Northwestern Theatre and Dance in February

EVANSTON, Ill. --- The Theatre and Interpretation Center (TIC) at Northwestern University’s winter 2012 performance season continues in February with the final four performances of Lydia R. Diamond’s stage adaptation of Toni Morrison’s first novel “The Bluest Eye,” and the Feb. 10 opening of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “Spring Awakening.”

In continued partnership with the National Theatre in London, “Travelling Light,” a new play by Nicholas Wright -- one of two new broadcasts recently added to the Theatre and Interpretation Center (TIC) at Northwestern University’s National Theatre Live (NT Live) season -- will be broadcast Feb. 28. TIC’s present season will include one to two more broadcasts still to be announced for spring 2012.

February also will feature two performances of the “The Sweet Goddess Project,” a multi-media dance theatre work, and the first four performances of “Danceworks 2012,” showcasing the choreography of Northwestern’s dance faculty, which runs from Feb. 24 through March 4.

All events are open to the public and take place on Northwestern’s Evanston campus at the Ethel M. Barber Theater, 30 Arts Circle Drive; Josephine Louis Theatre, 20 Arts Circle Drive; Marjorie Ward Marshall Dance Center, 10 Arts Circle Drive; or Annie May Swift Hall, 1920 Campus Drive, as noted.

For the first time, TIC Mainstage subscribers can choose a 5-Play Flex-Pass for $55 to $115 that represents a 10 percent savings off single ticket prices. Single ticket prices are listed below. Where applicable, ticket discounts are available for groups of 8 or more. Unless otherwise noted, tickets and Flex-Passes can be purchased now through the TIC Box Office at (847) 491-7282 or www.tic.northwestern.edu.

FEBRUARY 2012 MAINSTAGE PRODUCTIONS

“The Bluest Eye,” by Lydia R. Diamond, based on a novel by Toni Morrison, directed by Rives Collins, at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27; 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28; 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29;

7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2; 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3; 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5, at the Josephine Louis Theater, 20 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston campus. Adapted by award-winning Northwestern alumna Lydia R. Diamond from Morrison’s acclaimed debut novel of the same name, “The Bluest Eye” is a poignant tale of the struggle for identity. It tells the story of a young African-American girl who yearns for the blue eyes that she believes will make her beautiful and ease her hardships. Exploring race, class, self-esteem and violence against women, “The Bluest Eye” was commissioned in 2005 through the Steppenwolf for Young Adults and the New Plays Initiative. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Single tickets are $25 for the general public; $22 for seniors, Northwestern faculty and staff, and area educators; and $10 for full-time students with IDs. Five dollar tickets are available exclusively to Northwestern students with valid IDs on advance ticket purchases only. Tickets for groups of eight or more are $8 to $22 each. For tickets, call (847) 491-7282 or visit www.tic.northwestern.edu. A post-show discussion with guest artists and Northwestern faculty and staff will follow each performance. Diamond will host the discussion following the Feb. 2 performance. The discussions are free and open to the public. For a complete schedule of post-show discussion hosts, visit www.tic.northwestern.edu.

 “Spring Awakening,” book and lyrics by Steven Sater, music by Duncan Sheik, directed by Geoff Button, at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10; 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11; 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12; 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17; 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18; 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19; 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23; 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24; 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, Ethel M. Barber Theater, 30 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston campus. Winner of eight Tony awards, “Spring Awakening” is a celebration of youth and self-discovery that combines classic text and rock and roll. Based on a play by Frank Wedekind, it follows a group of 19th-century German teens as they grapple with sexuality, morality and rebellion in a world of unresponsive adults. This production is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Due to adult situations and content, parental supervision is recommended for ages 18 and younger. Single tickets are $25 for the general public; $22 for seniors, Northwestern faculty and staff, and area educators; $10 for full-time students with IDs; $5 tickets are available exclusively to Northwestern students with valid IDs on advance ticket purchases only. Tickets for groups of 8 or more are $8 to $22 each. A post-show discussion with guest artists and Northwestern faculty and staff will follow the Feb. 10, Feb. 12 and Feb. 23 performances. For tickets, call (847) 491-7282 or visit www.tic.northwestern.edu. 

NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE BROADCAST

The National Theatre Live series is part of a groundbreaking initiative to give Chicago and North Shore audiences on-screen access to highly praised National Theatre stage productions. TIC is one of only three Illinois venues presenting these high-definition programs, which walk the line between theatre and film and transport audiences to theatres around the globe.

“Travelling Light,” 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, Josephine Louis Theater. 20 Arts Circle Drive. In a remote village in Eastern Europe, around 1900, the young Motl Mendl is entranced by flickering silent images on his father’s cinematograph. Bankrolled by an ebullient local timber merchant and inspired by the girl who helps him make moving pictures of their village, he stumbles on a revolutionary way of storytelling. Forty years later, Motl -- now a famed American film director -- looks back on his early life and the cost of fulfilling his dreams. A new play by Nicholas Wright, “Travelling Light” is a tribute to the Eastern European immigrants who became major players in Hollywood’s golden age. Directed by National Theatre Artistic Director Nicholas Hytner and featuring Antony Sher (“Primo,” “Stanley”).

DANCE

“The Sweet Goddess Project,” 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3, and 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, Ballroom Theater of the Marjorie Ward Marshall Dance Center, 10 Arts Circle Drive. “The Sweet Goddess Project” is a multi-media dance theater work that explores the experiences of women in Chicago House music. Performers and choreographers Meida McNeal, Abra Johnson and Boogie McClarin will clap, stomp and groove to “House” music as they retell the history of a community, a culture, a lifestyle and the experiences of young urbanites of color and varied sexual preferences. A pastiche of sonic styles, Chicago House music emerged in the Windy City in the early 1980s, and is a reflection of disco, gospel, funk, rhythm ‘n blues, punk, new wave, Euro-pop, salsa, Afro-beat and industrial percussion. Chicago House disc jockey Jo de Presser’s live set creates the sonic backdrop. For more information, visit www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2012/01/sweet-goddess-project.html. Tickets are $15 for the general public and $12 for seniors and Northwestern students with IDs. For advance tickets, visit http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/217376. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door prior to the concerts. The performances are hosted by the Northwestern School of Communication’s dance program.

“Danceworks 2012,” artistic direction by Annie Beserra, 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24; 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25; 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26; 8 p.m. Thursday, March 1; 8 p.m. Friday, March 2; 8 p.m. Saturday, March 3; and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 4, Josephine Louis Theater, 20 Arts Circle Drive. This annual audience favorite features the original works of Northwestern’s faculty choreographers and performances and up-and-coming student dancers. Under the artistic direction of award-winning Northwestern faculty member Annie Beserra, “Danceworks 2012” is a contemporary celebration of traditional, modern and world dance. A post-show discussion with the artists and Northwestern faculty and staff will follow the Feb. 24, Feb. 26 and March 1 performances. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Single tickets are $25 for the general public; $22 for seniors and full-time students; and $5 for Northwestern full-time students with advance purchases or $10 at Will-Call. For tickets, call (847) 491-7282 or visit www.tic.northwestern.edu.

PERFORMANCE STUDIES

The following Evanston campus programs will be hosted by the School of Communication’s department of performance studies. All are free and open to the public. For more information, phone (847) 491-3171 or visit www.communication.northwestern.edu. 

“Latchkey Aesthetics and New Sound Karaoke,” talk by Visiting Scholar Karen Tongson, noon, Wednesday, Feb. 8, in the Alvina Krause Studio, Annie Mae Swift Hall, 1920 Campus Drive. Tongson, associate professor of English and gender studies at the University of Southern California, will speak as part of the “Performance/Studies: Scholarly Engagements in Performance” series.  

Performance Hour, “Home Between Waves,” 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10 and 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, Alvina Krause Studio, Annie May Swift Hall, 1920 Campus Drive. Adapted and directed by Northwestern undergraduate student Abby Schwartz, this hourlong program draws on works of fiction, non-fiction and original interviews to explore the experience of adjusting to life in a new place. Characters, real and imagined, find themselves far from home and caught between worlds. To reserve tickets, email homebetweenwaves@gmail.com. 

Visiting artist Roberto Sifuentes, 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, Alvina Krause Studio, Annie Mae Swift Hall, 1920 Campus Drive. Sifuentes will present his work, which combines live performance with interactive technologies and video, as part of the “Performance/Art: Artist Talks on Performance Art” series. As a member of La Pocha Nosta, an interdisciplinary arts organization in San Francisco, Sifuentes collaborated with performance artist Guillermo Gomez-Pena and presented performance and installation work at more than 200 venues throughout the United States, Europe and Latin America.