CORONATION
written By Laura Winters
Directed by Tova Wolff
October 11-November 16, 2024
Refracted is honored to produce the first production of Laura Winters’ CORONATION.
“It sure might encourage you to consider what’s worth saving, and what we need to change, before it’s too late.”
-Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader
“Is their new show, Coronation, able to meet the high bar that they’ve set for themselves? In a word: Yes.”
-Tristan Bruns, NewCity Stage
“Could not possibly be more timely”
-Karen Topham, Chicago Onstage
After another female candidate loses the 2040 presidential election, three passionate but disillusioned women dream up a 4th branch of government - a monarchy to be run by only the Queen of America. This 3-act femme-futurist, political satire features a gas mask fashion show, a ball gown made out of blue jeans, and a walking, talking, plotting Siri.
CORONATION will have you doubled over in laughter and trembling with fear. The play positions female autonomy against the power and prestige of artificial intelligence, as it asks eerily topical questions like: can we work within a system that was never meant to work for us? When it comes to the government, AI, and the public, who works for whom?
Question about ticketing?
Email boxoffice@refractedco.com!
Press inquiries, reach out to amycarpenter941@gmail.com
CAST
CREATIVE TEAM
Laura Winters, Playwright
Laura Winters is a playwright/screenwriter working in NYC/LA. Her play ALL OF ME will have an off-Broadway premiere with The New Group this spring. ALL OF ME was also a winner of the Burman New Play Prize and had its world premiere at Barrington Stage Company last fall. Acknowledgements for ALL OF ME include a Susan Smith Blackburn Prize nomination, Relentless Award Honorable Mention, Drama League Next Stage Residency, Princess Grace Award Semi-Finalist. Her other plays include EMERSON LOSES HER “MIAND” (Powers New Voices Festival at the Old Globe, semi-finalist at the National Playwrights Conference, Semi-Finalist in The Bechdel Test Festival), CORONATION (finalist for National Playwrights Conference), GONZO (Burman New Play Award Semi-Finalist, Rough Draft Festival), and SPACE MISSION #5379: SAVING RACHEL, NEVADA (East Valley Children's Theatre world premiere, winner of Arizona Theatre Excellence Award). BA Northwestern University. CAA/Anonymous Content @LauraWinters12 www.laura-winters.com
Tova Wolff, Director
Tova Wolff is a Director and Producer based in Chicago. Her recent directing credits include A Play about David Mamet Writing a Play about Harvey Weinstein, I Couldn’t Tell You Why (Refracted Theatre Company), Clearing House (The Swell), Contrition: A Long Voicemail (The Swell), The King’s Speech (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre & National Tour, Associate Director), Monica: This Play Is Not About Monica Lewinsky (59E59 Theaters & Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2019), Security (Secret Theatre), A Bad Night (The Frontier), Fade (Victory Gardens, Associate Director), For the Loyal (Interrobang Theatre Project, Associate Director), Still Rising (The Tank), Pam’s Key (Gallery Players), and Bachelorette (Walkerspace at Soho Rep.). In 2016 Tova won Best Director for her production of Between Men at the Midtown International Theatre Festival. She was a 2017/2018 Directing Fellow at Victory Gardens Theater and a 2017 participant in the Director’s Lab Chicago. She is a co-founder and Artistic Director of Refracted Theatre Company. Tova received her BA from Northwestern University. www.tovawolff.com.
Kenya Ann Hall (Dramaturg)
Johnnie Schleyer (Production Manager)