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**MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON **Starring JULIE-ANNE MCDOWELL Directed by CHARMAINE WEIR-SMITH by Elizabeth Strout adapted by Rona Munro HOW NOW BROWN COW is proud to present the multiple award-winning play MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON. Book tickets here

Countdown is on for Joburg run of multiple award-winning MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON Following its premiere at the Hilton Arts Festival to rapturous responses and standing ovations, MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON will be heading to Joburg for a limited season at Theatre on the Square in Sandton from 9 – 27 October 2024. This follows the Cape Town season at The Baxter Studio from 19 September – 5 October. Presented by How Now Brown Cow the multiple award-winning MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON is written by Elizabeth Strout and adapted by Rona Munro. It is the story of a writer reckoning with the legacy of a scarred family life  who is coming to terms with the cost of her childhood and the rewards of her art. Longlisted for the MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2016, the BAILEYS WOMENS PRIZE FOR FICTION 2016 and a #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout shows the most tender relationship of all – the one between a mother and daughter. **MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON **has been adapted for the stage as a one woman show by acclaimed TV, Film and Theatre writer Rona Munro (winner of the Evening Standard Award, NOOK Award and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Award). It opened at The Bridge Theatre in London in 2018 starring Laura Linney who reprised her role on Broadway in 2020.

Audience responses to this production at Hilton Arts Festival included: “… goodness, that took my breath away – at one point I realised I was not breathing!“ ” … such a brilliant production, I am so glad we booked!” ” … wow, that was something intensely special!” ” … Mom, are you OK? I am so glad we watched that together“ ” … another WINNER from How Now Brown Cow“ ” …We were absolutely captivated” The production stars multiple award-nominated actor Julie-Anne McDowell (The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Revlon Girl) and is directed by multiple-award winning Charmaine Weir-Smith (The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Train Driver). Design is by Kieran McGregor (Expelled).

Lucy Barton wakes after an operation to discover – much to her surprise – her estranged mother at the foot of her bed. Over the course of her mother’s visit, she and Lucy seem to reconnect, but just below the surface lies the tension and longing that have informed every aspect of Lucy’s life. Lucy’s encounter with her mother brings into sharp focus her troubled childhood in rural Illinois and her current life in New York City. Knitting these powerful memories together, Lucy begins to come to terms with her past and her future as a writer. MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON is a story for anyone who has questioned how family defines oneself. It is a powerful narrative of hope and triumph about a woman who finds her truth and reclaims her story. Press comments about the play include: _“My Name Is Lucy Barton offers us a rare wealth of emotion from darkest suffering to simple joy”. – _The New York Times Book Review _“The story of a single life that also manages to tell the story of many”. – _The Independent _“A powerful storyteller immersed in the nuances of human relationships, weaving family tapestries with compassion, wisdom and insight.” – _The Guardian _“Strout’s language, deftly adapted for the stage by Rona Munro, is simple in the way of a coiled pot or a Shaker chair, a solid, unfussy construction whose elegance lies in its polished unity”  – _New Yorker “Tremendously affecting… This delicate memory piece resonates with the soaring vitality of a life fully lived”. – The Hollywood Reporter _“Glorious, tender, true” – _Sunday Telegraph _“Reminds us of the power of our stories and our ability to transcend our troubled narratives” – _Miami Herald

MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON will be presented at Theatre On The Square in Sandton, Johannesburg for a limited season from 9 to 27 October 2024. Performances are Tuesdays – Fridays @ 19h30, Saturdays @ 16h00 & 19h30 and Sundays @ 15h00. The show is 80 minutes in duration, with no interval, and carries a suggested age-appropriate restriction of no under 12s. Tickets are R230 per person, with discounts available for senior citizens, students, scholars over 12 and groups of 10 or more. **Book at Computicket HERE **