FIRST FOLIO ANNOUNCES SEASON OF INVENTION 2009 – 2010 productions include 2 world premieres
OAK BROOK – Tickets and subscriptions are now on sale for First Folio Theatre’s 2009-2010 season. Opening the Season of Invention is the world premiere of The Castle of Otranto, followed by the Chicago premiere of P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves In Bloom, and the world premier of Will Rogers: An American Original. The season will close with Twelfth Night under-the-stars. Season subscriptions and individual tickets may be purchased by calling the box office at 630-986-8067 or online at www.firstfolio.org. Ticket prices range from $23-30, and subscription packages begin as low as $51.
Oak Brook-based First Folio Theatre begins the Season of Invention with the world premier of The Castle of Otranto, based upon the novel by 18th Century English novelist Horace Walpole and directed by First Folio Artistic Director Alison C. Vesely. The Castle of Otranto marked the invention of the Gothic novel and provided inspiration for the greatest writers of horror stories in the English language, from Mary Shelley to Edgar Allan Poe to Bram Stoker. One family curse, two murders and three ghosts combine to produce a macabre tale of adventure and romance. Otranto has been adapted for the stage by David Rice, whose script for 2006’s The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe was nominated for a Jeff Award. This tale of the supernatural will be mounted in the Great Hall, the former sanctuary within Mayslake Hall. With its vaulted ceiling and wooden beams, this Gothic sanctorum is the perfect location for a Halloween season show. First Folio will also host a special Halloween benefit performance, with tickets priced at $50.
The Season of Invention will continue with P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves in Bloom, adapted for the stage by Margaret Raether. This sequel to First Folio’s hit production of Jeeves Intervenes features the return of Christian Gray as the lovably loopy Bertie Wooster and Jim McCance as his unflappable butler Jeeves. When Bertie gets himself into another scrape, Jeeves must resign his service and re-invent himself as something other than a Gentleman’s Gentleman. The Chicago Tribune calls the Jeeves tales “as bright and engaging as a garden party in May, popping with pitch-perfect performances” and the Daily Herald calls the stories “as dry as a well-made martini and equally potent.” Jeeves Intervenes played to sold-out houses throughout its run in 2008, and this production promises to be just as popular.
The indoor portion of the Season of Invention finishes with the world premier of Will Rogers: An American Original, written and performed by 3-time Jeff nominee Kevin McKillip. This one-man show explores the life and times of America’s most popular humorist. At the time of his death in 1935, Will Rogers hosted the number one radio show in America, had a daily column that ran in over 400 papers, and was the number one male box office star for three years running. In the course of a career that included both Cactus Jack’s Wild West Show and the Ziegfeld Follies, Will Rogers invented the American stand-up comic. Using his trick roping skills to punctuate his delivery, Will Rogers’ folksy humor set the groundwork for everyone from Bob Hope to Johnny Carson to David Letterman. His observations on government, the economy, and society are as timely now as when he first made them. On his political affiliations: “I’m not a member of any organized political party. I’m a Democrat.” Of the Stock Market Crash: “If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can’t it get us out?” Famous for the statement, “I never met a man I didn’t like,” Will Rogers is the quintessential image of the common man.
And for its annual Shakespeare-under-the-Stars, First Folio will present one of the Bard’s most delightful comedies, Twelfth Night. When Viola is shipwrecked on the shores of Illyria, she must re-invent herself as a man in order to survive. After she falls in love with the Duke, though, she must choose between love and loyalty. Directed by Artistic Associate Michael Goldberg, this tale of mistaken identities is a tour-de-force of romance and laughter.
All performances take place on the grounds of the Mayslake Peabody Estate, which is owned and operated by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Indoor shows are presented in Mayslake Hall, a 30-room Tudor Revival style mansion originally built by coal baron Francis S. Peabody. Completed in 1922, the mansion is on the National Registry of Historic Places. Located at 31st St. and Rt. 83 in Oak Brook, First Folio is easy to get to from either the East-West Tollway (I-88) or the Stevenson Expressway (I-55).
2009-2010 SEASON SCHEDULE The Castle of Otranto by David Rice, based on the novel by Horace Walpole Previews: September 30, Oct. 1, 2 @ 8:00 Opening Night: October 3 @ 8:00 Runs: September 30 – November 1 Performance Times: Wednesdays, Friday, Saturdays @ 8:00 Sunday matinees @ 3:00 Tickets: $28-30 adults, $23-25 Students/Seniors (Previews $18) Jeeves in Bloom by Margaret Raether, based on stories by P.G. Wodehouse Previews: January 27, 28, 29 @ 8:00 Opening Night: January 30 @ 8:00 Runs: January 27 – February 28 Performance Times: Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays @ 8:00 Sunday matinees @ 3:00 Tickets: $28-30 adults, $23-25 Students/Seniors (Previews $18)
Will Rogers: An American Original written & performed by Kevin McKillip Previews: March 31, April 1, 2 @ 8:00 Opening Night: April 3 @ 8:00 Runs: March 31 – May 2 Performance Times: Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays @ 8:00 Sunday matinees @ 3:00 Tickets: $28-30 adults, $23-25 Students/Seniors (Previews $18)
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare Previews: July 7, 8, 9 @ 8:15 Opening Night: July 10 @ 8:15 Runs: July 7 – August 8 Performance Times: Wednesdays thru Sundays @ 8:15 Tickets: $28 adults, $23 Students/Seniors (Previews $18)
Subscriptions: $51-99
Season subscriptions and individual tickets may be purchased by calling the box office at 630-986-8067 or online at www.firstfolio.org.
