The Ferryman's Toll Officially Launched
The Californer/10320504

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Californer -- Esteemed Canadian actors Lynne Griffin (Black Christmas, Curtains) and Elizabeth Saunders (FROM, Orphan Black) headline the global premiere of The Ferryman's Toll—a searing audio drama that explores trauma, memory, and the delicate web of friendship, told entirely within a Zoom therapy session. They are joined by acclaimed stage actor and director Gary Wright, in a performance lauded for its emotional authenticity and grace.

Written by Samantha King, Jeanmarie Simpson, Dylan Brody, and Gary Wright, and developed with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the production reveals a long-time creative partnership in crisis as past wounds resurface and the future becomes increasingly uncertain.

"This is mythic and modern all at once," said co-author Jeanmarie Simpson. "And experiencing actors of this caliber inhabiting such personal material is a rare privilege."

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🌍 About the Cast & Creative Team

• Lynne Griffin is a renowned Canadian actor whose career spans more than five decades in film, television, and theatre. On screen, she is known for roles in Black Christmas, Curtains, Strange Brew, and Wind at My Back. On stage, she has played major roles at the Stratford and Shaw Festivals, including Saint Joan, A Doll's House, Three Sisters, The Apple Cart, and Major Barbara. Griffin is widely admired for her versatility, emotional range, and signature stage presence.
• Elizabeth Saunders currently stars as Donna in MGM+'s hit sci-fi series FROM. Her film and TV credits include Orphan Black, It, Mary Kills People, Alias Grace, and The Boondock Saints, along with voice work such as Mrs. Turtle on Franklin. A Canadian Screen Award nominee, Saunders has also performed at the Shaw Festival, where she appeared in This Happy Breed, Counsellor-At-Law, and Too True To Be Good. She is celebrated for her ability to balance intensity and vulnerability on stage and screen.
• Gary Wright is a prolific U.S. regional theatre actor, director, and playwright. He has performed or directed in over 60 productions at companies including Foothill Theatre Company, Capital Stage, California Stage, Palo Alto Children's Theatre, and Sacramento Theatre Company. Wright has appeared at Shakespeare festivals in Santa Cruz, Colorado, Lake Tahoe, and Vladivostok, with a deep command of both classical and contemporary texts. As a commissioned playwright, his works include Evermore, Dracula, and Diary of a Forty-Niner.

Directed by: Michael Rawley

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Dramaturgy: Dylan Brody
Sound Design: Kevin Tye
Sign Language Performance: ATM's Deaf team, Hands in Harmony

ArizonaTheatreMatters.org

The Ferryman's Toll on YouTube