Kaneland Arts Initiative hosts 5th annual winter theater production

The Kaneland Arts Initiative's fifth annual winter theater production "Just Like Us" by Karen Zacareas will be performed at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 19-20, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 21, in the Kaneland High School Black Box Theatre, 47W326 Keslinger Road in Maple Park.

The play, directed by Diane McFarlin, is a thought-provoking and timely play that addresses the question: "What makes us American?" The play was originally a best-selling book by Helen Thorpe who followed four Latina girls in Denver, Colorado from the end of high school through college to adulthood. Since only two of the young adults are documented immigrants, friendships are tested and lives become more and more complicated as the girls are faced with the realities of the changing political world around them.

Diane McFarlin has assembled a diverse cast made up of talented Kaneland High School students and community members who play multiple characters in this staged reading. As always, she will moderate a talk back session in which the audience members may participate with the "Just Like Us" company after the show. It is approximately 2 hours in length including a 15-minute intermission and appropriate for fifth grade and up.

To enhance this production, Kaneland art teacher Suzanne Farr will be showcasing the artwork of her students from Kaneland Harter Middle School. These students will be recognized at the opening night performance on Friday, Jan. 19.

Tickets are available online at kanelandartsinitiative.org and at the door on the day of the show.

Online tickets are $10, $8 for senior citizens and $5 for students. Tickets purchased at the door are an additional $2. Entrance to the Kaneland High School black box theater is through Door 32 on the north side of the building, just around the corner from the auditorium entrance. There is plenty of free parking available.