When Angels Wept

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When Angels Wept [1] [2] [3] by Charles Grippo is a play about the Our Lady of the Angels School fire. [4] [5] It had two productions in 2013 by New Lincoln Theatre at the Prop Theatre and City Lit Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. The story is centered on a small group of survivors of the fire and how the tragedy affected their lives until present day.

Charles Grippo is an American playwright/author/producer. His plays have been produced in multiple states throughout America, including Illinois, Indiana, New York, and California. He is best known for his plays, Sex Marks the Spot and When Angels Wept When Angels Wept is based on the 1958 fire at the Our Lady of the Angels Catholic School, in which ninety two children and three nuns died. He also wrote the books Stage Producer's Businessand Legal GuideSeating Capacity and Business and Legal Forms for the Theater.

Our Lady of the Angels School fire 1958 school fire in Chicago, Illinois, United States

On Monday, December 1, 1958, a fire broke out at Our Lady of the Angels School in Chicago, Illinois, shortly before classes were to be dismissed for the day. The fire originated in the basement near the foot of a stairway. The elementary school was operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago and had an enrollment of approximately 1600 students. A total of 92 pupils and 3 nuns ultimately died when smoke, heat, fire, and toxic gases cut off their normal means of escape through corridors and stairways. Many more were injured when they jumped from second-floor windows which, because the building had a raised basement, were nearly as high as a third floor would be on level ground.

Chicago City in Illinois, United States

Chicago, officially the City of Chicago, is the most populous city in Illinois, as well as the third most populous city in the United States. With an estimated population of 2,716,450 (2017), it is the most populous city in the Midwest. Chicago is the principal city of the Chicago metropolitan area, often referred to as Chicagoland, and the county seat of Cook County, the second most populous county in the United States. The metropolitan area, at nearly 10 million people, is the third-largest in the United States.

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References

  1. ↑ League of Chicago Theatres. "When Angels Wept". Chicagoplays.com.
  2. ↑ Broadwayworld. "New Lincoln Theatre Presents WHEN ANGELS WEPT 9/14-10/27". Broadwayworld.com.
  3. ↑ Hayford, Justin. "When Angels Wept - Review". Chicago Reader.
  4. ↑ Our Lady of the Angels (OLA) School Fire. "Our Lady of the Angels (OLA) School Fire, December 1, 1958". Our Lady of the Angels (OLA) School Fire - Official Website.
  5. ↑ Secter, Bob. "Our Lady of Angels School fire". Chicago Tribune.
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