Aurora Theatre Company Presents Joan Didion's THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING

Aurora Theatre Company closes its dynamic 27th season with a poignant adaptation of Joan Didion's memoir, THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING. Nancy Carlin (A Life In The Theatre, The Second Man) will direct Stacy Ross (Leni, Hedda Gabler, Gidion's Knot) in a solo performance.

THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING runs June 21 - July 21 (Opens: June 27)

In this dramatic adaptation of her critically lauded, National Book Award-winning memoir, Joan Didion transforms the story of the sudden unexpected loss of her husband, novelist John Gregory Dunne, and the illness of their daughter, Quintana, into a stunning one-woman play. In her grief, Didion found herself living inside self-protective delusions in the form of "magical thinking," for she knows if she falls into the "vortex" of reality, she will be lost. Bringing her trademark style of cool observation, along with a personal and heartbreaking story, Joan Didion has crafted a singularly moving, theatrical experience.

Joan Didion is an award-winning American journalist and writer known for her novels, screenplays, plays, and memoirs. A graduate of UC Berkeley, Didion helped popularize modern "new journalism" or literary nonfiction through her often detailed and personal narratives.

Nancy Carlin returns to Aurora, where she has directed A Life in the Theatre and The Second Man. Most recently, her Aurora credits acting credits include The How and The Why and The Monster-Builder. A former company member of the American Conservatory Theater and an associate artist with California Shakespeare Theater, Carlin has directed and performed extensively in regional theaters, including A.C.T., Berkeley Rep, TheatreWorks, Shotgun Players, Cal Shakes, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. A theatre arts lecturer for UC Berkeley and San Jose State University, a dialect coach, writer, and producer, Carlin holds a BA from Brown University and an MFA from A.C.T.

Carlin directs Stacy Ross in this poignant one-hander.

Stacy Ross is happy to return to Aurora after last appearing in Leni by Sarah Greenman. Other stints at the Aurora include A Kind of Alaska, Hedda Gabler, Man of Destiny and Gidion's Knot. Locally she has also been seen at Cal Shakes, SF Playhouse, Custom Made, A.C.T, Berkeley Rep, Playground and San Jose Rep.

The creative team for THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING includes Kent Dorsey--Set; Valera Coble--Costumes; Kurt Landisman--Lighting; and Cliff Caruthers--Sound.