Mary Bridget Davies to Return to 54 Below Tomorrow in A ROOM OF ONE'S OWN

Tony Award-nominee Mary Bridget Davies will return to 54 Below in a concert reading of Virginia Woolf's feminist classic A Room of One's Own - a new play with original music - on Saturday, November 5, 2022, at 7:00 pm.

A Room of One's Own is both a landmark in feminist thought and a rhetorical masterpiece. This early feminist manifesto started its life as a series of Virginia Woolf's lectures to the literary societies of Newnham and Girton Colleges, Cambridge, in October 1928. The writing was then published by the Hogarth Press in 1929 in a revised and expanded edition that has never been out of print. Addressed to audiences of female students, the essay was a call for equality and prompted unprecedented conservations about women's rights that captured the attention of the public at large. The work ultimately became a passionate assertion of women's empowerment by one of the great writers of the 20th century.

In this abridged version with original music, audiences witness the timelessness of the text and its resonance in the current precarious era when women's rights are more on the line than they have been in decades. With the permission of The Estate of Virginia Woolf, producers Armand & Paiva LLC (Natasha, Pierre, and The Great Comet of 1812, Merrily We Roll Along, The Queen's Six) and Bev Ragovoy (Come From Away, A Night With Janis Joplin, Shout Sister Shout) offer a singular and innovative presentation of this classic text as a play with original blues and rock music. After its successful debut as a concert reading at The Public Theater's Joe's Pub in October 2022, the creative team is taking the show to "Broadway's living room" - the stage at 54 Below!

Kirsten Z. Cairns directs the concert reading. She is the artistic director and founder of Enigma Chamber Opera and the former director of Opera Studies at the Boston Conservatory, where she staged productions like Benjamin Britten's The Turn of The Screw and Curlew River, a piece hailed in the Boston Globe as "a transcendent experience."

The songwriting team includes TJ Armand, a full-scholarship recipient from Berklee College of Music and a protegé of the late Atlantic Records vice president Arif Mardin (Bette Midler, Chaka Khan, Bee Gees), who doubles as Davies' music producer and manager. Mark Berman ("Sex and The City," "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," Bullets Over Broadway) co-wrote the songs and serves as the show's pianist. Guitar virtuoso Alex Prezzano (A Night with Janis Joplin) will also join Berman and Davies on stage.

Mary Bridget Davies in A Room Of One's Own

54 Below (254 West 54th Street) on Saturday, November 5th, 2022.

MORE ABOUT Mary Bridget Davies:

Ms. Davies received a Tony award nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Musical for her performance as Janis in "A Night with Janis Joplin." She trained first as a dancer, touring in dance productions with Tina Landon, and later began singing and acting. Davies also studied improv with Second City in Cleveland and toured in Europe with Janis Joplin's original band, Big Brother and The Holding Company, and has recorded several albums, including "Stay With Me: The Reimagined Songs of Jerry Ragovoy" on Broadway Records.

MORE ABOUT 54 BELOW

54 Below was founded as a place for the Broadway community to celebrate Broadway performers, both established and new, singing both the music of Broadway and the Great American Songbook, as well as new material intended for Broadway and off-Broadway stages. The club features fine dining, along with superb scenic lighting and sound designs entirely imagined by Broadway designers. Welcoming performers, writers, musicians, and more, 54 Below provides opportunities for artists to advance their craft, expand their repertoires, and develop their voices in a personal, intimate setting. 54 Below gives Broadway fans an opportunity to see their favorite artists in a different way and to deepen their relationship with and appreciation for a range of Broadway talent.

A recipient of the 2022 TONY AWARDS® Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, 54 Below celebrates Broadway musicals and writers of the past and present, promoting an ongoing engagement with their work. It is also a place for innovation in musical songwriting and performance. Collaborations born at 54 Below give rise to and help develop new theatrical projects and musicals. In addition, its popular streaming video activities and audio recordings support these initiatives and build a Broadway audience worldwide.

54 Below is one of the most in-demand performance venues in the city, presenting over 700 shows each year. Unique in its mission, it has become an indispensable member of the Broadway ecosystem, providing a place for seasoned and emerging artists to hone their craft, try out new work, grow their fanbases, and gather as a community. The management team includes Proprietors and nine-time Tony Award® winning Broadway producers Steve Baruch, Richard Frankel, and Tom Viertel, Creative and Programming Director Jennifer Ashley Tepper, and restaurant General Manager Mandisa Boxill.

Located at 254 West 54th Street, the club presents live shows at 7 pm and 9:30 pm. Tickets and information at 54below.com.

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