Who gets in — and who steps aside? Citadel Theatre’s ‘Admissions’ asks the uncomfortable questions

One of the most enduring themes in drama — from the Greek tragedy Antigone through Hamlet, The Crucible, and even the musical Dear Evan Hansen — is the dilemma of remaining true to one’s values when an easier, more self-serving option exists.

The protagonists of “Becket” and “A Man for All Seasons” faced exactly this choice: loyalty to their religious faith or obedience to their kings. They chose faith and were executed as a result. For their steadfastness, both were later canonized as Saint Thomas Becket and Saint Thomas More.

Few of us, however, are saints — certainly not the characters in Joshua Harmon’s ADMISSIONS, which Citadel Theatre will present in Lake Forest from Feb. 11 through March 15.

The play centers on the admissions officer of an elite New England prep school and her husband, the school’s headmaster, who are deeply committed to increasing racial and ethnic diversity.

When their highly qualified son is denied admission to Yale University, they face a moral crossroads: should they use their privilege and connections to secure him a place at an elite institution, or accept that he must step aside for a student who has had fewer advantages?

When the play premiered at New York City’s Lincoln Center Theater in 2018, Harmon said, “In real life, most people are not all good or all evil. Most of us live somewhere in between those two extremes, whether or not we like to admit it.”

Beth Wolf, director of Citadel’s ADMISSIONS, echoes that sentiment. “I love that this play has empathy for its characters and doesn’t offer easy answers,” she says. “We all want what’s best for our children or ourselves — but what if that conflicts with our values? Am I willing to give up my place at the table, which I’ve worked hard to earn, to make room for someone else?” Wolf describes the play as a nuanced and sometimes challenging exploration of multiple, conflicting, yet equally valid perspectives.

A review in Time Out New York noted, “The nuanced and competing truths in Harmon’s 90-minute play are like a first act that dares its spectators to create a second act out of post-show conversations.”

Inspired by that idea, Citadel Artistic Director Scott Phelps announced that the theater will host post-show talkback discussions with cast and crew following every Wednesday matinee and Thursday evening performance.

“We hope audiences will continue to wrestle with the issues the play raises,” he says. Wolf adds, “We may not all agree on the answers, but asking the questions is a great place to start.”

The five-person cast includes Citadel favorites Susie Steinmeyer and Tim Walsh as parents Sherri and Bill; Los Angeles-based actor and comedian Justin Jarzombek as their son, Charlie; Jeff Award winner and four-time nominee Elaine Carlson as the school’s beleaguered marketing director; and Tina Shelley, of Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, as Ginnie, the mother of Charlie’s biracial friend and a successful Yale applicant.

Tickets, priced at $45, are now on sale at citadeltheatre.org.

Citadel Theatre is in residence on the West Campus of the Lake Forest School District at 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. Additional information and ticketing are available on the theater’s website.