Thursday, January 25, 2007

The Play, Not the Poetry: Grace Paley


Named Vermont State Poet two years ago (ah, that haunting line, "It is the responsibility of the poet to be a woman"), Grace Paley is better known outside Vermont for her stories: vignettes that capture women's lives in intimate detail, often as they relate to protests on behalf of peace.

This evening was the opening night for a new performance drawing on those stories: STATES OF GRACE, staged by the Underground Railway Theater in Boston. Here's the skinny:

"States of Grace"

World-premiere! A new play for actors and puppets inspired by the smart, sly, funny, and moving stories of activist author Grace Paley.

Faith, a writer in a magical kitchen that becomes as animated as her imagination, seeks hope with eyes open. States of Grace is a thoughtful comedy about how to maintain optimism in a world that, as Grace Paley puts it, "threatens to drop away from us in poisonous disgust."
For show times and more detailed information... www.undergroundrailwaytheater.org or 781-643-6916.


The production runs through February 10, and on the final night there's a pre-show reception for Paley, and Howard Zinn gives a postperformance talk.

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