The 2020/21 Season Reimagined
We’ve reimagined our 2020/21 Season, breaking the mold of past seasons and providing unparalleled depth and access in the absence of being able to physically gather this Fall.
From our Theatre & Thought Series, which connects audiences to expert insights from University of Chicago faculty about classic texts, to our Deep Dive events exploring Tom Stoppard’s newest play Leopoldstadt, and productions like Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry, 1912), Othello, and August Wilson’s Two Trains Running, our updated season is thematically rich, intellectually rigorous, and deeply ambitious.
You can learn more about each of these thrilling offerings below. We hope the stories and programs we’ve chosen to share will offer the spiritual sustenance so many of us are seeking in this unprecedented time.
Court’s Theatre & Thought series connects audiences to expert insights from University of Chicago faculty about the historical context, thematic relevance, and artistic possibilities surrounding classic works. Each topic will feature a different play and include virtual meetings with scholars to discuss the ideas underpinning these classic texts. Learn More
In our most ambitious addition to the Fall season, Court Theatre’s Deep Dive: Leopoldstadt provides an in-depth examination of Tom Stoppard’s epic drama, Leopoldstadt. Leopoldstadt is a place, a state of mind, and a return. Stoppard’s newest play is as groundbreaking and sprawling as anything he has written. Learn More
The sinking of the RMS Titanic has long been studied for its historical significance and unmistakable hubris. A survivors’ story fraught with intrigue, Owen McCafferty’s play tells the story using verbatim testimonies from witnesses of the wreck. What emerges is a startling portrait of class, chaos, and moral ambiguity. A digital version will be available to stream for patrons who do not yet wish to attend in person. Learn More
Othello, the great Venetian general, unknowingly seals his fate when he fails to select his standard-bearer, Iago, for a military promotion. When his wife, Desdemona, is implicated in an affair, Othello is faced with a series of irreversible events that spell catastrophe for him and his country. A digital version will be available to stream for patrons who do not yet wish to attend in person. Learn More
Amidst the Civil Rights Movement, Memphis Lee’s restaurant is slated for demolition. While Memphis fights to sell his diner for a fair price, the rest of the restaurant’s regulars search for work, love, and justice as their neighborhood continues to change in unpredictable ways. This production will be available to attend in-person. Learn More
Subscription and Ticket Information
Individual enrollment for the Theatre & Thought series is $85 per course. Individual enrollment to Deep Dive: Leopoldstadt is $250. Three, four and five-play subscriptions to Court’s 2020/21 season range from $96 to $300 and are on sale now. 5-Play subscribers will have access to all plays, content, and programs listed above as a part of their subscription package.
Court’s Box Office will be in touch with previously renewed subscribers to discuss how these changes impact their subscription series. 3 and 4-Play subscribers will have the opportunity to choose from the Theatre & Thought series, Deep Dive: Leopoldstadt, or any of the three plays scheduled for 2021. Court’s Box Office will be in touch with previously renewed subscribers to discuss their options.
University of Chicago students will receive complimentary access and UChicago faculty and staff will receive a 25% discount to Court Theatre’s fall digital programming.
To purchase a subscription or receive more information, call the Court Theatre Box Office at (773) 753-4472, or learn more here. Individual tickets for all Spring 2021 productions will be available in Fall 2020.
Subscribe NowThe previously announced live productions of Violet, The Gospel at Colonus, Fen, and Antigone have been postponed and will be produced in a future season. Current subscribers will be able to exchange their existing tickets to previously announced productions for any of the above offerings. Court Theatre’s Box Office will be in touch to discuss subscriber options via phone and email.
Court is still evaluating new performance dates for its site-specific production of An Iliad. Ticket holders will be contacted with further information when details have been solidified.
Court’s remote, digital experiences are produced in partnership with the University of Chicago Graham School’s Arts@Graham series.
Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry, 1912) is sponsored by Gustavo “Chip” Bamberger and Martha Van Haitsma. Othello is sponsored by Michael Charles Litt. August Wilson’s Two Trains Running is sponsored by Allstate and Neil Ross and Lynn Hauser. Ron OJ Parson’s Residency is made possible by the Joyce Foundation. Programming is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. Additional support is provided by Harper Court Arts Council, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Prince Charitable Trusts, and the Shubert Foundation.
Court Theatre remains committed to following all government guidelines surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic in order to maintain the safety of our artists, staff, and patrons. To that end, dates and programming are subject to change based on rights acquisition, pandemic conditions, and other developments in order to remain responsive to evolving circumstances. As in-person gatherings are currently scheduled to resume in February of 2021, we will communicate information about enhanced cleaning and safety protocols to ensure everyone’s safety at Court Theatre.
8 responses on “The 2020/21 Season Reimagined”
Comments are closed.
For the streaming subscription, do you pick a specific date and time or can you watch it when you want?
Hi Carol! For the streaming subscription, all Theatre & Thought and Deep Dive topics will be available to stream after the date they air as well. Any readings included as part of Theatre & Thought or Deep Dive may have shorter timeframes to view content in due to licensing agreements. For Othello and Titanic, you’ll pick a date, but if you need to change your date to another performance, we are happy to accommodate that switch.
I would like to know more about your artists and elders series. And will you be streaming past productions? If so, what would be the fee?
Hi Pam, are you interested in participating in our Artists & ELders series or are you just interested in viewing the finished content? We’re still in the planning stages for Artists & Elders but anticipate being able to share materials in the coming months.
Regarding streaming past productions, unfortunately, due to licensing limitations, we aren’t able to do that at this time.
These sound good. Any more about what you mentioned a few months ago — a video version of The Lady from the Sea?
Hi Norman, thanks for your support! Unfortunately, due to licensing agreements, we’re unable to provide a video version of THE LADY FROM THE SEA at this time. That being said, you can appreciate some of the energy that went into the production by engaging with our live video stream of the set and our theatre: The Liminal Space.
So, Deep Dive is a lecture series. The others are lecture series, as well, correct? If I buy the three-pack, do I get Stoppard and two others?
Hi Stuart! When you buy a 3-Play subscription, you’ll actually get access to your choice of three of the following offerings:
*All four topics in our Theatre & Thought series (The World of August Wilson, Euripides’ Bacchae, Caryl Churchill’s Fen, Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs)
*Deep Dive
*Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry, 1912)
*Othello
*or August Wilson’s Two Trains Running.