REMY BUMPPO THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL SEASON FOR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR DOUGLAS
CHICAGO-Remy Bumppo Theatre Company announces the premiere season lineup for incoming Artistic Director Timothy Douglas. The 2011/2012 season opens Sept. 21 – Oct. 30 with Eugene O’Neill’s epic drama Mourning Becomes Electra in the Midwest premiere of an adaptation from Gordon Edelstein. The season continues Nov. 23, 2011 – Jan. 8, 2012 with the Marivaux comedy Changes of Heart translated by Stephen Wadsworth, and concludes March 28 – May 6, 2012 with the Chicago premiere of Lee Blessing’s Chesapeake, a tour de force solo performance featuring Remy Bumppo Artistic Associate Greg Matthew Anderson. All three productions will be directed by Douglas, and presented at the Greenhouse Theater Center at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Subscriptions range from $70 for previews to $165 for opening night and are on sale now at www.remybumppo.org or by calling the Greenhouse Theater box office at 773-404-7336. Single tickets go on sale Aug. 3, 2011.
Remy Bumppo welcomes new artistic director Timothy Douglas full-time July 1, 2011 after he wraps up a full season of directing projects across the country including: The Etiquette of Vigilance for Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s First Look Series; Marcus: Or The Secret of Sweet for the Studio Theatre Company in Washington D.C.; Horton Foote’s A Trip To Bountiful in a co-production starting at Cleveland Play House and moving to Round House Theatre in Washington D.C.
“Through these three great works I look forward to sharing my perspectives on America,” Douglas said. “These points of view are a result of a rewarding freelance career, and one that has had me solidly on the road these past 15 years directing in great regional theaters all across the country.”
Douglas reflects on his season selection process saying, “Working at Remy Bumppo during our transition from its much beloved founding artistic director, James Bohnen, to myself, I find I have a growing appreciation for that truism … ‘the only constant is change’. As Remy Bumppo’s new artistic leader, I will build upon the company’s reputation for great language which has made it a beacon in this renowned theater town. And I make this commitment with full awareness that the expansion of ideas and shifting of perspectives will be a part of our journey together.”
Furthermore, Douglas remarked that after many years as a freelancer, he now “feels the importance of having a creative home,” and that “becoming a part of Remy Bumppo Theatre Company has felt right every step of the way.” Remy Bumppo’s 2011/12 Season is made possible in part by Prince Charitable Trusts, The Illinois Arts Council and by a City Arts Program 3 grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs.
The 2011/12 Season: dates and artists are subject to change
MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA By Eugene O’Neill Adapted by Gordon Edelstein Directed by Timothy Douglas Sept. 21 – Oct. 30, 2011 Opening/Press Night: Monday, Sept. 26 at 7:00 p.m. Greenhouse Theater Center, Upstairs Mainstage Featuring Artistic Associates Annabel Armour, David Darlow and Nick Sandys We plunge into the season with O’Neill’s classic American tragedy based on The Oresteia. Desperate to free herself from her marriage and the clutches of the Mannon family curse, Christine has taken a lover and murders her husband. Deeply wounded by her mother’s betrayal, young Lavinia crusades to reveal the truth and reclaim the family honor. She discovers her strength in revenge, beauty and fear, striving for her unlikely place at the head of the family. This streamlined revision of O’Neill’s epic, set at the end of the Civil War, hurtles us through the Mannons’ cycle of murder, vengeance, and reinvention.
CHANGES OF HEART By Marivaux Translated by Stephen Wadsworth Directed by Timothy Douglas Nov. 23, 2011 – Jan. 8, 2012 Opening/Press Night: Monday, Nov. 28 at 7:00 p.m. Greenhouse Theater Center, Upstairs Mainstage Featuring Artistic Associates Shawn Douglass and Linda Gillum Marivaux’s delightfully contemporary story of love outside the status quo mixes classes and stirs up hearts. Harlequin’s neighborhood sweetheart, Sylvia, has been kidnapped by the Prince. He hopes to use the pleasures of his luxurious life to shift her affections in his direction. When classes mix and the cultural habits of marriage are broken, new possibilities send these lover’s hearts flying. Timothy Douglas sets Remy Bumppo’s production of this pre-French Revolution classic in 1960’s Chicago, when the North and South Sides are captivated by the allure of unfamiliar cultures.
CHESAPEAKE By Lee Blessing Directed by Timothy Douglas March 28 – May 6, 2012 Opening/Press Night: Monday, April 2, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. Greenhouse Theater Center, Downstairs Mainstage Featuring Artistic Associate Greg Matthew Anderson Controversial performance artist Kerr has his NEA funding cut in a calculated, political trick by his home town candidate, the folksy, dog-toting Therm Pooley. For revenge, Kerr attempts a dog-napping to reveal that the Senator also has the public on a leash. But the Universe exacts its own fantastical revenge on Kerr. Fate, along with the help of some good belly rubs, compels Kerr to sit and stay closer to the Senator than he ever could have imagined. Blessing celebrates the inner life of our canine companions and spots the artist-activist in us all. Artistic Associate Greg Matthew Anderson stars in this one-person comedy about a conservative senator, the performance artist he demonizes, and the lovable Chesapeake Bay retriever called Lucky.
Special Event: Season Salon – Monday, Aug. 29, 7:00 – 9:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) Remy Bumppo kicks off the 2011/12 season at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. with its annual Season Salon. The evening includes a lively and sometimes irreverent panel discussion and audience question and answer session on the themes of the plays, followed by refreshments and conversation in the lobby. Salon admission is open to the public, and reservations are strongly recommended. A $10 donation is being requested at the door. To make reservations use the RSVP calendar on www.remybumppo.org or call 773-244-8119.
Subscription Packages and Prices: Season Subscriptions for the 2011/12 Season are available March 1 at www.remybumppo.org or by calling the Greenhouse Theater Center box office at 773-404-7336. Preview subscriptions are $70-80; Regular run subscriptions are $90-105; Opening Night subscriptions are $165 (and include a post show reception with the director and cast); Between the Lines discussion series subscriptions are $130 (and include pre- and post-show conversations with a local luminary who will introduce and share their professional or personal perspective on the themes of the play). All subscribers save an average of 20 – 30% discount off the single ticket prices, receive invitations to exclusive behind the scenes events, enjoy free ticket exchanges and receive the Remy Bumppo newsletter.
Single Tickets: Single tickets go on sale Aug. 3 and are available at www.remybumppo.org or by calling the Greenhouse Theater Center box office at 773-404-7336. Single ticket prices are as follows: Previews are $30 – $40; Regular Run performances are $30 – $55; Opening night tickets are $45 – $50; and Between the Lines discussion series tickets are $45 – $60 (and include a pre- and post-show conversation). Student discount tickets are available for $20 with valid I.D. Student Rush tickets are $15 on the day of the show, based on availability.
Group Tickets: Discounts of 20 – 25% are available for groups of 10 or more. For details and reservations call Remy Bumppo Theatre Company at 773-244-8119 or visit www.remybumppo.org.
Performance Schedule: Mourning Becomes Electra by Eugene O’Neill, adapted by Gordon Edelstein runs Sept. 21 – Oct. 30, 2011; Changes of Heart by Marivaux, translated by Stephen Wadsworth runs Nov. 23, 2011 – Jan. 8, 2012; and Chesapeake by Lee Blessing runs March 28 – May 6, 2012. All performances take place at the Greenhouse Theater Center at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. Performance times are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. See a detailed performance schedule for add on performances, holiday schedule and special event information at www.remybumppo.org.
Parking: Discounted parking is available for $6 on weekends and weekdays after 5:00 p.m. at the Children’s Memorial Hospital Garage located ½ block north of the theater on Lincoln Ave.
Download a PDF of the season release: Remy Bumppo 2011/2012 season release
REMY BUMPPO THEATRE COMPANY delights and engages audiences with the emotional and ethical complexities of society through the provocative power of great theatrical language.
