Where do you see yourself at 70? Retired or relaxing and taking things slow? Not Marcy Gallagher. She’s launching a new phase in her career and becoming a playwright — with her first show, “At the Cafe,” debuting this weekend. And she’s inspiring others to continue following their lifelong dreams in the process.
Marcy admits that she isn’t the type to stay still for long. She’s worn many hats as a paralegal and business owner, but after selling her shops in 2020, her next question was, “What do I do now?” And naturally, the answer was to bring to life the script for a play she had written in 2019 — despite having no background in theater.
The origin of “At the Cafe”
Inspired by seeing “The Greatest Showman,” Marcy declared to her husband Tom that she was going to write a musical. “I had an idea in mind of writing about four middle-aged women because I think we’re underrepresented in musical theater. And I felt there was a story there,” Marcy shared.
After seeing her neighbor, local singer and songwriter Sarah Kohrs, perform a show at the Isis Music Hall several years ago, Marcy tapped her to create 14 original songs for the play. “She said, ‘Well, I’ve never written for somebody else’s lyrics before.’ And I said, ‘Well, I’ve never written a musical. So we’re even,’” said Marcy.
“At the Cafe” centers on four women grappling with the struggles of aging — and highlights the power of friendship to see those struggles through. Marcy says, “Middle age should be a springboard. It should be accepting of our bodies and the changes, and we’ve earned it. And there’s nothing we can’t do, if we set our mind to it and follow our passions.”
“At the Cafe” will debut at the Tina McGuire Theatre for two weekends, beginning this Friday, Aug. 18. The play will be performed to five sold-out crowds, with several tickets still available only for the Friday, Aug. 25 show. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to Hope Chest for Women, a local nonprofit providing financial assistance to women with breast or gynecological cancer.
Through making her own dreams come true, Marcy wants others to be inspired to do the same. “I’m encouraging everybody I talk to to find their passion and just go with it. We’ve got nothing to lose at this point at our age. And so why not get out there,” Marcy says. “There are so many women in my age group who are reinventing themselves. And it is so wonderful to see it.”
What’s next for Marcy?
If you can’t already tell from Marcy’s go-getter spirit, “At the Cafe” certainly won’t be her only creation. Her wheels are already turning for her next musical. “The fact that I don’t have any music background is not stopping me. I want to learn the keyboard. But to get to the point where I can write my own songs and lyrics and music is not going to happen anytime soon,” she says.
Stay tuned to hear more about what’s next for this budding Asheville playwright.