When speaking of Emily Rose Parman’s rendition of The Revolutionists by Lauren Gunderson at the Ponca Playhouse, the only word that comes to mind is outstanding. Not only is the play the voice for every angry feminist, but it is also filled with hilarity and is deeply moving.

“This grand and dream-tweaked comfy is about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters, and how we actually go about changing the world.

It’s a true story. Or total fiction. Or a play about a play. Or a raucous resurrection… that ends in a song and a scaffold,” says playwright, Lauren Gunderson’s website.

Follow four women on their journey in making a mark on the world during the reign of Terror in Paris, France. First we meet young playwright, Olympe Do Gouge (Meghann Borum), who is a feminist, abolitionist, and patriot as she meets three other women who want for her to write for them. First, her friend, Marianne Angelle (Geshawna Francis), who is a wife, mother, and abolitionist spy who led the Hatian revolution and gained their freedom from the French tyranny. Next, Charlotte Corday (Julie Roberts), more commonly known as The Murderer of Marat and The Angel of Assassins, makes her appearance in the home of De Gouge. Finally, the queen herself, Marie Antoinette (Jennie Hinterreiter), seeks the advice and help from the playwright.

“The motto of the French Revolution, still used in France today, was ‘Liberté, Égalité, Fratenité,’ which stands for Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood. Olympe’s call for women to be considered and included in these values fell on deaf ears and ultimately contributed to her demise during the Reign of Terror. Like many others, including nobles, artists, writers, and political dissidents, she was executed by guillotine on November 3, 1793 for treason and for having ‘forgotten the virtues which belonged to her sex.’

More than 200 years later, the spirit of her work clearly lives on. In 1967 another Declaration was issued, this time by the United Nations. The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women calls immediately back to Olympe’s original text. Its tenets have gone on to be accepted and ratified by all but four countries internationally.

That brings us to now, and the still ongoing fight for equal rights not just for women, but for all humanity.

“The hope of our company is that this performance will show you the ways in which there is still work to be done, and the power art as protest in a world that can resort to violence only too quickly.

“Our wish is that when the curtain comes down tonight, the feeling remaining in your chest is the glow, power, and discomfort of true radical empathy. We thank you for joining us,” explains Director Emily Rose Parman.

It is a witty and thought provoking play, performed by incredible actors, directed by Emily Rose Parman, and put together by an extremely dedicated group of people from behind the scenes who not only built the set and worked the program, but also created nearly the entirety of the wardrobe worn by the actresses. Tickets are currently on sale at www.poncaplayhouse.com and The Revolutionists will run from March 24 through 26 and again on March 31 through April 2. Showtimes are 7:30 pm on Friday and Saturday and 2 pm on Sunday. Because of it’s adult themes and language, this play may not be suitable for children under 16, so viewer discretion is advised.