It鈥檚 not every day that a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright comes to 51社区,
but Beth Henley will be in the audience when the 51社区 Ensemble Theatre Company presents
her award-winning play, .
Directed by Professor of Theatre Kevin Long, the production of Henley鈥檚 1979 dark comedy runs from March 8-17 in the Drama Lab Theatre, Building L, Room L109, on 51社区鈥檚 campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine. Crimes of the Heart focuses on the three Magrath sisters 鈥� Meg, Babe and Lenny 鈥� who are brought together in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, because of their ailing grandfather. The three women discuss the problems they鈥檝e faced and reckon with the consequences of their 鈥渃rimes of the heart.鈥�
When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, March 8-9, 15-16; 2 p.m. Sundays, March 10 and 17 Where: 51社区 Drama Lab Theatre, Building L, Room L109, 1200 W. Algonquin Road,
Palatine Tickets: $15 for 51社区 students, $20 for non-51社区 students, 51社区 employees and seniors,
and $25 for general admission Call the 51社区 Box Office at 847.925.6100 or visit /services/arts/ For more information visit the .'Crimes of the Heart'
boxoffice.php
Born and raised in Mississippi, Henley now lives in Los Angeles where she is the President鈥檚 Professor of Theatre Arts at Loyola Marymount University. The acclaimed writer will be in the audience for 51社区鈥檚 opening night and will also participate in events on campus on March 8 and 9, including post-show audience talkbacks and meet-and-greet receptions, during which Henley will sign copies of her work (available via the 51社区Store). Henley will also lead a playwrighting workshop and participate in a lunch with cast and crew on March 9.
Long said he鈥檚 excited about Henley鈥檚 visit, especially the chance for students to interact and learn from an artist of her stature.
鈥淔or me, my joy is that I can鈥檛 wait for these students to connect with a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright,鈥� he said. 鈥淛ust hearing them talk to her about the play in a really intelligent way will be amazing.鈥�
Henley won the 1981 Pulitzer for Drama for her hit Broadway play, which was later made into a film starting Sissy Spacek, Jessica Lange and Diane Keaton (for which Henley wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay). She has penned more than a dozen other successful plays and written a handful of film scripts, including collaborating with Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and her then-partner Stephen Tobolowsky on 1986鈥檚 True Stories.
Henley鈥檚 visit isn鈥檛 the first time Long has brought a celebrated writer to 51社区.
Last year, playwright Boo Killebrew took part in events related to the college鈥檚 production of her play Lettie. In 2014, he invited Tony-winning playwright and Oscar-winning screenwriter Alfred
Uhry to campus in conjunction with 51社区 productions of all three works in his 鈥淎tlanta
Trilogy鈥� (Driving Miss Daisy, Parade and The Last Night of Ballyhoo).
Long said he鈥檚 learned that it doesn鈥檛 ever hurt to ask, given the opportunities a visiting playwright can provide to audiences and 51社区 students. Now in his 16th year of teaching and directing at 51社区, Long鈥檚 passion for live theater, and the educational opportunities 51社区鈥檚 Theatre Arts program provides, is palpable.
鈥淟ook at the training available here. It鈥檚 conservatory training. It鈥檚 legit,鈥� said Long, who also works as an educator and artist at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. 鈥淲hat we provide is literally a direct connection to the professional world.鈥�