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Aug 09, 1999

The Theatre School, DePaul University, Announces 1999-2000 Season

The Theatre School, DePaul University, praised as a "legendary training ground for professional actors" by the Chicago Tribune, announces its 1999-2000 Theatre School Showcase and Chicago Playworks seasons, to be presented at DePaul’s Merle Reskin Theatre, 60 E. Balbo Drive, and the Athenaeum Stage Three, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago.

For information and to purchase subscriptions, call the Box Office at (312) 922-1999.

Founded as the Goodman School of Drama in 1925, The Theatre School is the oldest theatre conservatory in the Midwest and is recognized throughout the nation for its professional training programs. Throughout its history, the school has provided Chicago audiences with first-rate affordable entertainment. Plays are directed and designed by the professional faculty of the school and guest artists, and performed and designed by students in the professional training programs.

Michael Maggio, new dean of The Theatre School and Associate Artistic Director of the Goodman Theatre, says the 1999-2000 season is "a marvelous interplay of classics and award-winning contemporary plays. The work of our student actors, designers, technicians and crew is not only compelling, involving and entertaining theatre — it’s the best theatrical value in town." This year’s Showcase schedule ranges from a delightful Restoration comedy and an electrifying Greek tragedy to a Pulitzer Prize-winning contemporary masterpiece.

Founded in 1925 as the Goodman Children’s Theatre, Chicago Playworks is the city’s oldest continuously operating theatre for young people. Last year’s Chicago Playworks productions were described as "a feast for the senses … powerful, compassionate and inventive" by the Chicago Tribune, and this year promises the same with a season filled with the wonder of childhood favorites.

The Theatre School Showcase – Contemporary Plays and Classics

The Theatre School Showcase season opens in November with THE BEAUX STRATAGEM by George Farquhar, directed by Michael Maggio, dean of The Theatre School. This rollicking tale tells the story of Archer and Aimwell, two young rogues desperately low on money who leave London in search of an heiress for Aimwell to marry. Their stratagem leads them on a madcap adventure filled with saucy maidens, hapless seductions, dastardly plots and thrilling swordplay. First performed in 1707, this naughty Restoration comedy delights those who enjoy an intriguing frolic in the country. The Beaux Stratagem runs November 5 - 14, 1999 (previews 11/3 & 11/4).

The season continues with BURIED CHILD by Sam Shepard. With mystery and unexpected humor, this 1979 Pulitzer Prize-winning play contrasts the popular American myth of farm life and apple pie with the nation’s loss of innocence. The riches to rags story follows a nameless rural Illinois clan through the downfall of their financial and spiritual lives. Despite all the secrets, dysfunction and oddity, you will find yourself rooting for the survival of family. The play is directed by Peter Hobert and runs December 3 - 12, 1999 (previews 12/1 & 12/2).

In February, The Theatre School presents Tony Kushner’s modern masterpiece ANGELS IN AMERICA — Part I: Millennium Approaches and Part II: Perestroika. This enormously theatrical work, awarded the Pulitzer Prize and two Tony Awards in the early 1990s, uses the AIDS crisis as a metaphor for the evils eating away at the fabric of American society. Subtitled "A Gay Fantasia on National Themes," Kushner’s plays weave a story of political corruption, blessings and sin, disease and death, and spiritual transformation. Now, as the millennium arrives, The Theatre School undertakes one of the most ambitious productions in its history, presenting both parts of this major American work in rotating repertory. James Ostholthoff directs; the plays run February 10 - 27, 2000 (previews 2/8 & 2/9).

One of the theatre’s most memorable characters appears in HEDDA GABLER by Henrik Ibsen, adapted by Christopher Hampton. Sex and power infuse this complex portrait of a 19th-century woman trapped within the conventions of society, new marriage and a life she feels is incomplete. Pouring her considerable talents into manipulating and destroying others, she dreams of a single romantic and courageous act that might free her. In a new translation by the author of Dangerous Liaisons, Ibsen’s revolutionary masterwork reveals a woman who aches to know the freedom of being herself. The play, which will be presented at the Athenaeum Stage Three, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago, is directed by Patrice Egleston and runs April 28 - May 14, 2000 (previews 4/25, 4/26, & 4/27).

The Showcase season concludes in May with Euripides’ ELECTRA, directed by guest artist Jacqueline Moscou, an accomplished Seattle-based director. Pure rage drives this electrifying tale of passion and murder written more than 2,000 years ago. Electra fervently awaits the return of her long- exiled brother, hoping to convince him to avenge the murder of their father by her mother’s hand. Mother and daughter lock in brutal battle as Electra’s raw emotions play out in this shocking tragedy. The play runs May 19 – 28, 2000 (previews 5/17 & 5/18).

Subscription prices for The Theatre School Showcase are $36 - $60. Single ticket prices are $8 -$12. Showcase FlexPasses are available for $40, entitling the purchaser to four tickets to use as they choose during the season. Group rates are available for 15 or more people. Post-show discussions are scheduled for each production. Free Teacher/Production Guides are available for each production. Subscribers will receive a quarterly newsletter, The Theatre School Scoop. Dinner Offers are available at the Hilton Chicago and Towers Pavilion Restaurant: $21.00 for adults, $12.00 for children 12 and under. For information and to purchase subscriptions, call the Box Office at (312) 922-1999.

Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences

Chicago Playworks opens its season with THE LITTLE PRINCE, based on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s delightful children’s book. This playful musical adaptation, with book and lyrics by Arthur Perlman and music by Jeffrey Lunden, captures with song and dance the classic story that has charmed generations of readers. An aviator is forced to land in the Sahara Desert, falls asleep and is awakened by the odd voice of the Little Prince, a visitor to Earth from Asteroid B-612. A troupe of performers presents the whimsical tale of fantasy, philosophy and childish gaiety that follows as the two discover what is really important in life. The play, directed by Betsy Hamilton with musical direction by Mark Elliott, runs October 5 - December 4, 1999.

The season continues with RIP VAN WINKLE by Frederick Gaines, based on the story by Washington Irving. The play asks the question: what if you went to sleep tonight and woke up 20 years from now? This fresh adaptation of the early American story follows Rip Van Winkle, a likable but very lazy man who walks into the Catskills one night and meets a band of strangers. After drinking their mysterious brew, he falls into a deep sleep and awakens two decades later to find the world a changed place. Haunting and hilarious, Rip Van Winkle’s peculiar plight reminds us to make the most of every day. Directed by John Jenkins, the play runs January 13 - March 11, 2000.

The Chicago Playworks season concludes with GRIMM TALES. This brilliant collaboration by acclaimed poet Carol Duffy and director Tim Supple for the Young Vic Company caused a sensation at its 1996 London premiere, when one reviewer wrote "[it’s] the best demonstration of the living power of theatre all year …the children squealed in delight and so did I." Grimms’ fairy tales have been childhood favorites worldwide for nearly 200 years. With unbridled imagination, mystery and wonder, each has a lesson to teach. Folk tales like Hansel and Gretel, The Golden Goose and others will enchant your entire family. Directed by Ric Murphy, the play runs March 28 - May 20, 2000.

Saturday subscriptions for Chicago Playworks are $18. Single tickets are $7. Group rates are available for 15 or more people. Free Teacher/Production Guides are available for each production. Subscribers will receive a quarterly newsletter, The Theatre School Scoop. Post-show Ice Cream Socials with the director and cast are scheduled for Saturday, November 6; Saturday, February 19; and Saturday, April 22. Tickets for the Ice Cream Socials are $2.50 and may be purchased through the Theatre Box Office. With each subscription order, subscribers receive two free admissions to the Chicago Children’s Museum. For information or to purchase subscriptions, call the Box Office at (312) 922-1999.

Interpreted Performances

Selected performances during the 1999-2000 Chicago Playworks and Theatre School Showcase seasons will be interpreted to American Sign Language by Sign On Stage. Interpreted performances are supported by a grant from Dr. Richard Meister and the Executive Office of Academic Affairs at DePaul University. For more information about interpreted performances, call TTY: (773) 325-7975.

Interpreted performances are scheduled for the following dates and times: The Little Prince — Tuesday, November 9 at 10 a.m. and Saturday, November 13 at 2 p.m.; Rip Van Winkle — Tuesday, February 8 at 10 a.m. and Saturday, February 19 at 2 p.m.; Grimm Tales — Tuesday, April 11 at 10 a.m. and Saturday, April 22 at 2 p.m.; The Beaux Stratagem — Friday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m.; Buried Child — Sunday, December 12 at 2 p.m.; Angels in America, Part I — Saturday, February 26 at 7:30 p.m.; Angels in America, Part II — Sunday, February 27 at 2 p.m.; Electra — Friday, May 26 at 7:30 p.m. There will be no interpreted performance of Hedda Gabler.

New Directors Series

Free tickets are available for New Directors Series productions at the Athenaeum Stage Three, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. New Directors Series productions are directed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Fine Arts in Directing. Scheduled productions are: VOIR DIRE by Joe Sutton, directed by John Quinn, October 20 – 31, 1999; and VINEGAR TOM by Caryl Churchill, directed by Dan Winkler, February 16 – 27, 2000. Call the Box Office for information: (312) 922-1999.

Further information about The Theatre School and its subscription season is available via the Internet on The Theatre School’s website, located at http://theatreschool.depaul.edu.

The Theatre School is a member of the Illinois Arts Alliance, Illinois Alliance for Arts
Education, American Alliance for Theatre and Education, Illinois Theatre Association and the League
of Chicago Theatres.