Blue Yonder features a series of fascinating monologues, and Patty Duke will perform three of them while the rest are performed by Actives of the Theatre of Western Springs.
Patty Duke and her husband Michael Pearce have a long history with Jack Phillips, TWS artistic director and his wife Debbie. The two couples have been close friends for many years. Artistically they have a bond as well since Phillips directed Patty Duke in a “masterful portrayal” of Amanda in The Glass Menagerie at Spokane Civic Theatre in 1999. The four-week run of that production was one of the most successful in that theatre’s history.
Besides their friendship and actor/director relationship, Patty Duke and Jack Phillips have acted together and performed Love Letters several years ago at Theatre of Western Springs.
“We are so honored to welcome Patty Duke back to our theatre,” said Phillips.
Patty Duke is a multi-award-winning actress and author, best known for her performance as “Helen Keller” in The Miracle Worker, a role that made her a Broadway star at the age of 12.
In 1962, she recreated her role on film and earned an Academy Award as “Best Supporting Actress,” the youngest performer at the time to have done so. She has starred in eleven feature films, appeared in more than 73 made-for-TV movies, made countless radio and television appearances, including her own series, “The Patty Duke Show,” and recorded six albums.
To date she has won three Emmys and two Golden Globes, including awards for her work in My Sweet Charlie (one of the first TV movies to enjoy a theatrical release), the mini-series Captains and the Kings, and The Miracle Worker (in the adult role of Helen’s teacher, “Annie Sullivan,” opposite Melissa Gilbert.) She co-produced and starred in a TV adaptation of her best-selling autobiography, Call Me Anna, and went on to write A Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic-Depressive Illness. Both books topped the New York Times best-seller lists.
In 1985, she became the second woman to serve as president of the Screen Actors Guild, the fifth largest labor union in the United States. During her tenure, SAG developed strategies to deal with the newly identified AIDS crisis. She is active in a number of political and humanitarian causes including famine relief, nuclear policy, the Equal Rights Amendment and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. She organized the West Hollywood Walkathon and 10K Marathon to benefit the AIDS Project Los Angeles, and was named “Woman of the Year” for her efforts.
In 1999, she returned to the stage with a masterful portrayal of “Amanda” in Spokane Civic Theatre’s The Glass Menagerie, directed by John G. Phillips. The four-week run of that production was one of the most successful in the theatre’s history.
There will be four performances of Blue Yonder running February 1 to February 3, each followed by an exclusive private reception (separately ticketed) with Patty Duke and cast. All events take place at the Theatre of Western Springs, 4384 Hampton Ave., Western Springs, IL. The showtimes are:
- 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1
- 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2
- 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3
Tickets are $55 and the private reception with Patty Duke following each performance is an additional $25. Reception tickets are very limited. Proceeds benefit the not-for-profit theatre.
In addition to Blue Yonder, Patty Duke will participate in a live discussion/interview at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 4, 2008, at the Theatre of Western Springs, 4384 Hampton Ave. Tickets to the discussion are only $20.
For all tickets and information, call 708-246-3380.