Mary Lou Quinlan’s one woman play “The God Box, A Daughter’s Story” will be featured at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh during August. Mary Lou has been a major supporter of IAW&A, and her first mini-performance of what would become the play came in one of the early IAW&A Salons back in 2012.
The God Box, A Daughter’s Story
Solo show based on New York Times bestselling book , coming to Assembly Roxy at the Edinburgh Fringe 2014
“A beautiful story… from beginning to end.” –Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love
“Entertains, moves and inspires. Will stick with you forever.” — Jim Lehrer, PBS NewsHour
(NEW YORK, NY) – Like many people who lose a loved one, author Mary Lou Quinlan, an over-achieving and devoted daughter, struggled to come to terms with the death of her mother—until she found an unexpected gift from the woman she missed so deeply.
In her New York Times bestselling book “The God Box, Sharing my mother’s gift of faith, love and letting go”(Worthy Publishing, April 2012), Quinlan shares the story of her remarkable discovery of her mother’s “God Boxes” filled with hundreds of private petitions written by the very hand that had slipped away.The notes, scribbled on torn pages and Post-its, revealed things about her mother that she never knew.
The book became the inspiration for her solo show, “The God Box, A Daughter’s Story.” Performed by Quinlan and co-written and directed by Martha Wollner of NYC’s LAByrinth Theater Company, this theatrical piece follows Quinlan’s journey out of loss, triggered by the handwritten notes. The performance takes audiences on an emotional roller-coaster, richocheting from grief to laughter to the greatest human challenge: learning to let go. Quinlan, a charismatic storyteller, has performed the show in more than 40 venues around the US, including The Cherry Lane Theater in New York City, the Kimmel Center Innovation Studio in Philadelphia and the Warehouse in Greenville, South Carolina, as well as the NYC EstroGenius Festival in October 2013.
Quinlan will perform the show at the East to Edinburgh Festival at the 59 East 59thTheater in New York on July 22 and 23 before heading to the Edinburgh Fringe 2014 where the play will be staged at the Assembly Roxy Downstairs Theater at 12:20Pm every day July 31 through August 25, (with the exception of August 11 and 18).
Visit www.theGodBoxproject.com for photos, videos and information.
Mary Lou Quinlan has written inspirational features for national magazines including Real Simple, O, the Oprah Magazine, and More, and is the author of the books Just Ask a Woman, Time Off for Good Behavior, and What She’s Not Telling You, as well as her latest, “The God Box, Sharing my mother’s gift of faith, love and letting go.” A leading expert on female consumer behavior and founder and CEO of the marketing consultancy Just Ask a Woman, Quinlan has keynoted hundreds of conferences around the world, and appeared on television programs such as CBS’ “Early Show,” “Good Morning America,” and NBC’s “Today,” as well as a season as a judge on the Simon Cowell, ABC-TV reality competition “American Inventor.” She holds an MBA from Fordham University and received an honorary doctorate in communications from her alma mater, Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, as well as from four other leading US universities. Quinlan and her husband, Joe live in New York City and Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with their dog, Rocky.
Martha Wollner: A member of New York’s Labyrinth Theater Company and Your Name Here Queer Theater Company, Wollner has been telling story in both theatre and film for over thirty years. She has worked with world renown documentary film makers Michael Apted (Seven), Albert Maysles (Grey Gardens), Barbara Kopple (Harlan County), both the Royal Shakespeare Company’s artistic directors,Michael Boyd and Gregory Doran, and performed at the Edinburgh Fringe and countless New York theater stages, including The Public Theater, The Cherry Lane Theater and 59E59. Her own plays have appeared in regional theater reading series from New York to New Orleans. She will also be performing at the 2014 Last Frontier Theater Festival in Alaska.
The God Box Team
Stage Manager Kia Rogers
Sound Designer Betsy Rhodes
Lighting Designer Kia Rogers
Projection Designer Chris Kateff
Production Designer Justin Townsend
Production Coordinator Nidia Medina