Pingree School in Hamilton to present 'The Children's Hour'

Julia Kennelly (left) ) of Manchester-by-the-Sea and Caroline Cleary of Beverly co-star in the Pingree School production of ''The Children's Hour'' by Lillian Hellman.

A CONTROVERSY REVISITED: Written in 1934, "The Children's Hour" by Lillian Hellman was controversial in its subject matter, homosexuality, and banned in several cities.

The play went on to run on Broadway for two years and more than 700 performances.

Today, the issues it raised - discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity - are still being explored. That's what students at the Pingree School in Hamilton have been doing as they prepared a production of the play to be presented Friday through Sunday.

The play focuses on a girls' school run by headmistresses Karen Wright and Martha Dobie. An angry student, Mary Tilford, runs away from the school and, to avoid having to return, tells her grandmother the two women are having a lesbian affair. The allegation destroys the women's careers, relationships, and lives before it is exposed as untrue.

During rehearsals, the Pingree students looked at issues of identity, invisibility, and intolerance, and created a contemporary commentary to accompany the production.

The aim was for the students to gain perspective on how the repressive context in which the play was written has changed over the past 74 years.

The cast includes Julia Kennelly of Manchester-by-the-Sea as Karen Wright and Caroline Cleary of Beverly as Martha Dobie. Alexandra Perkins of South Hamilton plays the role of Mary Tilford.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. next Sunday. Tickets are $15. Call 978-468-2194, e-mail boxoffice@pingree.org, or visit pingree.org.

A JAZZY ELECTION: If you want to spend the eve of the election thinking about something other than politics, you can hear jazz at Salem State College.

Phil Swanson, of the Salem State faculty, has assembled the November 3rd Band to present jazz standards and improvisation.

The evening also includes the debut of Swanson's new composition, "One Vote for the Prez," which he describes as "a comic vocal bebop tune," in which he imagines how the country might be if we elected only jazz musicians.

Special guests are Mike Rossi, a recording artist and teacher, on tenor and soprano sax; and Biliana Voutchkova, a jazz violinist from Bulgaria.

The ensemble includes Salem State music faculty members Gary Wood, vocals; Dave Landoni, bass; Tony Wolff, guitar; and Berklee College of Music faculty member Bob Tamagni, drums.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow in the recital hall on central campus. Tickets are $10, $5 for senior citizens and students, free for Salem State students.

Call 978-542-7890 or visit salemstate.edu/arts.

AUTHORS' CORNER: Julia Glass reads from her latest novel, "I See You Everywhere," at Jabberwocky Bookshop in Newburyport at 7 p.m. Friday. The story of two sisters spans 25 years. Glass, of Marblehead, won the National Book Award for "Three Junes" and is author of "The Whole World Over." . . . Alan Dershowitz, author of "The Case for Israel," speaks at Temple Emanu-El in Marblehead at 7 p.m. Thursday as part of Jewish Book Month, presented by the Jewish Federation of the North Shore. A reception with Dershowitz begins at 6:45 p.m. In the book, he challenges individuals he considers to be a critical threat to the existence of Israel, including former president Jimmy Carter. Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School.

IN LOCAL GALLERIES: "In Pursuit of Beauty," an exhibit of contemporary art, opens at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday. The exhibit features the work of five artists - Julie Chang, Timothy Horn, Pixnit, Tomas Rivas, and Elizabeth Wallace - and runs through Jan. 24. . . . Cynthia Curtis Pottery in Rockport holds its fourth annual Studio Potter and Student Show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The show and sale feature Curtis's line of high-fire wheel-thrown and hand-built stoneware, as well as ceramics by the studio's teachers and students of all ages. Proceeds benefit the Cynthia Curtis Pottery Scholarship Fund. . . . "Silver & Gold," an exhibit and sale of works by members of the Marblehead Arts Association, is at the King Hooper Mansion in Marblehead through Dec. 24. An opening reception will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. today. The pieces include paintings, photographs, and fine crafts.

Items can be sent to wdkilleen@gmail.com. Photos can be sent, as jpeg attachments, to globenorth@globe.com.