The Edge of Peace

As World War II comes to a close, a small town in Illinois desperately waits for news from a young soldier. Buddy, the younger brother, glamorizes the battlefield and refuses to believe his brother lost when all signs point that way. A town at a standstill, the characters of Ware are forced to reckon with a troubling past and an unsettled future.

Over thirty years in the making – Suzan Zeder’s richly lyrical Ware Trilogy is inspired by the oral traditions gathered by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Set against the stark mid-west backdrop of Ware, Illinois, we are introduced to complicated themes of loss, identity, and family through the lives of three outsiders: Tuc, a young Deaf man; Girl, a foundling child; and Mother Hicks, a mysterious recluse, who is often suspected of being a witch. An ensemble of Deaf and hearing actors explore the cultural complexities of Deafness with humor and compassion.

The Edge of Peace is the final play in the Trilogy; the first two plays are being produced in collaboration with Wheelock Family Theatre and Emerson Stage. This play is in both spoken English and American Sign Language.