Overview
Synopsis
While vacationing with her family at the beautiful Grand Isle, Edna Pontellier meets the flirtatious and charming Robert Lebrun. She feels a fluttering and stirring of passion … but there is an insurmountable obstacle: It is 1899, and Edna is a married woman. How can she pursue this romance? More importantly, how can she discover and keep her own independence from the morally repressive Victorian society?
Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening created a stir with its first publication in 1899, boldly narrating the stirrings of female passion and sensuality. This stage adaptation by Max Bush honors the spirit of Chopin’s work through the depictions of Edna and the women around her: idealized wife and mother Adele, independent and defiant Reisz, flirtatious and free Mariequeta. At the center of it all is Robert, the man responsible for inspiring Edna’s awakening but who refuses a life with her in the face of moral judgment. Ultimately, Edna makes a tragic choice that profoundly engages in the ethical question of women’s role in society.
Show Information
- Book
- Max Bush , Kate Chopin
- Based on the Play/Book/Film
- Based on the novel by Kate Chopin
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 2015
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Period, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- Grand Isle and New Orleans, 1899-1900
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- None
- Dancing
- None
- Licensor
- Dramatic Publishing Co.
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Female, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Young Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
A play, musical, or opera that has been adapted from a written work.
Theatre that is focused on women's stories, separate from men, and often examines gender, class, race, and privilege within social, cultural, and historical systems.
Relating to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) or a person who lived in the Victorian era.
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Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Cindi Calhoun
Theatre teacher, director, writer, and seamstress