The Emily Dickinson Museum presents a benefit performance
of William Luce's critically praised play, The
Belle of Amherst,with acclaimed
actress Barbara Dana at 7:00 pm, Thursday, March 11, at
the Kirby Memorial Theater at Amherst College. Based on the life of
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), the one-woman play dramatically portrays the
poet's private thoughts, desires, and fears through extensive reference to her
poetry, letters, and reminiscences of encounters with the significant people in
her life. Immediately following the performance Ms. Dana will hold a talkback
with the audience to describe how she created a portrayal of Emily Dickinson's
complex character for the stage.
Reserved seating is available for $50 per
ticket; general admission tickets are available for $25 for adults and $15 for
students. For tickets and information, contact info@emilydickinsonmuseum.org or
call 413-542-5311. Tickets are also available for purchase at A.J.
Hastings on South Pleasant Street in Amherst.
Sponsors of the March 11
performance include PeoplesBank; Blair, Cutting and Smith Insurance Agency; The
Center for Cross-Cultural Study; Elite Home Health Agency, Inc.; Jones
Properties; Jones Group Realtors; and Northampton Cooperative Bank. "Thanks to
the generous support of our business friends," said executive director Jane Wald,
"all proceeds from the production will directly benefit the Emily Dickinson Museum's
programs and operations."
Ms. Dana is dedicating the March 11
performance to actress Julie Harris who, in Dana's words, "is my acting idol
and has been since I was a girl and aspiring actress." Ms. Harris played
the title role in The Belle of Amherst when
it opened on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre on April 28, 1976. She and director Charles Nelson Reilly
brought the play to the Kirby Theater in Amherst
the same year.
Since the play's earliest
performances, it has been popular with audiences and critics alike. Critic Elliott
Norton of the Boston Herald American has written: "Wonderfully entertaining, insightful,
stirring, an endearing chronicle of a woman who lived a beautiful life in her
private mind and heart." Miss Harris won her fifth Tony Award as Best Actress
for her portrayal, and Clare Bloom won an Emmy for her London Thames television
performance. The Belle of Amherst has been translated into many
languages, with thousands of productions in the United
States, Canada
and around the world.
Barbara Dana is an award-winning
author, screenwriter, and actor both on stage and in film. Her Broadway stage
credits include Edward Albee's Who's
Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and William Inge's Where's Daddy? Ms. Dana has appeared in films and television
programs including the PBS production of An
Enemy of the People and the daytime drama As the World Turns.
A passionate reader and scholar of
Emily Dickinson, Ms. Dana is the co-editor of Wider than the Sky: Essays and Meditations on the Healing Power of
Emily Dickinson and the author of the 2009 novel for young adults, A Voice of Her Own: Becoming Emily Dickinson.
Her work as a writer gives Dana a unique perspective on portraying Dickinson
on stage: "What actor gets to study their "character" for 10 years before they
play it? What a gift!"
Directing Ms. Dana in her portrayal
of The Belle of Amherst is Austin
Pendleton, who has directed many plays on and off Broadway, including The Little
Foxes, Uncle Vanya, and Toys in
the Attic. Adirector,
playwright, and actor, Pendleton was once Barbara Dana's acting teacher, has
appeared with her in films and television, and directed her original play War in
Paramus.
The Emily Dickinson Museum,
located at 280 Main St. in Amherst, Massachusetts,
comprises the Dickinson Homestead and The Evergreens. The Museum is devoted to
the story and legacy of poet Emily Dickinson and her family. Both properties
are owned by the Trustees of Amherst College. The museum is overseen by a
separate Board of Governors charged with raising its operating and capital
funds. The Homestead was
the birthplace and residence of the poet (1830-1886). The Evergreens was the
1856 home of the poet's brother and sister-in-law, Austin and Susan Dickinson.
The official museum website is www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org.
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