Northlight Hosts Clothing Give Back Event in Conjunction With BROOKLYN LAUNDRY

Northlight Theatre has announced a clothing give back event at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie in conjunction with its hit production of John Patrick Shanley’s Brooklyn Laundry, playing through May 12, 2024. The giveaway will take place between 10am-4pm on May 13, 2024, the day the set will be taken down. The clothes will be made available in the lobby in waves, as the set is deconstructed.

The set of Brooklyn Laundry is filled with racks of real clothes, all of which were acquired through generous donations. Properties designer Nick Bartleson collected clothing from individuals and local organizations in order to fill the entire stage with laundry at the dry cleaner. When the production closes, the nearly 2,000 articles of clothing hanging on the set, designed by Jeffrey Kmiec, will be given back to the community. The event is free and open to the public. All clothing is free, but participants are requested to bring their own bags or boxes to take clothing away.

Throughout the run, Northlight has made overflow donations available to audience members at every performance. Any remaining items after the Give Back Day will be taken to Savers Community Donation Center.

“This gorgeous set and its thousands of pieces of clothing has presented Northlight the opportunity to give back to our community in a special way,” comments director BJ Jones. “I loved Jeff Kmiec’s design rendering at first sight, and we knew it would take a Herculean effort to collect enough clothing to fill the set on that scale. I am so impressed by Nick Bartleson’s successful coordination of the donations, and his resulting collection assembled on stage. We couldn’t be more grateful to the community for their contributions, and we are pleased to pay it forward with the clothing giveaway.” 

General Manager and Leadership Team member of the Chicago Green Theatre Alliance Victoria Martini-Rosowicz adds, “By finding new homes for donated clothing, much of which would have otherwise found its way into landfills, we are proud to reduce Northlight’s carbon footprint, and that of the community of donors who contributed to the set. In addition to the clothing giveaway on May 13, we have been able to make meaningful connections. After opening night, Northlight supporter Lisa Silverman saw the giveaway display and connected us with Refugee Community Connections. Through that non-profit, we were able to donate wedding dresses and other formalwear for a group wedding of 14 recently arrived Venezuelan couples.”

Donors to the clothing drive include: Coya Paz, Jason Shivers, Meghan Beals, Vicki Jablonski, Alyce Meyer, Bren Coombs, Christina Casano with The Plagiarists, Candice Connor, Megan Lili, Emily McConnel with Roosevelt University, Auden Granger, Stephanie Cluggish with University of Illinois (School of Theatre), Erin Galvin. Megan Lili, Greater Goods Community Thrift, Ellen Willett, Vintage Frills Thrift Store, Rena Ahmed, Jenny Pinson, Kinnari Vora, Cassandra Westover, Mel Wolff, Mara Mihlfried, Katie Klemme, Emily Kneer, BJ Jones, Northlight staff, NCPAS staff, Drury Lane Productions, Cassy Schillo, Jenny Oz, Nicole Boylan, Nick Gardin, Connor O’Donnell, Julia Atkin, Abbie O’Donnell, Melissa Brassard with Morton High School.

The plastic dry cleaning bags were donated by Soapies Cleaners in Evanston. In order to reuse the plastic, all bags will be donated to Timeline Theatre after production to use as wrapping and packing material for its upcoming move.

About Brooklyn Laundry

Tickets to Brooklyn Laundry by John Patrick Shanley, directed by Artistic Director BJ Jones are available at the box office: 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie; 847.673.6300; northlight.org.

Fran is broke and chronically single. Owen has a bad back and a lot of baggage. And then he asks her out. They might be just what each other needs… but life still has some savage tricks in store. At turns funny and tragic, this new play takes a fresh look at relationships, family, and surprising second chances.

Brooklyn Laundry features Sandra Delgado (Susie), Marika Mashburn (Trish), Mark Montgomery (Owen), and Cassidy Slaughter-Mason (Fran).

The creative team includes BJ Jones (director), Jeffrey Kmiec (set design), Izumi Inaba (costume design), JR Lederle (light design), Lindsay Jones (original music and sound design), and Katie Klemme (stage manager).

Northlight's production of Brooklyn Laundry is supported in part by Paul Epner and Janet Gans Epner, Donna and Gene Frett, Nan Greenough, and Blythe McGarvie.

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 226 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; ComEd, An Exelon Company; 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; Northwestern University; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Pritzker Foundation; The Schubert Foundation, Inc.; The Sullivan Family Foundation; The Weatherlow Foundation; Tom Stringer Design Partners.