Northlight Theatre Adds John Patrick Shanley's OUTSIDE MULLINGAR to 40th Anniversary Season

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, announces the fifth selection of its 40th Anniversary Season: John Patrick Shanley's new romantic comedy Outside Mullingar. The play by the Pulitzer, Oscar and Tony Award-winning writer of Moonstruck and Doubt, will be directed by Artistic Director BJ Jones.

The remaining of the celebratory season will be directed by Robin Witt, The Commons of Pensacola; Jonathan Berry, Agatha Christie's mystery The Mousetrap; Artistic Director BJ Jones, Bruce Graham's World Premiere of White Guy on the Bus; and Jessica Thebus, the World Premiere of Shining Lives: A Musical, based on Melanie Marnich's play, commissioned by Northlight and written by Jessica Thebus (book & lyrics), Andre Pluess and Amanda Dehnert (music).

Outside Mullingar
by John Patrick Shanley
directed by Artistic Director BJ Jones
March 13 - April 19, 2015

Anthony and Rosemary are two introverted misfits. Anthony has spent his entire life on a cattle farm in rural Ireland, oblivious to the longing of his neighbor Rosemary, who hopelessly pines for him as the years slip away. With Anthony's father threatening to disinherit him and a land feud simmering between their families, Rosemary fears romantic catastrophe. These two eccentric souls scramble their way towards happiness in a compassionate, delightful tale of how surprising love can be.

The previously announced 2014-15 season includes:

The Midwest Premiere of
The Commons of Pensacola
by Amanda Peet
directed by Robin Witt
September 12 - October 19, 2014

Judith is a woman in exile, relegated to a Florida condo after her husband's Madoff-like crimes have expelled her from a luxurious life. Family ties are tested when her daughter Becca comes to visit for Thanksgiving, joined by Becca's filmmaker boyfriend and rebellious niece. Guilt by association, lost wealth, and questionable motives make trying to love your family an uncommonly difficult challenge in this funny, incisive and timely new drama.

The Mousetrap
by Agatha Christie
directed by Jonathan Berry
November 7 - December 14, 2014

On a snowy night at Monkswell Manor, newlyweds Mollie and Giles welcome a group of strangers to their guest house, only to discover news of a murderer in their midst! A police investigation reveals the sordid details of each guest's mysterious past, but not soon enough to stop the killer from striking again. Agatha Christie's masterful whodunit weaves an intricate plot filled with nerve-rattling suspense, all leading up to the ultimate final twist!

Renowned mystery writer Agatha Christie is not only the best-selling author of all time, but The Mousetrap is the world's longest-running play, now at 62 years on London's West End.

The World Premiere of
White Guy on the Bus
by Bruce Graham
directed by Artistic Director BJ Jones
January 23- March 1, 2015

Ray, a successful white business executive, rides the bus past the state penitentiary every Saturday. On his weekly ride he befriends Shatique, a young black woman putting herself through school and struggling to raise a son on her own. The threads that tie these disparate individuals together gradually unravel in a complex and explosive examination of race, intent, and racial biases from a candid and unexpected perspective.

Bruce Graham, the award-winning playwright and screenwriter behind Northlight's highly successful The Outgoing Tide and Stella & Lou, has never been sharper than in this fresh, surprising, and gutsy world premiere.

The World Premiere of
Shining Lives: A Musical
book & lyrics by Jessica Thebus
music by Andre Pluess & Amanda Dehnert
based on the play These Shining Lives by Melanie Marnich
directed by Jessica Thebus
May 8 - June 14, 2015

It's 1922 and the young women of Chicago's Radium Dial Company are living a dream- earning good wages and beaming with new-found independence. After years of hand painting watch dials, the so-called "harmless" radium that provided for so much joy leads to tragic results. Four courageous women upend their lives with a determination to change the future in this compelling new musical, the transcendent tale of heroic lives that glowed with promise.

This world premiere musical, developed through Northlight's Interplay Series, is adapted from the play These Shining Lives, both commissioned by Northlight Theatre.

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