Renowned actor-playwright, Jeanmarie (Simpson) Bishop returns to Reno in The Joy, a play about pre-First Amendment martyr, Mary Dyer.
The Joy will play at GLM, 713 South Virginia Street for three performances only, January 14th at 2pm and 7pm and on the 15th at 2pm.
The performance is Pay-What-You-Can, plus at least one canned or non-perishable food item collected for the Food Bank of Northern Nevada.
Each performance is followed by a discussion. For Mature Audiences. No late seating.
The author-performer says of her subject, "The American First Amendment had everything to do with Mary Dyer being hanged more than a century before it was drafted. Speaking very personally, her life - the choices she made, the way she kept going - has helped me find the ambition to get up many a morning when all I wanted was to crawl under the covers and stay there. My insight, more a revelation, is that choices make us whole. We are powerful when we choose things, as opposed to having them thrust upon us and being forced to accept them. Even hard things, even being executed, when it's our choice, is a liberation. I think about that every day now, and it's a gift Mary gave to me."
Known for her performance portraits of fierce, historical women, Bishop has distinguished herself among her peers in the entertainment industry.
The late, great Leonard Nimoy simply called her "brilliant." Actor Judd Nelson said, "Jeanmarie's elemental conflict - the struggle between her huge heart and her mighty mind, between impression and fact, between situational ethics and absolute truth. You and I, the outsiders, the spectators watching, we are the lucky ones able to receive her wisdom, and courage, and truth, and hope, and grace. Ultimately, I believe Jeanmarie to be one of humanity's invaluable resources." Humorist Dylan Brody said, "She is a terrific writer, a riveting performer and an artistic activist of the sort all too rarely seen in America today," and superstar Joni Mitchell called her "a dedicated artist and remarkable woman.
GLM - Good Luck Macbeth Theatre Company - "We are named "Good Luck Macbeth" not because we don't believe in the fates, but because we do. We believe that fate will sometimes put up an obstacle just to see if you're determined enough to get around it, and once you've succeeded, you will own your fate and make your luck."
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