Theater Wit Extends College App Scandal Satire ADMISSIONS

Theater Wit's critically acclaimed Chicago premiere of Joshua Harmon's Admissions, a scathingly funny, scarily timely new satire about the college admissions process and racial diversity in private schools, has been extended through May 26.

Originally slated to close May 12, Admissions will now run an additional two weeks due to popular demand. Performance times remain Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 3 p.m. Theater Wit is located at 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. Tickets are $25-$48. Tickets to extension dates go on sale Monday, April 29 at 10 a.m. For tickets and information, visit TheaterWit.org or call (773) 975-8150.

College apps and racial quotas. White liberal guilt. Political correctness of all kinds. Playwright Joshua Harmon takes aim at all of this and more in Admissions. Since opening on April 1, critics and audiences have been feasting on Harmon's funny, devastating tale of white liberal parents who suddenly are forced to defend their white privilege when their son, a star student athlete, is denied entry to Yale.

Meet Bill and Sherri Mason, the very liberal headmaster and head of admissions respectively of Hillcrest, a second-tier New Hampshire boarding school. Deeply committed to diversity, Sherri has boosted the number of students of color at Hillcrest from six to 18 percent, a figure she still considers embarrassingly low. However, Bill and Sherri's dedication to diversity is put to the test when their son Charlie, an outstanding Hillcrest student who has dreamed of attending Yale since he was a child, learns his application has been deferred. Convinced that Yale based its decisions on race, Charlie claims to be a victim of reverse discrimination. And as their son lashes out, Sherri and Bill are forced to examine just how far their commitment to diversity goes. Are they true disciples? Total hypocrites?

Indeed, Admissions is sharp-witted and shockingly blunt, much like Harmon's earlier plays Bad Jews, the most successful production in Theater Wit history, which ran an unprecedented eight months in 2015. Admissions is also seductive and, perhaps, controversial as it splays open issues that have rarely been explored in the theater, at least not in Harmon's comedic and biting manner.

Theater Wit's Admissions stars Meighan Gerachis (Sherri), Stephen Walker (Bill), Kyle Curry (Charlie), India Whiteside (Ginnie Peters) and Judi Schindler (Roberta). The production team is Jeremy Wechsler (director), Laura Fisher (assistant director), Jose Manuel Diaz (set), Kotryna Hilko (costumes), Jessica Neill (lights), Tony Bruno (sound), Amanda Herrmann (props), Clare Cooney (casting) and Sean McStravick (stage manager.)

Theater Wit, Chicago's smart art theater, is a major hub of the Chicago neighborhood theater scene, where audiences enjoy a smorgasbord of excellent productions in three, 99-seat spaces, see a parade of talented artists and mingle with audiences from all over Chicago. To purchase tickets, a Theater Wit Membership or to inquire about Flex Pass options, visit TheaterWit.org or call the Theater Wit box office, 773.975.8150.

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