Tier5 Returns To HFF With Quirky LITTLE WOMEN

Part biography, part adaptation... but definitely NOT your Marmee's Little Women!

The creative team behind the 2017 Hollywood Fringe International Award winner and Pick of the Fringe, LADIES IN WAITING: THE JUDGEMENT OF HENRY VIII, are excited to return to the festival in 2019 with their next project... MEG JO BETH AMY & LOUISA.

Assigned with the super boring task of writing a novel for young girls, Louisa May Alcott finds herself in a state of writer's block. That is until she turns to figures and stories from her own life. The lines between fact and fiction begin to blur, as her novel, Little Women , is played out upon the stage. Louisa's self-examination of her own sexuality, as well as unfinished family drama, weaves itself through the story in quirky, queer, and sentimental ways. Life may be the best inspiration, but what if you are afraid to learn who you are?

"Over 150 years ago, Louisa May Alcott, a single woman, rose from poverty to independent wealth and an incredible level of celebrity by writing what is still considered an American classic," said Hilary Kelman, who plays Louisa May Alcott in the production, as well as serves as a producer, "Add on top, she struggled with her sexuality and gender identity...in the 19th century. Her story would be intriguing enough in 2019, but she lived it during the decades surrounding the American Civil War."

The piece was devised from the ground up by Tier5's revise/devise ensemble, through research, improvisations, and writing exercises, while mixing in their personal sense of humor and beliefs. Ariel Francoeur, who directed and led the devising process explains, "As we devised our play over the course of a year, our research of Louisa May Alcott began to coincide with the current administration's battle against the trans community, and their efforts to dictate who people can love. It became our duty to make our whimsical tale something more: a revelation of Louisa's identity (found in her own journals and interviews), and a call for the besieged among us to push against societal restraints, no matter what the time period."

MEG JO BETH AMY & LOUISA's cast also includes James Cougar Canfield (Niles the Publisher), Nicole Orabona (Jo March), Michelle Walker (Beth March/Lizzie Alcott), Margaret Gorrell (Amy March/May Alcott), Mel Gonzales (Theodore "Laurie" Laurence), Ben Cardona (John F. Brooke/etc.), Brandon Thomas Martin (Bhaer/Mr. March/etc.), Dana Placentra (Lady/etc.), Pilar Adara* (Marmee/Abigail Alcott/Aunt March), and Maya Bhagwat Bassuk* (Meg March/Anna Alcott). 

*Actors appear courtesy of Actors Equity Association. Equity Approved Showcase.

MEG JO BETH AMY & LOUISA will perform at The Broadwater Black Box, select dates throughout June. $18 a ticket ($12 for June 9th Preview). Tickets on sale now at http://hff19.org/5542.