Mother Hicks

by Suzan Zeder

Play script. An evocative story of three outsiders, richly realized through all of the resources of theatre, including poetry, character, and story. Various locations in and around Ware, Illinois, in the late spring of 1935. (THE TASTE OF SUNRISE by Suzan L. Zeder is the prequel to this play.) 4 men, 4 women (minimum) who create 10 roles.

Set in southern Illinois, during the great Depression, this play is about three outsiders - - a foundling girl known only as Girl; a deaf boy, eloquent in the language of his silence; and an eccentric recluse, Mother Hicks, who is suspected of being a witch. The tale, told with poetry and sign language, chronicles the journeys of these three to find themselves, and each other, in a troubled time. Provocative productions through North America have revealed the power and appeal of this play.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama

82 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1986

Reviews

[Emilie Parry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely shouldn't be a TYA show (perhaps middle-grade audiences), but I really enjoyed it! I liked the exploration of what a name means, the meaning that we give to our own personal history and our community's history, and the many references and discussions of motherhood and loss of motherhood. There's also a lot to be gained from the positioning of a deaf man as the narrator of the story, with the townspeople 'interpreting' what he's saying for the audience. 10/10 would read again.

[Kayley · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit too fast and distasteful for my liking.

[Derek Sands · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting piece that pushes limits for what can be considered TYA

[Michelle Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this play a great deal and found myself wondering how audiences would react to it—especially audiences of very young people. From the first line, “Mother Hicks is a witch….” it is clear that witchcraft is going to be a prevalent theme of the play and I wonder how this plays to children who are scared of “witches, ghosts and monsters.”

Personally, I found the WPA aspect interesting and actually had no idea that WPA jobs (and people with WPA affiliations) carried such a negative stigma. This is certainly something that I will be researching in the months ahead. Additionally, I found myself drawing connections to the difficult financial climate of the era and the climate of today and wonder if anyone is writing about the unemployment (and insurance) crisis of today in a voice suitable for young audiences. “Gone is the money in the bank/gone are the jobs./gone are the homes, and the families and their plans./but they seemed so safe!” rang particularly meaningful in our current economic situation (265).

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alright I might be partial to the play. Our school just did this play and one a state theatre conference for it. I was on crew so I know the whole thing inside and out. While I never cried with this play it touched my heart. Girl wants a name, Mother Hicks is a sad mother with problems of her own, well I guess she is not technically a mother. She used to mother babies. The deaf boy tuc wants a friend, though the boy was played by a girl in our play. I love this play very much and I recommend Dark of the Moon. It's a similar play that goes on some of the things brought up in this one. Over all I love it.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 8th grade did this play and its just phrnominal. The emotional comnections and empathy the charechters have are incredible. Read it, its well worth your time.

[Carmen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent play. I don't like the lack of name for the main character, and I thought the ending was very cheesy.

[Lyric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent play. Zeder crafted beautiful visuals to display on the stage with this play. I can not wait to actually see a production of it.