The Children's Hour
at McLean High School

Reviewed on February 18, 2017

Aubrey Winger
Loudoun Valley High School
Submitted for publication to Cappies News

A puppet master deftly pulls the strings, deliberately exploiting every weakness, turning the world against those she despises. The world revolves around her as she molds it into nightmare of her own design. Such is Mary Tilford, the disturbed child who orchestrates the entire plot of McLean High School's riveting production of The Children's Hour.

This play chronicles the lives of two women when Mary Tilford, one of their students, spreads a rumor that they have been engaged in a lesbian affair. More powerful than she could ever imagine, Mary's lie rips apart their lives and destroys their careers, relationships, and futures.

Mary Tilford (Rachel Kulp) had remarkable dexterity on the stage. She first introduced the audience to her sickly-sweet outside, but minutes later exposed her rotten core. Kulp further accentuated her manipulative nature as she aggressively bullied her friends into submission. Peggy Rogers (Carenna Slotkoff) and Evelyn Munn (Ariana Colder), two of her "friends" endlessly victimized by her antics, were the picture of schoolgirl innocence.

Martha Dobie (Jordan Prather) and Karen Wright's (Anna Kate Womack) virtuous friendship shattered in the wake of their alleged affair. Prather cracked under the pressure, admitting her feelings for Womack's character in a gut-wrenching monologue. Womack evolved from being stern but fair to numbly watching her life fall apart. She took advantage of the power of silence, giving simple motions and plaintive stares endless meaning.

The authenticity of the self-recorded sound effects further immersed the audience into the play. The use of backstage speakers to simulate the sounds of the doorbell and the school bell added another level of realism. Every set decoration and prop was carefully thought out and brought a new dimension to the time period and the plot line. The dollhouse, an exact replica of the set, served as an excellent vessel to show Mary's cruel intentions and ultimate control over the lives of everyone around her. Vintage photographs of the cast tied the play together perfectly.

The major transitions in the first act were punctuated by intense lighting. The opening sequence set a dark tone for the show, while the isolated lighting of Mary during transitions transformed her into a tortured silhouette, showing the instability of her mind and her devious intentions. The original music that accompanied these transitions utilized a children's lullaby full of bass undertones and minor chords, hinting at the corruption of innocent minds in the hands of a child.

The revolving set and the revolving dollhouse both complemented each other and further emphasized that inability of Martha and Karen to escape the influence of Mary. The decision to make the schoolhouse set triangulate in the center made the actors appear that they were standing on a precipice, on the brink of their own demise.

The costuming and makeup impeccably complemented the 1930's period of the show. The immense contrast between Martha and Karen's bright costumes in Act 1/Act 2 and muted outfits Act 3 gave the entire third act a feeling of solemnity.

One of the most impressive decisions of the marketing team was to partner their efforts with Sources of Strength, a program dedicated to raising awareness about mental illness. This related the show to contemporary audiences and brought to light some important issues in the play and in the world around us.

Mclean High School's interpretation of The Children's Hour was a testament to the power of a child and a few whispered words.

Diana Witt
Westfield High School
Submitted for publication to Cappies News 2

The pinging of a child's music box eerily echoes through the dark auditorium. A beam of light illuminates the stage, casting a spooky shadow on the face of a mysterious little girl sitting cross-legged in the center. The mysterious little girl is Mary Tilford, an unruly and manipulative boarding school student who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. In McLean High School's riveting production of The Children's Hour, Mary's twisted game of deception and lies entangles her entire school in a web of scandal.


Written in 1934, The Children's Hour is an American drama written by Lillian Hellman. It first premiered on Broadway in 1934. In 1961, the play was adapted to film and featured Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine. The play is set in all-girls' boarding school, which is run by two headmistresses, Karen Wright and Martha Dobie. After arguments with the headmistresses, Mary constructs an elaborate lie that Karen and Martha are having a lesbian affair to convince her grandmother to remove her from the school. Mary's complicated scheme wreaks havoc on the school, disrupting school life, demolishing the headmistresses' careers and forcing the women to face the truth of their relationship.

Jordan Prather and Anna Kate Womack portrayed the headmistresses, Martha and Karen. The pair demonstrated impeccable maturity in dealing with the dark subject matter of the show. Their convincing vocal intonation and unwavering characterization provided a strong foundation for the production. Prather exhibited Martha's dynamic persona, as she transitioned from an uncertain teacher to an infuriated, defensive suspect. Her fierce vocal tone radiated intensity in passionate scenes, while her natural physicalization and believable emotion conveyed raw, heart-wrenching messages. As Karen, Womack made unique and decisive character choices. In the shocking and devastating plot twist, Womack's chilling silence spoke louder than words.

Rachel Kulp played the cunning and devious Mary Tilford. Kulp admirably revealed the range of Mary's personality, by juxtaposing her innocent childlike qualities with her deceitful disposition. She embodied the physical traits of a young child, infusing each of her movements with youthful exuberance. Kulp used a persuasive vocal tone to fulfill her underhanded motives. Joey Barth portrayed Dr. Joseph Cardin, Karen's fiancée. Barth exhibited Joseph's ardent protection of Karen, while expressing his heartbreak and humiliation about the rumors.

The stage was adorned with a rotating set that featured the boarding house on one side and Mary's grandmother's house on the other. Books and children's items in the boarding house appearing on the shelves in the first act were removed to show the deterioration of the school house after the accusations. Seamless transitions were highlighted by impressive lighting cues, enigmatic vignettes, and original music composition. One vignette presented Mary playing with a dollhouse modeled after the boarding house to represent her influential role as the manipulator of the plot. The hauntingly beautiful score featured a medley of whimsically simple children's lullabies that was chilling and intriguing.

"You are not playing with paper dolls," snapped Martha as she began to become a pawn in Mary's selfish ploy. In McLean High School's The Children's Hour, Martha and Karen were no more than two dolls in Mary's dollhouse of twisted fantasy. The cast and crew explored the dangers of dishonest allegations in their enthralling production.

Samuel Intrater
Albert Einstein High School
Submitted for publication to Red Apple 21 - FCPS

Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words will never harm you; or so the saying goes. Phenomenal performances from the cast, aided by a creative technical element, made a convincing case against this claim in McLean High School's fiery and exhilarating production of The Children's Hour.

The 1934 play by Lillian Hellman details the events of an all-female boarding school, where a troublemaking student trying to escape begins spreading a rumor that two of the teachers are in a lesbian relationship, leading to disastrous consequences. The success of the play has led to two film adaptations: one in 1936 under the title "These Three", and a more popular remake in 1961 starring Audrey Hepburn.

The dramatic acting performances were exceptional. The Children's Hour is not a "fun" play. It features minimal comedy and takes the plot in very intense directions. McLean's well rounded cast tackled the serious topics addressed in the play with a maturity and commitment that sucked the audience into the heated dialogue. Jordan Prather (Martha Dobie) and Anna Kate Womack (Karen Wright) anchored the show as the two scandalized teachers. These lead actresses were measured and brilliant in their ability to convey the slow destruction of their social and psychological stability from beginning to end.

Rachel Kulp was laudable as Mary Tilford, the selfish little catalyst for everything that goes wrong in the story. Her ability to switch back and forth between the innocent victim and the menacing control freak was realistic and chilling. Throughout the entire play, including the moments where she was entirely offstage, her presence could be felt, as if she was still pulling the strings somehow.

Every member of the cast was extremely well equipped for the acting challenges presented by the show's brutal script. There were instances where the physicality of the actors seemed slightly out of place, but most of the show displayed an absolutely top notch, professional level of competence in handling the tension of the conflicts. It also helped that every line of dialogue could be heard clearly, thanks to the efforts of a seemingly flawless sound crew.

Although the piece does not naturally lend itself to being technically impressive, the crew of McLean High School made creative choices with the lighting, set changes and sound that greatly contributed to the show's tone and motifs. The technical elements of the show, especially the original music, were so impactful and memorable that they felt somewhat underused in some respects. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant surprise to see them.

Performances like these make it near impossible to doubt the potential of high school theatre to be more than just amateur entertainment. McLean High School's production of The Children's Hour was just about as eerie, captivating, and meaningful of an experience as one could expect from a theatre company of any level.

Charlie Trochlil
Loudoun Valley High School
Submitted for publication to FCPS Community News

It's easy to forget the insidious power of words. Children especially have a tendency to speak without knowledge of the consequences. In their production of The Children's Hour, McLean High School explored the chilling gravity that words can possess, and left their audience with a deeply poignant unease.

Written in 1934 by Lilian Hellman, The Children's Hour centers on Karen Wright and Martha Dobie, two headmistresses of an all-girls boarding school. When a problematic student named Mary lies to her grandmother about the two women being lovers, their school, their reputations, and their lives are summarily ruined. The show explores themes of sexuality, identity, and the power of rumor.

Central to the performance were Jordan Prather, as Martha Dobie, and Anna Kate Womack, as Karen Wright. The two conversed with excellent timing and were always attentive to the other while listening. Dobie's performance was marked by deep consciousness of her vocal dynamics and a strong ability to tug at her audience's heartstrings without employing her full intensity. Womack's performance, while much more subdued, lent a thorough view of emotional devastation through her silence and reservation.

Antagonizing the two leads was Rachel Kulp, a freshman in the role of Mary Tilford. Between her childlike outbursts of rage, consistent control of a bratty tone, and wickedly calculated crocodile tears, Kulp was a tiny emotional terrorist that any audience member would love to hate. Twisting a dollhouse image of the set between scenes, the borderline sociopath claimed a hugely memorable and chillingly thematic role as the young puppetmaster.

The show employed an original score by student Jared Jacknow, which juxtaposed a deep bassline of strings with a music-box-esque xylophone melody to create a deeply unnerving musical theme for the show's transitions. The light design worked in tandem with the music and found striking angles to heighten the dramatic effect of Mary's deadpan presence on stage during transitions.

In a show where period is so pivotal to the plot, the prop designers, costume artists, and hair and makeup team created a phenomenally consistent and immersive view of the 1930s. Identically styled but differently colored dresses were introduced in the third act to indicate the former headmistresses' new and colorless existence. A combination of realistic wigs for the older women, well-coiffured curls for the teachers, and plainly cut or braided hair for the girls created distinction in age, leaving the audience to wonder whether there were not only high schoolers on stage.

Without extravagance, the set for the show cleanly illustrated the repurposed farmhouse with its rough roof and plain walls, and after a smooth 180 degree turn, the living room of Amelia Tilford. In both settings, the attention to detail elevated relatively simple sets into deeply engrossing pieces of history.

With cohesive technical brilliance and a terrifyingly understated antagonist, McLean's production of The Children's Hour reminded its viewer of the danger in gossip.

Lydia Gompper
George Mason High School
Submitted for publication to Patch.com

A malicious little girl and a vicious lie: in McLean High School's production of "The Children's Hour," that's all it takes to destroy two innocent lives.

Penned by American playwright Lillian Hellman, "The Children's Hour" premiered on Broadway in 1934, garnering a widely positive reception despite its then-controversial content. Based on the true story of an 1810 Scottish court case, the play tells the tale of two schoolmistresses, Karen Wright and Martha Dobie, who are accused by an angry, manipulative student of having an affair. The lie is spread throughout the community, inflicting irreparable damage upon the women's relationships and lives. Still relevant more than eighty years after its publication, the show deals with eternal themes such as the pervasiveness of gossip and terrible power of shame.

The students of McLean High School have produced an emotionally striking production of this weighty show, adeptly handling its topical maturity with a finesse beyond their limited years. The cast ably executed the play's quick dialogue, maintaining firm pacing, and successfully depicted the wide age range of the characters. Every school girl on stage was believably childlike.

The production's success rested firmly on the capable shoulders of leading ladies Jordan Prather and Anna Kate Womack (Martha Dobie and Karen Wright, respectively). Prather's portrayal of the tormented Dobie showed impressive flexibility, as she seamlessly moved between righteous anger after first hearing the rumors, to a soft sadness and faux-cheerfulness in her treatment of Karen after losing their court case for slander. However, it was her ultimate breakdown that most stood out, offering the audience a jolt of fierce emotion as she desperately admitted her true feelings for Karen. Womack, meanwhile, most stood out in the play's final act, as the show reached its peak of intensity. Her expressionless, numb reaction to Martha's ultimate death was viscerally striking.

Other onstage standouts included freshman Rachel Kulp as Mary Tilford, the sociopathic puppetmaster schoolgirl who formulates a clever lie to keep herself from having to return to school after running away. Kulp delivered perfectly ferocious cruelty and darkness in her character's harsh treatment of her fellow students, while ably executing the transition to Tilford's veneer of childish innocence in front of the adult characters. She maintained a balance of kiddishness and evil that was bone-chillingly creepy. Other performers who made notable impressions included Amanda Flores, whose portrayal of Mary's easily influenced schoolmate Rosalie Wells was perfectly pitiable, and Joey Barth, who offered a solid, likeable interpretation of Karen's rational fiancé Dr. Joseph Cardin.

This production's strengths were not limited to its onstage artists but certainly included the play's technical elements. Senior Jared Jacknow's original music compositions added a daunting, horror-movie-like eeriness to the show's set changes, mixing a juvenile lullaby melody with a dramatic undertone that highlighted the damage that a young girl could do to two adult women. The music worked symbiotically with the show's lighting, also designed by Jared Jacknow, to underscore the show's sinister undercurrent. Meanwhile, the production's design teams executed the play's 1930s aesthetic superbly, from the period costumes to every thoughtfully selected detail of the rotating set.

McLean High School's production of "The Children's Hour" was poignant and thought-provoking. With a remarkably skilled cast and crew, the show was tragically moving, pushing its audience to consider the implications of falsehood, cruelty, and self-hatred. It was a true dramatic accomplishment.

Cecily Wolfe
Flint Hill School
Submitted for publication to Falls Church News Press

Haunting xylophones ring and sharp shafts of light illuminate a schoolhouse. Though the classroom appears normal, with a bookshelf, chalkboard, and chairs, this is not a typical children's story. A young girl kneels holding flowers, and as a disturbing smile contorts her face, an alarming sense of foreboding descends on McLean High School's production of The Children's Hour.

Based on a true story, Lillian Hellman's The Children's Hour is the troubling tale of a girls' boarding school in the 1930s in which one student, Mary Tilford, accuses the heads of school, Karen Wright and Martha Dobie, of inappropriate relations. Mary then deviously spins an elaborate scheme in which to ensnare the two headmistresses, until the rumor ruins their reputations, friendships, and the lives of their loved ones. Premiering at the Maxine Eliot Theatre in New York City on November 20, 1934, The Children's Hour received both critical acclaim and disdain because of its controversial material, yet today is a staple in the American drama repertoire.

McLean High School's production of this disquieting incident treated such an upsetting tragedy with maturity. Jordan Prather (Martha Dobie) personified the sensible headmistress. Her controlled voice and poised posture contrasted beautifully with her subtle hesitations when discussing her amorous feelings. Stutters and wringing of her hands belied her jealousy over Karen's relationship with her fiancé, Dr. Joseph Cardin, while the desperate, hysterical edge bordering on a sob and agitated pacing adeptly conveyed the inner turmoil over her sexuality.

Anna Kate Womack's (Karen Wright) presence accentuated the intensity of the play, comfortable whether she engaged in a heartbreaking exchange with Joey Barth (Dr. Joseph Cardin), who helped ground the show through his rational tone and methodical movements, or a stark moment of silence and penetrating stare that left the audience breathless.

Others, such as Emily Lachow (Mrs. Amelia Tilford, Mary's grandmother) and Julia Luigs (Mrs. Lily Mortar, Martha's aunt) accordingly portrayed the alleged wisdom of age through Lachow's self-righteous bearing and Luigs's dramatic, all-knowing air. In contrast, Rachel Kulp (Mary Tilford) fostered a charged atmosphere through her chilling intensity. Her sulking face fluidly transitioned to low, menacing tones and overbearing stance, and just as easily to the false innocence of a confused child barely able to keep her body and voice from trembling in fear. Amanda Flores (Rosalie Wells) complemented Kulp's eerie character through her purposefully nervous shuffling and shuddering, while Carenna Slotkoff (Peggy Rogers) and Ariana Colder (Evelyn Munn) captured the demeanor of young girls whose enthusiasm turns to horror as their supposed friend backs them into corners and pulls their hair. In fact, the school girls as a whole appeared quite natural as they chattered comfortably and murmured anxiously about upcoming exams and social events.

Furthermore, technical aspects were impressive, including dresses of rich fuchsia and a gentle blue juxtaposed with drab brown; crowded bookshelves and neat office space easily changed into an immaculate living room, and then to a barren, jumbled classroom; appropriately period props, from the telephone to the black-and-white portraits; and amber lighting that was both clean and natural.

Jarring and distressing, the painful memory of grim expressions and bodies rigid with regret seared into one's mind by McLean High School's The Children's Hour should serve as a lesson that since words alone can destroy, one should use them wisely.

Kelsey Loesch
Paul VI Catholic High School
Submitted for publication to Connection

"Between the dark and the daylight, When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day's occupations, That is known as the Children's Hour." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In 1934, Lillian Hellman's play, The Children's Hour, opened on Broadway despite laws depicting homosexuality on stage. The drama begins in an all girls boarding school run by Karen Wright and Martha Dobie. One of their pupils, Mary Tilford, a mischievous girl known for her lies and manipulative ways, runs away to her Grandmother's home. To avoid being sent back to the school, she tells her grandmother that the teachers are having an affair. This lie destroys the reputation of the two women and changes their lives forever.

Jordan Prather and Anna Kate Womack played Martha Dobie and Karen Wright respectively. Prather let the character evolve with the plot, as she slowly came to terms with her true feelings for Karen. Opposite her, Womack embodied a woman whose life is crashing down around her. She is torn between the unrest in her life and the devotion of her fiance, Joseph. Joey Barth expertly captured the love his character has for Karen, but the uncertainty he has of the truth.

Freshman Rachel Kulp brilliantly portrayed the dastardly Mary Tilford. Kulp showed a mastery of Mary's complex nature through every manipulative action and secretive, evil glance. She commanded the stage with a ferocity and viciousness that terrified her peers and delighted the audience. Mary Tilford is not an easy character to play, but Kulp took to the challenge and dominated the play from start to finish.

McLean High School's production utilized tech elements to their advantage in the haunting transitions between scenes. The student designed lighting reflected the mood of the scene and was perfectly complemented by the original music composed by Jared Jacknow. These transitions were executed flawlessly and created memorable tableaus, most notably Mary turning a dollhouse replica of the set just before the real set was turned to reveal Mrs. Tilford's home. As the deconstructed lullaby echoed throughout the theatre, a single spotlight illuminated Mary's evil smile, letting the audience know who was really in control.

A lie is a powerful thing and McLean's production of The Children's Hour proved that a single whisper of deceit can have disastrous consequences.

Erik Wells
Lake Braddock Secondary School
Submitted for publication to Fairfax County Times

In the 21st century, our country has made great strides towards accepting the LGBTQ community with the Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay marriage, yet our society wasn't always this open-minded. McLean High School's production of Lillian Hellman's "The Children's Hour" takes us back to a time where even the word "lesbian" was taboo and any indication of exhibiting these tendencies was out of the question.

Hellman's controversial play debuted on Broadway in 1934, and despite its critical acclaim and financial success, attempted productions in Chicago and Boston were banned on the grounds of its controversial content. The play tells of the story of schoolteachers Karen Wright and Martha Dobie, whose unruly student Mary spreads a rumor as revenge against the teachers she sees as mean. The lie, which implies that Ms. Wright and Ms. Dobie were lovers, gains traction and spreads until the children vacate the school and it ultimately results in a loss of love and life.

Jordan Prather and Anna Kate Womack carry the show as Martha Dobie and Karen Wright, respectively. Prather in particular excels at varying her levels of emotion. She is soft and warm when attempting to be hopeful but bitter and biting when angry. Freshman Rachel Kulp impressively plays Mary Tilford, the young manipulator who sets the whole play in motion. Even though Mary only appears in the first two acts, Kulp's balance of scheming intensity and faux sincerity makes Mary's presence felt long after she last leaves the stage. Even though the actors are all within a few years of each other, they did a great job of playing the ages of their characters through posture and tone and setting a divide between the students and teachers, which gives a high school production more credibility.

The show's set, designed by Piper Phillips, made use of a revolve, allowing it to skillfully transition between the schoolhouse in Act 1, to Mrs. Tilford's mansion in Act 2, back to the now desolate schoolhouse in Act 3. The warm tones and simplicity of the yellow schoolhouse contrasted with the cold, grandiose nature of the purple patterned mansion. Both sides of the set were decorated with meticulous detail by the props and set decoration crews. The bookshelf in the schoolhouse was filled to the brim with books in Act 1, yet empty in Act 3, showing the state of disrepair the school is in. This added a layer that the play would have lacked if the bookshelf had been empty from the beginning. The walls of both the schoolhouse and the mansion are adorned with portraits of the characters which helped to set the scene. All the costumes and hairstyles were period-appropriate, and, as with the set, color played an important part in the costumes, with Wright and Dobie wearing warm, inviting colors in Acts 1 and 2, as opposed to the drab and depressed outfits of Act 3. Jared Jacknow's spine-tingling original score gave the production the feel of a Hitchcockian psychological thriller, and although it was used sparingly, it was effective. The publicity team, headed by Haley Rose and Rachel Weatherby, made the brilliant decision to team up with the school's Sources of Strength program to raise awareness for suicide prevention, a topic that is relevant no matter the time period.

While we've always been taught that school gossiping can hurt fellow students, "The Children's Hour" shows that it can also wreak havoc on teachers, and McLean's take helps to prove this point through powerfully real performances and an authentic environment.