This ever-popular farce concerns the predicament of a man who must face his imperious and jealous wives when they return from the afterlife to haunt him. “It is the last word in witty repartee of the most civilized kind---the sort of thing Noel Coward was known for, and nobody did better.” To anyone familiar with the great Noel Coward, this statement, obviously, describes one of his most popular plays, namely, Blithe Spirit, with which INDEPENDENT PLAYERS will close its 39th [...]
In its continual attempt to produce an ever widening selection of traditional and contemporary theatre, Independent Players continues its 39th Season with the poignant play Eleemosynary, by Lee Blessing, Fridays and Saturdays, March 3-4, 10-11, 17-18, 2017 at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division Street, Elgin. Curtain time is 8 PM. The title, Eleemosynary which may seem illusive, is derived from the Greek word for “alms” and in English is defined as “charitable.” In this play, Blessing examines the subtle [...]
Throughout its 38 years of producing plays and musicals, INDEPENDENT PLAYERS has featured the works of many well-known late 20th Century playwrights. One such playwright, who was often considered but never produced to date, is Christopher Durang. Somehow, “one of the most explosively funny American dramatists” slipped through the cracks, but that is about to change with the first show of IP’s 39th Season. Beginning Friday September 30th and continuing through Sunday, October 9th, IP will present what are perhaps [...]
At last year’s Elgin Fringe Festival, INDEPENDENT PLAYERS presented Eugene Ionesco’s The Bald Soprano, which was written in 1950 and was the first “absurdist” play. Once again at this year’s EFF, IP is stepping back into the past---1964---when it presents Calm Down Mother by Megan Terry whom leading drama scholar Helene Keyssar has referred to as “the mother of American feminist theater.” This “identification” is clearly evident based on the incredibly prolific body of dramatic work she produced from [...]
Presently (May 13-28), INDEPENDENT PLAYERS is presenting Wendy Wasserstein’s last play Third at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division Street, Elgin Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 PM. Directed by Larry Boller, it stars Lori Rohr, Ben Slabik, JoAnn Smith, Molly Wagner and Richard Westphal. Larry has assembled an exemplary cast--all are excellent!--and they are presenting a great performance each evening. In her short career, Wasserstein wrote 11 plays, three of which---Isn’t It Romantic, The Heidi Chronicles [...]
It appears that the INDEPENDENT PLAYERS’ 2015-2016 Season is shaking out to be all about women! Truth be told, it is a season in which IP is doing shows which have been on its “to do” list for a number of years and just didn’t get done because other shows precluded them and found their way into past IP seasons. The interesting thing about the season is that the shows are very different from each other, but they represent [...]
Independent Players continues its 38th Season with The Octette Bridge Club by P. J. Barry, a thoroughly delightful chronicle of family life, set in 1934, which Allan Wallach, in Newsday, called “a sentimental group portrait … as nostalgic as a Saturday Evening Post cover.” The play concerns eight Irish-American and very Roman Catholic sisters in Providence, Rhode Island, who meet every other Friday night for home-baked pie, titillating gossip, banter and bridge. The first act takes place in 1934, [...]
When the cast finished its successful run of LOVE4 on Saturday, October 10 with a standing ovation, INDEPENDENT PLAYERS had successfully presented its first musical revue since 1994. From the solid response it received from its audiences throughout the run, everyone involved knew that this had been a very special three weeks. Praise for the talent and professionalism of the entire cast was consistent night after night, and audience members, some of whom were seeing IP for the first time, [...]
Having been a part of the Elgin Fringe Fest, actors and director agree that it was worth the work that went into mounting Ionesco’s The Bald Soprano was both very worthwhile and satisfying to all. The entire cast consisted of actors who had graced the IP stage in past seasons: August Conte appeared in seven productions including Uncle Vanya and The Royal Family; Beth Hitzeroth-McDonald appeared in five productions (including The Club [twice] and Waiting in the Wings); Patrick [...]
After several years of seeking funding for the design and development of a website, followed by serious discussion, planning and implementation, INDEPENDENT PLAYERS is proud and excited to launch its new website. Now, as it begins its 38th Season, IP is realizing its dream to be able to more effectively spread the word about what it is currently doing (as well as what it has done in the past) in a really big way. For 37 years, IP has [...]
