Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, continues its 2017-18 season with Skeleton Crew, written by Dominique Morisseau and directed by Ron OJ Parson. Skeleton Crew runs January 25 - March 3, 2018 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. The press opening is Friday, February 2, 2018 at 8pm.
At the start of the Great Recession, rumors of impending closure surround one of the last auto plants in Detroit. The nation's financial crisis gets personal as each of the workers confronts the life-altering choices they must make if their plant goes under, while the supervisor is torn between allegiances to his makeshift family of co-workers and management's "cost-saving" demands. When pushed to the limits of survival, how far over the lines are people willing to cross?
The third play in Dominique Morisseau's Detroit trilogy, Skeleton Crew was named one of Time Magazine's 10 Best Shows of the Year.
BJ Jones comments, "Several years ago Northlight introduced playwright Dominique Morisseau to Chicago with Detroit '67, the first installment of her Detroit trilogy. Paradise Blue was produced at Timeline Theatre in 2017, and Skeleton Crew completes the trio. Her triptych spans decades of a sociopolitical evolution in her home city. With Skeleton Crew, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Morisseau looks at life on the assembly line-which feels like a conveyor belt to oblivion. Set in 2008, the diminishing workers are in a race to stay ahead of the collapsing economy, fighting for their financial lives. While much of the country has their eyes set on Wall Street, more concerned with their portfolios than their neighbors, the working majority don't own stock and struggle to pay the rent. Dominique re-focuses our gaze on the majority, whose hourly wage becomes more precious by the day."
The cast of Skeleton Crew includes Bernard Gilbert (Dez), Kelvin Roston Jr. (Reggie), Jacqueline Williams (Faye) and Anji White (Shanita).
The creative team includes Scott Davis (Scenic Design), Samantha C. Jones (Costume Design), Keith Parham (Lighting Design), and Ray Nardelli (Sound Design). The production stage manager is Rita Vreeland.
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