LEAVING LANNAHASSEE by Lynn Navarra Starts Tonight at American Theatre of Actors

A powerful new drama at one of the oldest independent theaters in NY, LEAVING LANNAHASSEE, written by award-winning playwright, Lynn Navarra, will run tonight, January 18, through January 29 at American Theater of Actors, 314 W 54th St, NYC.

Nurse Mercy and JoJo & Dennis, two abandoned patients of Gateway Home & Rehabilitation Center in Lannahassee Georgia, pray for a miracle; JoJo, for his mother; Dennis, for his wife; and Nurse Mercy ... for proof of her faith. Just as they come to the realization that they are truly abandoned, they meet Brandy, a teenage girl looking for her own salvation - and escape - who offers JoJo a chance at a new life. God works in mysterious ways.

Directed by Laurence C. Schwartz, the cast includes Zach Gamble, John Lewis, William Greville, Liz Meinders, Carol Beaugard and Lucy Apicello.

Lynn Navarra, the celebrated author of last season's acclaimed drama, The Sandman, about neighborhood corruption in the late 70s, returns with a sensitive portrayal of the personal struggles of mental illness in a place where desperation drives the unthinkable to become reality.

Pictured: Ms. Navarra winning a Jean Dalrymple Award for The Sandman.