Women’s Health Centre Stage in The Vibrator Play

The Cast …

Outrageous treatments for women’s health issues in times gone by are taking centre stage at the Playhouse Theatre this week as part of Hobart Rep’s exciting new Tasmanian premiere production, which opens on Friday 24 October.

In The Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) is set in the 1880s, a time when women suffering from symptoms such as faintness, nervousness, sexual desire and insomnia were commonly diagnosed with the medical disorder of “female hysteria”.

Treatment for the condition varied widely – in extreme cases women were forced into asylums and to undergo hysterectomies – however some doctors employed a different method, inducing “paroxysms” in their patients in order to relieve symptoms.

“These paroxysms are what we would today refer to as orgasms, and doctors initially induced them manually before they developed the earliest examples of vibrators,” In The Next Room director Steven Jones says.

“Some of these were huge contraptions that were steam-powered – indeed, in the play they are likened to farming tools – and others ran on the latest invention of electricity.

“In the play, the character of Dr Givings uses his own electrical-powered inventions on his patients, but his goal is not to bring them sexual pleasure, merely to cure their so-called medical conditions.”

As part of the production, Steven has managed to source some vintage vibrators which lend an eye-opening and authentic note to the treatment scenes.

However, he stresses that In The Next Room is not about sexual titillation, but rather the way women were treated by men – both in the doctor’s surgery and in the bedroom.

“Perhaps the most disturbing thing to note is the fact that women were still being viewed in the relatively recent past as hysterical creatures needing medical help, simply for being nervous or desiring pleasure,” Steven says.

“As playwright Sarah Ruhl notes, all the most far-fetched notions about women’s health treatment in her script are absolutely true to life, and the more believable elements are her own invention.

“It’s certainly a bold play and something Hobart audiences haven’t seen before on the Playhouse Theatre stage.

“However I’m sure they will come away not only moved and entertained, but also with a greater appreciation of just how far we’ve come in our attitudes to women’s health and sexuality since the 19th century!”

In The Next Room features a strong cast of Hobart actors, including Quinn Griggs, Hannah Just, Kath Uziallo, Roger Chevalier, Anne Cordiner, Luke Leitch, Blancy Otto and Jessica Davies. Costume designer Nicole Ottrey has also created some spectacular period costumes and vintage underwear to evoke the era.

In The Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) is at the Playhouse Theatre, Bathurst Street, Hobart from 24 October to 8 November 2014. Performances are 8:00 pm Wednesday to Saturday, with matinees on Sunday 2 Novemberat 3:00 pm and Saturday 8 November at 2:00 pm. Book at Centertainment on 6234 5998 or www.centertainment.com.au.
Kath Uziallo Cast member and publicity for In The Next Room