By Lillian Hellman
“Jessi D. Hill has directed a solid production of a classic American play which is infrequently performed and even less frequently understood. Those playgoers afraid to leave Manhattan should really reconsider; the Astoria Performing Arts Center provides just one example of the excellent work being produced in the outer boroughs.” -Arielle Lipshaw, Stage and Cinema
May 21 - June 7, 2009
EQUITY APPROVED SHOWCASE
The insidious power of a lie takes center stage at the Wright-Dobie School for Girls in Lillian Hellman’s The Children’s Hour. When a student perceives she is being treated unfairly by the headmasters, she fabricates a malicious lie about them. Fearful that their children will be inappropriately influenced, parents begin to withdraw their children from the school. The controversy pushes relationships to the brink, tests assumptions, and challenges preconceived notions of the truth.
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Supported by Council Member Peter Vallone Jr., the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and NYSCA through the Queens Community Arts Fund.
Photos
Press
Time Out New York, “Lesbian walk” (April 30 – May 6, 2009)
Reviews
“…unfolds before us with a suspense that keeps us captivated throughout…Overall, an encouraging and interesting piece, well worth seeing.” -Georgina Young-Ellis, The Queens Gazette
“The pairing of Emily Dorsch’s Karen and Carmel Javaher’s Martha is a brilliant juxtaposition…The yin and yang approach to the Wright-Dobie pairing both humanizes the women and makes their ultimate demise that much more heartbreaking to watch.” -Bryan Stryker, stagebuzz.com
CRITIC’S PICK! “…given the right director and cast, The Children’s Hour can still move with its powerful indictment of irresponsible actions and righteous indignation…Lauren Marcus is a devilish dynamo as the bad seed Mary, utterly convincing as a spoiled adolescent willing to destroy anyone in her way.” -David Sheward, Backstage