Many people know the outcome of Roe v. Wade, but how many know the details of the case or the women behind this landmark decision? Sarah Weddington and Norma McCorvey might not be household names, but their actions have affected all of us.

I have always been passionate about reproductive justice and basic healthcare rights, so when I was hired to direct ROE in ZACH’s 2020 season, I was fired up. Three (wonderful) days into rehearsals and seven months into production planning, the pandemic upended the world and halted our production in its tracks. We were heartbroken. Unsure if it’d make sense to reprogram the piece given the ever changing times, I made peace with the idea that we might never have this opportunity again.

Who could have guessed what would unfold in the next three years? In 2020, a documentary was released in which Norma McCorvey, in a deathbed confession, stated that the Pro-Life movement paid her to switch sides, but she was never pro-life. In September 2021, TX SB 8 restricted access to reproductive care and sanctioned citizens to sue abortion providers and any individual who “aids and abets” an abortion. In December 2021, Sarah Weddington passed away and was buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin. And in June 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court.

Now in 2023, access to reproductive care, especially in our home state of Texas, has drastically changed and we are potentially even more divided than we were three years ago. The passion that I felt in 2020 hasn’t dissipated. It’s only intensified. I believe we are in a crucial time to engage with this story so that we can make visible how we got here and where we might go next.

As you watch ROE, I encourage you to ask yourself who am I in this story? What might I learn from Norma McCorvey and Sarah Weddington? As Sarah says in the play, "Now is the time for your voice:" history isn’t over yet.

In Texas and at ZACH, we have the gift of audiences filled with patrons who stand on both sides of this issue. My hope is that today’s production will jump start conversations between folks who share differing points of view. Our fractured world needs more conversation. Specifically, more 'across the aisle' conversation. More listening. And, crucially, more understanding.

-Jenny Lavery

DAVE STEAKLEY, Producing Artistic Director
JAMIE HERLICH, Managing Director

WRITTEN BY LISA LOOMER
DIRECTED BY JENNY LAVERY

APRIL 5–30, 2023
THE TOPFER AT ZACH THEATRE

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

† Stage Directors and Choreographers Society

** Member of IATSE 829

There will be one 20 minute intermission. Drinks and snacks are welcome in the theatre.

Executive Producers

Maxx Judd and Donn Gauger

Jennifer and Kevin Goetz

The Lisa's

Tobin and Amber Shaw

Additional Production Support

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

† Stage Directors and Choreographers Society

*Actors’ Equity Association, founded in 1913, represents more than 49,000 Actors and Stage Managers in the Understudy Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Equity seeks to foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. actorsequity.org

PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production and the taking of photographs, with or without flash, or by camera phone, is strictly prohibited. Please turn off all electronic devices — such as cell phones, pagers, etc. — and refrain from texting and/or tweeting during the performance.

TAKING PHOTOS IN THE THEATRE
Audience members may take photos in the theatre lobby before and after the show and during intermission. If you post photos on social media or elsewhere please credit the production's designers.

SCENIC

PROPERTIES

COSTUMES

LIGHTING & VIDEO

AUDIO

STAGE OPERATIONS