The Theater Lab presents ‘Inherit the Wind’; announces next three seasons
The Theater Lab, a District 214 Community Education program, will be presenting “Inherit the Wind” on Jan. 26, 27 and 28 at the Forest View Educational Center in Arlington Heights.
“Inherit the Wind” kicks off an exciting three-year season schedule that will culminate with the 10th anniversary of The Theater Lab in 2026.
The Theater Lab’s 2024 season will also include “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, to be performed in August 2024. The 2025 season will consist of “Fools” by Neil Simon in January, and “Leaving Iowa” by Spike Manton and Tim Clue in August.
Finally, to celebrate its 10th Anniversary in 2026, The Theater Lab will dedicate the season to Shakespeare. Kicking off its 10th season will be “the play that never was” — “Romeo & Juliet.” (The reference is to the group’s planned production which was unfortunately canceled due to the pandemic.) Then The Theater Lab will round out its 10th year with “the play that started it all” — “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the first play produced by The Theater Lab in its 2016 inaugural season.
The Theater Lab also announced the cast for the limited four-performance run of “Inherit the Wind.”
Written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, “Inherit the Wind” is a fictional account of the real-life 1925 Scopes “Monkey” Trial, which resulted in John T. Scopes’ conviction for teaching Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution to a high school science class, contrary to a Tennessee state law.
The cast of “Inherit the Wind” features (in alphabetical order): Teresa J. Arnold (Mrs. McClain, Mrs. Loomis, Mrs. Blair), Michael Awe (Matthew Harrison Brady), Craig Barnes (Rev. Jeremiah Brown), Arthur H Bloch (Judge), Bob Boyd (Henry Drummond), Brendan Chapman (Tom Davenport), Karen Ann Cullotta (Reuters Reporter, Photographer, Harriet Y. Esterbrook), Caryl Davidson (Cooper, Food Vendor, Bannister, Dr. Keller), Gerry Gallagher (Mayor), Keri Graham (Goodfellow, Sillers), Gretchen Grassl (Mrs. Brady), Peter Grassl (Meeker), Hunter Johnson (E.K. Hornbeck), Nancy Morrison (Mrs. Krebs), Mandy Stebbins (Rachel Brown), and Sam Waddell (Bertram Cates).
The creative team includes John Meyers (artistic and production director), Patrick Zielinski (producer), Chris Good (production and stage manager), Teresa J. Arnold (marketing director), Nancy Morrison and Teresa J. Arnold (properties managers), Michael Innacardone (sound designer), Emerson Ford (costume designer), Jasmine Luethy (dialect coach), and Nicholas Wroblewski (lighting assistant).
Performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27; and 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28, at the Forest View Educational Center Theater, 2121 S. Goebbert Road, Arlington Heights.
Tickets for can be purchased through District 214’s registration system at rebrand.ly/D214-CE/TheTheaterLab/Inherit-The-Wind, by calling (847) 718-7700 or by sending an email to ce@214.org.
When purchased in advance, general admission tickets are $22 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $16 for students. Purchased at the door, general admission tickets are $24 for adults, $22 for seniors, and $18 for students. District 214 Gold Card Members receive 15% off ($17).
To find out about ticket promotions or upcoming special performances, to learn more about The Theater Lab, or to go behind the scenes of its current production, follow “District 214 Community Education’s The Theater Lab” on Facebook and Instagram.