Join us for readings of plays by Maria Edgeworth, Shirley Graham Du Bois, Jane Arden, and Akimoto Matsuyo

March 19, 2026: The Rose, Thistle, and Shamrock by Maria Edgeworth

In honor of St. Patrick's day, we feature an Irish writer for our March On Her Shoulders reading. Set during the Jacobite Rebellion, The Rose, Thistle, and Shamrock follows three young people from England, Scotland and Ireland as they navigate shifting political ties and commitment to their countries.

Directed by Malini Singh McDonald

Dramaturg: Lexi Silva

Cast: Max Bank, Marie Eléna O'Brien, Natasha Jain, Ellen Lichtensteiger, Steven Martin, Kevin McKelvey, Amanda Montoni, Santiago Sepulveda, Mary Sheridan, Brian Silliman

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August 18, 2026: It’s Morning and I Gotta Home by Shirley Graham Du Bois

“I Gotta Home” and “It’s Morning” were both written in 1939 while Graham Du Bois was the head of the Chicago Unit of the Federal Theatre Project. It's Morning follows Cissie, a desperate mother suffering during slavery in the U.S. South in 1862, deciding whether it's better for her child to live enslaved or die free. Often credited as a forerunner of Toni Morrison's Beloved, this play explores grief and the sacrifices a mother makes for her children. I Gotta Home, a comedy, follows Reverend Cobb and his large family as they try to make ends meet in 1938. When his long-lost sister appears with an inherited fortune, the family is sent into a tailspin.

Directed by Laura E. Johnston

Dramaturgy by Ashley M. Thomas

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