UW-Green Bay Theatre & Dance shines light on the struggles and strength of caregivers in production of ‘Mary Jane’
Green Bay, Wis. – University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Theatre & Dance will present Amy Herzog’s “Mary Jane” October 17-19 and 23-26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Jean Weidner Theatre, Weidner Center for the Performing Arts. The production is directed by guest artist Noah Simon and performed by students from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. “Mary Jane” is a play about a single mom, Mary Jane, who is the caregiver for a 2-year-old who has multiple serious conditions including Cerebral Palsy. In her small New York apartment, Mary Jane faces the challenges put to her with extraordinary strength, compassion and what can only be described as unconditional love. Through her journey, Mary Jane develops a support system and connections with women from all walks of life.
Guest director Noah Simon, a 25-year veteran of Chicago’s storefront theatre community, describes “Mary Jane” as a play about “an existential struggle between what life could have been and what it is.” To Noah, it is also “a story about sacrifice and the strength and resiliency of a mother’s love for her child.”
Prof. Laura Riddle, Chair of the UW-Green Bay Theatre and Dance Department, felt “Mary Jane” was an important production for the theatre students to take on because it is a subject that touches the lives of so many people: “Many people struggle with the weight of being a caregiver to a loved one and this production shines a light on their struggles. It lets them know that they are not alone. And, for those who have never been a caregiver, it helps them to understand the obligations that someone takes on and why they would willingly do so.” A heart-warming and uplifting play, “Mary Jane” was the winner of the 2018 New York Drama Critic’s Circle Award for Best Play and was also the recipient of the 2018 Obie Award for Playwriting.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.weidnercenter.com and www.ticketstaronline.com, by calling Ticket Star (1-800-895-0071) or the University Ticketing & Information Center (920-465-2400), or visiting the Ticket Star Box Office at the Resch Center or the University Ticketing & Information Center, located in UW-Green Bay’s University Union. Tickets are $22 for adults in advance and $24 at the door, $17 for senior citizens and students in advance and $19 at the door. UW-Green Bay student tickets are $12. The venue box office opens 90 minutes prior to the performance. The play is recommended for ages 12 and older.
For additional information on this event, please visit www.weidnercenter.com/events/mary-jane/. For a full listing of UW-Green Bay Theatre and Dance events for the 2019-20 season, please visit www.uwgb.edu/theatre/season/calendar-of-events.
In feature photo above: Guinevere Casper as Mary Jane and Tara Jackson as Tenkei.
Guinevere Casper as Mary Jane and Alyssa Hannam as Sherry
About Jean Weidner Theatre
The Jean Weidner Theatre at the Weidner Center for the Performing Arts- a part of the Weidner Center expansion project, the Jean Weidner Theatre is a 90-seat flexible classroom and performance space for the University Performing Arts. The Jean Weidner Theatre is furnished with a dressing room, control booth and stage lighting. It is an intimate space frequently used for University Theatre Mainstage and Studio productions.
About the Weidner Center
UW-Green Bay’s Weidner Center for the Performing Arts is known for its elegant design and the acoustic excellence of its 2,000-seat main hall, Cofrin Family Hall. It also houses two smaller performance spaces, the Fort Howard recital hall and the Jean Weidner Theatre, along with a dance studio and Grand Foyer. The Center is a home for UW-Green Bay Music and Theatre and Dance productions, community events and productions, and performances by visiting artists and touring companies. The Weidner Center has a distinct benefit in being part of a leading institution of higher learning. Beyond the large-scale touring productions that grace the stage, the Weidner Center also focuses on scholastic development, programming and an impactful education series – Stage Doors. The Stage Doors Education Series serves more than17,500 students from 63 cities throughout Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula every year. For more information on the Weidner Center, visit www.WeidnerCenter.com, 920-465-2726, 800-895-0071, or follow the ‘Weidner Center for the Performing Arts’ on Facebook, Twitter (@WeidnerCenter) and Instagram (@weidnercenter).
About the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is a comprehensive public institution offering undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs to nearly 8,000 students with campus locations in Green Bay, Marinette, Manitowoc and Sheboygan. Established in 1965 on the border of Green Bay, the University and its campuses are centers of cultural enrichment, innovation and learning. The Green Bay campus is home to one of the Midwest’s most prolific performing arts centers, a nationally recognized 4,000-seat student recreation center, an award-winning nine-hole golf course and a five-mile recreational trail and arboretum, which is free and open to the public. This four-campus University transforms lives and communities through student-focused teaching and research, innovative learning opportunities, powerful connections and a problem-solving approach to education. UW-Green Bay’s main campus is centrally located, close to both the Door County resort area and the dynamic economies of Northeast Wisconsin, the Fox Valley region and the I-43 corridor. UW-Green Bay offers in-demand programs in science, engineering and technology; business; health, education and social welfare; and arts, humanities and social sciences. For more information, visit www.uwgb.edu.
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