In honor of Women’s History Month, Glessner House has partnered with Columbia College Chicago School of Theatre and Dance to bring to life four literary heroines of the nineteenth century, as depicted in their new production of “You on the Moors Now,” written by Jaclyn Backhaus.

These four characters, from novels written by women, set conventionalism ablaze when they turn down marriage proposals from their gentlemen callers to chart their own path. The heroines are:
-Jane Eyre from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
-Jo March from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
-Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
-Cathy Earnshaw from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

The performance will feature the four actresses in scenes from the play, while providing biographical material on the novelists, how they paved the way for women writers who followed, and the feminist movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Our 2025 salon concert series begins with a special afternoon of arias and art songs. Attendees will be seated in the beautiful parlor and dining room of the house, while listening to selections presented by soprano Hayley Fox and pianist Jonathan Gmeinder, performing on the Glessners’ 1887 Steinway & Sons piano.

The concert will last approximately one hour and will be followed by a reception where guests will have an opportunity to meet the artists.