“whatdoesfreemean? “
by Catherine Filloux

“whatdoesfreemean?” follows the journey of an African American woman serving a long sentence for a drug offense. Mary ends up in solitary confinement where she struggles to maintain her sanity as she fights off hallucinations who appear as characters. The play takes the audience into her psychic world. We travel alongside her self-guided intellectual and emotional journey into the nature of freedom, both physical and psychological as Mary’s external and internal experience unfolds on stage in the present, in memory and the fantasies that help her survive.
- Cast Size: 3M 3W
- Running Time: 90+ minutes
- Royalty Rate: $75 per performance
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About the Playwright

CATHERINE FILLOUX is an award-winning French Algerian American playwright and librettist, who has been writing about human rights for decades. Her plays and operas have been produced nationally and internationally. In New York City, Filloux’s new musical “Welcome to the Big Dipper” (composer Jimmy Roberts) premiered Off-Broadway at the York Theatre, and her play “How to Eat an Orange” premiered at La MaMa Downstairs Theatre. Catherine’s new play “White Savior” was nominated for The Venturous Play List. Filloux’s other recent plays include: “turning your body into a compass” her livestream web drama at CultureHub, NYC; “whatdoesfreemean?” at Nora’s Playhouse, NYC; “Kidnap Road”, La MaMa, NYC; “Selma ‘65”, NYC and U.S. tour; “Luz”, La MaMa and Looking for Lilith in Louisville, KY. Catherine is the librettist for four produced operas: “Orlando” (composer Olga Neuwirth) is the first opera at the Vienna State Opera by a woman composer-librettist team (2022 Grawemeyer Award); “Where Elephants Weep” (Chenla Theatre, Cambodia, composer Him Sophy) broadcast on Cambodian national TV and Broadway on Demand. Filloux has traveled for her plays to conflict areas including Bosnia, Cambodia, Guatemala, Haiti, Iraq, Morocco; and to Sudan and South Sudan on an overseas reading tour with the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program. Catherine received her French Baccalaureate in Philosophy with Honors in Toulon, France. She has spoken for media and organizations around the world. www.catherinefilloux.com
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