The Bark & The Tree is Vivian Nesbitt's one-woman play about connection and transformation. Directed by Lee Kitts, the play is set in Ireland, where Nesbitt travels to research her great-great grandmother, the poet Eva O'Doherty, known as "Eva of the Nation."
Bending time and space to understand the legacy of her ancestor, Nesbitt collides with her own identity and personal challenges. Themes of duality, perception and creative expression fill the play with moments of discovery and surrender, juxtaposed with the comedy of human nature.
The actor and radio personality debuted the play earlier this year after workshopping it with
Anna Deavere Smith. The encore performance takes place tonight, Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m., at Theatre Row, 410 W. 42nd St. Tickets are $18 and available at the box office or through
Telecharge.com (212-239-6200 or 800-447-7400).
Banshee Chapter, an award winning film in which Nesbitt scored her first lead role, is making the festival rounds and is slated for release January 2014. The film features rising star Katia Winter (Sleepy Hollow) and is produced by
Zachary Quinto's Before the Door Productions (Margin Call).
Bucking the belief that work for actresses dries up after they turn 40, Nesbitt is busier now, in her mid-50's, than ever before during her 25 years of stage and screen work. You may have seen her in small supporting roles on groundbreaking shows like Law & Order: SVU and Breaking Bad. She credits the "new golden age of entertainment" for these opportunities.
"I can't tell you how much I appreciate the tenacious people whose level of stardom has offered them influence. The story lines and the casting I'm seeing are much more balanced culturally, across the board," Nesbitt said. "I am really glad I've stuck it out long enough to be part of it. I hope to have done my part through staying the course."
With a strong legacy in the business (her great-aunt
Cathleen Nesbitt was a stalwart of supporting roles on Broadway and the West End, and in film and television), she understands that a successful career is made through persistence and a lot of creativity.
Nesbitt also learned about being proactive in her work through interviews she conducts for Art of the Song Creativity Radio, a nationally syndicated public radio program she co-hosts with her husband
John Dillon. She teaches acting and is currently in post production on a short film she wrote about a New York attorney who moves to New Mexico for her "chapter two."
"From our conversations with musical artists like Donald Fagan,
Angelique Kidjo,
Kenny Loggins and
Rondi Charleston, I've embraced the importance of staying steadfast and flexible in the arts. Acting particularly is seen as a youth-driven craft. It's exciting to see that changing these days with plot lines reflecting a broader and more accurate image of our society."
The Bark & The Tree is an original solo play written and performed by actor/writer
Vivian Nesbitt. As a "modern American woman" Nesbitt struggled to understand the choices her great-great grandmother, the poet known as "Eva of the Nation," made during the Great Hunger of 1848 in Ireland. A child of turmoil, Nesbitt traveled to Ireland to learn about her mysterious ancestor's ability to stay strong in times of trouble. Careening through a series of events, some funny, some touching, some profound, Nesbitt portrays seven characters that bend time and place to reveal a deep connection that ultimately leads her to transformation.
THE BARK & THE TREE
United Solo Theatre Festival, NYC
November 23, 2013 @ 7:30pm
Encore Performance!
Theatre Row Studio Theatre
410 West 42nd Street
NYC
