The Scarlet Letter
Price range: $15.00 through $15.95
Description
In today’s world of reduced privacy, increased bullying, intensified peer pressure, and the pursuit of notoriety, toxic societal pressures are everywhere. Yet these same themes were central to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic The Scarlet Letter, set in the 17th century. This adaptation offers a bold contemporary lens through which to view Hawthorne’s story, connecting its enduring concerns to today’s post-digital, hyper-connected culture. It explores shame and accountability — both individual and communal — while asking: How often does our society become Puritanical, convicting people in the court of public opinion? As the accused, does one choose bitterness or transformation? How do communities heal from moral panic, fear, and judgment? While the plot centers on Hester, this adaptation also closely examines the men and women of the community — their fears, transgressions, shame, and choices — revealing a story as urgently relevant now as it was in Hawthorne’s time.
Production Info
Full Length Drama (about 100 minutes)
Minimal Set Requirements
Period Costumes
Press Quotes
“As fine an adaptation of Hawthorne’s classic story as you’re likely to see anytime soon … When a staid tale that most of us read and forgot in high school is brought this emphatically to life, the event is worth noting … Hawthorne’s prose is given the passionate urgency of a Hollywood thriller.” —Tad Simons, The City Pages
“Kelli Tatum’s adaptation finds the moral and human elements in this story at the heart of Hawthorne’s story.” —Peter Vaughan, Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Sensuous [and] searing.” —Jayne Blanchard, The Pioneer Press
“Exceptional … doesn’t shy away from the story’s darker themes.” —Erika Sasseville, Aisle Say Blog
Author
Kelli TatumKelli Tatum is a Minnesota-based playwright and theater artist whose work explores themes of power, hypocrisy, shame, and community accountability. She earned a degree in theater and spent fifteen years with The Refreshment Committee (St. Paul, MN), where she served as associate artistic director, resident choreographer, playwright, actor, producer, and office manager. She later co-founded WideSpot Performing Arts Center and has worked with Black Dirt Theater and (lumin)theater lab. THE SCARLET LETTER, produced by The Refreshment Committee and (lumin)theater lab, is her first solo full-length play and reflects her ongoing interest in examining patriarchy and spiritual abuse through contemporary storytelling. She is currently working on her first novel.
Nathaniel HawthorneNathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864) was a definitive voice in American literature, best known for his "dark romantic" explorations of history, guilt, and the human soul. A descendant of a prominent Salem witch trial judge, Hawthorne spent much of his career grappling with his Puritan roots, most famously in his masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter (1850). This landmark novel's examination of legalism, sin, and redemption through the story of Hester Prynne solidified his reputation as a master of psychological depth and allegory. Today, he remains a central figure of the American Renaissance, celebrated for transforming the stern history of New England into timeless, symbolic art.
Book Information
| Publisher | BPPI |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 3/25/2026 |
| Pages | 62 |
| ISBN | 9798888560907 |
Special Notes
by special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing Inc, NYC
www.broadwayplaypublishing.com
