Crochet Club

In my last semester at Wesleyan, I embarked on the journey of writing my first full-length play. I was interested in the topic of rural isolation—the various ways technology and lack of community spaces have driven us away from each other—and knew I wanted to set the play in a small New England town, like my own hometown. With this play, I wanted to push back against traditional ideas of charity—especially present in religious spaces—that characterize these acts as purely altruistic, and in service of some abstract needy person. Sometimes, the most needy people are right in front of us; sometimes, the person we’re really trying to heal through “doing good” is ourself. These themes are all at play in what eventually became Crochet Club.

Rhonda, a retired widow, starts a club in her small New England community to crochet winter garments for homeless people. Joining her are an ambitious high schooler, a wannabe anarchist philosopher/ Michael's employee, and her gay Pastor. While Rhonda negotiates a fraught relationship with her troubled daughter, the rest of the group must navigate Rhonda’s inordinately high standards. Yet through this club, these four lonely people discover that sometimes the most profound acts of "charity" are understanding and loving those around you. 

SYNOPSIS

Photo courtesy of Rebecca Drucker.