Her star rising as a Hollywood diva, Frances Farmer chooses to join the socialist Group Theatre in New York. This idealistic, raucous and non-conforming movie star, pursued by the government for her alleged communist connections, was finally incarcerated with the help of her mother at Steilacoom, a Seattle psychiatric hospital, where she was lobotomized and released as “cured” in 1949. Saint Frances of Hollywood has taken the biographical details of Frances Farmer’s life and transformed them into a mesmerizing and quintessential classical tragedy.
Cast of 4 women and 4 men.
“It is this mix of fact and fantasy that Clark has captured so brilliantly and used to striking advantage … the effect is brutally chilling.”
—Variety
“A searing tragedy …”
—Toronto Star
Born in Vancouver, Sally Clark is a critically acclaimed playwright who has been dazzling audiences with her penchant for dark humour, ironic wit and sharp character portrayals. Her plays, typically presented in a series of short, vivid and fast-paced scenes, seamlessly combine comedic and tragic motifs to tell the stories of strong and adventurous women. She is also an accomplished painter, director and filmmaker.