The one-act play The Burgundy Letter by Kirk Shimano is an awesome, modern reimagining of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. This adaptation is aimed at a high school audience and reframed for a digital age exploring themes of appearance vs reality, digital citizenship, racism, and cyberbullying. Given these themes, The Burgundy Letter would be a great to use for classroom study.
Click below to download our Play Study Unit for The Burgundy Letter!
What’s the play about? The cost of a digital footprint.
The story begins with a public event: a shaming. Hester90, once a popular student, is now an outcast after accidentally broadcasting a private chat in which she used a racial slur against a classmate named Pearl.
Hester90's punishment is twofold:
- She is sentenced to serve Pearl for one hour a week in whatever capacity Pearl chooses.
- She must affix an A to her avatar at all times.
As Hester90 and Pearl spend time together, an unexpected bond forms as Pearl shares her deep, trivia-filled love for whales and cetaceans. However, tension rises when Hester90's hidden colluder in the chat, the highly regarded Climate_Dale, is finally exposed. In a biting critique of online double standards, Climate_Dale admits his guilt but is instantly cheered and forgiven by the internet mob, avoiding the isolation Hester90 endured.
Essential Questions
- How do we strike a balance between holding individuals accountable and having compassion for those who apologize for their mistakes?
- Does public shame work?
- How is the concept of identity shaped by online environments?
- What role does empathy play in overcoming conflict and prejudice?
- How do power, popularity, or reputation influence who is forgiven?
How do I use this script for classroom study?
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Reading: Read the script as a class. (Grab a class set of scripts.) You could assign roles or read the script in a round robin format, where each line is read by a new student. This way everyone gets a chance to read and can hear the characters in different voices. For each class, divide the play into sections.
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Discussion: Divide students into groups and give them text-dependent questions to answer. Bring the class together and have each group share their findings.
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Possible discussion questions for The Burgundy Letter up to Scene 4:
- How does the play differentiate between Hester90’s internal growth and the community’s performative punishment?
- What does the contrast between Climate_Dale’s public activism and his private actions reveal about his character?
- Hester refuses to leave “The Field” and chooses to design her own A. What do these actions reveal about her character?
- Do you agree with RoChi’s protective yet aggressive approach to justice?
- How do The Anonymous function in the play? What does their presence suggest about the nature of online harassment and communal judgement?
- How does the 'whale fall' conversation in Scene 4 serve as a metaphor for the relationship developing between Hester90 and Pearl?
- Is public humiliation an effective way to address harm, or does it simply isolate the individual and prevent true rehabilitation?
- Why does Hester choose to protect her co-conspirator?
- Theatricalize: Get students on their feet and explore the play’s themes theatrically. Example exercise:
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The Iconic A: The town Know-It-All specifies that the letter isn't scarlet, but burgundy. It starts as a terrible font and is quickly redesigned by Hester.
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Brainstorm: What does the "ugly" version of the A look like compared to Hester's "aesthetically pleasing" version?
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Task: In groups, design both versions of the A. How will it attach to the actors' costumes so it is "boldly visible at all times"?
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Scene: Have groups create and present a scene in which someone is forced to wear their A. What’s the reason? Is it deserved? How does the person feel about wearing the A? The scene should focus on the concept of shame as a tool used by a community.
Want more? We’ve got you covered with a four-lesson unit that covers students reading the play, discussion questions, theatrical activities, and a character assignment!
