This March 23, 24, 25 at 7 p.m. and March 26 at 2 p.m., Cedar Crest Performing Arts will present Jane Martin’s controversial play, “Keely and Du.”
Performances will be held in the Tompkins College Center & Samuels Theatre on the campus of Cedar Crest College, Allentown, PA.
In this play by Jane Martin, Keely wants to terminate her pregnancy. But on her way to the clinic, she is abducted. She wakes up in a basement, hundreds of miles from where she was, restrained to a bed. Across from her sits an older woman named Du, who has been assigned to watch over and care for Keely, while Keely carries her pregnancy to term. Working under guidance from Walter, a religiously motivated pro-life organizer, Du does her best to convert Keely to a pro-life stance. On the surface, the characters’ conflicting viewpoints seem predictable, with clear villains and heroes delineated on either side. But as the taut narrative unfolds, the characters and audience are faced with a reality that is far more complex and complicated than pro/anti labels could ever encompass.
“A connection between two women distanced by all creation is shaped with ineffable grace” —The New York Times
The production is directed by Clair Freeman. “On the day Roe v. Wade was overturned, it was suggested to me that we, here at Cedar Crest College, needed to produce a work that would act as a response to the Dobbs decision, a decision that, for the first time in our country’s history had the potential to remove the reproductive rights of half the citizens of the United States. Bluntly put, women had lost legal control of their own bodies. Terminating a pregnancy was now to be decided by the governing bodies of the state they lived in. We needed a play that reflected the enormity of that decision. Our selection was Keeley and Du, a 1994 Pulitzer Prize finalist that was a reaction to Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a 1992 ruling that, while still technically upholding Roe v. Wade, allowed states to implement abortion restrictions that apply during the first trimester of pregnancy. Far from being irrelevant today, the issues discussed in Keeley and Du are more relevant in today’s political climate that ever before. It’s my fervent hope that this production makes people think, then talk, then act. And if it makes them angry, so much the better…”
Jane Martin is the author of Keely and Du, a 1994 Pulitzer Prize finalist. An elusive figure among American playwrights, Martin has never appeared in public, given an interview, been photographed or in any way acknowledged who they are in public. Their works include such popular titles as Anton in Show Business, Criminal Hearts, Vital Signs, Talking With, and Keeley and Du.
To schedule interviews with anyone involved with Company, please contact Roseann Damico Schatkowski at or 610.248.5909
SHOWTIMES and TICKET PRICES
| Show Date | Show Time | Regular Admission | Senior | Student |
| Thursday, March 23 | 7:00 PM | $15.00 | $10.00 | $5.00 |
| Friday, March 24 | 7:00 PM | $15.00 | $10.00 | $5.00 |
| Saturday, March 25 | 7:00 PM | $15.00 | $10.00 | $5.00 |
| Sunday, March 26 | 2:00 PM | $15.00 | $10.00 | $5.00 |
PLEASE NOTE: A processing fee applies to all orders, purchased online or in person.
Performances will be held in the Tompkins College Center & Samuels Theatre on the campus of Cedar Crest College, Allentown, PA.
CONTENT WARNING:
* FOR MATURE AUDIENCES
This play deals with the topics of sexual assault, kidnapping, and abortion, as well as themes that may be triggering for some individuals.