Bailiwick Repertory Theatre 18th Annual Directors Festival: Adaptations

Bailiwick Repertory Theatre presents the third segment of its 18th Annual Directors Festival. The event highlights premieres of non-theatrical works adapted for the stage by some of Chicago’s finest directors. The adapted works stem from sources as varied as the Bible, novelist Toni Morrison, an Inuit folk tale, and former Vice President Dan Quayle. The festival takes place in the Studio Theater of The Bailiwick Arts Center.

WEEK 1: May 2, 3 and 4 at 7:30 p.m.

The Values That Americans Live By: A Piece of Theater, directed by Aaron Kahn
This surrealistic examination of L. Robert Kohl’s novel of the same name features a mock panel discussion conducted by the fictional Laboratory for Enthusiastic Collaboration. The bold new show is a riveting and hilarious look at pop culture that touches on everything from self-help seminars to America’s obsession with Frank Sinatra.

Ss, directed by Elizabeth Margolius
A modern adaptation of the unique works of Franz Kafka and Homer. In a space somewhere between a modern business office and a primitive watery voyage, two well-dressed businessmen find themselves preparing for an unforgettable journey while engaged in a conversation that ultimately defines their uncanny ability to avoid what lies before them.

Sula, directed by Jocelyn Prince
A bittersweet examination of friendship and womanhood, Sula follows the lives of two women who grow up together in a small Ohio town. One goes to college in the big city and returns home ten years later as an independent woman, comfortable in her sexual freedom. The other stays in her hometown, marries and has children. As they challenge each other with their sharply divergent lives and different views of womanhood, their once inseparable bond faces destruction.

WEEK TWO: May 9, 10 and 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Dan Speaks, directed by Doug Long
A hilarious adaptation of two short stories by author Michael Martone. Narrated by an actor playing Dan Quayle, Dan Speaks is a political comedy of epic proportions.

Jenny Aloo,directed by Jemma Alix Levy
An unforgettable story based on Inuit legend. On Toby Sprague’s first day as stationmaster at a Manitoba train station, a jukebox mistakenly arrives. Jenny Aloo, a local Eskimo, becomes convinced that her missing son is trapped inside. As a blizzard descends, the town must come to terms with Jenny’s fervent belief and the chain of events it sets in motion.

Inventing Eve, directed by Irène Hodes
An inspired performance of movement and literature, this collaborative piece createdby an ensemble of theater artists, is adapted and translated from the Old Testament. The role of women in the Bible is examined, scrutinized, and ultimately put to the test in this ambitious project.