The Maine East High School Fine Arts Department invites the community to its fall theater production of Laurel Ollstein’s gripping historical drama, They Promised Her the Moon. Performances will take place on Thursday, October 1 at 4 p.m., and Friday, October 2 and Saturday, October 3 at 7 p.m. in the Maine East High School Auditorium (2601 West Dempster Street, Park Ridge, IL 60068). Tickets are $10 and are available at the door and online at bit.ly/MEBoxOffice.
Under the direction of the Maine East Drama Director, Linnea Grooms, the production features a talented student cast, dramaturgical research team and technical crew dedicated to bringing this powerful chapter of history to life on stage. They Promised Her the Moon tells the true, long-overlooked story of Jerrie Cobb, a skilled aviator who passed the same rigorous physical and psychological tests as the Mercury 7 astronauts in 1960. Despite proving that women were equally capable of spaceflight, Cobb’s dreams were derailed by systemic bias and political hurdles. Ollstein’s play explores passion, record-breaking courage, and the fight for gender equality at the dawn of the American space race.
In preparing for the production, Maine East students have drawn rich connections between Cobb’s story, other forgotten women in history, and Maine East’s own deep aviation heritage, most notably the Maine Flyer, a World War II C-54 Skymaster transport plane funded through $551,000 in war bonds raised by Maine Township High School students in 1944.
“There is so much history that is excluded from our history books – especially women’s history,” explains Grooms. “This play, through the talent and skills of over 40 high school students on and backstage, allows a beautiful and important story to be shared with our community.”
To enhance the audience experience, Maine East students will host visual presentations in the lobby prior to each show, highlighting Jerrie Cobb, other trailblazing women, and the school’s historical connection to aviation history.