Citadel Theatre’s programming for 2023-24 will include a four-show subscription season, and two all-family musicals. Co-Artistic Directors Scott Phelps and Ellen Phelps announced the full season schedule today.
Leading off the subscription season will be their production of the world’s longest running play – Agatha Christie’s murder mystery THE MOUSETRAP, which except for the COVID hiatus has played continuously in London’s West End since 1952. Scott Westerman, director of Citadel’s recent production of THE CHRISTIANS, will direct. THE MOUSETRAP will open on Friday, September 15 following previews on September 13 and 14, and play through October 15, 2023.
The company’s holiday show will be the much-loved musical SHE LOVES ME, by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, songwriters of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. SHE LOVES ME premiered on Broadway in 1963 and has been revived on Broadway twice. It follows the story of two quarrelling co-writers in a Budapest perfumery. Unaware that they are anonymous pen pals, they have fallen in love with each other through their letters. All is revealed by the time the shop closes on Christmas Eve. The musical is based on a Hungarian play that was also adapted into the films THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME, and YOU’VE GOT MAIL. Matthew Silar, director of Citadel’s 2022 LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, returns to Citadel to helm this holiday musical.SHE LOVES ME will open on November 17, 2023 (following previews on November 15 and 16) and play through December 17, 2023.
Beth Wolf, nominated in the 2022 Jeff Awards – Equity wing for her direction of Citadel’s OUTSIDE MULLINGAR (nominated for Best Production of a Play – Midsize) returns to direct Lauren Gunderson’s SILENT SKY - a drama celebrating the contributions of Henrietta Leavitt and other 19th century female astronomers who, because of their gender, were not recognized at the time for their work. SILENT SKY will open on Friday, February 16 (following previews on February 14 and 15) and play through Sunday, March 17, 2024.
Citadel’s subscription season will close with the musical BABY, which explores the painful, rewarding and agonizingly funny consequences of the universal experience of pregnancy and upcoming parenthood through the stories of three expectant couples. Scott Shallenbarger, whose career has included a long tenure as Director of Theatre Arts at Highland Park High School and professional directing projects with such companies as Piven Theatre Workshop, Raven Theatre, and Hubris Productions, will direct the musical, which will open on Friday, April 19, following previews on April 17 and 18 and play through Sunday, May 19, 2024.
Season subscriptions are available for the full four-show season at $120.00 or as flex passes that can be used for the patron’s choice of three shows for $100.00 or two shows for $70.00. Subscriptions and single tickets are now on sale at www.citadeltheatre.org.
In addition to the four-show subscription season, Citadel Theatre will mount two musicals for family audiences, both directed by Gregg Dennhardt, director of Citadel’s Theatre for Young Audiences musicals JUNIE B. JONES, WINNIE-THE-POOH, and most recently, JUNIOR CLAUS. The first will be an original musical adaptation of SNOW WHITE, with book, music and lyrics by Chicago-based songwriter and musician Mark Adamczyk, to be performed outdoors at Lake Forest Open Lands (350 N Waukegan Rd. Lake Forest, IL 60045) on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from July 21 - 30, 2023. For holiday week – December 20 - 31, Dennhardt will also direct ELEANOR’S VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS WISH. The musical by Chicagoans Denise McGowan-Tracy and Kathleen Butler-Duplessis premiered in Chicago in 2019 and has been produced around the US since.
Citadel Theatre is in residence in the West Campus of the Lake Forest School District at 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. Further information and ticketing is available on the company’s website at www.citadeltheatre.org.
LISTING INFORMATION
SNOW WHITE – AN ORIGINAL MUSICAL
Book, music, lyrics by Mark Adamczyk
Directed by Gregg Dennhardt
Friday, July 21 – Sunday, July 30, 2023
Fridays at 6 pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 3 pm and 6 pm
Lake Forest Open Lands, 350 N Waukegan Rd. Lake Forest, IL 60045
Tickets available online at www.citadeltheatre.org or by phone at 847-735-8554, ext. 1
$15 per ticket
An outdoor theatre experience for the whole family! Join us at Lake Forest Open Lands (350 N. Waukegan Rd. Lake Forest, IL 60045) for this original musical adventure. Bring a chair or blanket...as well as a picnic basket!
THE MOUSETRAP
by Agatha Christie
Directed by Scott Westerman
Friday, September 15 – Sunday, October 15, 2023
(Previews September 13 and 14 @ 7:30 pm)
PRESS OPENING Friday, September 15 at 7:30 pm
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sunday matinees at 3 pm, Saturday matinee at 2 pm on Oct. 7, Wednesday matinees at 1 pm on Sept. 20 and 27. No performances Fridays, Sept. 22 and 29.
Preview ticket prices $20. Regular run prices Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays $40; Saturdays and Sundays $45.00. Discounts available for groups, seniors and students.
Citadel Theatre, located in the West Campus building of the Lake Forest School District, 300 S. Waukegan Rd., Lake Forest, IL.
Tickets available online at www.citadeltheatre.org or by phone at 847-735-8554, ext. 1
After a local woman is murdered, the guests and staff at Monkswell Manor find themselves stranded during a snowstorm. It soon becomes clear that the killer is among them, and the seven strangers grow increasingly suspicious of one another. When a second murder takes place, tensions and fears escalate. THE MOUSETRAP is the longest running play of all time, having played continuously in London’s West End since October 1952.
SHE LOVES ME
Music by Jerry Bock, Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, Book by Joe Masteroff
Based on a play by Miklós László
Directed by Matthew Silar
Friday, November 17 – Sunday, December 17, 2023
(Previews November 15-16 @ 7:30 pm)
Press Opening Friday, November 17 at 7:30 pm
Thursdays*, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sunday matinees at 3 pm. Wednesday matinees at 1 pm on November 22 and December 6.
* No shows on Thursdays November 23 (Thanksgiving Day) or December 7.
Preview ticket prices $20. Regular run prices Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays $40; Saturdays and Sundays $45.00. Discounts available for groups, seniors and students. Citadel Theatre, located in the West Campus building of the Lake Forest School District, 300 S. Waukegan Rd., Lake Forest, IL. Tickets available online at www.citadeltheatre.org or by phone at 847-735-8554, ext. 1
In a 1930s European perfumery, clerks Amalia and Georg rarely see eye to eye. After both respond to a "lonely hearts advertisement" in the newspaper, they now live for the love letters that they exchange, but the identity of their admirers remains unknown until all is revealed on Christmas Eve. Based on the play PARFUMERIE, which was also the basis for the films THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME, and YOU’VE GOT MAIL.
ELEANOR’S VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS WISH – THE MUSICAL
Book and Lyrics by Denise McGowan Tracy, Music and Lyrics by Kathleen Butler-Duplessis
Directed by Gregg Dennhardt
December 22 – 31, 2023
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
- Weds., 12/20 at 6:00pm
- Thurs., 12/21 at 6:00pm
- Fri 12/22 10:00am and 1:00pm
- Sat 12/23 10:00am and 1:00pm
- Tues 12/26 10:00am and 1:00pm
- Weds. 12/27 10:00am and1:00pm,
- Thurs 12/28 10:00am
- Fri 12/29 10:00am and 1:00pm
- Sat 12/30 10:00am and 1:00pm
- Sun 12/31 10:00am and 1:00pm.
“My very merry Christmas wish is to have a best friend and home of my own,” wrote Eleanor, a rag doll who lives at the North Pole, in a personal letter to Santa. Although she loved living with Santa, Mrs. Claus, the elves and reindeer in their glistening, magical world, Eleanor knew that every toy should belong to a special boy or girl. With the help of her North Pole family, Eleanor learns that wishing alone is simply not enough to truly make your dreams come true.
SILENT SKY
By Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Beth Wolf
Friday, February 16 - Sunday, March 17, 2024
(Previews February 14 and 15 @ 7:30 pm)
Press Opening Friday, February 16 at 7:30 pm
Thursdays*, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sunday matinees at 3 pm. Wednesday matinees at 1 pm on February 21 and March 6.
*No performances on Thursdays February 22 and March 7.
Preview ticket prices $20. Regular run prices Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays $40; Saturdays and Sundays $45.00. Discounts available for groups, seniors and students.
Citadel Theatre, located in the West Campus building of the Lake Forest School District 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, IL
Tickets available online at www.citadeltheatre.org or by phone at 847-735-8554, ext. 1
When 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt began work at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she wasn’t allowed to touch a telescope or express an original idea. Instead, she joins a group of women “computers,” charting the stars for a renowned astronomer who has no time for the women’s probing theories. As Henrietta, in her free time, attempts to measure the light and distance of stars, she must also take measure of her life on Earth, trying to balance her dedication to science with family obligations and the possibility of love. SILENT SKY explores a woman’s place in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries, when women’s ideas were dismissed until men claimed credit for them.
BABY
Lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr., Music by David Shire, Book by Sybille Pearson
Directed by Scott Shallenbarger
Friday April 19 - Sunday May 19, 2024
(Previews April 17-18 @ 7:30 pm)
Press Opening Friday, April 19 at 7:30 pm
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sunday matinees at 3 pm. Wednesday matinees at 1 pm on May 1 and 15. No performances on Thursdays, May 2 And 16.
Preview ticket prices $20. Regular run prices Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays $40; Saturdays and Sundays $45.00. Discounts available for groups, seniors and students.
Citadel Theatre, located in the West Campus building of the Lake Forest School District 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, IL
Tickets available online at www.citadeltheatre.org or by phone at 847-735-8554, ext. 1
In this musical with songs by the team of Maltby and Shire, three couples on a university campus deal with the painful, rewarding and agonizingly funny consequences of the universal experience of pregnancy and upcoming parenthood. There are the college students, barely at the beginning of their adult lives; the thirty-somethings, having trouble conceiving but determined to try; and the middle-aged parents, looking forward to seeing their last child graduate from college... when a night of unexpected passion lands them back where they started.
BIOS
Gregg Dennhardt (Director, SNOW WHITE, ELEANOR’S VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS WISH) is known as “Doc” for his PhD in Theatre from the University of Illinois. He has directed hundreds of plays and musicals both for children and adults and served as Artistic Director for a Chicago area Equity Theatre for over 30 years. Before that, he taught Theatre at St. Ambrose College, the University of Illinois, the University of Arizona and Northwestern’s National High School Institute.
For Citadel he has directed TYA productions of JUNIE B. JONES, WINNIE THE POOH (twice) and JUNIOR CLAUS. When not doing theatre, he likes sailing on Lake Michigan and sharing family with wife, Lauren; sons, Joel and Jeff; daughters-in-law, Ashley and Kelsey and grandsons, Sam and Jack.
Scott Westerman (Director, THE MOUSETRAP) makes, does, and teaches theatre and film in and around Chicago. At Citadel, he has directed their 2022 production of THE CHRISTIANS and their 2018 production of SEX WITH STRANGERS by Laura Eason. Scott is the founding Artistic Director of Go To Productions, a 501©3 nonprofit which develops projects that explore the nexus between theatre and film. He created and directed the web series HAMLET & OPHELIA which won Best Picture at the New York Film Awards, Best Web Series at the LA Film Awards, and Best Mobile Series at the 2022 New Media Film Festival.
Scott has directed stage productions for The Artistic Home, ChiArts, City Lit Theatre, Chimera Theatre Company, Citadel Theatre, Beyond This Point, Barter Theatre, Stage Left Theatre, The Smithsonian Institution, American Theatre Company (Bridge), National High School Institute (Cherubs), and Reverie Theatre Company.
Matthew Silar (Director, SHE LOVES ME) is a Chicago-based, Texas-loving, California born theatre artist and educator. He returns to Citadel after directing last season’s LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS in fall 2022. Matthew has worked professionally as a college audition coach, director, AEA stage manager and actor in both the Chicagoland and DFW theatre communities. He is the co-founder of 24 HR Musical, a non-profit that partnered with charitable organizations to create global change through the arts.
His theatre company, Awaken Theatre, opened its inaugural production in June of 2021. Favorite directorial credits include Kate Fodor’s 100 SAINTS YOU SHOULD KNOW, Lee Blessing’s TWO ROOMS, DADDY LONG LEGS, DISNEY’S NEWSIES, DISNEY’S TARZAN, LES MISERABLES, and INTO THE WOODS.
Beth Wolf (Director, SILENT SKY) is the founder and Producing Artistic Director of Midsommer Flight, where she has directed nine Shakespeare plays in Chicago parks since the company's founding in 2012, including critically acclaimed productions of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, THE TEMPEST, TWELFTH NIGHT, and HAMLET, among others. Her production of OUTSIDE MULLINGAR at Citadel was nominated for Best Production and Best Direction of Play (Midsize) in the 2022 Jeff Awards.
Other recent credits include THE SUFFRAGE PLAYS at Artemisia, THE ROOMMATE at Citadel Theatre (Equity Jeff Recommended), AND NON-PLAYER CHARACTER at Red Theater (2020 Non-Equity Jeff nomination for Projection Design). Other Chicago credits include LIAR!, which won first place in the City Lit Art of Adaptation Festival; ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD, BLACK MAGIC: AN EVENING OF SHAKESPEARE, BURY THE DEAD, and THE FANTASTICKS (Promethean Theatre Ensemble, where she was formerly the Artistic Director and co-founder); and various staged readings and assistant directing credits with Remy Bumppo, Idle Muse, City Lit Theater, and more. Beth is a proud Northwestern University graduate with a double major in Theatre and Gender Studies. She lives in Chicago with her husband and their two young children.
Scott Shallenbarger (Director, BABY). Scott is thrilled to be making his Citadel Theatre directorial debut. Previous Productions include THE GLASS MENAGERIE (Jeff Award;) SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION; THE ROAD TO MECCA (Raven Theatre),
SKYSCRAPER; BURN THIS; OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD. (Piven Theatre;) JEFFREY; LOVE, VALOUR, COMPASSION (Hubris Productions). Scott enjoyed a long tenure as Director of Theatre Arts at Highland Park High School in Highland Park Illinois and thanks his husband and sons for their love and never-ending support.
Scott Phelps (Artistic Director) is in his 21st year as the Artistic Director at Citadel. He’s acted in and directed dozens of Citadel productions over the last decade and a half since founding this North Shore theatre in 2002 with his friend and lifelong companion, Ellen. Earlier in 2023, he starred in the leading role of Pastor Paul in THE CHRISTIANS.
He has acted/directed in NYC, and in his home state of California, trained as an actor at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Santa Maria, CA, received his BFA from the University of Utah, and did an apprenticeship at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in KY. For 18 years Scott worked for a promotional company and raised his three daughters and his son in Lake Forest. Recently he has been taking on the next chapter of his life — the role of “Beepa” to his grandchildren. Although he is unsure if he is old enough to play that part, he’s been enjoying the challenge.
Citadel Theatre is one of Chicagoland’s premier live theatres, producing hundreds of performances annually and inspiring audiences for nearly 22 years. Founded by Scott and Ellen Phelps in 2002, Citadel Theatre is comprised of its Main Stage performances and its theatre acting classes for children. A proud member of the League of Chicago Theatres and the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff ArtsLink, Citadel Theatre offers a unique intimate theatre experience that transports you to another setting and leaves you feeling exhilarated and wanting more. A recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Citadel can accept tax-deductible donations. For more information, ticketing, and to donate, please visit Citadel online at www.CitadelTheatre.org or call 847.735.8554.