When Susan Glaspell’s Inheritors premiered in 1921, America was in the throes of a postwar conservative backlash as the “100% Americanism” movement fostered attitudes of isolationism, nationalism, xenophobia, racism, and the suppression of free speech. The play centers on the impact on a Midwestern college campus–with students from India deported for anti-colonial activism, a student imprisoned for violating the Espionage Act, a professor pressured to keep quiet on political issues, and the political awakening of the play’s central character, Madeline Morton, who traces her growing commitment to the ideals of American democracy to her grandfather, Silas Morton, the founder of the college.
And here we are again in the throes of another “100% Americanism” movement! Let no one wonder about Glaspell’s remarkable ability to dramatize the central conflicts at the heart of American identity nor the continuing relevance of her drama to America today. As Eva Le Gallienne once said, this play remains “a burning challenge to America.”
The reading went extremely well with a packed house! Many stayed for the discussion afterward, and it was a really robust discussion. This staged reading was a great success thanks to Cheryl’s adaptation and direction of the work, and our luck in getting such a dedicated and talented cast.
Stuart Hecht as Senator Lewis and Lyndsi Skewes as Madeline Morton
Post-reading discussion with (l to r) Joseph G. Ramsay, Lyndsi Skewes, Anne Fletcher, Stuart Hecht, and Cheryl Black
