The Chicago premiere of Amy Herzog’s new version of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People, directed by TimeLine Company Member Ron OJ Parson, is the long-awaited inaugural production at TimeLine Theatre’s new home at 5035 N. Broadway in Chicago. Previews start May 6. Press opening is Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m. Performances run through June 7. Single tickets are on sale now. For tickets and information, call the TimeLine Box Office at (773) 281-8463 x1 or visit timelinetheatre.com.
Herzog’s thunderous new version of Ibsen’s historic masterwork, the Tony Award-nominated talk of Broadway last season, brings a 144-year-old literary classic forward to today, speaking directly to our times about what it means when citizens stand up to power.
When a respected doctor in small-town Norway makes a deadly discovery that threatens the health of the entire village, he raises the alarm. But as local leaders—including his brother, the mayor—scramble to protect their own interests, the truth becomes inconvenient, and the doctor finds himself the target of the very community he’s trying to protect. Winner of the 2024 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Adaptation, this vibrant new version of An Enemy of the People asks: what happens when doing the right thing means losing everything?
An Enemy of the People premiered on Broadway in March 2024 in a star-studded and headline-grabbing production directed by Sam Gold and featuring Jeremy Strong (Succession) and Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos). Hailed by The New York Times as “crackling and persuasive … a bitter satire of local politics that soon reveals itself as a slow-boil tragedy of human complacency,” Herzog’s streamlined new version of An Enemy of the People is “brilliant” (The Daily Beast) and “a rousing adaptation of a story that carries a discomforting contemporary relevance” (The Guardian).
To inaugurate its new Uptown home, TimeLine’s eight-person cast features five TimeLine Company Members: Will Allan (he/him) as Dr. Thomas Stockmann, Behzad Dabu (he/him) as Peter Stockmann, Charles Andrew Gardner (he/him) as Captain Horster, Anish Jethmalani (he/him) as Aslaksen, and David Parkes (he/him) as Morten Kiil. Rounding out the cast are Kenneth Hamilton (he/him) as Billing, Grayson Kennedy (he/him) as Hovstad and Campbell Krausen (she/her) as Petra Stockmann, all making their TimeLine debuts.
TimeLine Theatre’s inaugural production in its new home in Uptown (top left) is An Enemy of the People by (top, from left) Henrik Ibsen, a new version by Amy Herzog, directed by TimeLine Company Member Ron OJ Parson. The cast features (bottom, from left) TimeLine Company Members Will Allan as Dr. Thomas Stockmann, Behzad Dabu as Peter Stockmann, Charles Andrew Gardner as Captain Horster, Anish Jethmalani as Aslaksen, and David Parkes as Morten Kiil. Kenneth Hamilton as Billing, Grayson Kennedy as Hovstad and Campbell Krausen as Petra Stockmann are making their TimeLine debuts.
The production team for An Enemy of the People includes Amy Herzog (Adapter, she/her), Henrik Ibsen (Playwright), Ron OJ Parson (Director, he/him), John Culbert (Scenic Designer, he/him), Christine Pascual (Costume Designer, she/her), Brandon Wardell (Lighting Designer, he/him), Nicolas Bartleson (Properties Designer, he/him), André Pluess (Sound Designer, he/him), Maren Robinson (Dramaturg, she/they), Dina Spoerl (Dramaturgical Display Designer, she/her), and Olivia Sullam (Stage Manager).
“Capping off our 29th season, we’re celebrating an incredible milestone with An Enemy of the People as the inaugural production in our new home in Uptown,” said TimeLine Artistic Director PJ Powers. “This fresh adaptation of a classic play is a timely and powerful story to christen our new theatre. Its tale of speaking truth to power and risking everything to bring the facts to light feels incredibly resonant in this moment. And we’ve assembled a stellar team of artists to bring it to life, including five TimeLine Company Members—the most who have appeared together at any point in the past decade. With this provocative play and knockout cast, we’re proud to embark on TimeLine’s thrilling next chapter.”
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Previews of The Enemy of the People are Wednesday, May 6 through Friday, May 8 at 8 p.m., Saturday, May 9 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Sunday, May 10 at 4 p.m., and Tuesday, May 12 and Wednesday, May 13 at 7 p.m. Press Opening Night is Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m. Gala Opening Night is Friday, May 15, starting at 5 p.m. with a pre-show seated dinner and VIP cocktail reception, performance at 8 p.m., followed by an after-party and reception. Regular performances continue through June 7: Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 p.m. Exception: No 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 16.
BUYING TICKETS
Single tickets to An Enemy of the People are on sale now, priced $40–$95. For tickets and information, visit timelinetheatre.com or call the TimeLine Box Office at (773) 281-8463 x1.
Preview tickets are $40 - $60. Single tickets to regular performances are $62 - $95. Prices vary based on performance date and seat location. Student discount is 35% off regular price with valid ID. TimeLine is also a member of TCG’s Blue Star Theatre Program and is offering $30 tickets to U.S. military personnel, veterans, first responders, and their spouses and family.
All listed prices are inclusive of fees.
Ticket buyers ages 18-35 may join TimeLine’s free MyLine program to obtain access to discounted tickets, special events and more. Discounted rates for groups of 10 or more are also available. Visit timelinetheatre.com/venues/timeline-theatre for more about available discounts.
LOCATION/PARKING/TRANSPORTATION
TimeLine’s new home is located at 5035 N. Broadway (at Argyle) in the heart of Chicago’s Uptown community.
TimeLine’s new home is easily reached via public transportation, located steps away from the CTA Red Line stop at Argyle. The #36 Broadway bus stops at Broadway and Argyle, the #151 Sheridan stops three blocks east at Argyle, and the #81 Foster stops at Broadway and Foster, just two blocks north.
In addition, convenient parking is a new hallmark for TimeLine Theatre. The self-park garage at 5051 N. Broadway, two doors north of the theatre, offers up to 6 hours of parking for $10, with validation. Ask for a validation sticker from TimeLine’s Audience Services staff. The self-park surface lot at 5017 N. Winthrop in the heart of Asia on Argyle also offers discounted parking for up to 6 hours for just $7 via an app and QR code.
Nearby street and metered parking is available but limited. Please note some streets are zoned for resident parking only. Visit for additional information, including driving directions and nearby dining recommendations.
DISCUSSIONS
Pre-Show Discussions: Starting one hour before the performance, a 30-minute introductory conversation will be hosted by a TimeLine Company Member and the dramaturg on Wednesday, May 20.
Post-Show Discussions: A brief, informal post-show discussion hosted by a TimeLine Company Member and featuring the dramaturg and members of the production team on Thursday, May 21; Sunday, May 24; and Wednesday, May 27.
Sunday Scholars Panel Discussion: A one-hour panel discussion featuring experts on the themes and issues of the play in a moderated discussion, following the performance on Sunday, May 31.
Company Member Discussion: A post-show discussion with the team of artists who choose TimeLine’s programming and guide the company’s mission on Thursday, June 4.
All discussions are free and open to the public.
ACCESSIBILITY
Captioned Performances: Open-captioned performances with a text display of words and sounds heard during performances are Friday, May 29 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 30 at 2 p.m.
Audio Described Performance: The performance on Saturday, June 6 at 2 p.m. will feature narration about visual elements of the production around the dialogue, available for individual patrons via headphones.
IT’S TIME: ABOUT TIMELINE’S NEW HOME
In 1997, six graduates of The Theatre School at DePaul University each pitched in $50 to launch a new theatre company focused on plays inspired by history that connect to today’s social and political issues. Over nearly 30 years, largely operating out of a modest, 99-seat black box theater in a Lakeview East church, TimeLine grew to be a vital force in Chicago’s arts scene.
Building on this legacy, after nearly eight years of preparation including approximately 18 months of construction, TimeLine Theatre has successfully repurposed a 1910s Reebie and Brother warehouse in Chicago’s Uptown community into a vibrant new cultural destination and the city’s newest live theater space.
TimeLine Theatre’s new home spans five stories and 33,600 square feet (combining 21,000 square feet of new construction with 12,600 square feet of adaptive reuse of portions of the former warehouse). Today, 5035 N. Broadway is home to a new, flexible, intimate 250-seat black box theatre that can be re-imagined for every show; exhibit galleries that enhance the production experience; dedicated space for Living History students, education programming, and community gathering; expanded social spaces, including a bar, café and patio; a spacious and visible rehearsal room that invites a view of the art as it’s being made; and office and production space for TimeLine’s growing staff.
TimeLine’s sleek facade brings new visual excitement to the Broadway streetscape with a 40-foot vertical blade marquee inspired by historic marquees in the neighborhood including the Uptown Theatre and Aragon Ballroom. A green storefront canopy will nod to nearby Uptown landmarks including Sun Wah BBQ and the Green Mill. A prominent glass curtain wall completes the Broadway facade, providing dramatic views into interior spaces that highlight the cultural activity inside. The new TimeLine Theatre is located one block from the new Argyle CTA Red Line station, and has convenient covered parking steps away.
Since launching It’s Time: The Campaign for TimeLine’s New Home, TimeLine has successfully raised more than $42.9 million toward the approximately $46 million project cost, including $12.9 million in public support ($2.9 million from the State of Illinois, $10 million from the City of Chicago), and funds from more than 200 generous individual donors.
UP NEXT: TIMELINE’S INAUGURAL 2026-27 SEASON AT ITS NEW HOME IN UPTOWN
Following An Enemy of the People, TimeLine Theatre’s 2026–27 Inaugural Season in its new home launches a bold era for the company, inviting audiences to experience the company’s work in a dynamic, state‑of‑the‑art facility designed to enhance artistic possibilities and deepen community engagement for years to come.
Coinciding with the company’s 30th Anniversary, TimeLine’s first full season in Uptown showcases four extraordinary productions that span continents, generations, and pivotal historical moments. Together, they invite audiences to engage with TimeLine’s signature mission—presenting plays that explore today’s social and political issues through the lens of the past. TimeLine’s 2026–27 Subscription Season includes:
- The world premiere of The Birth of the Pill by Jessica Huang, based on the book by Pulitzer Prize-winning Chicago author Jonathan Eig, directed by Sandra Marquez—a bold and eye‑opening story about the controversial creation that reshaped women’s lives.
- The Chicago premiere of the Olivier Award-winning Home, I’m Darling by Laura Wade, directed by TimeLine Company Member Mechelle Moe—a sharp, dark comedy examining nostalgia, marriage, and the seductive fantasy of a “simpler” past.
- The Chicago premiere of The Far Country by Lloyd Suh, directed by TimeLine Company Member Helen Young—a sweeping immigration epic and 2023 Pulitzer Prize finalist exploring identity, sacrifice, and generational resilience in the shadow of exclusionary U.S. policy.
- Merrily We Roll Along, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by George Furth, based on the original play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, directed by TimeLine Associate Artistic Director Nick Bowling with music direction by Jermaine Hill—a Tony Award–winning musical unfolding in reverse, tracing the shifting relationships and ambitions of three friends over two decades.
See it for yourself … from the best seats in the house! Save up to 25% off regular ticket prices and enjoy ultimate flexibility, priority access, and preferred reserved seating with a TimeLine FlexPass. Four options, priced from $189 to $389, are now on sale. MyLine FlexPasses (exclusively for patrons age 18-35) are also available for $85 (after enrolling in TimeLine’s free MyLine program). For more information and to purchase, call (773) 281-8463 x1 or visit timelinetheatre.com.
ABOUT TIMELINE THEATRE COMPANY
TimeLine Theatre Company, recipient of the 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, was founded in 1997 with a mission to present stories inspired by history that connect to today’s social and political issues. Now celebrating its 29th Season, TimeLine has presented 97 productions, including 16 world premieres and 44 Chicago premieres, and launched the Living History Education Program, which brings the company's mission to life for students in Chicago Public Schools. Recipient of the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence and the Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award from the Association for Strategic Planning, TimeLine has received 62 Jeff Awards, including an award for Outstanding Production 11 times.
TimeLine is led by Artistic Director PJ Powers, Executive Director Mica Cole, and Board President Thaddeus J. Malik. TimeLine Company members are Will Allan, Nick Bowling, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Behzad Dabu, Charles Andrew Gardner, Lara Goetsch, Juliet Hart, Anish Jethmalani, Mildred Marie Langford, Mechelle Moe, David Parkes, Ron OJ Parson, PJ Powers, Maren Robinson, and Helen Young.
Major corporate, government and foundation donors providing season support via TimeLine’s Annual Fund include Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation, Bayless Family Foundation, Bulley & Andrews LLC, Crown Family Philanthropies, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Joseph & Bessie Feinberg Foundation, Laughing Acres Family Foundation, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and Walder Foundation. TimeLine also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
For more information, visit timelinetheatre.com, or Facebook or Instagram (@TimeLineTheatre on both platforms).
BIOGRAPHIES
Amy Herzog (Adapter) is a playwright and adapter whose plays include Mary Jane (New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award), 4000 Miles (Pulitzer Prize finalist, Obie Award for Best New American Play), After the Revolution (New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award), and Belleville (Drama Desk Award nominee). She received the Benjamin H. Danks Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Herzog teaches playwriting at Yale University’s David Geffen School of Drama.
Henrik Ibsen (Playwright, 1828–1906) was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as “the father of prose drama” and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre. His major works include Brand, Peer Gynt, An Enemy of the People, Emperor and Galilean, A Doll’s House, Hedda Gabler, Ghosts, The Wild Duck, Rosmersholm, and The Master Builder.
Ron OJ Parson (Director) is a director and actor based in Chicago and became a TimeLine Company Member in 2016. His TimeLine credits include Trouble In Mind, Relentless (also at Goodman), Too Heavy for Your Pocket, To Catch a Fish, Paradise Blue, Sunset Baby, and A Raisin in the Sun. He is a native of Buffalo, New York, and a graduate of the University of Michigan’s professional theater program. He is a Joyce Foundation grantee and Resident Artist at Court Theatre, and a former Associate Artist with Teatro Vista and Writers Theatre. He is the co-founder and former Artistic Director of Onyx Theatre Ensemble. He has worked at various theatres in and around Chicago and around the country and Canada. Chicago credits include work at The Chicago Theatre Company, Victory Gardens, America Blues Theatre, American Theatre Company, Goodman, Steppenwolf, Chicago Dramatists, Court, Black Ensemble Theatre, Congo Square Theatre Company, Northlight, Urban Theatre Company, City Lit, ETA Creative Arts, and Writers Theatre. Regional credits include Studio Arena Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Milwaukee Repertory, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, American Players Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse, Geva Theatre, Virginia Stage Company, Roundabout Theatre, Wilshire Theatre, Studio Theatre, Center Stage Baltimore, St. Louis Black Repertory, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, Signature Theatre (New York), Kansas City Rep, Portland Stage Company, Paul Robeson Theatre (Buffalo), Ujima Theatre Company, and Indiana Repertory Theatre, among others. In Canada, he directed the world premiere of Palmer Park by Joanna McClelland Glass at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, in Ontario Canada. He is a member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and SDC. Visit ronojparson.com.
Will Allan (Dr. Thomas Stockmann) is a TimeLine Company Member returning to TimeLine’s stage for the first time since his Chicago theatre debut in 2009’s The History Boys. His political satire play, Campaigns, Inc., was developed in TimeLine’s Playwrights Collective and part of TimeLine’s 2022-23 season. Chicago credits include Ashland Avenue, The Cherry Orchard, The Winter’s Tale, Ah, Wilderness!, The Seagull, and Dartmoor Prison (Goodman); Good People, The March, The Flick, Animal Farm, A Separate Peace, and We are Proud to Present...(Steppenwolf); The Comedy of Errors (Chicago Shakespeare); The Whale (Victory Gardens); The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? (Remy Bumppo), and many more. Film/TV credits include Chicago Fire, Chicago Justice, NCIS: Hawai’i, Station 19, and Unfrosted: The Pop Tarts Story.
Behzad Dabu (Peter Stockmann) is a TimeLine Company Member now based in Los Angeles and is thrilled to return to TimeLine after previously performing in The History Boys, Blood and Gifts, and Inana. He just wrapped a successful run of Guards at the Taj, which he produced, directed, and starred in. Behzad is Director of Acting for Hillman Grad, Acting Coach for the TV series The Chi, Scene Study teacher at Last Acting Studio, and founding member of The Chicago Inclusion Project. Selected theatre credits include Disgraced (CenterTheatreGroup, Goodman, Berkeley, Seattle, ATC), Samsara (Victory Gardens), I Hate it Here (Goodman), The Matchmaker (Goodman) and Put Your House in Order (La Jolla). Screen credits include How to Get Away With Murder, The Chi, The Good Place, The Lion Guard, The Loud House, All Rise, and Chicago PD.
Charles Andrew Gardner (Captain Horster) is a TimeLine Company Member and Living History Teaching Artist. Previous TimeLine credits include Boulevard of Bold Dreams, Kill Move Paradise (Equity Jeff Award and BTAA nominations–Ensemble), Paradise Blue (BTAA nomination–Featured Actor), and My Kind of Town (BTAA nomination–Best Actor), for which the Chicago Tribune named him one of 2012’s “Hot New Faces to Watch.” Other Chicago theatre credits include Primary Trust, Objects in the Mirror, Stop. Reset., and Buzzer (Goodman); His Shadow (16th Street, Equity Jeff Award nomination–Performer in a Principal Role, Play); How Long Will I Cry (Steppenwolf); Macbeth and Othello (The Suitcase Shakespeare Company); and The Great Fire (Lookingglass). On-camera credits include The Mayor of Kingstown, Somebody Somewhere, Chicago Med, The Chi, and Chicago P.D. and films Heist 88, Long Ride Home, Olympia, Exodus, Every 21 Seconds, and Holding On, plus multiple national commercials. Charles is the SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local President and an on-camera acting professor at DePaul and Roosevelt universities, as well as an on-camera instructor at The Acting Studio Chicago. He is also the owner and CEO of The Actor’s Cup LLC and Stay Creative Clothing.
Anish Jethmalani (Aslaksen) is a Company Member at TimeLine, where his credits include Dhaba on Devon Avenue, The Lehman Trilogy, Campaigns, Inc., Oslo (Jeff Award nomination - supporting role), In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play, A Disappearing Number, Inana, and Blood and Gifts. Other Chicago stage credits include productions at Goodman, Court, Lookingglass, Chicago Shakespeare, Writers, Victory Gardens, A Red Orchid, Remy Bumppo, The House, First Folio, Silk Road Rising, Next, Apple Tree and many more. Regional credits include Henry VIII and Much Ado About Nothing at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Film and television credits include Deli Boys, Station Eleven, 61st Street, Empire, Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, APB, Boss, Leverage, Early Edition, Batman v. Superman, Girl on the Third Floor, Animals, and more.
David Parkes (Morten Kiil) is proud to be a TimeLine Company Member. TimeLine credits include Black Sunday, Campaigns, Inc., Oslo, Boy, Blood and Gifts, A Walk in the Woods, Frost/Nixon, Not Enough Air, Trumbo, Widowers’ Houses, Harmless, The General from American, A Man for All Seasons, Pravada, The Lion in Winter, Hannah and Martin, Awake and Sing!, The Crucible, Halcyon Days, Not About Nightingales, and Gaslight. Other Chicago credits include work with Steppenwolf, American Theatre Company, Northlight, House, Eclipse, Apple Tree, Streetsigns, Footsteps, Greasy Joan and the Piven Theatre. His recent film/television credits include the upcoming film Enemies with Jeremy Allen White and Austin Butler, 61st Street, The Beast, Rounding, Teacher, Empire, Proven Innocent, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, The Chicago Code, and Boss.
Kenneth Hamilton (Billing) is making his TimeLine debut. Theatre credits include Eurydice (Signature Theatre, New York, N.Y.); Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre); A Christmas Carol (Indiana Repertory Theatre, Indianapolis, Ind.); Short Shakespeare! Romeo and Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare); The Lion in Winter (Court ); Eurydice (Writers); Superior Donuts (AthensWest Theatre, Lexington, Ky.); Much Ado About Nothing (St. Louis Shakespeare); Macbeth, Twelfth Night (American Players Theatre, Spring Green, Wis.); and A Christmas Carol (American Shakespeare Center, Stanton, Va.).
Grayson Kennedy (Hovstad) is making his TimeLine Theatre debut. Kennedy is the Artistic Director of Gwydion Theatre Company where his acting credits include The Zoo Story, This is Our Youth, and Death of a Salesman. He has also directed Gwydion Theatre’s productions of Action and Waiting for Lefty. Additional acting credits include Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Court), A Bright Room Called Day (Blank Theatre Company), and Love’s Labours Lost at Hoosier Shakespeare Festival.
Campbell Krausen (Petra Stockmann) is making her TimeLine debut. Chicago credits include Another Marriage (Steppenwolf); The Sound of Music and The Wizard of Oz (Marriott); The Sporting Life (Jackalope Theatre); and Les Miserables (Uptown Music Theatre). Film credits include Laura Louise and Ghostlight.