Mundelein Theatre announces 2017-2018 season
In their continuing effort to bring interesting and diverse literature to the students of Mundelein High School and the Mundelein community, Mundelein Theatre has announced their theater offerings for the 2017-18 school year.
As always, the season will start with the Student Directed One Act Plays. This year nine different M.H.S. students will have the opportunity to direct their own short plays.
"It is always an interesting and compelling night of theater, as these talented young theater artists put their own stamp on a variety of different plays," Jonathan Meier, theater director, explained. The plays will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 11 and 12.
The New Faces production will be "Cinderstein," by Kamron Klitgaard. New Faces features freshmen and sophomores, as well as juniors and seniors who have not had the opportunity to be in a show at MHS. The play is a comedy about a local high school drama teacher who writes his own version of "Cinderella" by combining the princess's tale with the story of "Frankenstein." It does not go well. Directed by Jeff Harding, the play runs at 3:45 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 27, and at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28.
The fall production will be "The Arabian Nights," by Mary Zimmerman. Adapted from "The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night," the play offers a blend of the lesser-known tales from Arabian Nights with the recurring theme of how the magic of storytelling holds the power to change people. Directed by Meier, the play will be performed on the 200-seat onstage thrust configuration in the MHS Auditorium. The show runs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16; at 3:45 and 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17; and at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18.
Mundelein Theatre students will once again be competing in the Chicago Shakespeare Slam. Formerly known as Battle of the Bard, the eight-person team will develop and perform two five-minute pieces to compete against schools from throughout the Chicago area. Last year the team advanced to the final round and had the honor of performing on stage at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre at Navy Pier. There will be a public performance of their slam pieces at 6 p.m. on Nov. 16. Codirected by Mark Landuyt and Meier, the team will be competing in their preliminary bout on Nov. 18 at Senn Arts Magnet High School in Chicago.
The winter play will be "Figments," by Billy St. John. The play is the story of a young playwright with a wild imagination - perhaps too wild. His thoughts bounce between his frustrating love life and his play, as the real people and the figments of his imagination come together and clash in hilarious combinations. Directed by Meier, the play will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 8; at 3:45 and 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9; and at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10.
Mundelein Theatre will once again be competing in the IHSA Group Interpretation competition. Last year the team placed second in their sectional, advancing to the state finals at the University of Illinois - Springfield, where they earned the Sportsmanship Award for the competition. This year they will be performing "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," by Stephen Chbosky. Landuyt will be adapting this novel (which was also made into a major motion picture) and directing this story of a young man as he charts a course through the strange world between adolescence and adulthood. There will be public performances at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, March 15 and 16. The team will compete in their sectional competition on Saturday, March 17.
Closing out the season will be the spring musical, "Les Misérables" by Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil. This show has been the winner of more than 100 international awards and seen by more than 65 million people worldwide. "Les Mis" is the uplifting story about the survival of the human spirit.
"This epic tale of broken dreams, passion and redemption is set against a nation in the throes of revolution, and features one of the most memorable scores of all time," Meier said. Mundelein Theatre will be performing the School Edition of the show. This edition is very similar to the original, with some minor cuts in the score, as well as some changes in the orchestrations to better suit high school voices. Directed by Meier, the musical will run at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, April 26 and 27, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 28
For more information, visit www.mundeleintheatre.org.