Hedgerow Theatre to Kick Off The New Year With Enda Walsh's THE NEW ELECTRIC BALLROOM

Hedgerow Theatre Company is welcoming audiences back to the theatre in the New Year with The New Electric Ballroom, a modern classic from the pen of Irish playwright Enda Walsh. Walsh, who wrote the book to the TONY-winning musical Once, has created a play that illuminates the experiences of those often rendered culturally invisible - the deep complexities of women of a certain age. The New Electric Ballroom is directed by noted Philadelphia playwright and director Emma Gibson (Founding Artistic Director of Tiny Dynamite) and performed by a powerhouse of regional talent, Janis Dardaris, Marcia Saunders, and Stephen Patrick Smith, and Hedgerow's own Artistic Director Marcie Bramucci, who have all built collaborative artistic trust among each other through the years. The New Electric Ballroom runs February 15- March 3 at Hedgerow. Opening Night is Friday, February 16 at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets cost $35 for adult tickets and $20 for students and youth (under 18 years old), plus fees, and are available online at www.hedgerowtheatre.org.  Hedgerow Theatre Company is located at 64 Rose Valley Rd.

The New Electric Ballroom is a haunting fable set in a remote Irish fishing village. It centers on three sisters who had all of the possibility and excitement of life before them, until a moment of betrayal causes their worlds to collapse, leaving them clinging to one another, trapped between what might have been and dreams to come. The play is celebrated by The New York Times as Walsh's “most intoxicating and original piece of writing.” An Edinburgh Fringe First Award winner, it smolders in mystery, and Walsh's incredible dramaturgy subtly shifts audiences' own abilities to lift the veil on the characters' shrouded fates. 

“This play sits deeply with me—a tale of regret and longing, told with Walsh's customary bold, theatrical language and style,” notes Gibson. “There is much to love including his use of humor, music and repetition to illuminate the very human need for love and connection. It is a cautionary tale, set in the past, that reminds us to move away from regret and live in the present.” 

“Walsh is a master storyteller and as he has noted, he aspires for his work to ‘bypass the intellect and go straight into your bones',” highlights Bramucci, who steps into the role of the younger sister. “His unique ability to cut to the core makes the work visceral, haunting, and electrifyingly resonant. We could not be more fortunate for the talents of these exceptional artists – I'm pinching myself, really – to inhabit this pulsing and utterly feeling play.  

Hedgerow's production of The New Electric Ballroom continues its offerings of unique and challenging contemporary plays. The creative team for this exciting new work includes Maria Laster as the Scenic Designer, Lily Fossner as the Lighting Designer, Georgia Evans as the Costume Designer.  Kate Fossner is the Production Manager and Eilis Skamarakas is the Stage Manager.

About the Artists

Enda Walsh, Playwright: is a playwright and screenwriter who shot to fame when he won both the George Devine Award and the Stewart Parker Award in 1997 with his play Disco Pigs. In 2007 and 2008 Enda won Fringe First Awards at two consecutive Edinburgh Festivals for his plays The Walworth Farce and The New Electric Ballroom. The former led The Guardian to name him "one of the most dazzling wordsmiths of contemporary theatre." Since his initial success as a playwright, Enda has gone on to write for the screen. His 2008 biopic, Hunger, told the story of the final days of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands and won a host of awards, including the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Heartbeat Award at the Dinard International Film Festival. It was nominated for seven BIFAs (including Best Screenplay), six British Film and Television Awards (including Best Screenplay and Best Independent Film), and BAFTA's Outstanding British Film Award 2009. He has since adapted his stage play, Chatroom, for the big screen.

Emma Gibson, Director: is a British theatre-maker, now living in Philadelphia. She was the founding artistic director of Tiny Dynamite for whom she produced over 20 productions. For the last 15 years she served as a theatre teacher and Shakespeare director at The Shipley School. Emma also works as a playwright, actor, and director. Her plays have been produced around the world and received recognition at several national and international conferences including a finalist for the O'Neill, Seven Devils, Princess Grace, and Blue Ink Playwriting Award. Recently, she was a runner-up for the Ambassador Theatre Group prize with Platform Presents and a finalist for The Women's Prize for Playwriting. She was also the winner of The Pittsburgh Public Theater's new play competition. Her acting and directing work has taken her from London to Philadelphia in both new writing and classical theatre. Her voice-over work includes commercials and audiobooks. More at www.britishemma.com.

Marcie Bramucci, Ada: is Executive Artistic Director of Hedgerow Theatre, where she performed as Valerie in The Weir and Natasha in Three Sisters and more recently co-directed Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman with Megan Bellwoar. In the Philly region, she performed in the People's Light Playback ensemble; The Taming of the Shrew (Kate) for the Margo Jones Syndicate; Dancing at Lughnasa (Rosie) for ActorsNET. For Penobscot Theatre, Marcie directed the second production of John Cariani's Last Gas, a new adaptation of The Velveteen Rabbit, and both performed and directed short works in the Northern Writes New Play Festival for three years. She performed in Eugene Ionesco's The Chairs (Old Woman); Sebastian Barry's Prayers of Sherkin (Fanny Hawke)  and Fred and Jane (Anna), Thornton Wilder's Our Town (Rebecca Gibbs) with Villanova Theatre, where she engaged as an Acting Scholar and received a Master's in Theatre Arts. Marcie is also a proud graduate of Point Park's Conservatory for Performing Arts and Columbia University. Marcie received the Leadership Exchange in Arts & Disability (LEAD) Community Asset Award from the Kennedy Center's Office of Accessibility & VSA for her work in arts inclusion and the Main Line Times "Power Women" honor (2022) for her leadership at Hedgerow. Marcie serves on the Board for Visit Delco. She could not be more fortunate to collaborate with this exceptional team. www.marciebramucci.com

Janis Dardaris, Breda:  most recently: Morning After Grace, Montgomery Theater Company; InterAct: Whores, The How and the Why; Philadelphia Theatre Company: Sideman, Nickel and Dimed, As Is; People's Light: Playhouse Creatures, The Little Foxes  Project Dawn, Morning's at Seven, The Children; Quintessence Theatre: Mother Courage, Mourning Becomes Electra, The Seagull, The Importance of Being Earnest; Wilma Theater: Leaving, Road, Quartet, Escape from Happiness, Orpheus Descending, Spin, The Magic Fire, Scorched, Becky Shaw; Arden Theatre: Rabbit Hole; Walnut Street Theatre; PlayPenn; Regional: McCarter Theatre, Pittsburgh Public, Long Wharf, Cleveland Playhouse, Woolly Mammoth, Kennedy Center, Arizona Theatre, Three Rivers Shakespeare, Actors' Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival (originated the role of Susan Slater in Becky Shaw). New York: Playwrights Horizons, New York Classical Theatre, Westbeth, Summer Play Festival on Theatre Row, Breaking Legs with Philip Bosco (also national tour with Danny Aiello). Awards: nominated for 10 Barrymore Awards; 1998 winner of the Charlotte Cushman Barrymore for Best Actress for her performance as Josie Hogan in A Moon for the Misbegotten; 2009 winner of Best Supporting Actress in Scorched. TV and Film: The Sixth Sense, Party Monster, Third Watch, Trial by Jury, Law and Order, The Sopranos, Bliss, 1967, the lead in Sounding directed by Joel Coen, featured role as Grace in Cruzando, Featured in The Chosen as Zohara, Film and TV: Power, Bull and Grow an unconventional horror film due for release later this year.

Marcia Saunders, Clara: is delighted to make her Hedgerow debut as Clara. Performing at Hedgerow has been a lifelong dream of hers since she walked through those sacred doors when she was 17 years old, finally getting to live that dream so long ago with this stellar cast, director, creative team, and crew. Marcia just completed a run of Major Barbara at Quintessence Theatre playing Lady Britomart and Rummy Mitchens. In 1976 Marcia joined People's Light & Theatre and has been active with The Acting Company appearing in over 100 plays and was last seen as Nancy in Grand Horizons.  A Delicate Balance garnered Marcia a Best Supporting Actress Barrymore Award for her portrayal of Claire and a Best Ensemble Award for Mornings at Seven. She has also received numerous Barrymore nominations for Best Actress in Stella & Lou playing Stella, Nancy in Man from Nebraska, and Beatrice in A View from the Bridge. Regional Credits include performances at: The Wilma, The Arden, Philadelphia Theatre Company, The Lantern Theatre, Simpatico, and The Walnut Street. Off-Broadway: Marcia played Adele in The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow at The Atlantic Theatre Co., In 1996 she received an Emmy Award for her Narration of Teacher TV for The Discovery Channel. Training: One Year Graduate Program at The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA). Big Thanks to Marcie Bramucci and the staff for making her lifelong dream come true!! CONGRATULATIONS for the 100 Years Anniversary!

Stephen Patrick Smith, Patsy: is a celebrated regional actor and director of 20 years. Smith played Jack Burden in the world premiere of All the King's Men directed by renowned director (founder of Trinity Rep) Adrian Hall. Stephen performed as a company member of the Utah Shakespeare Festival. He engaged as a resident artist with Amaryllis Theatre Company in Philadelphia (2000-2010), where he performed in The Good Thief, Blood Guilty, and Molly Sweeney among others. Stephen studied and performed with world-renowned Japanese director and theorist Tadashi Suzuki. He directed Jewel Walker's Tuesday

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