The Yellow Wallpaper, September 4 - 20, 2026
Trinity Street Playhouse
Join us for some classic Gothic horror as we bring Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper to life. This psychologically riveting, semi-autobiographical story is based on Charlotte’s experiences during a difficult period after the birth of her child. Her husband imposed an unproven treatment called “the rest cure” to treat her post-partum depression. Under the supervision of a quack doctor who insisted on the cessation of all Charlotte’s creative and intellectual activity, the treatment ultimately demanded that she give up her opportunities, her art, and ultimately her personal autonomy. Yet that terrible experience which almost destroyed Gilman ultimately resulted in her most famous work: a terrifying short story of what might have been if she had not escaped.
This is a story about the gaslighting, control, and dependence that women endure when men control all aspects of political and economic reality. Our friend Jeff Davis of Ovation Theatricals has adapted the story into an incredible play that speaks to everything that we lose when we devalue other human beings.
Tickets for "The Yellow Wallpaper" are now on sale.
The Yellow Wallpaper
written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Adapted for the stage by Jeff Davis
Directed by Faith Sanders
Starring Mon Darter and Sadie Okerstrom
Produced by Emily M. Taylor
Archive Theater Artistic Director - Jennifer Rose Davis
Scenic Design by Cody Arn
Lighting Design by Amy Lewis
Costume Design by Jennifer Rose Davis
Music Direction and Sound Design by Victoria Schwartz
Graphic Design by SJ Anderson
Intimacy Coordination by Andrea Grapko
Stage Manager - Adriana Fontanez
Assistant Stage Manager - Jennifer Meigs
In the story, a young wife is confined to a room with yellow wallpaper by her husband who is also her doctor and put on a rest cure. Without other intellectual stimulation she begins to see things that are not there... Or are they?
Charlotte Perkins Gilman became a tireless crusader for women's rights after she experienced the events which inspired "The Yellow Wallpaper."
In the 19th century, the treatment of mental health issues was more guesswork than science. Patients were sometimes subjected to experiments in the course of their treatment.