Next Theatre

New Artistic Director Jason Southerland has announced his first full-season's roster of plays at Evanston's Next Theatre, Chicago's destination for socially provocative, artistically adventurous work. In the offering, theater-goers will find the highly-anticipated world premiere of Jason Loewith's latest adaptation War With The Newts, Israeli playwright Boaz Gaon's poignant drama Return to Haifa, and Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's off-beat, but resonant apocalyptic comedy boom, which will begin performances on the 8th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on NYC and Washington. Southerland has also added a holiday program by his past artistic collaborator and friend Kyle Jarrow, A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant. The final play of the 29th season will be announced shortly.

Founded in 1981 by Harriet Spizziri and Brian Finn, Next has made its reputation as a metropolitan destination for some of the country's most provocative writers and plays, among them The Normal Heart, Among the Thugs, In the Blood, Omnium Gatherum, Adding Machine: A Musical, Defiance, 9 Parts of Desire and Dying City. The company's 29th season continues that tradition with an exciting slate of new plays by a diverse group of writers.

"I am thrilled to share my first full season with the amazing patrons I've come to know since joining Next in November," said Southerland. "Chicagoland has been so welcoming of me and I look forward to making my directorial debut on the Next stage with boom. Peter is an extraordinary young writer whose work has yet to be seen in Chicago. So it will be a first for both of us!"

Southerland is also pleased to reunite with Kyle Jarrow to present a revised version of his holiday comedy, which the two developed together in Boston, and to bring Next's Artistic Director Emeritus Jason Loewith and puppetmaker Michael Montenegro back to Next's stage. In addition, Southerland is adding an international flair to his first season at Next with Boaz Gaon's Return to Haifa, which he saw in Tel Aviv while attending the IsraDrama Festival in December. He said that he was instantly convinced that it would be the ideal play to engage Next Theatre's audiences in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict in a most personal and moving way. "So much more than a political piece, I am truly captivated by this work's deep debate about nature vs. nurture in the development of a person's identity," remarked Southerland.

Subscriptions to Next Theatre Company's 2009-2010 season are on sale now, ranging in price from $85 to $125.  A Sponsor Flex subscription for $225 is partially tax deductible. To purchase a subscription or receive more information, call Next Theatre at 847-475-1875, or visit Next's website at www.NextTheatre.org.