Photo Flash: Northlight Theatre Presents INTO THE BREECHES

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, concludes its 2018-19 season with Into the Breeches!, written by George Brant and directed by Jessica Thebus. Into the Breeches! runs May 9 - June 16, 2019 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie.

It's 1942 and with the men off at war, the Oberon Play House is lacking its director and leading men. The season will be canceled...until the director's wife rallies the troops at home for an all-female production. With the opportunity to move from the sidelines to centerstage, the women forge ahead with a spirit of collaboration, dauntless enthusiasm, and a belief in the power of art to move us forward. This surprisingly modern comedy proves that the show not only must, but will go on.

"Playwright George Brandt is a Morton Grove native and alumnus of Northwestern. In fact, George has set the play against the backdrop of Evanston during the Second World War," comments BJ Jones. "In Shakespeare's time as you know, women's roles were played by young men, as women on stage were deemed scandalous and inappropriate. Brandt has flipped this around, casting women in men's roles through necessity during the Great War, and not just in service of humor, but taking the opportunity to discuss issues of gender we focus on today. In fact, theatrical funding, racial issues, class structure all are examined through the lens of history. The celebration of theatre that is Into the Breeches! is a refreshing finish to this wonderful 44th season."

The cast of Into the Breeches! includes Mitchell Fain (Stuart Lasker), Molly Hernandez (June Bennett), Annie Munch (Grace Richards), Darci Nalepa (Maggie Dalton), Hollis Resnik (Celeste Fielding), Penny Slusher (Winifred Snow), Penelope Walker (Ida Green) and Fred Zimmerman (Ellsworth Snow).

The creative team includes Arnel Sancianco (set design), Samantha C. Jones (costume design), JR Lederle (lighting design) and Kevin O'Donnell (sound design). The dramaturg is Lauren Shouse and the stage manager is Rita Vreeland.

Northlight's production of Into the Breeches! is supported in part by John J. Cahill, J. Douglas Gray/Marshall Street Capital, Carol & Steve Mullins, The Pauls Foundation, Plante Moran, and Room & Board.

Photo Credit: Liz Lauren