MISSISSIPPI STORIES Begins Next Week for 8 Shows Only on Theatre Row

Summoners Ensemble Theatre's Eudora Welty - Mississippi Stories, adapted from the works of Eudora Welty by Voices of the South and Gloria Baxter, arrives in New York next week for eight performances only at the Studio Theatre at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). Shows are Thursday, July 28 through Sunday, August 7 - Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:00pm, and Sundays at 3:00pm.

Eudora Welty - Mississippi Stories, features Welty's short story "Why I Live at the P.O." and her memoir "One Writer's Beginnings," and is performed by Jenny Madden and Alice Rainey, co-founders of Voices of the South, a non-profit theatre company based in Memphis, Tennessee.

Patrons are invited to attend three newly announced post-show talkback discussions:

Friday, July 29 and Saturday, July 30

Reilly Morse, President and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Justice, will briefly address the audience about MCJ's ongoing work with Mississippi House Bill 1523.

The Mississippi Center for Justice, a nonprofit, public interest law firm committed to advancing racial and economic justice, was instrumental in obtaining the preliminary injunction against H.B. 1523, the so called "Religious Liberty Accommodations" Act, which was to take effect July 1. MJC is continuing its work to make certain that the bill, which allows for discrimination based on a person's religious and moral beliefs, goes down in defeat upon any appeal.

Eudora Welty, a Mississippi writer, simply loved words. Although she did not regard herself as a "crusader," much of her work subtly displays the social inequities of race and gender she saw around her. In honor of Welty's home state, Summoners Ensemble is donating 10% of their gross sales from the run of Mississippi Stories to the Mississippi Center for Justice.

Sunday, July 31

Theater journalist Zachary Stewart will lead a panel discussion featuring Jenny Madden, Alice Rainey, and Gloria Baxter.

Each talkback will also be live-streamed on https://livestream.com/accounts/20545556.

MORE ABOUT VOICES OF THE SOUTH

As Voices of the South, University of Memphis alumni Jenny Madden and Alice Rainey, inspired by their professor Gloria Baxter, have since its debut at the 1997 Edinburgh Fringe Festival toured Mississippi Stories both nationally and regionally. Productions have played Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Columbus, Ohio; Evanston, Illinois; Nashville, Tennessee; West Memphis, Arkansas; and Oxford, Mississippi to critical acclaim.

ABOUT "ONE WRITER'S BEGINNINGS"

One Writer's Beginnings is Eudora Welty's much praised memoir which she wrote later in life. The first chapter entitled Listening takes a lyrical look into the author's childhood, exploring memory, family, and how a life-long love of words led her towards a writer's life.

ABOUT "WHY I LIVE AT THE P.O."

"Why I Live at the P.O." is among the best loved of Eudora Welty's acclaimed short stories. Welty's wit, whimsy, and extraordinary ear for southern banter are the centerpiece of this Voices of the South classic. Peppered with wonderfully eccentric characters, this comic short story follows the trials and tribulations of Sister as she recounts her mad-capped quest for liberation from her family.

PLAYING SCHEDULE AND TICKET PRICES:

All tickets are $35, and are available at www.telecharge.com, by calling 212-239-6200, or in person at the Theatre Row Box Office (410 West 42nd Street) Monday through Saturday from noon - 6:00PM and Sunday from noon - 3:00PM.

Eudora Welty - Mississippi Stories will be performed on:

Thursday, July 28 at 7:00pm

Friday, July 29 at 7:00pm

Saturday, July 30 at 7:00pm

Sunday, July 31 at 3:00pm

Thursday, August 4 at 7:00pm

Friday, August 5 at 7:00pm

Saturday, August 6 at 7:00pm

Sunday, August 7 at 3:00pm

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