BU Student Writes Play

A play written by Boston University graduate student Todd Hearon will debut this February at the Boston Playwrights’ Theater.

Hearon, a graduate student in Editorial Studies due to graduate in May, is the author of “Wives of the Dead.” He also teaches a course on tragedy in the BU Writing Center and writes poetry and drama.

Hearon described Wives of the Dead as a play loosely based on a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne bearing the similar title, “The Wives of the Dead,” although the play is set in modern times. It is the story of two sisters who have recently learned their husbands, both naval officers, have died in an unexplained explosion, according to Hearon.

“The play is their talk — reminiscence, reconstruction, revelation,” Hearon wrote in an email. “After this conversation, nothing in their lives will ever be the same.”

Hearon said he believes BU students would be interested in seeing the play for several reasons. He said Hawthorne’s story, as well as the play, are set in New England. In the short story, Hearon said Hawthorne describes the setting as “a principle seaport in the Bay Province.”

“It’s also near to us in its story of suffering, grief, hope and, ultimately, love,” Hearon said.

Hearon plans to continue to write plays and poetry in the future. Specifically, he plans to write a trilogy of plays, with Wives of the Dead being the first.

The play was the 2000 winner of the Paul Green Playwrights Prize, an international award given by the North Carolina Writers’ Network.

The Bridge Theatre Company is producing the play at the Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, located at 949 Commonwealth Ave. The play, starring Kara Crowe and Phyllis Rittner, is directed by Rosemarie Ellis. Ellis works in the BU Creative Writing department.

The play will run from Feb. 8 to Feb. 23. Show times are Thursday through Sunday at 8 p.m. with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. BU students can buy tickets for a discounted rate of $10, and BU employees, faculty, or staff may purchase $12 tickets.