Theater Department Prepares to Put OnFall Production of Blue Stockings

COURTESY OF DEERFIELD COMMUNICATIONS

Deerfield Academy’s fall theater production Blue Stockings by Jessica Swale premieres on Tuesday, October 28 in the Black Box Theater and continues through November 1.

Set in 1898 at Girton College, Cambridge, the first college in England to admit women, Blue Stockings explores the adversities that women faced during the suffrage movement. Visual & Performing Arts Department Chair and Director Catriona Hynds explained that many of the themes in the play remain “frustratingly relevant in terms of rights being rolled back.”

She selected this “high drama” to “kick the year off with something bold” and to provide opportunities for actors with varying experience levels. This year’s production will feature “eight new actors who will be making their Deerfield debuts with this show,” she added.

Blue Stockings extends beyond a historical drama, serving as a socially resonant piece. Henry Cron ’26, who plays Draco Llyod, expressed that “our fall production encourages audiences to reflect on contemporary social progress.” Cron played a character described as a wealthy, sexist male who opposes women’s educational efforts and portrays a person with deeply prejudiced views against women’s rights. Meanwhile, E.C. Tate ’29, who played the lead role of Tess Moffat, described her character as a “curious, audacious, and tenacious” middle-class female scholar who challenged the social expectations of her time.

In the previous years, Ms. Hynds has chosen fall productions such as Dracula and The Crucible, both of which carried distinct thematic focuses. This year, however, Will Wichern ’27, who plays Will Bennett, describes that this fall’s production differs from previous ones due to “its large cast and intricate scene changes.” In comparison to The Crucible, which had four scenes, Blue Stockings includes 24 scenes, with each one spanning from five to ten minutes. As a result, “the scene changes occur quite swiftly,” Wichern said. The production’s technical side also involved logistical settings. “Moving furniture is one of the most difficult things to execute properly,” said Sophie Brennan ’27, who plays Carolyn Addison.

Cron said, describing the play’s core theme, “I think it [Blue Stockings] is more so a thinking piece of how we can relate to the people of that time in some aspects.” He invites the audience to reflect on our current day and age and look towards how “we should continue fighting for societal problems.” Skylar Ricketts ’27, who plays The Lady in the Tea Shop, added, “I hope that the audience is able to understand the detrimental effects of misogyny on women as they are fighting for education.”

Tate hoped audience members would walk away still thinking about the play’s main themes. Ms. Hynds said that Blue Stockings has “some haunting parallels to our modern world.” She encourages reflection on the question: “Is society regressing in terms of rights being rolled back?”