University of South Florida

School of Theatre & Dance

College of the Arts

In the Next Room

TheatreUSF presents In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play).

In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)

Written by Sarah Ruhl
Directed by Fanni Green

April 11-13 and 17-20 at 8 p.m.
April 14 and 21 at 3 p.m.

A woman looking down at a baby in a carriage
Multiple people standing around a medical bed
Two women looking at a baby
A woman laying down on a medical bed while a doctor and nurse attend to her
A woman smiling at a baby in her arms while another woman looks intensely at the baby
Two women looking down at a telephone in shock
Two men talking to each other, one of them sitting in a chair and resting his hand on a cane
A woman smiling at the baby in her arms
An emotionally distressed woman sitting on a medical bed and looking up at a man
A man gently running his hand over a woman’s lips as he holds her
Three women talking, one has a shocked expression
A woman looking down at her hands with another woman sitting behind her
A man with a cane and a woman smiling, looking into the distance
Two women looking at a baby while two men talk in the background

In this dramedy set late in the Victorian age, a new medical device is developed to calm women with "hysteria." It has quite a stimulating effect when used in the home offices of Dr. Givings. As he pioneers an intimate new therapy, his young wife becomes determined to investigate the experiments! The roles of Ms. Givings and Elizabeth were double cast in this production.