Welcome to the Angel Amphitheatre! It is my deepest honor to be working with these brilliant students, now as an SOT alum. It was in this building where I expanded my creativity and perspective on what I thought was possible as an artist – and telling this story was my chance to pour my lessons back. Join us in London 1869, where everyone is fighting for survival, protection, and success – where the expectations of man and woman are so tightly bound that it is within the ring, and the dangerous underground culture of
boxing – where they also expand. A common space for the marginalized felt welcome, out fighters come to realize their own power, the feeling of freedom, and the possibility to even have a dream you can work towards.

The action of women getting in the ring in 1869 is a powerful metaphor for the state of mind many of us are in today in 2024. 1869 marks the middle of the Second Industrial Revolution, with the U.S. Transcontinental Railroad just finished being built by the first Chinese immigrants in America. Today in 2024, we are in an AI revolution, and abortion rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and women’s rights are all at risk, especially based on the 2024 US. Presidential Election results. Technology has evolved to a point where we can have close access to war, terrorism, and destruction in different countries, causing us to disassociate, and lose our sense of security and focus. The lack of control and power we feel takes us to the raves and clubs, where we party away our worries, and also pushes us to enter the ring as well, where we can learn how to defend ourselves and take matters into our own hands. We are tired of the debates over human rights, and so now, women are “waking up and choosing violence.”

As the fight continues and we experience the wins, losses, rewards, and damages, this play also reminds us to find community. With community you have your team to celebrate with, and also to lean on for support. I’m grateful for the support of this community within the show, and the theatre community at large has granted me. I offer this show as my gift of gratitude to you all.