Lookingglass Theatre presents The Last Act of Lilka Kadison
Lookingglass Theatre Company, in association with Abbie Phillips, presents the World Premiere of The Last Act of Lilka Kadison, an original story about a spirited woman in the twilight of her life, written by Nicola Behrman, Ensemble Member David Kersnar, Abbie Phillips, and Ensemble Members Heidi Stillman and Andrew White; David Kersnar directs. The production runs June 1 - July 24, 2011 at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. The press opening is Saturday June 11 at 7:30pm.
The Last Act of Lilka Kadison is inspired by the life and work of Johanna Cooper and the Public Radio International series One People, Many Stories.
At age seventeen, Lilka Kadison flees Poland on the eve of World War II. Seventy years later in America, she's spending her afternoon hassling her son, wrestling her caregiver, and arguing with the ghost who keeps rearranging her furniture-and her memories. Join Lookingglass on this journey about the power of story, humor, and grace in the face of danger.
Script development and production of The Last Act of Lilka Kadison is funded by a generous grant from the Righteous Persons Foundation. This play is a recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award. Additional support provided by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. Inaugural consortium support provided by Board Member Richard Ditton.
"Simultaneously haunting and hilarious, The Last Act of Lilka Kadison presents four characters, each with very different stories and secrets. They all must grapple with whether to reveal those secrets and to whom, and it is this grappling, their wrestling with hidden truths, that I believe our audiences will find meaningful and powerful," says Artistic Director Andrew White. "Lilka is a great way to complete a season that has been about the central role that story plays, and the power it has, during our different seasons of life."
The Last Act of Lilka Kadison features Usman Ally (Menelik Kahn), Chance Bone (Ben Ari Adler), Nora Fiffer (Lilka Kadison), and Marilyn Dodds Frank (Lilith Fisher).
Designers include Jacqueline and Richard Penrod, scenic; Mara Blumenfeld, costume; Christine Binder, lighting; Rick Sims, sound design/composition; and William Anderson, properties; and Tracy Otwell, toy theater designer.
Tickets are available online, www.lookingglasstheatre.org; by phone, (312) 337-0665; or at the Lookingglass Theatre box office, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson.