Emily Mann

I admit it was the cover art that caught my eye first for this play. This play is a great story of an individual's battle against injustice, made even greater by the fact that the play is based on the true life story of Elizabeth Parsons Ware Packard, a 19th century American advocate for the rights of women and people accused of insanity.

First performed in May 2007 at the McCarter Theatre Centre, this play comprises of two acts and an interesting overlap of settings and dialogue. Throughout the play, the audience is juxtaposed between 1861 Illinois with Elizabeth's incarceration in the Jacksonville Insane Asylum against her will on her husband's word and the 1864 Kankakee City Illinois courtroom where a judge and jury hear witnesses attesting to Elizabeth's sanity and insanity.

Religion (the battle against old school Calvinist teachings), theology, the rights of women and the lack of humane treatment of patients of the time period play a large role here. This is a passionate play that is designed to awaken raw emotions in the audience to the shocking oppression that occurred. According to the ensemble listing, this play can be performed with only 4 male, 5 female and a few ensemble members to play all the roles. I believe the overlap of two scenes at the same time probably works better performed than in written form.

Overall, a very interesting play that was a bit of a shock to read. For those of you interested in Elizabeth's life story, the Wikipedia article provides a good summary of her life as it was presented in the play, with the play delving more into the possible mindset of Elizabeth while committed and the experiences of the inmates she encountered during her time there.… (meer)