Mixing a modern love story with fact-based historical drama, Love, Genius and a Walk transfers from New York for a London pub theatre tour, with dates at the Rose and Crown and Rosemary Branch Theatres.

Love, Genius and a Walk is directed by Holly Payne-Strange and written by award-winning author and playwright Gay Walley, this new play examines the story of Gustav Mahler, his wife Alma, and how stories like theirs affect the world today.

Gustav Mahler, a great artist, is devoted only to his work, his wife Alma, has issues of her own. In despair, Mahler goes to see Freud, and they discuss love and sabotage – and both men know well how the responsibilities of genius weigh. Contiguously, a modern couple, a banker and his wife (who is writing about Mahler), mirror Alma and Mahler, and the two stories twist and turn through the quagmires of love and genius.

Love, Genius and a Walk was nominated for 6 prizes, including best play, at the Midtown International Festival in New York, and is brought to the stage by an all-female creative team, with producer and director returning to the UK after emigrating to America 22 years ago!

Playwright Gay Walley is the author of Strings Attached, which was a finalist for the Pirates Alley/Faulkner Award, the Writer’s Voice Capricorn Award, and the Paris Book Festival Award. The Erotic Fire of the Unattainable was a finalist for the Paris Book Festival Award, and a film based on the book, The Unattainable Story, starring Harry Hamlin was released in 2017. Ms Walley is also a Zoetrope finalist for her story, The Naked Maja.

Holly Payne-Strange is a published poet, children's author and reviewer. She is the resident director of Fireside Mystery Theater, a podcast with over two million downloads, and is also one of World Ocean Art's "Stand out artists" of 2017. For her work on Energy Tale, she was nominated for best director and the over all show was nominated for best production. She also directed The Other Side of the Sky with Rising Sun Productions, which was selected for a short encore performance to showcase the best of their work that season. Holly is proud to be an associate member of the Directors Guild.

Bringing Up The House is dedicated to changing lives. We do this in two ways; theatre and housing. Theatre changes lives in a radical and tangible way, art feeds the soul and stimulates the mind, giving meaning and hope. We call this the “heart step”.Being housed in a respectful and honourable way is essential. This is the base that everyone’s lives are built upon.  We call this the “nest step”. Step by step we combine art and homes to develop love, strength and stability. Change, one person at a time, one animal at a time, one story at a time.

Love, Genius and a Walk will be presented from26 - 28 July 2018 at Ye Olde Rose and Crowne and from 29 - 30th July 2018 at the Rosemary Branch Theatre with further dates to be announced.

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