Cast Set for Gage’s Evensong; Performances Begin Aug. 10

By Andrew Gans
27 Jul 2006

A limited engagement of Mary Gage’s Evensong will begin performances Aug. 10 at Off-Broadway’s TBG Arts Center.

Directed by Lewis Magruder this “new American play” by Australian playwright Gage will officially open Aug. 11 and play through Aug. 27. The cast comprises Mary Ellen Ashley (Encores' 70, Girls, 70), Arthur French (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Donald Grody (Caroline, or Change), Mikel Sarah Lambert (The Daughter in Law), Pat Nesbit (The Last Night of Ballyhoo) and Lucille Patton (The Cemetery Club).

Evensong, according to press notes, “weaves together the lives of six people who speak for a generation of Americans, some of whom were born here, others who arrived here with nothing. These men and women toiled, suffered and survived to help shape this country. They are our ancestors, and the play celebrates them for the lives they lived and the wisdom they pass along. Theirs is the story of America.” Gage based her play on interviews she conducted with men and women who had survived both the Great Depression and World War II, now all 80 years or older.

The creative team includes Emily Pepper (costume design) and Thom Weaver (lighting design). Original music by Larry Spivack will be played live at each performance.

Evensong will play Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 PM and Sundays at 3 PM. Tickets, priced at $18, are available by calling (212) 352-3101.

The TBG Arts Center is located in Manhattan at 312 West 36th Street.