This spring, the Ohio State department of theatre revives a classic play first produced in 1934 on Broadway. “The Children’s Hour,” written by Lillian Hellman, was a big hit on Broadway but didn’t find success in Chicago, Boston or London because of its suggestion of an intimate relationship between two women.

The controversy over the content of the play scared off the Pulitzer Prize selection committee that year. They refused to attend any performances of the play.

The plot centers around two women who run a girls school. They find themselves at the center of a scandal when a rumor is circulated by a malicious student claiming they are romantically involved. Although the rumor is later found untrue, the lie has already caused irreparable damage to both women’s’ lives.

The department of theatre has brought this play back to life on its Roy Bowen Theatre stage. Director Lesley Ferris has tackled the challenge of bringing this play into contemporary times while also honoring its original time period.

Ferris said the play still has relevance in our world today. She referred to examples of the murder of Matthew Shepard, a Wyoming man killed for being gay, and the murder in Nebraska of Teena Brandon, a woman who lived as a man.

Ferris said her concept begins with a rehearsal being held in 2007 for a production of “The Children’s Hour.” As the show progresses, the actors start to slip into their characters and into the time period. The transition between modern day and 1934 is achieved through unique costume and set design choices.

Katie Kimmel, a senior in theatre, designed the costumes for the show.

She said a unique aspect of the production is “the transition between modern and past. The audience doesn’t ideally know when they transition between rehearsal and the production of the show.”

The costume color palette also reflects the nature of the show, Kimmel said. At the beginning, in rehearsal, the actors are wearing bright colors. With the progression of the play, the colorful palette gives way to muted, somber tones to reflect the oppressiveness of the environment.

Sarah Sugarbaker, set designer and a first year graduate student in scenic design, said the set also moves between the contemporary and period world.

The rehearsal acting cubes are slowly replaced by period furniture, but she said the set is “not realistic, (it’s) more conceptual to invoke the environment.”

Another unique aspect of the production was Ferris’ choice to include Viewpoints in rehearsal. Viewpoints is a form of movement training and ensemble building that allows actors to be aware of each other and the architecture on stage, Ferris said.

She said Viewpoints “opens up a window of creativity in each of the actors and allows them to tap into movement possibilities.”

“One thing we really wanted to do with the play was build a strong sense of ensemble. A cohesive feel to the production,” Ferris said of her choice to use Viewpoints.

“The Children’s Hour” will be running May 3 through 19. Visit theatre.osu.edu for information about tickets and show times.

Meg Greene can be reached at [email protected].