Music Soothes the Soul in Thought-Provoking New Play, “Songbird”

In keeping with “Sandwich – the Oldest Town with the Newest Works”, the Sandwich Arts Alliance presents “Songbird”, a moving and thoughtful play about a hospice resident, her family, and the music therapist who works with her as she approaches her final days. The play takes the stage at Sandwich Town Hall on Friday and Saturday, July 27 and 28 at 7:30 pm, and on Sunday July 29 at 2 pm.

From the New Classics Company based in Hyannis, written and directed by Justin Jay Gray, Songbird is an original and moving play about family, memory, and the power of song. Eva is a young, dedicated music therapist who believes above all in the healing power of music. However, as she faces her first assignment in hospice care, she finds she might be in deeper than she ever realized. Through weekly sessions she’ll try to help Lillian face her imminent passing, all the while juggling Lillian’s high-strung daughter Anne, free spirited nurse Danny, and domineering residency supervisor Burgess. Along the way she’ll come to understand more than ever the true impact that music can have on us, both in this life and the next. Emotionally moving and beautifully written, you won’t want to miss the play that the Cape Cod Times picked as one of their favorites of 2016.

The Friday evening and Sunday afternoon performances will be followed by talk-backs addressing the process of creating the play and the field of music therapy at large. Starring Rosa Prado, Danny Price, Jamie Lynn Stuart, Justin Jay Gray, and Cathy Ode, Songbird will be performed arena style, not on stage but down with the audience in the round to make for a more interactive setting.