GAAR Partners with Vermont Theatre Festival to Present Marla Schaffel in The Belle of Amherst August 8-11

The Belle of Amherst at Unadilla marks our first collaboration with the Vermont theater institution. It is an honor to be part of what William Blachly has accomplished in his decades of artistic integrity and good taste and GAAR is extremely grateful. 

The story of the play: In her Amherst, Massachusetts home, the reclusive 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson recollects her past through her work, her diaries and letters, and a few encounters with significant people in her life. William Luce’s classic play shows us both the pain and the joy of Dickinson’s secluded life.

MARLA SCHAFFEL (Artist-in-Residence) is a Tony nominated actress as well as the winner of a Drama Desk Award, Drama League Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award, all for Best Actress in a Musical, for starring as "Jane Eyre" on Broadway. Marla's other Broadway credits include "Titanic" and "Les Miserable," as well as starring in the national tours of "Evita," "My Fair Lady," "White Christmas," and "The Sound of Music." Marla created the leading roles off-Broadway in "Enter Laughing," "Christina Alberta's Father," "Enter the Guardsman," "Fanny Hill," "Tall Grass," and "A Broadway Diva Christmas." Her regional credits include leading roles in world premiere musicals "Jane Eyre," "Let Me Sing," "They All Laughed," "Lucky in The Rain," "Glimmerglass," as well as in the classics like "West Side Story, A Little Night Music," and great plays like "Fool For Love," and "Top Girls," among others. Ms. Schaffel also starred in the critically acclaimed independent feature film, "I Love You, Don't Touch Me!" and created the pivotal role of Bever Woman in Tim Robbins's film "Cradle Will Rock." In TV she had a recurring role as the star's rocker ex-girlfriend on "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues" and has appeared in "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Law and Order: Criminal Intent." Her voice can be heard on several recordings, including "Jane Eyre" (Original Broadway Cast Recording and world premiere Toronto Cast Recording), "The Prince of Egypt" (soundtrack), "The Broadway Musicals of 1949," "A Prairie Home Companion Christmas," and on several Saturday morning cartoons. Marla is a graduate of the Juilliard School drama division and studied at the Moscow Art Theatre School.

Curtain Time 7:30
Tickets: Adults $25, Children 12 and under $10.
Reservations and Information: (802) 456-8968