England’s Splendid Daughters is a physical theatre piece based on the memoirs of ambulance drivers in World War I. When the British were losing the war, in order to send more men to the trenches, they promoted all service level staff to the front lines. To replace the ambulance drivers, the British Armed Forces sought out unmarried women who knew how to drive a car. Unintentionally, they recruited a bunch of lesbians. England’s Splendid Daughters was written to prove to ourselves and the world that queer people have always been heroes.

This production contains graphic discussion of injury and death, homophobia, explicit language, and the use of theatrical blood.

Queer History Roundtable: How we teach each other

Saturday, February 12 at 4:00 p.m.
Zoom (additional information coming soon)

In conjunction with this production, we invite you to join a group of artists and scholars for a roundtable discussion of how queer history is shared and taught outside of academic spaces. As marginalized histories have their own methods of preservation and teaching, we will discuss the passing of stories, objects, embodied history, and how art is often at the center of this sharing.  

Panelists will include:
T.J. Dedeaux-Norris (UI assistant professor, painting and drawing)
Kim Marra (UI professor emeritus, theatre arts and American studies)
Christopher-Rasheem McMillan (assistant professor of dance and gender, women’s and sexuality studies)
Aiden Bettine (community and student life archivist residency librarian, University of Iowa; LGBTQ Iowa Archives & Library)
Moderated by Ann Kreitman (playwright and director of England’s Splendid Daughters)

This event is part of the Borderless series.

Virtual Lobby

In advance of the performance, we'd like to invite you to visit our Virtual Lobby to learn more about the production and our team.

Iowa Directors Festival 2022

This production is part of the Iowa Directors Festival which includes four productions produced over two weeks, all directed by the MFA directing candidates.

Week #1 (February 3–5)

Letters from Cuba by María Irene Fornés, directed by Natalie Villamonte Zito
small hours by Lucy Kirkwood and Ed Hime, directed by Sarah Gazdowicz

Week #2 (February 10–12)

Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen by Tennessee Williams, directed by Kenneth Collins
England's Splendid Daughters written and directed by Ann Kreitman

Tickets

Tickets are available through the Hancher Box Office at 319-335-1160 or online at hancher.uiowa.edu/tickets. Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office at the Theatre Building one hour prior to the performance, on an as-available basis, unless the production is sold out.

Capacity is limited and all seating is general admission. Masks are strongly encouraged.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact the Hancher Box Office in advance at 319-335-1158.