‘Phosphates and Fistfights’ staged reading

For its second Dark Nights in Billtown event of the season, Williamston Theatre will present a staged reading of the new play “Phosphates and Fistfights,” by Michigan State University Department of Theatre faculty member and Sense-Ability Ensemble artistic director Dionne O’Dell, 7 p.m. Monday (Feb. 19). 

The play is a retelling of the 1892 short story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

“Part One of the play confronts Jane’s psychological unraveling, brought on by postpartum depression, restrictive gender roles and isolation. It is dramatized through the framework of the suffrage movement of the 1890s, which Gilman was herself involved in,” the theater wrote in a press release. “Part Two fast forwards to 1920, months prior to ratification, and highlights a family that is now living in a time of prohibition, the Comstock Laws and opposition to a woman’s right to choose. The narrative highlights how the characters persevere through fearlessness, resilience, science and the hope for a better future.”

No reservations are required to attend the event, and admission is free, though the theater will collect donations at the door. For more information, visit williamstontheatre.org.