'Outgoing Tide' opening at Village Theatre Guild

A comedy-drama, "The Outgoing Tide," takes center stage at Glen Ellyn's Village Theatre Guild beginning Friday, Jan. 16, and continuing through Feb. 7 at Park Boulevard and Butterfield Road.

Written by Bruce Graham, the play centers around Gunner, the former owner of a small trucking company who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. His wife, Peg, wants to move, with him, to an assisted-living facility, but Gunner has other plans.

Peg asks their son, Jack, who is in the middle of a divorce, for help. As winter approaches, the three must quickly find a common ground.

"This is a brilliant script that laces a deadly (as it were) serious topic with sharp humor," says Director Craig Gustafson of Lombard. "Anybody who has had to watch a loved one deal with a debilitating disease knows that you'd better keep your sense of humor or you're through; so I think people will be surprised at how many laughs are in this show. It's not TV situation comedy, but it's also not a Disease Movie of the Week. It's about real people dealing with the inevitable."

The cast features Dennis D. Stewart of Streamwood as Gunner, Julane Sullivan of Batavia as Peg and Jack T. Smith of Lombard as Jack. Traci A. Cidlik of Wheeling is the show's producer.

The curtain goes up at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 18 and 25. A special Thursday evening performance is at 8 p.m. Jan. 29.

Tickets are $18 and information is available by calling (630) 469-8230 or visiting www.villagetheatreguild.org.