New Play by UMass Alumna Carole Gaunt '67 Explores Family Dynamics

May 29, 2009

Carole Gaunt '67 (History) is the playwright and her husband, David Gaunt '67 MBA, the producer, of  Dance of the Seven-Headed Mouse, which will open on June 1 at the Beckett Theatre in Manhattan. The play, which will run through July 26, explores the disintegration of  a "picture perfect" Fifth Avenue family in the aftermath of every family's greatest nightmare: the death of a child.

The family's strained social dynamics play out among its three surviving members-the politically active socialite mother, Elly; her architect husband, Kevin; and their 16-year-old daughter, Avril, who returns home unexpectedly from boarding school in the wake of her sister's death. The precarious family balance shifts with the arrival of Avril's working-class boarding school roommate, Juliana, who-as catalyst and witness-sheds critical light on the family's internal relationships.

Carole Gaunt is author of the critically acclaimed memoir, Hungry Hill (University of Massachusetts Press). David Gaunt is a partner with Murray & Gaunt Partners, a leading real estate development firm in New York City.

For ticket and show-time information visit Ticket Central.com on the web or by phone at 212.279.4200.