Epstein Oratorio
or, Modern Hymn to Demeter  

By Karen Malpede
Directed by Alex Keegan
Lighting by Tony Giovannetti
Stage Management by Lisa Stafford
with
Kathleen Chalfant as Demeter, Stella Everett as Persphone, Titus Welliver as Hades
and
Tu Morrow, Lena Pepe, Phoebe Chapin as Girls 1, 2 &3
Christen Clifford and Delilah Napier as Mother & Daughter
Barney O'Hanlon, Robert Farrior, Roger Raines as the Epstein Class

Published by Tough Poets Review 

Poetic and darkly comic, this exposé of the “Epstein class” unfolds against the iconic mother-daughter myth of Demeter and Persephone. Hades presides over worlds both modern and mythic, while a male chorus speaks in language drawn directly from the Epstein files and mainstream media coverage. The victims’ stories are based on real accounts, while the fictional mother-daughter relationship mines the painful estrangement between women and the ways such ruptures can leave space for exploitation to flourish. Through a weave of myth and fact, the play confronts the trauma of sexual violence and imagines the possibility of societal transformation through the reparation of the bond between mothers and daughters.

 Epstein Oratorio Reviews

“This play reminds us that the trauma of abuse is generational and that to ignore it makes us all complicit: mothers, daughters, fathers, ‘friends.’ Everything in it is true and has happened and must not happen again.”
— Kathleen Chalfant, actor (Demeter, world premiere, October 1, 2026)

“The various registers of the mother-daughter story, the language, the humor, the form, the different voices weaving in and out—stunning.”
— Jan Clausen, poet

“Through Malpede’s melding of the modern story of the Epstein class with ancient Greek archetypes, we see, feel, hear how the darkness by which we are being led was not invented, but is a spirit that can only be defeated with love and nature. Both encouragement and warning amidst climate and political chaos.”
— Nate Smith, founding director, Sixth Fest

“Karen Malpede’s Epstein Oratorio masterfully places the abuses revealed in the Epstein files against the backdrop of the myth of Persephone. Her poetic language exists in counterpoint to the actual language of the transcripts. We are forced to face the stark realization that these horrors have existed over thousands of years. Ultimately, this powerful piece is a call for accountability and the resolution of a tragedy.”
— Evangeline Morphos, producer

Audience Responses: 

The Epstein Oratorio is a masterpiece. The sober form emerges from the interweaving of the Homeric theme of Demeter’s grievance and fight for Persephone’s integrity, contrasting with the stark words of the files everybody wants revealed. Bright, lofty, and lively monologues are anchored by sharp reality-check dialogues, and the confessions, sorrows, and denouncements are poetically and politically bound for these days of grieving.  I was struck by the mother/daughter theme being so prominent in Demeter/Persephone and Mother/Daughter vis-à-vis the luring of the abuser. If we laughed or smiled here and there, it was more for comedic relief than a lack of empathy.  The cast was superb, and so were the lights, costumes, and the exquisite toning of it all into gems of unusual dramatic acting moments. I’m very impressed. Congratulations. Ilion Troya, writer, translator
 

“It is a beautiful play, written by Karen Malpede. She’s so incredible. She is magical. A fifty-minute play based on the Greek Myth of Demeter. It was so incredibly well done. They used humor. It was so funny. It was phenomenal. It blew me away. Such a cool audience. It was packed. They had to open the balcony. Waj and I did the talkback. Such intelligent questions.” Ellie Leonard, journalist, expert on the Epstein files

“A very moving piece with outstanding performances--particularly Kathleen Chalfant, of course. You succeed in brilliantly weaving the personal and political, creating such profoundly impactful theater in these troubled times. Thank you”, Carol Bay, audience 

photos by Charles Chessler