Lookingglass Ensemble

Lookingglass Theatre Company announced casting for its 21st season, including participation from more than 20 company members including former star of the TV sitcom "Friends" David Schwimmer who will play the lead in the production of Our Town. Other ensemble members include Eva Barr, Mara Blumenfeld, Thomas Cox, Christine Dunford, Laura Eason, Raymond Fox, Doug Hara, David Kersnar, John Musial, Dan Ostling, Joey Slotnick, Philip R. Smith, Heidi Stillman, Tracy Walsh, Andrew White, and Mary Zimmerman, with Artistic Associates Louise Lamson Chris Binder, Andre Pluess, Rick Sims, and Alison Siple and Production Affiliate Ray Nardelli. Additional casting and company member involvement will be announced at a later date.

"This season is about being a part of a community which, after 20 years, epitomizes what an ensemble is-wherein the power of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts," comments Artistic Director David Catlin.  "Our 21st season will illustrate that we are all connected and are all responsible for one another as citizens of the world.  Through stories, creativity and collaboration we can redeem ourselves. We can transform ourselves - we can change, charge, and empower."

To celebrate Lookingglass' 20th Anniversary, the Lookingglass Ensemble recently gathered at the Dawes Mansion in Evanston for an ensemble portrait by photographer Sean Williams.  Each of the 22 Ensemble Members dressed as a favorite character from Lookingglass' 20-year production history. To view an interactive version of the photo, visit http://lookingglasstheatre.org/ensemble.

Lookingglass Theatre Company's 2008-2009 Season Up-Close:

The Brothers Karamazov
October 15 - December 7, 2008

Featuring Ensemble Members Eva Barr (Mrs. Kolklakov), Doug Hara (Alyosha) and Philip R. Smith (Ivan) and Artistic Associate Louise Lamson (Katerina).

Russian patriarch Fyodor Karamazov is a one of literature's most lecherous, greedy and delightfully despicable fathers. When his eldest son discovers they are competing for the affections of the same woman, concealed tensions erupt into a storm of passion, deceit and betrayal. Ensemble Member and Lookingglass Artistic Director of New Work Heidi Stillman, award-winning adaptor and director of Charles Dickens' Hard Times, brings new life to Dostoyevsky's epic masterpiece of murder, greed and treachery.

Our Town
February 11 - April 5, 2009

Featuring Ensemble Members Thomas J. Cox (Ensemble), Christine Dunford (Mrs. Webb), Laura Eason (Emily Webb), Raymond Fox (Ensemble), David Catlin (Dr. Gibbs), David Kersnar (Simon Stimson), David Schwimmer (George Gibbs), Joey Slotnick (Stage Manager), Heidi Stillman (Mrs. Gibbs), Tracy Walsh (Ensemble), and Andrew White (Mr. Webb) and Artistic Associate Louise Lamson (Rebecca Gibbs).

The citizens of Grover's Corners share the ultimate tale of community in this American classic, directed by 2008 Tony Award-nominated Steppenwolf Ensemble Member Anna D. Shapiro and Steppenwolf Artistic Associate Jessica Thebus. The Lookingglass Ensemble will infuse the play with a singular chemistry you won't see anywhere else. In the hands of these renowned artists, Thornton Wilder's masterpiece will be disarmingly beautiful, utterly compelling and painfully funny.

The Arabian Nights
May 20 - July 12, 2009
Casting TBA

Tony Award-winning Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman returns to the Water Tower Water Works following the successful run and three city tour of Argonautika, with her Lookingglass Original adaptation of one of the world's most enduring works of literature. When he discovers his wife in the arms of another man, King Sharayar vows to ruthlessly murder every virgin in the kingdom. His brutality is interrupted only when he encounters the clever maiden Scheherezade, whose captivating stories may just save her life. This boldly re-imagined visual feast celebrates the redemptive power of story telling.

Subscriptions are currently on sale for the 2008-2009 Season, with select series already selling out.  Performances will be held at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson.  Single tickets will go on sale in September 2008.