Lizzie finds empowerment
Director's notes for LIZZIE
On August 4, 1892, wealthy business man Andrew Borden and his second wife, Abby Borden, were brutally murdered with a hatchet inside their home in Fall River, Massachusetts. In residence during the time of the murders was Andrew’s youngest daughter, Lizzie Borden, and the maid, Bridget Sullivan. At this time, the Borden household was a pressure cooker, fueled by conflicts over wealth, inheritance, and bad blood between sisters Emma and Lizzie and their stepmother and father.
The case and ensuing trial of Lizzie Borden was a Victorian scandal where the public struggled to conceive that a wealthy, white, female, protestant, Sunday school teacher, like Lizzie Borden, could commit this gruesome act of violence.
In 1892, women were restricted not only by Gilded Age fashion and cultural expectations but in civic life as well. Voting rights in 1982 were restricted to school committee elections and women first served in juries in Massachusetts in 1950, thirty years after the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment.
With no murder weapon ever definitively found, this chilling case remains an unsolved mystery that continues to fuel speculation. Over the last 134 years, Lizzie Borden continues to fascinate audiences in literature, on screen, and on stage. The trial has been a cultural mirror to reflect changing views on gender, abuse, and female rage.
I was drawn to this reimagining of the story of Lizzie Borden, not only because of the mystery surrounding the case but specifically how it was rendered through the medium of rock and roll. In an interview, one of the creators of Lizzie, Tim Manner, shares that “Rock and roll is one of the few places in popular culture where women have always been able to express strength and aggression while still being very much women.”
In bringing Lizzie to the stage, I was inspired by Feminist Gothic literature. Feminist Gothic literature uses moody and atmospheric world building and the symbols of imprisoning houses, restrictive fashion, sinister secrets, and oppressive and abusive patriarchal figures to critique gendered violence and gender inequality. Famous works that inspired my direction include Jane Eyre (1847) by Charlotte Bronte, The Haunting of Hill House (1959) by Shirley Jackson, Mexican Gothic (2020) by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and others. Instead of external monsters, Feminist Gothic literature turns the realities of female oppression, such as domestic and sexual violence, emotional abuse, gaslighting, discrimination, misogyny, and isolation into the true sources of horror. These works explore how systems of power, class, and gender can normalize violence while demanding silence from those who endure it. How anger, anxiety, and suffering caused by abuse can be minimized, gaslit, or seen as a reason to discredit those who are a survivor of it. As an audience, Lizzie asks us what is the greatest horror. The murders? Or a world where women have no systemic protections from sexual violence and abuse and must endure these injustices in silence and isolation while those in power go unchecked?
Rock and roll becomes a vehicle for Lizzie, Emma, Alice, and Bridget to unleash their pent up emotions, experience freedom, and be their authentic selves. I’m so grateful for the tireless dedication of our incredible cast, crew, and artistic team. Thank you for supporting live theatre and joining us tonight to explore this intriguing mystery and “killer” show. Get ready to rock!
Sincerely,
Lavinia Roberts
Director
Theatre Lawrence News & Announcements
