Go see the exhibit at CAM and then see the artists come to life!
This new one-act play in two parts, written by Debra Wiess and performed by Susan
and John Van Drie, builds on historical sources to present an imaginative account of the
budding creative and romantic union between Edward and Josephine Hopper (née
Nivison) during the summer of 1923 when they each came to paint in Gloucester; the
play then re-encounters the couple at their summer home in Truro, MA sixteen years
later, well into their complicated marriage. It was during their first encounters in
Gloucester that Jo Nivison encouraged Hopper to try painting with watercolors, and
after the summer of ‘23 that Nivison arranged for Hopper’s work to hang next to hers in
a show at the Brooklyn Museum that would help launch his career. It is often forgotten
that Jo was an artist in her own right, her work hanging next to that of Picasso,
Modigliani and others. The play recognizes her talent and gives Jo her due. This two-
character 30-minute one-act play set on two Massachusetts Capes, Cape Ann and
Cape Cod, is being presented in a wide variety of arts and cultural venues throughout
the region this year, the 100th anniversary of that pivotal summer.