Doctor Voynich and Her Children by Leanna Keyes

Doctor Rue Voynich and her apprentice Fade travel the American Heartland dispensing herbal medications. Covertly, they perform abortions, which have been illegal since “the Pence days.” Fade tries to help local youth Hannah complete her abortion, using knowledge from an ancient manuscript, before her mother and the sheriff can nail them for the “attempted murder of an unborn person.”
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Doctor Rue Voynich and her apprentice Fade travel the American Heartland dispensing herbal medications. Covertly, they perform abortions, which have been illegal since “the Pence days.” Fade tries to help local youth Hannah complete her abortion, using knowledge from an ancient manuscript, before her mother and the sheriff can nail them for the “attempted murder of an unborn person.”
>>This post-Roe v. Wade play about mothers and daughters is poetic, sexy, vulgar, queer, and a little too real.
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Doctor Voynich and Her Children

Recommended by

  • Uprising Theatre Company:
    21 Oct. 2019
    “ This is a fantastic script with interesting and nuanced characters. I love Keyes' use of language and the world that she has created in this piece. Highly recommended. ”
  • Damian Stuchko:
    6 Jun. 2018
    “ Wow, a wonderful drama for a group of female identifying individuals across the spectrum. Its lives in the same world as The Handmaid's Tale about the way the world could grow if we aren't careful about the the fight for human rights. The unspoken nature of Rue's trans identity was a powerful choice. Strong choice for an intimate black box or thrust theatre space. ”

Character Information

No one in this play needs to be white or pretty or skinny. Rue is a trans woman. Please cast responsibly.

  • RUE
    40s,
    Trans woman
    An herbalist
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary
  • JESS
    40s,
    woman
    A mother
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • HARRISON
    50s,
    woman
    An officer of the law
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • HANNAH
    Late teens,
    woman
    A young woman seeking an abortion
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • FADE
    Late teens,
    woman, Non-binary
    An apprentice
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary

Production History

  • University
    ,
    Linfield College
    ,
    2021
  • Community Theater
    ,
    Uprising Theatre Company
    ,
    2020
  • University
    ,
    Stanford University: [wit]: a gender conscious theater company
    ,
    2018
  • University
    ,
    Rhodes College, McCoy Theatre
    ,
    2018

Awards

Semi-Finalist
,
Bay Area Playwrights Festival 2018
,
Playwrights Foundation
,
2018