Theater Wit's ADMISSIONS Extends For Third Time

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 a third time. The new closing date is June 23.

This makes Admissions the second-longest running show in Theater Wit's history at 14 weeks - second only to Wit's 2014 production of Bad Jews, also by Joshua Harmon.

Performance times through June 23 remain Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25-$48. Theater Wit is located at ?1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. 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 inAdmissions. 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, visitTheaterWit.org or call the Theater Wit box office, 773.975.8150.

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