Proscenium Circus to stage plays steeped in World War II history

Proscenium Circus will present its annual winter one-act plays at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, ABRHS Auditorium, 36 Charter Road, 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 8-9. The dramas — “Rosie the Riveter” and "The Book of Everything" — explore themes surrounding World War II and its aftermath.

Set during the throes of World War II, “Rosie the Riveter” examines the life of a secretary who rolls up her sleeves to help her factory win a government contract to make airplane parts. She later becomes the iconic image that inspires so many women workers to join the cause. PC's production recently won the Best Show Award at the Massachusetts Thespians Festival.

"The Book of Everything" is PC's candidate for the upcoming Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild High School Drama Festival. The one-act play tells the story of a 9-year-old boy who constructs an imaginary world in post-World War II Amsterdam to escape his explosive family dynamics. Based on the 2004 award-winning Dutch children's novel by Guus Kuijer, the drama explores domestic violence through a child’s eyes in a family and community reeling, years later, from the Nazi occupation.

Tickets are available online at ABDrama.org — general admission, $12; students and seniors (over 55), $10. All tickets at the door are $12. PC has rated these shows PG, recommended for ages 9 and up. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Acton-Boxborough Cultural Council, which receives funding from the Mass Cultural Council.

In addition, students in grades 2-8 are invited to join Proscenium Circus for theatrical workshops and an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour, 3 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 9. Students will be grouped in age-appropriate, small class settings. Choose from two tracks: Acting and Technical Theater. Registration is $25 per student, and is available on a first-come, first-served basis at ABDrama.org. Registration closes at noon on March 9.