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Library to Host Moses Gunn Play Company Performance

The Moses Gunn Play Company (MGPC) will present a reading of four themed plays by playwright Lee Jacobus at the Guilford Free Library on Saturday, April 29, at 2 p.m. The works all center around action outside of a cloakroom, with three being comedies and one more dramatic, according to co-founder of the MPGC, Norman Marshall.

The works are specifically written to be performed together and are extremely accessible and funny, according to co-founder Gwen Gunn. The Coatroom Quartet will be a reading of four one-act plays by Jacobus and directed by Jaroslav Strzemien.

“Place is the real cohesion to these works. They all take place just outside a coatroom,” Gunn said. “There are three comedies and one drama. Lee is a fantastic writer. We think people will really enjoy these works. He is really very witty.”

The quartet of works includes A Deliberate Mistake, Dinner Party, The Interview, and A Hero of Tal Afar.

According to Marshall, Playwright Lee Jacobus is a former UConn professor and a Joyce and Milton scholar renowned for his intriguing works. The cast includes a number of area performers, all with strong stage experience, with Julie Fitzpatrick, Mark Hamilton, Sharon Austin Bloom, Sally Plass, Norman Thomas Marshall, Primi Townsend, Ted Reinert, Jarek Strzemien, and Gwen Gunn.

“People should come out for this and have a few laughs. The work and the actors are really compelling and funny,” Marshall said. “Come out and meet some friends. There is really a talented community of professional theatre people right here in Guilford. Primi Townsend is great. She and her husband Roger are from London, where he was an agent, and she performed in London’s West End. Julie Fitzpatrick worked in New York for many years and is a very, very wonderful actress. These are all professional people, very disciplined, skilled, and well-trained actors. Folks will really enjoy these performances,” Marshall said.

Formed in 2018, the MGPC was created to honor much beloved and fondly remembered resident Moses Gunn, who made Guilford his home until his passing in 1993. Gunn was a two-time Obie Award winner, Tony-nominated performer, and Shakespearean actor known for his commanding voice and compelling stage presence.

Gunn’s best-known film performances include several stints in the Shaft series and Ragtime. His numerous television performances include Good Times, Little House on the Prairie, and an Emmy-nominated turn in Alex Haley’s Roots.

The performance is free, but those interested should preregister at the library website, www.guilfordfreelibrary.org.