Gloucester Stage to Present the World Premiere of TALL TALES FROM BLACKBURN TAVERN

Gloucester Stage Company has announced the world premiere of TALL TALES FROM BLACKBURN TAVERN, written by John Minigan and directed by Bryn Boice. The production will open on Friday, September 1, and run through September 24 at Gloucester Stage Company's historic waterfront theater.

In celebration of Gloucester's 400+ Celebration, Gloucester Stage has commissioned TALL TALES FROM BLACKBURN TAVERN to pay homage to the City's rich folklore and vibrant history spanning over 400 years. This remarkable play brings to life legendary tales deeply rooted in Gloucester's captivating past, featuring iconic characters and events shaping the community.

Audiences can expect an epic theatrical experience as TALL TALES FROM BLACKBURN TAVERN explores the intriguing narratives surrounding the infamous Gloucester Sea Serpent, the astonishing Ghost Army thwarted by the brave Ebenezer Babson, and the enigmatic secrets of the Witches of Dogtown. Under the direction of the award-winning director, educator, actor, and producer Byrn Boice and through the imaginative use of projections and puppetry, these larger-than-life fish tales will come alive on stage, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in the magic and wonder of Gloucester's remarkable oral history. TALL TALES FROM BLACKBURN TAVERN's ensemble cast features Jaime José Hernández, Paul Melendy, Katie Pickett and Sadiyah Dyce Stephens.

"John Minigan has a knack for making historical worlds thrilling and hilarious. Pairing John with a visionary director like Bryn Boice, you should expect an unforgettable evening of storytelling that will promise to captivate audiences of all ages. This world premiere is a testament to Gloucester Stage's commitment to showcasing compelling new work that celebrates the spirit of this community and its extraordinary heritage," said Rebecca Bradshaw, the theater's Artistic Director.

"It is thrilling to see this fanciful world premiere take form onstage to celebrate Gloucester's rich oral history. The play is very engaging," shared Christopher Griffith, Managing Director of Gloucester Stage. "The audience will help this clever cast select which tales are told each night and then be completely enveloped by songs and stories that have only been whispered about in the dark corners of Cape Ann."

"I grew up on the North Shore and hiked Dogtown as a teenager, so I was particularly excited to be asked to create this play and have a reason to dig more deeply into the stories and lore of the area. The folks at the theater and the Cape Ann Museum have been really helpful and supportive throughout the process. I've loved the challenge of bringing stories that go back centuries to life for an audience in ways that are engaging, fun, sometimes frightening, and respectful to all those who came before us," shared Playwright John Minigan.

"It is exhilarating for me to be directing this specially-commissioned play based on folklore from Gloucester's singularly spooky history and working so collaboratively with John and this incredible creative team. It's an honor to be a part of the City's historic 400th celebration, said Director Bryn Boice.

TALL TALES FROM BLACKBURN TAVERN will run from Friday, September 1, to Sunday, September 24. All performances, unless noted, are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 pm, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 pm, and Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 pm at Gloucester Stage Company located at 267 East Main Street, Gloucester. Tickets are now on sale and available at GloucesterStage.com. Ages 13 +.

The 2023 Season at Gloucester Stage has been made possible by the Shubert Foundation and the Applied Materials Foundation. TALL TALES FROM BLACKBURN TAVERN is made possible with support from Susanna Natti and Alan Willsky, The Beauport Hospitality Group, and The Gloucester 400+ Celebration.

TALL TALES FROM BLACKBURN TAVERN is a commission by Gloucester Stage Company and presented by special arrangement with the Playwright.

About the Artists:

John Minigan (he/him) (Playwright) is a recent Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Fellow in Dramatic Writing and New Repertory Theatre Playwriting Fellow. His solo adaptation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow premiered at Greater Boston Stage Company in 2022 and will have its West Coast premiere in 2023. His Queen of Sad Mischance won the 2022 Judith Royer Award from Kennedy Center/ATHE, and his Noir Hamlet was an EDGE Media Best of Boston Theater 2018 selection and a 2019 Elliot Norton Outstanding New Script nominee. He has developed new work with Urban Stages, Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Portland Stage Company, Utah Shakespearean Festival, and the Great Plains Theatre Conference, and his work is included in the Best American Short Plays, Best Ten-Minute Short Plays, and other anthologies. John is affiliate faculty in Theater Education at Emerson College and serves as Dramatists Guild Ambassador for the Boston area.

Bryn Boice (she/her) (Director) is an award-winning director, educator, actor, and producer who most recently directed at Gloucester Stage the 2022 Elliot Norton Award Nominated production of Gloria. Other theater credits include: The Sound Inside (Speakeasy Stage); The Half-Life of Marie Curie (Central Square); Admissions (The Gamm Theatre); The Children (Speakeasy Stage); Universe Rushing Apart: Blue Kettle & Here We Go - two Caryl Churchill one-acts (Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Director-Large Theatre, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company/CSC; and an all-female production of Julius Caesar for Actors' Shakespeare Project. Bryn is the Associate Artistic Director of the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and Director of the CSC Academy. She teaches Dramatic Theory & Criticism, Acting III, Directing I, et al, at Salem State University. MFA Acting (FSU's Asolo Conservatory) and MFA Directing (Boston University)

Jaime José Hernández* (he/him) (Actor 2) is making his Gloucester Stage debut in Tall Tales from Blackburn Tavern. Other regional stage credits include: As You Like It (Actors Shakespeare Project); The House of Ramon Iglesia (Moonbox Productions); Sweat (Gamm Theatre); Fabulation or the re-education of Undine (Lyric Stage Company of Boston); Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company); The Arboretum Experience (American Repertory Theatre); The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Hub Theatre Company of Boston), Romeo & Juliet (Apollinaire Theatre Company) and Vicuña (Zeitgeist Stage Company). Jaime is a founding member of Teatro Chelsea.

Paul Melendy* (he/him) (Actor 4) is returning Gloucester Stage after last performing at the theater in 2019's The 39 Steps. Other previous appearances on the GSC stage include Home for the Holidays Special (2022), Adrift (2022), and Cyrano (2018). Recent area collaborations include Clue, Miss Holmes Returns, and The 39 Steps (Greater Boston Stage Company); Vanity Fair (Central Square Theater); A Christmas Carol and The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley (Merrimack Repertory Theater) and A Confederacy of Dunces (w/ Nick Offerman, Huntington Theater Company). Paul is also the recipient of the Elliot Norton Theater Award for Outstanding Solo Performance for his work in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (2022, Greater Boston Stage Company), written by Blackburn Tavern playwright John Minigan. His film credits include commercials for VistaPrint, Plymouth Rock Insurance, Suburban HVAC, or Flooring America and as Max in the first season of "Julia." His film credits include "Love, Weddings, & Other Disasters", "A Show-Stopping Christmas", "Father of the Year", "Unfinished Business", "The Makeover", and "The Pink Panther Deux".

Katie Pickett* (she/her) (Actor 1) is also making her Gloucester Stage Company debut. Her theater credits include: Clue, A Christmas Carol (Greater Boston Stage Company); Dance Nation (Apollinaire Theatre Company); Into the Breeches! - Elliot Norton Nom. (Hub Theatre Company); Head Over Heels (Umbrella Stage Company); Hot Star, Nebraska (Speakeasy Stage Company); Next to Normal (Arts After Hours), 9 to 5 and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Arlington Friends of the Drama), Falsettos (Hovey Players); Chicago (Quannapowitt Players) and Company, Merrily We Roll Along, A New Brain, She Loves Me, Nine, Songs for a New World, The Pirates of Penzance, and Sweeney Todd (The Longwood Players).

Sadiyah Dyce Stephens* (she/they) (Actor 3) an actor, dancer, writer and choreographer, is returning to Gloucester Stage after her recent GSC debut in Zora Howard's Stew. A New York City native, raised in the Bronx, Stephens holds a BFA in Contemporary Theatre at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Her other credits include Bright Half Life (Vicky), Midsummer Night's Dream (Hermia), Everybody (Usher/God/Understanding), TJ Loves Sally 4Ever (Annette), and The Wiz (Dorothy).

PERFORMANCE TIMES AND LOCATIONS:

All performances, unless noted, are Wednesday & Thursday at 7:30 pm, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 pm, and Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 pm at Gloucester Stage Company located at 267 East Main Street, Gloucester.

Tickets to the Gloucester Stage 2023 season are on sale now. Single Ticket prices range from $15 to $67. For detailed ticket information, visit www.gloucesterstage.com.

For additional information, contact The Box Office, located at 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, or can be reached at 978.281.4433 or boxoffice@gloucesterstage.com.

º Member Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) Union

*Member Actors Equity Association (AEA) Union

About Gloucester Stage Company:

Gloucester Stage Company is Boston's North Shore premier professional nonprofit theater company. Presenting professional productions of intellectually stimulating and socially relevant theater since its inception, Gloucester Stage has developed a highly engaged audience eager to experience the power of live theater. (gloucesterstage.com)

About Gloucester 400+:

Established to commemorate, celebrate, and promote knowledge of Gloucester's 400+ years of cultural, social, ethnic, and economic diversity, inspiring future generations to honor the past and work collectively to frame the future. Throughout 2023, significant programs and events will highlight Gloucester's rich history and heritage encompassing its extraordinary ethnic diversities, art and culture, remarkable industrial achievements, and stellar natural resources. (gloucesterma400.org)