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Schoenly Hixson/Cathy Taylor
Cathy Taylor Public Relations, Inc.
773.564.9564
March 7, 2008
Court Theatre to feature the Midwest Premiere of Caroline, or Change; a newly commissioned translation of The Wild Duck; and the classic thriller Wait Until Dark during its 2008/2009 Season
Chicago, IL – “Court Theatre is excited to announce Caroline, or Change, The Wild Duck and Wait Until Dark as part of our 2008/2009 season,” says Artistic Director Charles Newell. “These plays present a fantastic opportunity for us to further explore and stretch the boundaries of classic theatre, while addressing important and timely issues such as social change, family conflict, and the psychology of terror.”
Newell will direct the Midwest Premiere of Tony-winning Tony Kushner’s Caroline, or Change, as well as a new translation of Ibsen’s The Wild Duck, by Richard Nelson (James Joyce’s “The Dead”). Court has commissioned Nelson to create this new translation, which will be the inaugural production from Court’s Barbara E. Franke Commissioning Program for New Classics. Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson will helm Frederick Knott’s suspense classic Wait Until Dark. To complete the season, two additional titles will be announced at a later date. The Wild Duck will be performed in partnership with The Museum of Contemporary Art, at 220 E. Chicago Ave. The remainder of the season will be performed at Court Theatre at 5535 S. Ellis Ave. in Hyde Park.
The 2008/09 Court Theatre Season is:
The Midwest Premiere of
CAROLINE, OR CHANGE
Book & Lyrics by Tony Kushner
Music by Jeanine Tesori
Directed by Artistic Director Charles Newell
The coins that 8-year-old Noah carelessly leaves behind in his pockets are more than just spare change to Caroline Thibodeax, an African American housekeeper working in a stifling basement laundry room in Louisiana in 1963. Blending blues, gospel, and traditional Jewish melodies in a breathtaking score, this deeply personal story from Pulitzer Prize-winning Tony Kushner (Angels in America) is drawn from the playwright’s own childhood. The vast social change taking place in 1960s America is the perfect backdrop for a powerful story that the New York Times proclaimed “an extraordinary new musical.”
THE WILD DUCK
By Henrik Ibsen
In a new translation by Richard Nelson
Directed by Charles Newell
In partnership with The Museum of Contemporary Art
The peaceful lives of the Ekdal family are turned upside down by an idealistic young family friend. Can the truth liberate the lives of two families bound together by a web of secrets? Or will it destroy their delicate hold on happiness? One of the giants of modern theatre, Ibsen created a masterpiece that pairs profound tragedy with irresistible comedy.
WAIT UNTIL DARK
By Frederick Knott
Directed by Ron OJ Parson
A cool-as-ice psychopath smooth talks his way into the home of an unsuspecting blind woman. Unbeknownst to Susie, she’s harboring a dangerous prize, and he’ll use every trick to get it. Spend an evening on the edge of your seat with the genre Hitchcock made classic. This psychological thriller probes which frightens us more – the evil you can see coming, or the one you can’t?
The Barbara E. Franke Commissioning Program for New Classics was established in 2006 to allow Court Theatre to create new translations and adaptations of classic texts for the stage. Among the projects currently in development are a stage adaptation of Marysé Conde’s novel, I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem by the playwright OyamO.
To receive more information, call the Court Theatre Box Office at (773) 753-4472, or visit Court’s website at www.CourtTheatre.org. Individual tickets go on sale August 1, 2008. Groups of 10 or more may purchase tickets after May 1, 2008 by calling Milan Penjovich in Court’s Group Sales Office at (773) 834-3243.
Single ticket prices for subscription series productions are $37 for all preview performances; $45 for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evening performances; $50 for Friday and Sunday matinee performances, $40 for Wednesday matinees, and $57 for Saturday matinee and evening performances.
Now in its 53rd season, Court Theatre is guided by its mission to discover the power of classic theatre. Court endeavors to make a lasting contribution to American theatre by expanding the canon of translations, adaptations, and classic texts. Court revives lost masterpieces, illuminates familiar texts, and distinguishes fresh, modern classics. Court engages and inspires its audience by providing artistically distinguished productions, audience enrichment activities, and student educational experiences.
Court Theatre, the professional theatre in residence at the University of Chicago, is located at 5535 S. Ellis Ave. in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. You can reach the Court Theatre Box Office at (773) 753-4472, or visit Court’s website at www.CourtTheatre.org. The remaining shows for the 2007/2008 season include the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, which begins on March 6th and The First Breeze of Summer by Leslie Lee which begins on May 15th.
Court Theatre’s 53rd Season, under the leadership of Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Dawn J. Helsing, is generously supported by Richard and Barbara Franke, Hyde Park Bank, The Joyce Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Sara Lee Foundation, Shubert Foundation, the University of Chicago Women’s Board, and the University of Chicago. Court Theatre is also funded in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts; CityArts Program IV of the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs; a Cultural Outreach Program grant from the City of Chicago; and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
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