The Illinois State University School of Theatre and Dance presents the fall 2022 production season. Performances will be held on the campus of Illinois State University with location, dates, and times listed for each show below.
Fall 2022
Mother Courage and Her Children
Written by Bertolt Brecht
Translated by Eric Bentley
Directed by Sanhawich Meateanuwat
September 29–30 and October 1 at 7:30 p.m.
October 1–2 at 2 p.m.
Illinois State University, Center for the Performing Arts Theatre
Widely considered one of the great dramatic creations of the modem stage, Mother Courage and Her Children is Bertolt Brecht’s most passionate and profound statement against war. Set in the seventeenth century, the play follows Anna Fierling (“Mother Courage”), an itinerant trader, as she pulls her wagon of wares and her children through the blood and carnage of Europe’s religious wars. Battered by hardships, brutality, and the degradation and death of her children, she ultimately finds herself alone with the one thing in which she truly believes—her ramshackle wagon with its tattered flag and freight of boots and brandy. Fitting herself in its harness, the old woman manages, with the last of her strength, to drag it onward to the next battle. In the enduring figure of Mother Courage, Bertolt Brecht has created one of the most extraordinary characters in literature.
Middletown
Written by Will Eno
Directed by Derek Munson
October 7–8 and 12–15 at 7:30 p.m.
October 9 at 2 p.m.
Illinois State University, Westhoff Theatre
Middletown is a deeply moving and funny play exploring the universe of a small American town. As a friendship develops between longtime resident John Dodge and new arrival Mary Swanson, the lives of the inhabitants of Middletown intersect in strange and poignant ways in a journey that takes them from the local library to outer space and points between.
Bonnie & Clyde: the Musical
Music by Frank Wildhorn
Lyrics by Don Black
Book by Ivan Menchell
Directed by María Amenábar Farias
November 3–5 at 7:30 p.m.
November 5–6 at 2 p.m.
Illinois State University, Center for the Performing Arts Theatre
At the height of the Great Depression, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow went from two small-town nobodies in West Texas to America’s most renowned folk heroes and Texas law enforcement’s worst nightmares.
When Bonnie and Clyde meet, their mutual cravings for excitement and fame immediately set them on a mission to chase their dreams. Their bold and reckless behavior turns the young lovers’ thrilling adventure into a downward spiral, putting themselves and their loved ones in trouble with the law. Forced to stay on the run, the lovers resort to robbery and murder to survive. As the infamous duo’s fame grows bigger, their inevitable end draws nearer.
Arbor Falls
Written by Caridad Svich
Directed by Robert Quinlan
November 11–12 and 15–17 at 7:30 p.m.
November 12–13 at 2 p.m.
Illinois State University, Westhoff Theatre
In a small town called Arbor Falls, a preacher wrestles with their faith as they try to hold onto the last vestiges of a church with barely a congregation to call its own. Into this town arrives a traveler whose presence exposes the spiritual and moral values upon which it stands. Arbor Falls is part of the American Psalm seven-play cycle that began with Red Bike.
Fall Dance Concert: interACTION
Artistic Director Darby Wilde
December 2 and 3 at 7:30 p.m.
December 3 and 4 at 2 p.m.
Illinois State University, Center for the Performing Arts Theatre
Tickets for School of Theatre and Dance performances can be purchased in person at the Center for the Performing Arts Box Office on the campus of Illinois State University, by calling (309) 438-2535 or online.
If you need an accommodation to fully participate in this program/event, call the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts Box Office at (309) 438-2535. Please allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.
