PORTSMOUTH – Based on the real stories of four Romanian human trafficking survivors, “Sisterhood of the Survivors” is set in a long-term recovery shelter and explores the three periods of each woman's life: their childhood, their human trafficking experience, and their healing journey. 
 
The monologue-style play written by Bianca Vranceanu and directed and read by Leslie Pasternack, showcases how trust and strength are built through telling their stories, and how through their shared experience they can build relationships with one another and attain a life of freedom, independence, and resilience.
 
This reading is part of the Ring-works New Play Development Program, and is free (donations welcome.) There will be one reading on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 2:30 p.m. Registration at www.playersring.org is required. 
 
“As a playwright, my mission is to shine light on stories that often go unheard, said Vranceanu. “I enjoy writing plays that are experimental, unexpected, and insightful. ‘Sisterhood of the Survivors’ is a play that is very close to my heart.”
 
Vranceanu is Romanian/American and grew up overseas. In Romania, she was a volunteer for seven years at the Open Door Foundation, which is a shelter that supports the recovery of Romanian women who survived human trafficking. The foundation is the setting of the play. 
 
“During my time as a volunteer, I developed strong bonds with the survivors and was often left in awe of their strength, resilience, and bravery,” Vranceanu said. “When I moved to the United States to attend Northeastern University, I grappled with how I could continue working with the foundation, despite the distance. I realized there was an opportunity to engage in advocacy work through bringing the real stories to the stage.”
 
For her senior thesis at Northeastern University, Vranceanu embarked on this project. “Sisterhood of the Survivors” is a play that is based on interviews she conducted with Romanian women who survived human trafficking. Through using a “do no harm” ethical approach, she interviewed several women who were residents at the Open Door Foundation.
 
“Sisterhood of the Survivors” showcases four real stories of survivors and presents a holistic representation of each person - providing details on their background, their human trafficking experience, and their recovery journey at the shelter. 
 
“Human trafficking, specifically sexual exploitation, is a modern global issue with extreme prevalence in Romania,” Vranceanu said. “The play is a true and honest depiction of what a survivor's experience is like. Empathy is woven into the narrative of the storytelling of the play, the stories are incredibly hard to imagine, but the women in the play use their shared experiences to build relationships with one another and foster an environment of support and recovery.”
 
“Sisterhood of the Survivors” incorporates theatrical elements to support telling the survivors’ stories in an authentic and compelling way. Theatre drives social impact and change; it is the ideal medium to showcase significant topics, such as human trafficking, because the platform sparks discourse and enables education through entertainment.
To learn more about Vranceanu, visit https://www.biancavranceanu.com/
 
“Bianca’s script really stood out to me because she has tackled an extremely important subject in a very theatrical way,” Pasternack said. “Often, when theatre artists set out to raise awareness of a social problem, they recreate realism on the stage and leave out all the tools that make theatre alive for an audience. But Bianca has a terrific sense for how movement, sound design and non-realistic performance styles can enhance her story.”
 
Pasternack said her hope is that this reading, despite not being fully staged, will conjure the essence of Vranceanu’s project, so she can see and hear what’s working really well and whether there are things she wants to emphasize more or differently. 
 
“We are working to put some of her visual elements together so she can really see her ideas come to life,” she added.
 
More on Pasternack’s background can be read at https://lesliepasternack.com/about-leslie/
 
“I am honored to be part of the Play Development program at The Players’ Ring. Working with Leslie Pasternack, my playwriting mentor and director of the staged reading, has been wonderful,” Vranceanu said.
 
“Leslie and Margherita (Giacobbi, the Ring’s Executive Director) have been amazing supporters during the development process,” she added. “I had the opportunity to gain feedback from several members of the Reading Circle at Players’ Ring, who read a first draft of the play. Hearing their feedback and being able to ask them questions were pivotal moments in the process.”
 
Since its creation in 1992, The Players' Ring has been committed to producing and presenting original work and to being a hub for local and regional artists to be bold, experiment, and grow.
 
“The Ring-Works|New Play Development Program was introduced four years ago by former board member Ed Simeone,” said Margherita Giacobbi, the Ring’s Executive Director. 
 
“It started as a series of conversations with theatre mavens and theatre makers who'd offer feedback to emerging playwrights about their new work,” she added. “Over time, the program has evolved to include a mentorship component – the authors have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a seasoned theater professional to workshop their plays, which then get presented in the form of a staged reading in front of a live audience.” 
 
Every winter, the Ring receives dozens of submissions for its upcoming seasons. 
 
“While we can't include them all, some emerge as perfect candidates for the ‘Ring-Works’,” Giacobbi said.  “We were very touched by Bianca's powerful work and when we presented it to this year's mentor, Leslie Pasternack, she got as excited as we were at the idea of inviting "Sisterhood of the Survivors" to the program.
 
The cast includes Clara – Genevieve Allen (Clara); Olivia Barberian (Maria); Irene McCarthy (Ilinca); Shannon Muhs (Monica) Erin Timbs (Elena) and stage directions by Tara Johns.
Content warning: the play contains themes of violence, sexual exploitation, and abuse.
 
This program is supported in its entirety by The Eppes-Jefferson Foundation, to whom the Ring is truly grateful. 
 
The Ring’s neighbor "The Puddle Dock" restaurant and its sister restaurant "Tour" on Lafayette Road, are both offering a 10% discount on food to Players' Ring patrons! Visit their websites to reserve, and present your ticket when you ask for your check.