AnomalousCo – a predominantly queer-woman led, feminist, transdisciplinary performance collective – presents the premier run of “(beyond) Doomsday Scrolling,” a fierce, feminist dramatic-cabaret about women, war, displacement, and resistance.
This original work of epic drama, music, and personal testimony unfolds in an imagined theatre sheltering women in flight from wars across time and across the globe — connecting the invasion of Ukraine with the global landscape of systemic aggression – and centering women in the story of war.
Multilingual and multigenerational, the production is performed by 12 women and 1 man, from 10 countries: Ukraine, Poland, Iceland, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Scotland, Italy, Cuba, and the US. Featuring a live band headed by Ukrainian singer-bandurist Lesya Verba, with songs ranging freely across cultures and genres, the piece evokes experiences of displacement and resistance through drama and satire, verbatim text and living newspaper, and excerpts from the long tradition of women’s war writing – amplifying the voices of women as social actors in wartime.
From the theatrical cabarets of the Jewish Ghettos in WWII to the theatre-shelters of Ukraine in 2022, theatres around the world have played a critical role in wartime – as shelters, sites of opposition, and spaces in which to construct sense from nightmare. Excavating that legacy, (beyond) Doomsday Scrolling traces a single day in the life of 12 women from different countries, wars, and eras, sheltering together in a theatre: a microcosm of intercultural conflict, friendship, violence, and resilience. The play culminates with an action of resistance quoting the global legacy of feminist arts activism.
This performance has three social-justice aims: to bear witness, raise humanitarian aid, and stand in solidarity with refugees. Draft performances of “(beyond) Doomsday Scrolling” in spring 2022 raised $13,000 in humanitarian aid, 100% of which was distributed among several organizations providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and to refugees at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Presenting freshly devised material, this first full run of the show plays for two weeks in February 2023 on the Mainstage at HERE, NYC. Development has been supported by generous rehearsal residencies provided by The Center at West Park, Target Margin Theatre, Chashama, and LEIMAY.
