MURDERESS Comes to Gamut Theatre

Gamut Theatre's Stage Door Series presents Murderess by Anne Bertram opening January 18, 2019 at Gamut Theatre in downtown Harrisburg.

In Murderess, six notorious killers from American history -- Laura Fair, Ma Hossack, Celia Bryan, Jane Toppan, Belle Gunness, and Lizzie Borden - welcome you into their space to reveal their secrets in a suite of monologues written and woven together by Anne Bertram. Each woman offers her version of events, illuminating some of the most infamous serial murders in early modern America. Portrayals in the press, the courts, and in local legend will be challenged or confirmed, leaving audiences to decide what is true and what is folklore. The women's accounts are at turns emotionally compelling, terrifying, and darkly comedic, revealing powerful, thought-provoking, and mysterious truths about their actions and the ages in which they lived.

Murderess features a cast of seven women including Lisa Weitzman, Amber Wagner Mann, Karen Ruch, Jess Ross, Kelli Kauterman, Francesca Amendolia, and Alexis Dow Campbell. Each monologue has a different director. Directors include Amber Wagner Mann, Kelli Kauterman, Gabriella DeCarli, Francesca Amendolia, Tara Herweg-Mann, Karen Ruch, and Brianna Dow. This collaboration of so many talented women is a special treat for everyone involved. "Working with a cast and crew of mostly women is always a special experience. I am excited to tell these stories from the female perspective. Something that was next to impossible when these incidents took place." Amber Wagner-Mann

Director, Francesca Amendolia said "The opportunity to collaborate with so many talented women was what first drew me to the project. As we work, I grow more and more excited to share these stories with an audience and in so doing, in some small way, amplify the voices of women who turn to violence because they have no other voice in this world."

During the run of "Murderess," Gamut Theatre will be collecting books to donate to the Women's Prison Book Project. Books must be paperback and in good condition. Any books are welcome, but we are particularly looking for dictionaries, basic math and algebra textbooks, GED textbooks, fiction and non-fiction by African-American writers, contemporary books in Spanish, true crime books, vampire books, books on women's health, self-help books, books on chemical dependency recovery

Books may be new or used, but must be paperback and in good condition. Bring a book to a performance of "Murderess" to receive one free raffle ticket for a gift basket, donated by the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop!

Murderess opens on January 18, 2019 and continues through January 27, 2019 with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets to the performance are bring your own price, where any size donation buys your admission. The performances will be held in the Brand New Alexander Grass Second Stage at Gamut Theatre located at 15 N. 4th Street in downtown Harrisburg. The box office and bar will open one hour prior to the performance. Following the performances, there will be a talkback featuring a different guest speaker each performance.