Chat with us, powered by LiveChat My Body No Choice
  • Credits

    Monologues by 
    Lee Cataluna, 
    Fatima Dyfan
    , 
    Lisa Loomer

    Dael Orlandersmith, 
    Sarah Ruhl
    , 
    Mary Hall Surface

    (formerly Eve Ensler),
    and
     “Anonymous”
    Directed by Molly Smith

  • Location

    Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle

  • Run Time

    1 hour 15 minutes

what does bodily autonomy mean?

In June 2022, reproductive rights took a giant leap backwards when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In the United States, we can drive when we turn 16, and vote when we turn 18. But we no longer have the bodily autonomy to make the choices that will impact us the most.

In My Body No Choice, Molly Smith’s final directorial venture for Arena Stage, eight of America’s most exciting female playwrights share what choice means to them, through the telling of fiction and non-fiction stories rooted in personal experience; theirs or a friend’s. Because this is a time when women need to tell their stories.  Read the full press release here.


Support for My Body No Choice is provided by The Artistic Director Fund and Sue Henry and Carter Phillips.

Special Performances

Audio Described

Saturday, October 29, 1:30 p.m.

Playwrights

MOLLY SMITH

Conceiver and Director

LEE CATALUNA

Playwright

FATIMA DYFAN

Playwright

LISA LOOMER

Playwright

DAEL ORLANDERSMITH

Playwright

SARAH RUHL

Playwright

MARY HALL SURFACE

Playwright

V (formerly Eve Ensler)

Playwright

“ANONYMOUS”

Playwright

Cast

FELICIA P. FIELDS

Dael Orlandersmith’s Monologue

SHANARA GABRIELLE

Mary Hall Surface’s Monologue

TORI GOMEZ

Lisa Loomer’s Monologue

JOY JONES

“Anonymous” Monologue

JENNIFER MENDENHALL

Sarah Ruhl’s Monologue

TONI RAE SALMI

Lee Cataluna’s Monologue

DEIDRE STAPLES

Fatima Dyfan’s Monologue

DANI STOLLER

V’s Monologue

Creative

CATHERINE GIRARDI

Lighting Designer

MEGUMI KATAYAMA

Sound Designer

JOSEPH PINZON

Casting Director

KAREN CURRIE

Rehearsal Stage Manager

RACHAEL DANIELLE ALBERT

Stage Manager

Nationwide Readings

Universities

Bowling Green State University - Bowling Green, OH
Central Michigan University - Mount Pleasant, MI
Coastal Carolina University - Conway, SC
Frostburg State University - Frostburg, MD
Louisiana State University's Theatre Alliance - Baton Rouge, LA
Montana State University - Livingston, MT
Sam Houston State University - Huntsville, TX
SUNY Geneseo - Geneseo, NY
Texas Women's University Interactive Theatre Troupe - Denton, TX
University of Hawai'i at Manoa - Manoa, HI
Virginia Tech - Blacksburg, VA

Theaters

Ballyhoo Theatre - Edmonds, WA
The Bridge Initiative and Ronin Theatre Company - Phoenix, AZ
Cactus Woman Productions - Nevada City, CA
Clocktower Players - Irvington, NY
Fountain Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
Gateway Regional Arts Center - Mt. Sterling, KY
Mann Woman Productions - Atlanta, GA
The New Mexico Actors Lab - Santa Fe, NM
Open Theatre Project - Boston, MA
Perseverance Theatre - Douglas, AK
Radial Theater Project - Seattle, WA
SpeakEasy Stage Company - Boston, MA
Upstairs at Midnight Theatre Project - Lexington, KY
UP Theater Company - New York, NY

Photos

Felicia P. Fields performing “Gravitas” by Dael Orlandersmith in "My Body No Choice" running October 20 through November 6 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Shanara Gabrielle performing “Chance” by Mary Hall Surface in "My Body No Choice" running October 20 through November 6 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Dani Stoller performing “Battered Baby” by V (formerly Eve Ensler), as Joy Jones looks on, in "My Body No Choice" running October 20 through November 6 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Toni Rae Salmi performing “Things My Mother Told Me” by Lee Cataluna, as Felicia P. Fields and Dani Stoller look on, in "My Body No Choice" running October 20 through November 6 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Felicia P. Fields performing “Gravitas” by Dael Orlandersmith, as Toni Rae Salmi and Dani Stoller look on, in "My Body No Choice" running October 20 through November 6 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Jennifer Mendenhall performing "An Uplifting High School Graduation Speech" by Sarah Ruhl in "My Body No Choice" running October 20 through November 6 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Deidre Staples performing in "A Rest Stop" by Fatima Dyfan, as Dani Stoller looks on, in "My Body No Choice" running October 20 through November 6 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Deidre Staples performing in "A Rest Stop" by Fatima Dyfan, as Dani Stoller looks on, in "My Body No Choice" running October 20 through November 6 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Joy Jones performing in "The Circumstances of My Birth" by Anonymous in in "My Body No Choice" running October 20 through November 6 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Dani Stoller performing “Battered Baby” by V (formerly Eve Ensler) in My Body No Choice running October 20 through November 6 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Dani Stoller performing in "Battered Baby" by V in "My Body No Choice" running October 20 through November 6 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Dani Stoller performing in "Battered Baby" by V in "My Body No Choice" running October 20 through November 6 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Toni Rae Salmi performing “Things My Mother Told Me” by Lee Cataluna in "My Body No Choice" running October 20 through November 6 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
The cast of "My Body No Choice" running October 20 through November 6 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Tori Gomez performing "Roxy" by Lisa Loomer in "My Body No Choice" running October 20 through November 6 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Tori Gomez performing "Roxy" by Lisa Loomer in "My Body No Choice" running October 20 through November 6 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
The cast of "My Body No Choice" running October 20 through November 6 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Director Molly Smith and the cast of "My Body No Choice" running October 20 through November 6 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.

My Body No Choice in the News

THE MORNING SUN

‘My Body/No Choice’ readings set at CMU

BG INDEPENDENT NEWS

Women speak out about bodily integrity in ‘My Body No Choice’

DCist

Arena Stage’s Molly Smith Reflects On Choice, Retirement, And Her Final act Of Theatrical Protest

Washington Blade

Must-see production offers forum where women react to Roe

BROADWAYWORLD

Fountain Theatre Gives Women A Voice With Free Readings of MY BODY, NO CHOICE

The Guardian

My Body No Choice: taking the fight for abortion rights to the stage

DC THEATER ARTS

Brave voices raise consciousness in ‘My Body No Choice’ at Arena Stage

BROADWAYWORLD

MY BODY NO CHOICE Rallies Cries of Resistance at Arena Stage

Washington Post

As America votes, abortion rights take center stage at a D.C. theater

DISTRICT FRAY

To Do in D.C. 10.20-10.23: My Body No Choice at Arena Stage

Playbill

Beginning October 20, Arena Stage's My Body No Choice Features Monologues From 8 Female Playwrights

Washington City Paper

Best bets for October: Molly Smith’s last directorial venture for Arena Stage

BROADWAYWORLD

MY BODY NO CHOICE Presented By 8 Valley Theatres Pre-Election

YAHOO NEWS

'My Body No Choice' eight monologues protesting Roe v. Wade's end

SHORELINE AREA NEWS

October 25th performance of My Body No Choice at Edmonds College

BROADWAYWORLD

Radial Theater Project Presents MY BODY NO CHOICE: A Free Reading, October 24

Washington Post

How one D.C. theater is advocating for abortion rights

NPR

'My Body No Choice' — Arena Stage advocates for reproductive rights

DC Theater Arts

‘My Body No Choice’ to be Molly Smith’s last show as artistic director at Arena

BroadwayWorld

Washington DC’s October Top 10

MS. MAGAZINE

Black Women Lead: From the Stage to the Streets

The Southwester

Arena Stage Announces Longtime Leader Molly Smith’s Final Show

METRO WEEKLY

Fall Arts Preview 2022: My Body No Choice at Arena Stage

WTOP

October entertainment guide 2022: My Body No Choice at Arena Stage

DCIST

Theater Season In Full Swing: Catch These Shows Opening Around D.C. In October

PLAYBILL

Arena Stage's My Body No Choice to Feature Monologues by Sarah Ruhl, Dael Orlandersmith, V, and More

THE WASHINGTON BLADE

A diverse fall theater season underway in D.C.

WASHINGTON POST

This fall, theaters whet our appetites with an impressive buffet