Theatre Nova to Stage World Premiere of KATHERINE

Theatre Nova, an Ann Arbor company that focuses exclusively on new and recent plays, will premiere "Katherine," a new comedy about mothers and daughters by playwright Kim Carney this May.

In "Katherine" Carney brings her signature blend of offbeat comedy and feminine insight as five generations of mothers and daughters tell their interconnected stories, consisting of monologues spanning the years 1905 to 2017, from the hilarious to the sublime. As the members of this line of indomitable - yet very different - women migrate from rural Georgia to suburban Detroit, each faces her own personal crisis, from abandonment to unemployment, to alcoholism. Will they forge ahead, or be compelled to repeat the patterns of the past? "Katherine" is a moving testament to the grit, endurance, and humor of five remarkable women.

Kim Carney's work has appeared throughout Michigan and across the country. Michigan audiences will remember her feminist comedy "The War Since Eve" (Wilde Award: Best New Play) which had an extended run at Performance Network Theatre, as well as "Moonglow" (Best New Play: Ann Arbor News and Lansing State Journal) and "The Home Team" (American Theatre Critics Steinberg Award nominee) which also premiered there. Kim's plays "Nooner", "Only Me and You" and "Labor Day" were produced at the Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea.

Melissa Beckwith plays four generations of Katherine's, distinctive both in personality and in nicknames, going by Katherine, Kitty, Kathy, and Kate. David Wolber directs Beckwith. "Katherine" was workshopped last year at Theatre Nova's Michigan Playwright festival.

"Irrational" will run May 20th - June 12th in the Yellow Barn (410 W. Huron, Ann Arbor), a downtown performance space that also hosts musicians and classes. Theatre Nova features free parking for patrons as well as quick access to the city's restaurants, bars, bakeries and coffee shops. New patrons can find it across Huron Street from Ann Arbor's YMCA, through a parking lot entrance on the north side of the street.

Theatre Nova has marked all tickets for all performances as pay-what-you-can, with a suggested donation of $20. Visit https://www.artful.ly/store/events/8229 to purchase tickets. Members with a donation of $75 or more also receive admission to all seven season productions, every show in the New Play Readings series, and children's shows. Patrons can attain memberships by going to https://www.artful.ly/theatre-nova/store/donate