The Insanity Of Mary Girard Script Pdf Jun 2026

Mary Girard was the wife of Stephen Girard—one of the wealthiest men in early American history (he famously saved the U.S. government from bankruptcy during the War of 1812). By all outward accounts, Mary lived a life of immense privilege in Philadelphia. But behind the shutters of their mansion, a horror story was unfolding.

The Insanity of Mary Girard is a haunting, highly dramatic one-act play by Lanie Robertson that remains a staple for high school theater competitions, college showcases, and community theaters. Plot Overview & Historical Context

If you plan to stage the play for a public audience—even if you are not charging admission—you must apply for a performance license through Concord Theatricals to secure the rights and pay the required royalty fees per performance. the insanity of mary girard script pdf

Playwrights earn their living through licensing fees and script sales. Unlike a public domain novel from 1850, The Insanity of Mary Girard is a living, working piece of intellectual property. Every time a theatre company pays for the rights to produce it, Robertson’s estate receives royalties.

Today, her existence is often reduced to a mere postscript on a plaque that praises her husband's achievements in the very hospital where she was imprisoned. Mary Girard was the wife of Stephen Girard—one

The play serves as a scathing indictment of the 18th-century legal and social systems that granted men absolute authority over women’s lives. At the time, a husband had the legal right to commit his wife to an asylum without a doctor's diagnosis, often using "insanity" as a tool to dispose of "inconvenient" women. This systemic oppression is personified by Stephen Girard, depicted as a cold, calculating figure who uses his immense wealth to bribe the hospital and ensure Mary remains trapped in a lunatic cell for the rest of her life. The "tranquilizing chair" Mary is strapped into—a real historical device designed by Dr. Benjamin Rush—becomes a physical manifestation of this rigid, unyielding power.

Robertson’s play is still very much under copyright. It is published by Dramatists Play Service (DPS). In a normal world, you would simply buy the acting edition for $10.99, download it, and read it. But behind the shutters of their mansion, a

: Mary is tormented by five "Furies," figures who represent other patients or figments of her imagination. They act as a Greek chorus, dancing around her and morphing into people from her past, such as her mother, her husband, and his mistress.

For directors, actors, and students searching for , understanding the core text, its performance demands, and legal acquisition channels is vital to staging a successful production. The Plot: A Descent into Institutional Terror

The Insanity of Mary Girard is a haunting, one-act docudrama by Lanie Robertson that explores the true story of a woman wrongly institutionalized in late 18th-century Philadelphia.