Following a run at The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, AVA: The Secret Conversations, written by and starring Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Emmy Award-nominated actress Elizabeth McGovern (Downton Abbey, Ordinary People, Once Upon a Time in America), will make its New York premiere this summer at NY City Center, Stage I.
The production, directed by Tony Award nominee Moritz von Stuelpnagel (Broadway: Hand to God, Present Laughter) and produced by Karl Sydow (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, UK: The Last Ship, UK: Noises Off), begins performances July 30, 2025, and will open August 7, 2025. The production, which will also feature Aaron Costa Ganis (TV: “Bull,” “Blue Bloods”), will play a strictly limited engagement through September 13, 2025.
At the height of the Golden Age of Cinema, starlet Ava Gardner sat for a series of interviews with writer Peter Evans for him to glean the juicy details about her life story, her marriages to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra, and her turbulent relationship to Howard Hughes. Initially barred from publication, Evans’ account of a bygone era was published twenty-five years later with permission from Gardner’s estate and is now reimagined on stage.
With AVA: The Secret Conversations, McGovern returns to the NY stage for the first time since 2017. Best known for her role as Lady Cora in the “Downton Abbey” series and films, McGovern will be seen this fall on screen in the sequel, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. She also stars in Anne Rice’s “The Talamasca” on AMC this fall.
Scenic design is by David Meyer, costume design is by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design is by Amith Chandrashaker, sound design is by Cricket S. Myers, projection design is by Alex Basco Koch, and wig design is by Matthew Armentrout. Production Stage Manager is Avery Trunko. General management is by Pemberley Productions.
