Dramaturgy For
Yellow wallpaper
2.0-2020
by Jennifer Maisel
Directed by Judy Braha
Further Reading and Dramaturgical Research for Yellow Wallpaper 2.0-2020
By Marlo Alexander
This play takes us down the rabbit hole of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s profound short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” written in 1892, but re-imagined here in the early days of the pandemic. An overwhelmed adjunct professor, newly a mother, struggles to make sense of her suddenly chaotic reality, her postpartum depression, and the mysteries hidden inside her inherited "prewar-6” apartment on the Upper West Side. With humor, social critique and the quivering bones of a horror story, Jennifer Maisel’s wonderful play will sweep you down the rabbit hole with our heroine, T, and bring you face to face with her deep- 2020 dilemmas, passions and choices.
This page gathers dramaturgical materials for audiences who want to learn more about the historical context and cultural references surrounding the play.
Click On Each Topic To Expand And Read More
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As per Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic, there are three types of postpartum mood disorders that differ based on intensity and how long they last:
“Baby Blues” (last only a few days to a week or two after your baby is born):
Symptoms include: Mood swings, Anxiety, Sadness, Irritability, Feeling overwhelmed, Crying, Reduced concentration, Appetite problems, Trouble sleeping
Postpartum Depression (more persistent, lasts longer than “baby blues”):
Symptoms include depressed mood or severe mood swings, crying too much, difficulty bonding with your baby, withdrawing from family and friends, loss of appetite or eating much more than usual, inability to sleep, called insomnia, or sleeping too much, overwhelming tiredness or loss of energy, less interest and pleasure in activities you used to enjoy, intense irritability and anger, fear that you're not a good mother, hopelessness, feelings of worthlessness, shame, guilt or inadequacy, reduced ability to think clearly, concentrate or make decisions, restlessness, severe anxiety and panic attacks, thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, recurring thoughts of death or suicide
Postpartum psychosis:
Symptoms include: Feeling confused and lost, having obsessive thoughts about your baby, hallucinating and having delusions, having sleep problems, having too much energy and feeling upset, feeling paranoid, making attempts to harm yourself or your baby
Treatment:
Treatment options include anti-anxiety or antidepressant medicines, psychotherapy (talk therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy) and joining support groups. -
The COVID-19 Pandemic dramatically affected the lives of mothers and caregivers. As schools and childcare facilities closed their doors, mothers were burdened with disproportionate amounts of unpaid domestic labor, which led to intense feelings of anxiety, depression, and stress. For many, this also resulted in loss of employment.
Further Reading:
“America’s Mothers Are in Crisis”“Caregiving in a Crisis: Mothers’ Parenting Experiences and the Persistence of
Class-Based Parenting During the COVID-19 Pandemic”
“Postpartum depression during the Covid 19 pandemic: A systematic review”
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The play exists within a very specific historical moment. In early 2020, COVID-19 moved from a distant international crisis to an unprecedented disruption of everyday life in the United States.
Below is a brief timeline of the impact of and response to the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States in early 2020, via the CDC.
January 20, 2020
CDC reports the first laboratory-confirmed case of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus in the U.S. from samples taken on January 18 in Washington state
January 24, 2020
CDC confirms a travel-related infection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Illinois, bringing the total number of cases in the U.S. to two.
March 3, 2020
CDC reports 60 cases of COVID-19 across Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin. Of the 60 COVID-19 infections detected, 21 are travel-related, 11 are from person-to-person spread, and 27 are unknown.
March 11, 2020
After more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries and 4,291 deaths, the WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic
March 15, 2020
States begin to implement shutdowns in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19
March 28, 2020
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the White House extends all social distancing measures until the end of April 2020.
April 7, 2020
Data from the Chicago Department of Public Health reported by the Chicago Tribune shows that despite being about 30% of the total population, Black people account for 68% of the COVID-19 related deaths in Chicago and are dying of COVID-19 at a rate nearly six-times greater than that of White Chicagoans, who account about 33% of the population and approximately 14% of deaths.
April 10, 2020
With over 18,600 confirmed deaths and more than 500,000 confirmed cases in under four months, the U.S. is the country with the most reported COVID-19 cases and deaths, surpassing Italy and Spain as a global hot-spot for the virus.
April 20, 2020
As the COVID-19 pandemic grows, shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) like gowns, eye shields, masks, and even body bags, become dire– particularly in New York
May 28, 2020
The recorded death toll from COVID-19 in the U.S. surpasses 100,000.
June 10, 2020
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. surpasses 2 million.
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Yellow Wallpaper
2.0-2020
IS Playing August 20th - September 6th, 2026
saint james place
Cast and creative team
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Jennifer Maisel
Jennifer Maisel’s (Playwright) plays include EIGHT NIGHTS, OUT OF ORBIT, THERE OR HERE, THE PERMUTATIONS, MATCH ,@thespeedofJake and THE LAST SEDER. Her work has been produced off-Broadway, nationally and internationally, and developed at the Asolo Theatre, the Perlberg Festival, the Sundance Theatre Lab and the Great Plains Theatre Conference and honored by the Kennedy Center, Ovation, Woodward/Newman, and PEN West Literary Awards. PROVENANCE won the 2025 Jewish Plays Project award and garnered Jennifer an invitation to the Ojai Playwrights Conference. One of seven playwrights commissioned by Center Theatre Group and Playwrights’ Arena to create The Hotel Play, Jennifer also writes for film and television; the screen film adaptation of her THE LAST SEDER is in preproduction. Jennifer was tapped for the Humanitas PlayLA workshop, where she wrote BETTER, and the Travis Bogard Residency at Eugene O’Neill’s Tao House, where she wrote YELLOW WALLPAPER 2.0-2020 with the support of a Lucille Lortel Alcove Commission. She is a member of The Dramatists Guild, the WGA, Playwrights Union, Writer’s Odyssey and Rogue Machine’s Playwrights Roundtable.
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Judy Braha
Judy Braha (Director) is Artistic Director of Great Barrington Public Theater in the beautiful Berkshires, dedicated to the development and production of new works for the theater. She has been a director, teacher and arts advocate for over four decades. Long-time Head of the M.F.A. Directing Program at Boston University College of Fine Arts, her credits include theaters, prisons and universities throughout New England. With Andre de Quadros, Judy proudly taught for the BU Prison Arts Initiative and Race Prison Justice Arts. Recent Directing: Madame Mozart, the Lacrimosa, Things I Know To Be True, Mr.Fullerton,Dog People (GBPT), Representation and How To Get It(touring to a historic venue near you), The Exonerated, Our Class, Shakespeare In Love (BU/SOT), Mr. Fullerton, Between the Sheets, To Kill A Mockingbird (Gloucester Stage), Golda’s Balcony (New Rep), Flight of the Monarch (Shakespeare+Co.). https://judybraha.squarespace.com/
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Cloteal L. Horne
CLOTEAL L. HORNE (T.) Selected works include: TV: Grey’s Anatomy, recurring guest star, Season 19. Off-Broadway: The Convent of Pleasure(Red Bull Theatre); Cross that River The Musical(Marcus Garvey Amphitheater), The Steadfast (Slant Theatre Project); Dirty Blood (Billie Holiday Theatre). Regional: Furlough's Paradise (Geva Theatre), Crumbs from The Table of Joy (Crossroads Theatre), Fires in The Mirror, solo performer (LongWharf/Baltimore Center Stage); Comedy of Errors (Shakespeare Theatre Company, D.C.), She A Gem (NYTW), The Bluest Eye (The Huntington Theatre), Blues for an Alabama Sky (Trinity Rep), Hang (Shakespeare & Co.); Saturday Night/Sunday Morning (LyricStage, Elliot Norton Nominee). Film: Stay Here with Me (Tuli Media), The Promotion (C1 Media), The Light (B.K.Lui.Horne), Driving While Black Magic, Breaking Dawn: American Myth Project (The NET). Teaching: Yale School of Drama, Brown University, NYU-Playwrights Horizons/Meisner Studio, Vassar, and La Jolla Playhouse Student Conservatory. Facilitation: artEquity, co-program lead of the BIPOC Leadership Circle, BIPOC Surviving PWI Processing Space. MFA in acting from Brown University/Trinity Rep., BFA in Theater Arts from Boston University. I am a product of my grandmother’s prayers + my ancestors’ wildest dreams. www.cloteallhorne.com
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Matt Neely
Matt Neely (John) is an actor, producer, and writer. He is thrilled to be making his debut at GBPT. New York City credits include: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), The Heart of a Dog, Sex and Other Collisions, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Puck), Twelfth Night (Sebastian), Kafka’s The Trial and Beau Willimon’s I am Ned Kelly (Ned Kelly), as well as several commercials and short films. In the Berkshires, Matt appeared in The Crucible at Barrington Stage Company before starting his longtime association with their 10x10 New Play Festival (Berkie Award Winner, “Best Ensemble”). In addition to acting in the festival annually, Matt has written the lyrics for the show’s opening number for 13 years. Matt worked extensively in television production, most notably as the Associate Producer of the Emmy Award Winning hit game show, Cash Cab (Discovery Network.) Listen to Matt’s podcast, Vibe Control where he interviews leading creatives from the performing arts and beyond at thevibecontrol.com or wherever you listen to podcasts. MFA: Carnegie Mellon/Moscow Art Theatre (Acting) BS: Skidmore College (Theater)Member: AEA, SAG-AFTRA Matt’s favorite role is father to Allie and Tommy and husband to Margo.
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Kaleigh Cerqua
Kaleigh Cerqua (Stage Manager) is an Upstate-NY raised, Berkshires-based stage manager, and she is proud to be one of GBPT's resident artists. Past GBPT productions include How to NOT Save the World According to Mr. Bezos, A Night at the Speakeasy, Dog People, The Stones, among others. Kaleigh has stage managed for companies such as Barrington Stage Company, Syracuse Stage, and NYC's The Tank. In addition to stage management, she has a passion for dance and most recently choreographed the Berkshire School's critically acclaimed production of Hadestown. As always, with love, for Mom and Dad.
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Juliana Haubrich
Juliana von Haubrich (Scenic Designer) has designed for Great Barrington Public Theater, Shakespeare & Company, Chester Theater, Berkshire Theatre Group, Barrington Stage Company, The Majestic Theater, CapRep, The Juilliard School, The Acting Company, and Present Company Theater. Juliana has also designed for The Arena Stage in DC, and Dallas Theatre Center. She has a BA in Cultural Anthropology from UofM, and an MFA in Scenic Design from CalArts. She currently teaches at UMass. www.JulianaDesigns.org
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George Veale
George W. Veale VI (Costume Designer) has been designing costumes and clothing for theater, television, film, and fashion since 2004. He is a graduate of Bard College at Simon’s Rock and was the Professor of Costume Design in the Theater program there; he also has a degree from London College of Fashion and a Master’s Degree from F.I.T. in Historic Textiles. He has a degree from C.M.U. in Toronto, Canada as well as a degree from Scuola Del Cuoio, Florence. This is George’s 5th season with GBPT.
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Lara Dubin
Lara Dubin (Lighting Designer) is glad to be back for her 6th year designing for Great Barrington Public Theater. Her previous GBPT designs were for The Best Medicine, Survival of the Unfit, Off Peak, Public Speaking and The Christopher Boy’s Communion. Lara has also designed lights for Chester Theatre Company, Silverthorne Theater, WAM Theatre, Capital Repertory Theatre, Simon’s Rock College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, UMass Amherst, Academy of Music in Northampton and more. Broadway credits include Assistant Lighting Designer for Taboo, Movin’ Out, The Lion King, The Green Bird, Bells Are Ringing, and Imaginary Friends. She is currently a Lecturer of Lighting & Sound Design at Smith College and a member of the United Scenic Artists Local USA 829. Thank you for coming to see the show today!
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Marlo Alexander
Marlo Alexander (Assistant Director/Young Collaborator) is a New Jersey-born actor, writer, and theatre artist pursuing a BFA in Acting with concentrations in Musical Theatre and Directing at Boston University’s School of Theatre. She is thrilled to intern at GBPT this summer and serve as Assistant Director on Yellow Wallpaper 2.0 2020. Passionate about storytelling and collaboration, Marlo loves creating meaningful theatrical experiences onstage and behind the scenes and is grateful to be part of this production.
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Vinny Pruchnick
Vinny Pruchnick (Sound Designer) is a multidisciplinary artist based in NYC. His main focus in theatre is sound design, but his work has been seen in the capital region as a lighting designer and projection designer as well. Previous credits include Chicago: The Musical st Steamer 10 and 9 to 5: The Musical at Desales University. Projection design credits include Next to Normal at Steamer No. 10 Theatre in Albany. Vinny is also an educational artist, working primarily with students as a director. He would like to thank his friends and family for being supportive of the arts, and his daughter Sylvie for being the best daughter ever!
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Taylor Slonaker
Taylor Slonaker (Assistant Stage Manager) is thrilled to be working with GBPT this summer. She was the Assistant Director for Berkshire School’s theater program upon graduating from the University of Vermont. This summer you may have seen her as Rosalind in the Rooted Voyageurs production of As You Like It. She’s also working with the Young Collaborators on their devised project. They are eternally grateful for their community here in the Berkshires and beyond.