Mountain Meadows And The Little Schoolteacher

by Debora Threedy (Dammeron Valley, UT)

Saturday, August 23, 7:30pm
Sunday, August 24, 3:00pm

The Lorraine Boccardo Theater

This play is based on the life of Juanita Brooks, particularly the years from 1918 to 1951. The central mystery of her life is this: She was a seemingly ordinary Mormon housewife. Widowed as a young mother, married a second time to a man 17 years her senior, she had five children of her own and helped raise her husband’s four sons. She held positions of authority in her Church. She worked at a job for almost her entire life. How did such a woman come to publish the first accurate account of the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre, the full story of which had been actively suppressed by the LDS Church for nearly a hundred years? Where did she get the courage to tell the truth despite the opposition of her community and even family?

KAYENTA NEW PLAY LAB

Now in its third year, the Kayenta New Play Lab is where bold new voices in American theater come to life. Over three exhilarating weeks, six visionary playwrights—chosen by a panel of esteemed local and national theatermakers—dive into an intensive creative residency, shaping fresh, original works for the stage.

Audiences are invited to witness the magic unfold through staged readings of these brand-new plays—raw, real, and alive with possibility. Stay after each reading for an engaging dialogue with the artists, where your feedback helps shape the evolution of each piece.

Whether you’re a dedicated theatergoer, a curious creative, or someone who simply loves the thrill of live performance, the New Play Lab is your front-row seat to the next wave of theatrical storytelling. Come be part of the process. Come be inspired.