Northlight Theatre's First Selections For Their 40th Season

Northlight Theatre announces the first selections for its 

40^th Season

including Amanda Peet’s New York hit The Commons of Pensacola

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap

and World Premieres by Bruce Graham

and Jessica Thebus, Andre Pluess and Amanda Dehnert

Our 2014/15 season includes two world premieres, two Midwest debuts, and a classic whodunit that's been running in London's West End for 62 years!

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, announces the first four selections of its 40^th Anniversary Season.  The celebratory season kicks-off with the current Off-Broadway hit The Commons of Pensacola, which is expected to be the first regional production.  The season continues with Agatha Christie’s mystery The Mousetrap, which is the world’s longest-running play.  Playwright Bruce Graham (Stella & Lou, The Outgoing Tide) returns to Northlight for the World Premiere of White Guy on the Bus. Shining Lives: A Musical, based on Melanie Marnich’s play, commissioned by Northlight and written by Jessica Thebus (book & lyrics), Andre Pluess and Amanda Dehnert (music) will make its World Premiere in the Spring.  An additional title is yet to be announced.

Artistic Director BJ Jones comments, “I have been with Northlight as an actor and director since it was the Evanston Theatre Company and I am proud and honored to serve as Artistic Director as we celebrate our 40^th Anniversary. In recent years, Northlight's hallmark has been our embrace of new work by great playwrights—from Jason Robert Brown, Larry Gelbart and Craig Wright, to Bruce Graham and Christian O'Reilly. Additionally, we have presented refreshed classics, intense dramas and great comedies. We have enjoyed a large, loyal audience for 40 years because they enjoy the quality and range of theater Northlight has come to represent. Our 40^th Anniversary mirrors our desire to continue to reflect our community, bringing the world to Northlight—and Northlight to the world.”

The 2014-15 season includes:

The Midwest Premiere of

The Commons of Pensacola

by Amanda Peet

September 12 – October 19, 2014

Judith is a woman in exile, relegated to a Florida condo after her husband’s Madoff-like crimes have expelled her from a luxurious life.  Family ties are tested when her daughter Becca comes to visit for Thanksgiving, joined by Becca’s filmmaker boyfriend and rebellious niece.   Guilt by association, lost wealth, and questionable motives make trying to love your family an uncommonly difficult challenge in this funny, incisive and timely new drama.

The Mousetrap

By Agatha Christie

November 7 – December 14, 2014

On a snowy night at Monkswell Manor, newlyweds Mollie and Giles welcome a group of strangers to their guest house, only to discover news of a murderer in their midst! A police investigation reveals the sordid details of each guest’s mysterious past, but not soon enough to stop the killer from striking again. Agatha Christie’s masterful whodunit weaves an intricate plot filled with nerve-rattling suspense, all leading up to the ultimate final twist!

Renowned mystery writer Agatha Christie is not only the best-selling author of all time, but The Mousetrap is the world’s longest-running play, now at 62 years on London’s West End!

The World Premiere of
White Guy on the Bus
by Bruce Graham

January 23– March 1, 2015

Ray, a successful white business executive, rides the bus past the state penitentiary every Saturday.  On his weekly ride he befriends Shatique, a young black woman putting herself through school and struggling to raise a son on her own.  The threads that tie these disparate individuals together gradually unravel in a complex and explosive examination of race, intent, and racial biases from a candid and unexpected perspective.

Bruce Graham, the award-winning playwright and screenwriter behind Northlight’s highly successful The Outgoing Tide and Stella & Lou, has never been sharper than in this fresh, surprising, and gutsy world premiere.

The World Premiere of
Shining Lives: A Musical

book & lyrics by Jessica Thebus
music by Andre Pluess & Amanda Dehnert

Based on the play These Shining Lives by Melanie Marnich

May 8 – June 14, 2015

It’s 1922 and the young women of Chicago’s Radium Dial Company are living a dream— earning good wages and beaming with new-found independence.  After years of hand painting watch dials, the so-called "harmless" radium that provided for so much joy leads to tragic results.  Four courageous women upend their lives with a determination to change the future in this compelling new musical, the transcendent tale of heroic lives that glowed with promise.

This world premiere musical, developed through Northlight’s Interplay Series, is adapted from the play These Shining Lives, both commissioned by Northlight Theatre.

Northlight offers the following Engagement Events for each production:

POST-SHOW DISCUSSIONS
Northlight artistic staff lead a conversation about the play and the artistic process immediately following select performances.

BACKSTAGE WITH BJ

This behind-the-scenes discussion with Artistic Director BJ Jones and other special guests is offered for each show while still in rehearsal.  2014-2015 dates are to be announced and will be available online at northlight.org/events.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Northlight partners with community organizations to offer enrichment opportunities ranging from panel discussions with local experts to scene selections and conversations with the cast and/or director.  Frequent locations include the Skokie Public Library and Wilmette Public Library, among others.  2014-2015 dates are to be announced, and will be posted in the theatre lobby for each production, as well as online at northlight.org/events.

INTERPLAY

Northlight’s Interplay Reading Series gives audiences the opportunity to witness the early stages of play development, as a new play evolves from first draft to full theatrical production.  Since its inception in spring 2006, Interplay has staged readings of 29 new plays, 25 of which have gone on to full productions at Northlight, in Chicago, and around the country.  Readings are open to the public and include a post-show discussion with the playwright. 

Interplay readings will be posted in the lobby and online as they are scheduled.  For more information and upcoming dates, visit northlight.org/interplay.

Curtain times are: Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays at 8:00 p.m.; Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Subscriptions to the 2014-15 Northlight Season are available through the box office, 9501 Skokie Boulevard in Skokie, by phone at 847.673.6300 or online at northlight.org.  Renewals are currently available.  New subscriptions will be available beginning in May 2014.  With its wide range of ticket prices, discounted subscription packages and complimentary parking, Northlight remains of one of the best theatrical values in Chicagoland. 

Subscriptions range in price from $105-$240.  A limited number of season subscriptions for the Opening Night performances (also includes a reception with the cast) are available for $320, subject to availability.  Northlight subscribers will have the first chance to purchase additional tickets before they go on sale to the general public. For more information, visit northlight.org.

Northlight Theatre aspires to promote change of perspective and encourage compassion by exploring the depth of our humanity across a bold spectrum of theatrical experiences, reflecting our community to the world and the world to our community.

Now entering its 40^th season, the organization has mounted over 200 productions, including more than 40 world premieres.  Northlight has earned 151 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and 28 Awards.  As one of the area’s premier theatre companies, Northlight is a regional magnet for critical and professional acclaim, as well as talent of the highest quality.

Northlight is supported in part by generous contributions from BMO Harris Bank; Cramer Krasselt; Draft FCB; the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; ComEd, An Exelon Company; Edgerton Foundation for New American Plays Award; Evanston Community Foundation; First Bank and Trust; The Homestead Hotel; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; Kirkland & Ellis Foundation; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Melvoin Award for Playwriting; Modestus Bauer Foundation; North Shore Center for the Performing Arts Foundation; The Offield Family Foundation; The Pauls Foundation; Plante Moran; Pioneer Press; Quince at the Homestead; Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation; Room & Board; Sage Products; Sanborn Family Foundation; Shubert Foundation; Skokie Fine Arts Council; Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust; Sullivan Family Foundation; Tom Stringer Design Partners; and the Venturous Theater Fund.