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THE SECRET JOURNALS OF DESIREE VON WERTHEIMSTEIN*
I want to scream out. But who'd listen? No one will read these lines. Who am I? But I'll write them. And hide them . . .
Two women and one actor of either gender to play multiple roles.
It is the turn of the last century. A young Viennese woman discovers Eleonora Duse, the great Italian actress, on tour and becomes her life-long companion. The play, based on the turbulent and dramatic real life of La Duse and her companion, Desiree von Wertheimstein, looks at the way historical biography has left certain people out of the story--whether it be because they are the wrong gender or because they play silent roles in famous peoples' lives. In this play, one such character finally has her say.
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