Kathleen Chalfant Stars in The World Premiere Of Rebecca Gilman's A WOMAN OF THE WORLD At 59E59 Theaters

59E59 Theaters presents the world premiere of A WOMAN OF THE WORLD written by Rebecca Gilman and directed by Valentina Fratti. Produced by The Acting Company in association with Miranda Theatre Company, A WOMAN OF THE WORLD begins performances on Thursday, October 24 for a limited engagement through Sunday, November 17. Tickets are available by calling the 59E59 Box Office at 646-892-7999 or by visiting www.59e59.org. The running time is 85 minutes, with no intermission.

Best known as Emily Dickinson's posthumous editor, Mabel Loomis Todd is a woman of the world. Priding herself on being an inspired conversationalist, she invited scandal by enjoying a glass of wine in mixed company, and she certainly wasn't afraid to expose her ankles in a dress.

Now in her 70s and living on Hog Island in Maine, the accomplished journalist and naturalist regales us with tales of her storied life, spilling secrets and revealing the true nature of her relationship with one of America's most celebrated poets.

Pulitzer-prize finalist Rebecca Gilman's world premiere play is brought to the stage in an insightful and impassioned tour-de-force performance by Kathleen Chalfant.

The all female-identified design team includes Cate McCrea (scenic design); Candice Donnelly (costume design); Betsy Adams (lighting design); and Margaret Montagna (sound design). The Production Stage Manager is Nina Trotto.

Rebecca Gilman's (playwright) plays include Luna Gale, A True History of the Johnstown Flood, Dollhouse, Boy Gets Girl, Spinning Into Butter, and Blue Surge (all of which were originally produced by the Goodman); Soups, Stews, and Casseroles: 1976 and The Crowd You're in With (also at the Goodman); The Glory of Living, The Sweetest Swing in Baseball, and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. Gilman is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award, The Harper Lee Award, The Scott McPherson Award, The Prince Prize for Commissioning New Work, The Roger L. Stevens Award from the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays, The Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright, The George Devine Award, The Theatre Masters Visionary Award, The Great Plains Playwright Award, a Global Connections Grant by Theatre Communications Group, an American Scandinavian Foundation Creative Writing Grant, and an Illinois Arts Council playwriting fellowship. Boy Gets Girl received an Olivier nomination for Best New Play. Gilman was named a finalist for the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for The Glory of Living. She is a member of the Council of the Dramatists Guild of America and a board member of the ACLU of Illinois. A graduate of the MFA in playwriting program from the University of Iowa, Gilman is a professor of playwriting at The Texas Tech University School of Theatre & Dance as part of its MFA and doctoral degree programs in playwriting. Gilman previously served as a faculty member at Northwestern University's competitive playwriting program, where she was awarded the Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence by the university in 2014. In 2016, she was inducted into the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame.

Valentina Fratti's (director) most recent credits include Williston by Adam Seidel. Other credits include: They Promised Her the Moon at Theatre at St Clement's; Catch the Butcher by Mr Seidel (Cherry Lane Theatre / NYT Critic's Pick); Snow Orchid; R.U.R; Howling Hilda by Anne Berlin and Andrew Bleckner with Mary Testa (York Theatre); and Jeff Daniels' Apartment 3A with Amy Landecker and Aryan Moayed. She is the founding Artistic Director of the Miranda Theatre Co where she has developed, produced or directed over 30 new full length plays. She has a long association with independent producer, Jane Harmon with whom she also developed new plays and was Associate Producer on the Broadway production of Alfred Uhry's The Last Night of Ballyhoo, which won the Tony Award for Best Play.

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