Gesa Power House Theatre presents the world premiere, live theatrical production of The Comfort to Come by Lisa Battle with performances on Friday, November 19 at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, November 20 at 7:00 p.m., and Sunday, November 21 at 2:00 p.m. There will be a live Q&A with the playwright following the November 20 performance.

The Comfort to Come is a new play by Whitman College graduate Lisa Battle, and is directed by Whitman College Professor Emerita Nancy Simon. The cast includes: Shauna Lilly Bogley, Kevin Loomer, Nathan Loomer, Kathryn Bogley, and Julie Jones.

Cass (Shauna Lilly Bogley) spent most of her life taking care of her mother who suffered Alzheimer’s disease. She realized that as her mother lost touch with the reality around her, she created a new one. The hereditary nature of the disease means Cass soon follows her mother into this reality – the fantasy world they created when she was a child. The family Cass leaves behind watches with wonder and sorrow as she slips into a world of griffins, mermaids, and rhyming couplets. Cass, however, finally finds comfort joining her mother in their shared creation at the border of life and death.

The Comfort To Come was first developed at The Barrow Group Theater in New York City in their “Works in Progress” series. Two installations of the piece were presented there as dramatic readings. Later the play was a semifinalist for the 14th St. Y fellowship in 2019. After the pandemic spoiled plans for an independent production, director Rachel Whorton and Lisa Battle produced the play virtually. In March of 2021, they put up a production up over zoom and raised more than $2,000 for The Alzheimer’s Foundation.

Playwright Lisa Battle was an Arthur Miller Fellow working as a drama teacher at a public middle school in Queens until the pandemic hit. Now she is a high school English Teacher in California. Several of her 10 minute plays were presented at The Barrow Group Instant Play Festivals and Works in Progress Readings in New York City. She is an alumnus of the British American Drama Academy and has performed with the People’s Theater Project in Manhattan. Lisa also toured the U.S. and Canada with Formerly Whitty Productions as the director/producer. Her commentary has been featured on numerous popular comedy podcasts. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Educational Theater from NYU and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater from Whitman College where she studied under Nancy Simon.

Reserved seating tickets ($23 adult, $17 students) are available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.

Please review our current health and safety precautions, including required mask use. Ticket holders will receive an email during the week before the show with any updates.

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Season Sponsors:

KAPP-KVEW TV, Pacific Power, Northwest Public Broadcasting, Hayden Homes

Additional support provided by:
Walla Walla County, Port of Walla Walla, City of Walla Walla

Each Coldwell Banker Office is Independently Owned and Operated