NH Theatre Project to Present Pulitzer Prize Nominated Play COLLECTED STORIES

New Hampshire Theatre Project will continue to celebrate its 2023-24 season theme of What's Your Story? with its spring production of Donald Margulies' unforgettable drama Collected Stories, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1997. Performances run April 12-28, 2024.

Ruth Steiner is a professor and respected short story author mentoring young writer Lisa Morrison, who bases her first novel on her teacher's secret affair with the famed poet Delmore Schwartz. Although the two women are fictional, Delmore Schwartz is a real person; he and many other famous American writers are referenced throughout the play.

The conflict between Ruth and Lisa raises deep moral questions about the creative process and artistic responsibility. The nature of story itself is a fascinating subject: Who owns the rights to our personal stories? To our privacy? We hear the term “cultural appropriation” frequently, but how does that relate to “personal appropriation?” Another theme explored in Collected Stories is trust and the assumption of responsibilities in a relationship. When does artistic license become a betrayal of friendship?

“I have struggled with these issues myself,” says Genevieve Aichele, NHTP Company Artist who plays author Ruth Steiner. “Dreaming Again, the play I wrote about immigrants to New Hampshire that toured around the state this past fall, is a collection of personal stories. I wove them together but they are not my own stories. So I call myself a weaver rather than a playwright.”

Director Monique Peaslee Foote says: “The creative team for this piece is top of the line. Company Artist Amy Desrosiers brings her bright energy, intelligence, and timing, and Genevieve brings her rich history of theatre making and intuitive character development. Rehearsals have us exploring the nuances of Ruth and Lisa's complicated and beautiful relationship as we wrestle with the themes of intellectual property, friendship, and love.”

Other production team members include Brennan Donnell designing lights, Josh Goldberg designing sound and props, Sean Robinson designing the set and UNH intern Caeli Aucoin assisting with costume design. 

Amy Desrosiers, who plays Lisa Morrison, says, “Working with this team of artists is a dream. We get to explore the nuanced relationship between Ruth and Lisa, which goes far deeper than your standard promising student and professor. It helps that Gen and I have worked together for years. As a result, we get to bring a special richness and complexity to the stage .”

NHTP will further explore the play's question, “Who Owns Your Story?” in a Community Connectors program following the April 27 performance. Facilitated by Zac Little from Kennebunk Savings Bank, the panel will feature intellectual property attorney Matt Saunders, history writer Dennis Robinson, and science fiction author James Patrick Kelly. 

ABOUT NEW HAMPSHIRE THEATRE PROJECT

New Hampshire Theatre Project (NHTP) uses the art of theatre-making to spark conversation, connect individuals and strengthen communities. The company is based at the 50-seat black box theatre in the heart of Portsmouth's culturally vibrant West End, and programs are delivered across the region in schools, businesses, healthcare institutions and community organizations. NHTP is known around the state as an applied theatre company that promotes challenging dialogue through productions, workshops, and artist-in-residence programs.

Photo Credit Ben Bagley

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