Dolls: A Toy Story at UHM Kennedy Theatre - Earle Ernst Lab Theatre

Dolls: A Toy Story
World Premiere Musical

Written and Directed by MFA candidate Alison Bruce-Maldonado
October 22-26, 2025
*Post Show Q&A following the Friday performance

Set in a 1940’s American toy store, Dolls: A Toy Story is a moving tale of love, loss, and societal change. As segregation and war shape the world around them, LENA, a radiant Black teen with dreams of becoming a fashion designer, and TIMOTHY, a soft-spoken White teen who is an aspiring engineer, find their love challenged by miscegenation laws that threaten to keep them apart. Meanwhile, the store’s dolls watch in quiet wonder as history unfolds and war leaves its mark on those who return, including a desperate former storehand and a once-powerful store manager carrying unspoken regrets. As the nation stands on the brink of change after the war, LENA must reckon with the sacrifices she has made for her family and the dreams that she left behind. With heartfelt music, historical depth, and a bittersweet love story, Dolls: A Toy Story reminds us that despite injustice, hope endures, and change is always on the horizon. Viewer discretion is advised. Not recommended for children.

Content Advisories: Segregation, racism, prejudice and harmful ideologies, war and its impacts, loss and grief, tense moments and conflicts.