November 2015 Theater and Stage on Screen at Northwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. --- The fall staging of a classic Shakespeare comedy, and an all new Imagine U family production of a popular musical for young audiences that focuses on friendship and the importance of differences, will continue Northwestern University’s 2015-16 theater season.

Other November highlights include two sold out Stage on Screen broadcasts of a National Theatre Live stage production of “Hamlet,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and “Under Construction, the New Movement Project’s fall 2015 dance concert, featuring a variety of works choreographed by Northwestern students. 

Presented by the School of Communication’s Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts, Mainstage and Imagine U productions and Stage on Screen broadcasts, featuring popular stars appearing on London or Broadway stages, will be held in venues on the University’s Evanston campus.

The Wirtz Center’s Nov. 6-22 Imagine U family production is an encore staging of  “A Year with Frog and Toad,” a show that is part vaudeville, part make-believe -- and all charm. First performed on the Evanston campus in November 2011, the show was such a hit with audiences that it is being presented again.

Northwestern’s New Movement Project will present “Under Construction,” Nov. 12-14, an annual showcase of dances by student choreographers, plus a special hourlong Nov. 14 morning workshop and performance for children ages 5 to 12 years. Both events are sponsored by the School of Communication’s dance program.

NOVEMBER 2015 MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION 

• “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21; 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3; 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, at the Ethel M. Barber Theater. Is it too late to set conditions after you’ve fallen in love? Banished by her uncle to the Forest of Arden, Rosalind disguises herself as a man and puts her would-be husband to the test, discovering both her partner and herself in an instant. Letting go and opening your heart are at the center of this contemporary production staged by Northwestern MFA directing candidate Risher Reddick, in which violence and isolation give way to love, communion, and song and dance. Talkback discussions will follow the Nov. 20 and Dec. 3 performances.

MAINSTAGE SEASON 2015-16

Tickets are available by phone, online or walk-up through the Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts box office at 847-491-7282 or at wirtz.northwestern.edu.

Upcoming winter productions include Charles L. Mee’s “Big Love,” Jan. 29 to Feb. 7; the Stephen Sondheim musical “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” Feb. 12 to Feb. 28, based on the ancient Roman comedies of Plautus with a new gender-bending twist; and Northwestern’s annual “Danceworks” concert from Feb. 26 to March 6.

Spring Mainstage shows will feature a new adaptation of “The Tempest,” April 22 to May 1, directed by M.F.A. directing candidate Hannah Todd in cooperation with The Actors Gymnasium, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Anna in the Tropics,” May 13 to May 22, directed by Northwestern’s Henry Godinez.

IMAGINE U FAMILY PRODUCTION 

The following Imagine U family event will be held on the University’s Evanston campus at the Hal and Martha Hyer Wallis Theater, 1949 Campus Drive, as noted.

• Imagine U, “A Year With Frog and Toad,” with book and lyrics by Willie Reale, music by Robert Reale, based on the books by Arnold Lobel and directed by Jerrell L. Henderson, 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6; 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7; 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8 (SOLD OUT); 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13; 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14; 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15 (SOLD OUT); 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20; 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21; 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, at the Hal and Martha Hyer Wallis Theater, 1949 Campus Drive, Evanston campus. Waking from hibernation in the spring, Frog and Toad plant gardens, swim, rake leaves, go sledding and learn life lessons along the way. The two best friends celebrate and rejoice in their differences that make them unique and special. Part vaudeville, part make-believe and all charm, “A Year With Frog And Toad” tells the story of a friendship that endures, weathering all seasons. The musical is recommended for children ages 5 to 12. Tickets are $10. Discounts are available for groups of eight or more. More information available online or phone 847-491-7282. 

DANCE 2015 

Fall Dance Concert, New Movement Project presents “Under Construction” at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12; 8 p.m. Friday, Nov.13; 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14; and a special workshop and performance for children ages 5 to 12 years at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, Marjorie Ward Marshall Dance Center’s Ballroom Studio, 10 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston. The Northwestern New Movement Project presents a variety of dance works in an annual showcase of student choreographers, selected by a panel of New Movement Project committee members and dance faculty. All aspects of this performance are led by Northwestern students from the production to the lighting design. This year's choreographers include: Savannah Couch, Ariel Harper, Annalissa Hartsell, Emma Hill, Paige Lester, Mary Iris Loncto, Sarah Morimoto, Maia Nowack and Marisa Shimano. Sponsored by the dance program at Northwestern University, the performance is produced by School of Communication student Caroline Spikner with Billy Siegenfeld, dance faculty artistic advisor. General admission tickets for the evening performances are $10, and $5 for the 11 a.m. Sat. Nov. 14 children’s workshop and performance. Buy tickets.

STAGE ON SCREEN 

Upcoming Stage on Screen broadcasts will include National Theatre Live broadcasts of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” on Nov. 23 (sold out), Nov. 24 (sold out), Dec. 1 (sold out) and Dec. 9 (tickets still available), with Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role; an encore showing of “Coriolanus” on Dec. 8 starring Tom Hiddleston; Charlotte Bronte’s classic “Jane Eyre” on Feb. 2; Donmar Warehouse’s highly-anticipated new production of “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” with a cast that includes Michelle Dockery (“Downton Abbey”), Janet McTeer (“The White Queen”) and Dominic West (“The Wire”); and Rosalie Craig in “As You Like It” on March 29, directed by Polly Findlay.

National Theatre Live (NT Live) is sponsored by Aviva and supported with public funding by Arts Council England. The Wirtz Center’s NT Live broadcasts are sponsored by a generous grant from The Alumnae of Northwestern University.

NOVEMBER 2015 STAGE ON SCREEN BROADCAST

• NT Live: Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” starring Benedict Cumberbatch, 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23 (SOLD OUT); 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24 (SOLD OUT); 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1 (SOLD OUT); and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9 (Tickets still available) at the Ethel M. Barber Theater. Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC’s “Sherlock,” “The Imitation Game,” “Frankenstein” at the National Theatre) takes on the title role of Shakespeare’s great tragedy. Directed by Lyndsey Turner (“Posh,” “Chimerica”) and produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, National Theatre Live will broadcast this eagerly awaited production live to cinemas. As a country arms itself for war, a family tears itself apart. Forced to avenge his father’s death but paralyzed by the task ahead, Hamlet rages against the impossibility of his predicament, threatening both his sanity and the security of the state. Watch Video Trailer. Running Time: 210 minutes (3 hours, 30 minutes). Single tickets are $10 to $20. 

More information is avilable online.