The Voyage of Mary C.

a play by Laurence Carr (presented in 1 or 2 acts)
Synopsis:
The Voyage of Mary C. is a romantic ghost tale that deals with the strong-willed Mary, an early 20th century spirit rooted in an old house in Cornwall, Connecticut. She is visited by a male spirit whose task is to exorcise her from the house and release her from her earthly bonds. But this task proves harder than he first suspects as the two spirits battle with humor and passion over what life, love and death mean to them.
The play, under the title THE MYSTERY OF MARY C., was produced by Linda Swenson and premiered at the Sharon Playhouse in Sharon, Connecticut, in July, 1989. The original company included:
MARY
THE MAN

Design
Stage Manager
Director
Joan Grant
Joe Warik

Bud Clark
Kathy Orlando
L. Carr
The second production was produced at Ohio University in March, 1991.
The company included:
MARY
THE MAN

Director
Stage Manager
Design
Dawn Arnold
Timothy Carroll

Kathleen Conlin
Michael Brumbaugh
Nicole Allen (set), Cindy Kennedy (lights)
The third production (retitled) THE VOYAGE OF MARY C. was produced at the Studio Arena Theatre in Buffalo, New York, March 23 to April 18, 1993. The company included:
MARY
THE MAN

Director
Stage Manager
Design
Ellen Fiske
Sean Cullen

Gavin Cameron-Webb
Sally Ann Wood
Robert M. Cothran (set), Lauren K. Lambie (costumes) Harry A. Finer (lighting), Lia Vollack (sound)
The fourth production was produced by The Mohonk Mountain Stage Reader’s Theatre Company, Robert Miller, Producing Director; New Paltz, NY, October 2005.
Directed by the author, the company included:
MARY
THE MAN
Ann Citron
Sean Marrinan
          The Voyage of Mary C.
…a journey into the realm of spirituality…it is a well crafted vehicle…compellingly theatrical…it is the most provocative production seen at the Studio Arena this year…it holds great promise and challenges the audience to participate, to think and get involved…it promises endless theatrical possibilities.”

“Carr’s voyage is one of the mind and the spirit, an exploration of the passage from life to death. The progression from one state to another, however, is carried by an emotion usually associated with the heart, romantic love. Stripped of its metaphysical trappings and ambiguities, The Voyage of Mary C. is the story of a spirit caught in the nether world between life and death refusing to give up her hold on the past. “

“The Voyage of Mary C. is a compelling play that asks audiences to think and participate in its unraveling. Richly layered and often challenging to our notions about life’s mysteries, it is worth seeing.”
—Jim Santella, Night-Life Magazine
Buffalo, NY April 5, 1993

“The Voyage of Mary C., a tale of “hauntings and romance” will be a pleasant experience for anyone who enjoys an hour or two lost in the 19th century.”
—Jamie Moses, Art Voice, April 7-20, 1993, Buffalo, NY

“The tale, as mysterious, sensuous, beautiful and treacherous as the deep itself got my creative juices stirring and lubricated my theatrical soul.”
—Peter Umbras