NEVERDARK SERIES 2021
Outstanding Performances Brought to Life
Sunday, August 15th & Tuesday, August 17th
The Queen of Fenway Court: Isabella Stewart Gardner
Written and Performed by Leigh Strimbeck*
Directed by Joshua Briggs | Original music by Jan Jurchak
Isabella Stewart Gardner possessed an energetic intellectual curiosity and a love of travel. A leading American art collector, philanthropist, and patron of the arts, she often spent summers in Gloucester. You know the legacy, now learn the story of her life as an eccentric female millionaire.
Isabella accomplished so much in her life, including her art collection, housed in a museum with light that makes everything and everyone more beautiful. Her juxtaposition of art and objects from travels all over the world, reveals her thoughtful cleverness. Isabella left behind a legacy that is enjoyed by thousands each year, and this performance brings to life what drove her to build, and fill, one of the most extraordinary museums in the world.
“As a child growing up in Marblehead, MA I spent many hours with my mother in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Now, many decades later, as a theater professional, I appreciate her accomplishments and charisma in a whole new way.” Leigh Strimbeck* playwright and performer.
Leigh Strimbeck* is thrilled to be working on this play at Gloucester Stage Company, having grown up in nearby Marblehead and Swampscott! Most recently she appeared as Virginia Butley in Native Gardens with Gloucester Stage, and Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit with Voice Theatre of Woodstock, NY. Associate member of The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble (BTE); former the Artistic Director of the Theatre Institute at Sage (TIS); an artist in residence in the theater program at Russell Sage College; co-founder of WAM Theatre in The Berkshires. Regional theater acting and directing includes Barrington Public Theater; BTE; WAM; The Rep in Albany, NY; Saratoga Shakespeare; Shakespeare and Co; Berkshire Playwrights Lab and Voice Theatre. Feature films: UnCivil Liberties, Fighting for Freedom, Little BiPeep, Lifetime Movie Network’s Off the Rails, Deception, and the short film Key Transitions. Proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG/AFTRA. For reel and more info: leighstrimbeck.com