Ann Timmons

"Beyond the Yellow Wallpaper" digs deep into the extraordinary life and groundbreaking career of feminist author and social reformer, Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Constructed as a memory play, it begins at the end. It is August 1935, and Charlotte is on her deathbed, joined by lifelong friend Grace, and daughter Katherine, with whom Charlotte has had a fraught relationship.

The play shifts back and forth in time, from a liminal present when Charlotte and Grace are 50ish and Katherine is 30ish (1915, more or less) backward to 1882 when Charlotte meets her first husband Walter. Time marches on, and the play unfolds to shows us high points, as well as the lowest points of Charlotte’s life. Her triumphs and tragedies are expressed through her poetry, or embodied by her fictional characters. We learn of her lifelong struggle with depression, her difficult choice to give up her daughter, and anxiety that her life’s work will not outlive her. Yet in spite of being excoriated by the press, accused of abandonment by Katherine, and never getting very far from poverty, she presses on.

Her second marriage to her cousin Ho gives her some stability, and she becomes somewhat famous (though never wealthy!), through her books and her lecture tours. For the final scene, we return to the deathbed. Grace and Katherine try to ease Charlotte’s pain and alleviate her worries about her legacy. Katherine leaves, and Charlotte confesses her lifelong love of Grace. Grace tells her she knew--but could never have been the lover/helper Charlotte needed.

Charlotte intimates she has a plan for when her pain become unbearable. She drifts off to sleep.
The play ends with a reading of Charlotte’s obituary. Followed by her suicide letter, read by Grace.

Marguerite is “stuck.” She turns to Carmen, a successful “empowerment expert,” but comes away from Carmen's motivational seminar more disaffected than ever. Meanwhile, Marguerite's old nemesis Frances Furst contemplates a run for Governor, but her City Hall office is derailed by charges of corruption. Add to the mix are Carmen’s estranged working-class mother and Frances’ clueless assistant. and the result is a seriously funny comic drama that explores life in a fictitious DC suburb. "The Whole is Greater" explores the space where definitions of “success,” personal faith, matters of justice, and finding your place in the world collide.

What happens when two different factions ignite political change using wildly different tactics? "It's My Party!" explores the generational split that threatened the suffragists' march toward the 19th Amendment. Competing strategies, daring stunts, and bitter rivalries abound, along with the hope and persistence it takes to get something done in Washington!

Sally’s renting for the first time in years. She's having lots of problems with her newly renovated townhome in a "transitional" neighborhood. Ralph, a hapless contractor, is trying to fix her heat. Mel, the property manager, suggests Sally's expectations are too high for the neighborhood, Sally charges Mel with discrimination. Mel accuses her of White Privilege. Ralph interrupts saying he’s found the problem-- but he can’t fix it. Sally gets the last word.

When a lovesick man invades the Ladies’ Room he sets off a series of interactions that could only happen in this rare public “women only” space. Add a mother and her grown daughter and watch the conflicts multiply. Role-playing and unexpected role reversals lead to a comic exploration of love, hate, and feminism in a world where women still are not equal.

In this updated, darkly comic retelling of Hansel and Gretel, two children, fleeing their bleak lives in coal country, arrive at Port Authority in New York City. Upon discovering they’ve been not only been abandoned by the aunt who was to meet them, but also robbed on the way, the ever-resourceful Gracelyn attempts to remedy the situation by engaging in some minor property theft. This action sets Gracelyn and her vulnerable little brother on a collision course with Miss Pamela, a stylish, rich New Yorker with an unsettling profession. Soon the children find themselves imprisoned and enslaved in an elegant apartment, awaiting a fate worse than death. But Miss Pamela’s own vanity gives Gracelyn an idea, and she finds a way to save herself and her brother.

When daily pressures —a crumbling marriage, children testing her limits — become too much for Alice, she flees to her family’s cabin to sort things. Her reverie does not last long; she is interrupted by a visitation from her Great Aunt Nell—who died 20 years ago! Nell takes Alice on a tour of the past, and Alice comes to know the woman who raised her, Grammie Alberta, as a young woman in love with the wrong man. Alice learns some truths about her family, and herself, and comes to a conclusion that she needs to work to make things better!

Becoming Calvin celebrates the Frenchman who was a defining figure of the Protestant Reformation. John Calvin came of age during the Renaissance, but he became a man for all time. The events of his life remain surprisingly relevant: modern audiences will recognize the human drama behind shifting allegiances and challenges to authority.
Becoming Calvin explores the lives of characters living at the crossroads of history, caught up in the complex relationships between royalty and Rome, leaders of the Church and leaders of state. The play takes the audience on a journey with one extraordinary young scholar realizing his destiny as it asks the question: What would you give up for your freedom?

Fast-paced retelling of the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, England's foothold in the America. Featuring the true story of John Smith and Pocahontas, and introducing lesser known but no less influential historical players in this real-life adventure. Suitable for all ages, with opportunities for audience participation onstage and off. Written for a cast of three actors playing 25 characters on a bare stage, a big historic story unfolds with imagination, energy and fun! Could also be cast with more actors.

"Off the Wall: The Life and Works of Charlotte Perkins Gilman," a theatre piece for solo performer, is the story of one woman's struggle to change the world. In this dramatic one-act, Charlotte Perkins Gilman crusades daringly for women's rights and social justice at the dawn of the 20th century. Even in the face of adversity, Gilman perseveres. Witty, articulate, and seemingly self-assured, she strives to make her message heard through poetry, provocative social commentary, and dramatic as well as whimsical fiction.

But what happens when she is alone, dealing with her own fears and disappointments? In an evening of private revelation, Charlotte retraces the rocky path she has chosen, confronting her terrors, examining her actions, and ultimately reaffirming her vision.

Staged simply, with minimal set and props, theatrical magic unfolds as the audience shares Gilman’s journey, and makes its own unexpected discoveries.

Excerpted works include: "Women and Economics, The Home: Its Work and Influence," "The Yellow Wallpaper," "Benigna Machiavelli," and poetry from "In This Our World."