Pandora
By Laurel Ollstein
Directed by Giovanna Sardelli
June 4, 6pm – June 8, 6pm, 2020
What if a woman rethought, reshaped, rebooted and rewrote the Pandora’s Box myth? That’s the premise of the play Pandora. Ignorance killed the cat. Curiosity was framed. What if a new adult female person—was suddenly created and dropped into the middle of the world now— someone with no preconceived notions of anything. What beauty is, what love is, what violence is. And what if the rest of humanity and gods could suddenly see the world through those clear eyes?
Remember to look up at the stars, not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.
Stephen Hawking
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TheatreWorks Silicon Valley will stream a benefit online workshop reading of Pandora, an intriguing new work by acclaimed playwright Laurel Ollstein. TheatreWorks’s hit production of Ollstein’s play They Promised Her the Moon, an inventive look at women’s early efforts to join the space race, was abruptly closed in March to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. In this new play, Ollstein investigates the Pandora’s box myth, delving into the world-changing curiosity and hope resulting from one woman’s fateful actions. Performed by a stellar cast of actors assembled from across the country and recorded over Zoom under the direction of Giovanna Sardelli, Pandora will be offered via video streaming from 6pm (PST), Thursday, June 4, 2020 until 6pm (PST), Monday, June 8, 2020. Viewers will find a link to view Pandora at TheatreWorks.org without charge, although donations are encouraged to support TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, which remains shuttered for the rest of its current season. For information the public may visit TheatreWorks.org or call (650) 463-1960.
This reading is made possible by kind concessions from the Performers’ Unions including Actors Equity Association, American Guild of Musical Artists, American Guild of Variety Artists, and SAG-AFTRA, through Theatre Authority, Inc., to whom TheatreWorks offers its appreciation for permitting the artists to appear.