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A sign that summer is almost upon us is the announcement of the Theatre On The Lake Season. Well then it must almost be here as The Chicago Park District has announced the 54th Theater on the Lake Season, featuring nine artistically diverse Chicago theater companies reprising critically-acclaimed productions, June 14 – August 13, 2006. This season opens with Porchlight Music Theatre’s The Secret Garden and continues with productions by The Gift Theatre Company, The Curious Theatre Branch, Barrel of Monkeys, Dog & Pony Theatre Company, Strawdog Theatre Company, Neo-Futurists, MPAACT and The Second City. Each production will be performed for five evenings only at the theater at Fullerton and Lake Michigan.
Timothy J. Mitchell, Superintendent & CEO, Chicago Park District comments, “We are thrilled to present this annual summer-long theater festival, where the Chicago Park District presents the very best that Chicago theater has to offer. Nowhere else can you experience creative and entertaining plays from diverse and professional theater productions on a gorgeous lakeside setting! Theater on the Lake combines two unique trademarks of this city—Lake Michigan and small, world-class, off-Loop theater—to create one of Chicago’s best and most affordable summertime activities.”
Former Theater on the Lake Artistic Director Curt Columbus advised on this season’s programming before starting his position in Providence, Rhode Island as Artistic Director of Trinity Repertory Company and the Chair of Brown University/Trinity Consortium’s graduate programs in acting and directing. The Chicago Park District is currently conducting a search for the Artistic Director position.
The 2006 Chicago Park District Theater on the Lake season is as follows:
The Secret Garden
Porchlight Music Theatre
June 14-18, 2006
Based on the enchanting classic of children's literature, the musical The Secret Garden was penned by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Marsha Norman. Orphaned in India, 11-year-old Mary returns to Yorkshire to live with an embittered, reclusive uncle and his invalid son. The mysterious estate contains a magical garden that could unlock secrets of the past. Flashbacks, dream sequences, a strolling chorus of ghosts, and some of the most beautiful music ever written for Broadway dramatize The Secret Garden's compelling tale of regeneration. This 1991 Tony Award-winning musical is a treasure for both children and adults.
The Glass Menagerie
The Gift Theatre Company
June 21-25, 2006
Theatre legend Sheldon Patinkin directs Mary Ann Thebus, the acclaimed Chicago actor, in the enduring tale of Amanda Wingfield, the nostalgic and long-suffering mother who dreams for a better life for her hard-working son Tom, and her shy, crippled daughter Laura. When Tom brings home a stranger to their rundown apartment, Amanda pins all of her hopes and dreams on the potential husband for her daughter. The Glass Menagerie is both one of the most autobiographical works of Tennessee Williams and one of the greatest American plays of the 20th century.
No Danger of the… Spiritual Thing: Short Works of Samuel Beckett
The Curious Theatre Branch
June 28-July 2, 2006
Known for its original scripts, Curious pays homage to the great, suffering experimenter of the last century, Samuel Beckett, in his 100th year. No Danger of the... Spiritual Thing is a year-long festival showcasing Curious’ staging of several of Beckett's works, including the short pieces, Eh Joe, Play, excerpts from Text for Nothing, and more! No Danger of the... Spiritual Thing is a deeply felt tip of the bowler to this wonderful artist.
World Saved: 5 years of That’s Weird Grandma
Barrel of Monkeys
July 5-9, 2006
Barrel of Monkeys (BOM) presents a new installment of the critically-acclaimed evening of short plays and songs adapted and performed by BOM’s ensemble from stories written by Chicago public elementary school students. The result of the collaboration between child-author and adult-performer has been an audience favorite since its first incarnation in April 2001 and is very much appreciated by an adult audience while still safe for all ages. This fast paced, highly physical musical extravaganza showcases the best writers of the next generation and some of the most imaginative performers of the current one.
Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake)
Dog & Pony Theatre Company
July 12–16, 2006
The time is Christmas, and we all deal with grief differently. Mother’s got her cooking, Barbara has her 57 cats and Janice is building a bomb. The dysfunctional family chaos is relieved only by occasional “visitations” from heartthrobs Justin Timberlake and Harrison Ford. To make matters worse, the crumbling Apartment develops a murderous plan of its own…
Three Sisters
Strawdog Theatre Company
July 19–23, 2006
In a town in the backwoods of Russia, the three Prozorov sisters live in the large, beautiful house their father, an army general, has left them. Stranded amongst soldiers and small town folk with no ambition, they cling to memories of the bright, thriving Moscow they left as children. Unable to bear the ordinariness of their lives, tempers flare and all manner of appetites go unchecked, turning the proper Prozorov home into a place where anything can happen. Called “a beautifully acted and beautiful-to-look-at revival,” this fresh, no-nonsense translation by Curt Columbus, directed by Kimberly Senior, breathes new life into Anton Chekhov's rich tapestry of heartbreak and bad behavior.
Daredevils
Neo-Futurists
July 26-30, 2006
Stunts! Action! Jack-assery! Conceived by Ryan Walters and directed by Halena Kays, Daredevils is The Neo-Futurists’ first-ever live stunt show. What lies beneath the seemingly ever-present male desire to engage in feats of physical risk? Five brave performers explore this question using a combination of task-based performance and individual narratives on the themes of personal decision-making, the nature of risk, and what it means to be a daredevil. The Neo-Daredevils test their limits with tight-wires, jumping ramps, nails, broken glass, and more! Don't miss the show that the Chicago Tribune called "raucous, good-time theater!"
Blaxploitation: The Remix
MPAACT
August 2-6, 2006
MPAACT's acclaimed resident playwright Carla Stillwell teams up with KevINda's seasoned comedy writers Kevin Douglas and Inda Craig-Galvan. Together they have produced a unique brand of comedic work which is celebrated for its irreverence, its intelligence, and its raucous humor. Called “Bold and entertaining” by The Chicago Reader, Blaxploitation: The Remix is a collection of original sketch performances that are unabashedly courageous and provocative in their take on race, class, and American politics. Accompanied by Award-winning sound designer Chaos and Disorder, this production promises to audiences laughing and bobbing their heads at the same time.
Songs of The Second City
The Second City
August 9-13, 2006
Produced by Second City Theatricals, Songs of The Second City is a journey through some of the most hilarious musical moments in SecondCity’s storied history. From the singing stone heads of Mt.Rushmore to melodious gargoyles hovering over Cabrini Green, The Second City is legendary for wrapping some of its most stinging satire in verse.
Performance Schedule and Pricing:
The Chicago Park District’s Theater on the Lake is located at Fullerton and Lake Shore Drive, in a historic building that offers breathtaking views of Lake Michigan. The schedule for all performances June 14–August 13, is Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 6:30 p.m.
Single tickets, priced at $17.50, will go on sale June 6, 2006, at 2:00 p.m. at the Theater on the Lake box office at Fullerton and Lake Michigan or via phone at (312) 742-7994. The box office is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Sundays from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Subscription packages are priced at $110 and include one ticket to all nine plays. Subscriptions are available by mail to: Theater on the Lake, Chicago Park District, 541 N. Fairbanks, 4th floor, Chicago, IL 60611, or by fax at (312) 742-5393. To request a copy of the season brochure, please call Theater on the Lake at (312) 742-7994.
For more information about the Chicago Park District, visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com.