Clare Rose Playhouse Presents “The Children’s Hour”

February 01, 2009

PATCHOGUE, NY FEBRUARY 2, 2009 The Clare Rose Playhouse, a community theatre located on the Long Island Campus of St. Josephs College, will continue its 2008-09 season with The Childrens Hour, an emotional drama by Lillian Hellman. The show will run February 20 to March 8, 2009.

The Children's Hour is a stage play that depicts how one lie can negatively affect the lives of many. The play follows the lives of two headmistresses who run an all-girls boarding school that have become victims of a lie created by a disgruntled student that ultimately destroys their careers, relationships and lives. By the time the false accusation is discovered to be untrue, irreparable damage has already been done. This is an emotional journey that explores human cruelty and the decision to readily accept falsehood instead of uncovering the truth.

The late Lillian Hellman wrote several plays and films from 1934 to 1976. Her most famous pieces of work include The Childrens Hour (1934), The Little Foxes (1939) and Toys in the Attic (1959). Many of her plays, including The Childrens Hour were adapted to film.

Individual tickets for this show are priced at $15; $12 for students and seniors. Show times are 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, please call the box office at 631.654.0199.

The Clare Rose Playhouse, which serves as a major teaching facility for the Colleges theater courses, is accessible via the South Service Road of Sunrise Highway, just east of Exit 52 (Waverly Avenue) in Patchogue, on the northeast corner of the campus of St. Joseph's College. A former cottage converted in 1985 through the generosity and guidance of the man for whom it is named, the Playhouse serves as a training ground for young actors. The Playhouse is the site of community theater productions of musicals, dramas, comedies, cabaret acts, musical performances, dance troupes and comedians.