The brilliant new comedy reimagines the Virgin Mary’s origin story to explore how women across centuries have confronted the same forces of patriarchal control, violence and repression.
The Off-Broadway premiere of The Body of Mary: A Play in Three Acts (of God)—a comedy about controlling the means of reproduction and controlling the narrative, all by controlling Mary—runs Sept. 8 through Oct. 8 at The Gym at Judson Church in New York City.
Written and directed by Katie Cappiello and produced by former Ms. editor Jennifer Baumgardner, along with Lola Blackman and Karen Stoker, the play introduces audiences to three very different Marys.
Meet Mary of Nazareth. She’s just trying to steer clear of marauding Roman soldiers when she learns she’s been chosen for something super special!
Meet Mother Mary. She’s devoted her life to New York City’s neediest, running shelters for homeless trafficking victims. Cardinal O’Malley has a pitch for her and her sister nuns—an exciting new way to serve.
Meet Mary of Nazareth, TX. She is taking out the trash at the end of her late-night shift at Dairy Queen. God only knows what she’ll find in that dumpster.
A biting new play about controlling the means of reproduction and controlling the narrative—all by controlling Mary. It’s funny because it’s true.
The Judson Church is itself a historic site for abortion rights, women’s rights and radical downtown art-making.
In 1967, when abortion was still illegal in much of the country, Judson’s Rev. Howard Moody helped establish the Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion, a network of Protestant and Jewish clergy who counseled people seeking abortions and connected them with safer providers. What began with 21 clergy members grew into a national movement, and Judson remained part of the practical infrastructure of abortion access in the years before New York legalized abortion in 1970 and Roe v. Wade followed in 1973.
At the same time, the church became a home for experimental artists and performers challenging convention in other ways. Judson hosted the Judson Art Gallery; Judson Poets’ Theatre; and Judson Dance Theater, a major incubator of postmodern dance, and provided space for artists to rehearse, exhibit and perform with unusual freedom. Artists associated with Judson’s downtown milieu included Yoko Ono, Carolee Schneemann, Faith Ringgold, Trisha Brown, Lucinda Childs and Yvonne Rainer.
The Body of Mary: A Play in Three Acts (of God) runs Sept. 8-Oct. 8 at The Gym at Judson Church. Opening night is Tuesday, Sept. 15. Learn more about the play and get tickets here.
Ms. is an allied organization of The Body of Mary: A Play in Three Acts (of God), helping to connect audience members with organizations working on women’s rights, autonomy and reproductive justice.
*
A note from Ms. editors: We want to hear from you for The Majority, a new campaign collecting stories about how reproductive freedom has enabled readers to build the lives they want and need. Poll after poll shows a majority of Americans support reproductive healthcare access. Yet public debate overlooks the lives shaped by abortion access, contraception, IVF, miscarriage care, maternal healthcare or comprehensive sex education—countless women who chose to pursue an education, have children, not have children, protect their health and chart their own future. Add your voice and complete the sentence: “Access to reproductive choices gave me the freedom to….” Together, these stories will help show not only why reproductive freedom remains a majority value, but also what it makes possible.
