Northwestern University Theater and Dance in March

EVANSTON, Ill. --- An annual dance concert featuring new works by some of the country’s top choreographers and Stage on Screen broadcasts of critically-acclaimed London stage productions, will help make the final weeks of winter more tolerable. 

“Danceworks 2016,” Feb. 26 to March 6, Northwestern’s annual dance showcase, will feature innovative choreography by Tony and Olivier award-winner Garth Fagan; 2015 Guggenheim Fellow Rosy Simas; Hedwig Dances Artistic Associate Maray Gutíérrez, and Northwestern dance faculty members Jeffrey Hancock and Joel Valentín-Martínez. 

Presented by the School of Communication’s Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts, the March events will take place at various venues on Northwestern University’s Evanston campus, as noted.

The Wirtz Center’s Stage on Screen series will stream three National Theatre Live (NT Live) broadcasts in March in Northwestern’s recently enhanced Josephine Louis Theater. Now in its fifth year at the Wirtz Center, the National Theatre Live broadcast series continues to offer Evanston-area audiences the opportunity to experience the best of British theatre.

The NT Live productions include Christopher Hampton’s “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” (March 1), and two Shakespeare plays -- “As You Like It,” starring Rosalie Craig as Rosalind (March 29) and “Hamlet,” starring Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch (March 30).

The Louis Theater now features 288 comfortable new seats, two internal aisles, more wheelchair accessible seating, a reconfigured floor that reduced the rake (sloping angle) of the theater and seating that is broken up into six easy-to-access sections. 

More information about the March Mainstage production and upcoming Stage on Screen broadcasts follow:

MARCH 2016 MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION

• “Danceworks 2016,” 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27; 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 3; 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 4; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 5; and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 6, Josephine Louis Theater, 20 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston. Joel Valentín-Martínez, director of the School of Communication’s dance program, leads the artistic direction of this year’s annual dance showcase, featuring exciting and innovative choreography by Tony and Olivier Award-winner Garth Fagan, 2015 Guggenheim Fellow Rosy Simas, Hedwig Dances artistic associate Maray Gutiérrez, and Northwestern dance faculty member Jeffery (“Jeff”) Hancock, and Joel Valentín-Martínez. Using the foundations of contemporary modern dance, this performance will showcase a broad range of choreographic styles and voices across the diverse and multi-cultural spectrum of many dance styles and techniques. Post-show discussions will follow the Feb. 26 and March 3 performances. Tickets are $25 for the general public; $22 for Northwestern faculty and staff, educators and seniors over 62; $10 for full-time students under 30 with a valid ID; and $5 for Northwestern students on advance purchase only or $10 at the door.

MARCH 2016 STAGE ON SCREEN BROADCASTS

The Wirtz Center’s ongoing Stage on Screen series offers the best of international theater captured live for the big screen.

• National Theatre Live: Christopher Hampton’s “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, Josephine Louis Theater. National Theatre Live brings the Donmar Warehouse’s highly anticipated new production of “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” to cinemas - broadcast live from the Donmar’s London home. Directed by Josie Rourke (“Coriolanus”), the cast includes Michelle Dockery (“Downton Abbey”), Janet McTeer (“The White Queen”) and Dominic West (“The Wire”). In 1782, Choderlos de Laclos’ novel of sex, intrigue and betrayal in pre-revolutionary France scandalized the world. Two hundred years later, Christopher Hampton's irresistible adaptation swept the board, winning the Olivier and Evening Standard awards for Best Play. Director Josie Rourke’s revival now marks the play’s 30-year anniversary. Former lovers, the Marquise de Merteuil and Vicomte de Valmont now compete in games of seduction and revenge. Merteuil incites Valmont to corrupt the innocent Cecile de Volanges before her wedding night, but Valmont has targeted the peerlessly virtuous and beautiful Madame de Tourvel. While these merciless aristocrats toy with others’ hearts and reputations, their own may prove more fragile than they supposed. Running Time: 4 hours. Tickets are $20 for the general public; $16 for Northwestern employees (in person or phone order only); or $10 for full-time students (under age 30 with current ID). Watch Video Trailer.

• National Theatre Live: Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 29, Josephine Louis Theater. Shakespeare’s comedy of love and change comes to the National Theatre for the first time in more than 30 years. The production stars British actress Rosalie Craig (“London Road,” “Macbeth” at Manchester International Festival) as Rosalind. With her father the Duke banished and in exile, Rosalind and her cousin Celia leave their lives in the court behind and journey into the Forest of Arden. There, released from convention, Rosalind experiences the liberating rush of transformation. Disguising herself as a boy, she embraces a different way of living and falls spectacularly in love. Running Time: 4 hours. Tickets are $20 for the general public; $16 for Northwestern employees (in person or phone order only); or $10 for full-time students (under age 30 with a current ID). Watch Video Trailer.

• National Theatre Live: Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 30, Josephine Louis Theater. Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC’s “Sherlock,” the film “The Imitation Game” and “Frankenstein” at the National Theatre) takes on the title role of Shakespeare’s great tragedy. It is directed by Lyndsey Turner (“Posh,” “Chimerica”) and produced by Sonia Friedman Productions. 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. Running Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes. Tickets are $20 for the general public; $16 for Northwestern employees (in person or phone order only); or $10 for full-time students (under age 30 with a current ID. Watch Video Trailer.

For more information, visit wirtz.northwestern.edu or contact the Wirtz Center Box Office at 847-491-7282.