Announcing the 2015/16 Writers Theatre Season

For the inaugural season in our new theatre center, we will begin with a final production in our bookstore venue (Books on Vernon), then feature two productions in the 250-seat Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre and one in the 50 to 99-seat Gillian Theatre.

The 2015/16 Writers Theatre Season includes

Marjorie Prime
By Jordan Harrison
Directed by Kimberly Senior

October 21, 2015 – February 21, 2016
Performed at Books on Vernon - 664 Vernon Ave, Glencoe

It’s the age of artificial intelligence, but 86-year old Marjorie is worried that her memory may be fading. That is, until the appearance of Walter, a mysterious and charming young visitor programmed to help Marjorie uncover the intricacies of her own past. As Walter’s true nature is revealed, new levels of complexity emerge, leading to profound questions about the limits of technology and whether memory might be a purely human invention.

This clever and captivating new drama explores what it means to be human, the complicated nature of family relationships and the moments in life that we might choose to forget, if given the chance. Directed by Kimberly Senior in the Writers Theatre bookstore venue, Marjorie Prime will take audiences on a twisting journey into uncharted theatrical terrain.

Arcadia

By Tom Stoppard
Directed by Artistic Director Michael Halberstam

March 16, 2016 – April 24, 2016
Performed in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre - 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe

In the heart of a 19th century English country estate awash in secret desires, illicit affairs and professional rivalries, a brilliant young student proposes an earthshaking scientific theory. Two hundred years later at that same estate, academic adversaries Hannah and Bernard race to unravel the enticing mysteries left behind in a heated battle for intellectual and sexual dominance.

Part detective story and part comedy of manners, Tom Stoppard's elegant, time-jumping masterpiece forges a complex comedy of wit, romance, poetry, sex and scientific theory, introducing characters whose lives and passions intersect across the centuries.

Directed by Artistic Director Michael Halberstam, who previously helmed WT’s hit productions of Stoppard’s The Real Thing and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Arcadia serves as an ideal first production in Writers Theatre’s new home, serving as bridge between the Theatre’s celebrated past and its exciting future.

Death of a Streetcar Named Virginia Woolf: A Parody

Created by Tim Ryder and Tim Sniffen
Written by Tim Sniffen
Directed by Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Stuart Carden

April 27, 2016 – July 10, 2016
Performed in The Gillian Theatre - 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe

This hilarious result of a collaboration between Writers Theatre and Chicago’s world-renowned comedy theatre, The Second City, asks the intriguing question: What happens when the most recognizable characters from some of the greatest American plays of the 20th century suddenly find themselves sharing the same stage?

When a mysterious invitation brings Blanche DuBois back to New Orleans, she finds herself once again face-to-face with the smoldering Stanley Kowalski. That would be challenge enough, but they are soon joined by luckless salesman Willy Loman and hard-drinking, hard-fighting couple George and Martha, and suddenly all bets are off. Add a folksy Stage Manager and the comic genius of The Second City team, and the question quickly becomes: Will the American Theatre ever be the same?

Co-directed by Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and former Associate Artistic Director Stuart Carden, this deliciously satirical mash-up of A Streetcar Named Desire, Death of a Salesman, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Our Town opens the Gillian Theatre with a tongue-in-cheek salute to the celebrated icons of American drama.

Company

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by George Furth
Originally Produced and Directed on Broadway by Harold Prince
Original Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick
Directed by William Brown
Musical Direction by Tom Vendafreddo

June 15, 2016 – July 24, 2016
Performed in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre - 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe

It's Bobby's 35th birthday and he's still single, trying to find a way to have a serious relationship, without a serious commitment. But as his friends—all couples at different stages in their marriages—impose their unique perspectives of relationship function and dysfunction on him over the course of a hilarious series of dinners and cocktail hours, Bobby is forced to consider relaxing his determined grip on bachelorhood and begin exploring one of life’s greatest questions—what does it mean to be alive?

Winner of seven Tony Awards, Company is a witty, sophisticated and deeply honest look at contemporary relationships. Featuring some of Stephen Sondheim's best known songs, including “Side by Side by Side,” “Marry Me a Little” and “Being Alive,” this brilliant musical comedy is considered a true masterpiece by one of the finest composers of our time.

Directed by Writers Theatre favorite William Brown, who previously helmed WT’s hit production of Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, Company will continue the Theatre’s tradition of breathing fresh life into great American musicals.

Season Package Information

Subscribers have the option to select their preferred performance day of the week and time and be assigned specific dates (fixed package) or select dates themselves throughout the season (flexible package). 

 Inaugural Season Sponsor 

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