New Hampshire Theatre Project's play readings for grown-ups series presents Molly's Hammer 4/2 and 4/4

March 24- The final playreading of New Hampshire Theatre Project's Play Readings For Grown-ups Series is Molly’s Hammer by Tammy Ryan, the dramatization of real life events in 1980 that resonate even more strongly in 2026.  Readings will be on Thursday, April 2 at 7 pm and Saturday, April 4 at 4 pm. All tickets are $15. Each reading will be followed by a short audience talkback.

In 1980, Molly Rush, a Pittsburgh housewife and mother of six, walked into a G.E. plant in King of Prussia PA., and took a hammer to the nose cone of a nuclear warhead in protest of the buildup of our nuclear arsenal. She and her fellow activists, The Plowshares Eight, including Daniel and Philip Berrigan, went to trial to sound the alarm, and the world was pulled back from the brink of nuclear annihilation for the time being. Molly’s Hammer is the fictionalized story of these events, inspired by the book Hammer of Justice by Liane Ellison Norman. Told with humor and love through the competing narratives of Molly and her working-class husband, Bill, Molly’s Hammer shines a light on how the choice of ordinary people to take action is what is needed to save our world.

The playreading of Molly's Hammer is directed by Genevieve Aichele and Bill Humphreys, and features Monique Foote, Trevor Frederick, Peter Josephson, and Kathleen Somssich. Jess Gero is the Stage Manager and Sound/Light Operator.

Director Genevieve Aichele says, “Molly’s Hammer tells the story of an ordinary woman who commits an extraordinary political act that changed the world. 50 years later, it speaks eloquently to those of us struggling to figure out what we can do to effect change in our own devastatingly difficult geopolitics. But Molly’s Hammer is about more than one person. How do choices like Molly’s affect her family and friends? This is a story of hard choices, family love and believing in something bigger than ourselves. It’s a story about choosing to make a difference and how our choices affect everyone around us.”

NHTP’s Playreading For Grownups Series is generously sponsored by Kennebunk Savings Bank and Kathleen Somssich.