When she was writing (plan c), which the PYGmalion Theatre Company will open this weekend in a world premiere production, playwright Andrea D. Peterson originally thought of titling this new dark comedy, The Day My Vagina Met Richard Gere. In a recent Stage Whisper: Whisper in the Wings podcast interview, she said, “I was at a gynecology appointment and my gynecologist was going on and on and on about Richard Gere,” she explained, “and just because I thought that was just a funny introduction into the gynecologist and all this kind of stuff.”
But this dark comedy, in which humor operates as a defense mechanism, expands on a point central to women dealing with their personal health issues and the communications and quality of trust they expect from specialists such as gynecologists. Ginnifer, 37, learns that she is pregnant, which couldn’t come at a worse time in her life. Irrepressibly blunt in never mincing her words, she just was laid off from her job as a copywriter and is living with Sarah, her older sister. Ginnifer is liberal but that doesn’t faze her relationship with Sarah, a conservative who is married with five kids and who also is an advertising agency executive. Ginnifer’s unexpected partner is Stanley, a confident, kind, dorky ginger who physically fits the profile one would expect from a civil engineer. Finally, there is Dr. Louis, the OB-GYN who has been known to the family for a long time. He has a charming bedside manner of sorts.
Wanting to ensure that she can still sustain her sense of independence, despite her current circumstances, Ginnifer is in blue ocean territory. She searches Google for online information which might not be as reliable or relevant to her specific prenatal concerns needs. She relies on her sister’s experiences, wondering how common are complications and symptoms such as morning sickness. The option of abortion is touched upon briefly but Peterson avoids the political soapbox angle. Stanley turns out to be a thoughtful partner, despite Ginnifer’s initial strident objections. Dr. Louis tries to reassure Ginnifer that her pregnancy is progressing generally as expected, even for a woman of her age. Yet, even with the support of the others, Ginnifer insists that something is not right and is steadily becoming more frustrated.
Recalling her visit to her gynecologist, Peterson said, “I had my own personal health care issues, and I was so frustrated because I was like, wait, this is still a problem. And especially they kept referring to certain things as common complications. She added, “And for me, I was like, and this is actually a line out of the play, but I was like, if a complication is common, shouldn’t we have fixed it by now?”
The dynamics Peterson visits in the play reflect a long-running thread of peer-reviewed research regarding the quality of trust in the dialogue and relationships women seek with their healthcare providers as well as with their partners and loved ones. When it comes to their health, especially during pregnancy, women expect to strengthen not only their own ability to control their bodies and their feelings but also their relationship with their surrounding environment and their rights and abilities to participate in decisions concerning their healthcare. In building trust, women do not intend to be passive. In advance, they want to clarify their involvement in making decisions that not only are compatible with the usual procedures but also gives them the space to tweak their own perspectives so that they feel safe and confident.
Peterson’s parenthetical title perfectly encapsulates Ginnifer’s circumstances. In a monologue that rounds out the first-act exposition, Ginnifer says, “Parentheses are used to add additional information or clarification that the speaker feels is essential, but the great grammar gods of society deem non-essential. One man’s importance, another man’s “meh.” So, here I was, existing between two parenthesis, like one giant fucking vagina. So this brings us back to June 22 [when Ginnifer discovers she has missed her period].”
Before moving to New York City, Peterson, who also has extensive acting and filmmaking credits, appeared on several stages in Salt Lake City, including a 2018 production of Caridad Svich’s Red Bike by PYGmalion Theatre, as well as plays staged by Salt Lake Acting Company and Utah Repertory Theatre. Her husband, Travis, has been principal trumpet with the Utah Symphony since 2013.
In the same podcast interview, Fran Pruyn, who is directing the world premiere production, said she was immediately taken by the script when Peterson shared it with her. “And I thought, you know, this is such a timely piece of, a timely topic and piece of literature,” Pruyn explained. “And my little company, in fact, dedicated its mission to amplify women’s voices. So it aligned perfectly with our mission and said something that was important, but it’s not so dreary and dreadfully depressing.”
The show features Liz Whittaker, Nicole Finney, Bobby Cavalier, and Paul Naylor. The production will run May 1-16, with performances in the Leona Wagner Black Box Theatre at the Rose Wagner Center for Performing Arts. For tickets and more information, see the PYGmalion Theatre website.