About the Show

Two plays that explore making meaning from the stories we inherit and the ones we outgrow.

The Collision follows sisters Anise, Gudrun, and Gunch who spend their days praying, washing clothes, and copying the Bible. When a mysterious object falls from the sky–bringing death, destruction, and...unsettling changes in one of the sisters–they are forced to question: was this God’s work? Or the Devil’s? And what happens when you can't tell the difference?

The Martyrdom is an adaption of 10th century canoness Hrotsvitha's comedy about three Christian virgins who triumph over the Devil by accepting their violent, corporeal deaths as a shortcut to eternal happiness with their Celestial Bridegroom? The raucous adventure is a road trip through the last millennium with the people (and puppets) who have asked themselves this same question – in hopes that someone else might have the answer.

Critic Reviews (4)

"Three nuns hard at work at their convent look up to discover that the sky is falling … It could be the beginning of a joke, or a New Yorker cartoon. But it’s the opening scene in “The Collision and What Came After, or, Gunch!,” a play being presented alongside “The Martyrdom” by Two Headed Rep at 59E59 Theaters. Despite the comic potential of this setup, these works, inspired by the writing of the 10th-century nun and playwright Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim, are neither as funny nor — at two hours and 40 minutes — as snappy as they could be."
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"The overall production is by Two Headed Rep, a company whose mission is to "create adaptations of classics that are politically responsible as well as fun." Certainly The Martyrdom lives up to that intent, and it could very well stand on its own to make for a very enjoyable time-traveling exploration of a thousand-year-old play. As it stands, however, the coupling of the two plays makes for a long evening, running close to three hours with an intermission. It is a lot to sit through, especially if you aren't already a member of the Hrotsvitha Fan Club."
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"Their hearts may be in the right place, but their creative minds are not. The two-part bill runs for no less than 160 minutes. Towards the end of Martyr, a contemporary character holding a cellphone says something that sounds very much like “I don’t have any idea what I’m looking at.” You can say that again."
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Throughout these plays there resonates an overarching message of female empowerment, a message that provides depth to the otherwise light comedy being served up. Nuns are habit forming, that’s what people say, and this viewer wanted nothing more than to run back and see this show again.
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