By the Music of the Spheres

Feb 24 – Mar 16, 2003 in Goodman's Owen Theatre

2 hours and 11 minutes

A world premiere and Goodman Theatre commission

It is the aftermath of the American Civil War and the country is in the throes of Reconstruction. Freedom has been written into the law, but it has not yet been written into men’s hearts. And so it is that two deaf siblings, one the white daughter of a plantation owner, the other her half-brother and son of a slave, find themselves held against their will in a New York insane asylum. There, they meet Ellenore, an outspoken heiress also imprisoned against her will by her money-hungry husband. Together, they fight for freedom and dignity in the face of unspeakable torment, an alliance of outcasts who dance not to the tune of their masters, but to their own inner song—the music of the spheres.

Goodman Resident Director Chuck Smith directs this world premiere by Chicago playwrights Carson Becker and David Barr.