Current Season
In January, we started the season with The People and The Enemy, based on the work of Henrik Ibsen, and directed by Martin French. At the end of the Summer, James Thompson and Michelle Lori present a new adaptation of Euripides' classic The Trojan Women, reset in Kentucky of the 1930s.
The Harlan Women
Adapted from The Trojan Women by Euripides
Conceived by James Thompson, written by James Thompson and Michelle Lori
September 2025
Greek playwright Euripides’ famed female survivors of The Trojan Women are re-imagined in the hills of Harlan, Kentucky, during the “little coal wars” of the 1930s, when miners and union organizers fought the unjust coal bosses for nearly a decade. The Harlan Women depicts the strength and resolve of the women of Eastern Kentucky, and their role in fighting for justice for their families and in the end, themselves, a universal theme whether depicted in ancient Greece or early 20th century Harlan, Kentucky.
Directed by Alyssa Hendricks and Music Direction by Griffin Cobb
A public reading of the script was held on June 18, 2025 at The Opera Center. The reading was directed by Alyssa Hendricks and featured Abby Braune, Matt Brown, Rena Cherry Brown, Griffin Cobb, Octavia Coleman, Stephanie Collins, Kaitlin Fortwengler, Martha Frazier, Mariel Gardner, Laura Krauser, Clint Nowicke, Tory Parker, Bailey Preston, and Rosemary Sims.
The People & The Enemy
January 2025
Adapted and directed by Martin French from the 1882 original, En Folkfiend, typically translated as An Enemy of The People by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen
A sibling rivalry becomes a flashpoint as a major business in a small town is on the line. Who will stand up for truth? Who will stand up for jobs? Who is willing to be counted when everything else goes wrong? Can we recognize the waters of the Rubicon when we are wading in them? Would we know what to do when the idea of what is just is challenged? Is there in Truth no Beauty?
Directed by Martin French
Featuring: Kate Bariteau, Sean Childress, Ev Davis, Fløren K, Marc McHone, Jeannette McKenna, Sassy Nuvelle, Jude Stivers, Cali Thompson, and Rayann Walker
Kleinhelter Gallery (New Albany), January 2025
