On Saturday, May 9, at 7:30 pm, Westchester Collaborative Theater (WCT) will present the second in a new series of WCT Opening Night programs, Girl In Blue Armchair, written by and starring Susan Courtney and directed by Lori M. Myers. Girl In Blue Armchair is a historical fiction delving into the life of the American Impressionist painter, Mary Cassatt, and her struggle to become a professional artist in Paris in the late 19th century. The play asks: How did Cassatt, born in 1844 in conservative Pittsburgh, overcome personal and professional conflicts, limited options for women, and other obstacles to get her art exhibited in the Paris Salon? And why did she rebel and join with the radical Impressionists-Degas, Monet and Renoir?

Today Cassatt remains an esteemed figure in Impressionism best known for her paintings depicting the love between mother and child. Her work, Mother and Two Children, recently sold for $4,272,000 at Sotheby’s.

Courtney’s extensive research on Cassatt’s life includes meetings with Lydia Cassatt, Mary Cassatt’s great-great niece, and the current day Cassatt family in Brooksville, Maine. Originally developed at the Actors Studio Playwrights/Directors Workshop in New York City, Girl In Blue Armchair was presented at the Harvey Theatre in Katonah through a New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) grant. It has received staged readings in Westchester, Manhattan, New Jersey, Maine, and Arizona.

The cast includes local actors:

Mary Cassatt…………. SUSAN COURTNEY

Lydia Cassatt……….….ANNE GLICKMAN

Mathilde………………….MARIANNE HARDART

Emily……………………….SYDNEY EROH

Edgar Degas……………JONATHAN HICKS

Stage Directions……. BRENDA HETTMANSBERGER