Pulitzer Prize finalist Talene Monahon ’13 will debut her latest play “Wonder! A Woman Keeps a Secret” at Northern Stage in White River Junction on May 13. Commissioned by Northern Stage’s producing artistic director and Dartmouth acting professor, Carol Dunne — also Monahon’s former Dartmouth professor — the farce comedy is loosely adapted from Susanna Centlivre’s 1714 play of the same name and marks Monahon’s return to the Upper Valley.
“Wonder!” follows a family whose cruise ship vacation goes off the rails after a famous painting goes missing and the culprit is suspected to be aboard the ship. The premiere comes on the heels of recognition for Monahon’s “Meet the Cartozians,” which was named a finalist for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in drama last week. That work, part historical drama and part satire, follows two sets of Armenian Americans across generations: a man fighting for legal recognition in the 1920s and his descendants, who star in a present-day reality TV show.
The Dartmouth spoke with Monahon about “Wonder!,” how her experience at Dartmouth influenced her creatively and how her connections from the College have shaped her career as a playwright.
Thirteen years ago, you acted in a production of “The Importance of Being Earnest” at the Northern Stage. How do you feel about your return to the Upper Valley?
TM: At Dartmouth, I acted in several fun shows, but performing in “The Importance of Being Earnest” at the Northern Stage my senior year, back in the days when the theater was located at the opera house across the street, was especially memorable. I remember there was a massive snowstorm during one performance that made it unsafe to drive once the play ended. The theater put us up in the Coolidge Hotel next door, the bar stayed open and we had a crazy snowed-in night at White River Junction.
It feels so great to be back. My friends and I who went to Dartmouth are still obsessed with the Hanover area, and we always look for excuses to return. Because I got to bring my partner, our cats and some of my closest friends to stay here for several weeks, this feels like the ultimate trip. I’ve temporarily moved my life to a place where I spent formative years of my life.
It’s really exciting to be at Northern Stage right now. So many theaters are slashing their budgets, producing fewer shows and aren’t being as adventurous. Here, the opposite is true: Northern Stage is only expanding, supporting more artists and helping develop their works.
What did your creative process for writing “Wonder! A Woman Keeps a Secret” look like? What inspired you to write it?
TM: I’ve wanted to write an adaptation of an old classic comedy. Ever since acting in Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of the “The Government Inspector,” a 19th century satirical comedy by Russian playwright Nikolai Gogol — one of my favorite acting experiences — I was inspired to challenge myself to do the same with an older work.
As I Googled classic plays from different centuries, I came across the title “Wonder! A Woman Keeps a Secret,” a 1714 play written by Susanna Centlivre, a prolific female playwright in the 18th century. The title spoke to me, and I pitched the play as a loose, modernized adaptation of this female-written classic play. Carol brought me to Northern Stage in August. I used the original work as a jumping off point. Now it is set in the present day on a cruise ship. I’ve even added an art heist.
How does this play compare to your recent works, such as “Meet the Cartozians”?
TM: “Wonder!” is very different from “Meet the Cartozians,” a naturalistic interrogation of the Armenian American community and its relationship to legal whiteness, as compared to sex farce. “Wonder!” is most similar to another crazy farce from a few years ago, “Jane Anger,” which engages with the idea of who Shakespeare might have been and feels more like a scrappy, pandemic comedy. “Wonder!” is more in conversation with the classic kind of commedia dell’arte [a form of theater characterized by colorful stock characters and slapstick comedy]. It has all the tropes of a classic farce: nine or 10 characters (ten including the amazing stage accompanist), knocking on doors, hiding in closets, the lovers who are fighting and the jealous parents.
I’m also acting in “Wonder!” which was not intended. I did not write this play with the dream of acting. I’m covering for one of the actors for the first week. Stepping in as an actress for this play works very well, because instead of all my previous characters in other works having specific identities, I wrote “Wonder!” so almost anyone could play any role.
How did your Dartmouth experience influence you creatively and shape your career as a playwright and an actress?
TM: Dartmouth was a very special time for me. I acted a lot in the mainstage production, acted in theaters outside of school and was in the Dodecaphonics acapella group.
Most importantly, I learned how to be an independent artist. As a senior fellow at Dartmouth, I was required to create a play and perform it within a year. I set out to write my play based on interviews, which Dartmouth gave me so much support in creating. Through setting my own schedule deadlines, I learned the specific work ethic, motivation and creative engagement necessary to being a playwright. This experience was especially helpful as I started to write my own plays, as there is always a long phase at the beginning of every process in which you’re completely alone.
Can you describe your relationship with Carol Dunne, who was your acting professor at Dartmouth and now serves as the producing artistic director of Northern Stage? What did you learn from her, and how did you come to work with her again?
TM: Carol Dunne taught me how to be a theater professional. The summer after my freshman year, she hired me for one of my first professional jobs: acting as a company member at the New London Barn Playhouse. After that, she hired me for my next two or three professional jobs. Because she commissioned me to write “Wonder!,” this project truly feels full circle. She is an incredible visionary and leader, and I’m so inspired by the way that she runs the theater and engages with the Upper Valley community. Carol has transformed Northern Stage into an incubator for new plays, an environment where theater professionals can come and work.
Do you have any advice for current Dartmouth students interested in pursuing a career in acting or playwriting?
TM: Read as many plays as you can and see as many plays as you can. There’s so much to learn about the form from consuming it. You don’t even need a whole production — for me it’s so fun to get a group of friends together and read plays aloud.
Pursue creative endeavors, especially through trying different things. College is a great time to figure out your own aesthetic for theater and where your strengths lie. Dartmouth is the perfect place for experimentation because it is supportive and has the resources to help you create.
What can we expect next?
TM: Because “Meet the Cartozians” is a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize — we just found out last Monday — I think it’s going to have more life added to it. It will be at the Huntington Theatre next year, and then Berkeley Rep in San Francisco and then Los Angeles. We are also hoping to bring it back to New York City.
I’m also acting in a play in New York next month. At this point I’m predominantly a playwright, and acting is not my main gig anymore, but it is written by a friend of mine so I agreed to act for the fun of it.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
