Franklin Stage Company Presents TROUBLE IN MIND In July

Franklin Stage Company, Delaware County's admission-free, professional theater, will present Alice Childress' award-winning comedy Trouble in Mind, July 5–21 at Chapel Hall, in Franklin, NY.

Trouble in Mind, a play for 9 actors, tells the story of Wiletta Mayer, a middle aged actress, a professional actress at the top of her game, who has nevertheless spent her career playing stereotypes—maids, mammies, and other menials—and finally has her chance to play a big Broadway role. But when difficult truths spill out of the script into the rehearsal room, the play takes a different turn. “It's moving, illuminating, and surprisingly funny,” said Patricia Buckley, FSC's Artistic Director, “but it's also a play about work, race, and what it means to be an ally.”

Written in 1955, the play was produced Off Broadway and slated to go to Broadway the same year, but because the playwright refused to make changes demanded by the producers, the play was shelved and only given its Broadway debut in 2021. If the play had been produced as scheduled, it would have been the first Broadway play by an African-American woman. Because of the delay, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry garnered that title. The cast of Franklin Stage Company's production will be led by Maconnia Chesser in the role of Wiletta; both NYC and locally based professional actors will round out the cast. “It's a privilege and an honor to direct this wonderful piece,” said Buckley “I'm awed by the cast we've been able to assemble to bring this masterpiece to our audience.” The play will also feature Adara Alston as Associate Director and member of the cast.

Trouble in Mind runs through July 21. Franklin Stage Company's summer season then continues through August 25 at Chapel Hall, 25 Institute Street in Franklin, NY. Please note all evening shows have a curtain time of 7:30 pm. Trouble in Mind  will also have Saturday matinees at 3:00 pm, and Sunday shows at 5:00 pm. General Seating. Admission is free—suggested donation is $25 per person. For more information and reservations, visit www.franklinstagecompany.org Programming at the Franklin Stage Company is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.

FRANKLIN STAGE COMPANY's dual mission is to produce professional, admission-free theater that brings together audiences and artists to create community and celebrate the enduring power of stories; and to ensure the preservation of Chapel Hall, our historic home, as both an architectural treasure and a center of community activity.

Franklin Stage Company is a professional Actors Equity, not-for-profit theater founded in 1997 in Franklin, NY. FSC is dedicated to producing classic and new plays that stimulate thought and provoke discussion to illuminate as well as entertain. FSC also presents both emerging and established artists working in a variety of performance disciplines. The company was founded on the principle that great theater should be accessible to all.

Maconnia Chesser leads the cast of Trouble in Mind at the Franklin Stage Company July 5–21.

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