THE NORTH CHINA LOVER, IN THE GARDEN and More Set for Lookingglass Theatre's 2013-14 Season

Lookingglass Theatre Company announces its 2013-2014 Season, opening with the World Premiere adaptation of Marguerite Duras' The North China Lover, written & directed by Ensemble Member Heidi Stillman. The season continues with The Little Prince directed by Ensemble Member David Catlin, adapted from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's beloved children's book by Rick Cummins and John Scoullar. Jessica Thebus will direct the World Premiere of Artistic Associate Sara Gmitter's In The Garden: A Darwinian Love Story to close out the Season.

Artistic Director Andrew White comments, "As our audiences know, every time they walk through our doors they encounter an entirely different landscape. The 2013-14 Season promises another year of journeys to unknown and unexpected places. Each of these three plays has two central characters who see their world from starkly different vantage points, and must together carve out new, undiscovered territory which they can inhabit together. Taken as a whole, this season will transport both artists and audiences across a vast expanse of time and space, and promises a year of discovery every step of the way."

The Lookingglass 26th season is:

World Premiere
The North China Lover
Adapted and Directed by Ensemble Member Heidi Stillman
Based on the novel by Marguerite Duras
Previews September 25 - October 4, 2013
Opening Saturday, October 5, 2013
Runs October 6 - November 10, 2013

You never forget your first lover. The affair plays like a moving picture over and over in your mind: passionate, consuming, secret, taboo.

Fade in: the seamy French Quarter of Southern Indochina in the 1930s where the 14-year-old impoverished schoolgirl who will someday be French novelist Marguerite Duras is about to meet and captivate a wealthy 27-year-old Chinese aristocrat.

With the older Duras as our guide, The North China Lover transports us on a provocative and haunting journey of awakening and sacrifice, revealing the delicate and indelible effect of life on art.

The Little Prince
Directed by Ensemble Member David Catlin
By Rick Cummins and John Scoullar
Based on the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Previews December 4 - December 13, 2013
Opening Saturday, December 14, 2013
Runs December 15, 2013 - February 2, 2014

Stuck, thirsty and alone. A pilot stranded in the Sahara Desert meets an enigmatic, charismatic young prince fallen from the sky who regales him with tales of life among the stars: tales with earthly importance.

In this visually arresting, fully immersive theatrical interpretation of the beloved French novella, director David Catlin (creator of Lookingglass Alice) illustrates the story with fantastic characters and gravity-defying, awe-inspiring physical feats.

The Little Prince speaks - in breathtaking splendor -to the castaway in all of us: challenging our perspective, opening our eyes and bringing us back to the heart of what truly matters.

World Premiere
In The Garden: A Darwinian Love Story
Written by Artistic Associate Sara Gmitter
Directed by Jessica Thebus
Previews April 16 - 25, 2014
Opening Saturday, April 26, 2013
Runs April 27 - June 15, 2014

Long before The Origin of Species will forever change the world, Charles Darwin meets Emma Wedgewood and they forever change each other. In the space between science and faith, they find an unexpected and unlikely romance.

In the Garden chronicles the struggle of two fiercely independent individuals, divided by ideology but united by a fire that fuels a passionate lifelong debate: evolution vs. salvation. Only by embracing this duality can they possibly navigate the struggles, triumphs, losses and discoveries that await.

Subscriptions are on sale for the 2013-2014 Season. Performances will be held at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. Current subscribers who renew before May 1 may do so for the reduced rate of $97-$167. Subscriptions for the 2013-14 Season are $103-$177 for three plays.

Subscription benefits include access to the best seats in the house, pre-sale opportunities and savings before single tickets go on sale to the general public, special perks at more than a dozen exclusive of restaurant partners, unlimited ticket exchanges, discounted parking at the nearby John Hancock Center and Olympia Centre Garage (161 E. Chicago Ave.), reduced tuition for Lookingglass' renowned classes and summer camps, and courtesy performance date reminders. For season subscription and ticket information, call the Lookingglass Theatre box office at (312) 337-0665 or visit lookingglasstheatre.org.

Inventive. Collaborative. Transformative. Lookingglass Theatre Company, recipient of the 2011 Regional Theatre Tony Award, was founded in 1988 by eight Northwestern University students. 2012-2013 marks the company's 25th anniversary season. Lookingglass is home to a multi-disciplined ensemble of artists who create story-centered theatrical work that is physical, aurally rich and visually metaphoric. Lookingglass has staged 58 world premieres at 23 venues across Chicago, and garnered 52 Joseph Jefferson Awards and Citations.

Work premiered at Lookingglass has been produced in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Berkeley, Philadelphia, Princeton, Hartford, Kansas City, Washington D.C., and St. Louis. Lookingglass original scripts have been produced across the United States.

The Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago's landmark Water Tower Water Works opened in June 2003. In addition to developing and presenting ensemble work, Lookingglass Education and Community programs encourage creativity, teamwork and confidence with thousands of community members each year.

Lookingglass Theatre Company continues to expand its artistic, financial and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Artistic Director Andrew White, Executive Director Rachel Kraft, Producing Artistic Director Philip R. Smith, Artistic Director of New Work Heidi Stillman, a 24-member artistic ensemble, 13 artistic associates, 11 production affiliates, an administrative staff and a dedicated board of directors led by Chairman Richard Ditton of Incredible Technologies and President Joe Brady of Jones Lang LaSalle.