Gracie Gardner's ATHENA Returns To JACK

The Hearth (Artistic Directors Julia Greer and Emma Miller) will present a special return engagement of their production of ATHENA, written by Gracie Gardner (American Playwriting Foundation's 2017 Relentless Award for Pussy Sludge) and directed by Emma Miller (NYIT nominated director of For Annie) at JACK (505 ½ Waverly Avenue between Fulton and Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn) September 5-16. Performances will be on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 3pm & 7pm, and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets ($20 under 30; $20 general admission) will be available at www.jackny.org starting July 1. The original production, which ran February 15-March 24, 2018, was a New York Times Critics Pick and a Theatre is Easy Best Bet.

Mary Wallace and Athena are brave, and seventeen, and fencers, and training for the Junior Olympics. They practice together, they compete against each other, they spend their lives together. They wish they were friends.

The original cast will return including Abby Awe (Bound in Love at The Brick; Gobstopper at The Tank) and Julia Greer (Nurse Sluts at The Tank's LadyFest; For Annie with The Hearth) with Set Design by Emmie Finckel (Riot Antigone at La MaMa), Costume Design by Dara Affholter (Costume Shop Intern at New York Theatre Workshop), Sound Design by Z Worthington, Lighting Design by Victoria Bain (Assistant Designer on Orange Julius at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater), Property Design by Jess Cummings, and Production Stage Manager Hanako Rodriguez.

Gracie Gardner (Playwright) is a Brooklyn-based writer. Her work as a playwright has been developed and seen at the Bridge Residency, Naked Angels, Tripeg Lobo, SubCulture, the Kraine Theater, Mason Holdings, the Flea, Hearth Gods, Adaptive Arts, Tiny Rhino, the Secret Theater, 24 Hour Plays: Nationals, YES NOISE, Collaborative Arts Mobility Project, the Queens Theater, and Core Artist Ensemble. Her credits include Pussy Sludge (HERE Arts Center, Sanctuary, Less Than Rent), Primary (Project Playwright Award, Sanguine Theater Company, IRT Theater), IndianapolisAlyssa1985 Is Getting Married (Dixon Place, WorkShop Theater, MITF), Very Dumb Kids (Cincinnati Conservatory), Human Resources (James E. Michael Award), and Manning Manning Manning (Horn Gallery Grant). She is a proud member of the Obie-winning group EST / Youngblood and she is an alum of the Tank's TV Pilot Development Group and Project Y's Playwright Group. Her work as a filmmaker has been seen in the UK Screen One International Film Festival, Citizen Jane Festival, the PIT, Brooklyn Vegan, the Deli, No Fear of Pop, Gumball Mag, Juice, and Elle. www.graciegardner.com

EMMA MILLER (Director) is a director, writer, and educator. Her work has been seen at JACK, South Oxford Space, The 999 Festival, Queens Theatre, The Tank, Dixon Place, 440 Studios, The Bridge Residency, Lucid Body House, Cincinnati Fringe/KNOW Theatre, and Kenyon College. She has assisted at Queens Theatre, Dobama Theatre, Notre Dame College, and the Kenyon Playwrights Conference. Emma received the Thomas Turgeon Memorial Prize for Achievement in Direction twice for her work on A Steady Rain and Gidion's Knot, and was nominated for a New York Innovative Theatre Award for her direction of For Annie. Emma was a Fellow in the Artistic Department at Playwrights Horizons. She is co-artistic director of The Hearth and is an alumna of Kenyon College and of the National Theater Institute - Advanced Directing. www.emmamillerdirector.com

THE HEARTH tells the stories of women. We nurture and celebrate female and non-binary artists (playwrights, directors, actors, and designers) and develop plays that represent the complex and vast spectrum of womanhood. The Hearth produces plays that explore female characters who pulse with emotional, intellectual, and psychological complexity. We seek to challenge stereotypes, advance and complicate the conversation about feminism, and expand perceptions of what it means to be a woman. We are committed to making room for the next generation of female artists in the landscape of the American theater. www.thehearththeater.com

Photo: Abby Awe and Julia Greer
Photo credit: Mike Edmonds