Tennessee Playwrights Studio presents ‘That Woman — The Monologue Show’ at the Elgin Fringe Fest
On Sept. 26-29, Tennessee Playwrights Studio will be bringing its 60-minute festival version of “That Woman — The Monologue Show” to the Elgin Fringe Festival with five local Chicago-area actors.
The show will take place at Light Lounge at Vern’s, 77 S. Riverside Drive in Elgin. Show times are: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Friday, 9 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday. Schedule and tickets can be found at www.elginfringefestival.com.
The history you didn’t learn in school. Broken dreams. Deportation. Murder. Courage. Resilience. “That Woman — The Monologue Show” is a series of stories imagined from the perspectives of women involved with President John F. Kennedy — stories that in the past have often have been dismissed or deliberately silenced, including those of Ellen Rometsch, Blaze Starr, Mimi Alford, Mary Pinchot Meyer, Judith Exner and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Co-created by Molly Breen, director of Tennessee Playwright Studios and Angela Gimlin, chief operating officer of Inebriated Shakespeare Theater Company, along with eight fellow Nashville playwright/actors, the full production of this work originally premiered at the Darkhorse Theater in 2022 — in tandem with “That Woman — The Dance Show” — and was acclaimed by critics and audiences alike.
The 60-minute festival version of the show will be coming to the Elgin Fringe Festival, with Breen directing and playing Mimi Alford alongside five local Chicago-area actors, including: Felicia Brown as Ellen Rometsch, Theresa Weiss as Blaze Starr, Alexandra Manusich as Mary Pinchot Meyer, Sydney Rene Cox as Judith Exner, and Japo Parcero as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. See all actor bios at tnplaywrights.org/that-woman-fringe-tour.
The 2024 Fringe Tour for “That Woman — The Monologue Show” began at KC Fringe, with additional stops scheduled for Minnesota Fringe, St. Lou Fringe, Rochester Fringe, Philadelphia Fringe and Charm City Fringe.
Nominated for three Nashville First Night Awards, including Outstanding Original Work, Play and Ensemble, and winner of the National Artist of the Year (Molly Breen) at St. Lou Fringe Festival, “That Woman — The Monologue Show” will provide a fascinating night of theater that will have audiences discussing long after the curtain falls.
“I’m so thrilled to bring this show to the Northwest suburbs,” said co-creator, director, producer and actor Molly Breen.
“I grew up in Arlington Heights, and my first role there was in 1977, as part of the musical ‘Oliver!’ with the Best off-Broadway Players, a community theater company in Palatine,” Breen said. “So it is especially exciting to bring a show from my Nashville theater company back to the area where I first experienced theater as a child. The Chicago area has such a wealth of acting talent, and I am so lucky to be able to work with Chicago-area actors to bring the stories of these women to life.”
Learn more at tnplaywrights.org/that-woman-fringe-tour, facebook.com/TNplaywrights/ or instagram.com/tennessee.playwrights.studio