INHERIT THE WIND

By Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee

TIME

Summer. Not too long ago.

SETTING

A small town.

DATES

November 6 - 8 @ 8pm, November 8 @ 2pm; November 13 - 15 @ 8pm, November 15 @ 2pm; November 20 & 21 @ 8pm, November 22 @ 2pm. The Forum Theater in the Radio and Television Building, 35 South College Street, Athens OH 45701. 

FREE Ohio University student rush tickets will be available at the venue for every performance provided tickets are not sold out.

There will be an American Sign Language interpreted performance on TH 11/20.

There will be one 15-minute intermission.

SYNOPSIS

“Inherit The Wind is a powerful drama and play based on the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, where a schoolteacher is prosecuted for teaching the theory of evolution in a conservative town. As two renowned lawyers—one championing scientific reason and the other religious fundamentalism—clash in a sensational courtroom battle, the play explores themes of intellectual freedom, the conflict between science and religion, and the dangers of ignorance and fanaticism.”

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN

Henry Drummond (Defense Attorney)

Bertram Cates (Defendant)

Matthew Harrison Brady (Prosecuting Attorney)

Tom Davenport (District Attorney for Prosecution)

Meeker (Bailif)

Judge (Presiding)

Mayor (Mayor of Hillsboro)

Mrs. Sarah Brady (Wife to Matthew Brady)

MEDIA

E.K. Hornbeck (Baltimore Hearald Journalist)

Rueters Reporter (Global News Agency)

Harry Y. Esterbrook (WGN Chicago Radio Host)

Reporter

TOWNSPEOPLE

Rachel Brown (Daughter of Jerimiah Brown)

Reverend Jerimiah Brown (Rachel Brown's Father)

Howard Blair (Cates' Student)

Melinda Loomis (Cates' Student)

Mr. Goodfellow (Store Owner) 

Mrs. Blair (Howard's Mother)

Mrs. McLain 

Mrs. Loomis (Melinda's Mother) 

Dunlap (Dismissed Juror) 

Sillers (Juror)

Bannister (Juror)/Hot Dog Man

Elijah (Bible Seller) 

Timmy/Cooper  

Bollinger 

DIRECTOR'S NOTE

Inherit the Wind may be set in 1925, but it’s not a history lesson—it’s a warning.

Lawrence and Lee wrote the play in 1955, in the shadow of McCarthyism, when artists and teachers were being blacklisted and silenced for their beliefs. They used the Scopes “Monkey” Trial as a parable about fear, censorship, and the weaponization of faith and patriotism to control what people think. This year marks the 100th anniversary of that original trial, and the questions it raises feel as urgent as ever. Once again, we are living in a time when books are being banned, teachers are being threatened, and religion is being used to legislate morality. The play asks us plainly: How do we protect the freedom to think? What happens when belief hardens into dogma?

In rehearsing this play, I keep returning to the danger of certainty—the danger of making one man, one idea, or one word into a god. The danger of the collective that blindly follows, and the danger of the lone wolf who rejects community altogether. Today, our “word” travels faster than ever—through social media, headlines, and hashtags that inflame and divide. Inherit the Wind reminds us that the First Amendment isn’t theoretical; it’s something we have to defend again and again, with courage and compassion.

This play isn’t just a courtroom drama—it’s a ritual. Each night, we summon the ghosts of a town wrestling with faith, progress, and belonging. The courtroom becomes a church, a classroom, a stage—an America in miniature. The ensemble embodies an entire community, shifting between generations and viewpoints, and the audience becomes part of that world: the jury, the crowd, the conscience of the town.

At the end of each performance, the lamps lower, the trial begins again. Because the truth is, this trial never ended.

We are still deciding, as a nation, whether we will choose fear or freedom—silence or speech—belief or understanding. Theatre, like democracy itself, was born in Athens. Both require conversation, courage, and empathy. My hope is that this production helps us practice all three.

Robby Lutfy, Director

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Tantrum Theater, acknowledges that we perform on traditional homelands of the Shawnee people, as well as the Wahzhazhe (who are also known as the Osage). 

A Season of Reckoning and Rebellion

Welcome to Tantrum’s 10th anniversary season! We’re thrilled to have you join us for two landmark works of the American stage: Inherit the Wind and HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical. At first glance, these plays couldn’t seem more different—one a courtroom drama steeped in historical allegory, the other an explosion of rock, rebellion, and youth. And yet, both ask the same urgent question: What are we willing to stand for?

Inherit the Wind, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s dramatization of the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, is not just a play about science and religion. It’s a meditation on thought itself—on the freedom to question, to speak, to dissent. Written in the shadow of McCarthyism, its message is startlingly relevant still today, as public discourse becomes increasingly polarized and the right to ask difficult questions feels increasingly fraught. It reminds us that progress rarely follows a straight path—and though history doesn’t necessarily repeat itself in the same form, it often echoes with familiar tones of past mistakes that reveal what we repeatedly refuse to learn.

Then comes HAIR—a revolution in theatrical form and spirit. Born out of the counterculture of the 1960s, this musical gave voice to a generation refusing to accept the world as it was. It is messy, loud, passionate, and profoundly human. Beneath its wild surface is a plea for peace, love, and liberation. It is a demand for change that still resonates with stunning clarity today. As we face our own cultural reckonings around war, identity, bodily autonomy, climate, and justice, HAIR affirms for us that protest can also be joyful—and that community and connection are powerful forms of resistance.

Together, these works confront American unrest and awakening. They expose difficult truths we often prefer to avoid and challenge us to live authentically within systems that demand conformity.

We are proud to share these stories with you, not as museum pieces, but as living, breathing conversations. We hope they spark your curiosity and give you courage to engage in thoughtful discourse.

Welcome to our season!

Ellie Clark, Artistic Director

Rachel Cornish, Interim Producing Director

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

Tantrum Theater is proud to have the support from the following sponsors, without whose support, this performance would not have been possible: The National Endowment for the Arts , The Ohio Arts Council, Ohio Humanities, College of Fine Arts Community Fund

HOW TO REACH US

Tantrum Theater 

19 South College Street

1 Ohio University

Athens, Ohio  45701

740.593.4818

Email: [email protected]

FIRE NOTICE

Illuminated signs above each door indicate
emergency exits. Please check for the nearest
exit. In the event of an emergency, you will be
notified by theater personnel and assisted in
the evacuation of the building.

SEATING POLICY 

Everyone must have a ticket. Sorry, no
children in arms or on laps. Patrons who
leave the theater during the performance
will be reseated at the discretion of house
management. Those who become disruptive
will be asked to leave the theater.

ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES

The Forum Theater is fully accessible to those with mobility issues.
When booking tickets, please let our Box
Office know if you require a ticket that will
accommodate a wheelchair. Please call Ledger
Free, Director of Audience Services, at 917-
733-0081 if you need any assistance during
your visit. We are here to help you!

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