The Shadow Box

Friday & Saturday, October 23 & 24 at 7 p.m., Sunday October 25 at 2 p.m.. Friday & Saturday, October 30 & 31 at 7 p.m., Sunday, November 1 at 2 p.m. Written by Michael Cristofer General Admission Tickets are $20, +$5 day of, $100 Sponsor Tickets featuring select seating. All tickets available online only Gualala Arts Theater is proud to present The Shadow Box, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play by Michael Cristofer. Set on the grounds of a hospice in three separate cottages, The Shadow Box weaves together the stories of three families confronting terminal illness. Through moments of humor, honesty, tenderness, and raw emotion, the play explores how people navigate love, denial, anger, fear, and acceptance when time feels painfully short. Rather than focusing solely on dying, the play ultimately celebrates living — and the deep connections that give life meaning, even in its final chapter. First produced on Broadway in 1977, The Shadow Box was groundbreaking in its honest portrayal of terminal illness and its exploration of hospice care at a time when the concept was still new and not widely understood in the United States. The play captures a moment in history when families were only beginning to confront death outside of hospitals, offering a perspective on end-of-life care that is markedly different from what we know today — yet still deeply relevant. Directed and produced by Tony Salamone, this production offers an intimate and deeply human theatrical experience. “This play speaks directly to the heart,” says Salamone. “It reminds us that even in the face of loss, there is beauty, humor, courage, and the possibility of genuine connection.” The production features an outstanding ensemble of local performers: Since its acclaimed Broadway premiere in 1977, The Shadow Box has moved audiences around the world with its honesty, compassion, and emotional depth. Gualala Arts Theater’s production brings this timeless and profoundly relevant story to the Mendonoma coast with sensitivity, skill, and heart. Performance Dates & Times: THE SHADOW BOX is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com 501(c)(3) Tax ID# 94-6121872 The Gualala Arts Center gratefully acknowledges the Native Peoples whose ancestral homelands we now share, and specifically the Pomo of Kashia and Manchester-Point Arena tribes, the first inhabitants of what is now coastal Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. We recognize the legacies of displacement and settlement that bring us together here and honor our shared commitment to being respectful and responsible protectors of land, water, people, arts, and culture.