The cast of the UTC Theatre Co.’s “The Revolutionists” includes (clockwise from top left) Mahogany Sales as Marianne Angelle, Gracie Headrick as Marie Antoinette, Cameron Schulz as Charlotte Corday, and Lily Phillips as Olympe de Gouges. Photo courtesy of UTC Theatre Co.
When the world is falling apart, what can—and should—an artist do?
That question drives “The Revolutionists,” Lauren Gunderson’s irreverent comedy about four women who find themselves at the center of the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. The UTC Theatre Co. will present the production at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6-10, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Oct. 10, in the Dorothy Hackett Ward Theatre in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Fine Arts Center.
Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here and through the UTC Fine Arts Center Box Office, either in person or by phone at 423-425-4269. Tickets are $20 for general admission, plus service fees, and $15 for students (with a valid student ID) and seniors.
The Fine Arts Center is located on the UTC campus at the intersection of Dr. Roland Carter Street (formerly known as Vine Street) and Palmetto Street. Parking is available in the adjacent Lupton Hall Parking Garage (700 Vine St.).
Set in 1793, Gunderson’s play brings together playwright and activist Olympe de Gouges; Charlotte Corday, who assassinated revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat; former French queen Marie Antoinette; and Marianne Angelle, a fictional Haitian revolutionary fighting against slavery.
As Olympe tries to write a play about the Revolution, the women press her to decide what action she is willing to take. The comedy uses contemporary language, satire and present-day references to explore political violence, friendship, feminism, artistic responsibility and the stories history chooses to remember.
Associate Professor Anne Swedberg, coordinator of UTC’s acting concentration, directs the production.
“The four characters in the play are lifting their voices against the Reign of Terror to the best of their abilities,” Swedberg said. “In their revolt and their protest against a dangerously bloodthirsty and oppressive regime, they generate the kind of energetic push-back that I associate with feminist punk.”
That punk influence shapes the production’s visual and musical approach. Swedberg said the cast wears French Revolution-era wigs and costumes “with an added punk rock flair,” while theatre design students and faculty developed the concept.
Swedberg said working with the cast, crew and musicians has been “a joy,” particularly during a shortened rehearsal period this fall.
The four-person cast includes UTC students:
- Mahogany Sales as Marianne Angelle
- Cameron Schulz as Charlotte Corday
- Gracie Headrick as Marie Antoinette
- Lily Phillips as Olympe de Gouges
Student musicians Maria Kime on guitar and Skylar de Cuir on drums developed “a glorious punk rock orchestration and sound for a song that is woven through the performance,” Swedberg said.
UTC students on the production crew include:
- Stage manager E. Lindley
- Assistant stage managers Liz Suffill and Eva Kaufmann
- Assistant director Lyric Boals
- Sound designer Conard Belitz
Other UTC faculty involved in the production include Assistant Professor of Costume Design Ashlynne Ludwig, Assistant Professor of Scenic Design Emma Hoffbauer and Assistant Professor of Lighting Design Alexandra Miller-Long.
“The Revolutionists” opens the UTC Theatre Co.’s 2026-27 season. The season also includes “They Buried the Gun with Mama,” a new musical by UTC Theatre alumni Lisa McQueen and Barb Neligan, Oct. 24-25; William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Nov. 17-21; Julia Izumi’s “Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea,” Feb. 23-27, 2027; and “Big Fish (the musical), April 20-24, 2027.”
For more information, visit the UTC Theatre Co. page.
“The Revolutionists” photos courtesy of UTC Theatre Co.
