Northwestern University Announces its Upcoming Productions for this May Including MOBY DICK and CHARLOTTE'S WEB

The final performances of a world premiere of a mainstage production based on an epic sea story and a play about an African-American actress who must choose between her principles and a plum role, are among the May events presented by Northwestern University's Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts -- formerly known as the Theatre and Interpretation Center (TIC) at Northwestern University.

Other May events include an Imagine U production of a popular children's tale about a spider and a piglet, performances of the 83rd Annual Waa-Mu Show, and three off-campus stagings that are part of the S.I.T.E. Festival.

An MFA production of Caryl Churchill's adaptation of an August Strindberg play, and a two-day mid-month symposium honoring the late Dwight Conquerqood, a former Northwestern associate professor of performance studies, are also planned.

All of the following events are open to the public and will take place in venues on Northwestern's Evanston campus, as noted. Where applicable, ticket discounts are available for groups of eight or more.

For more information, phone (847) 491-4819 or visit the Wirtz Center website at wirtz.northwestern.edu.

World premiere of "Moby Dick," 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 1; 10 a.m. (student matinee) and 8 p.m. Friday, May 2; 8 p.m. Saturday, May 3 and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 4, at the Ethel M. Barber Theater, 30 Arts Circle Drive, Northwestern University, Evanston campus. Go tumbling, soaring and bounding across briny billows in this collaboration with Actors Gymnasium and their high-flying brand of aerial and physical storytelling. Aboard the Pequod, Captain Ahab will sail the watery world, seeking revenge on a lone white whale that devoured his leg in a fateful encounter in the South Pacific. Adapted and directed by Lookingglass ensemble member and Northwestern faculty member David Catlin ("The Little Prince") from Herman Melville's classic novel of adventure, obsession and fate, "Moby Dick" questions what it is that drives us to pursue the impossible and how that ambition can ultimately consume us. Caitlin's premiere adaptation of Melville's "Moby Dick" also will be staged at Lookingglass Theatre in Spring 2015. Single tickets are $25 for the general public; $22 for seniors 62 and older and Northwestern faculty and staff and area educators; $10 for full-time students and $5 for Northwestern students (advance purchase only) or $10 at the door. Discounts are available for groups of eight or more. A post-show discussion will follow the May 1 performance.

"Trouble in Mind," 8 p.m. Friday, May 16; 8 p.m. Saturday, May 17; 2 p.m. Sunday, May 18; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 22; 8 p.m. Friday, May 23; 8 p.m. Saturday, May 24; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 25, Josephine Louis Theatre, 20 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston campus. Set in 1957, a talented and struggling actress has just been given her breakthrough role in "Chaos in Belleville," an anti-lynching play practically ripped from the headlines and set to open on Broadway. But is fame worth more than perpetuating a stereotype? Directed by Court Theatre Resident Artist Ron Oj Parson, prejudice and ambition are uneasy bedfellows in this satire by Alice Childress, which The Washington Post called "scathingly funny, wise and extraordinary." Post-show discussions will following the May 16 opening night, May 18 matinee and May 22 performances. Tickets are $25 for the general public; $22 for seniors 62 and older, Northwestern faculty and staff and educators; or $10 for full-time students or $5 advance-purchase tickets exclusively for full-time Northwestern students with IDs or $10 at door.

IMAGINE U FAMILY SERIES

Imagine U Family Series, "Charlotte's Web," 7 p.m. Friday, May 2; 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday, May 3; 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, May 4; 7 p.m. Friday, May 9; 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday, May 10; and 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, May 11, Hal and Martha Hyer Wallis Theater at 1949 Campus Drive, on the University's Evanston campus. "Charlotte's Web" tells the story of a piglet's restless first night in the Zuckerman family barn, when he learns through his fellow barnyard creatures of some unsettling plans for his future. Charlotte, a resourceful spider who lives on a web overlooking his pen, takes it upon her spinnerets to save him with "witty words and trusty webs." A poignant story of friendship, life, death and renewal, the play will feature talking farm animals portrayed by a Northwestern student cast. Adapted by Joseph Robinette from the novel by E.B. White, it will be directed by Northwestern theatre faculty member Mary Poole, Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Senior Lecturer in the School of Communication. This hourlong Imagine U production is designed to give children aged 6 to 10 and the "big people" in their lives an insider's look at the magical world of theatre. Cast members will be available in-costume, including those portraying animals, following each performance to greet young patrons in the lobby for photo opportunities and a "petting zoo" experience. Tickets are $10 for adults; $8 for children under the age of 18, and $5 advance-purchase tickets exclusively for full-time Northwestern students with IDs. Discounts are available for groups of eight or more.

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