Woodlands Academy to premiere play written by one of its own

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart's World Premiere of "Ladies of the Lake" is a ghost story, a mystery and a tale of friendship, healing and the search for belonging.

Through a creative collaboration with the author, Woodlands Academy English teacher and drama co-director Jennifer Brostrom (pen name Jennifer Allison), Woodlands' cast and crew are bringing the Edgar Award-nominated mystery to life onstage in a spooky but heartwarming production.

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Set in the 1990s and adapted from Allison's critically acclaimed novel, "Gilda Joyce: The Ladies of the Lake," the play features Joyce, a self-described "psychic investigator," news reporter and the newest student at Castlegrove Academy, a school with a very complicated past.

The decision to stage a world premiere play for the fall season at Woodlands Academy emerged as Brostrom and her co-director, Woodlands Latin teacher Bev Adamczyk, considered the need for a play with multiple female leads and the interesting educational challenge of adapting a mystery novel as a first-ever stage production.

"Staging a world premiere offers a unique opportunity for our students to engage with the creative process behind the play production," Brostrom comments. "Students have seen multiple drafts leading to a final script. They also participated in conversations that are shaping the first-ever vision for sets and costumes for the show. The cast and crew at Woodlands are bringing this story to life with their signature blend of humor and depth. We are thrilled to showcase the results of their hard work with 'Ladies of the Lake."

In addition to her faculty roles at Woodlands Academy, Brostrom is a mystery novelist best known for her Gilda Joyce children's series, including "The Ladies of the Lake." She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, where she attended on a music scholarship but soon became more interested in literature and writing. Brostrom also earned a master's degree in fine arts from American University. Her first book under the pen name Jennifer Allison was published in July 2005.

The Woodlands Academy Theatre Department will present "Ladies of the Lake" in the school's Susan Saint James Performing Arts Center. Curtain time is 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24.

Woodlands Academy is an all-girls college-preparatory day-and-boarding high school located at 760 E. Westleigh Road in Lake Forest, IL 60045.

Tickets for its fall play are $17 at the door but audience members are encouraged to purchase in advance for $12 (up to noon on the day of each performance) online at https://www.woodlandsacademy.org/ladiesofthelake. Advance ticket purchase is encouraged since ticket availability is not guaranteed at the performance time.

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Founded in 1858, Woodlands Academy is an independent Catholic college preparatory day and boarding high school for young women. It's part of a worldwide network of Sacred Heart Schools that spans the United States and 40 other countries. A nonprofit, Woodlands Academy's identity is rooted in Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat's desire to inspire young hearts and minds to excel, to lead lives of integrity and to serve. For more information about Woodlands Academy, please visit www.woodlandsacademy.org