Stories of the Century

This year?s Young People?s Company Spring Story Theatre Festival will be entitled “Stories of the Century” and will feature twentieth century works focusing on the power of story and the spoken word.
“The Laughing Man” by JD Salinger and directed by Jen Green (Co-Director of the Company and Director of Never In My Lifetime at Piven Theatre) A young man?s knack for storytelling nurtures the imaginations of a group of young boys.

“The Giver” by Lois Lowry and directed by Nina Billone (Piven Theatre senior faculty and Performance Studies Major at Northwestern University) Set in the future, a young man from a utopian society is selected to be the receiver of memories.

“Two Words” by Isabelle Allende and directed by Rebecca Tennison (Co-Director of the Company and ensemble member of both The Red Moon Theatre and Theatre Dank) A young woman?s secret whisper transforms a lonely soldier into a lovesick president.

“Ghost Story”, an urban legend directed by Katey Hermes (Member of the Young People?s Company) The gossip of a neighborhood turns a strange event into a Chicago urban legend.

and ? “Without a Net”, directed by Byrne Piven. Using a different game as a point of departure, the company improvises a new story for each performance.