Lillian Hellman’s The Children’s Hour
Department of Theatre, York University
A drama in three acts by Lillian Hellman, first performed in 1934, The Children’s Hour examines the destructive power of accusation and the fragility of trust within a closed community. Drawing on a real 19th-century case in Edinburgh, the play centres on a girls’ boarding school run by Karen Wright and Martha Dobie, whose lives are upended by a student’s calculated lie.
What begins as a child’s attempt to evade punishment escalates into a scandal that dismantles reputations, relationships, and livelihoods. As the accusation spreads, its consequences prove irreversible, exposing the ways fear, prejudice, and suspicion can take hold with devastating force.
Director: Rob Kempson
Assistant Director: Richard Sutton
Fight Director: Siobhan Richardson
Music Director + Arranger: Sam Clements
Accessibility Coordinator: Natasha Ross
Costume Designer: Nirjara Dwivedi
Set Designer: Olga Korolyuk
Lighting Designer: Paige Thompson
Sound Designer: Alessia Penna
Stage Manager: Kat Wilkie
Asst. Stage Managers: Tiana Nielsen, Alyssa Palma, Ariane Daigle Thibaudeau
Stage Manager Apprentice: Nick Wawrow
Cast: Lauren Matassa, Rory Baechler, Natalie Maddyn, Alexei DeLuca, Kathleen Henthorn, Sam Clements, Julianna Olave, Emily Swartz, Esther Okosun, Justine Angelopoulos, Avery Hearty, Mihaela Kiraca, Gabby Dereje, Kait Gouldby, Mackenzie Heaney
Production Manager: Olivia Gouveia
Asst. Production Manager: Spencer Simpson
Technical Director: Pavly Roushdy
Asst. Technical Director: Kafka Roposa
Front of House Manager: Luan Ngo
Head of Wardrobe: Rachel Van Staalduinen
Asst. Head of Wardrobe: Calla Soles
First Hand: Rachel Trask
Wardrobe Apprentices: Frances Molina-Aiken, Zachary Mayer-Leitch, Abigail McDonald
Head Dresser: Janice Rivera Valdez
Head of Props: Sierra Bonavota
Co-Head Props: Pierce Buban
Asst. Props: Sixx Badalov
Asst. Props/Paint: Victoria Persaud
Head of Scenic Art: Nahal Amanirad
Co-Head of Scenic Art: Alyssa Leslie
Asst. Scenic Art: Maddy Crawford, Hyeeun Kang
Head of Scenic Carpentry: Izzy James
Carpentry Asst: Alexandra Bellavia, Sophie Cheung
Carpenters: Melissa Joseph (MJ), Fatima Douha
Asst. Carpenter: Emma Jamed
Head Stage Carp: Amber Bean
Asst. Stage Carp: Jenny Yang
Stage Carp Apprentices: Madeline Winter, Samantha Derbyshire
Head of Lighting: Vic Lusby
Head of Sound: Denise van Griensven
Asst. lighting: Jackson Kikuchi, Isabella Belisario, Dakota Sands
Apprent. LX & Sound: Zach Giardine, Natalia Vahl
Assistant Director: Richard Sutton
Fight Director: Siobhan Richardson
Music Director + Arranger: Sam Clements
Accessibility Coordinator: Natasha Ross
Costume Designer: Nirjara Dwivedi
Set Designer: Olga Korolyuk
Lighting Designer: Paige Thompson
Sound Designer: Alessia Penna
Stage Manager: Kat Wilkie
Asst. Stage Managers: Tiana Nielsen, Alyssa Palma, Ariane Daigle Thibaudeau
Stage Manager Apprentice: Nick Wawrow
Cast: Lauren Matassa, Rory Baechler, Natalie Maddyn, Alexei DeLuca, Kathleen Henthorn, Sam Clements, Julianna Olave, Emily Swartz, Esther Okosun, Justine Angelopoulos, Avery Hearty, Mihaela Kiraca, Gabby Dereje, Kait Gouldby, Mackenzie Heaney
Production Manager: Olivia Gouveia
Asst. Production Manager: Spencer Simpson
Technical Director: Pavly Roushdy
Asst. Technical Director: Kafka Roposa
Front of House Manager: Luan Ngo
Head of Wardrobe: Rachel Van Staalduinen
Asst. Head of Wardrobe: Calla Soles
First Hand: Rachel Trask
Wardrobe Apprentices: Frances Molina-Aiken, Zachary Mayer-Leitch, Abigail McDonald
Head Dresser: Janice Rivera Valdez
Head of Props: Sierra Bonavota
Co-Head Props: Pierce Buban
Asst. Props: Sixx Badalov
Asst. Props/Paint: Victoria Persaud
Head of Scenic Art: Nahal Amanirad
Co-Head of Scenic Art: Alyssa Leslie
Asst. Scenic Art: Maddy Crawford, Hyeeun Kang
Head of Scenic Carpentry: Izzy James
Carpentry Asst: Alexandra Bellavia, Sophie Cheung
Carpenters: Melissa Joseph (MJ), Fatima Douha
Asst. Carpenter: Emma Jamed
Head Stage Carp: Amber Bean
Asst. Stage Carp: Jenny Yang
Stage Carp Apprentices: Madeline Winter, Samantha Derbyshire
Head of Lighting: Vic Lusby
Head of Sound: Denise van Griensven
Asst. lighting: Jackson Kikuchi, Isabella Belisario, Dakota Sands
Apprent. LX & Sound: Zach Giardine, Natalia Vahl
