Mia Foley Perron is a Maine-based actress. She’s on of the performers in the upcoming play “Love, Loss and What I Wore.” Courtesy photo
BIDDEFORD — Every woman has a piece of clothing that holds memory. That’s the premise of “Love, Loss, and What I Wore,” a play penned by Nora and Delia Ephron and based on the 1995 book of the same name by Ilene Beckerman, which now comes to the Biddeford City Theater.
The show first ran in 2008 in East Hampton, New York, and has since been performed Off Broadway and on six different continents. This new rendition is directed by Linda Sturdivant and will run between Sept. 29 and Oct. 15.
Mia Foley Perron, one of the cast members, described the play as “a really special and different piece of theater.”
The play features stories from real women about poignant pieces of clothing that were collected by the Ephron sisters. Nora Ephron, who passed away in 2012, was a screenwriter, author and film director famous for her romantic comedies with strong female characters, such as “When Harry Met Sally.” Delia Ephron is a screenwriter and playwright, who co-wrote the coming age film “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.”
This particular form of storytelling, oral essays based on real stories, is what Perron finds so compelling about the show.
“When we tell these stories, it’s more potent because you know that the experiences that you’re describing and the feelings that you’re feeling, are that of some real woman,” she said. “And because of that, I think it just resonates more.”
This run of “Love, Loss and What I Wore” came together quickly. The actresses, who are all Maine-based, auditioned in mid-August and began rehearsals in late August. As part of the rehearsal process, Director Linda Sturdivant had each actress tell a story about an article of clothing that holds memory and meaning for them. Perron recounted a harrowing tale of when her dry cleaner briefly lost her wedding dress on the day of her wedding. Each of the stories from the actresses will be included in the show program.
According to Perron, the version of the play that will run in Biddeford has stuck close to the traditional delivery of the show.
“Typically the show is presented in a reader’s theater type setting, which we’ve stayed true to,” she said. “It’s a very simple presentation, because it’s the most important part of the evening is the words that are being spoken. And so traditionally it’s not distracted by elaborate costumes and set changes. And it’s really just meant to be an honest presentation of the experiences of (these) women.”
Perron said she thinks people of all genders would enjoy the show; however, “that being said, I think the ladies will particularly enjoy it.”
Tickets are available at https://www.citytheater.org/.
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