Cry Havoc at Western Reserve Playhouse

Directed by Abbey Marshall, Cry Havoc brings together a cast of WRP returnees and newcomers to tell the story of the women of World War II. The title comes from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: "Cry 'Havoc!', and let slip the dogs of war", and that tells you exactly what you’re in for.

Kenward wrote Cry Havoc in 1941, while the war was still being fought, and before anyone knew how it would end — and that uncertainty is hugely important to the urgency of the piece. Hailed as a female Journey's End, Cry Havoc puts the same pressure on its characters: confined space, no exit, and the slow erosion of everything that kept them separate from one another. What emerges is less a war play, and more a portrait of strangers becoming a community; bound to one another as ordinary people facing something they weren't trained for and didn't choose. The story follows two Army nurses and eleven civilian volunteers, living and working in a makeshift underground dugout as Japanese forces close in.

WRP has chosen Cry Havoc for the 2026–27 season — "Built By Us" — during the year America marks its 250th anniversary. The semiquincentennial is full of official celebrations and patriotic retrospectives. Cry Havoc offers something different: a look at who actually built and defended this country, women whose service was real and whose stories were mostly left out of the larger narrative.

This production stars Emily Donaldson as Doc Marsh — perhaps best known to WRP audiences for her devastating performance in Death of a Salesman — alongside Carolyn Todd as Pat Conlin, who steps onstage for the first time after designing sets for several WRP productions, including The Outsiders. Mia Radabaugh, who played Bananas in last season's The House of Blue Leaves and serves on WRP's Board of Trustees, takes on Flo Harris. Xaverie Baker, who was featured in Anton in Show Business, returns as Nydia. The full cast includes other alumni as well as newcomers: Victoriana Heatherson as Smitty, Reilly Davidson as Connie Marks, Rachel Jacob as Helen Domeret, Mallory Balmert as Grace Lambert, Christine May as Steve Poulden, Hope Bolinger as Andra West, Brianna Hohenfeld as Sue West, and Kim Simbeck as Sadie.