A Poison Squad of Whispering Women by Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos

FULL LENGTH - In 1924, an unlikely union of women lead a righteous whisper campaign against the Grand Dragon of the Indiana Klan, exacting a bitter reckoning that ends in the brutal murder of one of their own.
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A Poison Squad of Whispering Women

Recommended by

  • Doug DeVita:
    29 May. 2020
    “ The storm clouds in Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos' political dark comedy start massing right from the beginning, gathering force throughout the play until everything explodes in a brutal tornado of tragic consequences. Riveting stuff from start to finish, with big, juicy roles for 5 women. ”
  • Jerry Polner:
    24 May. 2020
    “ In Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos's brilliant play, these women do a lot more than whisper. The Ku Klux Klan, political corruption, and the coming age of the flappers all collide in 1924 Indiana when organized women become a force to be reckoned with. An exciting, fast-moving story and a great read! ”
  • Maximillian Gill:
    28 Feb. 2020
    “ McBurnette-Andronicos’s thrilling play has a lot to say about how our current political situation can be traced through the country’s history. Her portrait of a town with a normalized KKK presence is chilling and effortlessly convincing. Yet again, I have to remark on the writer’s incredible feel for language in the dialogue. How she is able to convey the rhythms and peculiarities of American English from a century ago is beyond me. The use of antiquated slang always feels authentic, yet the characters are so real I never feel like I’m reading a period piece. ”
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Character Information

  • SYLVIA OTIS
    30s,
    White
    ,
    Female
    Professor, researcher and recent divorcee from Chicago. Focused and stoic, she is driven to complete her non-fiction book on the model American town. She probably drinks and smokes too much.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • OPAL HIGHTOWER
    20s,
    White
    ,
    Female
    College student and flapper. Educated, flirtatious, and high-spirited, she prefers to be called ‘Liberty.’ Both affectionate and mocking with her aunt.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • PEARLENE HIGHTOWER
    50s, 60s,
    White
    , Array
    Opal’s verbose aunt, owner of the boarding house, and a still politically active former Suffragette. She walks with a noticeable limp.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • DELL GUFFEY
    40s,
    White
    ,
    Female
    Live-in housekeeper and low-level civic official. She is Midwestern friendly but also hard, rustic, ambitious, and entitled by her religion.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • EULA ROMAN
    20s,
    Latinx/Mixed
    ,
    Female
    A mole masquerading as a transitory stranger. She speaks with an indiscernible Eastern European accent.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic, Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • ADOLPHUS BECK
    40s,
    White
    ,
    Male
    Charismatic, suave, and attractive congressional candidate with a penchant for women and an obsession for ‘Liberty’ Hightower.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Male

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Something Something Theatre Company
    ,
    2019
  • Reading
    ,
    Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette
    ,
    2017

Production History

  • Workshop
    ,
    Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette
    ,
    2020

Awards

Individual Artists Grant
,
Indiana Arts Commission
,
2020
Semi-Finalist
,
2020 Plays in Progress
,
Athena Project
,
2019
Winner
,
World Premiere Staged Reading of a New Play
,
Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette
,
2017