Wayman Crow: Your love of learning exemplifies my aim for the university I am building!
Emma Crow: Oh, brother.
Emma Crow is a student, a lover of poetry and a gifted mystic. She is also the daughter of Wayman Crow — St. Louis businessman, Missouri state senator and a founder of Washington University in St. Louis. But when celebrated actress Charlotte Cushman, known for playing both male and female roles, brings “Romeo and Juliet” to town, the ineffable and inevitable collide.
“Eating Crow” is a madcap but heartfelt farce that spans WashU history, Wikipedia rabbit holes and the emotional wounds of a chatty Renaissance ghost. Written by WashU student Kit Hoffmann, the play will receive a staged reading at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, as part of the 2025 A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Festival.
Sponsored by the Performing Arts Department (PAD) in Arts & Sciences, the Hotchner Festival is modeled on professional theater development workshops. All plays are selected by “blind” submission. Each playwright then spends two weeks working with a director and dramaturg as well as cast and crew. The process culminates in a staged reading in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre.
Also staged as part of the festival, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, will be a trio of short plays.
“Full Fathom Five” by Heather Elaine Anderson. When two Shakespearean actors reunite after a tragic loss, the line between life and drama begins to blur.
“Unwelcome Truths” by Anna Schwartz. Inspired by psychologist Stanley Milgram’s infamous experiments, the play asks: What will one man, “just following orders,” do to another?
“Cold Feet” by Rebecca Yang. A film director’s new project is haunted by her past.
About the Hotchner Festival
The Hotchner Festival is named for alumnus A.E. Hotchner (1917-2020), the acclaimed author and screenwriter who famously bested Tennessee Williams in a WashU student playwriting competition.
The 2025 festival is coordinated by Zachariah Ezer, an assistant professor of performing arts. The dramaturg is Brittany K. Allen, a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based, multidisciplinary writer and actor.
“Eating Crow” is directed by Annamaria Pileggi, professor of practice in drama. “Full Fathom Five,” “Unwelcome Truths” and “Cold Feet” are directed by Jeffery Matthews, a professor of practice in drama.
The A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre is located in the Mallinckrodt Center, 6465 Forsyth Blvd. All readings are free and open to the public. For more information, call 314-935-5858, visit pad.wustl.edu or follow the department on Facebook and Instagram.
