The Age of Innocence

by Claire Wittman

Adapted from the novel by Edith Wharton, this minimalist adaptation explores the ways in which white women become monsters, surrendering their humanity and solidarity with other marginalized people in exchange for proximity to power.

Demure, devoted, and unfailingly uninterested in much of anything outside her own line of sight, May Welland has waited her whole life to reap the rewards of being Absolutely...

Adapted from the novel by Edith Wharton, this minimalist adaptation explores the ways in which white women become monsters, surrendering their humanity and solidarity with other marginalized people in exchange for proximity to power.

Demure, devoted, and unfailingly uninterested in much of anything outside her own line of sight, May Welland has waited her whole life to reap the rewards of being Absolutely Perfect. She has her handsome—if a little aloof—fiancé Newland Archer, a pristine place in Gilded Age New York’s highest society, and the approval of her mother almost all of the time...until her cousin, the beautiful, volatile Countess Ellen Olenska returns from Europe stained with scandal. As illicit affection grows between Ellen and Newland, May begins to doubt that her delicately curated world can last, unless she’s willing to wield her power against others, not just for herself.

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The Age of Innocence

Character Information

  • May Welland
    a whole human being, but she doesn’t know it yet and neither does anyone else
    Character Age
    20
  • Newland Archer
    a perfectly normal man
    Character Age
    older than May
  • Ellen Olenska
    a tragic heroine of her own making
    Character Age
    older than May

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization American Shakespeare Center, Year 2023
  • Type Workshop, Organization Belle Esprit Theatre Collective, Year 2022