The Costumes

“I wanted the costumes to embody the personalities of the characters. More than this, I wanted to imbue each wardrobe choice with a sense of emotional color. When characters work through obstacles, their wardrobe changes to reflect.

Act one was jovial in spirit, bright and unaffected by the dramas that eventually unravel their sense of unity. For this reason, I chose bright colors: to reflect this sense of optimism. As we traverse Act 2, we get a deeper, more affected side of each character. This translated to a more subdued palette: tones that accurately reflected their trauma, and, in a sense, how they overcame.”

-Alyssa Riha

The Direction

“The title for this play, pulled from Henry Longfellow's poem, is a little deceiving at first... Longfellow's poem is characterized by its fantastical view of child-like behavior: the speaker is seemingly fond of his young daughters and cherishes their preadolescence. In Lilian Hellman's stage play, the relationship between the mature party (Karen & Martha) and the immature party (Mary & Rosalie) is not cherished, but contentious. The tone of the play is likely influenced by true events, but the constant theme in this play is not children's effect on adults, but the dual effect of truth and lies. I felt it was important to note the difference between imagination and deceit. Imagination is, like the fantasies we make up as children, a mode of truth.

While imagination aims to reveal, lies are designed to protect. This is why lies are often the quickest and most intriguing way to find truth. My interpretation of The Children's Hour does not focus on its signature "lie" but rather explores each character's reactions to truth.”

-Natalia Giovanni

The Score

“We scoured the script for the two most important lines, knowing that our biggest themes were “Truth” and “Lies”. The first line we found was “I have loved you, the way they said.” These words were translated into song, and became our overture. The second line “But why this lie” told the same story, but in reverse. From this reversal, our score was born.”

Natalia Giovanni

Production Team

  • Lilian Helman

    Written by

  • Natalia Giovanni

    Director

  • Lindsay Jane

    Stage Manager

  • Alyssa Riha

    Producer

  • Abby Rowland

    Producer

  • Adrian Aguilera

    Composer

  • Natalia Giovanni

    Composer

  • Abby Rowland

    Sound Designer

  • Alyssa Riha

    Costume Designer

  • Sydney Riess

    Costume Assistant

  • Garry Moore

    Graphic Designer

  • Justin White

    Photographer

  • Riley Hyde

    Lighting Designer

  • Emme Standerford

    Assistant Sound Designer

  • Isabella Terry

    Assistant Stage Manager

  • Dustin Green

    House Manager

Cast

  • Meagan Cavasar

    Martha Dobie

  • Isabel Brown

    Karen Wright

  • Alyssa Riha

    Mary Tilford

  • Pat August

    Joseph Cardin

  • Leah Rae Epperson

    Amelia Tilford

  • Rachel Damiani

    Mrs. Mortar

  • Alyssa Love Lopez

    Rosalie Wells

  • Tori Eriavez

    Evelyn Munn/Grocery Boy

  • Catherine Ballantyne

    Agatha

  • Riley Hyde

    Peggy Rogers

  • Allison Earl

    Helen Burton

  • Julie Krawchuk

    Lois Fisher

  • Ráhel Steinberg

    Catherine

  • Lindsay Jane

    Karen Wright (U/S)