Works written by Kathryn Grody:
UNEXPECTED 3RD
Synopses:
Unexpected 3rd – Deep into her third and final act of being a person, award-winning theatre artist Kathryn Grody explores a surreal, devastating, and existentially hilarious potpourri of self-discoveries at 78 years young. As mother, actor, wife, grandmother, friend, and accidental influencer, Grody navigates the bewildering transition into elderhood — equal parts empowering and unnerving. The Unexpected 3rd is a humorous and heartfelt solo piece exploring the joys and challenges of becoming not quite old, but elder.
Bio:
Kathryn Grody corrected the cosmic error of her Los Angeles birth by finding a home at New York’s Public Theater almost 50 years ago, where Joe Papp and Gail Merrifield Papp became mentors for life. Her distinguished theatre career includes her Obie Award-winning The Marriage of Bette and Boo and Top Girls, and the Drama Desk Award-nominated A Mom’s Life, all at The Public; The Model Apartment (59E59 Theaters), and 20th Century Blues (Signature Theatre). Her film credits include Reds and The Lemon Sisters, and The Sunset Gang (with Uta Hagen) and The Execution of Private Slovik (with Martin Sheen) on television. Kathryn and her husband, Mandy Patinkin, became unlikely social media stars during the COVID-19 pandemic (4 million followers and counting on TikTok). She recorded Gail Merrifield Papp’s memoir, Private/Public: My Life with Joe Papp at The Public Theater for Audible in 2023, workshopped The Unexpected 3rd at People’s Light in 2024, and recently filmed the shorts Wooly Bully and Double Happiness. A Usual Suspect with New York Theatre Workshop, she is on the boards of Dances For A Variable Population and Downtown Women for Change, and is an ambassador with the International Rescue Committee.