HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — The South Haven Theatre Series opens its 2019 season at 7:30 p.m. on May 18, 2019, with Jeanann Power starring as Emily Dickinson in William Luce’s “The Belle of Amherst,” directed by Stacey Lind.
Power previously presented “The Belle of Amherst” at the Edge of Wood Theatre in Chicago and at the Annie Russell Theatre in Orlando, Florida. Of her performance, the Orlando Sentinel said “so vivid was the portrait that Power, with her sensitivity and her delicious sense of humor, seemed to become the sheltered writer.”
In a world where women’s choices were severely restricted, Emily Dickinson carved out a singular life behind her doors, and created a new kind of poetry, conversational and intimate, with the rules of verse sometimes set aside. Jeanann Power shares forty of the most memorable poems of the nearly 1800 Dickinson composed. Poetry would never be the same. The show ofers a window into her life, a life that was ultimately too big to be lived outside. Come see why America has always had a love afair with Emily Dickinson, her poetry, and the fascinating life of seclusion she had the courage to choose, to protect her gift and her passion.
The plot follows Dickinson’s life from 1830 to 1866 and draws heavily from her written correspondence, journals, and poetry to create an intimate conversation with the audience. It lightly touches on lingering questions about her mental state while giving a glimpse of her intensely personal life. Dickinson was a recluse, but even a recluse has dreams and desires.
The Orlando Sun Herald stated Jeanann Power’s “performance [is one] that must be seen.”
The South Haven Theatre Series begins at 7:30 p.m., May 18, 2019, at the First United Methodist Church, 429 Michigan Ave., South Haven. Parking is available at the church and at the municipal lot one block away.
Tickets cost $10 for adults, and are available at the door before the play begins; student admission is free.
