Niles North Theatre Presents "The Subject Was Roses"

Niles North Theatre opens the 2019-20 season with the Director’s Circle Production “The Subject Was Roses” on August 15 through 17 in the Drama Performance Center at 9800 Lawler Avenue, Skokie. “The Subject Was Roses,” written by Frank D. Gilroy, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Tony Award for Best Play. The play is about a young man home from World War II who finds himself caught up in his parents’ turbulent marriage. Performances are 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on August 16 and 17. Order tickets at www.nntheatre.com or by calling the Box Office at (847) 626-2122. A free community performance will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 15.

“The Subject Was Roses” takes place in May of 1946 and Timmy Cleary has come home from the war to his estranged parents, John and Nettie, in the Bronx apartment where he grew up. As their reunion promises a return to life as it never was, John, giving up a lucrative business opportunity, attends a ball game with his son and grudgingly, at Timmy’s request, returns with roses for Nettie in an insincere attempt at reconciliation. Attempts to recapture the past are shattered amidst recriminations, and the next day Timmy announces he is leaving once again, and his parents must face the reality of life with only their memories.

Director’s Circle is an audition-only program at Niles North designed to offer an opportunity for outstanding theater students to hone their craft. The play selection is chosen to showcase the abilities of the actors and technical crew. Upon completion of this production, the students assist their teachers in the school’s theater classes, run acting clinics and work as leaders in sharing their skills with fellow drama students.

The 2019-20 Director’s Circle students are Roy Gantz, Amy Shapiro and Louis Segal in the cast, and Nate Lesperance, lighting design.

Production Staff: Timothy Ortmann, Director; Co-Director: Megan Baskin; Scenic Designer: Michael Rourke; Technical Director: Joanna Szewczuk; Costume Designer: Kate Kamphausen; Lighting Supervisor: Michael Rourke; Props Designer: Sam Rosenfeld; Hair Designer: Brian Fallon; and Front-of-House: Annaliisa Ahlman.

The Niles North 2019-20 Drama Season also includes: “Ipi Zombie?” on October 17 through 19; “Festival of One-Act Plays” on December 12; “that’s my story!” on December 15; “Mathilda” on March 12 through 14, 2020; and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on April 30 through May 2.