THE ILLUSION & GHETTO Open May Performances At Northwestern University

The Theatre and Interpretation Center at Northwestern University will continue its 2008-09 season in May with the two remaining Mainstage productions: an adaptation of a Pierre Corneille classic, and a Holocaust drama by Israeli playwright and director Joshua Sobol. It also will present a Wallis Works-In-Progress adaptation of a story by Zimbabwean doctor and celebrated writer J. Nozipo Maraire.

May will open with the final three performances of "The Illusion"(May 1 to 3), playwright Tony Kushner's adaptation of Pierre Corneille's 17th century classic "L'Illusion Comique." The month will conclude with "Ghetto" (May 22 to 31), Sobol's play based on a librarian's detailed diary about a theatre group formed in Vilna, Lithuania, during the Holocaust.

The department of performance studies will present three performances of an original spoken word/hip-hop "choreopoem" titled "I used to love...A Hip-Hop Choreomarriage" (May 1 and 2).

The Annual Agnes Nixon Playwriting Festival will be held on the Evanston campus from May 23 to 24.

The Dance Program will present two performances by David Parker and The Bang Group (May 2 and 3). The New York-based dance company will be visiting the Evanston campus for a weeklong residency. "Forward Shift," the Senior Dance Concert (May 21 to 24) will celebrate the culmination of the dance studies of the Class of 2009.

May will also feature the 78th annual Waa-Mu show, "One for the Books" (May 1 to l0), a student revue directed by theater faculty member Dominic Missimi with musical direction by Mallory Thompson, a Henry and Leigh Beinen School of Music faculty member.

Performances are open to the public and will take place in venues on Northwestern's Evanston campus, as noted.

Single tickets to all productions may be purchased by phone through the Theatre and Interpretation Center Box Office at (847) 491-7282 or at the door prior to each performance. Tickets also are on sale through the Theatre and Interpretation Center Box Office or online at

http://www.tic.northwestern.edu.

Optional dinner packages are now available before any performance at two downtown Evanston restaurants. GIO, 1631 Chicago Ave., offers Northern Italian cuisine. A dinner voucher, including an appetizer, entree, dessert and coffee or tea, may be purchased for $20. Tapas Barcelona, 1615 Chicago Ave., offers a wide variety of small plates. A dinner including a selection of assorted tapas, dessert and coffee or tea may be purchased for $25. Dinner prices are exclusive of performance tickets, tax and gratuity. Packages may be purchased through the Theatre and Interpretation Center Box Office at (847) 491-7282.

The Theatre and Interpretation Center's May 2009 calendar will include:

"The Illusion" by Tony Kushner, 8 p.m. Friday, April 24; 8 p.m. Saturday, April 25; 2 p.m. Sunday, April 26; 8 p.m. Thursday, April 30; 8 p.m. Friday, May 1; 8 p.m. Saturday, May 2; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 3, Josephine Louis Theater, 20 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston campus. An unyielding father is filled with regret after giving his son no alternative but to flee the family home. Through the help of a magician, he is allowed to view three scenes from his son's life, only to learn his remorse may have come too late -- or maybe not. Freely adapted by Tony Kushner from Pierre Corneille's 17th century classic farce "L'Illusion Comique" and directed by Northwestern University student and master of fine arts candidate Kathryn Walsh, this play will move from mayhem to magic and back again as it questions what it really means to love, and the obligations that may come with that emotion. Single tickets are $20 for the general public; $18 for seniors, Northwestern faculty and staff and teachers and administrators; and $10 for students with valid IDs.

"Ghetto" by Joshua Sobol, 8 p.m. Friday, May 22; 8 p.m. Friday, May 23; 2 p.m. Sunday, May 24; 8 p.m. Thursday, May 28; 8 p.m. Friday, May 29; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 30, Ethel M. Barber Theater, 30 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston campus. "Ghetto" explores the relationship between art and atrocity and strength and cowering. A drama based on the diary of a librarian, the play combines fact and fantasy to tell the tale of a theater group formed in Vilna, Lithuania, during the Holocaust. A story of spiritual resilience, it depicts how the struggle for a simple physical existence may be buoyed by the creative force. Among the play's 20 characters is a ventriloquist whose bravery only finds a voice in his puppet; an entrepreneur who profits from his work for the Nazis; and a leader who must choose who shall die so that others may live. The production will be directed by Daniel Cantor, assistant professor of theater, Northwestern University's School of Communication. "Ghetto" will be presented in partnership with Urban Gateways Center for Arts Education. Single tickets are $25 for the general public; $22 for seniors, Northwestern faculty and staff and teachers and administrators; and $10 for students with valid IDs.

"Amai Zenzele" by J. Nozipo Maraire, adapted and directed by Olateju O. Adesida, 8 p.m. Friday, May 1, 8 p.m. Saturday, May 2; 2 p.m. Sunday, May 3; 8 p.m. Friday, May 8; and 8 p.m. Saturday, May 9, Ethel M. Barber Theater, 30 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston campus. Adapted from J. Nozipo Maraire's novel "Zenzele: A Letter for my Daughter," the personal and historical are combined in a series of letters from a mother to her daughter concerning cultural inheritance and tradition, the struggle for Zimbabwe's independence and the trials and tribulations of African womanhood and identity. This project will coincide with the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Northwestern University's African Studies Program. General admission is $10, or free to 2008-09 Mainstage season subscribers.

"I used to love... A Hip-Hop Choreomarriage" at 8 p.m. Friday, May 1, and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, May 2, Musseter-Struble Theater, Theatre and Interpretation Center, 1949 Campus Drive, Evanston campus. This original creative spoken word/hip-hop "choreopoem" was collaboratively written, produced, conceived and performed by two doctoral students -- Northwestern University's Sage Morgan-Hubbard and Kara Young of the University of California-Berkeley. The performance will explore misogyny, homophobia, body image and young women of color within the industry and history of hip-hop. Through a blending of four forms of hip-hop (break-dancing; emceeing/rapping/spoken word poetry; DJing; and graffiti art/set design), "I used to love..." will enact multiple marriage/commitment ceremonies in multiple forms of media. Like American playwright Ntozake Shange's "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf," this performance piece combines a multiracial/ethnic ensemble of hip-hop artists and poetic structure. Admission is $5.

The 78th Annual Waa-Mu Show, "One for the Books," 8 p.m. Friday, May 1; 8 p.m. Saturday, May 2; 2 p.m. Sunday, May 3; 8 p.m. Thursday, May 7; 8 p.m. Friday, May 8; 8 p.m. Saturday, May 9; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 10, Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson St., Evanston campus. The 2009 Waa-Mu Show will explore the printed page. "One for the Books" features songs and sketches involving the fairy tales of storybook princesses, the adventures of Curious George, the trials of Holden Caulfield, the tribulations of Humpty Dumpty and the poetry of e.e. cummings and Walt Whitman. Under the direction of theater faculty member Dominic Missimi, this year's Waa-Mu show will feature guest appearances by Alice in Wonderland, Prince Charming and the elusive Waldo. On Sunday, May 10, Waa-Mu again will offer the traditional Mother's Day pre-show Brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Evanston with entertainment by Missimi and members of the Waa-Mu cast. Single tickets for Waa-Mu are $28 (tier one) to $21 (tier two) for the general public; $17 for seniors and Northwestern University faculty, staff and students and area educators and administrators; and $11 for full-time students and children. Brunch tickets are $39 (not inclusive of performance) and may be purchased through the Theatre and Interpretation Center Box Office. For tickets, call (847) 491-7282 or order tickets online at http://www.waamu.northwestern.edu.

Agnes Nixon Playwriting Festival, 8 p.m. Friday, May 22; and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday May 23, Mussetter-Struble Theater, 1949 Campus Drive, Evanston campus. The Agnes Nixon Playwriting Festival focuses on the artistic collaborations of student playwrights, directors and actors. It culminates in a public staged readings festival, which will feature the following performances: "Tales for Telling" by Jack Novak, directed by Annabeth Bondor-Stone; "Letters To" by Sarah Einspanier, directed by Max Freedman; and "The Fabulist" by Carrie Barrett (director to be announced). All performances are free and open to the public.

"Angels in America Part I: Millennium Approaches" by Tony Kushner and directed by Geoff Button, 8 p.m. Friday, May 29, and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, May 30, Hal and Martha Hyer Wallis Theater, Theatre and Interpretation Center, 1949 Campus Drive, Evanston campus. A two-part epic drama that premiered in the early 1990s, "Part I: Millennium Approaches" illuminates an America lost to the destructive terror of AIDS, the collapse of morality during the Reagan years and the disintegration of tolerance through an exploration of politics, religion and sex that is as poignant today as ever. General admission is $10. Tickets may be purchased through the Theatre and Interpretation Center Box Office at (847) 491-7282.

DANCE

David Parker and The Bang Group, Studio Showing, 7 p.m. Saturday, May 2, and Residency Showcase, 3:30 p.m. Sunday, May 3, Ballroom Theater, Marjorie Ward Marshall Dance Center, 10 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston campus. The New Movement Project, in conjunction with the School of Communication's Dance Program, will host a weeklong residency with New York-based dance company David Parker and The Bang Group, including a (May 2) Studio Showing by company members of their most recent world premiere and a (May 3) Residency Showcase, featuring Northwestern University dance students. Parker founded The Bang Group in 1995 as a choreographic laboratory in rhythm, rigor and humor. The Bang Group has developed a solid reputation in both Europe and North America for its uncompromising wit, innovative movement and ribald approach to gender and sexuality. Tickets for Saturday evening's Studio Showing are $10 for the general public and $5 for students with valid IDs and are available through the Dance Program Office, at (847) 491-3147. The Sunday Residency Showcase matinee is free and open to the public.

"Forward Shift," Senior Dance Concert, 8 p.m. Thursday, May 21; 8 p.m. Friday, May 22; 8 p.m. Saturday, May 23; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 24, Ballroom Theatre, Marjorie Ward Marshall Dance Center, 10 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston campus. "Forward Shift" is the culminating project of Northwestern University senior dance majors and minors, under the guidance of faculty advisors Susan A. Lee and Jeff Hancock. The seniors choreograph, produce and dance in the concert, which concludes their undergraduate career and serves as an introduction of their work to the professional dance community. This year's senior choreographers include Genevieve Garcia, Adam Gauzza, Lauran Lefevre, Lauren Murrell, Kate Schultz and Nicole West. The concert will feature a world-premiere piece by David Parker and the Bang Group, performed by the six senior dancers, during the dance company's weeklong residency at the University. The School of Communication's Dance Program will host a reception after the Friday (May 22) evening performance that is open to the public. General admission is $10 for the general public; and $5 for students with IDs. For tickets, call the Theatre and Interpretation Center Box Office at (847) 491-7282.

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