Annalee Jefferies, Constance Shulman, and Gus Birney Will Lead THE CANNIBALS OF McGOWER COUNTY at Theaterworks Hartford
Performances will run July 30 - August 30, 2026.
TheaterWorks Hartford, under the direction of Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero and Managing Director Jeff Griffin, has announced details for the final production of its 40th anniversary season, The Cannibals of McGower County by Drew Larimore. TheaterWorks audiences will be the first to experience this world premiere production - the opening chapter of Larimore's Southern Gothic trilogy. Performances will run July 30 - August 30, 2026.
The cast is led by Annalee Jefferies whom audiences may recognize from her extensive work at Hartford Stage in The Orphans' Home Cycle (Drama Desk and Tony Award, 2010), Streetcar Named Desire, Bad Dates, Night of the Iguana, and Seascapes. The cast also includes Constance Shulman (Netflix's Orange is the New Black, and Imagining Brad, How I Learned to Drive, 'Night, Mother, and The Swan at TheaterWorks Hartford), Gus Birney (Netflix's Something Very Bad is Going to Happen, TWH debut), and Edward Hoke (TWH debut).
The creative team includes Tim Mackabee (Set Design), Alejo Vietti (Costume Design), Jiyoun Chang (Lighting Design), Bailey Trielweiler (Sound Design), Lauren Marina (Props Lead), and pau (Stage Manager).
The Cannibals of McGower County takes place in McGower County, West Texas - a ghost town lost to time. When two veteran salvagers casing an abandoned barbecue restaurant encounter an unexpected guest, sparks fly. What follows is a darkly comic reckoning that is long overdue.
“In The Cannibals of McGower County - as is the case in much Southern gothic work - beauty and rot exist in the same breath,” says playwright Drew Larimore. “This play is the beginning of a linked trilogy about the South—and more specifically, misguided Southern matriarchs. It's a homecoming for me as a writer. I don't just find solace in its cadence and humor, but an unapologetic pride of their reckoning and the wreckage left in the wake.”
“It feels especially fitting to close our landmark 40th anniversary season with the world premiere of this new work by Drew Larimore,” says TWH's Artistic Director, Rob Ruggiero. “The piece beautifully reflects our ongoing commitment to championing new voices while also welcoming back old friends and collaborators.
I'm thrilled to welcome Annalee and Connie back to TheaterWorks, while celebrating Gus and Edward as they make their TheaterWorks debut. It's a truly exciting and meaningful way to conclude this milestone season.”
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