Elsinore closing out its second season with ‘Mary Stuart’
With a cast 10-strong, Elsinore wraps up its second season with Friedrich Schiller’s “Mary Stuart,” in a new version by Peter Oswald, opening April 12, at The Theater at Side Street Studio Arts in Elgin.
Mary Stuart, the Queen of Scots, was executed by the order of her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England. The two queens never met in person, but Schiller envisioned what would happen had they met and clashed face to face. Now reimagined for a modern audience by Peter Oswald, Mary Stuart shows the power struggle between these iconic rulers and the men striving for position around them.
Having opened their season with Steven Dietz’s “Shooting Star,” an intimate two-person play, Elsinore has staged their largest cast yet - Mary Stuart features 10 actors -- in a drama based around historical conjecture. With minimal staging, modern dress and a contemporary sensibility, the production examines the ramifications of women in places of power in a male-dominated society and political landscape. Audiences will undoubtedly see echoes of the events in the play in our current political and socio-cultural climate.
Co-founder Lori Rohr portrays Queen Elizabeth. The title character is portrayed by Marisa Snook.
“Even though the events of this play occurred in the 1500s,” Rohr said, “I feel that audiences today will find parallels and relatability with today’s world. It has been fun and fascinating delving into this story. At its heart are two women, with more similarities than differences. Both are imprisoned, though in different ways.”
Stuck in the middle of the queens’ power struggle is the Earl of Leicester, portrayed by co-founder Jamie Ewing.
“It’s easier to draw out the universality of the themes for a modern audience without period costumes,” Ewing said. “Our production lives in a sweet spot that is ‘The Crown’-meets-‘Succession,’ with the kinds of twists, turns and jaw-dropping moments people love to see in TV dramas.”
About Elsinore
Now in its second season, Elsinore, a theater ensemble, was formed in 2022 and comprises founding members Thomas Neumann (Belvidere), Jamie Ewing (Crystal Lake) and Lori Rohr (Palatine). Its mission is to bring professional-caliber theater productions to the Fox River Valley, particularly rarely performed scripts. The mantra of the company is to challenge and entertain.
Last fall, Elsinore produced Steven Dietz’s “Shooting Star.” Its initial two productions, Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?“ and Terrence McNally’s ”Frankie & Johnny In The Clair De Lune,“ garnered rave reviews (“an up-close view of a master class in acting,” “intensely intimate, intelligent drama”), enthusiastic audience responses and seven nominations for the Lou Awards, which celebrate community theater in the North and Northwest suburbs of Chicago. Neumann was nominated for Best Director – Play for “Frankie & Johnny In The Clair De Lune“ while both Ewing and Rohr were nominated for Best Performer in a Leading Male/Female Role respectively for both productions. In addition, the company received dual nominations for each show in the Best Production – Play category. Ultimately, Ewing received the Best Performer in a Leading Male Role Lou Award for ”Frankie & Johnny In The Clair De Lune.”
Elsinore welcomes back founding members - and stars of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” “Frankie & Johnny In The Clair De Lune,” and “Shooting Star” - Lori Rohr as Queen Elizabeth and Jamie Ewing as the Earl of Leicester.
Rohr’s past credits include “A Doll’s House, Part 2” (Nora), “Wait Until Dark” (Suzy), “Steel Magnolias” (M’Lynn), “August: Osage County” (Karen), “The Other Place” (Juliana), “Necessary Targets“ (JS), ”Picnic“ (Rosemary), ”The Last Night of Ballyhoo“ (Boo), ”Third“ (Laurie Jameson), and ”Proof“ (Claire). Onscreen, she recently appeared on Chicago P.D. Ewing’s past credits include ”The Game’s Afoot“ (William Gillette), ”A Doll’s House, Part 2“ (Torvald, Lou Award Nomination - Best Lead Actor in a Play), ”The Importance of Being Earnest“ (Algernon), ”An Ideal Husband“ (Lord Goring), ”Becky’s New Car“ (Joe), the lead in ”Hamlet,“ ”A Few Good Men“ (Col. Jessep) and ”These Shining Lives“ (Tom Donohue). Onscreen, Jamie made a recurring appearance on season nine of NBC's Chicago P.D., starred in the multi-award-winning film ”Confessions“ and was featured in multiple regional commercials for Feldco and others.
The cast is rounded out by Marisa Snook (Woodstock) as Mary Stuart, Evin McQuistion (Chicago) as Mortimer, Gabor Mark (Barrington) as Burleigh, Derek Cook (Wheaton) as Talbot/Melvil, Arlene Arnone (St. Charles) as Hanna Kennedy, Mark Brewer (Mount Prospect) as Amias Paulet, Frank Rose (Elgin) as Drury/Bellievre/Davison/Page and Hunter Johnson (Chicago) as Aubespine/O’Kelly/Officer/ Kent.
Co-founding member Thomas Neumann returns to direct “Mary Stuart.“ An 11-time Broadway World Award nominee, Neumann received a Lou Award Nomination last year for Best Director of a Play for Elsinore’s ”Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?“ His unique theatrical voice focuses on the deconstruction of text and character motivations as the linchpin of his directing style and has led to such heralded productions as ”A Doll’s House, Part 2,” “A Christmas Carol,” and “The Importance of Being Earnest.”
Said Neumann: “What excites me about this piece is the chance to explore the differences and the similarities between our time and the time of the piece. I think that many of these characters have a universality about them that is often missed when seen in a ‘historical’ setting. But, by placing the show in a timeless arena, we have really honed in on how similar these people are to us now.”
Performances will be 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 p.m. Sundays, April 12-28, at The Theater at Side Street Studio Arts, 15½ Ziegler Court in Elgin.
General admission tickets are $22 or $18 for age 65 or older, students or military (plus handling fee).
Tickets available at our.show/marystuart or at the door
This production runs approximately 2 ½ hours with a 15-minute intermission. The performance space is not wheelchair accessible.
A portion of the funding for this production was provided by the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission.