Tamara Hickey's THIS IS IT to be Presented at Boston Center for the Arts

Shakespeare & Company and MetaGirl Productions will present a six-show run of This Is It - a one-woman show starring Tamara Hickey, directed by Kate Kohler Amory and co-written by the duo - at Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) from Wednesday, Oct. 23 through Sunday, Oct. 27.

When a woman's life is interrupted by a catastrophic car crash, she is catapulted into an existential, heartfelt, and often funny quest for meaning and connection. Landing in the Bardo, she discovers herself in the "in-between" space between life and death.

Described as a work of "autobiographical fiction" by its creators, This Is It first appeared in 2022 while in development at United Solo in New York, N.Y., and as part of a residency at Central Square Theatre's That's What She Said program.

Later that year, it was performed as part of Shakespeare & Company's Plays in Process series in Lenox, Mass., which presents developing works at various stages of the theater-making process. Allyn Burrows, artistic director of Shakespeare & Company, noted that This Is It's premiere at BCA marks the first time a Plays in Process production has been fully staged in Boston, following its one-show preview at Arrow Street Arts' ARROWFEST Launch Festival in Cambridge this September.

"We're excited to help bring this production to Boston audiences," he said. "It's a very funny thrill ride of one woman's search for the meaning of life, and that resonates for all of us.

Amory went on to explain that This Is It uses movement and theatricality to embody multiple characters - such as an alcoholic dance instructor and a hockey coach - as well as a range of scenes from an autopsy to a pole dance.

"Our aim is to create a visceral experience for the audience," she said; "one that is compelling and rooted in gentle, careful, and vulnerable storytelling."

Hickey added that engaging with audiences at different stages of the piece's development has been incredibly rewarding.

"The input has made the process feel like a collective effort," she said.

Both Amory and Hickey have extensive, Boston-based theater credits; an award-winning director, Amory is the Founding Artistic Director of The Ridiculous Project and a Professor of Movement and Acting for Boston Conservatory Berklee, having directed productions at Boston Conservatory Berklee, Salem State University, Brandeis University, and beyond.

Hickey is an Elliot Norton Award-winner for Outstanding Actress and Outstanding Production (God's Ear, Actors' Shakespeare Project), and an IRNE Award (Independent Reviewers of New England) winner for Best Ensemble (Cabaret, American Repertory Theatre).

Co-produced by Shakespeare & Company and MetaGirl Productions, both based in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, This Is It will be staged at the Boston Center for the Arts Black Box Theatre on Wednesday, Oct. 23 through Friday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27. Tickets are $40 general admission or $20 for students, and available at bostontheatrescene.com.

For more information, visit shakespeare.org or metagirlproductions.com.

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