A new production of Mary Gage's play Evensong will play a limited engagement at TBG Arts Center (312 West 36th Street). Directed by Broad Horizons' Artistic Director Lewis Magruder, performances begin Thursday, August 10 and continue through Sunday, August 27. Opening night is Friday, August 11.
Presented by Broad Horizons Theatre Company, a New York City-based theatre company
dedicated to the development and presentation of original and
provocative works for the stage, and Jack W. Batman, "Evensong weaves together the lives of six people who speak for a generation of Americans, some of whom were born here, others who arrived here with nothing. These men and women toiled, suffered and survived to help shape this country. They are our ancestors, and the play celebrates them for the lives they lived and the wisdom they pass along. Theirs is the story of America."
"Mary Gage based this lyrical play on interviews with seniors over 80 years living in Michigan. Though all had led very different lives, each had survived the Great Depression and World War II and had completed a long and sometimes harrowing journey from childhood to old age.
Evensong blends their stories into an American tapestry celebrating life," state press notes.
Gage, a Cambridge-educated writer, worked as a journalist at
The Times of London before relocating to Australia. There she became awell-known playwright and novelist.
Evensong is her first American play.
The cast of
Evensong includes Mary Ellen Ashley (Encores'
70, Girls, 70), Arthur French (
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, original Broadway production), Donald Grody (
Caroline, or Change), Mikel Sarah Lambert (
The Daughter in Law, Off-Broadway), Pat Nesbit (
The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Broadway) and Lucille Patton (
The Cemetery Club, Broadway).
The production features costume design by Emily Pepper and lighting design by Thom Weaver. Larry Spivack has composed original music which will be played live at each performance.
Beginning Thursday, August 10,
Evensong plays Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Tickets are $18 and are available online at www.TheaterMania.com or by calling 212-352-3101. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the box office, 30 minutes before curtain.
All performances of
Evensong will be followed by a talk-back with the director, playwright and/or members of the company.
More information about Broad Horizons Theatre Company is available at
www.bhorizons.org.Photo--Mary Ellen Ashley
