MRT Presents New England Premiere Of A WOMAN OF THE WORLD

Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT) will present the New England premiere of A Woman of the World by Pulitzer Prize finalist Rebecca Gilman from May 15-30 - via video on demand only, according to Nancy L. Donahue Artistic Director Courtney Sale and Executive Director Bonnie J. Butkas. In the one-person show, New Englander Mabel Loomis Todd - best known for introducing poet Emily Dickinson to America in 1890 - regales us with tales of her sensational life, especially her 13 years with the Dickinson family.

Denise Cormier will play the title role. Her most recent New York credits include Steppenwolf Theatre Company's The Minutes on Broadway, Second Stage's Linda Vista, and Atlantic Theatre Company's Dogg's Hamlet/Cahoot's Macbeth. Her credits include more than 20 New England shows, including seven at MRT (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Boys Next Door, among others). Sale, appointed Artistic Director last March, will make her MRT debut as production director.

For tickets, contact the Enterprise Bank Box Office at 978-654-4678 or visit www.mrt.org/woman. Tickets start at $19 per household. Current MRT subscribers do not need to reserve for this show; a link will be emailed prior to the viewing period. Until the Flood is sponsored by Enterprise Bank.

"We are delighted to share A Woman of the World with MRT audiences. Mabel Loomis Todd seismically transformed American literature by bringing her friend Emily Dickinson's poems to publication. Through Emily she would make lasting impact - and Rebecca's portrait of Mabel reveals a complex and deeply feeling human whose resiliency and fortitude kept her striving and reaching all her years," said Sale. "A love letter to New England's outdoors, a celebration of Massachusetts' literary contributions to the world, and a surprisingly emotional exploration of an individual light years ahead of their era; A Woman of the World reminds us to pay attention to the beauty of the places, people, and art that hold us together across time."

Gilman's Woman of the World speaks the whole, unadulterated truth about the desires, dreams, and sometimes heartbreaking disappointments of a free spirit, who was way ahead of her time. Her plays include The Glory of Living (Pulitzer Prize finalist), Spinning into Butter, Boy Gets Girl, and the stage adaptation of The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.

Sale joined MRT as the Nancy L. Donahue Artistic Director last March just as the theatre shut down for the pandemic. Since her arrival, she has directed the readings of Gaslight by Steven Dietz and The Pill by Tom Horan (in collaboration with UMass Lowell). Prior to MRT, she served as the Artistic Director of Seattle Children's Theatre (SCT), the nation's leading generator of new work for young audiences. At SCT, she directed Black Beauty, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and The Little Prince. Recent directing projects include Tiny Beautiful Things at Seattle Rep, the world premiere of Steven Dietz's The Ghost of Splinter Cove at Children's Theatre of Charlotte, and Ellen Fairey's Support Group for Men at Contemporary American Theatre Festival.

The creative team also includes Bill Clarke, Scenic Designer (Until the Flood at MRT; A Walk in the Woods and Abby's Song on Broadway); Lee Viliesis, Costume Designer (45 Plays for 45 Presidents at MRT and the most recent national tour of Fame! The Musical); Carolina Ortiz Herrera, Lighting Designer (Until the Flood at MRT; Florencia en el Amazonas at The Shubert Theatre (CT), Navidad: A Mexican-American Christmas at The Apollo Theatre); and David Remedios, Sound Designer, whose many works at MRT include The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, The Haunted Life, Slow Food, and Women in Jeopardy!

Viliesis has been with MRT, first as Costume Shop Manager and now Production Manager, for more than 10 years. Becca Freifeld (MRT's Nina Simone: Four Women, Slow Food, Cambodian Rock Band, and more) will serve as Stage Manager and Susan Hudspeth (she/her) as Assistant Stage Manager.

Butkas said, "We're thrilled to bring the second play in our spring season to our community. Our production of A Woman of the World is a special gift to our community-a play set in New England centered on a brilliant and strong woman directed by our very own Courtney Sale with the return of the multi-talented Denise Cormier. We're grateful to all the supporters who helped us mount this spring production; we couldn't have done it without their generosity."

Additionally, MRT's Courtney Sale will interview Mabel Loomis Todd biographer Julie Dobrow on Thursday, May 27, at 7pm via Zoom. Dobrow's book, After Emily: Two Remarkable Women and the Legacy of America's Greatest Poet, follows Mabel's extraordinary life. Described by The New Yorker as a story told with "scandal and pathos abound," this discussion will dive deeper into Mabel's life and legacy.

MRT will offer two pricing options: a regular Video on Demand package, which includes an introductory video and the play at an "early bird" rate of $19 per household (regular rate $29) and a Video on Demand Ultimate package, which includes the introductory video, the play, and interviews with the artists at the "early bird" rate of $29 per household (regular rate $39).

To reserve, visit www.mrt.org/woman or for further information, contact the Enterprise Bank Box Office at 978-654-4678 or box_office@mrt.org. (The Box Office is not physically open during the pandemic.)

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