Inheritors

by Lucas H Reilly

An adaptation of Susan Glaspell's 1921 Play

Spanning four generations, this is the story of a hill overlooking the great Mississippi. The play weaves in and out between timelines; in 1879, the memory of the great Sauk warrior and leader Blackhawk and his relationship with the first white settlers of the area are considered as the children of those settlers decide to build a college. In 1920, the college planted by those early settlers is set for expansion...

Spanning four generations, this is the story of a hill overlooking the great Mississippi. The play weaves in and out between timelines; in 1879, the memory of the great Sauk warrior and leader Blackhawk and his relationship with the first white settlers of the area are considered as the children of those settlers decide to build a college. In 1920, the college planted by those early settlers is set for expansion, but only if the grandson of one of those first settlers can oust a rising Hindu nationalist movement and silence pro-revolutionary socialist professors and students (including his own niece). Asking questions like “who does land belong to”, “what rights do the people have to resist their government”, and “to whom belongs the privilege of education”, this literary epic gets at the heart of what it means to be a Midwestern American. (Full Length, 8-30 actors)

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Inheritors

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  • Trace Turner: Inheritors

    A vivid and relevant revitalization of Glaspell's work. Reilly's adaptation is able to blend time periods into the fabric of the prose and poetry of Glaspell's original work. Told through two different time periods, the play shows us how to learn from the past in order to walk into the future as a better person. Teeming with life and buzzing with activism this American play would be electrifying on stage. I hope to see it there soon.

    A vivid and relevant revitalization of Glaspell's work. Reilly's adaptation is able to blend time periods into the fabric of the prose and poetry of Glaspell's original work. Told through two different time periods, the play shows us how to learn from the past in order to walk into the future as a better person. Teeming with life and buzzing with activism this American play would be electrifying on stage. I hope to see it there soon.