2008/09 SEASON ANNOUNCEMENT

Contact: Cathy Taylor
(773) 564-9564        
cathy@cathytaylorpr.com                                                                                  EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE
                                                                                                                              ON TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 2008

 

Glencoe, IL—Writers’ Theatre Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma announce the company’s 17th season, which includes two world premieres: the world premiere musical adaptation of Candida (as yet untitled) by George Bernard Shaw with music by Josh Schmidt, book by Austin Pendleton, lyrics by Jan Tranen and conceived and direction by Michael Halberstam; and Brett Neveu’s Old Glory, directed by William Brown. The subscription season also includes Picnic by William Inge, directed by David Cromer; and Jean Genet’s The Maids translated by Martin Crimp, directed by Jimmy McDermott.  For the first time in Writers’ Theatre history, three non-subscription shows will be produced, including an election season revival of Nixon’s Nixon by Russell Lees, directed by Michael Halberstam, featuring the original cast of William Brown and Larry Yando; Michael Halberstam’s one-man dramatic staged reading of Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol; and a family production to be determined.  

Writers’ Theatre performs in two performance spaces in Glencoe – its 50-seat venue at Books on Vernon, 664 Vernon Ave, and its 108-seat theatre at 325 Tudor Court in the Woman’s Library Club.  Subscriptions and Memberships are available at the Box Office, 376 Park Avenue, Glencoe, 847-242-6000 and www.writerstheatre.org.

“I look at this season as a coming of age for Writers’ Theatre” says Artistic Director Michael Halberstam.  “The company has enjoyed a long-time collaborative relationship with artists like William Brown, David Cromer, Josh Schmidt and Larry Yando.  This year, we showcase them all in an extraordinary lineup of productions.  Two world premieres, a new musical, a revival of one of our most successful productions, an American chestnut dusted off to be brought into new light and a contemporary French masterpiece all combine to make theatrical alchemy.”

THE 2008/09 WRITERS’ THEATRE SEASON IS:

The revival of
Nixon’s Nixon
By Russell Lees
Directed by Michael Halberstam
Featuring William Brown and Larry Yando
Performance Venue: 664 Vernon Avenue

Previews:  August 19 – 26, 2008
Regular Run:  August 30 – September 28, 2008
Press Openings: August 27 & 28, 2008 at 7:30 pm

Tickets are currently only available to 2008/09 season ticket holders and will be on sale to the public on June 20, 2008.

Just in time for the presidential elections, Writers’ brings back its critically acclaimed, award-winning production of Nixon’s Nixon.  This box office record-breaking production returns to our most intimate theatre for a limited engagement.  Artistic Director Michael Halberstam will once again direct William Brown and Larry Yando as they reprise their tour-de-force performances as Kissinger and Nixon in this thrilling, hilarious and brilliantly imagined story of what might have happened in the Lincoln sitting room the night before Nixon resigned.

Picnic
By William Inge
Directed by David Cromer
Featuring Marc Grapey
Performance Venue: 325 Tudor Court

Previews: September 16 – 23, 2008
Regular Run: September 26 – November 16, 2008
Press Opening: September 24, 2008 at 7:30 pm

This American classic is staged by Chicago’s own David Cromer whose previous work for Writers’ Theatre includes The Price and Booth and whose highly acclaimed production of The Adding Machine is enjoying a successful run in New York.  When a charismatic young drifter arrives in a small Kansas town on the eve of a Labor Day picnic, the simmering repressions of its residents come rapidly to a boil.  Frequently hilarious and profoundly moving, Inge’s masterpiece chronicles the hopes and despairs that lie between the realization of adulthood and the eternal optimism of youth.

The Maids
By Jean Genet
Translated by Martin Crimp
Directed by Jimmy McDermott
Performance Venue: 664 Vernon Avenue

Previews: November 18 – December 2, 2008
Regular Run: December 6, 2008 – April 5, 2009
Press opening: December 3 & 4, 2008 at 7:30 pm

When the mistress is away, the maids will play.  Two women in service to a younger socialite pass the moments of their day in playacting and fantasy.  As the line between fantasy and reality begins to disintegrate, their games take a deadly turn.  Jealousy, resentment, sexual tension and murder converge in this 1947 classic French thriller.  Jimmy McDermott, one of the city’s most exciting young directors, brings his trademark edginess to this seminally rebellious play.

A Christmas Carol
By Charles Dickens
Adapted by Michael Halberstam
Featuring Michael Halberstam
Performance Venue: 325 Tudor Court

Regular Run: December 14 – 23, 2008
Press opening: December 13, 2008

Artistic Director Michael Halberstam gives another solo tour-de-force performance of the greatest ghost story ever written.  Available for a limited engagement, our 13th annual reading of Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey over the course of one magical Christmas Eve has become a holiday tradition.

The world premiere of
Old Glory
By Brett Neveu
Directed by William Brown
Performance Venue: 325 Tudor Court

Previews: February 3 – 11, 2009
Regular Run: February 14 – March 29, 2009
Press Opening: February 12, 2009 at 7:30 pm

William Brown, director of last season’s triumphant As You Like It turns his attention from the old to the new.  One of the country's hottest young playwrights, Brett Neveu, brings us the world premiere of Old Glory. This gripping drama in which a family confronts loss as a consequence of war is brought intensely to life through Neveu’s direct yet poetic language.  No government, no politics, just people.  Razor sharp wit and fiercely emotional confrontation combine as this viscerally powerful mystery unfolds.

A new musical adapted from Candida by George Bernard Shaw (as yet untitled)
Music by Joshua Schmidt
Lyrics by Jan Tranen
Adapted by Austin Pendleton
Conceived and Directed by Michael Halberstam
Performance Venue: 325 Tudor Court

Previews: May 19 – June 3, 2009
Regular Run: June 6 – July 19, 2009
Press Opening: June 4, 2009 at 7:30 pm

After his unanimously acclaimed New York debut, The Adding Machine, Writers’ Theatre Associate Artist Josh Schmidt has become the most eagerly anticipated young musical theatre composer in the country.  His second creation adapted from Candida by George Bernard Shaw in collaboration with artistic director Michael Halberstam, playwright Austin Pendleton and lyricist Jan Tranen, receives its world premiere in Glencoe.   A poet, a preacher and his wife enter into a delicious conflict when a fantastical suspicion turns an ordinary day topsy turvy.

Family Programming
Following the success of this season’s The Frog Prince, Writers’ will continue its family programming with a play yet to be determined.  The family production will open March 14 and will run through April 19 with performances on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. and Sundays at 11:00 a.m.

TICKET INFORMATION:

Writers' Theatre season ticket packages provide a convenient theatergoing experience to accommodate busy lives.  The Writers’ Theatre Membership is $180 and provides ultimate flexibility.  The Subscription is $200
and offers patrons a preset schedule with the guarantee of the same seat to their originally scheduled performances.  Each Membership and Subscription includes one ticket to Picnic, The Maids, Old Glory and the new musical adaptation of Candida.

Both season packages offer exclusive pre-sale access to tickets for Nixon’s Nixon, A Christmas Carol, Family Programming and special behind-the-scenes events.  The Rain Checks is a new benefit that gives Members and Subscribers the opportunity to make up a missed performance at no cost.  Members and Subscribers also receive free ticket exchanges by phone, mail and fax, show reminders by email before each scheduled performance and a one-year subscription to The Brief Chronicle newsmagazine.
Subscriptions and Memberships are available at the at the Box Office, 376 Park Avenue, Glencoe, 847-242-6000 and www.writerstheatre.org.

SPECIAL SERIES:
Pre-Show Lecture
Writers’ Theatre guest artists will guide patrons through the inner-workings of each production.  By providing details that enhance the Writers’ Theatre experience, each lecture will increase audience appreciation for the production to follow.  The pre-show lectures begin at 5:00 p.m. and are offered at no additional cost with select Sunday evening performances.

Post-Show Discussions
Writers’ Theatre artistic staff and cast members will host lively post-show discussions.  Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions about the process, the characters and the production.  Post-show discussions are offered at no additional cost and are available with select Tuesday and Wednesday evening performances.

About Writers' Theatre
Writers' Theatre is a professional company focusing on the Word and the Artist.  Remaining true to the intention of the playwright and nurturing the artist stand at the center of the mission.  Now in its 17th season, the company both revives classic scripts and cultivates new works and adaptations while invigorating them with fresh energy in the intimacy of its venues. Founded in 1992, Writers’ Theatre performed exclusively at Books on Vernon, 664 Vernon Avenue for the first 12 years.  In the fall of 2003, the organization opened a new 108 seat performance venue at 325 Tudor Court. Today, Writers’ theatre continues to produce in both spaces, maintaining an intimate theatrical experience for audiences.  Since 2000, the subscriber base has grown almost 250%, from 1,500 to more than 5,300 today.  With an operating budget of $3.2 million, Writers’ Theatre is supported by a staff of 16 full-time employees and a 29-member Board of Trustees.