Chicago, IL—Lookingglass Theatre Company proudly announces its 25th Anniversary Season, kicking off with the return of Metamorphoses written and directed by Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the Broadway run. The season continues with the Chicago premiere of the Tony award-nominated Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, a 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist, written by Rajiv Joseph and directed by Heidi Stillman. Ensemble Member Christine Mary Dunford will direct the world premiere of her adaptation of the bestselling novel Still Alice. In the final show of Lookingglass' 25th Season, David Schwimmer will direct the world premiere of Big Lake Big City by Keith Huff, the award-winning playwright of the Broadway cop drama A Steady Rain.
Artistic Director Andrew White comments, "It's both thrilling and apt that in our 25th Anniversary Season we're serving up a quintessential Lookingglass feast for our audiences and artists. This season will be both breathtaking and groundbreaking: you've got this great Lookingglass classic, which captured the nation's imagination ten years ago and will do so again this time around; one of the best new plays, fresh from Broadway, by one of the fiercest, most daring voices of our generation; and two brand-spanking new original world premieres that have the depth and wit that our audiences crave and have come to expect from Lookingglass. We're proud to celebrate this milestone year with a season that represents the range of the Company's vision so fully."
The Lookingglass 25th season is:
Metamorphoses
Based on the myths of Ovid
Written and directed by Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman
Begins September 19, 2012
Press opening: September 29, 2012
Coinciding with the 10th Anniversary of the Broadway run
Ten years ago Lookingglass debuted Metamorphoses, a play of such grace and beauty that the memory of it still lingers in the minds of audiences today. The critically-acclaimed, record-breaking Chicago engagement led to a Broadway production that garnered Mary Zimmerman the 2002 Tony Award for Best Director and catapulted Lookingglass onto the national stage.
In the simple beauty of a rippling pool of water, Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman conjures Ovid's myths into gorgeous imagery, provocative moments and breathtaking storytelling. Metamorphoses' long-anticipated Chicago revival will feature a number of Lookingglass Ensemble Members and original cast members.
In February 2013, Lookingglass Theatre's production of Metamorphoses, will transfer to The Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. This will mark Zimmerman's first return to D.C. since her smash hit productions of The Arabian Nights and Candide.
The Chicago Premiere of
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Written by Rajiv Joseph
Directed by Ensemble Member Heidi Stillman
Begins January 30, 2013
Press Opening: February 9, 2013
2010 Pulitzer Prize Finalist
The New York Times called this ferocious Tony Award-nominated dark comedy "a savagely funny and visionary new work of American Theatre." Two US Marines and an Iraqi translator are thrust into a world of greed, mystery and betrayal after an encounter with a now-deceased but still very pissed-off tiger. The streets of war-torn Baghdad are filled with ghosts, riddles and wry humor in Rajiv Joseph's groundbreaking play that explores the power and perils of human nature.
The World Premiere of
Still Alice
Adapted and Directed by Ensemble Member Christine Mary Dunford
Based on the New York Times Bestselling novel by Lisa Genova
Begins April 10, 2013
Press Opening: April 20, 2013
Professor Alice Howland is at the peak of her career studying the human brain when her own mind begins to falter. Fiercely independent, she battles to preserve her way of life and remain true to herself and her family, even as confusion clouds her thinking and her memory begins to fail. Ensemble Member Christine Mary Dunford's world premiere adaptation of this award-winning novel is at the same time heartbreaking and hopeful.
The World Premiere of
Big Lake Big City
Written by Keith Huff
Directed by Ensemble member David Schwimmer
Begins June 19, 2013
Press Opening: June 29, 2013
Detective Bass can't catch a break: his boss is a hard-ass, his partner's a knucklehead, his wife's a cheat, and now he has to chase down a perp who has a screwdriver in his head. An eclectic set of shady characters—crooked coroners, a TV-personality doctor, a femme fatale, and one extraordinarily valuable sculpture—run roughshod through a hilarious maze of double-crosses and double-identities. 2011 Writers Guild Award-winner Keith Huff lampoons the Windy City with a menacing smirk and tongue in cheek in this gritty modern noir directed by David Schwimmer.
Subscriptions
Subscriptions are on sale for the 2012-2013 Season. Performances will be held at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson.
Current subscribers who renew before April 15 may do so for the reduced rate of $118-$220. Subscriptions for the 2012-2013 Season are $126-$234 for four plays.
Subscription benefits include access to the best seats in the house, pre-sale opportunities and savings before single tickets go on sale to the general public, special perks at more than a dozen exclusive of restaurant partners, unlimited ticket exchanges, discounted parking at the nearby John Hancock Center and Olympia Centre Garage (161 E. Chicago Ave.), reduced tuition for Lookingglass' renowned classes and summer camps, and courtesy performance date reminders. For season subscription and ticket information, call the Lookingglass Theatre box office at (312) 337-0665 or visit lookingglasstheatre.org .
About Lookingglass Theatre Company
Inventive. Collaborative. Transformative. Lookingglass Theatre Company, recipient of the 2011 Regional Theatre Tony Award, was founded in 1988 by eight Northwestern University students. 2012-2013 marks the company's 25th anniversary season. Lookingglass is home to a multi-disciplined ensemble of artists who create story-centered theatrical work that is physical, aurally rich and visually metaphoric. Lookingglass has staged 57 world premieres at 23 venues across Chicago, and garnered 52 Joseph Jefferson Awards and Citations.
Work premiered at Lookingglass has been produced in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Berkeley, Philadelphia, Princeton, Hartford, Kansas City, Washington D.C., and St. Louis. Lookingglass original scripts have been produced across the United States.
The Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago's landmark Water Tower Water Works opened in June 2003. In addition to developing and presenting ensemble work, Lookingglass Education and Community programs encourage creativity, teamwork and confidence with thousands of community members each year.
Lookingglass Theatre Company continues to expand its artistic, financial and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Artistic Director Andrew White, Executive Director Rachel Kraft, Producing Artistic Director Philip R. Smith, Artistic Director of New Work Heidi Stillman, a 22-member artistic ensemble, 15 artistic associates, 11 production affiliates, an administrative staff and a dedicated board of directors led by Chairman Richard Ditton of Incredible Technologies and President Joe Brady of Jones Lang LaSalle. For more information, visit lookingglasstheatre.org .
