you head home, or after you finish your last final, make sure to head over to Camel City Playhouse. Performances will be held through Sunday, May 10.
