When Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School teacher Cassy Maxton-Whitacre chose to adapt the novel “Hattie Big Sky” for the stage, she had no idea how much art would imitate life.
Maxton-Whitacre was working on her master’s in Theatre Education through Mississippi University for Women and found Kirby Larson‘s 2006 Young Adult novel, “Hattie Big Sky.”
“I remember reading it and being like: ‘this is a great story, this would be a great story on stage,” Maxton-Whitacre, who teaches theater, film and communication, said. She thought it would be great for her high school students to perform in a community theater.
She reached out to Larson and found out that no one had asked to adapt the novel for the stage. After an initial four months of writing in fall 2022 into spring 2023, Maxton-Whitacre went through rewrites and revisions, then allowed her students to workshop the new play before she sent it to Larson.
“I workshopped. I sat on it a couple months, I did another big revision based on what I had seen from the workshop and that’s the version I sent the author,” Maxton-Whitacre said.
She added dialogue because the novel was mostly narrative.
“Once I kind of gave myself permission to the fact that I’m still staying true to the book, even as I was adding more of my own stamp, now I feel like I’ve done a true adaption of “Hattie Big Sky” that also has some of my flavor on it,” Maxton-Whitacre.
Drawn to historical fiction, Maxton-Whitacre also directed “Hello Girls” for ShenanArts.
“Obviously, I always love stories with strong female characters. I don’t know if I realized it as much when I was working on it then, but when I started working on it now, it feels very, very relevant.”
“Hattie Big Sky” touches on perspectives of patriotism and loyalty.
“The war is so far away. Do people here really hate anything German that much?” “Hattie” says to her neighbor.
Maxton-Whitacre earned her master’s in 2024 and had no idea how relevant the production would be for the stage in 2025.
Set in 1918, during World War I, “Hattie Brooks” is an orphan who sets out to Montana to work her uncle’s homestead claim. Struggling with feelings of belonging and finding her way, 16-year-old “Hattie” writes to her childhood friend, “Charlie,” who is fighting the war in France. As she works her homestead claim and hopes to make a home of her own, she is startled to find that some of her new neighbors are anti-German.
The novel is inspired by Larson’s great-grandmother, who attempted to proof up on a homestead claim.
“I think I do hope that they do recognize a little bit some of the similarities,” Maxton-Whitacre said of today’s politics in America and “Hattie’s” life in Montana. She hopes audience members recognize that history can repeat itself and that what “Hattie” and her neighbors experienced in 1918 can happen again. “That maybe when you see it in this different context of over 100 years ago and then realize that similar things are happening again that maybe we do need to stand up and try find to ways to speak out and not let things happen.”
Maxton-Whitacre also hopes that audience members find inspiration in “Hattie’s” story and that blessings are possible after hardships.
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, who was born in Staunton, is mentioned in the play because he was president during World War I.
Charlotte Hadfield, 19, brings “Hattie” to the stage. Audiences previously saw her as “Liesl” in “The Sound of Music” at ShenanArts. She has performed on stage since she was 8 years old and prepared for her role this month by “trying to step into the role mentally as much as I can.”
She focused on dialogue and why “Hattie” says what she says and does what she does. “Hattie” really wants to be independent and is forced to be as an orphan. She must learn to stand up for herself.
“It’s still very relevant in today’s society,” Hadfield said of the production. “Especially in America. Not against people of German heritage, which is what we see in the show but of all people, whether that’s race and ethnicity.”
She hopes audience members after they see the show will return to the real world with more care and consideration of others.
“I hope people go out into the world with that,” Hadfield said.
She also hopes audience members are inspired by the story of a 16-year-old girl making her way on her own at a time when men usually did so.
Larson will appear at ShenanArts on Saturday, April 5 at 10 a.m. for a book signing hosted by ShenanArts and The Book Dragon.
“Hattie Big Sky” will be performed Friday, March 28, Saturday, March 29, Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5 at 7 p.m., and Sunday, March 30 and April 6 at 3 p.m.
ShenanArts is at 300 Churchville Ave., Staunton. Tickets are available online.
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Rebecca Barnabi
