ACT OUT OPENING: Northlight Theatre’s World Premier of Stella & Lou

Rhea Perlman, Francis Guinan and Ed Flynn to appear in the World Premiere of 

Northlight Theatre’s Stella & Lou

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans are preparing for the world premiere of Stella & Lou, including Emmy Award winner Rhea Perlman, Francis Guinan and Ed Flynn.  Bruce Graham, the Jeff Award-winning playwright of The Outgoing Tide, returns to Northlight with his latest play, to be directed by BJ Jones.  Stella & Lou will run at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie, from May 3-June 9, 2013.

On a quiet night at Lou's bar, two kindred spirits seek solace as they navigate changing times and relationships past. From the author of The Outgoing Tide comes an intimate exploration of friendship, forgiveness, and the longing for companionship that grows with the passage of time.

BJ Jones comments, “When Rhea Perlman saw The Outgoing Tide last summer in Galway, she told me how much she admired Bruce's work. I immediately thought she would be perfect for the role of Stella, and upon reading it, she agreed. Now we are honored to pair her up with Fran Guinan as Lou in this poignant piece about companionship and second chances.”

About The Artists
 
Rhea Perlman (Stella) is a four-time Emmy winner for her role as Carla on the NBC TV show Cheers. Stage credits include Love, Loss and What I Wore, in which she appeared with her daughter Lucy DeVito, on Broadway and at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles; the Broadway production of The Tale of the Allergist's Wife; the Off-Broadway play The Exonerated; the Los Angeles production of Last Night at Ballyhoo and the London West End revival of Boeing-Boeing.  Film credits include The Sessions, Sunset Park, Canadian Bacon and Carpool. Perlman played Mrs. Wormwood to her husband, Danny DeVito’s Mr. Wormwood in the film Matilda, which was directed by DeVito.  The pair also worked together on the acclaimed TV series Taxi in which Perlman played Louie DePalma’s love interest, Zena.   Television credits include Hung, Law & Order: SVU, Kate Brasher, Hot in Cleveland, and Pearl, in which she both starred and served as executive producer, and television movies including The Christmas Choir, Houdini, Secret Cutting and How to Marry a Billionaire. This fall Perlman reunites with Kirstie Ally in TV Land's new comedy, Kirstie's New Show in which she plays Ally's assistant and best friend, Thelma.  Perlman lives with her family in Los Angeles.

Francis Guinan (Lou) has been a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble since 1979.  With Steppenwolf he has appeared in over 30 productions including The Birthday Party, Time Stands Still, The Book Thief, American Buffalo, August: Osage County, Balm in Gilead and Say Goodnight, Gracie.  He has previously appeared at Northlight in Season’s Greetings and Inherit the Wind.  He has also appeared at Victory Gardens (A Guide for the Perplexed), Goodman (Seagull) and American Blues Theatre (Rantoul and Die).  Television appearances include Boss in the role of Gov. Cullen, filmed here in Chicago; Eerie, Indiana, ER, Frasier and several Star Trek franchise episodes.  Film roles include appearances in The Last Airbender, Typing, Low Tide, and Constantine. 

Ed Flynn (Donny) has appeared at Chicago Dramatists in I am Going to Change the World; The Gift Theatre in Suicide, Incorporated and at Writers’ in A Streetcar Named Desire.  Ed is a member of the Gift Theatre Company, where he is Co-Artistic Director of giftFILM and is a founding member of NATURAL GAS, the Gift's house improv team.  Ed is a graduate of The School at Steppenwolf, The Second City, iO and Upright Citizens Brigade.  He currently lives in Los Angeles.

Bruce Graham (Playwright) has written The Outgoing Tide, which premiered at Northlight in a production that transferred to The Galway Arts Festival; Burkie; Early One Evening at the Rainbow Bar & Grille; Moon Over the Brewery; Belmont Avenue Social Club; Desperate Affection; Coyote on a Fence, Winner of The Rosenthal Prize, Two Drama Desk Nominations – the West End production starred Ben Cross; According to Goldman; The Philly Fan.  He has won consecutive Barrymore Awards for Best New Play for Something Intangible and Any Given Monday.  Mister Hart and Mister Brown opens at People’s Light and Theatre in 2012.  Film: Dunston Checks In, Anastasia, Steal This Movie.  TV: Roseanne, Ring of Endless Light (Humanitas Award Winner – Best Children’s Screenplay), The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.  Trading Christmas will play on the Hallmark Channel during the upcoming holiday season.  Graham is a past winner of the Princess Grace Foundation Statuette.  Along with Michele Volansky, he is the author of the book The Collaborative Playwright.  Graham teaches film and theatre courses at Drexel University.  He resides in South Philadelphia.

BJ Jones (Artistic Director/Director) is in his 14th season as Artistic Director of Northlight Theatre, where he most recently directed The Odd Couple and has piloted the world premieres of The Outgoing Tide with John Mahoney and Rondi Reed, Craig Wright's Lady, Larry Gelbart and Craig Wright's Better Late, Rounding Third with George Wendt, and Sky Girls. As a producer he guided the world premieres of Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years, The Gamester, and Studs Terkel's 'The Good War'. BJ has directed at Steppenwolf, Cherry Lane Theatre NY, Atlanta's Alliance Theatre, The Utah Shakespeare Festival, The Asolo Theatre, Intiman Theatre, TimeLine and Next Theatre in Evanston. Directorial work includes Northlight's Grey Gardens, The Lady with All the Answers, The Retreat From Moscow, A Skull in Connemara, The Cripple of Inishmaan, and The Lieutenant of Inishmore, as well as productions of A Number, Twelfth Night, Glengarry Glen Ross (Suzie Bass Nominee - Best Director), Pygmalion, The Price (Jeff Nomination - Best Director), and 100 Saints You Should Know. A two-time Jeff Award winner, he has appeared at Northlight in dozens of productions and has performed at virtually every major theatre in Chicago, including The Goodman in The Guys, and House and Garden, Steppenwolf in The Royal Family and Playboy of the Western World, and Court in Candide and Comedy of Errors. Film/TV credits include The Fugitive, Body Double, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Early Edition, Cupid and Turks, among others.


Title:            Stella & Lou
Written by:   Bruce Graham
Directed by:  BJ Jones
Featuring:     Rhea Perlman, Francis Guinan and Ed Flynn   

Dates:            Previews May 3-May 9, 2013
                     Regular run: May 11-June 9, 2013
   
Schedule:              
Tuesdays: 7:30pm (except May 21 and June 4)
Wednesdays:   1:00pm (except May 22), and 7:30pm (except May 29)
Thursdays: 7:30pm 
Fridays: 8:00pm (except Opening on May 10 at 7:30pm)
Saturdays: 2:30pm (except May 4) and 8:00pm
Sundays: 2:30pm, and 7:00pm (May 5, 26 and June 2 only)
   
Location:   
Northlight Theatre is located at the North Shore
Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie.

Tickets: 
Previews: $25-$54
Regular run: $25-$72
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
http://www.northlight.org/

Stella & Lou is generously supported by The Edgerton Foundation for New American Plays Award, Room and Board, Tom Stringer Design Partners and NorthShore University HealthSystem.

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 in its 38th season, the organization has mounted nearly 200 productions, including over 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 The Allyn Foundation; Arts Midwest; Blackman Kallick Bartelstein, LLP; BMO Harris Bank; Draft FCB; the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; ComEd, An Exelon Company; Edgerton Foundation for New American Plays Award; Ernst & Young; Evanston Community Foundation; Gand Music & Sound; The Homestead Hotel; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; The Irving Harris Foundation; The Joyce Foundation; Kirkland & Ellis Foundation; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Madison Dearborn Partners; Melvoin Award for Playwriting; Modestus Bauer Foundation; North Shore Center for the Performing Arts Foundation; Nuveen Investments; The Offield Family Foundation; The Pauls Foundation; Pioneer Press; Quince at the Homestead; Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation; Room & Board; Sanborn Family Foundation; Shubert Foundation; Skokie Fine Arts Council; Sullivan Family Foundation; Target; and Tom Stringer Design Partners.

ACT OUT: Northlight Theatre announces the first selections of its 2013-14 season

 Northlight Theatre announces the first selections of its 2013-14 season

including a World Premiere by Christian O’Reilly, featuring John Mahoney,

Amy Herzog’s 4000 Miles and

Neil Simon’s Pulitzer Prize winner Lost in Yonkers

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, announces three of the five productions of the 2013-14 season: Amy Herzog’s award-winning play 4000 Miles; the World Premiere of Christian O’Reilly’s Chapatti, featuring John Mahoney; and Neil Simon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Lost in Yonkers. Two additional titles will be announced soon.

“Northlight's connection to its audience is deep and powerful, and we hear, repeatedly, that one of the reasons for that strong relationship is the play choices,” says BJ Jones.  “Year after year our subscribers return to enjoy our work, joined by an increasing number of single ticket buyers from all over Chicagoland.  It is a season that examines intergenerational relationships with joy and keen insight, through fresh new work like 4000 Miles and Chapatti and classics like Lost in Yonkers.  And, of course, we are thrilled that our frequent collaborator John Mahoney joins us for the World Premiere of Chapatti.”

The 2012-13 season includes:

4000 Miles

by Amy Herzog

September 14 – October 20, 2013

At the end of an arduous cross-country bike trip, a rudderless 21 year-old seeks refuge in his elderly grandmother’s West Village apartment.  These two outsiders face ideological differences, but ultimately find their way together in “a beautifully rendered portrait” (The New York Times) of a cross-generational relationship.

4000 Miles was named Time Magazine's #1 Play of 2012; the winner of the Obie Award, Best New Play (2012) and received The New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award (2012).

The World Premiere of

Chapatti

by Christian O’Reilly

featuring John Mahoney
March 7 – April 13, 2014

Romance is a distant memory for two lonely animal-lovers living in Dublin.  When forlorn Dan and his dog Chapatti cross paths with amiable Betty and her nineteen cats, an unexpected spark begins a warm and gentle story about two people re-discovering the importance of human companionship. 

John Mahoney returns to Northlight for this World Premiere play by the acclaimed Irish playwright Christian O’Reilly.

Lost in Yonkers
by Neil Simon

May 2 – June 8, 2014

This nostalgic memory play takes us back to the summer of 1942 – WWII is on, and Eddie, flat broke, has no alternative but to leave his sons with their grandmother while he struggles to pay off his debts.  The boys are left to contend with an ill-tempered Grandma, the sweet but damaged Aunt Bella, and Uncle Louie, a small-time hoodlum in a strange new world called Yonkers.

Lost in Yonkers won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play.

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 2013-14 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 2013.  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-$235.  A limited number of season subscriptions for the Opening Night performances (also includes a reception with the cast) are available for $300, 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 in its 38^th season, the organization has mounted nearly 200 productions, including over 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 The Allyn Foundation; Arts Midwest; Blackman Kallick Bartelstein, LLP; BMO Harris Bank; Draft FCB; the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; ComEd, An Exelon Company; Edgerton Foundation for New American Plays Award; Ernst & Young; Evanston Community Foundation; Gand Music & Sound; The Homestead Hotel; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; The Irving Harris Foundation; The Joyce Foundation; Kirkland & Ellis Foundation; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Madison Dearborn Partners; Melvoin Award for Playwriting; Modestus Bauer Foundation; North Shore Center for the Performing Arts Foundation; Nuveen Investments; The Offield Family Foundation; The Pauls Foundation; Pioneer Press; Quince at the Homestead; Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation; Room & Board; Sanborn Family Foundation; Shubert Foundation; Skokie Fine Arts Council; Sullivan Family Foundation; Target; and Tom Stringer Design Partners.

ACT OUT OPENING: Stones in His Pockets at Northlight Theatre

Northlight Theatre announces
 Stones in His Pockets


Written by Marie Jones


Directed by J.R. Sullivan
 
 


A tour-de-force performance for two actors playing fifteen characters!

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, continues its 2012-2013 season with Marie Jones’s Stones in His Pockets, directed by J.R. Sullivan, featuring Brian Vaughn and David Ivers.  The production will run at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie, through April 14, 2013.  

*Stones in His Pockets received three Tony nominations for its 2001 production.


ChiIL Live Shows will be there tonight and we'll have a full review up shortly.

A couple of small town Irishmen hope to hit it big when hired as extras for an epic American movie filming in their scenic County Kerry village. Two actors portray a colorful cast of dozens in this rollicking tale that pits harsh reality against Hollywood endings.
 
Stones in His Pockets is presented in association with the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
 


BJ Jones comments, “One of the greatest pleasures in my job is the opportunity to bring old friends and colleagues to Chicago.  Northlight veteran director J.R. Sullivan, with whom I worked first in 1976, returns to direct Stones in His Pockets with Brian Vaughn and David Ivers—two versatile actors who will play 15 roles in a play that is both hilarious and heartbreaking.  David and Brian are the Artistic Directors of the Utah Shakespeare Festival and J.R. is the Artistic Director of the Pearl Theatre in New York.  With all this artistic firepower on display I am sure you will be as delighted as I am to welcome them to Northlight.”
 

Regular run: March 16 – April 14, 2013
         
          

Schedule:  
Tuesdays: 7:30pm (March 12 & 26 only)
 Wednesdays: 1:00pm, and 7:30pm (no 1:00pm performance on April 3; no 7:30 performance April 10)
 
Thursdays: 7:30pm
 
Fridays: 8:00pm (except Opening on March 15 at 7:30pm)
 Saturdays: 2:30pm and 8:00pm (no 2:30pm performance on March 9)

Sundays: 2:30pm, and 7:00pm on March 10, April 7 & April 14 only (no performances on Easter Sunday, March 31)

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

Tickets: Regular run: $25-$72

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
 
 
 


Box Office hours are Monday-Friday 10:00am-5:00pm, and Saturdays 12:00pm-5:00pm. On performance days, the box office hours are extended through showtime. The Box Office is closed on Sundays, except on performance days when it is open two hours prior to showtime.
 
Curtain times are: Tuesdays: 7:30pm (March 12 and 26 only); Wednesdays: 1:00pm (except April 3) and 7:30pm (except April 10); Thursdays:7:30pm; Fridays: 8:00pm (except Opening March 15 at 7:30); Saturdays: 2:30pm (except March 9) and 8:00pm; Sundays: 2:30pm (except March 31), and 7:00pm (except March 17, 24, 31).
 


Northlight is continuing its popular special event series in conjunction with each production.  All events are free for subscribers and ticket holders. 
 
 
Community Conversations is a series of post-show discussions.  Local experts join a Northlight facilitator, engaging audiences in a dialogue about the play's themes and the creative process behind live theatre! The post-show discussions for Stones in His Pockets will be held on Sundays, March 10 and March 24 after the 2:30 performances; Tuesday, March 12 after the 7:30 performance; Wednesday, March 13, after the 7:30 performance; and Wednesdays March 20 and March 27 after the 1:00pm performances.
 



ABOUT THE ARTISTS:


J.R. Sullivan (Director) previously directed Northlight’s Benefactors and The Last Survivor. He has been the artistic director of The Pearl Theatre Company in New York City since 2009, directing six shows for the company’s three-season residency at New York City Center, including Moon for the Misbegotten, Richard II, Wittenberg, and Hard Times. For seven seasons, Sullivan served as associate artistic director of the Utah Shakespeare Festival, directing productions there of Henry V, Hamlet, King Lear, Gaslight, ‘Art,’ and Stones in His Pockets among others. J.R. Sullivan’s work has also been seen at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, American Players, The Arden in Philadelphia, The Studio Theatre in Washington DC, and Delaware Theatre Company, among many others. His 1995 production of Faith Healer was a great success for the Turnaround Theatre Company located at Halsted and Belmont, garnering critical acclaim and later continuing in an extended run at Steppenwolf.


Marie Jones (Playwright) has written shows that have been produced around the world. Her play Stones in His Pockets was produced on Broadway in 2001.  She founded the Charabanc Theater Company in 1983 and later co-founded DubbleJoint in 1990.  Other Credits: A Night in November;Convictions; Don't Look Down; Eddie Bottom's Dream; Gold in the Streets; Hang All the Harpers; Hiring Days; It's a Waste of Time Tracey; Now You're Talkin'; Oul Delf and False Teeth; Ruby; Somewhere over the Balcony; The Blind Fiddler of Glenadauch; The Cow, the Ship and the Indian;The Girls in the Big Picture; The Hamster Wheel; The Terrible Twins' Crazy Christmas; Under Napoleon's Nose; Weddin's Wee'ins and Wakes;Women on the Verge of HRT; Yours, Truly; book for the musical The Chosen Room.  Awards: TMA Award, Glasgow Mayfest Award, Irish Times/ESB Award, three Tony Award nominations for Stones in His Pockets, John Hewitt Award, Special Judges Award, Belfast Arts Award in 2000, the Order of the British Empire in 2002
.   

Brian Vaughn is currently the Artistic Director for Utah Shakespeare Festival; as an actor for the Festival, his title roles include Hamlet, Henry V, and Cyrano de Bergerac; Leontes, The Winter’s Tale, Mr. Collins, Pride and Prejudice; Richard Hannay, The 39 Steps; Benedick, Much Ado about Nothing; Prince Hal and Hotspur, Henry IV Part One; Charlie,Stones in his Pockets; Victor Flemming, Moonlight and Magnolias; King Arthur, Camelot; others. Festival directing credits include Greater Tuna, 2010, Dial M for Murder, 2011.  Brian is also a resident company member at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, roles there include Amadeus, Bach at Leipzig, Doubt, The Glass Menagerie, Proof, The Voysey Inheritance. He has also performed at Arizona Theatre Company; Chicago Shakespeare Theatre; Milwaukee Chamber Theatre; PCPA Theatrefest; RenaissanceTheatreworks; Skylight Opera.
 


David Ivers is currently the co-Artistic Director for Utah Shakespeare Festival; as an actor for the Festival, he has been in thirty productions, sixteen seasons, including Benedick, Much Ado about Nothing, Clown #1, The 39 Steps, Jacques, As You Like It, Jake, Stones in His Pockets, Berowne, Love's Labour's Lost, Truffaldino, The Servant of Two Masters, Caliban, The Tempest; directed Cyrano de Bergerac, 2008, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), 2009, Romeo and Juliet, 2011.  David is also a resident company member at Denver Center Theatre Company (actor and director, 1999–2010); roles include John Wheelwright, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Garry, Noises Off!, Michal, The Pillowman; the Oregon, Alabama, Idaho Shakespeare festivals; Portland Center Stage; Portland Repertory Theatre; ACT; Seattle Repertory Theatre.
 


The designers are Scott Davis (Set Design/Props), David Kay Mickelsen (Costume Design), Casey Diers (Lighting Design) and Lindsay Jones(Sound Design).  The stage manager is Christine D. Freeburg and the dramaturg is Kristin Leahey.
 



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 in its 38th season, the organization has mounted nearly 200 productions, including over 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’s production of Stones in His Pockes is sponsored in part by Cramer-Krasselt.  

This production is presented in association with the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
 
Northlight is supported in part by generous contributions from The Allyn Foundation; Arts Midwest; Blackman Kallick Bartelstein, LLP; BMO Harris Bank; Draft FCB; the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; ComEd, An Exelon Company; Edgerton Foundation for New American Plays Award; Ernst & Young; Evanston Community Foundation; Gand Music & Sound; The Homestead Hotel; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; The Irving Harris Foundation; The Joyce Foundation; Kirkland & Ellis Foundation; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Madison Dearborn Partners; Melvoin Award for Playwriting; Modestus Bauer Foundation; North Shore Center for the Performing Arts Foundation; Nuveen Investments; The Offield Family Foundation; The Pauls Foundation; Pioneer Press; Quince at the Homestead; Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation; Room & Board; Sanborn Family Foundation; Shubert Foundation; Skokie Fine Arts Council; Sullivan Family Foundation; Target; and Tom Stringer Design Partners.
 

Notes of Interest:
   Brian Vaughn and David Ivers are co-Artistic Directors of Utah Shakespeare Festival.
 
J.R. Sullivan (Director) returns to Northlight where he directed Benefactors and The Last Survivor.  Chicagoans may also remember his 1995 Chicago production of Faith Healer, produced at Turnaround Theatre Company, and then an extended run at Steppenwolf.  He has been the artistic director of The Pearl Theatre Company in New York City since 2009.
 


ACT OUT OPENING: Northlight Theatre announces The Whipping Man

Northlight Theatre announces

The Whipping Man

Written by Matthew Lopez

Directed by Kimberly Senior

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, continues its 2012-2013 season with Matthew Lopez’s The Whipping Man, directed by Kimberly Senior. The production will run at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie, from January 18-February 24, 2013.

When Caleb, a wounded Confederate soldier returns to his family’s home at the end of the Civil War, he finds it in ruins and abandoned by all but two former slaves. United by their Jewish faith, the three men celebrate a Seder while wrestling with a shared past they can’t escape—and uncover a tangle of secrets that threatens their family and their faith.

Artistic Director BJ Jones comments, “There is historical precedence for the storylines in Mathew Lopez’s compelling and surprising play The Whipping Man. The context of the fallen South at the end of the Civil War, the newly freed slaves, the returning Confederate soldier - son of a Jewish slave owner, makes for an exotic and combustive cocktail for a play, which is at once gripping and intellectually satisfying.”

The cast features Derek Gaspar, Sean Parris, and Tim Edward Rhoze.

The design team includes Jack Magaw (set design), Rachel Laritz (costume design), Chris Binder (lighting design), Christopher Kriz (sound design), Eva Breneman (dialect coach) and Chris Rickett (violence design).

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Matthew Lopez (Playwright) The Whipping Man is one of the most celebrated and widely-produced new American plays of the last few theatrical seasons.  It premiered off-Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club, directed by Doug Hughes and starring André Braugher.  Mr. Lopez was awarded the John Gassner New Play Award from the Outer Critics Circle for this production. His play Somewhere premiered in 2011 at the Old Globe and is currently on the stage at Theatre Works in Palo Alto.  Other plays include Reverberation, The Legend of Georgia McBride and The Sentinels, which premiered in 2011 in London.  He is commissioned by Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Hartford Stage, where he is the 2012/13 Aetna New Voices Fellow.  Mr. Lopez is currently a staff writer on Aaron Sorkin’s HBO series The Newsroom.

Kimberly Senior (Director) Northlight: The Whipping Man (debut).  Chicago: The Letters (Writers' Theatre); Want, The North Plan (Steppenwolf); After the Revolution, The Overwhelming (Next); Cripple of Inishmaan, Bug, The Pillowman (Redtwist); Disgraced (American Theater Company); Waiting for Lefty (American Blues); Old Times, Uncle Vanya, Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters (Strawdog); Thieves Like Us (House Theatre); All My Sons, Dolly West's Kitchen (TimeLine Theatre). Regional: Disgraced (LCT3); Murder on the Nile, A Few Good Men (Peninsula Players); Mauritius (Theatre Squared). Founder/Collaboraction, Artistic Associate/Next, Strawdog, Chicago Dramatists. Kimberly lives in Evanston with her husband, scenic designer Jack Magaw and her two children.

Derek Gaspar (Caleb), making his Northlight debut, has appeared in Three Sisters and The March (Steppenwolf Theatre), Chicago Boys (Goodman Theatre), Waiting for Lefty (American Blues Theater) and Orpheus Descending (Shattered Globe). Other companies he has had the pleasure to work with include Court, Next, Timeline, Pinebox and Trap Door Theatres.

Sean Parris (John), making his Northlight Theatre debut, has appeared in the world premiere of A Girl with Sun in Her Eyes (Pine Box Theatre), Letters Home (Griffin Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Chicago Shakespeare), Pornography (Steep Theatre), Seascape (Remy Bumppo); Understudy in Angels In America (Court Theatre). Regional Credits include: Hamlet (Saratoga Shakespeare Festival). Sean is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Tim Edward Rhoze (Simon) is the Producing Artistic Director of the Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre in Evanston, Illinois; he has directed For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf, Having Our Say, Five Guys Named Moe, From the Mississippi Delta, Heat, Home, and playwright Tania Richards’ solo performance in her autobiographical Truth Be Told. Tim has performed at the Goodman Theatre in over a dozen plays, and more than 30 other productions at Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, Detroit Repertory Theatre, Detroit’s Harmonie Park Playhouse, Plow Shares and Attic Theatres, Wayne State University’s Hilberry Repertory, University of Detroit Theatre Company and GEVA Theatre in Rochester New York.

The Box Office is located at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Boulevard, in Skokie. Box Office hours are Monday-Friday 10:00am-5:00pm, and Saturdays 12:00pm-5:00pm. On performance days, the box office hours are extended through showtime. The Box Office is closed on Sundays, except on performance days when it is open two hours prior to showtime.

Curtain times are: Tuesdays: 7:30pm; Wednesdays: 1:00pm and 7:30pm; Thursdays: 7:30pm; Fridays: 8:00pm; Saturdays: 2:30pm and 8:00pm; Sundays: 2:30pm, and 7:00pm.

Northlight is continuing its popular special event series in conjunction with each production. All events are free for subscribers and ticket holders.

Salon Series will be held on select Wednesdays at 6:15pm and last approximately one hour. Gain deeper insight into each of the five plays in our 2012-13 mainstage season. Salon Series for The Whipping Man will be held January 30, 2013 and will feature Northwestern University professor E. Patrick Johnson. Event is FREE, but RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED.  Please call 847.679.9501 x 3605 to RSVP.

Community Conversations is a series of post-show discussions. Local experts join a Northlight facilitator, engaging audiences in a dialogue about the play's themes and the creative process behind live theatre! The post-show discussions for The Whipping Man will be held on Sundays, January 20 and February 3 after the 2:30 performances; Tuesday, January 22 after the 7:30 performance; Wednesday, January 23, after the 7:30 performance; and Wednesdays January 30 and February 13 after the 1:00pm performances.

Backstage with BJ is a mid-day discussion with Artistic Director BJ Jones, featuring special guest artists, actors, directors and designers, offering behind-the-scenes insight into each production while it is still in rehearsal.  Backstage with BJ for The Whipping Man will be held on January 11 at 12:00pm and will last approximately one hour. Reservations are required, 847.679.9501 x3555 or specialevents@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 in its 38^th season, the organization has mounted nearly 200 productions, including over 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’s production of The Whipping Man is sponsored in part by The Pauls Foundation, The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, and Quince at the Homestead.

Northlight is supported in part by generous contributions from The Allyn Foundation; Arts Midwest; Blackman Kallick Bartelstein, LLP; BMO Harris Bank; Draft FCB; the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; ComEd, An Exelon Company; Edgerton Foundation for New American Plays Award; Ernst & Young; Evanston Community Foundation; Gand Music & Sound; The Homestead Hotel; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; The Irving Harris Foundation; The Joyce Foundation; Kirkland & Ellis Foundation; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Madison Dearborn Partners; Melvoin Award for Playwriting; Modestus Bauer Foundation; North Shore Center for the Performing Arts Foundation; Nuveen Investments; The Offield Family Foundation; The Pauls Foundation; Pioneer Press; Quince at the Homestead; Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation; Room & Board; Sanborn Family Foundation; Shubert Foundation; Skokie Fine Arts Council; Sullivan Family Foundation; Target; and Tom Stringer Design Partners.

Schedule: Tuesdays: 7:30pm (January 22 and February 12 only)

Wednesdays: 1:00pm (except February 6), and 7:30pm (except February 13)

Thursdays: 7:30pm

Fridays: 8:00pm (except Opening on January 25 at 7:30pm)

Saturdays: 2:30pm (except January 19) and 8:00pm

Sundays: 2:30pm, and 7:00pm (except January 27, February 3 and 24)

Location: Northlight Theatre is located at the North Shore

Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd,

Skokie.

Tickets: Previews: $25-$54

Regular run: $25-$72

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

Notes of Interest:

Over the past year, Kimberly Senior directed the World Premiere of Disgraced at American Theater Company and in New York; After the Revolution at Next; Cripple of Inishmaan at Redtwist; Murder on the Nile at Peninsula Players; and The Letters at Writers’ Theatre. Kimberly was, formerly, a teaching artist at Northlight Theatre.

The Whipping Man is the first play by Matthew Lopez’s to be professionally produced. He won the 2011 John Gassner Playwriting Award by the NY Outer Critics Circle. The Whipping Man was one of the most produced plays in the country this year.

The Whipping Man represents an important part of American History. There is record of slaves being raised Jewish, most likely if the owner was Jewish. The play takes place at the end of the Civil War and raises questions of freedom, servitude and identity for all the characters.

In conjunction with The Whipping Man, Northlight is hosting a number of special events with community partners. All events are subject to change, and new events may be added. For up-to-date details, visit northlight.org/events.

• Civil War era medical practice: why amputation was often the answer

Monday, January 21 at 4:00pm

Evanston Public Library

Free and open to the public

• A post-Civil War state of affairs: the politics of race and religion and the Great Migration of African Americans

Wednesday, January 30 at 6:15 PM (preceding 7:30 performance)

Free and open to the public as part of Northlight’s Salon Series

• A conversation with director Kimberly Senior and cast members

Thursday, January 31 at 3:30pm
Skokie Public Library

and

Wednesday February 6 at 3:30pm
Wilmette Public Library

Free and open to the public

• Jewish slave owners in 19th-century America: a panel discussion with Rabbi Andrea London (Beth Emet), Reverend Mark Dennis (Second Baptist Church), Tim Rhoze (cast), and Skokie Mayor/Civil War expert George Van Dusen

Thursday February 7 at 3:30pm

Skokie Public Library

Free and open to the public

• Abraham Lincoln on stage and screen: an expert from Springfield’s Lincoln Library examines the historical accuracy of Lincoln’s many theatrical representations

Date and Time TBA

Location TBA

Free and open to the public

• Contrasts in construction: the Chicago Architecture Foundation compares Chicago’s post-Civil War architectural boom with a rapidly deteriorating South

Date and Time TBA

Location TBA

Free and open to the public

• Scene Selections and Discussion of Matthew Lopez’s The Whipping Man

Saturday, February 2 at 7:30pm

Chicago History Museum (1601 N Clark, Chicago)

***This event is part of the New Voices: Festival of Jewish Playwrights presented in collaboration with the Chicago History Museum. For staged reading plays and dates, visit northlight.org/newvoices. Tickets $15/$10 museum members: 312.642.4600

ACT OUT EXTENDED: The Odd Couple at Northlight

Due to overwhelming demand

Northlight Theatre adds a week of performances of

The Odd Couple

written by Neil Simon and directed by BJ Jones

featuring an all-Chicago cast of the City’s best comedic actors

Now running through December 16, 2012

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, announces a one-week extension of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple, featuring comic actors Tim Kazurinsky and Marc Grapey as the famously mismatched roommates.  The comedy, directed by Artistic Director BJ Jones will play at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie, through December 16, 2012.

When recently-failed marriages lead famously mismatched roommates Oscar and Felix into sharing an apartment, Felix’s finicky habits and Oscar’s slovenly ways make for a disastrous yet side-splittingly funny combination in this beloved comedy by Neil Simon.  The Chicago cast of comic actors includes Tim Kazurinsky (Felix), Marc Grapey (Oscar), Bruce Jarchow (Roy), Peter DeFaria (Murray the Cop), William Dick(Vinnie), Molly Glynn (Cecily), Katherine Keberlein (Gwen) and Phil Ridarelli (Speed)

“We are thrilled that tickets are in such high demand,” says BJ Jones.  “This is a distinguished ensemble of Chicago's great comedic actors giving such rich and colorful portrayals in Neil Simon’s finest and funniest script.  Audiences have been loving this show.”

Title:                      The Odd Couple

Written by:              Neil Simon

Directed by:            Artistic Director BJ Jones   

Featuring:                   Tim Kazurinsky, Marc Grapey, Bruce Jarchow, William Dick, Molly Glynn, Peter DeFaria, Katherine Keberlein and Phil Ridarelli         

Dates:                         through December 16, 2012

          Schedule:                Tuesdays: 7:30pm (except November 27 and December 11)

Wednesdays: 1:00pm (except December 12), and 7:30pm (except November 21)

                                      Thursdays: 7:30pm (except November 22)

                                      Fridays: 8:00pm

                                      Saturdays: 2:30pm (except December 15), and 8:00pm

Sundays: 2:30pm, and 7:00pm (except November 18, December 9 and December 16).

Location:                     Northlight Theatre is located at the North Shore

                             Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd,

                             Skokie.

Tickets:                  $25-$72

                             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

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 in its 38^th season, the organization has mounted nearly 200 productions, including over 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.

The Exclusive Production Sponsor is BMO Harris Bank.

Northlight is supported in part by generous contributions from The Allyn Foundation; Arts Midwest; Blackman Kallick Bartelstein, LLP; BMO Harris Bank; Draft FCB; the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; ComEd, An Exelon Company; Edgerton Foundation for New American Plays Award; Ernst & Young; Evanston Community Foundation; Gand Music & Sound; The Homestead Hotel; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; The Irving Harris Foundation; The Joyce Foundation; Kirkland & Ellis Foundation; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Madison Dearborn Partners; Melvoin Award for Playwriting; Modestus Bauer Foundation; North Shore Center for the Performing Arts Foundation; Nuveen Investments; The Offield Family Foundation; The Pauls Foundation; Pioneer Press; Quince at the Homestead; Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation; Room & Board; Sanborn Family Foundation; Shubert Foundation; Skokie Fine Arts Council; Sullivan Family Foundation; Target; and Tom Stringer Design Partners.

Title:                      The Odd Couple

Written by:              Neil Simon

Directed by:            Artistic Director BJ Jones   

Featuring:                   Tim Kazurinsky, Marc Grapey, Bruce Jarchow, William Dick, Molly Glynn, Peter DeFaria, Katherine Keberlein and Phil Ridarelli         

                    

         

                                                Regular run: November 10 – December 9, 2012

          Schedule:                         Tuesdays: 7:30pm (except November 27 and December 11)

Wednesdays: 1:00pm (except December 12), and 7:30pm (except November 21)

                                      Thursdays: 7:30pm (except November 22)

                                      Fridays: 8:00pm

                                      Saturdays: 2:30pm (except December 15), and 8:00pm

Sundays: 2:30pm, and 7:00pm (except November 18, December 9 and December 16).

Location:                     Northlight Theatre is located at the North Shore

                             Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd,

                             Skokie.

Tickets:                  $25-$72

                             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