Mary Zimmerman

Mary Zimmerman, renowned Tony Award-winning director, Goodman Theatre Artistic Associate, Lookingglass Theatre ensemble member and Northwestern University faculty member, will  return to the Northwestern stage this winter for the first time since the 1996 production of Six Myths (which became Metamorphosis on Broadway) to direct William Shakespeare’s comedy Cymbeline.

This adventurous Shakespearean fantasy weaves a tale about the  beautiful Princess Imogen and her new husband Posthumus, who are  parted by circumstances involving her wicked stepmother and her  distant father, King Cymbeline. Disguises, misidentifications, plot  twists and romantic comedy abound in this ode to the fairy tale world.

Zimmerman, professor of performance studies at Northwestern, said she is attracted to Shakespearean plays that have odd elements in them.  “In this case there is a vision of Jupiter. I also think Imogen is a  fantastic heroine and I love the traditional fairy tale aspects of  the show. I don’t think this play is done very often because when you look at the (Shakespearean) canon (the works ascribed to an author  that are accepted as genuine), it’s not one of the popular titles  that jump out at you. But it is very representational of the better  known plays because it features romance, sorrow and humor.”

The production will feature a student cast and a dynamic set that  Zimmerman describes as a “highly ornate, extremely man-made looking  piece of architecture, that’s set down in a pile of leaves and cedar  chips.” The stage also will be raked “stage right” to “stage  left” (rather than upstage to down stage) creating a look that Zimmerman has never seen on a stage before.

Northwestern University’s production of Cymbeline will be presented  on the Evanston campus from February 9 to the 18th at the Ethel M. Barber Theatre, 30 Arts Circle Drive.  Single tickets are priced from $25 for the general public; $22 for  senior citizens and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $10 for students.

For more information or to order single or group tickets by phone, call the Theatre and Interpretation Center Box Office at (847) 491-7282.

Online ticket sales for Mainstage productions also are available through TicketWeb.com by going to Northwestern’s Theatre and  Interpretation Center Web site at www.tic.northwestern.edu/tickets/ and clicking the TicketWeb icon.