E. Faye Butler, Susie McMonagle & More Cast In Northlight's Upcoming Shows

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, announces casting for Black Pearl Sings! by Frank Higgins, Ten Chimneys by Jeffrey Hatcher, and [title of show] by Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell. The Black Pearl Sings! cast features Northlight favorites E. Faye Butler and Susie McMonagle singing beautiful, a cappella renditions of American folk songs in this Depression-era story of two extraordinary women. Ten Chimneys features V Craig Heidenreich as Alfred Lunt and Ellen Karas as Lynne Fontane. The Ten Chimneys cast also includes Janet Ulrich Brooks, Sara Griffin and Linda Kimbrough. The cast of the Tony Award-winning musical [title of show] features McKinley Carter, Matt Crowle, Stephen Shellhardt and Christine Sherrill.

"We are delighted to complete casting of our season, celebrating theatre and theatre artists, with some of Chicago's finest actors. We are honored to continue our relationship with these stars of Chicago theatre in roles our audience will be gratified to see them in," says Artistic Director BJ Jones.

Subscriptions are currently on sale. Tickets to Black Pearl Sings!, Ten Chimneys and [title of show] will be on sale November 1, 2011. Tickets are available through the box office, 9501 Skokie Boulevard in Skokie, by phone at 847.673.6300 or online at northlight.org.

About Black Pearl Sings!
Black Pearl Sings! by Frank Higgins, is directed by Steve Scott and runs January 13 - February 19, 2012. The press opening is Friday, January 20, 2011.

Black Pearl Sings! E. Faye Butler (Jeff Award-winner for Northlight's Ella and Dinah Was) and Susie McMonagle (Northlight's Snapshots, national tour of Billy Elliott and Mamma Mia!).

Featuring beautiful, a cappella renditions of rare American folk songs, this play with music tells the Depression-era story of two extraordinary women dependant on one another to gain acceptance in a divided society. When Susannah, a WPA song collector for the Library of Congress, overhears Pearl singing in a Texas prison, she will pull every string possible to introduce the woman with the silky voice and steely spirit to the world.

About Ten Chimneys
Ten Chimneys by Jeffrey Hatcher, is directed by Artistic Director BJ Jones and runs March 9 - April 15, 2012. The press opening is Friday, March 16, 2012.
The cast features V Craig Heidenreich (Northlight's Sense & Sensibility), Ellen Karas (CREDIT), Janet Ulrich Brooks, Sara Griffin and Linda Kimbrough.

For decades, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne entertained the most influential artists of their time - from Noel Coward to Sydney Greenstreet - at Ten Chimneys, their legendary retreat. In this new play, a spirited onstage rehearsAl Sparks an offstage romantic triangle. The result is a comically revealing look at the private lives of these very public figures.

About [title of show]
[title of show], music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen and book by Hunter Bell, is directed by Peter Amster with music direction by Doug Peck and runs May 4 - June 10, 2012. The press opening is Friday, May 11, 2012.

The cast features McKinley Carter, Matt Crowle, Stephen Shellhardt and Christine Sherrill.

When two young writers decide to create a new musical in just three weeks, they must navigate creative differences and commercial success in this meta-musical comedy laced with pop culture with and infectious enthusiasm. [title of show] is, above all, a love letter to the musical theatre-a uniquely American art form-and to the joy of collaboration. The musical received a Tony Award® nomination for Best Book of a Musical in 2009.

Tickets, $25-65, are available at the box office, by phone at 847.673.6300, or online at northlight.org. Young Adult tickets (25 and under) are $10 (one per person with valid ID).

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 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.

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 37th season, the organization has mounted nearly 190 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; Blackman Kallick Bartelstein, LLP; BMO Harris Bank; the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; ComEd, An Exelon Company; Edgerton Foundation for New American Plays Award; Ernst & Young; Evanston Community Foundation; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; The Irving Harris Foundation; The Joyce Foundation; Kirkland & Ellis Foundation; The Lehman Family American Experience Series; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; MetLife Foundation; McKinsey & Company; Modestus Bauer Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; North Shore Center for the Performing Arts Foundation; Nuveen Investments; The Offield Family Foundation; The Pauls Foundation; Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation; Sanborn Family Foundation; Dr. Scholl Foundation; Shubert Foundation; Sullivan Family Foundation; and the Theatre Communications Group.

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