The Children’s Hour: A Queer Explosion

Lillian Hellman’s 1934 play The Children’s Hour deals with two headmistresses at a Scottish boarding school, women whose lives are ruined when a vengeful child spreads a nasty rumor that her school is run by lesbians. The play is an effective reminder that children are awful monsters, but the story doesn’t actually engage with a real queer experience, as Tyler Coates astutely noted in his Was It Good For The Gays? column. Brown/Trinity MFA student Kate Bergstrom directed the play back in March, and she’s workshopping it again (with an added subtitle). This free weekend-long production features music by Kirsten Volness.