(beyond) Doomsday Scrolling Raises a Collective Voice Against Patriarchal Atrocities Past and Present

“One of the convenient afflictions of power is a lack of imaginative extension. For many men it begins in early childhood, with almost exclusively being read and given stories with male protagonists.” – Rebecca Solnit

AnomalousCo’s (beyond) Doomsday Scrolling is a production of protest against the male-led oppressive, destructive course of human history which continues to this very moment, told through the stories of women who were there. It was first realized in 2022, and now returns for a run at the American Theatre of Actors. In the early, frightening days of 2025, its re-imagining is not a moment too soon.

The play is the ever-evolving creation of an ensemble—AnomalousCo is a women-led collective of predominately queer-identifying feminist artists and performers. All the actors are descendants of people who lived through these events; they are literally portraying their ancestors. The actors developed their individual characters themselves, drawing on the stories and experiences of their own families. The reality that the historic horrors they depict are also happening to and around them, here and now, lends a palpable emotional poignancy. You can see it in the actors’ eyes, feel it in their voices. Their work is a unified cry of resistance against the horrors of war and subjugation, caused by a system perpetually run by men.

(beyond) Doomsday Scrolling imagines women from different times and places, taking sanctuary in a theater to escape the horrors they have all faced. We meet refugees of violent conflict and disaster from all over the world; from the Warsaw uprising of 1944 to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and right up to the current day horrors of the Altadena fires. It is a tense scene—a siren sound mixes with the pleading cries of a baby; news reports, read matter-of-factly, are heard throughout, depicting tragic historical events from the last two centuries. These reports heartbreakingly intertwine with news from just days ago, in the aftermath of the repressive actions of the new US administration, and the ongoing horrors of Gaza. Quotations from women writers, including Rebecca Solnit (as noted above) Evgeniya Byelorusets and Naomi Klein, appear on a screen to bear witness, and to warn.

Speaking in their native tongues, the women try to communicate; they compare weapons and pass around a bottle of rum. A Red Cross volunteer comes to the “rescue”. The women open his box of supplies only to find that it’s useless: it’s filled with burlesque-type outfits, glittering dresses and feather boas. Through it all the women argue, they bond, they sing (notably a beautiful “Bella Ciao,” an Italian resistance folk piece); they try to escape in sleep, in long stretches of ominous silence. United by their experiences, they ultimately rise above their language barriers and cultural differences to come together in solidarity and understanding.

The initial incarnation of the show debuted shortly after the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, and is as crucial and relevant as ever in the cloud of chaos and uncertainty that is the here and now. Sheets line the walls, and ultimately the women’s clotheslines, listing the historic, patriarchy-caused catastrophes that caused them to flee. They all note the year, and ultimately, about half of them say 2025. The mantra of “it couldn’t happen here” is proven painfully incorrect; and history repeats, and repeats.

It’s noted that shortly before this production, the Doomsday Clock was moved from 90 seconds to 89. As (beyond) Doomsday Scrolling powerfully demonstrates,art—and the voices of women everywhere, from across time and distance—play a large part in slowing that second hand.

The performers/creators are: Alina Mihailevschi (Moldova), Claudia Godi (Italy), Diana Zhdanova (Russia), Jeremy Goren (US), Kikki Lau (China), Lesya Verba (Ukraine), Merve Atabek (Turkey), Simona DeFeo (Italy), Tia Cassmira (US), Wilemina Olivia-Garcia (Cuba), Weronika Wozniak (Poland), Ylfa Edelstein (Iceland).

(beyond) Doomsday Scrolling is directed brilliantly by Kathryn Mederos Syssoyeva, with Dramaturgy by Rhiannon Ling. It runs at the American Theatre of Actors through February 9, 2025.

Content warning: Presence of gun prop, partial nudity, siren sound.