Playwright Gurney Directs Shakespeare & Company Benefit01:04PM / Tuesday, July 14, 2009
LENOX, Mass. — Award-winning playwright, actor and director A.R. Gurney returns to Shakespeare & Company next week for a one-time-only benefit performance of his moving tale "Ancestral Voices."
Gurney directs himself, award-winning actress Annette Miller, Jake Robards, Corinna May and David Adkins in Founders' Theatre on Monday, July 20, at 7:30 p.m. This performance marks the reunion of Gurney and Miller, who performed together in the company's 2003 benefit performance of "Love Letters."
A semi-autobiographical account of three generations, "Ancestral Voices" begins in Gurney's hometown of Buffalo, N.Y., in the 1940s. It follows the bittersweet family story as perceived through the eyes of young Eddie, whose family is turned inside out when his grandparents unexpectedly divorce.
"I do know that this play, like my 'Love Letters' before it and 'Screen Play,' which followed later on, can only work if they are read by actors in front of an audience,” Gurney has written about the play. "If I were younger, or had a cousin in Hollywood, I might have originally aimed this story for the screen. Yet when I write, I seem to do better if I have in mind the image of live actors performing in front of responsive audiences."
Proceeds will benefit the company's $10 million Capital Campaign; more than $8 million has been raised toward the construction of the new Production and Performing Arts Center and Elayne P. Bernstein Theater, plus other much-needed infrastructure improvements and the creation of a small reserve fund. Earlier this year, the company was awarded a highly competitive incentive grant from The Kresge Foundation; once the company raises an additional $1.2 million from its communitywide appeal, foundation will contribute $800,000 to successfully complete the Capital Campaign.
"Ancestral Voices" is preceded by a reception at 6 featuring cocktails and light fare provided by Samel's of Pittsfield, and followed by a champagne and dessert reception with the actors at 9. Curtain time is 7:30; the show runs approximately 90 minutes.
Ticket tiers are: Patron, includes both receptions, preferred seating, VIP parking, and special listing in the program, for $250; Sponsor, includes both receptions and priority seating, for $150; and Friend, includes performance and post-performance reception, for $75.
The theater is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible. For tickets: 413-637-3353, www.shakespeare.org, or Melissa Borgo in the development office at 413-637-1199, Ext. 105, or mborgo@shakespeare.org. |
