OUR TOWN, ARABIAN NIGHTS, HANSEL & GRETEL and More Set for Theatre School at DePaul's 2013-14 Season

The Theatre School at DePaul University has announced the 2013-2014 season. Founded as the Goodman School of Drama in 1925, The Theatre School presents public programming as a professional extension of the classroom. Under the leadership of an award-winning faculty and staff, theatre artists from all disciplines collaborate during their final years of training to create a full and diverse season of programming.

The Theatre School's new facility will open in September 2013. Designed by renowned architect César Pelli and his firm Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, The Theatre School is the venue for presenting the school's contemporary plays and classics, as well as new work. The Theatre School is proud to continue to present Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences at DePaul's historic Merle Reskin Theatre in the South Loop.

ON THE FULLERTON STAGE: This brand new performance space is a thrust theatre, seating 250, and is located on the first floor of The Theatre School. The lobby is the 'living room' of the building, where theatre patrons, faculty, staff, and students congregate. Enter The Theatre School on the east side of the building, on Racine Avenue.

The inaugural production of The Theatre School at DePaul University's Fullerton Stage is Thornton Wilder's OUR TOWN, directed by Damon Kiely. Previews begin October 2nd and the production closes with a 2 PM matinee on October 13th. About the play: Winner of the 1938 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, this haunting and unsentimental piece shares moments from the lives of two families in their small New England town. Often called the Great American play, OUR TOWN challenges us to realize life as we live it. Special guest alumni appearances to include: John C. Reilly, Gillian Anderson, Alana Arenas, Ann Dowd, Tom Amandes, Lisa Joyce, Mary Grill, PJ Powers, Adam Poss, and Lucy Sandy.

John Guare's A FREE MAN OF COLOR, directed by Phyllis E. Griffin, will open on January 31, and run through February 9, 2014, with previews on 1/29 and 1/30. About the play: A Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2011, this absurd Restoration comedy features the charismatic womanizer Jacques Cornet, the wealthiest man of color in town. Filled with sexual and racial innuendo, his raucous New Orleans is threatened by a new map of the Louisiana Purchase territory.

Lisa Portes will direct THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT by Stephen Adly Guirgis. The production will open on April 18 and run through April 27, 2014, with previews on 4/16 and 4/17. About the play: Judas gets his day in court, and biblical archetypes join legal eagles to make the case with hip-hop and street talk in this outrageous and provocative play about the paradox of faith, free will, and the nature of divine love.

The final production on the Fullerton Stage in the 2013-14 season will be a world-premiere piece written by Greg Allen specifically for (and featuring) the MFA in Acting candidates in the Class of 2014. James Bohnen will direct. Additional details will be announced shortly.

IN THE SONDRA & DENIS HEALY THEATRE: Named for longtime supporters Sondra A. and Denis Healy, this 100-seat flexible theatre can be configured into many layouts to provide a new experience for the audience at each visit. The Healy Theatre is located on the fourth floor of The Theatre School, and its distinguishing feature is the completely transparent north wall overlooking Fullerton Avenue.

The first production in the Healy Theatre will be ARABIAN NIGHTS adapted by Dominic Cooke, and directed by Kevin Kingston, MFA Directing Class of 2014. The production opens November 1 and runs through November 10, 2013. About the play: Each night the hard-hearted King Shahrayar takes a bride, only to execute her the next morning. Shahrazad is sentenced to be next, but there is something special about this lady - she is touched with the enchanting gift of storytelling. Rediscover the beauty and humor of these enduring tales in this adaptation told with physicality, puppetry, and a dash of magic.

Opening February 14 and running through February 23, 2014 will be a production of MOTH, by Declan Greene, and directed by Michael Osinski, MFA Directing Class of 2014. About the play: Now, in the suburbs. Claryssa and Sebastian are best friends...and the class outcasts. One loves witchcraft and emo music; the other has body odor and obsesses about anime. After a night of brutal bullying by their classmates, their friendship is left in shambles, and Sebastian is faced with a task of apocalyptic proportions.

The Theatre School is proud to present THE SCAVENGERS by Lucas Baisch, BFA Playwriting, Class of 2014. The production will open May 9 and run through May 18, 2014. About the play: Seventeen-year old Miles desperately clings to his adolescence as his world falls apart around him. His elder sister can't find a job. His brother, newly returned from victory on a dubious reality show, won't cash the check. Not to mention the vortex of garbage in the ocean that threatens to destroy everything. With the help of Kid, a neighborhood butcher, they seek out a hoarder who may have the key to helping his family survive.

For specific performance dates and times, please check the website. Tickets to all performances are available online at theatre.depaul.edu or by calling the Box Office at (312) 922-1999. Single tickets for productions at The Theatre School are $15, and $5 for students.

CHICAGO PLAYWORKS FOR FAMILIES AND YOUNG AUDIENCES AT DEPAUL'S HISTORIC MERLE RESKIN THEATRE: The Merle Reskin Theatre is located at 60 E. Balbo Drive (at Michigan) in Chicago's thriving South Loop neighborhood. Founded as the Goodman Children's Theatre in 1925, and recognized as a pioneer of theatre for families, Chicago Playworks is dedicated to reflecting our audience's experiences in an urban, contemporary, and multi-ethnic environment.

Chicago Playworks opens the season with HANSEL & GRETEL, by Moses Goldberg, and directed by Ann Wakefield. The production will open October 12, and run through November 16, 2013. About the play: Hansel and Gretel love to cause mischief. When they are sent to the woods to find berries for their mother, curiosity gets the best of them, and they enter a mysterious candy-covered cottage. In this adaptation of The Brothers Grimm tale, Hansel and Gretel-with the help of the audience-must learn to work together to get themselves out of a sticky situation. Recommended for all ages. Themes include: Adaptation, Creative Thinking, Fairy tales and Storytelling, Family, and Stranger Danger.

In winter, Chicago Playworks presents NUMBER THE STARS, based the novel by Lois Lowry, by Dr. Douglas W. Larche with Susan Elliott Larche, and directed by John Jenkins. The production will open on January 18, and will run through February 22, 2014. About the play: Annemarie Johansen and Ellen Rosen play carefree games in the streets of Copenhagen, until the Nazi occupation of their city becomes increasingly more evident. As the Nazis attempt to relocate the Jewish residents of Denmark, Annemarie and the Johansens take a stand and help Ellen's family escape to Sweden. Winner of the Newbery Medal, NUMBER THE STARS uses history to remind us that anyone can be a hero. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Themes include: Adaptation, Courage, Facing Prejudice, Family, Friendship, History, and the Holocaust.

Chicago Playworks will conclude the season with JACKIE AND ME, adapted from the book by Dan Gutman, by Steven Dietz, and directed by John Jenkins, running April 8 through May 10, 2014. About the play: Joey Stoshack has a talent that many kids dream of: the ability to travel through time. When Joey is assigned to write a report on an African American role model, he uses his powers to travel back to 1947 and meet Jackie Robinson, one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Through their adventures, Joey learns about real courage and what it feels like to walk in someone else's shoes. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Themes include: Baseball, Courage, Facing Prejudice, Family, History, Thinking of Others, and Overcoming Adversity.

For specific performance dates and times, please check the website. Tickets to all performances are available online at theatre.depaul.edu or by calling the Box Office at (312) 922-1999. Single tickets for Chicago Playworks are $10. Group discounts are available.

The Theatre School at DePaul University educates, trains, and inspires students of theatre in a conservatory setting that is rigorous, disciplined, culturally diverse, and that strives for the highest level of professional skill and artistry. A commitment to diversity and equality in education is central to our mission. As an integral part of the training, The Theatre School produces public programs and performances from a wide repertoire of classic, contemporary, and original plays that challenge, entertain, and stimulate the imagination. We seek to enhance the intellectual and cultural life of our university community, our city, and the profession.

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