In this adaptation four actors in an attic retell Louisa May Alcott's classic novel. Using found objects from across time (balloons, hula hoops, ribbon dancers, and more), the players create scenes of love, loss, and the ever glowing warmth of the March family hearth. Jo goes on a journey of artistic self-discovery and coming of age as she struggles to become the writer she longs to be amid the classic triumphs and troubles of Meg, Beth, Amy, and even Laurie. It is through a sense of play that Jo and her sisters find themselves, spending time in the attic making up fairy stories with witches and heroes, or spending an evening reciting the articles written for their beloved imaginary newspaper. It is, however, through the tragedy of losing her sister Beth that Jo finally finds her voice as an artist, and moves into adulthood with the knowledge that while families change and grow apart, the ones we love are always close at heart.
Awards and Honors
Little Women was featured on the 2020 Kilroy's List
Development History
Workshop at First Folio Theatre in 2019
Digital reading with One-Off Theatrical Productions in 2020
Digital workshop production in affiliation with Ohio University in 2021
Digital reading with The Penny Seats Theatre in 2021
Staged reading with Relative Theatrics 2021
Digital reading with One-Off Theatrical Productions in 2020
Digital workshop production in affiliation with Ohio University in 2021
Digital reading with The Penny Seats Theatre in 2021
Staged reading with Relative Theatrics 2021
Production History
Produced by Theatre Cedar Rapids in 2021
Upcoming production at InnovaTheatre in 2022
Upcoming production at First Folio Theatre
Upcoming production at InnovaTheatre in 2022
Upcoming production at First Folio Theatre
Past Productions
Theatre of Cedar Rapids
May-June 2021
May-June 2021
Directed by Saffron Henke
Cast
Erin Grams....Meg/Bhaer
MacKenzie Elsbecker....Jo
Noel VanDenBosch....Beth/Laurie
Lily Gast....Amy/Brooke
Cast
Erin Grams....Meg/Bhaer
MacKenzie Elsbecker....Jo
Noel VanDenBosch....Beth/Laurie
Lily Gast....Amy/Brooke
Press for Theatre of Cedar Rapids Production:
"'It's fresh. It's not the ‘Little Women’ you grew up with, but it takes those characters and feels like it brings them into the present,' said Noel VanDenBosch, 29, of Iowa City, who plays Beth March and neighbor boy Laurie. 'You're not bogged down by period and drama — there's much light in it. It's all about the sisters’ relationship.'"
Feature in The Gazette
"[A] blending of blue, green and teal gives a dreamy, fairy-tale ambience to the attic where the four March sisters play out Jo’s fanciful tales. The scenery also allows the actors to move seamlessly to other settings and scenarios during their journey to adulthood. Cupboards, boxes and a trap door give them easy access to the costumes, props and movement that further the action. Simple touches, like balloons waving in the breeze, bring a light, ethereal quality to the magic unfolding onstage."
Review in The Gazette
"This story, one that is familiar but presented in a fully new way... As the audience sees the traumas that unfold in the sisters’ lives, the grief is sometimes devastating... When they gather for happy times, like Meg’s wedding, she asks for hugs saying she “wants great many crumples of that sort in her dress” and I am reminded of the hugs I have been having the pleasure of receiving lately, after so long. As Jo realizes her stories of adventure and whim are not the only beauty that needs to be recorded for an audience, I’m reminded that life is not pretty sometimes. Reality is messy, life is sometimes devastating and vile, but it is living."
Review in Little Village
"'It's fresh. It's not the ‘Little Women’ you grew up with, but it takes those characters and feels like it brings them into the present,' said Noel VanDenBosch, 29, of Iowa City, who plays Beth March and neighbor boy Laurie. 'You're not bogged down by period and drama — there's much light in it. It's all about the sisters’ relationship.'"
Feature in The Gazette
"[A] blending of blue, green and teal gives a dreamy, fairy-tale ambience to the attic where the four March sisters play out Jo’s fanciful tales. The scenery also allows the actors to move seamlessly to other settings and scenarios during their journey to adulthood. Cupboards, boxes and a trap door give them easy access to the costumes, props and movement that further the action. Simple touches, like balloons waving in the breeze, bring a light, ethereal quality to the magic unfolding onstage."
Review in The Gazette
"This story, one that is familiar but presented in a fully new way... As the audience sees the traumas that unfold in the sisters’ lives, the grief is sometimes devastating... When they gather for happy times, like Meg’s wedding, she asks for hugs saying she “wants great many crumples of that sort in her dress” and I am reminded of the hugs I have been having the pleasure of receiving lately, after so long. As Jo realizes her stories of adventure and whim are not the only beauty that needs to be recorded for an audience, I’m reminded that life is not pretty sometimes. Reality is messy, life is sometimes devastating and vile, but it is living."
Review in Little Village
Independent Digital Production
Produced by Sarah Elizabeth Yorke
January of 2021
Produced by Sarah Elizabeth Yorke
January of 2021
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Directed by Sarah Elizabeth Yorke
Cast
Caroline Turner....Meg/Bhaer
Mackenzie Moyer....Jo
Andy Figueroa...Beth/Laurie
Lauren Janoschka....Amy/Brooke
Cast
Caroline Turner....Meg/Bhaer
Mackenzie Moyer....Jo
Andy Figueroa...Beth/Laurie
Lauren Janoschka....Amy/Brooke
