First Folio Theatre, Oakbrook, announces that it will be cease operations following the close of its current production, AND NEITHER HAVE I WINGS TO FLY, starring Founder and Executive Director David Rice, on March 1. The planned production of TWELFTH NIGHT has been cancelled. Patrons who had already purchased tickets to TWELFTH NIGHT will be contacted by the end of March. All performances of AND NEITHER HAVE I WINGS TO FLY will continue as scheduled through the end of the run on February 26. Over its 25-plus year run, the theater has hired over 650 actors.
AND NEITHER HAVE I WINGS TO FLY is an Irish tale of love, family and discovering your wings written by Ann Noble and directed by Heather Chrisler. AND NEITHER HAVE I WINGS TO FLY was first produced by Chicago’s Seanachi Theater in 1995, and the critics have showered it with acclaim in all of its productions. The Chicago Sun-Times called it, “A wonderfully accessible and tremendously vibrant drama about love, loss, family ties. Noble’s play recalls the anguished beauty of Williams’ The Glass Menagerie.” It is “a glorious fable about decisions, love, and having wings to fly,” said Kelly Kleiman of the Chicago Reader while Chicago’s New City said “There are no high-flying theatrics or overwrought scenes, only blissful storytelling that triggers one’s innermost longings, and the hearty Irish folk humor blends effortlessly with the glorious poetry of Noble’s words.”
In 1950’s Ireland, family means everything, so when Eveline Donnelly abandons her dream of a university education to care for her widowed father, it seems only right and natural to her. But as she watches her younger sister prepare to leave home with her new husband, Evie wonders if she has made the right choice. Then a visit from her mother’s ghost makes Evie begin to ask, “When is it my turn?”
The cast of AND NEITHER HAVE I WINGS TO FLY includes David Rice in the role of Peter Donnelly and his daughter Hayley Rice in the role of Eveline Donnelly. This is the second time the family duo have appeared on the First Folio stage, having also played father/daughter in 2013’s production of The Rainmaker. David has also appeared in First Folio’s productions of Rough Crossing, Jeeves Takes a Bow, Much Ado About Nothing, and Twelfth Night. He is also a Jeff-Award winning playwright. Hayley’s other First Folio roles include Silent Sky, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, and The Merchant of Venice among others. She also directs for First Folio (the upcoming Twelfth Night) and is the Artistic Director of Babes With Blades Theatre Company.
The cast also includes First Folio favorites Andrew Behling (Jeeves at Sea and Richard III), David Gordon-Johnson (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Jennifer Mohr (Captain Blood) as well as First Folio newcomers Adrianne Cury and Michael Dias.
Artistic Associate Heather Chrisler is making her directorial debut with First Folio’s production of And Neither Have I Wings to Fly. Heather is also a playwright (this season’s adaptation of Little Women) and an actor, having appeared in First Folio productions of Mary’s Wedding, The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe, The Jigsaw Bride, and Captain Blood. She will be appearing as Viola in Twelfth Night, First Folio’s final production.
Two-time Jeff Award winner Angela Weber Miller will be designing the scenery with props designer Sarah West partnering with her on the look of the show. The rest of the design staff includes Julie Ballard (lighting), Noel Huntzinger (costumes), Lindsay Jones (sound and original music), Courtney Abbott (intimacy and fight choreography), Sarah Bowden (Dramaturg), Sammi Grant (vocal and accent design) and Forrest Hejkal (technical director). Olivia Sullum is the stage manager and Sophie Goddard is the assistant stage manager.
AND NEITHER HAVE I WINGS TO FLY previewed January 25-27, opened January 28, and runs through February 26, 2023. First Folio requires audience members be vaccinated and audience members will also be required to wear masks at all times inside the building.
All performances take place at the Mayslake Peabody Estate, located at 1717 31st St., off Rt. 83, in Oak Brook. First Folio is easy to get to via the East-West Tollway (I-88) or the Stevenson Expressway (I-55). Free parking is available on the grounds. Preview tickets are $29. Regular priced tickets are $49 on Wednesdays and Thursdays (seniors are $44), and $59 on Fridays through Sundays (seniors are $54). First Folio is also continuing to offer a special $29 Student Ticket for all performances. Individual tickets are on sale now and may be purchased by calling the box office at 630.986.8067 or online at www.firstfolio.org