One of the ironies of our technology-driven, information-rich civilization is the tendency for each person to feel their own sphere of influence shrink, even to the point of seeming non-existence. With every news item in our feed, we become aware of another portion of the planet outside of our direct experience and beyond the reach of our choices. With wireless tendrils we tap into places and people that only a few generations ago were impossibly outside of consistent awareness.
Where the ancients looked to the glowing sky to feel their limitations, we only need to look to the glowing screen of our phones. And yet, existential limitations aside, we can find ample evidence that the choices, ideas, decisions, refusals, and blunders of individuals do matter on a large scale. That ONE SMALL VOICE can redirect the pathways of time.
For the 2026-2027 season of Memorial Theatre, we have selected the theme ONE SMALL VOICE. Each of our mainstage productions will reveal to the protagonists, and remind the audience, that an individual can, even in the face of powerful forces, shape the events of the wider world. We open the season with Patrick Barlow’s adaptation of The 39 Steps. Pulled from both the novel and Hitchcock’s classic film, this fast-paced comedy-thriller pits an ordinary man against a vast plot by a web of international spies. Can the refusal of one man unravel the sinister designs of conquest? Our musical will be Seussical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. This beloved adaptation raises questions about community, benevolence, tradition, and violence in ways only possible within the world of Dr. Seuss. Finally, our one act play will be a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar by director Bradley Hewlett. This Narrow World follows a struggle for power within a small group of individuals that holds still-unravelling consequences for all civilizations.
We invite you to join us for daring escapes, unlikely friendships, and bitter jealousies. You won’t want to miss a single performance. ONE SMALL VOICE and one captivating season!
