Story of Mary & Elizabeth Tudor’s rise to power debuts in Noblesville in June
The Hyperion Players, a new performing arts organization based in eastern Hamilton County, will produce its first-ever original script June 8 to 11 in Noblesville. Call Me Sister is Hyperion’s fourth play and will serve as the finale for the group’s pilot season.
The play follows half-sisters Mary and Elizabeth Tudor as they vie for their father’s throne. It is the largest play Hyperion has staged so far, with 14 speaking roles onstage and almost 20 people involved backstage and in the booth.
“Tackling an original script, especially a bold, historical drama, is a tall order,” said Ian Hauer, Executive Artistic Director for The Hyperion Players. “There are lots of technical plates spinning at once, not to mention multiple themes to juggle: the double standard for women in power, the sharp edges of ambition, and the bond between siblings are all on display here. Thankfully, we have a talented team of artists who are working hard to bring this story to life, and we’re confident this tale will reverberate beyond the closing curtain.”
The production is supported by a grant from the Indiana Arts Commission, which has fostered several community partnerships. Hyperion is coordinating with the Shepherd’s Center of Hamilton County to offer tickets to senior citizens in the area. Several local high school students are involved with work onstage and backstage, representing Noblesville High School, Hamilton Heights High School, and homeschool families. The Noblesville Cultural Arts Commission and Marion Community School of the Arts are lending costumes for the show, and Emmanuel United Methodist Church is hosting rehearsals.
“Producing original shows with community support is a central part of Hyperion’s vision,” Hauer said. “We can produce the best plays in the state, but as a community theatre, if we’re not partnering with others and lifting up our community, what’s the point?”
Call Me Sister is scheduled for only five performances:
- Thursday, June 8, 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, June 9, 7:30 p.m. (including a cast/crew talkback after the show)
- Saturday, June 10, 2:30 p.m.
- Saturday, June 10, 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, June 11, 2:30 p.m.
All performances will be at the Ivy Tech Auditorium, 300 N. 17th St., Noblesville. Audience members should enter through Door 1.
Ticket sales open Friday, May 5 and are $12 each. More information about the show is available at hyperionplayers.com/tickets.
Synopsis
It’s Christmas 1550 when the young king Edward VI welcomes his half-sisters, Lady Elizabeth and Lady Mary – the latter, daughter of a Catholic – back into his Protestant court. The evening sours when Mary confronts the king’s adviser for harassing her younger sister, resulting in their removal from the line of succession. After the king dies, Mary vies for her God-given right to the throne and to restore the nation’s ties with Rome. But Elizabeth, a Protestant sympathizer, has ambitions of her own, and refuses to stay silent as “Bloody Mary” earns her moniker.
The play contains thematic elements and brief peril.
