LENOX, Mass. –Shakespeare & Company opened season 2025 with the world premiere of “The Victim” by Lawrence Goodman, directed by Daniel Gidron. It runs through July 20 at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, 70 Kemble St, Lenox,

Through interconnected monologues, three women — a doctor, a home healthcare aide, and a Holocaust survivor — each present their claims to be the true victims of injustice. Throughout the play, several uncomfortable questions are raised: has DEI gone too far? How do you rank whose oppression and suffering matter most? How is the memory of the Holocaust used and abused? Can we ever hope to overcome our differences?

The play stars Stephanie Clayman as Daphne, a successful New York doctor whose racial diversity training goes wrong; Yvette King as Maria, a health aide grappling with racism during the COVID-19 pandemic; and Annette Miller as Ruth, a Holocaust survivor facing horror and finding her way back to love and healing.Goodman said that his play grew from thinking about victimhood at a time when Americans can’t seem to agree on what the word ‘victim’ means.

“I wondered why when one group calls themselves victims, other groups feel their victimhood status is threatened,” he said. “Asserting victimhood endows you with a moral status; others somehow feel like you are encroaching on their moral high ground.”

Tickets and other information may be obtained at shakespeare.org or by calling the box office at 413-637-3353.