GAGE COUNTY NE

A documentary theatrical collaboration

This show was produced in collaboration with filmmakers for the HBO documentary series "Mind Over Murder." The six-part series premieres Monday, June 20, 2022 at 9 p.m. (CT). For more information about the series click here.

Performance Dates

Aug. 13, 2021 - 7:30 p.m.*

Aug. 14, 2021 - 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 15, 2021 - 2 p.m.

DOCUMENTARY PLAY

Community Players, in collaboration with director/playwright Cecilia Rubino, is inviting audiences to reflect on the events that followed the tragic homicide of Helen Wilson in 1985 with an original production, GAGE COUNTY, NE.


The play is based on court records, investigative materials, news reports and first-hand accounts, and examines the circumstances that led to the conviction of six people, commonly known as the Beatrice Six, and the subsequent events that made national headlines and continue to affect the community today.


The show is being produced in collaboration with a documentary TV series.


*A moderated post-show Q&A will be held following this performance.


Written & Directed by: Cecilia Rubino

The show runs approximately 90 minutes. There is no intermission.

Click to watch an interview with the playwright discussing documentary theatre

Select Audiences. Appropriate for mature audience. Contains language and situations that will not be for everyone, either due to content or personal taste. THIS SHOW IS NOT FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES.

Publicity Pictures

City skyline

Photo By: John Doe
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Birthday Sparks

Photo By: John Doe
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Fashion Magazine

Photo By: John Doe
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Company members

Grant Bennet

Josh Erikson

Mason Gustafson

Ashley Hothan

Diane Kahnk

Heidi Krieger

Carla Loemker

Missy Marlatt

Walter McDowell

Katy Morehouse

Paige Patton

Lisa Steiner

Marshal Tuttle

Lizzy Veverka

Callan Williams

Michael Zavodny

 

Stage Manager – Brandon Clark

Assistant Stage Manager – Ariason Snurr

  • How did the idea for this play come about?

    Theatre, at its most basic, is about telling stories. Those stories can entertain, build understanding, and reflect on a community’s shared histories. Sometimes those stories necessitate examining difficult events and the questions they raise. No matter, they are still the story of our community.


    The idea of doing a play was orginially initiated by a filmmaking team who is working on a documentary series about the case.


    The Helen Wilson murder and the story of the "Beatrice Six" has been a point of contention in the community for a long time. There are many opinions of what happened, and who is responsible. The play will present pertinent facts and the perspectives of the people that were involved in a way that, we hope, will not only educate and inform audiences about the case but will also help them see all sides of the debate.


    The play is intended to generate a conversation that will help the community refelect on what happened and allow for reconciliation.

  • Will the play dramatize the crime?

    The play does not dramatize the crime. In fact, the play starts with the investigation into the homicide, and continues to explore the events that followed in the weeks, months, and years, leading up to the present day.


    We want to stress that the script was crafted with great respect for people's feelings, in particular the family of Helen Wilson. 

  • Did the family or people involved in the story know about the play?

    The filmmaking team is in direct contact with them.

  • Why the title "Gage County, NE"

    Our cast helped us decide on the title; we spent a lot of time exploring different titles and we settled on "Gage County, NE" because this play tells the story of something that has affected this community at large.

About the writer/director

Cecilia Rubino is an award-winning writer, director and educator based in New York City. She has recently written and directed theater pieces which have performed at Lincoln Center's Walter Reade and Bruno Walter Theaters, The New Victory @ 42nd Street, Jefferson Market Playhouse, Irondale Theater Center, and the New York Fringe. From the Fire, a piece that she wrote and directed, with music composed by Elizabeth Swados, won the UK/Music Theater Awards for Best Music, Best Production and Best New Musical at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. She recently directed ‘Selected Monologues’ at the Maria Irene Fornes marathon at the Public Theater and ‘O’Neill in the Village’ at the Washington Square Hotel. Rubino received her MFA from the Yale School of Drama and is a Professor of Theater at Lang College, at The New School.