We sat down with Diana Lobb, director of our upcoming production of Blood Relations, to talk about the show and her vision for it. In this post she talks about Lizzie Borden, both the historical person and the character in the play.
Sharon Pollock's Blood Relations tells a story of Lizzie Borden, famously accused of murdering her father and stepmother in 1892. In this and future posts, we'll be looking at the historical record: the murder itself, the trial and its coverage in the media, and the aftermath. Today: the murder itself.
It's not easy being a woman in the 19th century, particularly if your family thinks you're incapable of being a “lady”. Knowing the family fortune is being manipulated away, knowing her beloved birds were exterminated for being “a nuisance”, knowing there was absolutely nobody to trust, Lizzie Borden finally snaps — turning an axe against those who wronged her. Did she commit murder? Or did her parents end themselves?
Season Opener: Blood Relations
Written by Sharon Pollock
Directed by Diana Lobb Auditions: July 9, 10, 11
Performances: September 27, 28, 29; October 4, 5, 6; 11, 12, 13
Written by Hannah Moscovitch
Directed by Ryan Bassett
It’s 1970. Rudi stands outside his father’s study in Paraguay for the first time in seven years. After a long absence, he’s been compelled to return to his family’s home. But Paraguay isn’t his home: he was born in a small hospital in Berlin in 1945, just as his father was losing the war.
