The relatively new Halcyon Theatre Company manages to accomplish no easy feat in creating a low-budget children’s show that is entertaining and appealing to both children and adults. Jennifer Adams has done just that with her inspired and economical direction of this stage adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s “Haroun and the Sea of Stories.” The ensemble of actors is dynamic and animated; they flourish within the simplicity of the space and minimal technical elements, making the most of their abilities to create the visual world with movement and storytelling. Alka Nayyar, from the Chitrahar Cultural Academy, helps to further enliven the production with inspired choreography. The costumes and props, by Jennifer Zielinski and Jessica Jane Childs and Andrea Morales, respectively , are lovely and whimsical, adding just the right touch of adornment to this very charming production. (Valerie Jean Johnson)
At the Lincoln Square Arts Center, 4754 N. Leavitt, (312)458-9170. This production is now closed.
Against the Silencing: New Medina Theater Collective Tells the Stories of Muslim and SWANASA Communities “I’m an optimist,” declares local playwright, director and performer Rohina Malik, founder of the spanking-new Medina Theater Collective, which stages its first production this month. “I’ve created this theater out of optimism.” Also talent, experience and well-earned credibility. While Malik is too modest to mention these building blocks of her new venture, she’s honest about the heaping dose of hopefulness…
