The Nora Salon: Simple Gifts
2020-01-19 16:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Hosted by Simone Bloche, West 92nd Street & Columbus Avenue, New York, NY, 10025
Our next gathering of The Nora Salon is the afternoon of Sunday, January 19th on Manhattan’s Upper West Side! We hope you’ll join us for a glass of wine, friendly conversation, and an informal reading of Evangelia Costantakos Kingsley’s two-act play Simple Gifts

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In Hancock, Indiana, octogenarian ex-Metropolitan Opera diva and retired singing teacher, Elena Maxwell, is at the end of her life. Her much younger partner, Jean Lee, executive director of the Archives of Traditional Music at Hancock University, may beat her to the finish line. A young singer, Kirsten Mintow, needs guidance at the beginning of her musical career. The history of a nearby Shaker village breaks through the fabric of 1994. Simple Shaker song melds with sumptuous classical music, including the Shaker-infused music of Aaron Copland, as the play explores the theme of extinction and asks “What makes life worth living?”

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The Nora Salon: Simple Gifts
Sunday, January 19th at 4pm
at West 92nd Street and Columbus Ave, Upper West Side, Manhattan
hosted by Simone Bloch
SPACE IS LIMITED. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED.
Please email us at reservations@norasplayhouse.org with the subject “RSVP for Simple Gifts 1/19” to add your name to the guest list. You’ll receive the apartment number and directions in a separate email when your reservation is confirmed.
Suggested donation: $10

Nora's Salon South: Zelda! Zelda!
2020-02-24 19:00 - 21:30 (America/Chicago) | Wetumpka Players Depot, 300 S. Main Street, Wetumpka, AL, 36092, United States
Our next gathering of Salon South is Monday, February 24th! We hope you’ll join us in Montgomery, Alabama for a glass of wine, friendly conversation, and an informal reading of Zelda! Zelda! by Prattville’s own Marianne M. Weber.
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The boys stood outside Zelda’s bedroom window calling, “Zelda! Come out, Zelda!” Lured by the promise of romance and fun, she crawled out her bedroom window to join them. Thus began Zelda Sayre’s waltz into the world of dazzling parties and the generation’s greatest artists. Thus she became the ultimate flapper and an exciting artist in her own right.This beautiful, talented young woman hitched her rising star to the famous F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the two lived for years in a bubble of glitz, glamour, wealth and excitement. Later, while Scott struggled to maintain his status as a successful author, Zelda struggled to maintain her sanity. Zelda! Zelda! dramatizes the life of this vivacious, talented, troubled woman who is recognized today as the face of the Jazz Age.
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Nora’s Salon South: Zelda! Zelda!

Monday, February 24th at 7pm
in Montgomery, AL’s Cloverdale
hosted by Marion Baab

due to overwhelming demand, we have moved this salon reading to a larger venue: Wetumpka Players Depot
SPACE IS LIMITED. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED.
Email reservations@norasplayhouse.org to add your name to the guest list. You will receive the exact street address when your reservation is confirmed.
Suggested donation: $10

Nora’s Salon South Online: Zelda! Zelda!
2020-05-13 19:00 - 21:30 (America/Chicago) | on Facebook Live
We hope you’ll join us on Facebook Live on Wednesday, May 13th at 7pm for the 2nd informal reading of Zelda! Zelda! by Prattville, Alabama’s own Marianne M. Weber. The play had its first reading on February 24 and the playwright has reworked the script based on the feedback she received. This is a unique opportunity to see a script in development come to life and provide constructive feedback for the playwright.
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The boys stood outside Zelda’s bedroom window calling, “Zelda! Come out, Zelda!” Lured by the promise of romance and fun, she crawled out her bedroom window to join them. Thus began Zelda Sayre’s waltz into the world of dazzling parties and the generation’s greatest artists. She became the ultimate flapper and an exciting artist in her own right.This beautiful, talented young woman hitched her rising star to the famous F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the two lived for years in a bubble of glitz, glamour, wealth and excitement. Later, while Scott struggled to maintain his status as a successful author, Zelda struggled to maintain her sanity. Zelda! Zelda! dramatizes the life of this vivacious, talented, troubled woman who is recognized today as the face of the Jazz Age.
***
Nora’s Salon South Online: Zelda! Zelda!
Wednesday, May 13th at 7pm
on Facebook Live
hosted by Kristy Meanor on the Wetumpka Players Depot Facebook page

Suggested donation: $10 to Nora’s Playhouse or Wetumpka Players Depot

The Nora Salon on ZOOM: Cowboys Are Waiting For Me in Montana
2020-06-24 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | AL
We can’t yet gather in person for any theatre, so we are turning our postponed salon reading of Leah Kornfield Friedman’s Cowboys Are Waiting For Me In Montana (originally scheduled for 3/20) into a virtual gathering happening Wednesday, June 24th! We hope you will join us online for an informal reading and some friendly conversation on ZOOM!

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It’s the 4th of July. It is also the 45th wedding anniversary of Bride and Groom. When Groom comes home to reveal that he has been fired, Bride panics. But the couple decides to uphold their annual tradition anyway and journey through “The Notebook.” This detailed record of milestones and the wild range of emotions that has accompanied their decades long marriage, reveals Bride’s frustrations with her role as a wife and mother and her unquenchable thirst for change, adventure, and escape. Witness the “flotsam and jetsam” of Bride and Groom’s lives in Leah Kornfeld Friedman’s Beckett-esque one act, Cowboys Are Waiting For Me in Montana.
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The Nora Salon:
Cowboys Are Waiting For Me In Montana
Wednesday, June 24th at 7pm
online on ZOOM
Please email reservations@norasplayhouse.org to add your name to the guest list and receive the Zoom link for this online reading.

Barlow Reading: Leah Barsanti's "The Almost Emperor of the Unofficial Deestrick of Lake Michigan"
2020-10-26 19:00 - 2020-10-28 21:30 (America/New_York) | Episcopal Actors’ Guild, 1 East 29th St., 2nd Floor, Guild Hall, New York, NY, 10016, United States
Nora’s Playhouse and our fellow women-in-theatre-focused nonprofit History Matters/Back to the Future are proud to present a staged reading of Leah Barsanti’s Judith Barlow Award-winning play:
The Almost Emperor of the Unofficial Deestrick of Lake Michigan
It is the 1920s in Chicago, and The District of Lake Michigan is thriving. Led by Cap and Ma Streeter, the lakefront plot of land that houses the District is occupied by a ragtag group of Chicagoans living outside the law. They have been allowed to live there, pretty much undisturbed, for decades, but now they are in the way of millionaire Potter Palmer’s master plan to expand his holdings onto Lake Shore Drive. Not one to do his own dirty work, Palmer sends puppets (Sargeant O’Malley and N.A. Warpbank) to remove Streeter and his followers from the land once and for all.
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Leah Barsanti, winner of the 2020 Judith Barlow Prize
The Judith Barlow Prize is awarded by History Matters/Back to the The Future annually to a student playwright for an exceptional one-act play inspired by the work of an historic female playwright. The student winner of the prize receives a $2,500 award and a reading of their work in New York City, with a $500 award to the participating professor of the course in which the inspiring play was taught. Leah Barsanti of Northwestern University was inspired by Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun and sponsored by Professor Roxane Heinze-Bradshaw.
This is Nora’s Playhouse’s first year collaborating with History Matters/Back to the The Future to produce a reading of the Barlow Award winning piece.
The reading will be held at 7:00pm on Monday, April 20, 2020 at the Episcopal Actors’ Guild (1 East 29th Street, NYC 10016). The reading will be followed by a talkback and a brief wine and cheese reception.

Hot Pink Party!
2022-05-21 18:30 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Mission House, 461 South Court Street, Montgomery, AL, 36104, United States
The women of Nora’s Playhouse invite you to attend our HOT PINK PARTY featuring Food, Fun, and Cocktails, plus a Silent Auction!

Put on your best ‘haute’ pink, black, or white couture and join us on

SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2022 from 6:30-9:00PM
at THE MISSION HOUSE
(461 S. Court Street, Montgomery, AL)

Support Nora’s Playhouse in Montgomery!
Support Women Theatre Artists!

TICKETS: $80.00

Costumes encouraged!

Nora’s Playhouse is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Every contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

"Ashes & Ink" Open Call Auditions
2022-06-29 18:30 (America/Chicago) | St. John’s Episcopal Church, 113 Madison Avenue, Montgomery, AL, 36104, United States
Open Call Auditions for Nora’s Playhouse world-premiere production of Ashes & Ink by Martha Pichey will take place Wednesday, June 29 at 6:30pm at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 113 Madison Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama. Callbacks will be the evening of Thursday, June 30. We encourage actors of ALL ethnicities to audition!
All the details are below…

About the Project: Ashes & Ink is a stirring story about grief, addiction, and a mother’s love. This is a paid, non-Equity production. There is adult subject matter and profanity in the script.
Roles to be Cast:
QUINN: 20, Molly’s son, passionate and charismatic, insecure
LEO: A widower, late 40s, attentive and thoughtful, honest
FELIX: Leo’s son, 7, spirited and curious, watchful
BREE: Molly’s sister, 40, level-headed and driven, blind since age of 7
*The role of MOLLY (a widow in her 40s) has already been cast
What to Bring with you to the Audition: A prepared monologue is not necessary. Auditions will be cold readings of sides from Ashes & Ink, as well as group scene work with the director, Caroline Reddick Lawson (Artistic Director of Nora’s Playhouse). Please bring a headshot. (If you don’t have a headshot, we will accept a photo cropped to clearly show your face, or we will take a snapshot of you at the audition.)
Rehearsal/Performance Schedules and Locations: Rehearsals will be scheduled on nights and weekends, August 17 – September 21, in the Cloverdale area (exact location TBD). Performances will be September 22 – October 2 at The Sanctuary (432 Goldthwaite St., Montgomery, AL).
Rate: $600 flat
Need more info? If you are interested in auditioning and would like more information, please contact Caroline Reddick Lawson at 646-246-2490 or caroline.lawson@norasplayhouse.org.

ASHES & INK, a play in two acts by Martha Pichey--PREVIEW PERFORMANCE
2022-09-22 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | The Sanctuary, 432 Goldthwaite Street, Montgomery, AL, 36104, United States
ASHES & INK, a play in two acts
by Martha Pichey
Directed by Caroline Reddick Lawson
A stirring story about grief, addiction, and a mother’s love.
Molly’s son is a talented actor who is preparing for an audition to a prestigious drama school. He is also a recovering addict. Can he beat his addiction and get into drama school at the same time? And can Molly’s relationships survive his anger?
Tickets available now at Ticketstripe.
Box office will open at 6pm on evenings and 1pm for matinees.
A limited number of tickets will be available at the door. (No Cash. Checks and Venmo only.)
Made possible in part by a grant from Alabama State Council on the Arts.

ASHES & INK, a play in two acts by Martha Pichey--OPENING NIGHT PERFORMANCE
2022-09-23 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | The Sanctuary, 432 Goldthwaite Street, Montgomery, AL, 36104, United States

ASHES & INK, a play in two acts by Martha Pichey
2022-09-24 19:00 - 21:00, 2022-09-29 19:00 - 21:00, 2022-09-30 19:00 - 21:00, 2022-10-01 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | The Sanctuary, 432 Goldthwaite Street, Montgomery, AL, 36104, United States

ASHES & INK, a play in two acts by Martha Pichey
2022-09-25 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | The Sanctuary, 432 Goldthwaite Street, Montgomery, AL, 36104, United States
ASHES & INK, a play in two acts
by Martha Pichey
Directed by Caroline Reddick Lawson
A stirring story about grief, addiction, and a mother’s love.
Molly’s son is a talented actor who is preparing for an audition to a prestigious drama school. He is also a recovering addict. Can he beat his addiction and get into drama school at the same time? And can Molly’s relationships survive his anger?
There will be a post-show discussion with Playwright and Director after this matinee performance.
Tickets available now at Ticketstripe.
Box office will open at 6pm on evenings and 1pm for matinees.
A limited number of tickets will be available at the door. (No Cash. Checks and Venmo only.)
Made possible in part by a grant from Alabama State Council on the Arts.

ASHES & INK, a play in two acts by Martha Pichey--STUDENT PERFORMANCE
2022-09-28 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | The Sanctuary, 432 Goldthwaite Street, Montgomery, AL, 36104, United States
Are you looking for a meaningful language experience for your class? Something to spark discussions and something to write about? Book your seats today for the world-premiere production of
ASHES & INK, a play in two acts
by Martha Pichey
Directed by Caroline Reddick Lawson
A stirring story about grief, addiction, and a mother’s love.
Molly’s son is a talented actor who is preparing for an audition to a prestigious drama school. He is also a recovering addict. Can he beat his addiction and get into drama school at the same time? And can Molly’s relationships survive his anger?
Student performance reservations include an enrichment packet that will provide materials to prepare your students for the performance.
Please be aware that the play contains adult language and subject matter.
Seats for this FREE student performance will be assigned on a first come, first served basis. Reservations are required.
Send your reservation for ASHES & INK to reservations@norasplayhouse.org. Please include the number of student tickets needed as well as the number of adult chaperone tickets needed.
For more information contact Lil Martin at (334) 868-9933.
Made possible in part by a grant from Alabama State Council on the Arts.

ASHES & INK, a play in two acts by Martha Pichey--FINAL PERFORMANCE
2022-10-02 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | The Sanctuary, 432 Goldthwaite Street, Montgomery, AL, 36104, United States

Nora's Salon South: "Françoise"
2023-06-26 19:00 - 21:30 (America/Chicago) | Hosted by Caroline Reddick Lawson, Montgomery, AL, 36106, United States
Thank you for your patience, everyone, as we worked to reschedule our salon reading of Françoise. We have a new date and hope to see all of our Alabama folks there!
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Our next gathering of Nora’s Salon South in Montgomery, Alabama is Monday, June 26th! We hope you’ll join us for a glass of wine, friendly conversation, and an informal reading of Françoise by friend of Nora’s, Suzanne Trauth (Rehearsing Desire, La Fonda).
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Françoise Bollinger is eighty and ill. Confronted with her mortality, she is frightened to die with a terrible sin on her conscience. While grappling with her past to find forgiveness for her actions, she relives the summer of 1944 in Nice, France. Françoise remembers studying dance with one of Isadora Duncan’s protégées; falling in love with Christian, a young German soldier, sharing his passion for the poetry of Rilke and sharing her passion for dance. Now sixty years later, as she faces the end of her life, Françoise conjures up Christian, Isadora Duncan, and a younger version of herself, struggling to navigate between the two worlds of past and present. A compassionate doctor and troubled granddaughter are her only companions as she searches for the redemption she needs before dying.
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Nora’s Salon South: Françoise
Monday, June 26th at 7pm
in Cloverdale, Montgomery, AL
hosted by Caroline Reddick Lawson

SPACE IS LIMITED. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED.
Please email us at reservations@norasplayhouse.org with the subject “RSVP for 6/26 Salon South” to add your name to the guest list. You will receive the exact street address when your reservation is confirmed.
Suggested donation: $10

Nora's Salon South: "Uncovered" + "She Started with a Beetle"
2023-08-29 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Hosted in Cloverdale, Montgomery, AL, 36106, United States
Our next gathering of Nora’s Salon South in Montgomery, Alabama is August 29th! We hope you’ll join us for a glass of wine, friendly conversation, and informal readings of two one-act plays: Uncovered by Laura King and She Started With a Beetle by friend of Nora’s Martha Pichey (Ashes & Ink).
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Uncovered by Laura King
At their monthly book club meetings, a group of women come together to share their connections with classic literature. As the women share their favorite books, they begin to see what they have not only lost but also found during their lifetimes. But most of all, they learn that the strength and spirit of a community of women can lift you up when you are closest to the ground.
She Started With a Beetle by Martha Pichey
After a slew of failed relationships, Ashley seeks help from Animal Wisdom, a company that helps people learn relationship skills with unconventional animal/human pairings. Through hilarious pairings with beetles, octopi, and albatrosses, Ashley and other clients attempt to improve their intimacy issues and find lasting love
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Nora’s Salon South:
Uncovered + She Started with a Beetle
Tuesday, August 29th at 7pm
in Cloverdale, Montgomery, AL
SPACE IS LIMITED. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED.
Please email us at reservations@norasplayhouse.org with the subject “RSVP for 8/29 Salon South” to add your name to the guest list. You will receive the exact street address when your reservation is confirmed.
Suggested donation: $10

Nora's Salon South: "She Boots"
2023-11-16 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Hosted in Downtown Montgomery, Monroe Street, Montgomery, Alabama, 36104, United States
Our next gathering of Nora’s Salon South in Montgomery, Alabama is November 16th! We hope you’ll join us for a glass of wine, friendly conversation, and informal reading of She Boots by Janice A. Farringer.

Nora’s Salon South: She Boots by Janice A. Farringer directed by Jackie Viskup

Thursday, November 16th at 7pm in Downtown Montgomery, AL

In She Boots, eleven older women speak to the audience about their military service, the difficulties and victories. Flashbacks provide glimpses into their younger lives. The play is based on multiple oral histories the playwright gathered of women who were in the military at a pivotal time – the late 1970s.

In 1978, the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) was dissolved in favor of integrating women into the regular forces. I began trying to save these veteran’s stories in 2004. When these interviews were done, the women were in their 60s and 70s remembering a time most had never been asked about. While women warriors have now been in the services for decades, these heroes opened those doors by teeth grinding grit and perseverance, dealing with misogyny the best they could.
-Janice A. Farringer, Captain, US Army JAG Corps, 1977-1980

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SPACE IS LIMITED. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. Please email us at reservations@norasplayhouse.org with the subject “RSVP for 11/16 Salon South” to add your name to the guest list. You will receive the exact street address when your reservation is confirmed.

Suggested donation: $10

Content warning: Contains references to sexual assault

Nora's Salon South: "They Must be Women Now!"
2024-02-12 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Hosted by The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S Court Street, Montgomery, AL, 36104, United States
Our next gathering of Nora’s Salon South in Montgomery, Alabama is February 12th! We hope you’ll join us for a glass of wine, friendly conversation, and informal reading of They Must be Women Now! by Nedra Pezold Roberts (Wash, Dry, Fold).
Nora’s Salon South: They Must Be Women Now!
by Nedra Pezold Roberts
directed by Jacqueline Trimble
Monday, February 12th at 7pm
at The NewSouth Bookstore (105 S Court Street)
in Downtown Montgomery, AL
They must be women now. A forceful command and an ominous threat. Why do women have to be confined in order to learn their place in society? And how many kinds of prisons have they endured over the ages? Social, economic, religious, political restraints—to name only a few—have restricted women’s growth and empowerment, but toward what end? In a contemporary genesis of Euripides’ Antigone, a family of Southern women struggle to discern what needs to be buried, to understand the difference between the impulse to hide from pain and the strength to lay that pain to rest. These women are shaped by their time, their culture, and their individual journeys. It is their job and their lot to discover themselves—and become women now.
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SPACE IS LIMITED. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. Please email us at reservations@norasplayhouse.org with the subject “RSVP for 2/12 Salon South” to add your name to the guest list.
Suggested donation: $10

Nora's Salon South: "The Backup Planner"
2024-05-30 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Hosted in a private home in Cloverdale, Montgomery, AL, 36106
Our next gathering of Nora’s Salon South in Montgomery, Alabama is May 30th! We hope you’ll join us for a glass of wine, friendly conversation, and informal reading of Lou Clyde’s The Backup Planner.

Nora’s Salon South: The Backup Planner
by Lou Clyde
Thursday, May 30th at 7:00pm
in Cloverdale, Montgomery, AL

The Backup Planner is the story of single mother Jan who holds high aspirations for her high school daughter, Sophie. Jan, who is grieving from the death of her own mother, wants Sophie to go to college, while college is the last thing on Sophie’s mind. Jan creates a backup plan for Sophie by applying to college for her. Jan’s best friend Keisha also needs a backup plan since a traditional path to motherhood is not working for her. The Backup Planner is the story of three strong independent women whose goals and aspirations share a common thread.

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SPACE IS LIMITED. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. Please email us at reservations@norasplayhouse.org with the subject “RSVP for 5/30 Salon South” to add your name to the guest list.

Suggested donation: $10

Nora's Salon South: "Laws of the Universe"
2024-10-15 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | AL
Our next gathering of Nora’s Salon South in Montgomery, Alabama is Tuesday, October 15th! We hope you’ll join us for a glass of wine, friendly conversation, and informal reading of Laws of the Universe by friend of Nora’s Suzanne Trauth (Françoise, Rehearsing Desire, La Fonda).
Laws of the Universe by Suzanne Trauth
Tuesday, October 15th at 7pm
in downtown Montgomery, AL
Astrophysicist Dr. Stella loves her work at the planetarium’s science education program—teaching young students about the laws of the universe in fun and practical ways, sharing her love of the stars and black holes. However, a health crisis forces her to face her past, including her responsibility for the child she left behind years ago. Life for Stella and her wife Bree gets complicated when that abandoned child is hired as a visiting professor in environmental education. Coming face-to-face with her daughter Zoe is both heart-rending and exciting: an opportunity to mentor a rising star in her field and to make up for the sins of her past.
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SPACE IS LIMITED. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. Please email us at reservations@norasplayhouse.org with the subject “RSVP for 10/15 Salon South” to add your name to the guest list. The exact address of the reading will be sent to you after you have RSVP’d.
Suggested donation: $10

Nora's Salon South: "Back Porch Play"
2026-01-15 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Hosted by The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S Court Street, Montgomery, AL, 36104, United States
Our next gathering of Nora’s Salon South in Montgomery, Alabama is January 15th! We hope you’ll join us for a glass of wine, friendly conversation, and informal reading of Back Porch Play by Adrian Lee Bush.

Back Porch Play by Adrian Lee BushThursday, January 15th at 7pmat The NewSouth Bookstore (105 S Court Street)in Downtown Montgomery, AL

Maribelle Johnston is on her death bed and her four children have been called to her bedside to say their goodbyes. Will they all come as asked? Will they run out of time to say goodbye? And how will the urgency and their new life circumstances dredge up long-hidden family secrets?

Playwright Adrian Lee Bush is currently obtaining her MFA in Playwriting at Hollins University Playwright’s Lab. She has penned and staged nine full-length shows in Alabama, most of them plays with music. Adrian is also a director, dramaturg, performer, diploma-carrying intimacy choreographer, and certified actor combatant. She earned her BFA in Theatre Studies from Niagara University and spent eight thrilling years performing in Los Angeles, where she co-founded a nonprofit theatre company, Above the Curve, and performed with the Satin Dollz. Adrian is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and the Dramatists Guild.

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SPACE IS LIMITED. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. Please email us at reservations@norasplayhouse.org with the subject “RSVP for 1/15 Salon South” to add your name to the guest list.

Suggested donation: $10
