Fires, Ohio

Name: Afterwords: Fires, Ohio
Start: 2026-03-21T14:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-03-21T17:00:00-05:00
Location: Hertz Stage

A timely family drama inspired by the classic, Uncle Vanya.

By Beth Hyland
Directed by Marissa Wolf

As wildfires rage closer and closer to a small Ohio college town, the mopey grown children and second wife of a sort-of-mediocre professor are threatened by another kind of crisis: a visit from a family friend that threatens to bring all of their tensions to a towering inferno. Now, each of them will be forced to choose: stay and smolder, or leave and burn? Inspired by the classic family drama Uncle Vanya, FIRES, OHIO updates a beloved story for our painfully absurd present, taking a hilarious and heartfelt look at the natural (and personal) disasters that transform our everyday lives. In addition to winning the 22nd annual Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, FIRES, OHIO has been awarded the Kennedy Center's Paula Vogel Award and the Mark Twain Prize for Comic Playwriting.

Best enjoyed by audiences 16 and up.

Contains explicit language; depicts smoking and drinking; addresses mature content related to sex and sexuality.

Events Venue

Kendeda Winner

World Premiere

Hertz Stage

Orange text reading “FIRES, OHIO” with abstract, flame-like shapes above the words, resembling burning or fire.

Inspired by the classic family drama UNCLE VANYA, FIRES, OHIO brings an old story into our painfully absurd present, exploring how today’s most toxic forces impact our everyday lives.

FEB 25 – MAR 22, 2026

Purchase Tickets

A timely family drama inspired by the classic, Uncle Vanya.

By Beth Hyland
Directed by Marissa Wolf

As wildfires rage closer and closer to a small Ohio college town, the mopey grown children and second wife of a sort-of-mediocre professor are threatened by another kind of crisis: a visit from a family friend that threatens to bring all of their tensions to a towering inferno. Now, each of them will be forced to choose: stay and smolder, or leave and burn? Inspired by the classic family drama Uncle Vanya, FIRES, OHIO updates a beloved story for our painfully absurd present, taking a hilarious and heartfelt look at the natural (and personal) disasters that transform our everyday lives. In addition to winning the 22nd annual Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, FIRES, OHIO has been awarded the Kennedy Center’s Paula Vogel Award and the Mark Twain Prize for Comic Playwriting.

Best enjoyed by audiences 16 and up.

Contains explicit language; depicts smoking and drinking; addresses mature content related to sex and sexuality.

Events Venue

Cast & Creative Team

Writer

A person with wavy, shoulder-length reddish-blonde hair sits against a blue background, wearing a dark floral patterned top and resting their face on their hand, smiling faintly.

Beth Hyland

Playwright

Director

Smiling person with short blonde hair wearing a yellow top and large hoop earrings, posed against a plain teal background.

Marissa Wolf

Director

Creative

Curved, parallel white lines form an abstract pattern on a blue-green gradient background.

SaRee Grimes

Assistant Director

A person with short hair, a mustache, and a beard stubble looks at the camera in a black and white portrait, wearing a tank top and an earring.

Lex Liang

Scenic & Costume Design

A woman with shoulder-length gray hair and a black top is smiling slightly in front of a plain gray background.

Laura Hackman

Intimacy Consultant

Robert J. Aguilar

Lighting Design

Jake Guinn

Fight Choreography

Madeleine Oldham

Sound Design

A man with short dark hair and glasses is wearing a maroon and blue striped collared shirt, facing the camera against a plain light-colored background.

Aaron Vockley

Associate Sound Design

Cast

An older man with gray hair and a goatee, wearing a gray plaid suit jacket and light blue shirt, looks directly at the camera.

David de Vries

Professor

A woman with short curly hair and earrings looks directly at the camera, wearing a sleeveless brown top against a blurred background.

Chisom Awachie

Erin

A woman with curly hair smiles at the camera, wearing a patterned blouse against a plain dark background.

Tiffany Denise Hobbs

Elena

A woman with wavy blonde hair and blue eyes looks directly at the camera with a neutral expression, set against a blurred dark background.

Rebeca Robles

Sonia

A young man with short brown hair wears a grey sweatshirt and blue shirt, looking at the camera with his hand resting behind his neck against a neutral background.

Billy Harrigan Tighe

John

Understudies

Maddie Compton

Sonia

Rial Ellsworth

Professor

A young man with light skin, brown hair, and a short beard wearing a dark blue shirt with pink patterns, looks slightly past the camera against a blurred background.

Warren Levi Haney

John

A woman with medium-length dark hair wearing a light beige turtleneck top, looking at the camera with a neutral expression against a dark background.

Lizzy Liu

Erin

A woman with long wavy black hair, wearing a light-colored blouse, poses against a plain lavender background.

Irene Polk

Elena

Crew

Xiaonan (Chloe) Liu

Stage Manager

Phoebe Sweatman

Stage Management Production Assistant

Special Events

Beyond the Stage

List
Month

March 2026

A burning house reflected in a lantern with the text "FIRES, OHIO afterwords" and smoke rising in the background.

Afterwords: Fires, Ohio

2:00 pm Afterwords: Fires Ohio

Hertz Stage 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, United States

Free with Ticket

Afterwords: Fires, Ohio

2:00 pm Afterwords: Fires Ohio

Hertz Stage 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, United States

Free with Ticket

Afterwords: Fires, Ohio

2:00 pm Afterwords: Fires Ohio

Hertz Stage 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, United States

Free with Ticket

Access for All

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We believe everyone should have the chance to experience live theater – no matter the budget. From student discounts and group rates to limited-time offers and special access programs, there are plenty of ways to see a show and save.

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Teen Tickets

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Veteran Tickets

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Group Tickets

Alliance Theatre Stages

Hertz Stage

The Hertz Stage is a modern, 200-seat black box theater, located beneath the Memorial Arts Building. This versatile facility accommodates a number of distinct stage layouts and is home to the Alliance’s Hertz Stage Series.

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