The Belle of Amherst, Emily Dickinson, comes to the Chappaqua Library Theatre

Barbara Dana as Emily Dickinson, photo by Mark Kwiteck
March 26, 2010
by Martha Lynne Kenerson

On Saturday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m., the New Castle community will be treated to a rare opportunity to see William Luce’s award winning play, The Belle of Amherst, at the Chappaqua Library Theater.  Proceeds from the performance will benefit the Choral Arts Society, the oldest continuously operating choral group in Westchester County.  For tickets ($60), go to choralartssociety.org or call 914 462-3212.  There will be an after-show party with food and drink.

Based on the life of Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), this one-woman play portrays the poet’s private thoughts, desires and fears by reference to her poetry, letters and reminiscences of encounters with the significant people in her life.  Directed by actor and playwright, Austin Pendleton, the play was made famous on Broadway by Julie Harris, who received a Tony Award for her performance. 

Choral Arts member, Barbara Dana, will play Emily Dickinson. Barbara is an award-winning author, screenwriter and actress both on stage and in film. Her Broadway stage credits include Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and William Inge’s Where’s Daddy?  Her film and television appearances include Law and Order, the PBS production of Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People and the daytime drama As the World Turns.

Barbara Dana has a long history with Emily Dickinson

Barbara first performed the role of Emily Dickinson in The Belle of Amherst for the Emily Dickinson International Society Conference at the University of Regina in Western Canada in August 2009.  And as recently as March 11, 2010, she performed the role at the Kirby Theater at Amherst College (where Julie Harris performed the role in 1976) in a production sponsored by the Emily Dickinson Museum.

“I first met Emily Dickinson when I attended the performance of The Belle with Julie Harris in 1976,” explained Dana.  “What appeals to me is her courage and determination to listen to her own inner voice in order to overcome obstacles that she faced as a woman in the Victorian era, but which are emblematic of challenges women have always endured.”

Barbara recently completed ten years of study of Dickinson, culminating in the writing of her novel for young adults, A Voice of Her Own:  Becoming Emily Dickinson, published in 2009.  She is the co-editor of Wider than the Sky: Essays and Meditations on the Healing Power of Emily Dickinson, which includes an essay of her own.  As a result of her years of study, Barbara brings a unique perspective to the portrayal of Dickinson on the stage.

Director Austin Pendleton has directed many plays on and off Broadway, including The Little Foxes, Uncle Vanya and Toys in the Attic. He was once Barbara’s acting teacher, has appeared with her in films and on television and directed her original play, War in Paramus.

Martha Lynne Kenerson has lived in Chappaqua for nearly 12 years. She has been a member of the Choral Arts Society for 11 years and is currently its president.

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