Writers Theatre Opens 2014/15 Season with the Midwest Premiere of ISAAC'S EYEs, 9/2-12/7

Writers Theatre opens its 2014/15 season with the Midwest Premiere of Isaac's Eye by Lucas Hnath, directed by Artistic Director Michael Halberstam. The show runs September 2 - December 7, 2014 at Books on Vernon, 321 Park Ave, Glencoe. The Press Openings are Wednesday, September 10th and Thursday, September 11th at 7:30pm.

The cast of Isacc's Eye includes Jürgen Hooper (Isaac Newton), Elizabeth Ledo (Catherine), LaShawn Banks (Actor/Dying Man) and Marc Grapey (Robert Hooke).

Plays about historical figures often play fast and loose with facts. In Isaac's Eye, however, an ingenious, meta-theatrical device separates truth from fiction, as each incontrovertible fact is chalked onto the very walls of the theatre!

Such is the inspired atmosphere of Lucas Hnath's wildly creative new play, which tells the story of a young Isaac Newton, who once inserted a long needle "between my eye and the bone, as near to the backside of my eye as I could." (This statement is true-it will be written on the wall!)

Hnath playfully reimagines Newton's world with a contemporary conceit and language-stripped of accents and period dialect-as he introduces young Newton to the great Robert Hooke, the most famous and powerful scientist in Britain. The resulting battle of intellects and egos pulses with wit, humor and tension, as the playwright uncovers (and invents) the motivations that drove a young farm boy to become one of the greatest thinkers in human history.

Artistic Director Michael Halberstam directs this compelling new play by one of the country's most exciting young playwrights-the ideal opening to the 23rd season!

Box Office: The Box Office is located at 321 Park Avenue, Glencoe; 847-242-6000; www.writerstheatre.org

ABOUT WRITERS THEATRE

Over the past twenty-two seasons, Writers Theatre has become a major Chicagoland cultural destination with a national reputation for excellence. Under the artistic leadership of Michael Halberstam and the executive leadership of Kathryn M. Lipuma, Writers Theatre has been deemed the "best drama company in the nation" by The Wall Street Journal. The company, which plays to a sold-out and discerning audience of 35,000 patrons each season, has garnered critical praise for the consistent high quality and intimacy of its artistry. Prized for the finest interpretations of classic and contemporary theatre in its two intensely intimate venues, Writers Theatre's acclaimed work includes Artistic Director Michael Halberstam's world premiere in Glencoe and subsequent productions of A Minister's Wife at Lincoln Center Theater and West Coast premiere at the San Jose Repertory Theatre; David Cromer's productions of A Streetcar Named Desire and Picnic; and the commissioning, world premiere and New York premiere of Crime and Punishment, which has received more than 30 subsequent regional theater productions.

In November 2013, Writers Theatre announced the launch of the $31 million On To a New Stage Campaign, to establish the company's first permanent home in a new theatre center in downtown Glencoe, designed by the award-winning, internationally renowned Studio Gang Architects and Jeanne Gang, FAIA. This will allow the Theatre to continue to grow to accommodate its audience, while maintaining its trademark intimacy. The new facility will resonate with and complement the Theatre's neighboring Glencoe community, adding tremendous value to Chicagoland and helping to establish the North Shore as a premier cultural destination.

Find Writers Theatre on Facebook at Facebook.com/WritersTheatre or follow @WritersTheatre on Twitter. For more information, visit www.writerstheatre.org.

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