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2023-24 Theatre Season

The School of Theatre Arts at Illinois Wesleyan proudly presents a professional-grade public production series each year. Performances take place on our campus in two venues: the Jerome Mirza Theatre at McPherson Hall and the E. Melba Johnson Kirkpatrick Laboratory Theatre in the theatre wing of Presser Hall.

Each of our productions are created, designed and performed by School of Theatre Arts students with support from faculty, staff and prestigious guest artists.

Tickets for fall productions will be available beginning Labor Day weekend. Contact the Box Office at (309) 556-3232 for more information or to be added to our mailing list.

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Mauritius promotional image

Mauritius

September 22-24, 2023  |  EMJK Laboratory Theatre

By Theresa Rebeck

Directed by Tom Quinn

Stamp collecting is far more risky than you think. After their mother’s death, two estranged half-sisters discover a book of rare stamps that may include the crown jewel for collectors. One sister tries to collect on the windfall, while the other resists for sentimental reasons. In this gripping tale, a seemingly simple sale becomes dangerous when three seedy, high-stakes collectors enter the sisters’ world, willing to do anything to claim the rare find as their own.

“Mauritius” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

 


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Carrie: The Musical

October 11-15, 2023  |  Jerome Mirza Theatre

Music by Michael Gore
Lyrics by Dean Pitchford
Book by Lawrence D. Cohen
Based on the novel by Stephen King

Directed by Scott Susong

Carrie White is a teenage outcast who longs to fit in. At school, she’s bullied by the popular crowd, and virtually invisible to everyone else. At home, she's dominated by her loving but cruelly controlling mother. What none of them know is that Carrie’s just discovered she’s got a special power, and if pushed too far, she’s not afraid to use it.

CARRIE THE MUSICAL is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com

 


 

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The Duchess of Malfi

November 15-19, 2023  |  Jerome Mirza Theatre

By John Webster

Directed by Dr. Michelle Gibbs

The Duchess of Malfi (originally published as The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy) is a Jacobean revenge tragedy written by English dramatist John Webster in 1612–1613. Published in 1623, the play is loosely based on events that occurred between 1508 and 1513 surrounding Giovanna d'Aragona, Duchess of Amalfi (d. 1511), whose father, Enrico d'Aragona, Marquis of Gerace, was an illegitimate son of Ferdinand I of Naples. As in the play, she secretly married Antonio Beccadelli di Bologna after the death of her first husband Alfonso I Piccolomini, Duke of Amalfi. The play begins as a love story, when the Duchess marries beneath her class, and ends as a nightmarish tragedy as her two brothers undertake their revenge, destroying themselves in the process.

 


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The Wolves

February 21-25, 2024  |  Jerome Mirza Theatre

By Sarah DeLappe

Directed by Dr. Chris Connelly

Left quad. Right quad. Lunge. A girls indoor soccer team warms up. From the safety of their suburban stretch circle, the team navigates big questions and wage tiny battles with all the vim and vigor of a pack of adolescent warriors. A portrait of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for nine American girls who just want to score some goals.

“The Wolves” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

 


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The Effect

March 22-24, 2024  |  EMJK Laboratory Theatre 

By Lucy Prebble

Directed by Kameran Rojas-Schueneman, Senior, BFA Acting

Hearts racing. Minds reeling. Knees buckling. Connie and Tristan have palpable chemistry—or is it a side effect of a new antidepressant? They are volunteers in a clinical trial, but their sudden and illicit romance forces the supervising doctors to face off over the ethical consequences of their work. The Effect, presented by Dramatists Play Service Inc., takes on our pill-popping culture with humor and scintillating drama.


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The Scarlet Pimpernel

April 10-14, 2024  |  Jerome Mirza Theatre

Book and Lyrics by Nan Knighton
Music by Frank Wildhorn
Based on the Novel “The Scarlet Pimpernel” by Baroness Orczy

Directed by Michael Hance

The Scarlet Pimpernel is a swashbuckling action/adventure musical, based on Baroness Orczy’s famous 20th-century novel about the French Revolution and the battle for Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. With an epic, sweeping book by Nan Knighton and a rousing and passionate score by Knighton and Frank Wildhorn, The Scarlet Pimpernel is a colorful window into 18th century French and British history. The show’s most popular numbers include “Into The Fire,” “When I Look At You,” “You Are My Home,” “She Was There,” and “I’ll Forget You.”

THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC.

 


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Jean Kerr - Associate Professor, Director of the School of Theatre Arts

Department - School Of Theatre Arts