The Children's Hour at Houston Hall Class of '49

Set in a fictional New England town in the 1930s, The Children’s Hour tells the story of two women, Martha and Karen, who are unjustly accused of homosexual activity by one of their students. The outraged community quickly withdraws all of their students, causing a witch hunt. Martha and Karen’s lives quickly unravel as they become social pariahs. At its premiere, Hellman’s The Children’s Hour was a controversial piece that caused the author to be blacklisted from Hollywood. Today, it remains a haunting reminder of the horrors of intolerance.

Content Warning: This show contains suicide, homophobia, and the sound of a gunshot.

Authors

• Lillian Hellman