Stage 9 will open its fall production, Into the Breeches, this Thursday, bringing a blend of Shakespeare, wartime history, and humor to downtown Hutchinson.
Directed by Wes Bartlett, the play is set in 1942 as a community theater struggles to produce Shakespeare’s Henry IV and Henry V while most of the men are serving overseas. With no male actors available, Maggie, the wife of the theater’s director, assembles an all-female cast to carry on the tradition.
“It’s kind of like real life Rosie the Riveters, except instead of airplanes, the women took over the stage,” Bartlett said. “There’s humor in how the women step into these roles, but also deeper social issues that still resonate today.”
Wendy Pope, who stars as Maggie, described her character as resourceful and determined. “She’s sort of an Anne of Green Gables in 1942,” Pope said. “She has to think quickly to persuade the board president to let her direct the show.” Pope’s husband, James, also appears in the cast as the skeptical board president, Mr. Snow.
The cast features eight performers—six women and two men—highlighting the play’s theme of women stepping into new roles during World War II. Bartlett said rehearsals began in late July, and despite scheduling challenges and even rehearsing in a downtown storefront before set construction, the group is ready for opening night.
Costumes posed another challenge. “We found Elizabethan pieces at Stage 9, but when it came to World War II uniforms, everything we borrowed was too small,” Bartlett said with a laugh.
The set, designed with help from Aaron Parker, is intentionally simple. “I wanted everything on stage from the beginning with minimal changes,” Bartlett said. “That way the focus stays on the story and the performers.”
Performances will be held at Stage 9, 9 S. Main, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, with a 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday. Tickets are available at stage9hutch.com or at the door, though seating is limited.
Bartlett said audiences can expect both laughter and poignancy. “When the women begin speaking Shakespeare’s lines with conviction, especially in the final scene, it’s incredibly moving—both patriotic and personal,” he said.