Eighty years ago, a bold and inquisitive woman arrived in Paris, fell in love with its flavors, and went on to change the world through food and cultural exchange. In this staged reading, acclaimed playwright and scholar Brenda Withers shares an excerpt from her new musical-in-progress on the life and legacy of Julia Child.
Focusing on her formative postwar years in France—from her training at Le Cordon Bleu to the meals and friendships that shaped Mastering the Art of French Cooking—the piece offers an intimate portrait of a Julia before fame, discovering her calling. This reading will bring together professional actors and non-actors alike, in the spirit of Child’s enduring belief that anyone can cook.
About the performers:
Brenda Withers is a playwright, theater artist, and founding member of the Harbor Stage Company on Cape Cod. Her plays (The Ding Dongs, Off Peak, Matt & Ben) have been produced Off Broadway and across the United States and have earned her the Clauder Prize, an Edgerton Award, and the Modern Works Festival grand prize. She has enjoyed residencies with New Georges, the Camargo Foundation, and the Huntington Theatre. Brenda is a lyricist with BMI’s Advanced Musical Theatre Workshop, a graduate of Dartmouth College, and a beach person.
Tercelin Kirtley is a Franco-American actor based in Paris, having grown up in the United States and Africa. On stage, he has performed Shakespeare, Brecht, Molière, and Tennessee Williams, in both French and English. At the Opéra Garnier, he portrayed Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Benjamin Britten, and appeared as the Celestial Friend in Carousel at the Théâtre du Châtelet. In Australia, he played Jesus in Ben-Hur, directed by Robert Hossein. In Uzès, he brought The Diaries of Nijinsky to the stage as part of the Dance Festival. On screen, he portrays an American film director in Roma Elastica by Bertrand Mandico, soon to be released. Alongside his acting work, he writes and performs his own songs on acoustic guitar, inspired by folk and Celtic traditions.
