2021 Theatre Season

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  Ajax: The Wounds of War

  Spring 2021
  For the past twenty years, since 9/11, so many of our modern warriors have come home from Afghanistan and Iraq with more than just outward scars, but dealing with the internal wounds of PTSD. This contemporary interpretation of Sophocles’ powerful ancient Greek play centers on a once great warrior stripped of his honor and driven to his untimely death by those scars.

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  Silent Sky

  Fall 2021
  Meet the fierce and funny women who charted the stars! DePauw Theatre, in conjunction with the Department of Physics and Astronomy and DePauw Women’s Center, present Silent Sky, an award-winning play by Lauren Gunderson that celebrates the profound contributions of the first women “astronomers” at the Harvard Observatory. The play explores the lives and discoveries of three brilliant women, Henrietta Leavitt, Annie Cannon, and Williamina Fleming who worked at the Harvard Observatory as “human computers” in the early 1900s. As women, they were expected to “resist the temptation to analyze” and simply log discoveries made by men. Their work was measured in “girl hours,” and they were not permitted to touch the “Great Refractor” telescope. Despite such restrictions, Henrietta, Annie, and Williamina chart thousands of stars, and their exciting discoveries set the standard still used today for measuring distances in space. However, their success comes at a cost to their personal lives. Based on the real-life contributions of these three historical figures, Silent Sky celebrates these remarkable women, who, through their humor and perseverance, fought for professional recognition--and respect--in a man’s world.

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  The Spitfire Grill

  Fall 2021
  Based on the hit 1996 film of the same name, “The Spitfire Grill” follows Percy Talbot, who travels to the small town of Gilead, Wisconsin, where she finds new meaning to her life and helps others do the same. Featuring a gorgeous, soulful score, “The Spitfire Grill” is a heartwarming and inspirational musical tale of redemption, perseverance and family.

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  Zoom Doom: Three Short Disaster Plays by Student Writers

  Spring 2021
  

  Sophia Goettke, The Trial of Minnie Baker: A YouTube channel host with a padded resume and exaggerated computer skills is unknowingly hired by the CIA, and finds herself facing charges of murder, treason and espionage.

  Allie Duranceau, The Weatherman: A popular TV weatherman, broadcasting from his living room during the pandemic, discovers an impending storm has already landed inside his house.

  Cami Henry, The Date: Two online classmates resort to a zoom first date; their roommates, however, have other ideas.