Displaying items by tag: Emma Rosenthal

Writers Theatre, under the leadership of Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma and Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Artistic Director Braden Abraham, concludes its 2025/26 Season with the sweeping yet intimate play Leopoldstadt, written by the late, celebrated playwright Tom Stoppard, directed by Carey Perloff. Leopoldstadt is the largest production in Writers Theatre's history and includes a remarkable 29-member ensemble of Chicago actors and script revisions made by Stoppard and Perloff expressly for the Writers Theatre production. 

"Tom Stoppard's final play is one of his most personal, emotionally powerful, and epic in its scope. This summer, Writers audiences will experience Leopoldstadt in the most intimate venue the play has ever been performed in and feel every word of it. It will almost be like you are inside this family's Vienna flat with them through the decades," said Braden Abraham. "With Tom's blessing, and through the ingenuity of director Carey Perloff—one of Stoppard's closest collaborators—her creative team, and a large ensemble of Chicago's finest actors, we are attempting something with this presentation that has never been done before."

Tickets are now on sale for the celebrated play running in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre at Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe; 847-242-6000; www.writerstheatre.org.

The all-Chicago cast includes many performers new to the Writers stage, including Steppenwolf ensemble member Ian Barford and Lookingglass ensemble member Joey Slotnik.

Leopoldstadt marks the return to Writers Theatre for Sean Fortunato (The Real Thing, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Diary of Anne Frank, Hedda Gabler, among others), Jessie Fisher (Every Brilliant Thing), Kate Fry (Arcadia, Hedda Gabler, Oh Coward, Marjorie Prime, among others), Erik Hellman (Translations, Marjorie Prime, Smart People), Andrew Mueller (Translations, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812), Barbara Roberston (The Detective's Wife), and Sarah Coakley Price (Eurydice) and Emma Rosenthal (The Diary of Anne Frank).

The full cast is: Justin Albinder (Zac/Nathan), Ian Barford (Hermann), Ella Bopari (Young Sally/Mimi), Levi Charnay (Young Jacob/Heini), Hanna Dworkin (Poldi/Older Hanna, Understudy Emilia/Eva), Jessie Fisher (Hilde/Rosa), Sean Fortunato (Ernst), Kate Fry (Gretl), Sam Bell-Gurwitz (Jacob/Leo), Erik Hellman (Fritz/Percy), Asha Dale Hopman (Young Rosa/Bella), Rachel Jones (Ensemble, Understudy Jana/Sally & Wilma), Theo Clark Leber (Young Jacob/Heini). Morgan Medina (Young Rosa/Bella), Andrew Mueller (Otto/Civilian, Understudy Fritz/Percy & Ernst), Grainne Ortlieb (Jana/Sally, Understudy Hanna/Hermine), Sarah Coakley Price (Wilma, Understudy Eva/Nellie), Barbara Robertson (Emilia/Older Eva), Adeline Rosenthal (Young Sally/Mimi), Emma Rosenthal (Eva/Nellie, Understudy Hilda/Rosa), Sebastian Rus (Pauli/Young Leo), Caleb Scherr (Pauli/Young Leo), Joey Slotnick (Ludwig) and Brenann Stacker (Hanna/Hermine). The understudies are: Ani Cohen, Jack Doherty, Ian Geers, Göran Norquist and Rebekah Ward.

Under the direction of Carey Perloff, a frequent collaborator and dear friend of Stoppard's, this new production features script revisions the two made expressly for Writers Theatre. The Tony Award-winning work is the final play from one of our era's greatest playwrights. A Jewish family braves the darkest and most consequential chapters of the 20th century in this epic masterpiece from the late Tom Stoppard. 

The creative team includes: Carey Perloff (Director), Faith Hart (Assistant Director), Tommy Rapley (Choreographer), Ken MacDonald (Scenic Designer), Keith Parham (Lighting Designer), Alex Jaeger (Costume Designer), Tom Watson (Makeup and Wigs Designer) and Eva Breneman (Voice/Dialects/Text).

Leopoldstadt

Written by Tom Stoppard
Directed by Carey Perloff 

Dates: First performance: Thursday, June 4, 2026 at 7:30pm
Closing performance: July 19, 2026   

Performance Schedule: 
Wednesdays: 2:00pm and 7:30pm 
Thursdays: 7:30pm  
Fridays: 7:30pm  
Saturdays: 2:00pm and 7:30pm  
Sundays: 2:00pm and 7:00pm 

Open Captioned Performance: Thursday, June 25 at 7:30pm 

ASL-Interpreted Performance: Saturday, June 27 at 2:00pm 

Pay What You Can Performances: Thursday, June 4 at 7:30pm and Sunday, June 21 at 7:00pm   

Location: Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe 

Prices: $55-$125 
Special pricing and full performance buy-out packages are available for groups of 10 or more. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

Discounts are available for students, educators, theater industry professionals, active military personnel, veterans, police officers, firefighters, and their immediate families. Information is available at: https://www.writerstheatre.org/plan-your-visit/box-office-and-theatre-center/pricing--special-offers 

Box Office: The Box Office is located at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe; 847-242-6000; www.writerstheatre.org 

NOTES OF INTEREST 

• Directed by Carey Perloff, a longtime collaborator of the late playwright, this production marks the largest and most ambitious project in the history of Writers Theatre, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of its Jeanne Gang-designed building.
• Writers Theatre is celebrating the 10^th anniversary of its Jeanne Gang-designed building. The first production in the new venue was Tom Stoppard's Arcadia, featuring Leopoldstadt cast member Kate Fry. Staging an epic like Leopoldstadt represents the culmination of what Gang's building has made possible over the last decade.
• In addition to Arcadia, Writers has previously produced Stoppard's The Real Thing, (featuring Carrie Coon and Leopodstadt's Sean Fortunato), and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, (also featuring Fortunato).
• Writers Theatre embarked on a dedicated fundraising campaign to bring the production to fruition. To date, over $1.2 million has been raised from 37 individual donors to support the work.
• This production features specific script revisions made by Stoppard and Perloff expressly for the intimate stage at Writers Theatre. The minor, but impactful changes, included adjustments to the dialogue for American actors by taking out the anglicisms, removing a couple of the minor characters and adding an intermission.
• Leopoldstadt has been a major critical success in the US and UK and won four 2023 Tony Awards, including Best Play and two 2020 Olivier Awards, including Best New Play.
• In celebration of the largest production in Writers Theatre history and the final play from one of our era's greatest playwrights, Writers Theatre presents The Stoppard Series, an unprecedented line-up of special events to enhance the experience of the production. These events have been created to celebrate themes and events complementary to Leopoldstadt. 

The Stoppard Series

Writers Theatre continues its tradition of deep artistic engagement with The Stoppard Series, a curated collection of lectures, conversations, and community events to illuminate the historical and personal layers of Leopoldstadt.  The events, conversations and experiences included in The Stoppard Series are made possible by the Leopoldstadt sponsors. 

Details for a full slate of programming will be available soon and registration will open on May 1, 2026. 

In the meantime, registration is currently open for the following programs as part of The Stoppard Series:

The Green Room: A Conversation with Carey Perloff
Wednesday, May 6 at 7pm

At this event, Perloff will discuss her friendship and working relationship with the late Stoppard, her family's history in Vienna, and the ways this new production is leaning into WT's trademark intimacy. A podcast featuring highlights from the conversation will be available following the live event.

Leopoldstadt: The Final Word Audience Discussion

Sundays, June 28 and July 19 at noon

Join fellow audience members and WT artistic staff for a lively, in-person discussion delving into the characters, production elements and themes of the play. Come share your impressions and uncover new perspectives as we reflect on the story, its characters, and the creative choices behind this staging. Final Word discussions are intended for patrons who have seen the production.

Writers Theatre community partners for The Stoppard Series include: Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Temple Am Shalom, North Shore Congregation Israel, Glencoe Union Church, Congregation Sukkat Shalom, Northwestern - Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israeli Studies, Northwestern – Hillel, University of Chicago, Folks Operetta, Resetting the Table, Jewish Studio Project and The Art Institute of Chicago.

WRITERS THEATRE 2026/27 SEASON

The recently announced season includes Matthew Libby's Sisters, directed by Jessica Thebus; The Royale by Marco Ramirez (Orange is the New Black, Buena Vista Social Club), directed by Tyrone Phillips; Noël Coward's Brief Encounter by Emma Rice, directed by Shana Cooper and music direction by Matt Deitchman; the Strindberg thriller Creditors, written by Jen Silverman and directed by Braden Abraham; Hershey Felder's brand-new work The Piano and Me.   

Writers Theatre is offering a variety of subscriptions with an option for every theatregoer. Each subscription includes a deeply discounted ticket price, ranging from $275-$385 for one ticket to the five-play series. Flex subscriptions, with options for either four tickets ($280) or five tickets ($350), are available.

Season subscribers receive the new Writers Theatre concierge service for ticket exchanges and questions. Exclusive subscriber benefits include: complimentary ticket exchanges (upgrade fees may apply), special "subscriber-rate" prices on additional tickets, advance access to special events and programs, easy, free parking, exclusive discounts in bar items and merchandise, discounts on rental of Writers Theatre event spaces on Writers Theatre merchandise, event rentals, and more. For a complete list of benefits visit writerstheatre.org.

Season Packages are available online at www.writerstheatre.org, and at the Box Office by calling 847-242-6000.

Single tickets will go on sale for each show approximately two months prior to first preview. Single ticket prices start at $35.

ABOUT WRITERS THEATRE

Writers Theatre proudly celebrates its 35th Season.  

From its beginnings in the back room of a Glencoe bookstore, Writers Theatre established what would become its defining conviction: that vibrant language and exceptional performances in an intimate setting create a transformative theatrical experience. Today, the company is a major cultural destination in the Chicago region with a national reputation for artistic excellence, heralded by The Wall Street Journal as "America's finest regional theatre company." 

Founded in 1992, Writers has produced over 160 productions—from inventive interpretations of classics to groundbreaking new work. In 2016, the company opened a state-of-the-art theatre center designed by the internationally renowned Studio Gang Architects. The new facility includes the 255-seat Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre and the flexible 100-seat Gillian Theatre, spaces designed to preserve the company's trademark intimacy and bring audiences up close to Chicago's finest actors. The building's striking glass atrium serves as a welcoming gathering space for artists, staff and the community, open daily for reading, working and conversation.  

Led by Executive Director Kate Lipuma and Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Artistic Director Braden Abraham, Writers Theatre welcomes more than 60,000 patrons each year. The company has established itself as an important originator of new theatrical work, having produced over 30 world premieres in its history—including Manual Cinema's Christmas Carol, Witch by Jen Silverman, Trevor the Musical by Dan Collins and Julianne Wick Davis, A Minister's Wife by Austin Pendleton, Jan Tranen and Josh Schmidt, The Savannah Disputation by Evan Smith and Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus's adaptation of Crime and Punishment. 

Education and community engagement remain central to Writers Theatre's mission. Each season, the organization reaches more than 5,000 students and adults through school matinees, in-school residencies and curriculum-based programs that introduce young people to professional theatre. Writers Theatre also offers a wide range of free programs for the broader community, including readings, lectures and partnerships with local organizations that make theatre accessible to audiences of all ages. 

Located just 20 miles north of downtown Chicago, Writers Theatre offers artists and audiences a setting that combines world-class theatre with the calm and accessibility of Chicago's North Shore. As Writers Theatre enters its 35th season, the company continues its commitment to artistic excellence, meaningful storytelling and the uniquely powerful connection that only intimate theatre can create. 

I am delighted that Northlight Theatre chose to produce The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, penned by Daniel Jamieson and expertly staged and directed by Elizabeth Margolius, especially given the alarming rise of antisemitism currently sweeping the country.

The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk is a play that tells the love story of the famous Jewish artist Marc Chagall born Moishe Shagal and his wife, writer Bella Rosenfeld. Set against the backdrop of early 20th-century Vitebsk, the narrative explores their relationship as they navigate significant historical events such as the Pogroms, the Russian Revolution, and the rise of fascism in Europe. Marc Chagall, a renowned painter born in the small town of Vitebsk, where he met his wife Bella, lived to the age of 97. Such a ripe old age, despite the harrowing events depicted in the play, where he and Bella flee the brutal pogroms in Russia and the Nazi atrocities in Europe, Chagall’s resilience and longevity stand out. The play masterfully intertwines dance and music along with gripping dialogue to narrate the couple’s journey through some of the most turbulent periods of the 20th century, leading up to the Nazi occupation of France while focusing on the couple’s strong relationship and strength. 

Jack Cahill-Lemme portrays Chagall with a focused optimism and an unwavering devotion to his Jewish bride, Bella, capturing the essence of love at first sight from their very first encounter. As Cahill-Lemme follows and admires Bella moving across the stage, his unwavering pursuit of her love is evident. His character’s elegant movements, captivating smile and dreamy expression reveal that his attention is entirely devoted to her. Cahill-Lemme’s longing  gaze envelops Bella, reflecting his profound love, devotion, and undeniable attraction. Interestingly, during their first encounter, he asked her to pose nude for him, a common practice among painters of that era. Jack Cahill-Lemme is a rising star who was most recently seen on Broadway in the National Tour of Moulin Rouge alongside Boy George and has taken on roles at Marriott Theatre and Paramount Theatre among many other Chicagoland theaters. Rosenthal has also made her mark in the theater world, appearing at Drury Lane Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre and Writers Theatre.

Emma Rosenthal portrays Bella, the love of Chagall’s life with a tremendous amount of energy and childlike wonder. Her character is a fiery, headstrong, and intelligent woman deeply in love and devoted wholly and joyously to her passionate and genius husband, and their child. Rosenthal’s performance radiates with the spirited energy of a Jewish woman who has found both her true love and her destiny as his inspiration, especially evident in their numerous dance numbers and songs together. 

It was fascinating to see that instead of using the stained glass painting of the flying lovers as a backdrop, the simple yet modern set allowed each dance number between the two lovers to evoke the painting’s uplifting joy and the lifelong physical attraction that inspired the most famous painting by Chagall of all time.

The live music for the show, performed by musical director Michael Mahler and Alyssa Carlson, featured a mix of new and old instruments, including the piano. Their performances added depth to the many wonderful song and dance numbers, which were delivered in various languages, including Yiddish, Russian, French, and English, creating a powerful emotional impact.

Marc Chagall was ahead of his time in many ways and faced rejection in his Russian homeland despite his worldwide acclaim as a pioneer of the art movement now known as Impressionism.

Under the guidance of Artistic Director BJ Jones, The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk captivates audiences with its compelling narrative that holds their attention from start to finish. The production is brought to life with its talented cast along with music by Ian Ross, stage and movement direction by Elizabeth Margolius, and musical direction by Michael Mahler.

I highly recommend this beautiful, moving, and joyful 80-minute one-act production for audiences of all ages. It offers a wonderful opportunity to learn about Jewish history and the arts in a setting that celebrates the relationship between artist and muse.

The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk is being performed at Northlight Theatre in Skokie through October 6th. For tickets and/or more show information, click HERE.