ILLINOIS CENTRAL COLLEGE THEATRE SEASON OPENS WITH SIX PERFORMANCES OF THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES SEPT. 23
The Illinois Central College Theatre Program 2016-2017 season of four shows
gets underway with the comedy farce The House of Blue Leaves, which
opens on September 23 for six performances in the main stage theatre of the ICC
Performing Arts Center, located on the East Peoria Campus.
Written by John Guare, The House
of Blue Leaves takes place in 1965 on a day when the Pope visits the home
borough of a middle-aged zookeeper. The show portrays events that take place in
the main character’s family on this day, which turns out to be an explosive
combination of a lifetime of dreams and realities.
The show takes place September
23-25 and September 30-October 2. Performances on Fridays and Saturdays begin
at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees begin at 2:30 pm.
The lead character in The House
of Blue Leaves, Artie Shaughnessy, is a songwriter with visions of glory.
He toils by day as a zookeeper and suffers in seedy lounges by night, plying
his wares at piano bars in Queens, N.Y., where he lives with his wife. On the
day the Pope is making his first visit to the city, Artie's son goes AWOL from
Fort Dix, stowing a homemade bomb intended to blow up the Pope in Yankee
Stadium. Mix in a mistress along with a visiting
school-chum-turned-successful-Hollywood-producer with his starlet girlfriend in
tow, the protagonist’s promise of glory evaporates amid the chaos of ordinary
lives.
Cast members in The House of
Blue Leaves, their roles and their hometowns include: Austin Shaw of
Washington as Artie Shaughnessy; Andrew Gray of Washington as Ronnie
Shaughnessy; Vanessa Hesh of Pekin as Bunny Flingus; Gillian Strachan of East
Peoria as Bananas Shaughnessy; Amilia Dierks of Morton as Corrinna Stroller;
Brit Pearl of Hannah City as Head Nun; Daisy Breitbarth of Metamora as Second
Nun; Cass Bermijo of Green Bay, Wisc., as Little Nun; Alek President of
Rushville as M.P.; Nate Elder of Dunlap as The White Man; and Francis Drew of
Peoria as Billy Einhorn.
The ICC production is directed by
Doug Rosson. The show is rated PG-13 for adult themes and is produced by
special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.
Tickets cost $7 for the general
public and $5 for students and senior citizens.
The show is the first of four in
the 2016-2017 ICC theatre season. Other shows include:
·
Murder at Café Noir by David Landau, a comedic “whodunit” tribute
to the Bogart era which includes audience interaction/participation and four
special Friday and Saturday “dinner theatre” performances. Nine performances
between November 11-20 in the studio theatre. Rated G for all audiences.
·
The Bone House by Marty Chan, a bone-chilling and suspenseful,
immersive thriller which delves in to the public’s fascination with serial
killers. Six performances between February 24-March 5 in the mainstage theatre.
Rated R, no one under 18 admitted.
·
Suburbia by Eric Bogosian, a young, tough suburban drama
examining the lives of a group of rage- and angst-ridden 20-somethings in a
small town. Eight performances between April 14-23 in the studio theatre. Rated
R for adult themes and language.
Tickets for all shows
other than the dinner theatre performances of Murder at Café Noir cost
$7 for the general public and $5 for students and senior citizens. The four
dinner theatre performances of Murder at Café Noir begin at 6:30 pm on
only the Fridays and Saturdays during the run of this show. All tickets to the
dinner theatre performances cost $20 per person and include a buffet-style
meal. Tickets for these four dinner theatre performances must be purchased at
least four days in advance. A menu is available at http://icc.edu/arts/news/noir/.
Season tickets cost $24
for the general public and $16 for students and senior citizens. Season ticket
purchasers who choose to attend a dinner theatre performance of Murder at
Café Noir must pay an additional $15 per person for the dinner.
For tickets or more information, visit ArtsAtICC.com or call the ICC Performing Arts Center Box Office at (309) 694-5136.
For tickets or more information, visit ArtsAtICC.com or call the ICC Performing Arts Center Box Office at (309) 694-5136.
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