David Auburn's Summer of 1976
At Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge
By: Charles Giuliano - Oct 12, 2026
Summer 1976
By David Auburn
Directed by Isadora Wolfe
Scenic designer, Jason Simms; Costumes, Lindsey Eifert: Lighting, Matthew E. Adelson; Composer and sound design, Scott Killian
Cast; Alice (Kate Baldwin), Diana (Jennifer van Dyck)
Berkshire Theatre Group
Unicorn Stage. Stockbridge
October 7 to 31, 2026
There is a stark, minimalist set for the intimate Unicorn Theatre. Beneath a suspended lamp is a round glass table with chairs on either side. Unlike other productions of this play by David Auburn there are no video enhancements or attempts to create a sense of realism.
The women- Kate Baldwin (Alice) and Jennifer van Dyck (Diana) enter and are seated facing the audience. They will maintain that position for much of the one-act play. Alternating they tell how for the summer months of 1976 they met and became friends. Initially, they had little in common and didn’t particularly like each other.
During their first play date, the five-year-olds, Holly (Alice’s) and Gretchen (Diana’s) formed an immediate bond. That leverages the mothers who are quite different. Their commonality entails Ohio State University in Columbus.
Alice dropped out of a graduate program in English to marry Douglas. He faces tenure review in the fall and is fully absorbed in finishing preparation and publishing. Her life is focused on tending to Holly and serving as the perfect faculty wife. She is a loose, free spirit which is why her house is a mess.
Particularly when compared to that of Diana, an artist, whose kitchen is as orderly as her studio. It is revealed that she is never satisfied with paintings that were inspired by Paul Klee. She struggles to develop beyond that influence. Which is why she never completed her MFA program and teaches part time in a continuing-ed program.
An interesting side bar of this warm and engaging two-hander entails the issue of baby sitting. Doug has devised a system of a co-op among the mothers. When they sit for each other they receive coupons with Doug’s stamp. This chit can be redeemed. The system functions well until Alice sneaks into his study and forges the ersatz currency for herself and Diana.
Auburn has written meaty roles for the women to work with and under the direction of Isadora Wolfe there are striking contrasts. The performance of Baldwin is loose and natural. It’s easy to like her charming and somewhat goofy character. The character of Diana is more reserved, rigid and formal. With studied execution of her lines there is more sense that van Dyck is acting and articulating rather then living the character.
While Alice has been well educated she reads pulp fiction like James Clavell’s Shogun (1975) and Robin Cook’s Coma (1977). This compares to the high brow bookshelf of Diana evoking s sharp jab. Alice is more intent on passing time than enriching her mind. While Coma is out of the time line of this period piece, we get the point.
The costumes by Lindsey Eifert create a visible contrast. Alice is attired in a loose, floral, summer dress of the period. Diana is mannish with jeans, shirt and vest. This helps her to morph into the character of Doug exploring the marital issues of a young academic couple.
Alice whips out a joint which she has scored from the hunky grad student hired to paint their house. We never see him but Alice describes being observed sun bathing in a bikini. It’s the familiar theme of academic sex games.
A trope of this very humane play is how people come into our lives, stay for awhile, then move on. Is the separation abrupt or gradual?
At the end of the summer Diana leaves for a full time position, mostly administrative, at Kenyon College. Alice is on the rocks with Doug and Diana suggests that they leave and raise their girls together. There is a fantasy sequence but it never really happened.
Years later the women run into each other at the Paul Klee MoMA show in NY. There is just time to catch up over coffee. Alice is divorced and a grandmother. Diana is in town for her gallery exhibition.
The play fades but lingers richly in my memory. It evokes all those who come and go in our lives. How many of us have had brilliant interludes like the summer of 1976.