Ellen Dolan: Grace Under Pressure
After a spring stint at the Workshop Theater in New York, the play has been picked up by Chapwood Enterprises, founded by OLTL’s Robert S. Woods (Bo) and his wife, actress Loyita Chapel Woods.
“I’ve been doing readings of this piece for years,” relates Dolan. “Every time we did it, more things came to life. Last year we did a staged reading of it and it started to blossom. It’s set in the early ’80s and it’s fun. I get to play Elvis and different characters.”
With an Elvis impersonator, it’s no wonder that Dolan describes the show as “a sweet little comedy. It’s two different stories that collide. A woman is not ready to let go of her mother, so she drags her down to Graceland in a coma. They meet up with Lana, which is my character, and my daughter and we have a psychic experience that brings everybody together. Lana is a fusion between Elly May Clampett and Granny.”
Dolan hopes to hit the stage more in the future. “As Angie (Dolan’s 4-year-old daughter) gets older it’ll be easier to do theater,” she states. “Theater is something every actress wants to get back to. It’s a whole different beast, but it’s important to keep it up, otherwise you go dull.”
Things certainly aren’t dull at ATWT now that Doc has caught Margo’s eye. “I was already fully committed to the play and then I found out about the storyline,” she chuckles. “But we’re in and out of [ATWT] so fast, I doubt that we ever go past 6 o’clock at night, so I’m not going to have any problem making curtain.”
Graceland runs August 13-28 at the New York International Fringe Festival. Call (212) 279-4488 or 1-888-FringeNYC (outside NY), or visit www.FringeNYC.org for more information.
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