"The Blue Bird," an allegorical children's fantasy written in 1908
by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck, will be presented at Illinois
State University's Westhoff Theatre from Oct. 25 to 28 at 7:30 p.m., with
matinees on Oct. 28 and 29.
The production is part of the School of Theatre's SecondStage series, which are plays produced on minimal budgets to closely mirror Chicago's "storefront" theatres. Tickets are $10 for the general public, $9 for faculty-staff, $8 for senior citizens and $6 for students and are available at the Center for the Performing Arts box office from noon to 5 p.m. weekdays, by calling the box office at (309) 438-2535, or at the door.
Though originally intended for children, "The Blue Bird" deals with denying the reality of death. The two children of a poor woodcutter, are visited on Christmas by a mysterious fairy who sends them to find "the bird that is blue." The children embark on an exciting adventure through the magical Land of Memory, Palace of Night and Kingdom of the Future before returning home.
Playwright Maeterlinck received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911.
The play is directed by graduate student Nicole Dieker of Minneapolis, Minn. The cast includes Brian Birch of Aurora, Fania Bourn of Danville, Celeste Burns of Morris, Brian Garrett of Channahon, Stephen Gawrit of Chicago, Matthew Gorkis and Michael Hall of Naperville, Keith Habersberger of Bolingbrook, Kasia Januszewski of Barrington, Julia Macholl of Morton Grove, Amy Malouf of Roselle, Amy Muszynski and Marc Muszynski of Palatine, Jacqueline Nash of Joliet, Annie Rix of Glen Ellyn and Peter Schwartz of Hoffman Estates.
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