The Care and Feeding of Restless Spirits

by Aly Kantor

[90 Minutes, comedic drama - 4F, 1M] Autumn, 1920. The residents of the Mary Todd Hotel for Professional Women have been through a lot. The war has recently ended, the country is still recovering from a devastating pandemic, and they’re about to vote for the first time in a national election. Still, every Tuesday, they make time to convene in the sixth-floor parlor for a single purpose—to speak to the dead.

[90 Minutes, comedic drama - 4F, 1M] Autumn, 1920. The residents of the Mary Todd Hotel for Professional Women have been through a lot. The war has recently ended, the country is still recovering from a devastating pandemic, and they’re about to vote for the first time in a national election. Still, every Tuesday, they make time to convene in the sixth-floor parlor for a single purpose—to speak to the dead.

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The Care and Feeding of Restless Spirits

Recommended by

  • Jack Levine: The Care and Feeding of Restless Spirits by Aly Kantor
    “

    ALY KANTER takes us back to the autumn of 1920. We are in the Mary Todd Hotel for Professional Women. Four women are into spiritualism and seances on each Tuesday night. But, as the play enfolds, we begin to better understand what is really going on. “The Care And Feeding Of Restless Spirits” is at its core an awakening of the quest of women to be recognized, empowered, and heard. I truly loved the characters. I highly recommend this play.

    ALY KANTER takes us back to the autumn of 1920. We are in the Mary Todd Hotel for Professional Women. Four women are into spiritualism and seances on each Tuesday night. But, as the play enfolds, we begin to better understand what is really going on. “The Care And Feeding Of Restless Spirits” is at its core an awakening of the quest of women to be recognized, empowered, and heard. I truly loved the characters. I highly recommend this play.

    ”
  • Kim E. Ruyle: The Care and Feeding of Restless Spirits by Aly Kantor
    “

    Oh, those restless spirits! Kantor’s characters are vividly drawn and immediately likable. Set in 1920, this tender, female-centered story moves briskly, carried by sparkling, authentic dialogue. The women seek comfort through mysticism, which is anathema for Sully, Annie’s beau. His efforts to dissuade her don’t have the effect he intends but may be what Annie needs to unburden herself. The Care and Feeding of Restless Spirits is powerful, thought-provoking, and ultimately affirming. Brava!

    Oh, those restless spirits! Kantor’s characters are vividly drawn and immediately likable. Set in 1920, this tender, female-centered story moves briskly, carried by sparkling, authentic dialogue. The women seek comfort through mysticism, which is anathema for Sully, Annie’s beau. His efforts to dissuade her don’t have the effect he intends but may be what Annie needs to unburden herself. The Care and Feeding of Restless Spirits is powerful, thought-provoking, and ultimately affirming. Brava!

    ”
  • Samantha Occhino: The Care and Feeding of Restless Spirits by Aly Kantor
    “

    The 1920s marked a progressive shift on the period, which is perfectly displayed in the characters as they try and navigate this "fad" of spiritualism. I loved how this play utilizes the paranormal by showing how human it is to desire a sense of closure within our mortality. How loss can come and affect us many different forms, and how remembering those who have passed can help us come to terms with our own lives. This play was incredibly touching & a ~possessing~ read from start to finish!

    The 1920s marked a progressive shift on the period, which is perfectly displayed in the characters as they try and navigate this "fad" of spiritualism. I loved how this play utilizes the paranormal by showing how human it is to desire a sense of closure within our mortality. How loss can come and affect us many different forms, and how remembering those who have passed can help us come to terms with our own lives. This play was incredibly touching & a ~possessing~ read from start to finish!

    ”
View all 9 recommendations

Character Information

  • ANNIE MACKENZIE
    An Irish Catholic Kindergarten teacher, originally from Boston, who now resides at the Mary Todd.
    She is a passionate lover of children and of magic - and of Sullivan Fox, her boyfriend of five
    years. She is about 75% guilt by volume.
    mid-twenties
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • SULLIVAN FOX
    A physicist, stage magician, and busybody, originally from Boston. He is an affable genius with a
    few significant blind spots. He is madly in love with Annie MacKenzie.
    mid-to-late twenties - early thirties
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • EMMABETH HOWELL
    An employee of the Mary Todd, who lives elsewhere. She is a keen performer who moonlights as
    a Spiritual Medium and always has a trick up her sleeve. She’s not clairvoyant but possesses a
    certain mature prescience that makes her well-suited for the role, despite her youth.
    early twenties
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • CHARLOTTE "LOTTIE" BERMAN
    A stenographer and suffragette. She lives at the Mary Todd, where she has come to escape her
    estranged family. She has a pleasantly abrasive personality, but she’s capable of incredible
    vulnerability. She has eyes for Violet.
    late-twenties - thirties
    Jewish
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • VIOLET "VI" WOLINSKI
    An army nurse who recently returned home from France, where she served during the war. She
    now lives at the Mary Todd. She clings to a traditional, bygone femininity and resists the latest
    “edgy” fashions, but has allowed Lottie to draw her into the world of the suffrage movement. She
    is in perpetual motion - a human jitter bumping up against closet walls.
    late-twenties - thirties
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman

Development History

  • Workshop, South Dakota State University, 2026
  • Reading, EastLine Theatre, 2023
  • Workshop, EastLine Theatre, 2023