New version of Strindberg's 'Miss Julie' opens 2018-19 National Theatre Live Series at the MAC
National Theatre Live broadcasts return to the McAninch Arts Center in Glen Ellyn as part of the MAC's 2018-2019 season.
Kicking off the series on Thursday, Oct. 4 will be "Julie," a contemporary adaptation of August Strindberg's masterpiece, "Miss Julie."
London's National Theatre (aka Royal National Theatre) is one of the U.K.'s most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House.
National Theatre Live launched in June 2009 with a broadcast of "Phèdre" starring Helen Mirren.
Since then, National Theatre Live has broadcast more than 40 other productions from both the National Theatre and other theaters in the U.K. Each broadcast is filmed in front of a live theater audience and broadcast live via satellite to cinemas throughout the U.K., as well as many European venues.
This season, broadcast screenings taking place in the MAC's Belushi Performance Hall on the campus of College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd. in Glen Ellyn.
• "Julie" by Polly Stenham, after August Strindberg, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7. Wild and newly single, Julie throws a late-night party. In the kitchen, Jean and Kristina clean up as the celebration heaves above them. Crossing the threshold, Julie initiates a power game with Jean - which rapidly descends into a savage fight for survival. Vanessa Kirby (Princess Margaret in "The Crown") stars in this shocking and fiercely relevant new version of August Strindberg's play "Miss Julie," set in contemporary London.
• "King Lear" by William Shakespeare at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11. Ian McKellen stars in this contemporary retelling of Shakespeare's tender, violent, moving and shocking play, considered by many to be the greatest tragedy ever written. Two aging fathers - one a King, one his courtier - reject the children who truly love them. Their blindness unleashes a tornado of pitiless ambition and treachery, as family and state are plunged into a violent power struggle with bitter ends.
• "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time," based on the acclaimed novel by Mark Haddon, adapted by Simon Stephens, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16. Fifteen-year-old Christopher struggles to find truth as he investigates the mysterious death of his neighbor's dog in a world that does not always understand the way his mind works. Marianne Elliot ("Angels in America," "War Horse") directs this Tony Award-winning production.
• "The Madness of George III" by Alan Bennett at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17. It is 1786 and King George III is the most powerful man in the world. But his behavior is becoming increasingly erratic as he succumbs to fits of lunacy. With the King's mind unraveling at a dramatic pace, ambitious politicians and the scheming Prince of Wales threaten to undermine the power of the Crown, and expose the fine line between a King and a man. This award-winning drama by one of Britain's best-loved playwrights features an extraordinary cast led by Mark Gatiss ("Dr. Who," "Game of Thrones," "Sherlock") and Adrian Scarborough ("Gavin and Stacey," "Upstairs Downstairs," "After the Dance").
Tickets for all National Theatre Live broadcasts are $24. Seating is general admission. For tickets or more information, visit www.atthemac.org or call (630) 942-4000.