Northlight Theatre announces casting for the full 2017-18 season, which includes The Legend of Georgia McBride by Matthew Lopez, The Book of Will by Lauren Gunderson, Skeleton Crew by Dominique Morisseau, The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh and Cry It Out by Molly Smith Metzler.
The 2017-18 Season with casting is as follows:
THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE
By Matthew Lopez
Directed by Lauren Shouse
Featuring Sean Blake (Miss Tracy Mills), Keith Kupferer (Eddie), Jeff Kurysz (Rexy/Jason), Nate Santana (Casey) and Leslie Ann Sheppard (Jo)
A down-on-his-luck Elvis impersonator has an overdrawn checking account and a baby on the way. When a drag show takes over the entertainment at the Florida Panhandle bar where he performs, he’ll also be out of a job…unless he’s willing to step into some high heels. This heartwarming, music-filled comedy celebrates the unexpected path to finding your true voice.
THE BOOK OF WILL
By Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Jessica Thebus
Featuring Rengin Altay (Hemings/Hathaway), Dana Black (Alice/Susannah), McKinley Carter (Liz Cond/Lanier), Thom Cox (Crane), William Dick (Jonson/Dering), Sam Hubbard (Marcus/Bernardo), Gregory Linington (Henry Condell), Jim Ortleib (John Heminges), Luigi Sottile (Knight/I.Jagg) and Austin Tichenor (Burb/W.Jagg/Horatio)
William Shakespeare wrote some of the world’s most beloved plays – but without his friends, they may have been lost to history! Follow the members of Shakespeare’s own company as they cunningly navigate the production of the First Folio in 1623. They may not have any money or clear-cut rights to his work, but they’re armed with wit, humor, a deep camaraderie and a passion to preserve the plays that shaped their lives. With the help of their wives and colleagues, two actors set out not only to print a collection, but to uphold a legacy for the world.
SKELETON CREW
By Dominique Morisseau
Directed by Ron OJ Parson
Featuring Bernard Gilbert (Dez), Kelvin Roston Jr. (Reggie), Jacqueline Williams (Faye) and AnJi White (Shanita)
At the start of the Great Recession, rumors of impending closure surround one of the last auto plants in Detroit. The nation’s financial crisis gets personal as each of the workers confronts the life-altering choices they must make if their plant goes under, while the supervisor is torn between allegiances to his makeshift family of co-workers and management’s “cost-saving” demands. When pushed to the limits of survival, how far over the lines are people willing to cross?
The third play in Dominique Morisseau’s Detroit trilogy, Skeleton Crew was named one of Time Magazine’s 10 Best Shows of the Year.
THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE
By Martin McDonagh
Directed by BJ Jones
Featuring Kate Fry (Maureen Folan), Nathan Hosner (Pato Dooley), Casey Morris (Ray Dooley) and Wendy Robie (Mag Folan)
This Tony Award-winning dark comedy is set in the provincial Irish town of Leenane. Forty-year-old spinster Maureen Folan lives with her manipulative aging mother Mag, stuck in a caretaking relationship that has them both seething with resentment. When a romantic encounter finally sparks Maureen’s hopes for an escape from her dreary existence, Mag’s interference sets in motion a chain of events that is as tragically funny as it is terrifying.
CRY IT OUT
By Molly Smith Metzler
Directed by Jessica Fisch
Featuring Laura Lapidus (Lina), Gabriel Ruiz (Mitchell), Darci Nalepa (Jessie), and Kristina Valada-Viars (Adrienne)
Cooped up on maternity leave and eager for conversation, Jessie invites the funny and forthright Lina for coffee on their neighboring patios. They become fast friends, quickly bonding over their shared “new mom” experience—and arousing the interest of a wealthy neighbor hoping for a similar connection. This insightful comedy takes an honest look at the absurdities of new motherhood, the dilemma of returning to work versus staying at home, and how class impacts parenthood and friendship.
Cry It Out was commissioned by Actors Theatre of Louisville and premiered at the Humana Festival of New American Plays in spring 2017. Northlight’s production, directed by Jessica Fisch, will be the first outside of the Festival.
Individual tickets to the first three shows of the season go on sale August 1, 2017. Subscriptions to the 2017-18 Northlight Season are currently available through the box office, 9501 Skokie Boulevard in Skokie, by phone at 847.673.6300 or online.
