Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, continues its 35th Season with Awake and Sing!, Clifford Odets' Tony Award-winning play, directed by Amy Morton.  The production runs January 21- February 28, 2010, at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. 

In a cramped Bronx tenement during the Great Depression, a working-class Jewish family copes with financial hardship even as they dream of a brighter future.  Bessie Berger's fierce determination keeps her family afloat, whatever the cost. Gritty, passionate, funny and heartbreaking, Odets' 1935 masterpiece (and Tony Award winner for best revival in 2006) beautifully captures both the hopes and the struggles of an unforgettable American family. 

"Awake and Sing! is an American classic, written in the depths of the Depression and offering hope and determination through every momentary ebb of the national psyche," comments BJ Jones.  "It seemed the perfect time to revive this play, featuring Northlight's first Artistic Director Mike Nussbaum, and with Amy Morton offering a fresh directorial vision of gritty determination and familial sacrifice through the darkest of times. The shot of perseverance that Odets offers us is the theatrical vaccine we all need in these troubling times." 

The production features Audrey Francis (Hennie Berger), Keith Gallagher (Ralph Berger),Tim Gittings (Schlosser), Cindy Gold (Bessie Berger), Peter Kevoian (Myron Berger), Loren Lazerine (Uncle Morty), Mike Nussbaum (Jacob), Demetrios Troy (Sam Feinschriber) and Jay Whittaker (Moe Axelrod). 

The designers are John Musial (Set Design), Jacqueline Firkins (Costume Design), Keith Parham (Lighting Design) and Mikhail Fiksel (Sound Design). The stage manager is Rita Vreeland and the dramaturg is Meghan Beals McCarthy.

Tickets for Awake and Sing!, $35-50, are available by phone, 847-673-6300, or online at northlight.org. Young Adult tickets (25 and Under) are $10 (one per person with valid ID).