CLC's playbill has a mix of genres
Political hypocrisy, greed, injustice and the pursuit of wealth and hope are some of the issues being explored during the College of Lake County Theatre Department's 2009-10 season.
The five shows include a children's theatre production, an Ibsen classic, a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, a hilarious period comedy and an outrageous musical.
The plays are presented in the CLC James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts, located at 19351 W. Washington St., Grayslake.
The 2008-09 CLC theatre season broke all previous attendance records, with 9,166 people attending 34 performances of five productions. College shows feature talented CLC students as well as seasoned actors from the Lake County community.
• "Anne Frank and Me," by Cherie Bennett, with Jeff Gottesfeld, will be presented at 10 a.m. Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and 2; at 3 and 7 p.m. on Oct. 3; and at 2 p.m. on Oct. 4 in the Mainstage Theatre. The show is especially suited for middle school students and older and concerns a typical teenage girl who has to read "The Diary of Anne Frank." But when the skeptical Nicole is transported to 1940s Nazi-occupied Paris as a member of a Jewish family that is forced into hiding, she begins a struggle that brings her face-to-face with the real Anne Frank.
Tickets for "Anne Frank and Me" are $6 each.
• "An Enemy of the People," written by Henrik Ibsen and translated by Christopher Hampton, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21 and at 2 p.m. on Nov. 15 in the Studio Theatre. Directed by Scott Mullins, this classic Ibsen drama concerns political hypocrisy, an obsessed media and a world where science is both the problem and the solution. When the protagonist, Dr. Stockmann, discovers that his town's water supply is contaminated, he refuses to be silenced, believing he is doing the right thing by making the news public. To his surprise, the town turns against him and brands him "an enemy of the people."
Tickets are $10 each for general admission and $8 for CLC students/staff, seniors 65+ and JLC season subscribers.
• "Angels in America: Millennium Approaches" by Tony Kushner and directed by Craig Rich, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26, 27, March 4, 5 and 6 and a 2 p.m. Feb. 28 in the Studio Theatre. Kushner's remarkable play focuses on the lives of two couples set against the backdrop of 1980s greed, conservatism and the onset of AIDS. The play, which won the Pulitzer Prize for drama, combines fascinating characters, beautiful writing and theatrical magic. Auditions will be held Dec. 7 and 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the Mainstage Theatre.
Tickets are $10 each for general admission and $8 for CLC students/staff, seniors 65+ and JLC season subscribers.
• "The School for Scandal," written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan and directed by Thomas B. Mitchell, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. April 16, 17, 22, 23 and 24 and at 2 p.m. and April 18 at 2 p.m. in the Studio Theatre. Gossip, fashion and the pursuit of wealth - Sheridan's hilarious comedy delivers all this and more! For more than 200 years, audiences have delighted in the escapades of the aptly named Lady Sneerwell, Sir Joseph Surface, Lady Candour and Sir Benjamin Backbite. The intrigue comes to a climax in a sidesplitting screen scene that is one of the most famous in all of theatre. Auditions will be held Feb. 1 and 2 at 6:30 p.m. in the Mainstage Theatre.
Tickets are $10 each for general admission and $8 for CLC students/staff, seniors 65+ and JLC season subscribers.
• "Urinetown: The Musical," with book and lyrics by Greg Kotis, music and lyrics by Mark Hollmann, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. July 16, 17, 23 and 24 and at 2 p.m. July 18 and 25 in the Studio Theatre. Directed by Craig Rich, this outrageous musical with the ridiculous title earned rave reviews and was a surprise Broadway sensation, winning three Tony Awards. In a city where water is scarce and the government has outlawed private toilets, a malevolent corporation makes huge profits by charging residents a "fee to pee." Anyone breaking the law will be arrested and sent to a mysterious and feared place, Urinetown. But a hero inspires the people to follow their hearts and take a stand against injustice. This show looks at issues such as resource conservation, corporate greed and the exploitation of the poor with tongue-in-cheek humor and a charming score. Auditions will be held May 17 and 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the Studio Theatre.
Tickets for "Urinetown: The Musical" are $16 for general admission and $13 for CLC students/staff, seniors 65+ and JLC season subscribers.
Tickets are available at the CLC Box Office in the James Lumber Center on the Grayslake campus, 19351 W. Washington St. Tickets may be purchased in person, by phone at (847) 543-2300, on the Internet at clcillinois.edu/tickets or by mail.
Community members are invited to audition for CLC Theatre Department productions. For audition information, contact the Communication Arts, Humanities and Fine Arts division at (847) 543-2040.