Mary Jane
August 31 - September 16, 2023
Written by Amy Herzog
Directed by Beulah Vega
Pulitzer-prize-winning playwright Amy Herzog paints an indelible picture of a woman facing down overwhelming obstacles, armed only with profound love for her son.
Mary Jane is a single mother of a chronically ill young child, forced to tackle an intractable healthcare system while struggling to hold down a job and pay the bills. She finds connection in the community of women around her as she fights against all the odds to retain optimism in the universe.
Described as “must-see theatre for anyone with a heart” (Variety), “Mary Jane” won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play in 2018. The show features an all-women cast, many of whom play dual roles that highlight the truths and deceptions we tell each other and ourselves in this tender, heartbreaking drama.
Cast
Cast
Caitlin Strom-Martin - Mary Jane
Mary DeLorenzo - Ruthie/Tenkei
Mercedes Murphy - Sherry/Dr. Toros
Sarah Dunnavant - Brianne/Chaya
Lexus Fletcher - Amelia/Kat
Jess Headington - Understudy
Production Team
Director - Beulah Vega
Producing Artistic Director - David Yen
Stage Manager - Kayla Hewson
Assistant Stage Manager - Basil Weber
Props - Vicki Martinez
Costumer - Serena Elize Flores
Lighting Designer - April George
Sound Designer - Ryan Severt
Set Designer - Beulah Vega
Playwright
Amy Herzog
Amy Herzog’s plays include Mary Jane (New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award), 4000 Miles (Pulitzer Prize Finalist, Obie Award for Best New American Play), After the Revolution (New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award) and Belleville (Drama Desk Award nominee).
She received the Benjamin H. Danks Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Amy teaches playwriting at the David Geffen School of Drama.
Director
Beulah Vega
Beulah Vega is a published political poet, horror writer, and overworked theater artist. She is not often allowed to write her own bios as she has difficulty taking herself seriously. Fortunately, she surrounds herself with actual artists who mask her wackiness, and she is forever indebted to them. This is the first play under her direction at Left Edge. Most recently she directed The Beard of Avon at Cloverdale Performing Arts Center and her production company Heroines Harpies and Harlots: a Woman Speaks was part of the Bay Area WTF. She would like to thank her cats Bebop and Rocksteady for being such jerks that she needed an excuse to leave the house.