Back in the day, vibrators were considered a medical ‘cure-all’ for female hysteria, believed to be brought on by the retention of female semen trapped inside of her body. To cure this female malady, doctors simply did the pre, post, and everything in between coital work, and voila, hysteria cured. Unbeknownst to the male medical marvels at the time, females did not – in fact – produce semen, nor was it hysteria that they cured. The problem was female sexual frustration, and a vibrator did what their male counterparts could not – yield an orgasm.

Sarah Ruhl, award winning playwright, disseminated this cacophony of thought between pleasure and pain in her Tony nominated play In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) and, lucky for us Calgarians, Artists’ Collective Theatre (ACT) is wrapping their 2014/2015 season with this comedy set in the Victorian Era.

Amanda Liz Cutting, Artistic Director for ACT, is delighted to be bringing this Pulitzer-finalist play to Calgary from April 9th to 18th. The audience can expect "a lot of laughter, risqué moments, heart warming and some heart break. The audience will thoroughly enjoy the journey they are taken on."

The plot explores themes of that particular era, but also touches on themes of sexuality, motherhood, and relationships that are still relevant. The story follows Sabrina and Catherine as they contend with their mutual sexual frustration with their husbands that favour the exclusivity of the missionary position, and the anticipation they feel at achieving orgasms from the almighty vibrator. What follows are escapades only two women searching for a cure for vexation can get into, including visits from all-knowing artists, to wet nurses, and jealous rages from desirous husbands. This play is nothing short of a genius portrayal of the virtual boredom and repression women faced during the Victorian era.

"When I first read [the play] I was so moved by the writing [and what] all of the characters go through. One of the characters is such a great character, and I feel that many women can relate to her. She has a busy partner who is work-focused and a newborn she cannot feed as she is not producing enough milk. The feeling of inadequacy is something that many women suffer from," says Cutting.

"We have an amazing crew. Paul Welch is a fantastic director, and was listed last year as one of the top 40 under 40 to watch for in Avenue magazine. He is also a founding member of Third Street Theatre, Calgary’s queer theatre company."

As famous second wave feminist Betty Friedan stated, "no woman gets an orgasm from shining the kitchen floor." Regardless the era, women are still eternally seeking the equality of mutual consummation. In The Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) exposes and revels in the discomfiture and melancholy of nonsensical morality and human nature, and Calgarians are fortunate to be able to experience it firsthand.