Northlight Theatre to produce the world premiere of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women November 29 – January 5, 2025

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Northlight Theatre to produce the world premiere of

Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women

Adapted by Lauren Gunderson

From the novel by Louisa May Alcott

Directed by Associate Artistic Director Georgette Verdin

Due to early demand, an additional week of performances has been added to the run

November 29 – January 5, 2025

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, continues its 2024–2025 season with Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women adapted by Lauren Gunderson from the novel by Louisa May Alcott, directed by Associate Artistic Director Georgette Verdin.

Due to early demand a week has been added to the run, which was originally scheduled to close December 29, 2024. Little Women runs November 29, 2024 – January 5, 2025, at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. I'll be out for the press opening, December 5th, covering for ChiIL Live Shows, so check back soon for my full review. 

The cast includes Tyler Meredith (Louisa/Jo), Janyce Caraballo (Meg), Demetra Dee (Beth), Yourtana Sulaiman (Amy), Lucy Carapetyan (Marmee/Aunt March), John Drea (Laurie), and Erik Hellman (John/Friedrich).

Four sisters find their voices in 19th century New England, proving that sisterly bonds are more powerful than the friendships, hardships, romantic entanglements, and inevitable losses they face along the way. In a time marked by societal expectations, the shared love and feminine strength of the March sisters shines through. Captivating readers for generations, this beloved classic is a timeless tale of family, resilience, and a determined young writer finding her way in the world.

In a unique creative partnership, Northlight is one of four regional theaters that have jointly commissioned playwright Lauren Gunderson to adapt the classic novel. This new theatrical work will enjoy a “rolling” world premiere with four independent productions occurring between 2024-2026 in each of the partnering theaters’ home locale. It will play first at Northlight Theatre with subsequent productions at City Theatre Company (Pittsburgh, PA) People’s Light (Malvern, PA), and TheatreWorks Silicon Valley (Palo Alto, CA). The co-commission partnership represents an example of how regional nonprofit producers continue to adapt to post-pandemic financial realities while exploring new partnerships that allow for the continued investment in the commissioning of new work for the stage. All four theaters have a history of producing plays by Gunderson.

The creative team is Sotirios Livaditis (set design), Raquel Adorno (costume design), Emma Deane (light design), Christopher Kriz (original music and sound design), Nicolas Bartleson (props design), Jake Snell (production assistant) and Sarah Slight (dramaturg). The stage manager is Katie Klemme.

The Lead Sponsor for Little Women is Byline Bank.

Tickets are available through the box office at 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie; 847.673.6300; northlight.org.

About the Artists

Lauren Gunderson (Playwright) is one of the most produced playwrights in America since 2015 topping the list thrice including 2022/23. She is a two-time winner of the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award for I and You and The Book of Will, the winner of the William Inge Distinguished Achievement in Theatre Award, the Lanford Wilson Award and the Otis Guernsey New Voices Award; a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Weisberger Award, and John Gassner Award for Playwriting; and a recipient of the Mellon Foundation’s Residency with Marin Theatre Company. She studied Southern Literature and Drama at Emory University, and Dramatic Writing at NYU’s Tisch School where she was a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. Her play The Catastrophist, about her husband virologist Nathan Wolfe, premiered digitally in January 2021. She co-authored the Miss Bennet plays with Margot Melcon, and The Half-Life of Marie Curie premiered off-Broadway and is now at Audible.com. Her work is published at Bloomsbury (Revolutionary Women: A Lauren Gunderson Anthology, anthropology, I and You), Playscripts (I and You; Exit Pursued By A Bear; The Taming and Toil And Trouble), Dramatists Play Service (The Revolutionists; The Book of Will; Silent Sky; Bauer, Natural Shocks, The Wickhams and Miss Bennet) and Samuel French (Emilie). Her picture book Dr Wonderful: Blast Off to the Moon is available from Two Lions/Amazon. She is the book writer for musicals with Ari Afsar (Jeannette), Dave Stewart and Joss Stone (The Time Traveller’s Wife), Joriah Kwamé (Sinister), Kait Kerrigan and Bree Lowdermilk (Justice and Earthrise), and Kira Stone (Built for This). She is a board member of The Playwrights Foundation.

Georgette Verdin (Director/Associate Artistic Director) is a Cuban-American freelance director, the Associate Artistic Director of Northlight Theatre and a company member with Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. Recent directing credits include: the adaptation of Dial M for Murder (Northlight); the revival of Night Watch and the Chicago Premiere of Ironbound (Raven Theatre); the U.S. premieres of The Writer (Steep Theatre) and Out of Love (Interrobang Theatre Project); the World Premieres of The Singularity Play (Jackalope Theatre); A Mile in The Dark (Interrobang Theatre Project/Rivendell); Enough to Let the Light In (Teatro Vista); Chagall in School (Grippo Stage Company); and Spay (Rivendell). Georgette is a three-time Jeff nominated director and was the 2022 Michael Maggio Directing Fellow at Goodman Theatre. She is an Associate Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. georgetteverdin.com.

Janyce Caraballo (Meg) is returning to Northlight, where she was last seen as Georgiana in Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley. Select Chicago: A Christmas Carol (Drury Lane); Shakespeare in the Parks (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Romeo and Juliet, Hope: Part 2 of a Mexican Trilogy (Teatro Vista); Seussical (Marriott); Suddenly, Last Summer (Raven Theatre); Hot Pink (New American Folk Theatre); The Full Monty (Theo Ubique). Regional: Peninsula Players, Indiana Repertory Theatre, American Players Theatre, First Folio Theatre, TheatreSquared. She received her Master of Fine Arts from The Theatre School at DePaul University and is represented by Paonessa Talent Agency. 

Lucy Carapetyan (Marmee/Aunt March) previously appeared at Northlight in Dial M for Murder and You Can’t Take It With You. Recent Chicago productions include Ironbound (Raven), The Singularity Play (Jackalope), and The Writer (Steep, where she's an ensemble member). Other Chicago credits include First Love is the Revolution, Earthquakes in London, Linda (Steep Theatre); Right To Be Forgotten, Nice Girl (Raven); Animal Farm (Steppenwolf). Lucy works as a motion capture actor for Injustice and Mortal Kombat video games, and as a freelance Intimacy Director and Casting Director. TV: Fargo season 4, Somebody Somewhere, Chicago Fire, Proven Innocent. Film: Brooklyn 45, Departing Seniors. She is represented by Paonessa Talent.

Demetra Dee (Beth) is making her Northlight debut. Corduroy (Chicago Shakespeare); The Penelopiad, The Nacirema Society, Relentless (Goodman); Chlorine Sky (Steppenwolf); Relentless (Timeline); Stew, Be Here Now (Shattered Globe); Cullud Wattah (Victory Gardens); The Last Pair of Earlies, Middle Passage (Lifeline); Comfort Stew, Migration (ETA Creative Arts Foundation); The Colored Museum (Pegasus Theatre Chicago); The Greenbook (Chicago Dramatist). Television: Power Book IV: Force (Starz), The Bear (FX). Education: BFA in theater, East Carolina University. Agency: DDO Chicago. www.demetradee.com

John Drea (Laurie) Northlight Theatre debut. Chicago: Little Bear Ridge Road (Steppenwolf); The Sound Inside (Goodman); Solaris (Griffin Theatre, Jeff Nomination); Chagall in School (Grippo Stage Company, Jeff Nomination); Twelfth Night, Cymbeline (Midsommer Flight); American Psycho (Kokandy Productions); Skunk and Badger, Whose Body? (Lifeline Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Goodly Creatures Theatre). Off-off Broadway: OneIronaut (The Outer Loop). Regional: Deathtrap (Constellation Stage). Television: Ashley Green, The Onion. Upcoming film: PIP! (Sacred Arthouse). He is represented by Gray Talent Group. @johndrea1998

Erik Hellman (John/Friedrich) Previous shows at Northlight include Georgiana and Kitty, Miss Bennet, Shining Lives, and Lost in Yonkers. Recent shows in Chicago include: 1776, The Sound of Music (Marriott); Lindiwe, Familiar, The Burn (Steppenwolf); Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Othello, Mousetrap, The Misanthrope, Proof, The Mystery of Irma Vep (Court); Smart People, Marjorie Prime (Writers); Eastland (Lookingglass); and Luna Gale (Goodman). Film/TV work includes The Dark Knight, Walden, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, The Good Fight, Mrs. America, Fargo, 61st Street, and the David Fincher Film The Killer.

Tyler Meredith (Louisa/Jo) Chicago credits include: Inherit the Wind, The Penelopiad, The Cherry Orchard, Twilight Bowl, Graveyard Shift/New Stages (Goodman); Campaigns, Inc. (Timeline); The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Chicago Shakespeare); A Christmas Carol (Drury Lane); The Columnist (American Blues). Regional credits include: A Phoenix Too Frequent (American Players Theatre); At The Wedding, Miss Bennet: Christmas At Pemberley, My Father’s War (TheatreSquared); Hamlet (Montana Shakespeare in the Parks). TV/Film credits include Chicago Fire. Tyler is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, School at Steppenwolf, and the University of Illinois-Chicago. She is represented by Gray Talent Group. @tylermckmeredith

Yourtana Sulaiman (Amy) is an Iraqi-Assyrian actor and teaching artist based in Chicago. Recent credits: Happy Days are Here (Again) (Steep), The Singularity Play (Jackalope), Selling Kabul (Northlight), the live in(n) (The Story Theatre), Mosque4Mosque (About Face), Chagall in School (Grippo Stage Company), NBC’s Chicago Fire, and more. Education: BFA Acting, UIC School of Theatre and Music; The Second City; Eolia Conservatory of the Dramatic Arts BCN. Follow her on instagram @yourtana for more shenanigans!

Production Details

Featuring: Tyler Meredith (Louisa/Jo), Janyce Caraballo (Meg), Demetra Dee (Beth), Yourtana Sulaiman (Amy), Lucy Carapetyan (Marmee/Aunt March), John Drea (Laurie), and Erik Hellman (John/Friedrich).

Creative Team: Sotirios Livaditis (set design), Raquel Adorno (costume design), Emma Deane (light design), Christopher Kriz (original music and sound design), Nicolas Bartleson (props design), Jake Snell (production assistant) and Sarah Slight (dramaturg). The stage manager is Katie Klemme.

Dates: November 29, 2024-January 5, 2025

Previews begin November 29, 2024

Press Opening: Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 7:30pm

Regular run: December 6-29, 2024

Added dates: through January 5, 2025

Schedule:   

Tuesdays: 7:30pm (December 3 only)

Wednesdays: 1:00pm and 7:30pm (no performances December 25 or January 1)

Thursdays: 1:00pm (December 26 only) and 7:30pm (except December 5)

Fridays: 7:30pm

Saturdays: 2:30pm (except November 30) and 7:30pm

Sundays: 2:30pm and 7:30pm (December 1 & 29 only)

Backstage with BJ – Northlight’s popular discussion series with Artistic Director BJ Jones – will be held November 22 at 12pm.

An Open Captioned performance will be held on Friday, December 20 at 7:30pm. An Open Captioned and Audio Described/Touch Tour performance will be held on Saturday, December 21 at 2:30pm.

Location: Northlight Theatre is located at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie

Tickets: $39-$91

Previews: $39-$74

Regular run: $49-$91

Student tickets are $15, any performance 

(subject to availability)

Box Office: The Box Office is located at 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie.; 847.673.6300; northlight.org.

• In a unique creative partnership, Northlight is one of four regional theaters that have jointly commissioned playwright Lauren Gunderson to adapt the classic novel. It will play first at Northlight Theatre with subsequent productions at City Theatre Company (Pittsburgh, PA) People’s Light (Malvern, PA), and TheatreWorks Silicon Valley (Palo Alto, CA).

• Playwright Lauren Gunderson is one of the country’s most produced playwrights since 2015. Northlight previously produced her works The Book of Will, The Wickhams, Miss Bennet and Georgiana and Kitty. She considers Northlight to be an artistic home.

• Director Georgette Verdin is Nothlight’s Associate Artistic Director. She continues to direct in theatres across Chicago. She previously directed Dial M for Murder at Northlight.

2024-2025 Season

The 2024-2025 season continues with Lloyd Suh’s funny and moving play The Heart Sellers about the Asian immigrant experience in the 1970s, January 23 – February 23, 2025; and Joshua Harmon’s celebrated play Prayer for the French Republic, directed by Jeremy Wechsler in a co-production with Theater Wit, April 10 – May 11, 2025. The season closes with the mesmerizing one-man show about Donny Hathaway, Twisted Melodies, written and performed by Kelvin Roston Jr, July 10-August 10, 2025.

Subscriptions range in price from $135-290. Flex pass options are $120-$210. With its wide range of ticket prices, discounted subscription packages and complimentary parking, Northlight remains one of the best theatrical values in Chicagoland. Package options include traditional 5-Play Packages, 4-Play Packages, and Flex Packages. Subscriptions are available at northlight.org/subscribe or 847.673.6300.

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.

Founded in 1974, the organization has mounted over 240 productions, including more than 45 world premieres. Northlight has earned 230 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and 36 Awards, as well as 11 Edgerton Foundation for New Play 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 BMO Harris Bank; Bulley & Andrews; Byline Bank; Dr. Scholl Foundation; Eckenhoff Saunders Architects, Inc.; The Field Foundation of Illinois; Full Circle Foundation; Grumman Butkus Associates; Hagerty Consulting; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; John R Halligan Charitable Fund; LionBird; Lloyd A. Fry Foundation; Mabadi Realty; Mammel Family Foundation; Modestus Bauer Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Pritzker Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; The Sullivan Family Foundation; The Weatherlow Foundation; Tom Stringer Design Partners.