Michael and Mona Heath Fund list I Know My Own Heart among favorite biographical plays

DEC 25, 2019

Best Christmas present ever: The Michael and Mona Heath Fund listed my Chicago directorial debut, I Know My Own Heart (Pride Films & Plays, 2019) among their all time favorite biographical plays.

What must it have been like to be the woman who has been called “the first modern lesbian?” Fortunately we have some idea, because Anne Lister meticulously recorded her life in 26 volumes of diaries (over four million words!), with the “interesting bits” written in a code that has since been deciphered and the diaries published. This unique gold mine of material provided the basis for Emma Donoghue’s stirring play I Know My Own Heart, enabling us to observe Anne as she created her own world and realized her true self despite the suffocating strictures of Regency England. Director Elizabeth Swanson’s nuanced and exquisitely paced production conveyed this compelling story with heart and efficiency, yet still found time to luxuriate in the inevitable trysts. The intimate, through-the-keyhole perspective, sensitive direction, and capable and committed cast made this both an entertaining and enlightening theatrical experience.”

Thank you, Mona and Michael, for your generous words!