The Trial of Leopold & Loeb: Dickie & Babe
A full-cast courtroom drama based on the original 1924 trial transcripts

The true story that inspired Donna Tartt’s The Secret History.In a Chicago courtroom in 1924, two young men stand accused of a crime that shocked the nation. This production presents their trial as a full-cast audio drama based on the original courtroom transcripts.The Trial of Leopold & Loeb: Dickie & Babe reconstructs one of the most famous criminal cases of the twentieth century as a feature-length listening experience, created in the tradition of the classic radio play. Performed by an ensemble of stage actors — including performers with backgrounds at the Royal Shakespeare Company and other leading theatre companies — it brings language, character, and voice to the foreground.Set against the social and intellectual climate of 1920s Chicago, it invites listeners into a world shaped by early modern psychology, cultural anxiety about homosexuality, and shifting ideas about crime and responsibility.The Leopold & Loeb case has echoed through literature and culture for a century, influencing writers from Patrick Hamilton to Donna Tartt, and film directors such as Alfred Hitchcock. Its enduring fascination lies not only in what happened, but in the questions it continues to raise.With the narrative momentum of a classic thriller, this is the first in the Trials of the Century series: an ongoing collection of courtroom dramas exploring the trials that have shaped the modern world.