LOU
By Haley Rice
LOU is the story of Lou Salome, one of the first female psychoanalysts and an accomplished writer, poet, novelist and early scholar of the psychology of female sexuality. Lou had deeply intimate relationships with Freud, Nietzsche, and Rilke, along with other great thinkers of the day. Her brilliance matched (if not surpassed) that of these great men, though her work is hardly known. Through Salome's search for identity and fight to claim her place in a world dominated by men, the question arises: how far have we truly come? An all female cast and production team comes together to reclaim her story, portraying these men through the mind and memory of the great Lou Salome.
Cast:
Mieko Gavia, Natasha Hakata, Erika Phoebus, Jenny Leona, Olivia Jampol, and Valeria Avina
Directed by Kate Moore
Scenic Design—Marisa Kaugars, Costume Design—Katja Andreiev, Lighting Design—Becky Heisler, Sound Design—Almeda Beynon
Press Quotes
“An all too appropriate mirror for the anti-modern, anti-intellectual era that we currently find ourselves living through, Theater 4The People’s Lou is a welcome meditation on the true nature of art, philosophy, and the never-ending battle of the sexes”
— New York Theatre Review
“Very funny, thanks in no small part to excellent performances by the cast. Olivia Jampol…is scene-stealingly hilarious… a wonderfully entertaining production.”
— Culture Catch
“The shining achievement of this play is Haley Rice’s successful balance of content and accessibility…The arc of the play is clear and smooth; the wit is quick and nothing is superfluous.”
— Times Square Chronicles
“Rice's language is exquisite, and the intelligent banter between her title character (Mieko Gavia) and the likes of Nietzsche (Jenny Leona), Freud (Natasha Hakata), and Rilke (Erika Phoebus)…is endlessly satisfying. Listening to these super-human intellects argue their positions on gender, sex, and god was riveting.”
— Theasy