The Beholden is the second production of the Trapezoid Theatre Company and provides a punch-in-the-air moment for feminist action and the power of sisterhood as it delivers a punch in a mouth to the patriarchy.

Sally (Shelby Sweet), a driven college senior, prepares her magnum opus for production at her university, a modern spin on the Salem Witch Trials. Her writing comes deep from her own experience and also shines a harsh light on centuries of patriarchal repression and misogynistic abuse. In Sally’s story, these dark forces get their comeuppance from the sisterhood of “witches,” rising up at last after an eternity of dismissal and destruction. But as she readies her personal statement for the stage, those same power-abusers and misogynists threaten to silence her voice and score another point for male dominance.

Britt presents the tale in a clever, riveting play-within-a-play format. Sally and her “sisters” both on and offstage —Samantha (Lucy Buchanan), Abbie, and Liz—rehearse scenes from the play, deal with backstage drama and note nitpicking, and vent their frustrations over bottles of wine. They also do battle with the slimy, sabotaging University liaison Dr. Samael (David Cagan) and Samantha’s violent-tempered boyfriend John (Henry Sirota). Jim Grant delivers consistent laughs as Adam, playing Sally’s “monster” in her production. Sam B. Wylde provides a calming presence as Professor Bast, countering the toxicity and gaslighting of John and Dr. Samael.

The direction and production design by Lauren McAuliffe deftly delivers the material in a powerful manner, aided by perfect lighting effects by Conor McAuliffe. The cast goes through an incredible amount of costume changes as they go from rehearsals, to girls’ nights, to a Halloween Party that changes everything, and finally to a climactic opening night. (The excellent multi-costume design is by Cynthia Johnson.)

Best friends Sally and Samantha are nearly pulled apart by the very forces they are trying to combat with their combined creativity. John keeps Samantha under his thumb as Sally desperately fights to pull that thumb away and free her (leading to a clever moment of irony later in the play). It is revealed just how personal Sally’s writing is, as what’s happening to Samantha happened to her as well.  

Sweet delivers many powerful moving moments as she fights fiercely to protect her voice and her relationships.

“I didn’t fight back,” says Sally to Samantha. “I never fought back. And now you and everyone else makes fun of me for writing plays about women who do.”

Abbie witnesses a terrible incident of relationship violence, and finds her own eye-witness account dismissed by not only the person meant to help, but by the wronged person themselves. It’s a harrowing moment that hits home and is (rightfully) not easily forgotten. Events draw to a suspenseful, intense conclusion as Sally’s play opens, and we are on the edge of our seats waiting to see if her creative voice will be snuffed out or rise triumphant.

Britt’s script is a knock out of the park, delivered passionately by the entire cast, and each character is presented with remarkable consistency and depth. The Beholden is a compelling production, with a message that needs to be heard more than ever in a time when those who seek to silence and oppress are rallying for another try.

The Beholden is produced by Nicholas Kennedy and Gillian Britt.