Elizabeth McGoverm's AVA: THE SECRET CONVERSATIONS to Play in Chicago
The production will run from September 24-October 12, 2025 at Chicago’s historic Studebaker Theater this fall.
Following a run at The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles and NY City Center in New York, AVA: The Secret Conversations, written by and starring Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Emmy Award-nominated actress and Evanston native Elizabeth McGovern (Downton Abbey, Ordinary People, Once Upon a Time in America), will make its Chicago premiere this this fall. Based on a series of real-life interviews given by Hollywood legend Ava Gardner, the production is directed by Tony Award nominee Moritz von Stuelpnagel (Broadway: Hand to God, Present Laughter), produced by Karl Sydow (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, UK: The Last Ship, UK: Noises Off), also features Aaron Costa Ganis (TV: “Bull,” “Blue Bloods”). Step inside the world of the play with this look at McGovern as Ava Gardner.
AVA: The Secret Conversations runs September 24 – October 12, 2025 at the historic Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building.
At the height of the Golden Age of Cinema, starlet Ava Gardner sat for a series of interviews with writer Peter Evans for him to glean the juicy details about her life story, her marriages to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra, and her turbulent relationship to Howard Hughes. Initially barred from publication, Evans’ account of a bygone era was published twenty-five years later with permission from Gardner’s estate and is now reimagined on stage.
AVA: The Secret Conversations marks McGovern’s return to the Chicago area, where she previously filmed Robert Redford’s Oscar-winning film “Ordinary People.” Best known for her role as Lady Cora in the “Downton Abbey” series and films, McGovern will be seen this fall on screen in the sequel, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. She also stars in Anne Rice’s “The Talamasca” on AMC this fall.
The creative team includes David Meyer (scenic design), Toni-Leslie James (costume design), Amith Chandrashaker (lighting design), Cricket S. Myers (sound design), Alex Basco Koch (projection design), and Matthew Armentrout (wig design). The Production Stage Manager is Avery Trunko. General management is by Pemberley Productions.
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