Online Registration

The Miracle Worker: A Miraculous Play and Film

Dates:June 21-30, 2022
Meets:Tu and Th from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Location:ISU, University Hall 103
Cost: $20.00

Sorry, we are no longer accepting registrations for this course. Please contact our office to find out if it will be rescheduled, or if alternative classes are available.

Please note: this course requires membership in 2021-2022 Annual Membership OLLI or 2022 OLLI Winter Membership or 2022 OLLI SUMMER MEMBERSHIP or 2023 OLLI SUMMER MEMBERSHIP or Membership Dues Fall Only or Membership Dues Fall Only or Membership Dues Fall Only

The Miracle Worker: A Miraculous Play and Film
With Rob Perrin, Emeritus Professor of English


Date: Tuesdays & Thursdays, June 21, 23, 28, & 30, 2022
Time: 2 - 4 PM
Place: ISU, University Hall Room 103
Cost: $20 (book not included)



As a nineteen-month-old child, Helen Keller contracted an unidentified illness that left her
deaf and blind. While Keller was, in her words, “at sea in a dense fog,” her family’s efforts to reach her and
to teach her were largely unsuccessful until they hired Anne Sullivan. A young graduate of the Perkins Institution for the Blind, Sullivan used a variety of methods—both conventional and unconventional—and, ultimately, helped Keller move beyond her almost feral childhood and become a world- renowned author, role model, and advocate.

Mark Twain, a friend of Keller’s when she was a young woman, referred to Sullivan as a “miracle worker.” William
Gibson, author of the 1959 play, borrowed Twain’s phrase for the title of his play and based the action on the early chapters of Keller’s autobiography, The Story of My Life.



Session 1 will provide historical context about Keller and Sullivan, the play, and the film. In Session 2, we will discuss the play; and in Sessions 3 and 4, we will view the 1962 film and discuss the ways in which Arthur Penn, the director, transforms the fascinating play into a transfixing film.


The play is available in mass-market editions, as well as acting editions. Either kind of text is fine.

Fee: $20.00

Fee Breakdown

CategoryDescriptionAmount
Course Fee (Basic)Registration fee(book NOT inc)$ 20.00
Course Fee (Alternate)Recording$ 3.00

ISU, University Hall 103

Michelle Bennett


Kayleen Reusser

Date Day Time Location
06/21/2022Tuesday2 PM to 4 PM ISU, University Hall 103
06/23/2022Thursday2 PM to 4 PM ISU, University Hall 103
06/28/2022Tuesday2 PM to 4 PM ISU, University Hall 103
06/30/2022Thursday2 PM to 4 PM ISU, University Hall 103