TWS announces 88th season

The Theatre of Western Springs announces 88th season

From Steel Magnolias to Julia Child: TWS serves up a delicious season of comedy and drama

The Theatre of Western Springs (TWS) is pleased to announce its line-up of plays for the 2016- 2017 season. Celebrating 88 years and over 500 productions, TWS attracts the very best in local talent to perform some of the most exciting plays available.

“This is a season of wildly entertaining plays," said Eddie Sugarman, TWS Executive Artistic Director. “We are so excited to bring you hilarious and unforgettable stories of women with “Steel Magnolias,” and “To Master the Art,” the story of Julia Child. Neil Simon’s “Rumors” and the madcap physical comedy of “The 39 Steps” will provide plenty of belly laughs to our audiences. To round out the season, the deeply affecting “The Outgoing Tide” will make you cry and the classic “Wait Until Dark” will scare you silly! I can’t wait for our audiences to enjoy these wonderful stories.”

The five Mainstage plays presented in the 417-seat theatre include:

1. "Steel Magnolias” by Robert Harling / September 8 – 18, 2016

Delicate as magnolias, tough as steel. This modern classic celebrates the unshakable bond among a group of Southern women. Julia Roberts and Sally Field led an all-star cast in the film adaptation.

1. "The 39 Steps" by Patrick Barlow & John Buchan / October 20 - 30, 2016

Hitchcock meets Monty Python. This outrageously funny concoction is packed with nonstop laughs and over 150 zany characters played by just four ridiculously talented actors. A two-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning treat.

1. "To Master the Art" by William Brown & Doug Frew / January 19 - 29, 2017

The unforgettable story of Julia Child. This delicious play follows the adventure and romance of Julia and Paul Child’s journey of discovery to Paris during the 1950s. Cuisine, joy and just a dash of McCarthyism make for a scrumptious evening.

1. "Wait Until Dark" by Frederick Knott / April 20 - 30, 2017

The perfect thriller. A blind housewife in New York’s Greenwich Village becomes the target of con-men who are after the heroin hidden in a doll. Darkness of all kinds makes this a truly terrifying play.

1. "Rumors" by Neil Simon / June 1 – 11, 2017

Neil Simon’s funniest play. The Deputy Mayor of New York has just shot himself, and four couples need to get their stories straight. As the confusion and miscommunications mount, the evening spins off into classic farcical hilarity.

Located in the theatre’s intimate, 117-seat Cattell Theatre, the Forum series presents two plays per season, each providing audiences an edgier theatre experience:

1. "The Outgoing Tide" by Bruce Graham / September 29 - October 9, 2016

A surprising story of "The Long Goodbye." This compelling drama explores the struggle of a family dealing with loss of memory and control.

1. "Love, Loss & What I Wore" by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron / February 9 - 19, 2017

A celebration of women, clothes and memories. Based on Ilene Beckerman’s best seller, this play of monologues and ensemble pieces is funny, compelling and bittersweet.

This year, the popular post-play audience talk-back discussions will move from Thursday nights to Friday nights.

Subscriptions for the 7-play series (Mainstage and Forum) range from $113 - $126. The five Mainstage play series is $82 - $90. A 4-play flex-pass runs $78.

Call TWS at 708-246-4043 or visit the website at: www.theatrewesternsprings.com.

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History

Even with a young family with four children, a Western Springs woman named Mary Cattell longed to bring live theatre to the western suburbs of Chicago. She often said that her goal was “…to bring the theatre I love to the community I love.” The year was 1929.

Mary gathered 24 friends for a play reading session in her living room, and she explained her dream to the theatre aficionados. Soon after, the members conducted a door-to-door campaign for support using names garnered from the village water department’s customer list; many homes didn’t have telephones as yet.

Continuous operation for more than 30 years led to the fulfillment of Mary’s dearest dream – a permanent home for the theater. In 1961, a 400-seat theatre, designed by James Hull Miller, was built using a projecting stage of the Elizabethan theatre. No seat is more than 28 feet from the stage. In 1976, the late actor Henry Fonda cut the ribbon for an addition of a 120-seat black box theater, today called the Cattell Theatre. The new wing also added offices and scene storage space.

The Theatre continued to grow in other ways as well. In 1946, Ella Heimbrodt, one of the charter members of TWS, founded the Children’s Theatre of Western Springs (CTWS). Today, the educational programs provide a well-rounded experience for more than 400 students a year, from first grade through high school. CTWS teaches subjects from improvisation and movement to directing and technical crafts as well as providing many performance opportunities for students.

To this day, the mission of TWS remains: to entertain, to educate, and to inspire across the generations through the art of live theatre.

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