Broadway-acclaimed The Waverly Gallery playing in Byron

Local cast brings to the stage a poignant, Tony-award winning play by Kenneth Lonergan

Byron Civic Theatre (BCT) in Byron, Ill., continues its 25th season this month with The Waverly Gallery, a play written by Academy Award winner Kenneth Lonergan.

The Waverly Gallery is about the final years of Gladys, a generous and chatty grandmother battling Alzheimer’s disease. Gladys is a longtime owner of a small art gallery in Greenwich Village, fighting to retain her independence. The play explores the effect of her decline on her family.

“This production is unique for us at Byron Civic Theatre, as we take an intimate look at a family dealing with a crisis,” says Chris Palmer, BCT president. “It’s a story that will move you to laugh and to cry – and to reflect on the delicate family relationship at all stages of life.”

Byron Civic Theatre’s production of The Waverly Gallery opens the weekend of Jan. 24-26 and continues Jan. 31-Feb. 2, with shows at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are available at the door, online at www.bctmagic.com, or by calling the box office at 815-312-3000.

Background

Kenneth Lonergan’s acclaimed memory play originally premiered at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 1999 running for two weeks; then opened off-Broadway in 2000, earning multiple awards and nominations including a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2001. The Waverly Gallery premiered on Broadway in 2018, with the revival receiving two 2019 Tony Award nominations – Best Revival of a Play and Best Actress in a Play (Elaine May, winner).

Critics have called the play a “finely observed story of the predations of old age… [it] isn’t so much a proper play as an essayistic memoir given dramatic form. It is nonetheless deeply theatrical. Mr. Lonergan… has one of the keenest ears of any working playwright… is also often deeply funny.” Ben Brantley, The New York Times

About Byron Civic Theatre

Byron Civic Theatre (BCT) is located in Byron, Ill., an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization. Now in its 25th anniversary season, BCT produces four quality shows each season using local talent from throughout northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. Shows are performed at the Byron Middle School Theatre, 850 N. Colfax, Byron.