The Sherman Playhouse Presents DANCING AT LUGHNASA 9/24

On September 24, The Sherman Playhouse will debut the touching Tony Award-winning drama, DANCING AT LUGHNASA by Brian Friel.

Set in Ireland's County Donegal in 1936, DANCING AT LUGHNASA is a memory play told from the point of view of the adult Michael Evans. He recounts that summer spent in his aunts' cottage when he was seven years old, when love briefly seemed possible for three of his aunts and the family welcomed home their frail elder brother, returning from a life as missionary in Africa. The play takes place around the festival of Lughnasa, the festival of the first fruits, when the harvest is welcomed. Whether Michael's family will reap a bountiful or bitter harvest remains a question until the very end.

"There are more similarities between the rural Irish folk of seventy-five years ago and present-day Americans than one might imagine," said director Francis A. Daley of Danbury. "The characters in LUGHNASA attempt to stave off the dark forces by invoking God while we, a secular society, invoke science, but to [playwright Brian] Friel both efforts are in vain...still the play is filled with so many wonderful memories of a perfect instant in time."

"You don't have to be of Irish descent to appreciate the power and poetry of LUGHNASA," said producer John Taylor of Sherman. "The story explores themes that are familiar to us all: the sometimes devastating effects of change and the crystal-clear beauty of a perfect memory...for
every moment of pain, there is joy. It's an incredibly 'human' story that virtually everyone can relate to and embrace."

The cast features some of the region's finest actors: Jackie Decho-Holm (New Milford), Ali Bernhardt (Lagrangeville, NY), Tracy Hurd (Brookfield), Marilyn Hart (New Preston), Miles Everett (Thomaston), Steve Manzino (Holmes, NY) and Maya Daley and James Hipp (both Danbury).

DANCING AT LUGHNASA first opened on Broadway at The Plymouth Theatre on October 24, 1991. The play won the 1992 Tony Award for Best Play, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Broadway Play, and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. In 1998, it was adapted into an award-winning film starring Meryl Streep. Time Magazine called the show, "The most elegant and rueful memory play since THE GLASS MENAGERIE."

DANCING AT LUGHNASA runs September 24,25 October 1,2,3 8,9 15,16 Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. with a 2:00 p.m. Sunday matinee on October 3. Tickets for all shows are $20 for general seating.

On Thursday, September 23, all patrons are invited to attend a "Half-Price Preview Night" at 8:00 p.m. where all tickets are only $10. Students may see any performance for only $10 if they pay in CASH ONLY AT THE DOOR and carry a valid student ID. Students may not make reservations in advance for a performance. On opening night, September 24, a spritzer party will be held at 7:30 p.m. and all audience members are invited to attend.

Reservations can be made online at WWW.SHERMANPLAYERS.ORG or by calling the box office at (860) 354-3622. The Sherman Playhouse now accepts credit card payments both online and at the door.

The Sherman Playhouse is a local theatre company located on 5 Route 39 North (at the intersection of Route 37 and 39) in Sherman, Conn.

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