Arts Beat: Evan Linder wrote ‘Byhalia, Mississippi’ to get the South right. Now, he’s directing it in Memphis.
Haley Wilson (left) and Robert Alliston star in “Byhalia, Mississippi” at Theatre Memphis. Writer Evan Linder directs. (Carla McDonald)
While a founding member and co-artistic director of Chicago’s The New Colony, native Memphian Evan Linder noticed the South was rarely represented in new plays — or represented well.
“I wasn’t seeing new plays about the South, or if I did, I didn’t like them. They weren’t getting us right,” Linder said. “So I wanted to write something that was authentic and true to the people who I know and I grew up with.”
His answer was ‘Byhalia, Mississippi,' which opened Wednesday at Theatre Memphis and runs through Nov. 22.
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Subscriber Only Evan Linder Whitney Branan Playhouse on the SquareThank you for reading The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
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Alys Drake
Alys Drake is a Memphian born and raised in the Bluff City. A theater-lover, she has worked in a variety of marketing and communications roles at entities within the advertising, legal, marketing, religious and financial services sectors. She is a graduate of Memphis Central High School and Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi.
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