Celebrate Christine Barker's Debut Memoir at Athena Books!

228 Sound Beach Avenue,Greenwich CT 06870

27 April, 2023

Description

Please join Athena Books to toast Riverside resident Christine Barker on the publication of her debut memoir, Third Girl from the Left, an emotional, honest examination of what it takes to succeed in the competitive world of New York theatre, how hard-won dreams can be quickly lost, and the devastating toll AIDS exacted on a generation of artists. Christine will share her story with us and wine and light dessert will be served. About Third Girl from the Left: As a middle child in a large military family, Christine just wants to dance. Her parents support her dreams, even if they seem beyond their comprehension. At 20, determined and talented, Christine heads across the country from Santa Fe to New York City and, in a made for-Hollywood story, is chosen for the London cast of A Chorus Line. While unwilling to fully cut ties with the traditional life her parents envision for her, she finds a new family with the dancers and more fluid, open characters that fill the theater world in London, and later New York, in the ‘70s & ‘80s. Christine learns that one member of her family is equally at home in her new world: Laughlin, her older brother—divorced, a father, ex-military and a corporate lawyer—also makes his way to New York City, where he meets, and begins to build a life, with rising fashion star Perry Ellis. The two men enjoy a partnership and a financial success that Christine both admires and envies. She spends much of her free time in their Upper West Side brownstone and Water Island retreat. Soon everyone is talking about a mysterious new disease. As deaths of dancers, theater folk, and eventually friends start to mount, Christine realizes she’s in the middle of an epidemic that neither her traditional family nor the public at large is ready to reckon with. As the AIDS crisis cuts closer and closer, eventually impacting those she loves most, Christine does what she has always done: she strikes her own path. This memoir is an emotional, honest examination of what it takes to succeed in the competitive world of New York theater, how hard-won dreams can be quickly lost, what it means to redefine family, and the devastating toll AIDS exacted on a generation of artists. About the Author: Christine Barker was raised in a military family and grew up living in Europe and throughout the United States. When her father retired from the military, her family settled in Santa Fe, NM. After attending two years of college at UCLA, Ms. Barker moved to New York City to pursue a career in dance and theater. She appeared in national tours and off-Broadway productions before being cast in the London production of the Tony award-winning production, A Chorus Line. From London, she toured with the show, eventually joining the Broadway cast in New York. In addition to her theater credits, she appeared in numerous national television commercials. She holds an MFA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College, is married, and has two children. She divides her time between Santa Fe and her home in Connecticut. In addition to working on her own projects, she teaches writing to high school students.