Two Women Discover Common Ground in Renaissance Dinner Theatre’s Grace and Glorie

Release Date: 4/16/2001. Expired: 6/1/2001

The overwhelming success of The Renaissance Center’s Dinner Theatre continues with the April 20 opening of Grace and Glorie, a heartfelt play about two strong, stubborn women who forge a deep bond despite their diverse backgrounds. Grace and Glorie will be performed each Friday through June 1, with a catered meal beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the show immediately following. Tickets are $25 per person and reservations must be made by noon on the Friday of each performance.

Written by Tom Ziegler, Grace and Glorie is a two-woman play set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Grace Stiles is a feisty, somewhat cantankerous 90 year old woman. Suffering from terminal cancer, she plans to die at home in her ramshackle cabin in the mountains. Having left her fate in the hands of God, Grace is at peace with her place in the world and, more or less, with her imminent exit from it. Just out of the hospital, Grace has no use for the hospice volunteer assigned to care for her.

City-bred Gloria Whitmore (Glorie) is a former high powered New York executive who has moved to the area with her husband following the death of their 12-year-old son. After Gloria fails to quickly find a new job, she takes the advice of other affluent women in the area who encourage her to become a volunteer. She is enlisted as a hospice care worker whose first assignment is to provide companionship and comfort to Grace in her last days.

“Although the play treats the issue of death quite reverently, there’s a great deal of humor found in the conflicts Grace and Gloria face. And these conflicts -- the city mouse versus the country mouse -- provide for some really fun and lighthearted moments,” said Hal Partlow, Renaissance Rep member and Director for Grace and Glorie. “There’s a line in the play that is a favorite of mine,” Partlow continued. “It’s when Gloria tells Grace ‘My husband comes home and puts on his blue jeans and flannel shirt and this is a man who used to put on a three piece suit to walk the dog.’ The two women come to appreciate their differences and to learn from them. It’s not a surprise that Grace helps Gloria every bit as much as Gloria helps Grace.”

Jan Dial, The Renaissance Center’s Director of Drama and Theatre, portrays the role of Grace. Among her many roles as an actress, she is best remembered as Ousier in the community theatre production of Steel Magnolias and Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie. Playing Gloria is Kim Leavitt, the center’s Director of Theatre Education. A writer, teacher and actress, Kim has appeared in Christmas Seasonings and Barbecue for 2.

Grace and Glorie - one a no-nonsense traditionalist and the other a modern day career woman. One has inner faith and the other is torn by external doubt. It’s a story of conflict and acceptance. It’s a story of humor and hope, as a grudging friendship springs up between the two and in getting to know each other they drop their masks and reveal their secrets, their dreams and their fears. In a moving climax, Grace and Glorie find their differences - and their unique personalities - can help and heal each other.

“There may not be a dry eye in the theatre at the end of the play,” Partlow said. “But the audience will laugh as well and will be able to relate on various levels to the remarkable story of Grace and Gloria.”

This two-character charmer and poignant comedy offers easy laughter and engaging dialogue on marriage and children, religious faith and the courage to carry on. Grace and Glorie will have a seven-week run each Friday evening April 20 – June 1. Dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. with a menu of mesquite grilled chicken or ham, mashed potatoes, vegetables and chocolate cake.

Groups of 25 or more can book a special performance by contacting LeAnn Polk, director of events, at (615)740-5503. Tickets are $25 per person which includes dinner and the play. Reservations must be made by noon on the Friday of each performance. For more information or to make reservations, call (615)740-5600.

Visit the Gaslight Dinner Theatre page for more about dinner theatre.

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