Ellen's Boys at True Repertory Theatre

Ellen’s Boys - written by James Sullivan (Braintree); directed by Donald Sheehan (Pembroke)

FEATURED PLAYERS: Victoria Bond (Plymouth), Donald Sheehan (Pembroke), Paul Noonan (Swansea), Jennifer Serowick (Scituate), Julie Butler (Pembroke), Eric McGowan (Somerville), Patrick Dean (New York City), Nikki Ready (Norwood).

DATES: Nov. 14 (7:30) & Nov. 15 (2:00 & 7:30) (3 performances)

LOCATION: Irish Cultural Centre, 200 New Boston Dr.,Canton, MA 02021

RUN TIME: 2 hours and a 15 minute intermission

TICKETS: General Admission $25.00 / ICC Members $20 / $30 at the door

Set in a working-class triple-decker home in Dorchester, Mass. in 1965, Ellen's Boys follows Ellen Flaherty - the stubborn, pushy, and interfering Flaherty matriarch in a powerful performance by Victoria Bond - as she navigates a transformative year with her three adult sons during a time of profound social change. As she fights to maintain control over her family, Ellen discovers that her boys' lives are spinning beyond her control. While she schemes to marry him off, Gil struggles to confront his sexuality in an era when such truths remain unspoken. John, a priest at the local parish, becomes enmeshed in brewing troubles that will soon shake the Catholic Church. While youngest son Michael, freshly enlisted in the army, falls for a wholly inappropriate “I-talian” girl. With no secrets safe and no boundaries respected, only their deep love for one another and their resilient sense of humor can hold the family together through the emotional upheaval that threatens to tear them apart.

About Playwright James Sullivan

Braintree playwright Jame Sullivan began writing Ellen’s Boys, a Broadway World nominee, ten years ago. The character of Ellen is based on his own Nana and the stories and relationships are semi-autobiographical. He collaborated with Donald Sheehan on an adaptation of A Christmas Carol. He has also written the plays, How I Spent My Summer Vacation and Joshua. He is currently writing several new plays. As an actor he has acted in several Massachusetts theater companies as Lenny (Rumors), Ernie (Amateurs), Scrooge (A Christmas Carol), June (Second Samuel), Jack’s Mother (Into the Woods) among others. He is an Acting Member of True Rep Theater.