Springfield Community Players host 'The Seymour Sisters'

Vermont playwright Carole Vasta Folley takes her newest play, The Seymour Sisters, to the Springfield Community Players Studio for a one night performance Saturday, August 13, 7:30 p.m.

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Springfield Community Players Host The Seymour Sisters August 9, 2016 Playwright Carole Vasta Folley as Cecile and Robin Owens as Eleanor fondly look through their mother's old record collection in Vasta Folley's newest drama The Seymour Sisters, hosted by the Springfield Community Players, Saturday, August 13.Playwright Carole Vasta Folley as Cecile and Robin Owens as Eleanor fondly look through their mother's old record collection in Vasta Folley's newest drama The Seymour Sisters, hosted by the Springfield Community Players, Saturday, August 13. Playwright Carole Vasta Folley as Cecile and Robin Owens as Eleanor fondly look through their mother’s old record collection in Vasta Folley’s newest drama The Seymour Sisters, hosted by the Springfield Community Players, Saturday, August 13.Playwright Carole Vasta Folley as Cecile and Robin Owens as Eleanor fondly look through their mother’s old record collection in Vasta Folley’s newest drama The Seymour Sisters, hosted by the Springfield Community Players, Saturday, August 13. SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Vermont playwright Carole Vasta Folley takes her newest play, The Seymour Sisters, to the Springfield Community Players Studio for a one night performance Saturday, August 13, 7:30 p.m. A drama about estranged sisters who come together to sort through their parents’ belongings, the play is a touching, provocative, and often funny look at how adult siblings attempt to rekindle their connection. This will be the second time the playwright performs in Springfield. The Friends of the Springfield Town Library hosted Vasta Folley last April when she gave the talk, “How to Grow a Playwright,” at the library. That presentation incorporated the writer’s personal essays along with anecdotes and photographs, weaving a story highlighting the comedy and drama found in everyday life. The development of The Seymour Sisters was supported by The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts and the tour by a grant from the Vermont Arts Endowment Fund of the Vermont Community Fund. As an homage to community theater groups, Vasta Folley says she created the tour to also operate as a way to give back. In specific, half of the ticket revenue supports the tour and the other half stays with the hosting company, “So I hope people come out to see new Vermont work, all while supporting their local theater group.” A storyteller at heart, Vasta Folley’s trademarks are quirky but believable characters and dynamically rich scenarios full of heart and humor. She says the creation of The Seymour Sisters began when she challenged herself to write a play with only two characters and no set, a challenge that resulted in her most intimate work to date. In the case of The Seymour Sisters, the two characters are sisters, Eleanor and Cecile, who have not seen each other for years. Vasta Folley says, “This play looks at what it means to have siblings late in life, and it asks whether or not we are meant to be close to our brothers and sisters just because we are related. And, if the answer is yes, how does one navigate an adult sibling relationship, especially when there has been a difficult past.” Although The Seymour Sisters tackles mature themes, it does so with Vasta Folley’s keen sense of humor. “Comedy is my milieu. Even when I write a drama, there will always be laughter involved as it’s the balm that makes the tough stuff manageable,” says the playwright. “I love the perfect imperfection of the human condition.” This will be only the second time the playwright takes the stage performing in one of her plays and Vasta Folley reports that playing the role of Cecile has been very informative to the writing process, “To edit and rework material when you inhabit the character in each and every moment is very intimate. I always draw on my gut instinct, but this experience seems to go deeper than that.” The Seymour Sisters, Springfield Community Players Studio, 165 South Street, Springfield, VT. Saturday, August 13, 7:30 p.m. Tickets $12 at the door or by reservation. Mature themes. For tickets and more information, 802-885-4098, www.springfieldcommunityplayers.org