This is Jane

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Opera Contempo

It all begins with a phone call. When a pregnant student seeks an illegal abortion in 1965, it leads to the creation of one of the most important activist groups of all time: the Jane Collective, Chicago’s revolutionary underground abortion service. This is Jane tells the story of the Collective through the lives of those who were part of it as patients, volunteers, staff, and practitioners, drawing on interviews, memoirs, and historical sources, and testifies to the continuing need for reproductive rights.

Act 2, Scene 3: Jane volunteer Kate has overhead other Janes talking, and has learned that the man currently providing abortions for Jane's clients isn't a licensed doctor. She tells Rosie, a volunteer who is also one of Jane's leaders, and Rosie admits that not only did she know that, but that the man has been training select Jane volunteers to perform abortions themselves. Rosie argues that it'll be better for their clients to have women taking care of them, that the costs will be lower, and that the procedure is safer than removing tonsils. Kate comes around to agree with Rosie and sees the wisdom in using trained Janes to provide abortions, but insists that Rosie tell the rest of the Janes.

Act 2, Scene 4: At a meeting of all of Jane's volunteers, Cici, Rosie, and Lainie, all leaders in Jane, announce the change from using the previous abortion provider to having trained Janes do the procedures. The Janes fracture here, with some women enthusiastically in support of the training while others feel it's unethical and storm out.

Act 2, Scene 5: Cici, who has long been the leader of Jane, brings in Rosie and Lainie, her right-hand women, to tell them that the cancer for which she's been receiving treatment has become terminal, and that she has to scale back on some of her Jane activities. She explains her situation and asks them to help take over for her when she cannot work any longer. 

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Genre: Theatre, Music, Drama, Original Script, World Premiere, Avant-Garde/Experimental  

Rating: FF - Fairly Fringe-y (PG-13)

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