Crimes of the Heart' at Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga.

“Crimes of the Heart,” the play by Beth Henley that won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, will be presented in six performances by Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga beginning Friday, Oct. 13.

Set in the sweltering backdrop of Hazlehurst, Miss., the Magrath sisters are grieving the loss of their mother, who took her own life and the life of their family cat.

Lenny, played by Monica Woodlief in this production, is faced with the onset of her 30th year while still single and lacking any direction in her life.

Meg, played by Jennifer Arbogast Wilson, has returned to Hazlehurst not quite the famous singer she always thought she would be.

Casey Keelen is cast as Babe, whose new marriage has ended in a literal hail of gunfire.

Though each sister is drowning in a mess of her own, they somehow manage to create a bond and support system that may be strong enough to hold their whirlwind of a family together.

Rounding out the cast is Ashley Burkhart as Chick, Eric “Red” Wyatt as Doc a nd Edward LaGuardia as Barnette.

Dire ct o r Deborah Meeks describes the production as “multifaceted.”

“Yes, it is about those ‘crimes of the heart’ that, when left unattended, send us on a downward spiral of self-destruction,” says Meeks. “But it is also, most certainly, about overcoming. It is about identity and self-worth. It is about relationships and what binds us together.”

For more information: ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Monica Rollins Woodlief plays Lenny.