Tony Award-Winner The Acting Company in Association with The Guthrie Theatre Perform Works by Shakespeare and Mark Twain at the MAC

The Acting Company in association with The Guthrie Theater presents William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” directed by Devin Brain, Friday, March 20, 8 p.m.; and “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court,” adapted by acclaimed playwright Jeffrey Hatcher from the novel by Mark Twain, directed by Ian Belknap, Saturday, March 21 at 8 p.m. Both performances take place at the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., on the campus of College of DuPage. There will be a free post-show MAC Chat led by Brain and members of the cast immediately following both performances.

“Our newly commissioned adaptation of Mark Twain’s ‘A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court’ by Jeffrey Hatcher (writer of the screenplay for the movie “Tuesdays with Morrie” and the TV series “Columbo”) had its world premiere Feb. 18 at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis prior to our 42nd national tour,” announced The Acting Company’s producer and co-founder, Margot Harley. “‘Connecticut Yankee’ will tour to 14 states running in repertory with a new production of William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’, stopping in New York for two weeks at Off-Broadway’s Pearl Theater April 1-12. This is our seventh tour in association with the Guthrie.” The MAC engagement of The Acting Company will be the only Chicago area stop on this tour.

Under the direction of Devin Brain (known by Chicagoans as a company member of the theater company The Hypocrites), The Acting Company’s 90-minute sleek and accessible production of “Macbeth” is perfect for both Shakespeare novices and experts alike. Noted Brain, “In ‘Macbeth,’ one of his darkest and most powerful tragedies, Shakespeare dramatizes the psychological and political impact of when evil is chosen to satisfy the ambition for power.”

“This tour is a great pairing of comedy and tragedy – the world’s greatest playwright coupled with America’s most beloved humorist,” observed Ian Belknap, The Acting Company’s Artistic Director and director of “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.” Legendary American humorist Mark Twain’s 1889 novel of the same name is often credited as the foundation for the literary genres of science fiction and time travel. After a blow to the head, Hank Morgan of Hartford Conn. awakens to find himself transported back to the time of legendary King Arthur. Hank astonishes the denizens of the Middle Ages with modern medicine and technology. But soon it becomes unclear if these tricks from the future will help or hinder King Arthur’s course.

The Acting Company, based in New York City, was founded in 1972 by Margot Harley and legendary producer and actor John Houseman with Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone and others in the first graduating class of Juilliard’s Drama Division. The New York Times says, “The Acting Company endures as the major touring classical theater in the United,” and the Anchorage Daily News raves “Superlatives such as ‘brilliant’ do not do this fine troupe justice.” To date it has performed 131 plays to audiences in 48 states and 10 foreign countries. In addition to Kline and LuPone, its alumni include Frances Conroy, Jeffrey Wright, Harriet Harris, Jesse L. Martin, David Ogden Stiers, Richard Ooms, Richard Iglewski, Keith David and Rainn Wilson. The Acting Company was honored in 2003 with a Tony Award for Excellence in Theater. Its artistic director is Ian Belknap.

The Guthrie Theater, based in Minneapolis, Minn., is one of America’s leading regional theaters and widely recognized as an American center for theater performance, production and professional training. Headed by Joe Dowling, Director, the Guthrie has built one of the finest multistage theater centers of our time including a classic thrust for grand scale classics, a proscenium for more intimate productions and a studio for developing new works. In 1982, the Guthrie received a Tony Award acknowledging its outstanding contribution to the American Theater.

The Acting Company in association with The Guthrie Theater presents “Macbeth,” Friday, March 20, 8 p.m.; and “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court,” Saturday, March 21 at 8 p.m. Both performances take place at the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., on the campus of College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Ill. Tickets are $39-$49. There will be a free post-show MAC Chat led by Brain, and members of the cast immediately following both performances. For tickets or more information, call 630.942.4000 or visit AtTheMAC.org.