The Hypocrites is proud to announce the return production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado adapted and directed by Founding Artistic Director Sean Graney. The Mikado will be remounted at the Steppenwolf Garage (1624 N Halsted St) this coming winter.
Here at ChiIL Live Shows we dig Sean Graney's vision and have long enjoyed and respected his direction. With Graney and Halena Kays at the helm, they've steered The Hypocrites right, and this troupe has become a top favorite of ours... and of the Jeff committee too.
The Mikado will open on November 17, 2013 at 4pm. Previews will take place on November 14, 15 & 16 at 8pm. There are 40 performances scheduled with evening performances at 8pm and matinees at 4pm. The Mikado will close on December 29, 2013. Ticket prices are $36 and can be purchased by visiting steppenwolf.org or by calling 312-335-1650. Running 80 minutes with no intermission, The Mikado is appropriate for audiences of all ages.
It is that time of year again for the return of The Hypocrites’ critically acclaimed Gilbert and Sullivan canon. After performing Pirates of Penzance for enthusiastic audiences both at the American Repertory Theatre (A.R.T.) in Boston the past two summers and at the Chopin Theatre for three years straight, The Hypocrites are excited to bring back Mikado, a beloved re-imagining of Gilbert & Sullivan’s famous operetta this winter. In January 2014, Pirates of Penzance will go on to perform at Actors Theatre of Louisville, home of the Humana Festival.
The Mikado features a talented cast of ten who act as their own orchestra. This production will feature unfathomable amounts of operetta hits and is intended to provide a summer-like secular experience for fun-loving Yule time ticket buyers.
The Hypocrites’ Mikado remount stars company members Robert McLean, Matt Kahler, Christine Stulik and Zeke Sulikes. They are joined by returning Mikado cast members: Shawn Pfautsch, Emily Casey, Erik Schroeder and Dana Omar as well as newcomers Jim DeSelm and Kate Carson-Groner. Matt Holzfeind and Lauren Vogel will be understudying multiple parts for this production.
Sean Graney has directed over 30 productions for The Hypocrites since 1997. He was a participant in the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors. He has won three Joseph Jefferson Citation awards for the Direction of Sophocles: Seven Sicknesses, Equus and Machinal. He has directed Edward II (Chicago Shakespeare), The Hairy Ape (Eugene O’Neill Festival at Goodman Theatre), The Comedy of Errors, The Mystery of Irma Vep and What the Butler Saw (Court Theatre),Yankee Tavern (Milwaukee Rep), The Elephant Man (Steppenwolf for Young Audiences) and is currently on fellowship at Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University
The creative team also includes Scenic Designer Michael Smallwood*, Properties Designer Maria DeFabo*, Lighting Designer Heather Gilbert, Choreographer Katie Spelman, Costume Designer Alison Siple* and Music Director Andra Velis Simon.
Founding Artistic Director Sean Graney* created The Hypocrites in 1997 and is currently run by Artistic Director Halena Kays* and Managing Director Megan Wildebour*. The Hypocrites are recognized as groundbreakers that defy the audience’s expectations. The company has grown significantly in the past few years, receiving acclaim for productions at Steppenwolf Garage (ThreePenny Opera and 4:48 Psychosis), Goodman Theatre, Museum of Contemporary Art, DCA Storefront and Chopin Theater. The company’s smash-hit production of Our Town, directed by David Cromer, transferred in 2009 to Off-Broadway, Los Angeles and Boston.
Pirates of Penzance has appeared at American Repertory Theatre twice and will enjoy another run at Actors Theatre of Louisville in 2014. American Theatre Wing, best known as the creator of the Tony Awards, presented The Hypocrites with one of the 2013 National Theatre Company awards this year. Upcoming shows in the 17th season include The Tennessee Williams Project at Chopin Theatre and Into the Woods, a co-production at Mercury Theater Chicago.
The Steppenwolf Garage is dedicated to new plays, emerging artists and millennial audiences for the American theater. It offers artists the opportunity to present their work with the scale, space and resources it merits. For audiences, it provides opportunities to engage in multigenerational conversation about the new, provocative work emerging from Chicago’s diverse and vibrant theater scene.
The Hypocrites’ 17th season is supported in part by American Theater Wing, The Alphawood Foundation, The Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council, The Jordan & Jean Nerenberg Fund for the Future, Peoples Gas and a grant from the WPB, the Special Service Area for the Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods.
*=denotes company member
