Elizabeth McGovern to Lead Ava: The Secret Conversations Off-Broadway

Following a run at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, Ava: The Secret Conversations, written by and starring Academy Award nominee Elizabeth McGovern (Lady Cora in Downton Abbey, Ordinary People), will have its New York premiere this summer at NY City Center, Stage I.

The production, directed by Tony Award nominee Moritz von Stuelpnagel (Hand to God), will run July 30-September 13, with an official opening on August 7. The cast also features Aaron Costa Ganis (Blue Bloods).

The play is based on a series of interviews between writer Peter Evans and starlet Ava Gardner about her life story, her marriages to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra, and her turbulent relationship to Howard Hughes. Initially barred from publication, Evans’ account was published twenty-five years later with permission from Gardner’s estate.

The production includes scenic design by David Meyer, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Amith Chandrashaker, sound design by Cricket S. Myers, projection design by Alex Basco Koch, and wig design by Matthew Armentrout.