Olivia Swanson Haas, a former Stanford University student, is debuting a play titled 'Mimi & Jo' in San Francisco, chronicling her affair with Julie Lythcott-Haims, a former dean at the university. The play, set to open Sunday, explores a relationship that occurred in 2012 when Haas was 22 and Lythcott-Haims was 44 and married.

Haas has described the 90-minute production as "part love story, part cautionary tale," incorporating original music and examining themes of creative collaboration, regret, and the complexities between attachment and abuse. The show features two cast members and received a $2,500 grant from Theatre Bay Area in December.

The affair first came to public attention in 2024 when Haas published a detailed essay on the LGBTQ+ online magazine Autostraddle, recounting the intimate encounters that took place in various locations over several months. The essay garnered over 100,000 readers.

Haas's essay detailed that the relationship was her "first and only queer relationship" and noted that while they were not explicitly breaking university rules, the situation risked Lythcott-Haims's job, leading Haas to keep the affair secret from friends and family. According to Haas, Lythcott-Haims's husband was aware of the relationship, with Haas recalling a comment from him about not buying her a car.

Lythcott-Haims, who worked at Stanford from 2002 to 2012, the year the affair concluded, later issued a statement acknowledging the relationship. In July 2024, she stated, "Being in a relationship with a student was inappropriate when it happened 13 years ago, and it would be inappropriate now." Lythcott-Haims has since become a New York Times bestselling author and was elected to the Palo Alto City Council in 2022. She announced in May that she would not seek re-election to focus on her speaking and writing career.

Following the publication of Haas's essay, a former Palo Alto Mayor encouraged Lythcott-Haims to step down from several committee roles involving Stanford, schools, and youth mental health, according to the Palo Alto Daily Post. Lythcott-Haims confessed to the affair in a statement but has not publicly discussed it in interviews.

The play is described as following two former lovers who reconnect a decade after their affair ended.