How the World Began

Catherine Trieschmann's insightful, compassionate drama, about the nature of belief and the culture of coping, stars an uncompromising Heidi Schreck as a Kansas biology teacher who offends a student with a classroom remark. Directed by Daniella Topol for Women's Project Theater, the play deserves a careful hearing; it's like a version of David Mamet’s Oleanna that is set in the real world.—Adam Feldman