Staunton: Benefit performances of Devout to feature soap opera stars

ShenanArts will present four performances of Devout, a new original play by native playwright and director, Sherry Ramsey, and featuring Grant Aleksander, Michael O’Leary and Robert Newman, actors from the TV soap opera “Guiding Light.”

The production will be presented as benefit performances supporting ShenanArts Community Theater.

Details

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• Dates: Thursday, Aug. 27-Sunday, Aug. 30
• Times: Thursday/Friday/Saturday, 7 p.m., Sunday matinee at 3 p.m.
• Where: ShenanArts, 300 Churchville Ave., Staunton
• Tickets: ShenanArts.org/devout

About Devout

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Devout explores the emotional journey of two brothers brought together by the declining health of their aging father. Long-buried resentments and conflicting ideas force the brothers to confront not only each other, but also the meaning of devotion, loyalty, and love.

Through humor, heartbreak, and hope, the play offers a deeply human look at the challenges many families face as their parents age.

“This story is rooted in experiences that so many families understand,” said Ramsey, herself a former soap opera actress, who moved on, post-TV, to become an attorney and author, and has been married to Aleksander for 29 years.

“I wanted to explore how difficult views often arise when caring for aging parents but that even in conflict, there is room for understanding and reconciliation,” Ramsey said.