Overview
Synopsis
Susan Glaspell’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Alison’s House, takes us to Iowa on the last day of the nineteenth century. The Stanhope family are preparing to say goodbye to their old homestead on the banks of the Mississippi but the house holds a lot of memories for each generation. Their sister and aunt, Alison, has been dead for eighteen years but her influence, both as a poet and a person, remains strong. Aunt Agatha is fiercely protective of her sister’s reputation and legacy, but what is she hiding? When disgraced daughter Elsa returns home, old wounds are opened and it becomes clear that her scandalous relationship with a married man is not the first in the family. Like Elsa, Alison also fell deeply in love but, unlike her niece, she let her lover go and channeled her secret passions into her poetry. Unable to bring herself to burn the pages, Agatha finally relinquishes the poetry to Elsa and reveals Alison’s secret.
Show Information
- Book
- Susan Glaspell
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 1930
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Period, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- The Stanhope homestead, Iowa, 1899
- Cast Size
- medium
- Licensor
- None/royalty-free
- Ideal For
- College/University, Regional Theatre, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Young Adult, Mature Adult, Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
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Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher