The Children’s Hour (2025)
by Lillian Hellman
directed by Angela Bonacasa
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Directed by Angela Bonacasa
Stage Manager: Sophie Bilodeau
Scenic Designer/Master Carpenter: Ben Wetzel
Lighting Designer: Scout Hough
Costume Designer: Mark Muir
Sound Designer: Christopher Duff
Properties Designer/Asst. Director: Juliana Morgado Brito
Asst. Stage Manager: Owen Hines
Backstage Running Crew: Terri Moulin
Light & Sound Board Operator: Richard Frost
Marketing & Publicity: Tellis CoolongPhotos by Chris Dougherty
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Lucia Dilena as Penny Rogers
Elizabeth Bowie as Catherine
Maggie Olesniewicz as Lois Fisher
Margo Lukens as Mrs Lily Mortar
Jenna Spofford as Evelyn Munn
Piper Kelley as Helen Burton
Heather Brenner-Simpson as Rosalie Wells
Katerina Marilyn Winchell as Janet
Emma Molnar as Leslie
Jules Gudaitis as Mary Tilford
Tricia A. Hobbs as Karen Wright
Abby Rice as Martha Dobie
Jared Roxby as Dr. Joseph Cardin
Holly Costar as Agatha
Alison Cox as Mrs. Amelia Tilford
Owen Hines as a Grocery Boy -
One of the great successes of distinguished writer Lillian Hellman, this serious play about two women who run a school for girls highlights the real-life consequences of a lie told by a disgruntled student. After the malicious youngster starts a rumor about the two women, it soon turns to scandal. As the young girl comes to understand the power she wields, she sticks by her story, which precipitates tragedy for both women. It is later discovered that the gossip was pure invention, but it is too late. Irreparable damage has been done.
The Children's Hour holds historical significance from the era during which it premiered; the play was banned in Boston, Chicago and London due to its lesbian content, which was considered indecent and illegal for the stage at the time. The ban in Boston in December 1935 was challenged by the playwright and the ACLU, marking one of the early instances of challenging censorship laws related to gay and lesbian themes. While the ban in Boston was not overturned, the legal action brought the issue into public discussion.
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