Epic Theatre to Stage World Premiere of Ann Hood's AN ITALIAN WIFE

Epic Theatre Company is excited to present the theater event of the season. For the first time, the work of bestselling author and Rhode Island favorite Ann Hood will be adapted for the stage in the world premiere of "An Italian Wife"

The play is a family saga spread out over decades, and told from the perspective of Josephine Rimaldi, her children, and grandchildren. One is trying to recover from the loss of her husband by finding comfort in the arms of married men. One is dreaming of escaping from her small town on a bus when she meets up with a handsome soldier. Another is harboring a secret love for the village priest. All the while, Josephine is fixated on the child she gave up many years ago, and wondering if she'll ever find her again.

"We're so happy to be the first company to bring one of Ann's novels to the stage," said Epic Artistic Director Kevin Broccoli, "She's a fixture in both the local and the national literary community, and her work is so bold and theatrical, we knew it would translate beautifully to the stage. I've worked on a few adaptations and this one was just such a natural fit when it comes to the kind of theater we do at Epic."

For this production, Epic will be traveling down to South County to present the show at the Contemporary Theatre Company. "CTC and Epic are both members of the Rhode Island Theater Alliance," says Broccoli, "And after having the success of bringing 'American Strippers' to Mixed Magic in November, we knew we wanted to spend some time with our friends in Southern Rhode Island as well. The community down there is full of Ann's biggest fans, and we thought it was the perfect place to premiere the show."

Broccoli directs a cast that includes Paige Barry, Carolyn Coughlin, Kerstyn Desjardin, Cherylee Sousa Dumas, Jill D. Jones, Hannah Lum, Christine Pavao, Caitlin Robert, Steph Rodger, Amy Thompson, Stephanie Traversa