Photo Flash: Mad Horse Theatre Presents MARY JANE By Amy Herzog

Mad Horse Theatre presents Mary Jane by Amy Herzog, directed by company member, Stacey Koloski, November 7 - 24 at Mad Horse Theatre, 24 Mosher Street, South Portland, ME.

As Mary Jane navigates both the mundane and the unfathomable realities of caring for Alex, her chronically ill young son, she finds herself building a community of women from many walks of life. Mary Jane is Amy Herzog's remarkably powerful and compassionate portrait of a contemporary American woman striving for grace.

There's no denying the central, wrenching focus of Mary Jane, but it's also a story about a small group of women who commit themselves to the tough project of caring for this child and his mother with grace and humor.

The cast includes company member Reba Askari (Mary Jane) and four other actors that play dual roles, Emily Grotz, Gusta Johnson, Elise Voigt and company member, Tootie Van Reenen. The crew includes company members, Mark Rubin (production manager), Jennifer Halm- Perazone (Stage Manager), Corey Anderson (lighting design), Jake Cote (sound design) and guest artists, Anna Halloran (costume design), Johnny Speckman (props) and Amber White (set design).

"It's a gift to be working with so many female-identifying artists on Amy Herzog's beautiful play. This production arrives at a time when the world would benefit from the examples set by the strong, empathetic, intelligent and resilient women of Mary Jane." - Stacey Koloski, director

Author Amy Herzog received a Masters in Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama. Her teachers included Richard Nelson and John Guare. Jim Nicola, producer of Belleville at the New York Theatre Workshop, said that "the distinction of Herzog's work is her belief 'that private, individual experience is always inseparable from public, historical processes, when she explores human lives.'" She has received numerous awards including the Helen Merrill Award for Aspiring Playwrights, the Whiting Award, the Lily Award and the 2012 Obie Award in the category Best New American Play for 4000 Miles. Mary Jane won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play for Mary Jane in 2018. Herzog was also awarded the 2019 Horton Foote Playwriting Award (along with Heidi Schreck) by the Dramatists Guild of America. Herzog teaches at Yale as a lecturer in Playwriting. She learned about caregiving the hard way: Her oldest daughter suffers from a congenital neuromuscular disease.

Mary Jane runs November 7 - 24, at Mad Horse Theater in the historic Hutchins School, 24 Mosher Street, South Portland.

Performance times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm, and Sunday afternoons at 2 pm. There will be an opening night reception immediately following the Friday, November 8 performance. Everyone is invited to stay after the show, enjoy light snacks, and mingle with the cast, crew, and fellow theater lovers.

A talk-back is scheduled for Sunday, November 17 immediately following the 2 pm matinee. This is an opportunity to discuss the play with the director and actors.

Tickets are $23 for adults and $20 for seniors. If you are under 25, tickets are pay-what-you-can for all performances. Pay-what-you-can dates for Mary Jane are Thursdays, November 7 and 14 and Sunday, November 10. Pay-what-you-can tickets are only available at the door on a first come, first served basis.

Reservations are strongly recommended. Purchase tickets online at www.madhorse.com or call 747-4148 for more information. Please call for group rates.

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