Today in the ArtZany Radio studio Paula Granquist welcomes director Julianna Skluzacek and actor Ann Etter from the Northfield Arts Guild production of The Children’s Hour. Set in a 1930’s boarding school, this play explores how a lie and a rumor about an affair between the headmistresses Karen and Martha unfolds into a scandal with devastating consequences.
Friday, June 7 and Saturday, June 8 at 7:30pm and Sunday, June 9 at 2pm; Friday, June 14 and Saturday, June 15 at 7:30pm and Sunday, June 16 at 2pm. Tickets at northfieldartsguild.org.
How much damage can one lie cause? Stopping at nothing to get even, a deceitful 1930s boarding school student starts a rumor that the headmistresses, Karen and Martha, are having an affair. The ensuing scandal throws the women’s careers into chaos and pushes relationships to the brink, with devastating consequences for all. The culture of fear and the power of public shaming make this piece startlingly relevant today. Inspired by a 19th-century legal case, Lillian Hellman’s landmark drama premiered in 1934 to great acclaim amid tremendous controversy — the play was initially banned in several major cities and the Pulitzer committee refused to attend.
