The City-Women
A New Play by Mallorie Sievert
Within the cloistered walls of the Santa Catalina Monastery in colonial Latin America, four nuns navigate a world of shifting faith and forbidden desire. The City-Women centers on a passionate romance between two young nuns: Ana, a gifted musician raised within the convent, and her cellmate, Teresa. When the counter-reformation forces the new Prioress to enforce stricter rules, the two young women must decide whether to conform to the life that was chosen for them or forge their own path and discover who God truly wants them to be.
Inspired by the playwright's own journey of reconciling her Latina heritage and queerness with her Catholic upbringing, this poignant, deeply funny play subverts traditional religious archetypes in favor of a more expansive view of faith. The City-Women is a powerful exploration of love, spirituality, and sisterhood, redefining what it means to be queer in the eyes of God.
Inspired by the playwright's own journey of reconciling her Latina heritage and queerness with her Catholic upbringing, this poignant, deeply funny play subverts traditional religious archetypes in favor of a more expansive view of faith. The City-Women is a powerful exploration of love, spirituality, and sisterhood, redefining what it means to be queer in the eyes of God.
Location
The Chapel in St. Bartholomew’s Church
325 Park Avenue, New York, NY, USA
325 Park Avenue, New York, NY, USA
Date & Time
October 6, 2026, 2:00 PM
Cast
Jess Darrow
as ana
Daphne Rubin-Vega
as Nicolasa
Rebbekah Vega-Romero
as Teresa
Marina Jansen
as maría
Director: Sara LiBrandi
Production Manager: Tommy Pegan
Stage Directions: Emma Bailey
Production Manager: Tommy Pegan
Stage Directions: Emma Bailey
This reading is supported by YoungArts
History
The City-Women was written as part of Mallorie's undergraduate thesis through the Honors program at Elon University, from which she graduated in 2024 with her BFA in Music Theatre and a minor in Mathematics. Inspired by her own lived experience growing up Catholic as a queer woman and guided by the research question, "How has the Catholic Church erased the women who built the faith, and how can their lives and stories shed light on a new, Queer way to see God?", Mallorie spent her last two years of college working on this piece, which she frequently describes as "a piece of her soul spread out onto the page." In 2025, The City-Women won the CMU Press Inaugural New Play Contest, and is subsequently being published through CMU Press on October 6th, 2026.
Praise for “The City-Women”
"The City-Women is a woman's story, but it is so much more than that. It's a story of identity, belonging, and faith that has the rare quality of saying something deeply human without telegraphing or being overt. Its universality will appeal to a variety of audiences who are yearning for an utterly human hero who makes the bravest of choices; being true to oneself in the face of adversity. Mallorie Sievert is an exciting new voice, whose prose sings the sound of nature."
-Kim Shively
"The City-Women by Mallorie Sievert deftly dramatizes the challenge of finding your way in a world that offers limited choices for women. Ana and Teresa's questions about faith, class, and gender expectations remain fresh and urgent today. This sweet and funny script offers a poignant meditation on love in its many forms."
-Susanne Shawyer