The 2007-08 Season.

For booking shows at Apple Tree, The Gorton Center, or Theatre Building Chicago, call (847) 432-8223.

For booking shows at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, call Joel Friend at (847) 577-5982, ext. 241. Prices and performance times may vary.

Number the Stars
October 10-November 2, 2007

Let the Circle Be Unbroken
February 4-27, 2008

The Giver
April 8-18, 2008

Number the Stars Based on the novel by Lois Lowry
Set in Denmark while under Nazi occupation, Annemarie Johansen is faced with her biggest challenge yet. As the Nazis begin to round up the Jews for relocation, it is up to Annemarie and her family to help Ellen Rosen and her family escape Denmark to the safety of Sweden before time is up. In this brilliant adaptation of the Newberry Award winning book by Lois Lowry, the courage, faith, and determination of Danish citizens are tested, as they are the only hope for the Jewish community to survive. Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, Arlington Heights (October 10-19, 2007) Apple Tree Theatre, Highland Park (October 24-27, 2007) The Gorton Community Center, Lake Forest (October 31-November 2, 2007) Special public performance at Apple Tree Theatre: Saturday, October 27 at 12:30 p.m. Cast: Gracie Brandt, Melissa Channick, Aliya Charney, Rebecca Coren Chris Hart, Dale Hawes, Jarrah Korba, Hannah Lacava Emily Leahy, David Marcotte, Darrelyn Marx, Rosie Newton Steve Ratcliff, Luke Renn Production Photos:
Let the Circle Be Unbroken Based on the novel by Mildred D. Taylor

This sequel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry follows the fortunes and misfortunes of the Logans, a black family in the South, during the Depression. Tackling the tough issues of racism and intolerance, Let the Circle Be Unbroken deals with the issues of racial inter-marriage and the impact of a crumbling economy on family life. This play provides insight into a poignant period in our country's history and life in the 1930s.

Apple Tree Theatre, Highland Park
(February 4-9, 2008)

The Gorton Center, Lake Forest
(February 13-15, 2008)

Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, Arlington Heights
(February 18-27, 2008)

Special public performance at Apple Tree Theatre:
Saturday, February 9 at 12:30 p.m.

Cast:

Cecil Burroughs, Corey Cantrell, Kay Capasso, Jackson Challinor

Brett Collins, Robyn Daniels, Gregory Franklin, Dale Hawes

Paul Jackson, Dennis Jeanpierre, Jr., Kristy Johnson, C. Elise LeBrun

Scott Mills, Zekur Stewart

Highlights from the Daily Herald article by Eileen O. Daday

In a gritty scene from Mildred Taylor's book, "Let the Circle Be Unbroken," a black man -- the father of a biracial teen -- is forced to strip to his underwear by white teenagers.

It is the 1930s in the South, and his daughter had tried to pass herself off as white, which spurred the attack.

On Tuesday, sixth-graders watching the play, the sequel to Taylor's "Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry," unfold were visibly shaken, shouting out: "No, no" as the young white man threatened to lynch the older black man.

The climactic scene played out right in front of the students on the apron of the intimate stage at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights, and it made an impact on the students from Grove Junior High School in Elk Grove Village.

"It was pretty strong," said Collin Rogers, 12, of Elk Grove. "They were really discriminated against, but I don't see that happening around here."

Grove Junior High Assistant Principal Emily Woemmel, said she did not find the realism of the scene unsettling.

"I'm glad they didn't hold back," Woemmel said. "It's good for the kids to see, and realize that in some parts of the country, things haven't changed."

Sixth-grader Ambrielle Hubbard, 12, of Elk Grove Village shot up her hand immediately after the performance.

She was the last student to get in a question during a Q&A session with the cast from Apple Tree Theatre.

"Did you perform all of the book," she wanted to know, or, in other words, why did they leave so much out.

Cast members explained they could not include all of the characters and had to trim the plot into a one-hour version that would keep the attention of students.

Like other students in the audience, Hubbard said she identified with the lead character of Cassie, the central character whose family faces discrimination and bigotry in their small Mississippi town in the 1930s.

"She's the one that tries to make sense of everything, to understand what they're talking about," Hubbard says. "I like her attitude, how she stands up for things, and doesn't back down."

As the play progresses, Hubbard and her classmates watch as Cassie and her family emerge as survivors, finding self-respect and strength in one another, while taking pride in their heritage.

Cast members struggled to keep up with the number of hands that shot up with questions. One query particularly intrigued them: What inspired you to be in this play?

Cecil Burroughs, who plays the role of the father who struggles to keep his family together despite the hard times of the Depression and the rising racial tensions, responded.

"That's a very good question," he said. "I found this play to be very powerful and very touching, and definitely a story I wanted to be part of and wanted to tell."

Grove Junior High School officials said this was their first field trip to a Metropolis play, but it likely would not be their last.

"We were looking for a cultural experience, and a story that would fit into our curriculum," Woemmel said. "We didn't think of the tie-in with Black History Month, but that makes it even better."

They weren't alone. Metropolis officials said Grove Junior High was one of 21 schools -- 2,200 students -- booked to see the show during it's two-week run in town, coming locally from Mount Prospect, Hoffman Estates, Streamwood, Lake Zurich, Long Grove, Round Lake Heights, Roselle, Wood Dale, Elgin and Cary.

Production Photos:

The Giver Based on the novel by Lois Lowry

Back by popular demand! In a utopian community where there are no choices-where everyone has his or her place in the world assigned according to gifts and interests-the time has come for 12-year-old jonas to become the new Receiver of memory. He will be the one to bear the collective memories of a society that lives only in the present, where "Sameness" is the rule. But Jonas soon recognizes the losses and discovers the lie that supports his community. He decides he will change his world-but he cannot predict how that change will come about, or what that schange will mean for himself and the "newchild" Gabriel, whom he has resolved to protect.

Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, Arlington Heights
(April 8-17, 2008)

Cast:

Mickey Croker, Aaron Holland, Charlie Jensen

Jenna Johnson, Maggie Kettering

Production Photos:

Call today to book your show! (847) 432-8223.

For booking shows at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, call Joel Friend at (847) 577-5982, ext. 241. Prices and performance times may vary.