(Alternate title: "Back Home Again") FULL LENGTH. What do you do when people you love choose hate? Ordinary people must make life-altering choices when the Ku Klux Klan pits Protestant against Catholic in a small Indiana town in the 1920's. The religious prejudice and xenophobia of a century ago still echo in contemporary American society. Produced by Southwest Theatre Productions, Austin TX, 2020. Published by Next Stage Press (https://nextstagepress.com/trade-with-klan-a-play-about-choices/), from which full copies of the script and licensing may be obtained.
Cast:
CHARACTERS (3M, 4W) --
MILLIE BARNETT Age 45, Café owner, resists joining the Women of the Klan.
“What you learn if you live long enough and you’re lucky, is … [t]he most important thing is trying not to disappoint yourself.” --
HELEN BENBO Age 47, Millie Barnett’s sister, ardent Klanswoman, town busybody.
“It’s thrilling to think even an ordinary Indiana housewife like me can be part of something so big, so important!” --
NORA BRENNAN Age 24, Waitress, Catholic.
“To them simple friendship between a man and a woman is impossible. … I’m in their crosshairs now.” --
FRANCIE ROSS Age 24, Waitress, Protestant, engaged to Elroy Lenhart.
“The Women of the Klan … [g]ives me an excuse to get out and socialize with the other women and keep up with everybody.” --
REV. GIDEON HEYWARD Age 60+, preacher, Klan leader.
“All right-thinking men of God support the Klan’s efforts to defend our country from the Catholics.” --
ELROY LENHART Age 27, merchant, pragmatic Klan member.
“I need this store so that’s just what you gotta do. You join stuff.” --
REV. DANIEL LENHART Age 24, Elroy’s brother, preacher just out of seminary.
“I just can’t picture Jesus in a Klan robe. Of course there was a time I couldn’t imagine my mother in one either.” -- All characters are white. There were almost no people of color in rural Indiana in the 1920’s. With no one else to oppress, the white folks turned on each other.
