Midsommer Flight presents: Oh These Times! By Catherine the Great

If you’re looking for a satirical comedy where every character lives life in the panic lane and practices the opposite of what they preach… consider Catherine the Great’s Oh, These Times!

CAST: TBD

Oh, These Times! is one of the selections from the 2024 Expand the Canon list, which includes 16 short and one-act plays by historic women and gender expansive playwrights. This summer’s staged reading marks Midsommer Flight’s second annual partnership with Expand the Canon.

In this 1772 one-act by famed Russian empress Catherine the Great, a maid attempts to help her naive lady marry the sweet Mr. Milksop, while dodging her grandmother’s fears of lower class social climbers. From catty gossips to sheltered virgins, no one seems happy with their station –– and their schemes and complaints pile up. Preempting Chekhov’s darkly yearning comedic sense by 100 years, Oh, These Times! is a searing reflection of our modern day social anxieties and the farces we put ourselves through to soothe them.

Oh, These Times! is presented by special arrangement with translator Lurana Donnels O’Malley.

Ebby Offord (Director, she/they) is a theatre artist from the South Side of Chicago. Ebby received her BA in Drama from Washington University in St. Louis. Since returning to Chicago, Ebby has been fortunate to have directed and acted across the city. She is a proud Midsommer Flight ensemble member and performed in Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Other previous (selected) credits: Evil Perfect (Bramble Theatre Company), ABORT: The Mission and Millennial Church (Director – Bramble Festival of Unfinished Work), Ruined (Director – Reginald Vaughn Theater), Hamlet (Reginald Vaughn Theater), Course Society (Chicago Dramatist’s), and Now More Than Ever (St. Louis Actor’s Studio).

Dr. Lurana Donnels O’Malley (Translator) is a retired Professor of Theatre at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. O’Malley’s translation of this script from the Russian is available in the following book: Two Comedies by Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia: Oh, These Times! and The Siberian Shaman (1998). O’Malley is also the author of The Dramatic Works of Catherine the Great: Theatre and Politics in Eighteenth-Century Russia (Routledge 2006); her newest book Black Activists Write Wheatley and Washington (Routledge 2025) highlights the contributions of Mary Church Terrell for the 1932 George Washington Bicentennial. Contact: [email protected]

Expand the Canon celebrates classic plays by women & underrepresented genders – and is a call to action to produce them. Our mission is to amplify the voices of historic women and underrepresented writers who have always deserved a place in the theatrical canon, creating a legacy of storytelling with gender equity at its core. We’re changing the narrative by pushing for their work on stages, in classrooms, and in the hearts of audiences. By partnering with theaters, advocacy groups, and educators, we’re creating space for their stories today — and inspiring the storytellers of tomorrow. Our 52 carefully curated titles are timely, relevant, and producible. Featured plays span 1600-1990, 16 countries, 11 languages of origin, cast sizes ranging from 1 to 25+, many styles and topics… but all are excellent. Plays on the Expand the Canon lists have since been seen at major companies like Roundabout Theatre, Repertorio Español, The Classical Theatre of Harlem, Island Shakespeare Festival, The Stratford Festival, Classic Stage Company, and Theatre for a New Audience. The lists have helped shape curricula of universities across the country. Additionally, Expand the Canon has grown their research database to 8,000+ historic plays by women and non-binary writers.  To access 52 classic plays, playwright bios, summaries, pitches, producing information, podcast episodes, & more, visit expandthecanon.com.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Understudy Coffee and Books, 5531 N Clark St, Chicago, United States