Lifeline Theatre Announces Monumental 40th Anniversary Season

Chicago IL

14 June, 2022

4:07 PM

Description

Lifeline Theatre Artistic Director Ilesa Duncan and the artistic ensemble announce their 40th season of Big Stories, Up Close. It's a monumental year of unforgettable stories brought to life, from beloved classics to modern titles. Lifeline Theatre is known for exploring, interpreting, and reimagining books and other literary works to create stories that move us beyond the margins of our own lives. The 2022-23 MainStage season features the Midwest premiere sequel Miss Holmes Returns, followed by a retelling of Dr. Endesha Ida Mae Holland's From the Mississippi Delta. The KidSeries season opens with our musical adaptation of Doreen Cronin's bestseller Dooby Dooby Moo; followed by the world premiere of Extra Yarn. Additionally, Lifeline Theatre will produce the 26th annual Fillet of Solo Festival, a three-week, multi-venue solo performance and storytelling festival, as well as the 2nd Annual Adaptation Development Showcase featuring new playwrights and their world premiere works. New memberships offer a variety of ways to interact with Lifeline. Being a Lifeline Member allows patrons to save up to 34% off regular ticket prices; offers discounts on additional tickets; offers discounts to drama camp registration; offers discounts on Lifeline merchandise, and gives first choice of seats with unlimited free ticket exchanges. Season memberships for the 2022-2023 MainStage and KidSeries seasons go on sale Tuesday, July 5 at 10 a.m.. To purchase season memberships or for more information call the Lifeline Theatre Box Office at 773-761-4477, or visit www.lifelinetheatre.com. —------------ The 2022-2023 MainStage Season Includes: Miss Holmes Returns, August 26–October 16, 2022 (opens 9/6/22, 7:30 p.m.) Miss Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Dorothy Watson are back on the case! After a string of successes in assisting Scotland Yard, a seemingly clear-cut murder case finds itself at the detective's feet. The powers that be know for certain the murderer was a young woman of immigrant heritage, but Holmes and Watson aren't as sure. Can they find the truth before the authorities catch and convict their suspect? The game is afoot in this provocative Midwest premiere sequel to the hit play Miss Holmes, based on familiar characters from the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. From the Mississippi Delta, April 28–June 18, 2023 (opens 5/8/23, 7:30 p.m.) Based on her memoir of the same title, Dr. Endesha Ida Mae Holland recounts her 20 year journey from humble beginnings in Greenwood, Mississippi to achieving her Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. Directed by Lifeline Artistic Director Ilesa Duncan (Neverwhere [2018], Middle Passage), experience a story of triumph in the face of extreme adversity that expertly weaves through the trials and tribulations of Dr. Holland's life relayed through the bodies and voices of only 3 actors, all in tribute to one of America's unsung "sheroes." The 2022-2023 KidSeries Season Includes: Dooby Dooby Moo, November 12–December 11, 2022 (opens 11/13/22, 1 p.m.) The County Fair is coming, and the grand prize in the talent competition is a trampoline! Duck wants that prize, but with Farmer Brown watching around every corner, how will he hold singing and dancing rehearsals for Cow, Pig and Ewe? Hop aboard Farmer Brown's truck and travel to the fair with this hit musical about sharing your talents and reaching for your dreams. From the team that brought you Giggle, Giggle Quack and Duck for President. Extra Yarn, February 18–March 19, 2023 (opens 2/19/23, 1 p.m.) World Premiere While her parents work tirelessly at the local factory, Annabelle discovers a small wooden box in the snow filled with yarn that seemingly never ends. Armed with her love of friends and family, and her grandmother's knitting needles, she effortlessly knits sweaters for the whole town! But the Archduke isn't too pleased and will stop at nothing to get that never-ending yarn for himself. Bundle up with the discovery of family, friendship, and fighting for what's right in this world premiere musical by the team that brought you We Found a Hat. Lifeline continues its popular "Book Club Add-ons," which include copies of both source books for the MainStage season (a hardcover version of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and From the Mississippi Delta), or copies of both source books for the KidSeries season (a paperback version of Dooby Dooby Moo and a hardcover version of Extra Yarn). Read the books beforehand and then experience Lifeline's adaptation. An additional add-on for KidSeries Subscriptions is admission to one "Stories Come Alive!" hour during each KidSeries production for only $10. These hour-long sessions (running Saturdays and Sundays at 12 p.m., between regularly-scheduled KidSeries performances) feature readings, on-your-feet drama games, and fun to supplement the KidSeries productions. Plus: The 26th Annual Fillet of Solo Festival, January 2023 Celebrating the breadth of Chicago's enduring storytelling and Live Lit scene, Lifeline brings together numerous solo performers and storytelling collectives for a three-week, multi-venue selection of powerful personal stories. The 2nd Annual Adaptation Development Showcase, July 2023 Lifeline Theatre is invested in bringing new and diverse voices to its stage. As a new work company specializing in literary adaptation, we believe playwrights and those who adapt books and literature to the stage need time and resources to develop their work. This BIPOC-focused adaptation workshop and showcase seeks to support and get to know more writers and other artists of color. Lifeline Theatre is located at 6912 N. Glenwood Ave. in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood. Lifeline is accessible by CTA (Red Line Morse stop/busses) and free parking is available at Sullivan High School (6631 N Bosworth Ave, lot located on the corner of Albion and Bosworth) with free shuttle service before and after the show. Street parking is also available. Lifeline is accessible to wheelchair users and visitors who need to avoid stairs. Founded in 1982, Lifeline is known for staging innovative adaptations of great works of fiction as well as commissioning original work. In 1987, Lifeline added KidSeries plays for children and families, and has been producing full seasons of programming for both adults and children ever since. Over the course of thirty-nine seasons and over two hundred productions, Lifeline Theatre has made not only an indelible mark on the Chicago theatre scene, but an invaluable contribution to the theatre world at large. Lifeline's dedicated artistic ensemble has developed one hundred and forty-six world premiere literary adaptations and original plays, nearly forty of which have had a life beyond their Lifeline premieres, with over three hundred subsequent productions spread across over forty U.S. states, six Canadian provinces, plus productions in England, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and Guatemala. Additionally, four scripts developed at Lifeline Theatre have gone on to U.S. national tours, and over a dozen have been published. Lifeline Theatre has garnered a total of fifty-three Jeff Awards (Equity and Non-Equity), including sixteen for New Adaptation, New Musical, or New Work.