The Scarlet Letter

Photos by Georgia Mann

Instagram: @thescarletletter.nu

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By Phyllis Nagy

Adapted from the novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Directed by Graybill Partington

Produced by Poseybelle Stoeffler

My production of The Scarlet Letter sought to challenge both the story’s “boring high school classic” reputation and the audience’s preconceived notions about morality, gender, and power. After immersing myself in the text, I became struck by how boldly Nathaniel Hawthorne interrogates religious authority and public shame, asking who gets to define sin and who is denied redemption. To heighten those questions, I intentionally assembled an entirely non-male cast and production team, with non-male-presenting actors portraying the male roles. This choice disrupted default associations between masculinity and authority, encouraging audiences to see the rigid Puritanical gender hierarchy as constructed rather than natural. Staging choices emphasized the public spectacle of judgment, highlighting how communities perform righteousness while concealing private hypocrisy. By framing the story as urgent rather than antiquated—particularly in a moment when challenging literature is again being censored—the production invited reflection on how easily communities impose identities and moral certainty without fully understanding the human story beneath them, leaving audiences to grapple with their own capacity for judgment and grace.