The Story of an Hour

by Kate Chopin

including themes from Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper”

a silent piece in three parts

The Story of an Hour is about Louise Mallard, who has just learned of her husband’s sudden death in an apparent train accident. Her sister Josephine attempts to deliver the news delicately since Louise suffers from a weak heart. She bursts into tears and locks herself in her bedroom. There, Louise is unexpectedly overcome with something she’s never felt before.

In the span of exactly sixty minutes, Kate Chopin’s short story unpacks and determines a utopia of self-determined transformation. First published in 1894, The Story of an Hour exemplifies this American writer’s work, but is still little known to readers outside of the United States. It will be performed for the first time on the German stage.