Blog - Page 30 of 31 - Court Theatre

The Hard Problem: Where Life and Art Intersect

For much of his life, Tom Stoppard knew relatively little about his family’s origins and the events of his early childhood. The established details of his biography began when he was eight years old, in 1946, the year he moved from India to England with his Czechoslovakian mother, Martha, a Catholic. Martha recently had married a British Army officer, Major Kenneth Stoppard. She brought two sons from a previous marriage to this new union, eager for her children to start life in a new country.

Donors Make A Difference: Chip Bamberger & Martha Van Haitsma

Chip Bamberger and Martha Van Haitsma, Producers’ Circle members and long-time subscribers, are firm believers in the transformative power of arts in education. In addition to their three decades as loyal subscribers, Chip and Martha are also generous patrons to Court. Their most recent gift will fund an innovative collaboration between Court and the Ancona School in Hyde Park/Kenwood.

Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson has the Blues

As director of Court’s current production, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Ron has spent the last few months immersed in the Harlem Renaissance, exploring the lives of African American artists in the 1930s, and examining the social and cultural atmosphere that surrounds the play.

In Conversation with Playwright Pearl Cleage & Director Ron OJ Parson

Best-selling novels, plays, and poetry—Pearl Cleage has written it all. Her 1995 play Blues for an Alabama Sky thrusts audiences into the creative ferment of the Harlem Renaissance, just as the problems of the Great Depression begin to overshadow artistic triumphs and creep into characters lives. While set in the past, her work sends echoes to us in the present that are impossible to ignore. Court staff member Shelby Krick enjoyed a fascinating conversation with Cleage and Resident Artist and Director Ron OJ Parson.

The Harlem Renaissance

University of Chicago professor and author Kenneth Warren looks at how the cultural landscape of the nation was forever altered by the Harlem Renaissance.

Director’s Note: Ron OJ Parson

Director Ron OJ Parson shares how Blues for An Alabama Sky will resonate strongly with today's audiences.

Donors Make a Difference: Marilyn and David Vitale

In September, the artistic director position at Court was named the Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director in appreciation of the Vitales’ significant donation to Court Theatre.

Putting It All Together: Thoughts on Court Theatre’s Greek Cycle

Court's Founding Artistic Director and renowned translator, Nicholas Rudall, reflects on Court's 3-year cycle of Greek plays—Iphigenia in Aulis, Agamamemnon, and Electra.

Designer’s Notebook

Jacqueline's creations for Iphigenia in Aulis, Agamemnon and now Electra tell a powerful story of their own, tracing the narrative arc of tragedy through subtle changes in fabric, color, draping and visual concept.

Q&A: Actresses Sandra Marquez & Kate Fry

This year in Electra, we see many returning faces from Agamemnon and Iphigenia in Aulis, but we are also introduced to a few new faces that leave a lasting impression. Kate Fry (Electra) joins Sandra Marquez (Clytemnestra) in the final tragic chapter in Court Theatre’s Greek Cycle.