Synopsis
It’s 1759 in rural England, and the country is awaiting the return of Halley’s comet. A young woman, accused of murder, is sentenced to death. When she tries to escape the noose by claiming she is pregnant, twelve ordinary women are gathered to decide whether she is telling the truth. A dark, fierce, funny play about democracy and housework.
As tensions mount over recent ICE killings in Minneapolis and the growing clash between state and federal power, THE WELKIN lands with chilling resonance. One character’s plea cuts straight to the heart of the moment:
“You cannot mean to ignore the truth simply cos that’s inconvenient to you… One of you women SPEAK and tell me I am mistaken!”
Kirkwood reminds us: truth doesn’t disappear when we ignore it—and silence, in the face of harm, is its own kind of violence. At once historic and urgent, the play takes aim at systems of control—from the state to the patriarchy—and cracks them open with fierce wit.
“By asking the right questions, a play can make you leave with something switched on that was off when you walked in,” Kirkwood says.
THE WELKIN asks: What does justice look like when women are finally allowed to speak? And who gets to decide the truth when belief itself becomes a battlefield?
“A superb new history play – a feminist courtroom drama that’s equal parts Twelve Angry Men, The Crucible and The Vagina Monologues, plus a dash of searing, up-to-the-minute political and social commentary… a warm, humane and very funny piece, firmly anchored in women’s everyday experience.” —Broadway World
Pay What You Can on Saturday, March 7.
Masking required on Sunday, March 15.
Ticket cost: Tickets are $40 ($35, students seniors, low income)