Their third production in as many weeks, IN Series’ For Women Serving Time is an excellent meditation on women in prison. It belongs in this group of Passion plays because a Passion itself is suffering and prison is certainly suffering, so they relate in that way. But even more than that, and beyond the Passion theme of the festival, this opera speaks to any woman who has been pushed to their limit and feels unwanted, trapped, or isolated.
Performed at Dupont Underground, as with the other works in the festival, set designer Josh Sticklin created the world of a prison using metal scaffolding. This ended up becoming as much a part of the music as the other instruments, with the women sometimes pounding on the ceiling or making noise with chairs. They even played what looked like the game “musical chairs” at one point as part of the staging. It was a privilege to hear the composer of the piece, Adrienne Torf, on the piano, too, and one hopes she enjoyed the experience from her vantage point at least as much as the audience did. Torf is clearly an extremely creative composer, from the instrumentation to the way she used four-part harmony after Judy Yannini’s escape attempt, for example, to make the audience feel how prison is never quiet, to the use of breathing and whispering as vocal effects, including at the end, with a final, audible and dramatic exhale before the blackout.
The chairs also served to set the scene of group therapy sessions. Among the discussions the women have, one of the most poignant was the one about the difference in education being available to prisoners in men’s prisons versus women’s. It spoke to their desire for survival. Despite their circumstances, the women are trying to better themselves by taking courses, going to therapy, and talking.
Carly Ozard as the warden of the prison was the bedrock of the show. She returns several times to the same line: “Tonight’s show is for women serving time, but time does not serve them.” The audience understands this from the beginning, and by the end its meaning gets clarified further. Ultimately, it seems to mean that the women are trying to make the most of their time in prison, but it ends up being a Sisyphean effort.
Ozard’s muscal-theatre-esque vocal delivery was great, as were her reactions throughout the show. She was moved by what she hears of the women’s stories and their humanity, such as in her beautiful duet with Melissa Wimbish. Wimbish’s presence onstage in general conveys strength, but in this show, and especially in this moment, she showed tremendous vulnerability as her character sang about her drug addiction and her children. She also had a haunting bit about spending time in isolation.
In truth the entire cast was incredible. They were so cohesive and some of the best voices I’ve yet heard together. There were several moments where they got to sing in harmony, and it left me wanting more, such as when they sang “You are beautiful,” eliciting a feeling of positivity despite the women’s trials and tribulations. Elizabeth Mondragon and Shana Oshiro were radiant as always, and I loved the clarity of both tone and diction in Louisa Waycott’s voice. Judy Yannini got what amounted to an epic aria moment in the aforementioned escape attempt scene. Not only did she get to stand on the warden’s desk, but she got to throw papers everywhere ala Magda Sorel in Menotti’s The Consul.
Of the three works presented in this festival, this one ended up being my favorite. With memorable music, top-notch singing and acting, effective staging and lighting and set design, For Women Serving Time is a gem of a one-act opera. Props to Artistic Director Timothy Nelson for his tireless work planning and preparing this season and especially this triple-threat treat of a festival, the composer for creating something great, and the performers for executing her score so flawlessly. I look forward to seeing this entire cast in more productions around the area.
Maggie Ramsey
For Women Serving Time
Music by Adrienne Torf
Text by Fatemeh Keshavarz
Cast and Production Staff:
Elizabeth Mondragon; Shana Oshiro; Carly Ozard; Louisa Waycott; Melissa Wimbish; Judy Yannini
Piano – Adrienne Torf; Percussion – Michael Barranco; Trumpet – Josh Carr; Flute – Carrie Rose; Cello – Maxfield Wollam-Fisher
Director – Timothy Nelson; Musical Director – Adrienne Torf; Lighting Designer – Trinity Joseph; Costume Designer – Rakell Foye; Set Designer – Josh Sticklin; Stage Manager & Lightboard Operator – Mikayla Talbert
Dupont Underground, Washington, D.C., March 22, 2026
Top image: Carly Ozard
All photos by Bayou Elom