Classics and old Hollywood at UIC Theatre
The UIC Theatre presents three classic plays and an American premiere that ask some of life’s biggest questions: How did I get here? How can I get out? What am I fighting for?
A student cast rehearses “Misalliance” by George Bernard Shaw. (Click on image to download larger file.)
Directors Yasen Peyankov of Steppenwolf Theatre and Heidi Stillman of Lookingglass Theatre will work with top student actors for imaginative performances, continuing UIC’s tradition of engaging students with groundbreaking Chicago professionals.
All performances will take place at the UIC Theatre, 1044 W. Harrison St. Tickets are $17 for general admission and $12 for students at the box office or online.
For information on a two-for-one offer for the UIC community, call (312) 996-2939.
“Misalliance” by George Bernard Shaw, directed by Luigi Salerni, UIC professor of theatre
Oct. 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 5, 8, 12 at 2 p.m.
Gender politics, social politics and Shavian wit prevail in this 1910 play. Hypatia, daughter of underwear mogul John, engaged to nerdy aristocrat Bentley, whose elderly father has also proposed to her. Longing for diversion, she finds it when a handsome pilot literally crashes a party at John’s house, bringing with him a female passenger — a daredevil acrobat — who inspires romance among the guests.
“Ivanov” by Anton Chekhov, directed by Yasen Peyankov, UIC associate professor of theatre and Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member
Nov. 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 16, 23 at 2 p.m.
Nov. 18 at noon
This adaptation by Peter Christensen and Yasen Peyankov is a nuanced exploration of unfulfilled lives and lost souls, woven with comedy as each character struggles to make sense of disillusionment, to capture love or simply to endure boredom in the provinces. Depressed, indebted government official Ivanov learns his wife is dying just as he is pursued by a younger woman and chastised by an idealistic doctor.
“The Piano Lesson” by August Wilson, directed by Derrick Sanders, UIC assistant professor of theatre
Feb. 20, 21, 26, 27, 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 22, 25, March 1 at 2 p.m.
Feb. 24 at noon
In Pittsburgh’s Hill District during the Depression, the Charles family struggles over whether to sell their shared legacy—an antique piano carved to depict the faces of their enslaved ancestors—and the secret it holds. Ambition battles with uncertainty and the inexorable pull of the past. Jeff-winning Derrick Sanders, a protege of August Wilson, brings rare insight to the fourth play in Wilson’s 20th Century Cycle.
“A Matter of Life and Death” adapted by Emma Rice and Tom Morris (rights pending), based on a film by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger; directed by Heidi Stillman, artistic director of new works, Lookingglass Theatre
April 10, 11, 16, 17, 18 at 7:30 p.m.
April 12, 15, 19 at 2 p.m.
In its national premiere, this adaptation of a 1946 fantasy film unfolds against the backdrop of World War II. A doomed British pilot contacts June, an American radio operator, just before he’s about to jump without a parachute. His would-be conductor to the afterlife gets lost in the fog, and the pilot wakes up on a beach near June, thinking he’s in heaven. Eventually, he finds himself before a celestial court of law.
