INDEPENDENCE Comes to Theatre West

Independence, The True Story of Dr. Mary Walker is solo show written and directed by Lloyd J. Schwartz, starring Kathie Barnes. and presented by Theatre West.

WHERE: Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, in Los Angeles, CA 90068. This is near North Hollywood, Universal City and Studio City. Parking is available for $5 in a lot across the street.

WHEN: Saturday, January 12, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.

ADMISSION: $25.

RESERVATIONS: (323) 851-7977.

ONLINE TICKETING: www.theatrewest.org

ESTIMATED RUNNING TIME: 70 minutes.

Suggested for audiences age 10 to Adult.

Dr. Mary Walker (1832-1919) was the first female surgeon in the U.S. Army, a suffragist, an abolitionist, a prohibitionist, endured four months in a Confederate prison and remains, to this day, the only woman to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Her ordeal as a prisoner of war had lifelong ramifications for her physical well-being, but she did not slow down. If anything, she overcompensated and became busier than ever. A militant believer in the equivalency of men and women, this extended to her appearance: she attired herself in "reform dress," a skirt over trousers, which she wore for comfort and freedom of movement. She was a feminist before the term was coined.

Her personal challenges included a philandering husband, sexism from dismissive men, and resentment from women who saw her as competitive.

Her life was full of dramatic possibilities, and it is finally the subject of a solo play, Independence, The True Story of Dr. Mary Walker.

Performer Kathie Barnes inhabits the role of Mary Walker and brings her to vivid life on stage. Kathie's other stage appearances include roles in Dancing at Lughnasa; The Dark at the Top of the Stairs;, The Old Neighborhood; What Are We Going to Say to Her?; Poems for Mary; and for Ray Bradbury's Pandemonium Theatre Company: Bradbury x 2, A Medicine for Melancholy; The Swan; and The Day It Rained Forever. She has also appeared on television: All My Children; The Guiding Light; Deception, and in a feature film, Jimmi.

Lloyd J. Schwartz is the director and playwright. A man of all media, he wrote for the TV series Love, American Style; Alice; The Munsters Today; The A Team, The Love Boat, Baywatch and more. As an ABC network executive, he supervised production on Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, What's Happening and Three's Company. With his father, TV legend Sherwood Schwartz, he co-created Harper Valley P.T.A. Lloyd also produced numerous iterations of the Brady Bunch and Gilligan's Island franchises (created by Sherwood) for feature films, television and stage. With his wife Barbara, Lloyd created the long-running Storybook Theatre at Theatre West. He has also had 34 produced plays.

Independence, The True Story of Dr. Mary Walker had its world premiere in Seneca Falls, New York in 2017 in recognition of the centennial of women's suffrage. The play is presented at Theatre West as part of its series of solo performances, Portraits of Humanity 2. Series producer: Dina Morrone.

This performance is your opportunity to see an exceptional actress portray a true American heroine.

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