Charlotte Hammett Hubrich, Diane Strez-thurmond, Susan McNeese Lynch, Kim Butterweck & Julie Leist
in Love, Loss & What I Wore. Photo-Eve Theatre Co.

 

By Kate Barry

Entire contents copyright © 2015 by Kate Barry. All rights reserved

A new theater company burst onto Louisville’s theater scene in October of 2012. The mission was simple: create opportunities for women of all ages, to give voice to and develop talents in any and all aspects of theater arts. With that in mind, Eve Theater Company premiered with Nora Ephron’s comedy Love, Loss and What I Wore. A comedic tribute to fashion and femininity, Eve Theatre’s inaugural production laid the foundation for great things to come.

Always A Bridesmaid 5:14

Cast & crew of “Always A Bridesmaid” – May 2014

The company has engaged the community for three seasons with vibrant portrayals of womanhood and stories that celebrate the female experience. Earlier this season, Eve Theatre participated in the Slant Culture Festival with You Better Sit Down: Tales From My Parents About Divorce. Collaborating with University of Louisville Theater MFA students, this piece stretched the company in a new direction in terms of content as well as experimentation with more organic scene work. This company has brought vibrant female playwrights to the Louisville stage with full force having produced the likes of Annie Baker, Paula Vogel and Nora Ephron mentioned above. Plays like Motherhood Out Loud and Always a Bridesmaid highlight the conventional female point of view but it are works like The Oldest Profession and the upcoming Circle Mirror Transformation that prove that there is an endless amount of topics for this group to explore.

Eve Theater Company is proud of its “Eve-vents” too: productions created by the members to cater to a particular community event. Rosemary and Time, a musical revue tribute to Rosemary Clooney, was the premiere “Eve-vent,” produced in conjunction with the Frazier History Museum’s 2014 White Christmas exhibit. This season’s entry was Bourbon Babes of the Bluegrass at the Bards Town in March 2015. Written by founding member and company President, Susan McNeese Lynch, the play tells the stories of women who contributed to Kentucky’s bourbon traditions and legacy. With each performance, audiences were invited to participate in bourbon tastings as well. Eve Theater plans to perform this show at the Bourbon Women Flavor Affair June 4th 2015, at the Governor’s Mansion in Frankfort sponsored by the Kentucky Distillers Association.

Eve 3

Susan McNeese Lynch in
“Motherhood Out Loud” – June 2013

“Eve is everyone,” says Susan McNeese Lynch, “all things that have to do with women has to do with everyone.” McNeese Lynch brings a lifetime of theatrical work to this organization, having appeared with the likes of Music Theater Louisville, Clarksville Little Theater among others. She maintains, “Anyone who is an actor is a storyteller” and when it came time to establish Eve Theater Company, McNeese Lynch says her company’s role was to “…tell the woman’s side of the story.” Within Eve Theater’s structure, it is a true collaboration and everyone involved in the production plays their part. Eve Theater Company focuses on the women’s point of view developed through an organic process.

When it comes to picking shows, it “…all depends on what the story is and how it is being said,” says McNeese Lynch. Already, Eve Theatre Company has produced plays about motherhood, divorce, marriage, and even prostitution. Because these subjects are relatable, Eve Theater enlists production teams and cast who find inspiration in the work they do and come together to produce a shared experience on stage. With such a wide variety of subject matter pertaining to women, this makes the female voice in Louisville’s theater community “constantly there and stronger” as McNeese Lynch puts it.

If you were to ask Susan McNeese Lynch how she feels about the first three years of Eve Theater Company, she will tell you she’s, “…so thrilled, I can’t stand it!” Indeed, Eve Theater Company has already established a strong voice in Louisville. With ambitious plans for a fourth season, “Eve-vents” and focused on shared female experiences, it’s clear Eve’s is a strong voice in the community.

 

See Eve Theatre Company next in:

Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker

May 21-31, 2015

At The Bard’s Town
1801 Bardstown Road
Louisville, KY 40205
For tickets call: 502-759-1912
Or go to: Evetheatrecompany.com

 

[box_light]Kate BarryKate Barry earned her Bachelors in English with a Theater minor from Bellarmine University in 2008. She has worked with many different companies around town including Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, Bunbury Theater, Louisville Repertory Company, Walden Theater, Finnigan Productions and you have probably purchased tickets from her at that little performing arts center on Main Street as well. In 2012, her short play “PlayList” won festival favorite in the Finnigan Festival of Funky Fresh Fun. She has written for Leo Weekly and TheatreLouisville.com as well. Thanks for reading![/box_light]