A PORTRAIT OF LOVE, LOSS, AND LIFE IN A CHANGING AMERICA
THROUGH THE EYES OF ITS GREATEST FOLK ARTIST, AMMI PHILLIPS
Thrown Stone’s sixth season features the world premiere of their commission of Seven Cousins for a Horse by Tammy Ryan. It is the story of Ammi Phillips, the most prolific folk artist in American history. Born in Colebrook, CT in 1788, he traveled throughout the Northeastern United States, painting portraits of everyday people, including farmers, businessmen, and their families. His works often featured bold and simple shapes, bright colors, and expressive faces, and they are recognized for their unique blend of realism and folk art stylization.
The play opens on Phillips’s return to his hometown in the wake of a personal tragedy. It is 1848, a time of great change. The Seneca Falls Convention is about to call for women’s suffrage, chattel slavery has finally ended in Connecticut, and there is already talk of a war between the states. But Ammi has work to do. He must capture the likenesses of his cousins, the Kinney family. All they can offer in payment is a strong horse, but that may be just the thing he needs to reset his itinerant career — and find his way back home.
Directed by Co-Artistic Director Jonathan Winn, the cast and creative team will be announced soon.
Seven Cousins for a Horse will open at Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance in July of 2023.
- Press Preview: July 13, 2023 at 8pm
- Opens July 14, 2022 at 8pm
- Closes July 23, 2022
Tickets on Sale May 8
Seven Cousins for a Horse will perform at Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance, 440 Main Street, Ridgefield CT 06877. Tickets go on sale May 8, 2022 at 10am. Purchase tickets and view the full schedule at thrownstone.org/events.
About the Playwright
Tammy Ryan’s wide-ranging work has been commissioned, developed, and performed at regional theaters across the United States, including Alliance Theatre, City Theatre, Florida Stage, Marin Theatre Company, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Portland Stage, People’s Light and Theatre Company, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Pittsburgh Playhouse, and many others. Internationally, her work has been seen in Australia, Canada, India, Japan, and Turkey.
Collaborators Include:
- Barbara Holdridge
- American Folk Art Museum
- National New Play Network
- Ridgefield Chorale
- Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance
- Ridgefield Library
