Former Theater Teacher Helen Sheehy Publishes First Novel
Former Hamden Hall Theater Teacher Helen Sheehy published her first novel titled Just Willa. It's a family saga that captures the essence of rural America, spanning seven decades of one woman’s life, taking the reader from the Dust Bowl to the Depression, from Roosevelt to Reagan.
Helen grew up on tenant farms in Oklahoma and Kansas, so she knew the landscape.
“Just Willa is my fictionalized family story based on the life of my mother Wilma, who died when I was 36,” said Helen. “Out of curiosity, I started researching the world of northwestern Oklahoma that my mother and father lived in. At the time, the research was just for me, but over time it became an idea for a novel.”
While Just Willa is her first novel, Helen has also written short stories, biographies, and a theater textbook, All About Theatre, which she wrote back when she was working at Hamden Hall. Helen’s biographies are on three theater pioneers: Margo Jones, Eva Le Gallienne, and Eleonora Duse. The latter two books were named New York Times “Notable Books of the Year.”
Helen also worked as a Dramaturg at Hartford Stage and adjunct professor of theater at Southern Connecticut State University. She even taught acting and improvisation to inmates in the T.R.U.E Unit of a maximum security prison in Connecticut.
Helen taught theater at Hamden Hall from 1975 to 1981. In addition to teaching theater classes, she directed student productions from Shakespeare to Ionesco and managed evenings of theater, music, and improv for Cushing Cabaret.
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1108 Whitney Avenue
Hamden, Connecticut 06517
Phone: 203-752-2600
Fax: 203-752-2651
admissions@hamdenhall.org
Hamden, Connecticut 06517
Phone: 203-752-2600
Fax: 203-752-2651
admissions@hamdenhall.org
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Hamden Hall Country Day School, located less than two miles from Yale University, is one of the best private schools in Connecticut to enroll elementary, middle, and high school students. Our nurturing and inclusive community provides a dynamic learning environment that promotes academic excellence by understanding each child and fostering their individual growth.
