The Children’s Hour
A Timeless Show Still Relevant Today
University of Idaho's Department of Theatre Arts presents “The Children’s Hour” by Lillian Hellman at 7:30 p.m. April 20-21, 26-28 and at 2 p.m. April 21 and 28 at the Hartung Theater, 625 Stadium Drive in Moscow. Tickets are free for U of I students, $10 for U of I faculty, staff and seniors and $15 for the general public and are available at BookPeople of Moscow, by phone at 208-885-6465 or at the door 60 minutes before curtain. The show contains mature content and is not suitable for children.
A Tale of Intolerance
Set in an all-girls boarding school run by two women in 1809, the American drama is a gripping exploration of intolerance. To avoid being sent back to school, a student tells her grandmother that the two headmistresses are having an affair. The accusation proceeds to destroy careers, relationships and lives.
Although the play earned critical accolades and was a financial success when it was written in 1934, it was banned in Boston and Chicago and was declared ineligible for a Pulitzer Prize nomination due to its controversial subject matter.
“The show is timeless,” said Master of Fine Arts candidate and director Shea King, from Los Banos, California. “Almost 200 years of painful experiences continue to occur. We’ve come so far, but we still have a lot more to do.”
Cast & Crew of More Than 40
King is working with a cast and crew of more than 40 students from the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences including MFA.candidate Hanah Toyoda, who received the Barbizon National Award for Excellence in Scenic Design for her research and creative activity on “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.”
This is King’s first main stage Hartung production, but he has a number of directorial projects under his belt. During the last two summers, he directed “The Legend of Georgia McBride” by Matthew Lopez and “Five Lesbians Eating A Quiche” by Evan Linder and Andrew Hobggod at the Redwood Curtain Theatre in Eureka, California. His U of I projects include directing “Tightrope” by Megan Fevurly and “Golconda,” by Robert Macke, as well as serving as an assistant director on “A Christmas Carol.” After graduating in May, King moves to New York to work at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor.