MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON Makes South African Premiere This August

Written by Elizabeth Strout and adapted by Rona Munro, My Name Is Lucy Barton is the story of a writer reckoning with the legacy of a scarred family life  who is coming to terms with the cost of her childhood and the rewards of her art.

The production will be presented at the Hilton Arts Festival in August, at the Baxter Studio in Cape Town from September, and in Johannesburg at Theatre On The Square in October 2024.

Longlisted for the MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2016, the BAILEYS WOMENS PRIZE FOR FICTION 2016 and a #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Stroutshows the most tender relationship of all – the one between a mother and daughter.

Lucy Barton wakes after an operation to discover – much to her surprise – her estranged mother at the foot of her bed. Over the course of her mother’s visit, she and Lucy seem to reconnect, but just below the surface lies the tension and longing that have informed every aspect of Lucy’s life.

Lucy’s encounter with her mother brings into sharp focus her troubled childhood in rural Illinois and her current life in New York City. Knitting these powerful memories together, Lucy begins to come to terms with her past and her future as a writer.

My Name is Lucy Barton is a story for anyone who has questioned how family defines oneself. It is a powerful narrative of hope and triumph about a woman who finds her truth and reclaims her story.

The production will star multiple award-nominated actor Julie-Anne McDowell (The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Revlon Girl) and be directed by multiple-award winning Charmaine Weir-Smith (The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Train Driver). Design is by Kieran McGregor (Expelled).

My Name Is Lucy Barton has been adapted for the stage as a one woman show by acclaimed TV, Film and Theatre writer Rona Munro (winner of the Evening Standard Award, NOOK Award and the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award). It opened at The Bridge Theatre in London in 2018 starring Laura Linney who reprised her role on Broadway in 2020.

My Name is Lucy Barton will have its premiere season in South Africa at the Hilton Arts Festival from 2 to 4 August 2024 before transferring to the Baxter Studio in Cape Town for a season running from 18 September to 5 October 2024. Completing the season, the production will then transfer to the Theatre On The Square in Sandton, Johannesburg and will run from 9 to 27 October 2024