There is a plethora of fantastic shows coming up this year at NEIU! Whether you are interested in the classics, something new, children’s theater or good ole’ fashion rompin’ comedy, you’ll find something to enjoy.
For reservations for the Stage Center Theatre Main Stage Productions and the Studio Series Productions please call 773.442.4274
Auditions for Charley’s Aunt, Electra, Sangre de Atole, The Bear and The Proposal are on Aug. 26 & 27 from 1:30-3:00 p.m. and 6:00-9:00 p.m. Please call Anna Antaramian for an audition time slot if you are interested in performing at 773-442-5975. Here is what’s coming up, courtesy of the Dept. of Media, Communications and Theatre.
MAIN STAGE:
Oct. 2-4, 9-11, 16-18, 2008CHARLEY’S AUNT by Brandon Thomas
“This world-famous farce has moved millions to tears of laughter. Jack Chesney loves Kitty Verdun and Charles loves Miss Spettigue. They invited the ladies to meet Charley’s wealthy aunt from Brazil. But alas, the millionaire aunt sends word that she will have to defer her visit for a few days. What is to be done? The dear young things must not be compromised–no, never!–but neither will the youths give up the opportunity of declaring their love. The problem is solved by forcing another Oxford undergraduate into a ..skirt, an old-fashioned cap and wig. As Charley’s Aunt, this old frump is introduced to the sweethearts, to Jack’s father and to Stephen Spettigue, Miss Spettigue’s guardian. Then the real aunt turns up. In the comic confusion which results, young Lord Babberley, posing as the aunt, tricks Stephen Spettigue into agreeing to the marriage of his ward to Charley, the real aunt marries Jack’s father, Jack gets Miss Verdun, and “Charley’s Aunt” regains the fortune he lost at gambling and the girl he loves.” (Samuel French, Inc.)
Nov. 13-15, 20-22, Dec. 4-6, 2008ELECTRA by Sophocles, translated by Frank McGuinness
Years ago Electra’s father was murdered by her mother’s lover. Since that time Electra has daily suffered and mourned her father’s death, sustained only by the belief that her brother Orestes, upon attaining manhood, would one day return to exact revenge. At the opening of the play, the morning light falls on the palace of golden Mycenae as Orestes secretly returns with a plot to satisfy Electra’s deepest desire. Thus begins one of the most frequently produced of the classic Greek tragedies. “Leave it to a playwright who has been dead for 2,400 years to jolt Broadway [with] soul satisfying drama at its most passionately, intensely alive…. It’s a provocative evening that not only reacquaints you with the direct, unprocessed power of Greek drama but also provides a depth of pleasure you associate with great movies ” (New York Times found in Samuel French, Inc.)
Feb. 19-21, 26-28, Mar. 5-7, 2009ILLUSION by Pierre Corneille, translated and adapted by Tony Kushner
“…this the tale of a rigid father, Pridament, who, stricken with remorse for having provoked his son to flee the family home, searches out the magician Aleandre in the hope that he will help him find out what happened to the wayward boy. Aleandre does, and the ironic twist of the piece is that after several false starts, passionate re-enactments, comic delusions and confusions, the truth is revealed and Papa finds he doesn’t like it. The light-hearted ending is a cynical but honest lesson in selective affection. THE ILLUSION takes us into territory on which theater thrives: fantasy, witchcraft, transcended place and time….” (Los Angeles Times found in Broadway Play Publishing, Inc.)Apr. 16-18, 23-25, Apr. 30-May 2, 2009LETTICE AND LOVAGE by Peter Shaffer
“Lettice Duffeet, an expert on Elizabethan cuisine and medieval weaponry, is an indefatigable enthusiast of history and the theatre. She is a tour guide at Fustian House-one of the least stately and least interesting of Britain’s stately homes. Lettice begins to embellish its historical past and her lecture gains theatricality and romance as it strays from the facts. Lotte Schon, an inspector from the Preservation Trust, is not impressed or entertained by these uninhibited history lessons. She fires Lettice, but gradually becomes fascinated by her unusual past, her romantic world-view and her refusal to accept the mediocre and the second rate. The two women forge an alliance to awaken their fellow citizens to the dreariness of modern life.” (Samuel French, Inc.)
STUDIO SERIES:
Sept. 23, 24, 25, 26, 2008Sangre de Atole (a new play) by Michael Villareal
Repaying your coyote when you first migrate to the United States can be difficult. Amparo and Mari are well aware of the challenges in finding work and making the rent. They provide recent immigrants a place to stay, until they can get on their feet. Their most recent arrivals prove to be more taxing, as one could expect with 6 people to a studio apartment. The tension builds on both sides, leaving them to wonder – Was the move worth the turmoil it has on their personal relationships? What was it all for, really?
Oct. 28, 29, 30, 31, 2008An Evening with Chekhov.The Bear by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Michael Frayn
“Mrs. Popoff, widow of a landowner, has vowed never to remarry and abjures the company of men forever. Then Smirnoff, one of her late husband’s creditors, forces himself into her presence –they seemed groomed for quarreling and they do to the point of…a duel.” (Samuel French, Inc.)
The Proposal by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Michael Frayn
The story tells the efforts of a nervous and excitable man who starts to propose to an attractive young woman, but who gets into a tremendous quarrel over a boundary line.” (Samuel French, Inc.)
Feb. 17,18,19,20, 2009Winner of the 2009 Ronald Williams Playwright CompetitionQueer Strindberg: A play in two acts by Max Guilias
Queer Strindberg is a play about gender and sexual identity in the context of the life, personality, and character of two controversial historical and intellectual figures of Swedish and European history, August Strindberg and Queen Kristina Wasa. Queer Strindberg brings out the best, and the worst-assess both the benefits and costs-of the creative mind, and finds a home for both August and Kristina in the “text,” performance, and mind of the audience, of theatre itself.
Mar. 17, 18, 19, 20, 2009Pieces of Eight: Pure Sterling Rich texts, luscious language, and exquisite theatricality comprise this anthology directed by NEIU Communication, Media, and Theatre graduate students. This production entertains, surprises, amuses and bemuses its audience.
CHILDREN’S THEATRE WORKSHOP: Bocon! by Lisa Loomer
Suitable for grades 5-8; performances Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:30-11:30 a.m., $3.00 per student, teachers free, Stage Center Theatre, Nov. 3 through Dec. 3, 2008. Contact Ann Hartdegen, 773.442.5917
“¡Bocón!, a bilingual play filled with humor and mysticism and song, tells the story of a twelve -year-old Miguel who flees a repressive military regime in Central America for Los Angeles. A natural storyteller and irrepressible ‘big mouth’ or bocón, Miguel loses his voice when his parents are taken and begins a metaphorical journey north to the City of Angels. Along the way he meets up with an unusual traveling companion, La Llorona, the legendary ‘Weeping Woman’ of Mexican and Central American mythology. Through their magical friendship, Miguel finds his voice and the courage to cross the border to a new life. Miguel’s story is relevant to immigrant children from all parts of the world…and to any child who is learning the many meanings of finding one’s own ‘voice.'” (Dramatic Publishing Company)
The Jungle Book by R. Rex Stephenson Suitable for grades 2-5, performances Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 10:30-11:30 a.m., $3.00 per students,. Teachers, free, Stage Center Theatre, March through April 2009. Contact 773.442.5917.
“Into the Indian semi-tropical jungle comes the man-cub Mowgli. Protected by the wolf pack, taught the laws of the jungle, protected and disciplined by Kaa, Baloo, and Bagheera, Mowgli must choose between two worlds when he comes of age, and he finds himself at home in neither… The dialogue retains the poignancy of Kipling at his best, while peppered with some of those delightful one-liners that make Stephenson’s work so unique and special to audiences everywhere. Mowlgi is especially heart-warming as the jungle boy struggling for acceptance first in a world ruled by the law of the land, then by the people of the village who are ruled by greed and superstition.” (New Plays Inc.)
SUMMER THEATRE
June 4-6, 11-13, 18-20A Midsummer Nights Dream by William Shakespeare
The action begins at the beautiful court of Theseus, Duke of Athens, and later moves to the mystical forest inhabited by Oberon and Titania, King and queen of the fairies…It is the magical story of star-crossed lovers, overly ambitious homespun rustics and misadventures with the fairies.
July 16-18, 23-25, 30-Aug. 1Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw”Ever since its first performance in 1894, and the controversy it aroused, it has had a prominent place in the repertory of the English-speaking stage. In this play Saw wrote a satire on war and the professional fighting man; the typical Shavian touches throughout are very good fun; but of course there are serious points to be made too and Shaw makes them in his inimitably brilliant manner.” (Samuel French, Inc.)