The Vapors

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Malissa Petterson

Lord Gregory Greybell (Anthony Cary) attempts to strangle his sister, Sylvia (HJ Farr), while Lady Persephone (Heather Renken) intervenes; a scene from Broom Street Theater's production of "The Vapors."

This tale set in Victorian England features former Broom Street artistic director Heather Renken as an immortal succubus who must feed on humans. She runs a sanitarium for young ladies suffering from “hysteria” and other “feminine” complaints. It promises to be a gory spectacle (not appropriate for children!) that includes hand-sculpted body parts and themes of sexuality and identity. Written and directed by the multi-faceted Malissa Petterson.

press release: Broom Street Theater is proud to present the world premiere of The Vapors, written and directed by Malissa Petterson. The play runs from July 20 - August 11 - Thursday - Saturday @8pm at  Broom Street Theater, 1119 Williamson Street, Madison, WI 53703

The Vapors is NOT APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN: The Vapors contains bloody violence, adult content, brief nudity, and over a dozen synonyms for genitalia.

In the lonely wilds of northern England, far from Victorian society, Lady Ruth Persephone runs what seems to a sanitarium for young ladies suffering from hysteria and other “feminine” complaints. Lady Persephone is not what she seems to be. Born an empath, and cursed to be an immortal succubus, she must feed on humans to remain alive, despite the emotional and physical toll it takes.

On the surface, this is a campy, grindhouse tale of Victorian times, but writer/director Malissa Petterson tackles issues of sexism, racism, and gender identity in a manner relevant to our time.

The cast features a number of Broom Street veterans including Heather Renken as Lady Persephone and HJ Farr as Lady Sylvia Greybell, a young woman diagnosed with “hysteria” who discovers power within herself she never knew existed.

Others in the cast include Janine Gardner, Sean Jackson, Stacey Garbarski, Katie Brotherton, EmmaJane DeWeese, Alyssa Stowe, Andi Janeway, Brent Holmes, Anthony Cary, and Doug Reed.

The elaborate set is designed by Viktor Petterson, lights designed by Taylor Kokinos. Human body parts have been hand-sculpted by Katie Rattigan. The Vapors will be stage managed by John Siewert.

Malissa Petterson holds an MFA in creative writing, and spends her days with Encore Studio for the Performing Arts as an artistic associate. She splits her free time between several theater companies. She serves as Production Stage Manager for Are We Delicious? and as Secretary of the Broom Street Theater board of directors. Her play, Raid: Attack on Stonewall, is slated to open with StageQ in 2019.

For more information or tickets, see www.bstonline.org.