Staged Reading of "Motherland" by Jeanne Sheehan Zaino, Ph.D., 10/23
The Iona University Theatre Ensemble will present a staged reading of “Motherland” by Jeanne Sheehan Zaino, Ph.D. on Thursday, October 23, at 7 p.m., in Doorley Auditorium, Doorley Hall. Admission is free and all are invited to attend.
About the Play
“Motherland” is a historical drama set during British colonial rule, portraying the final days of Indian revolutionary Madan Lal Dhingra. Centered on his 1909 trial for the assassination of Sir Curzon Wyllie, the play blends courtroom drama with flashbacks that trace Dhingra’s path to radicalization and ultimate martyrdom. In revisiting this pivotal moment in the struggle for Indian independence, “Motherland” also confronts urgent contemporary questions about political violence, justice, and resistance.
About the Playwright
J. Sheehan Zaino is a professor and writer whose work explores the intersections of history, politics, and violence. Her most recent play, “Motherland,” dramatizes the assassination of Sir Curzon Wyllie by Indian revolutionary Madan Lal Dhingra—an event often described as the first political assassination of the 20th century. Inspired by recent acts of political and ideological violence, the play probes enduring questions about extremism, nationalism, and the cost of resistance. Her first full-length play, “Code Red,” a dark comedy about the absurdities of school safety policy, was workshopped at a professional theater in Connecticut. In addition to her playwriting, Zaino is the author, most recently, of “Sikander Hyat-Khan: Premier of United Punjab,” Primus, 2024 and “American Democracy in Crisis,” Palgrave, 2025.
- Location: Doorley Auditorium, Doorley Hall
- Date: Thursday, October 23, 7 p.m.
- Free Admission
Submitted on: September 8, 2025
Submitted by: Thomas Donnarumma