FETAL at Frank Theatre

Set in a Texas clinic on the day of the announcement of the Dobbs decision which overturned Roe v Wade, FETAL encompasses a kaleidoscope of reproductive journeys in an unfiltered exploration of women’s physical realities. Written at the end of federal abortion rights, Baldwin says, “FETAL is a love song to the body and a howl for freedom.”

Four women on very different reproductive journeys find themselves in the waiting room of a Texas abortion provider on the day the court is weighing the Dobbs decision. Lucy works in corporate finance and has an 8 year old daughter. Cass is a graduate student in her 30s who dates women, but has had a recent fling with a man. Liv is a teen, whose parents believe all abortion is murder. Anne, a clinic worker (and sometimes, the voice inside their own heads), grills each of them on their choices and reasons for being there. The stories reveal the complex decisions they have made to end their pregnancies. As Anne’s story emerges, the serious and rarely acknowledged health risks of childbirth are detailed. Suddenly, the court’s decision is announced and the notion of choice vanishes; the only choice is for women to band together and rise up.

FETAL will be performed by Kate Beahen, Carolyn Pool, Julia Valen and Elena Yazzie. The production is directed by Frank Artistic Director Wendy Knox, with scenery by Rick Polenek, lighting by Tony Stoeri, costumes by Kathy Kohl, sound by Dan Dukich, and stage management by Spencer Putney.