When the Art in a Museum Is Live
Boundary-busting troupes like the Civilians, Pig Iron and Native Voices have staged plays in partnership with—and in counterpoint to—the art on the walls.
March 2015
Strawdog Travels ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’
How do you adapt an underwater epic for the stage? Very carefully, say adaptors Ann Sonneville and Clint Sheffer.
Beth Henley Takes a ‘Laugh’ Break
After penning a dark, intense family drama, the Mississippi-born playwright started watching old silent comedies. The result: a frothy, flowery farce.
Set and Costume Designer David Zinn Goes Big, Keeps It Real
Whether working downtown at Target Margin, uptown on Broadway or out of state on an opera, Zinn wrestles with space and beautifies the awkward.
Editor’s Note for March 2015
Plays outside the theatre walls are the focus of our two main features; plays outside other theatrical traditions are the subjects of others.
A Thin Line Between Love and Hate in ‘The Good Book’
After taking on Homer with ‘An Iliad,’ Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare tackle the Bible for Chicago’s Court Theater—and find that the Scriptures can give as good as they get.
Tympanic Theatre Company Ties Plays to the Tracks (Album Tracks, That Is)
A Chicago troupe explores a new way to build short-play festivals around a theme: taking inspiration from seminal rock albums.
Women in Mind: The Muses That Moved Williams and Shakespeare
Tina Packer tracks the Bard’s growth via his female characters, and James Grissom tracks down divas who alternately inspired and frustrated Williams.
The Goodman Theatre Claims a Piece of August Wilson’s Ground
Director Chuck Smith curates an August Wilson Celebration, with readings of all 10 of the Century Cycle plays and little-heard Wilson poetry.
Bathsheba Doran, On the Trail of ‘The Mystery of Love & Sex’
Her new play unfolds like a detective story, which is only fitting, since the playwright doesn’t map out her work but discovers it as she writes.
