Beth Henley’s Crimes of The Heart will be the first production of 2018 at CDC Theatre in Cranford. Warm-hearted, irreverent, zany and brilliantly imaginative, this black comedy examines the plight of three young Mississippi sisters betrayed by their passions.
In the CDC Theatre production Maeve Brady, Rebecca Dolan and Katherine Brown are the three MaGrath sisters and each offered some insights into the production. “I’m so thankful to have found a wonderful theatre community such as CDC Theatre.”, said Katherine Brown who is preparing to appear as Babe, the youngster sister who is facing trial for having shot her husband. “Crimes of The Heart appealed to me because the cast is so small and the audience can really get to know the characters. Each sister is in a different part of her life, and faces different challenges, but they all come together as a family to confront them. As the youngest sister, I feel Babe looks to her older sisters for support and for validation of her choices. She has had some hard times but strives to stand up and survive. She is stronger than she seems. I hope to bring some humor and humanity into this challenging role. I am excited to open the show and share Babe’s story. “
Rebecca Dolan steps into the role of Meg, the self-centered middle sister who ran away to Hollywood. “CDC was where I began to love theatre,” Rebecca shared recently. “My first show here was The Miracle Worker when I was 11. I was an acting major at Marymount and have worked at Paper Mill, George Street Playhouse, & Shakespeare Theatre of NJ. After earning Masters in Drama Therapy at NYU, I worked as a clinician in inpatient psychiatry. I currently work with a non-profit in the city called Enact, where we use theatre and drama therapy in NYC classrooms to provide trauma-informed social-emotional learning. I auditioned for this play because I was drawn to the concept of how these sisters have lived through trauma and difficult times, but are coming back together and figuring out how to survive and move forward. Meg’s story of returning home after a long time away and facing what she left there resonates with me personally and I know it will with our audience. It’s lovely to be in a space where people devote their time to theatre simply because they love it.”
Maeve Brady “returns” to CDC Theatre in the role of Lenny, the oldest sister who has sacrificed her life to care for the grandfather who raised them. ” I was in third grade the last time I performed on the CDC stage and I am so glad to be back! Between now and then I got a degree from Princeton where I had some of the best theatrical experiences of my life. These included helping to run a Summer Stock company where I first worked on Crimes of the Heart, also as Lenny. I am so excited to be able to do this play again. Character driven dramas are my favorite and these characters are definitely dealing with their fair share of drama. What really makes this play special is how the sisters are able to find moments of joy as they come together again. As an actor, navigating the changing relationships in the midst of all of the history these sisters have with each other is the best type of challenge.”
Rounding out the rest of the cast are Danielle Mastropiero as Chick, Joe Leo as Doc, and Zach Mazout as Barnette. The production will run from February 16 through the 24th and details and tickets can be found by visiting cdctheatre.org. CDC Theatre, New Jersey’s oldest continuously producing community theatre is located at 78 Winans Avenue in Cranford.
(above) The cast of Crimes of the Heart (l-r) Danielle Mastropiero, Joe Leo, Rebecca Dolan, Maeve Brady, Katherine Brown, Zach Mazout.
