Watermelon Hill | History Theatre

Watermelon Hill

written by Lily Baber Coyle

based on ideas from "Shadow Mothers" by Linda Back McKay

directed by Anya Kremenetsky

March 19–April 10, 2016

1965. Imagine yourself as a teenage girl - pregnant and unwed. After a painful confession to your mother, you are sent away to the Catholic Infant Home on Cathedral Hill to deliver your baby and give it up for adoption. You are given a new name and strict instructions: "Do not reveal your real name. Do not discuss this episode in your life with anyone. Have your baby, go back to school, and make a fresh start - as if nothing ever happened. Once you leave this place, you must never look back."

But that's impossible. Decades later, three courageous women relive their shared experiences at the home, personal moments of love and loss, and reunions with the children they never forgot.

Special Events:

Adoption: Sharing Our Stories. Free April 2, 6-7:15pm. Readings of poetry and prose about personal experiences with adoption. Featuring St. Paul Poet Laureate Carol Connolly and others.

Afterthoughts Discussion. Free. Sundays (3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10 at 4pm) Learn more about the show featuring guest speakers and artists

  • March 20: Behind the Scenes with Playwright Lily Baber Coyle and Author Linda Back McKay
  • March 27: Watermelon Hill Today with Lucy Gerold, Executive Director, Jeremiah Program
  • April 3: Adoption Reform with Penelope Needham, Minnesota Coalition for Adoption Reform
  • April 10: Inside the Home with Sister Jane McDonald and Dr. Crutchfield, Catholic Infant Home

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