Lookingglass Theatre Announces Casting!

Season includes record-breaking Ensemble participation
 
Lookingglass Theatre Company proudly announces casting for its 21st season, including participation from more than 20 company members. Ensemble Members Eva Barr, Mara Blumenfeld, Thomas Cox, Christine Dunford, Laura Eason, Raymond Fox, Doug Hara, David Kersnar, John Musial, Dan Ostling, David Schwimmer, Joey Slotnick, Philip R. Smith, Heidi Stillman, Tracy Walsh, Andrew White, and Mary Zimmerman, with Artistic Associates Louise Lamson Chris Binder, Andre Pluess, Rick Sims, and Alison Siple and Production Affiliate Ray Nardelli will participate in the season. Additional casting and company member involvement will be announced at a later date.

Subscriptions are currently on sale for the 2008-2009 Season, with select series already selling out. Performances will be held at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. Single tickets will go on sale in September 2008. 

"This season is about being a part of a community which, after 20 years, epitomizes what an ensemble is—wherein the power of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts," comments Artistic Director David Catlin. "Our 21st season will illustrate that we are all connected and are all responsible for one another as citizens of the world. Through stories, creativity and collaboration we can redeem ourselves. We can transform ourselves — we can change, charge, and empower."

To celebrate Lookingglass' 20th Anniversary, the Lookingglass Ensemble recently gathered at the Dawes Mansion in Evanston for an ensemble portrait by photographer Sean Williams.  Each of the 22 Ensemble Members dressed as a favorite character from Lookingglass' 20-year production history. To view an interactive version of the photo, visit http://lookingglasstheatre.org/ensemble.

 
Lookingglass Theatre Company's 2008-2009 Season Up-Close:

The Brothers Karamazov
By Fyodor Dostoevsky, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky
Adapted and Directed by Ensemble Member Heidi Stillman
A World Premiere Lookingglass Original
October 15 - December 7, 2008

Featuring Ensemble Members Eva Barr (Mrs. Kolklakov), Doug Hara (Alyosha) and Philip R. Smith (Ivan) and Artistic Associate Louise Lamson (Katerina). Designers include Ensemble Members Mara Blumenfeld (costumes) and Dan Ostling (set), Artistic Associates Chris Binder (lighting) and Rick Sims (sound) and Production Affiliate Ray Nardelli (sound). Other cast members include Maury Cooper, Chaon Cross, Larry Grimm, and Joe Sikora.

Russian patriarch Fyodor Karamazov is a one of literature's most lecherous, greedy and delightfully despicable fathers. When his eldest son discovers they are competing for the affections of the same woman, concealed tensions erupt into a storm of passion, deceit and betrayal. Ensemble Member and Lookingglass Artistic Director of New Work Heidi Stillman, award-winning adaptor and director of Charles Dickens' Hard Times, brings new life to Dostoyevsky's epic masterpiece of murder, greed and treachery.
 
Our Town
By Thornton Wilder
Directed by Anna D. Shapiro and Jessica Thebus
February 11 - April 5, 2009

Featuring Ensemble Members Thomas J. Cox (Ensemble), Christine Dunford (Mrs. Webb), Laura Eason (Emily Webb), Raymond Fox (Ensemble), David Catlin (Dr. Gibbs), David Kersnar (Simon Stimson), David Schwimmer (George Gibbs), Joey Slotnick (Stage Manager), Heidi Stillman (Mrs. Gibbs), Tracy Walsh (Ensemble), and Andrew White (Mr. Webb) and Artistic Associate Louise Lamson (Rebecca Gibbs). Designers include Ensemble Member John Musial (set) with Kevin O'Donnell (music).

The citizens of Grover's Corners share the ultimate tale of community in this American classic, directed by 2008 Tony Award-nominated Steppenwolf Ensemble Member Anna D. Shapiro and Steppenwolf Artistic Associate Jessica Thebus. The Lookingglass Ensemble will infuse the play with a singular chemistry you won't see anywhere else. In the hands of these renowned artists, Thornton Wilder's masterpiece will be disarmingly beautiful, utterly compelling and painfully funny.

The Arabian Nights
Adapted and Directed by Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman
A Lookingglass Original
May 20 - July 12, 2009

Designers include Ensemble Members Dan Ostling (sets), Mara Blumenfeld (costumes) and Artistic Associates Andre Pluess (sound design) and Alison Siple (costumes). Casting TBA

Tony Award-winning Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman returns to the Water Tower Water Works following the successful run and three city tour of Argonautika, with her Lookingglass Original adaptation of one of the world's most enduring works of literature. When he discovers his wife in the arms of another man, King Sharayar vows to ruthlessly murder every virgin in the kingdom. His brutality is interrupted only when he encounters the clever maiden Scheherezade, whose captivating stories may just save her life. This boldly re-imagined visual feast celebrates the redemptive power of story telling.

Subscriptions
Lookingglass Theatre Company is located in the heart of the Magnificent Mile shopping district inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. Subscriptions to the Lookingglass 2008-2009 season are on sale now and start at only $81 for all three plays. 

Subscription benefits include guaranteed best seats, pre-sale opportunities and savings before single tickets go on sale to the general public, special perks at more than a dozen exclusive of restaurant partners, unlimited ticket exchanges, discounted parking at nearby Olympia Centre Garage (161 E. Chicago Ave.), and courtesy performance date reminders. For season subscription and ticket information, call the Lookingglass Theater box office, (312) 337-0665 or visit lookingglasstheatre.org.

About Lookingglass Theatre Company
Inventive. Collaborative. Transformative. Lookingglass Theatre Company was founded in 1988 by eight Northwestern University students. 2007-2008 marked the Company's 20th anniversary season. Lookingglass remains a home to a multi-disciplined ensemble of artists who create story-centered theatrical work that is physical, aurally rich and visually metaphoric. Lookingglass has staged nearly 50 world premieres at 23 venues across Chicago, and garnered 39 Joseph Jefferson Awards and Citations.      

Its work has toured to New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Berkeley, Philadelphia, Princeton, Hartford and St. Louis. Work premiered at Lookingglass has been produced across the United States. The Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago's landmark Water Tower Water Works opened in June 2003. In addition to developing and presenting ensemble work, Lookingglass Education and Community programs encourage creativity, teamwork and confidence with 15,000 students each year.

Lookingglass Theatre Company continues to expand its artistic, financial and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Artistic Director David Catlin, Executive Director Rachel Kraft, Producing Artistic Director Philip R. Smith, Artistic Director of New Work Heidi Stillman, a 22-member artistic ensemble, 15 artisic associates, 12 production affiliates and an administrative staff.  Board Chairman Lisa Green leads a dedicated board of directors. For more information, visit lookingglasstheatre.org.
 

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