Skip to Content

Is there a limit to free speech? Who gets to decide? 

Sascha Cole; Photo by Cylla Von Tiedemann (Tarragon Theatre)

Theory

By Norman Yeung

Isabelle’s film theory students are stunned that she would open an unmoderated online discussion group to complement a controversial syllabus. Her intention was for them to learn from each other, but when an anonymous student starts to post racist comments and offensive videos on the forum and others challenge Isabelle’s methods, she is forced to decide whether to intervene or to let the social experiment play out. But the posts soon turn abusive and threatening to Isabelle’s relationship with her wife, Lee, causing her to take matters into her own hands.  

In this thrilling exploration of the intersections and divisions within liberalism, a young tenure-track professor finds herself in a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse that has her questioning her beliefs and fighting back for her life.

Production History

Theory ran at the Tarragon Theatre Extraspace from October 16 to November 25, 2018. 

The American premiere was produced by Mosaic Theater Company and performed at the Atlas Performing Arts Center in Washington, DC, from October 22 to November 17, 2019.

Production Facts

  • Winner, The Voaden Prize 2015

  • Nominated, Carol Bolt Award 2019