Oil Lamp Theater is proud to announce the cast and creative team for its next production of its 2026 season, Poor Behavior, written by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Lauren Katz, April 10 - May 10, at Oil Lamp Theater, 1723 Glenview Road. The schedule includes two preview performances Friday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 11 at 3 p.m., with an opening/press performance Saturday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 3 and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. There will be additional Wednesday performances April 15 at 11 a.m and 3 p.m.; April 22 at 7:30 p.m. (understudy performance); April 29 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and May 6 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for $30 for previews and $55 for the run at OilLampTheater.org.
A visit from old friends takes an unexpected turn when a bombshell accusation throws niceties out the window. Hospitality turns to havoc. Sanity shatters into shambles. Manners take a backseat as two couples are pushed to their limits during a weekend in the country. Will they be able to pick up the pieces over wine and muffins or will their poor behavior leave them irrevocably broken? Find out in this sharp-witted play by acclaimed playwright Theresa Rebeck.
The cast of Poor Behavior includes Sam Fain (he/him, Ian); Lauren Paige (she/her, Maureen); Ksa Curry (she/her, Ella); Jack Morsovillo (he/him, Peter) with understudies Cooper Bohn (he/him, Ian U/S); Cait Kelly (she/they, Maureen U/S); Jaime Nebeker (she/her, Ella U/S) and Adrian Briones (he/him, Peter U/S).
The production team includes Lauren Katz (she/her, director); Connor Windle (she/her, production manager and stage manager); Trenton Jones (he/him, scenic designer); Elly Burke (she/her; properties designer); Danielle Reinhardt (she/her; costume designer); Paige Klopfenstein (she/her, intimacy director); Daniel Friedman (he/him, lighting designer); Alex Trinh (he/him, sound designer); Andy Cahoon (he/him, technical director); Sienna Laurent Choi (she/her, assistant stage manager) and Rose Leisner (she/her, company manager).
CONTENT ADVISORY: Poor Behavior contains strong language and mature themes including discussions of mental health and suicide.
ABOUT THERESA REBECK, PLAYWRIGHT
Theresa Rebeck is a prolific and widely produced playwright, whose work can be seen and read throughout the United States and abroad. Last season, her fourth Broadway play premiered on Broadway, making Rebeck the most Broadway-produced female playwright of our time. Other Broadway works include Dead Accounts, Seminar and Mauritius. Other notable New York and regional plays include: Seared (MCC), Downstairs (Primary Stages), The Scene, The Water’s Edge, Loose Knit, The Family of Mann and Spike Heels (Second Stage), Bad Dates, The Butterfly Collection and Our House (Playwrights Horizons), The Understudy (Roundabout), View of the Dome (NYTW), What We’re Up Against (Women’s Project), Omnium Gatherum (Pulitzer Prize finalist). As a director, her work has been seen at The Alley Theatre (Houston), the REP Company (Delaware); Dorset Theatre Festival, the Orchard Project and the Folger Theatre. Major film and television projects include “Trouble,” starring Anjelica Huston, Bill Pullman and David Morse (writer and director), “NYPD Blue,” the NBC series “Smash” (creator) and the upcoming female spy thriller “355” (for Jessica Chastain’s production company). As a novelist, Rebeck’s books include Three Girls and Their Brother and I'm Glad About You. Rebeck is the recipient of the William Inge New Voices Playwriting Award, the PEN/Laura Pels Foundation Award, a Lilly Award and more.
ABOUT LAUREN KATZ, DIRECTOR
Lauren Katz is thrilled to be back directing at Oil Lamp. Favorite directing credits include: It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, The Marvelous Wonderettes, Mary's Wedding (Oil Lamp), A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Women of 4G (Babes With Blades), The Prom (Highland Park Players), Tick, Tick… Boom and A Grand Night for Singing (Dunes Summer Theatre), Grease and Legally Blonde the Musical (Beverly Theatre Guild), Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins (Strawdog) and This is a Chair (Haven). Other collaborations include: About Face Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre, and Writers Theatre. She is the education + engagement producer at Steppenwolf Theatre.
ABOUT OIL LAMP THEATER
Oil Lamp Theater is a professional nonprofit performing arts organization in Glenview, Illinois, welcoming over 10,000 patrons annually from more than 225 communities—41% from Glenview and others from across the North Shore and Chicago. Since establishing its intimate 60-seat home in downtown Glenview in 2012, Oil Lamp has grown into a cultural beacon, earning recognition as “Best Live Theatre in the North Shore” for four consecutive years.
With more than 70 productions to date, Oil Lamp is known for its dynamic Mainstage season, special events and its resilience during the pandemic, when it innovated with drive-in performances and outdoor productions. Today, the theatre continues to foster connection, broaden horizons and illuminate the human condition through professional theater and year-round programming.
In addition to its productions, Oil Lamp recently expanded with the SPARK CENTER, which offers arts education for all ages with a focus on youth. These process-driven classes inspire a lifelong love of the arts while equipping students with creativity, confidence and critical life skills.
This past September, Oil Lamp launched Light The Way, a transformative fundraising campaign designed to expand arts education, strengthen essential staff and establish a larger performance venue with the goal of staying in downtown Glenview. Building on its roots as a scrappy storefront, Oil Lamp is evolving into a more robust organization—without losing the intimacy and warmth that define its theater experience. Oil Lamp Theater hopes this announcement inspires excitement throughout the community. Interested community members are invited to learn more by reaching out to the theater, attending the 2025 Gala on October 18 and staying tuned as additional news is shared in the near future. For information or to support the campaign go to OilLampTheater.org/Light-the-Way or reach out to Oil Lamp at light-the-way@oillamptheater.org.
Oil Lamp Theater is proud to announce the cast and creative team for its next production of its 2026 season, Poor Behavior, written by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Lauren Katz, April 10 - May 10, at Oil Lamp Theater, 1723 Glenview Road. The schedule includes two preview performances Friday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 11 at 3 p.m., with an opening/press performance Saturday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 3 and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. There will be additional Wednesday performances April 15 at 11 a.m and 3 p.m.; April 22 at 7:30 p.m. (understudy performance); April 29 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and May 6 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for $30 for previews and $55 for the run at OilLampTheater.org.
More from Oil Lamp Theater
Poor Behavior
April 10 – May 10, 2026
By Theresa Rebeck
Directed by Lauren Katz
Preview Performances: Friday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 11 at 3 p.m.
Opening Night: Saturday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Performance schedule: Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional Wednesday performances Wednesday, April 15 at 11 a.m and 3 p.m.; Wednesday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday April 29 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; and Wednesday May 6 at 7:30 p.m.
A visit from old friends takes an unexpected turn when a bombshell accusation throws niceties out the window. Hospitality turns to havoc. Sanity shatters into shambles. Manners take a backseat as two couples are pushed to their limits during a weekend in the country. Will they be able to pick up the pieces over wine and muffins or will their poor behavior leave them irrevocably broken? Find out in this sharp-witted play by acclaimed playwright Theresa Rebeck.
The Last 5 Years
June 5 – July 5, 2026
Book, music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Directed by Christina Ramirez
Music Directed by Amy Branahl
Preview performances: Friday, June 5 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday June 6 at 3 p.m.
Opening Night: Saturday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Performance schedule: Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional Wednesday performances Wednesday, June 10 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Wednesday June 17 at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday, June 24 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; and Wednesday July 1 at 7:30 p.m. There are no performances on Saturday July 4.
Straight from Broadway, Jason Robert Brown’s musical masterpiece The Last Five Years comes to Oil Lamp Theater. This widely beloved show takes audiences on the romantic rollercoaster of Jamie and Cathy as they fall in and out of love over the last five years. Told from each individual’s perspective – one chronologically and one backwards – audiences will be swept into the unique storytelling and find an anti-love story full of humor and heart. Hailed as a powerful and intimate production, this Drama Desk Award-winner for Outstanding Music is not to be missed.
Dial M for Murder
October 2 – November 1, 2026
Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the original play by Frederick Knott
Directed by Daniel King
Preview Performances: Friday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday Oct. 3 at 3 p.m.
Opening Night: Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Performance schedule: Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional Wednesday performances Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Wednesday Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday Oct. 21 at 11:00 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Alfred Hitchcock’s adored, chilling thriller gets a modern twist that no one will see coming. A murderous misstep begins a high-stakes hunt for the real criminal as time is quickly running out. This captivating, heart-racing play leaves audiences on the edge of their seats while the mystery of the year unravels before their eyes. Will the clues unlock the right person, or will an innocent victim pay the price? The suspense is to die for…
*All productions, dates, creatives, etc. are subject to change.