Productions

The Life and Death of Julius Caesar

Our first production, a modern dress rendering of this play about the use of violence in politics, drew on images from Chicago's Council Wars in 1983-1987. While the city at the time was sometimes referred to as "Beirut on the Lake", Council Wars did not become violent. But violence had been used in previous struggles (the 1919 race riots, the murders of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark), and there were times when it seemed it might infect that power struggle; what if it had?

"Director Ann James keeps the pace sharp and smooth, allowing the actors to speak their lines with great clarity and passion. David Mersault turns in a complex, tormented portrayal of Cassius."

—Chicago Sun Times

Hamlet

The production was set in the early 1900's, when it was common for wealthy Chicagoans to send their sons away to be educated, as Hamlet and Laertes were. Imperialism was a prevalent at the time, as it was in the conflicts between Norway and Denmark. Setting then also allowed us to highlight the circumstances Gertrude and Ophelia were in: we cast Horatio as a suffragette, with whom Hamlet had become friends at university. Horatia's freedom contrasted sharply with the constraints Gertrude and Ophelia had at court. Lastly, our Players were black, like those touring the black minstrel circuit in during those years.

Bottome’s Dream

This adaptation of Midsummer Night's Dream was designed for family audiences. By eliminating the plot of the lovers and setting more of the text to music than is often the case, we created a one-hour musical comedy.

Romeo and Juliet

This production was ahistorical, with a feeling more of a fable than fact. The cast was still diverse, reflecting the make-up of our primary audience: high school students from the city and surrounding suburbs.