In the Next Room

At the dawn of the electrical age, a group of women find themselves at the center of a medical revolution that promises to cure what society insists is wrong with them. As the women in this story begin to question the assumptions that shape their lives, they uncover unexpected truths about pleasure, intimacy, and their own autonomy. Written by Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl, In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) is a funny, provocative, and deeply insightful exploration of female desire, bodily autonomy, and the social constraints placed on women in Victorian America. By turns laugh-out-loud hilarious and surprisingly tender, it asks who gets to define our experiences, and what becomes possible when we begin defining them for ourselves. (Mature themes, recommended for older teens and adults.)