Stage Center Theatre | 2023-2024 Season
Spring 2024
"BLACK BEAR ISLAND" by KarISSA MURRELL MYERs
Co-produced in partnership with Silk Road Cultural Center
Guest-directed by Dan Washelesky and Jonathan Shaboo
Black Bear Island is haunted by a monstrous man-killing bear, or so everyone says. Amitra never believed the myth about her old hometown. But when Warren, her estranged childhood sweetheart, dies mysteriously and bequeaths her everything he owned, she returns to the island one last time. As the forest begins to engulf the house and her past begins to collide with the present, she is determined to find out who Warren really was and what happened to him. This gothic magical-realism suspense thriller explores regret, the unreliableness of our own memories, and the paths we choose to become who we are.
Performance Dates
- 7:30 p.m. April 17-19
- 3:00 p.m. April 20: Private Event
- 7:30 p.m. April 24-26
- 3:00 p.m. April 27
In-person tickets are free for NEIU students, faculty and staff. To claim your free ticket, bring your NEIU ID to the Welcome Desk, or walk up to the Front of House desk in the Building F Lobby on the day of performance. Front of House opens one hour before curtain.
Livestream Ticket Information
- April 20 and April 27 will also be live streamed performances!
- Livestream tickets are $5 each for any patron utilizing the livestream option, and can be purchased at ShowTix4U.
Upper Left: Stephanie Shum as Amitra and Xavier Becerra as Warren. Upper Right: Luke Steadman as Boy and Melony Aponte as Girl. Right: Stephanie Shum as Amitra and Alexander Attea as Dennis the UPS Guy/The Man. Bottom: Nicolette de Guia as Marjorie and Stephanie Shum as Amitra. Photo credit: Sarah Fabian
2024-2025 Season
8th Annual Playwriting Contest Winners for the Fall 2024 Nuevas Voces Festival
Directed by Lisa Harriman
Founded by alumnus and former Northeastern professor Jim Blair to create a platform at Northeastern Illinois University for new playwrights, Nuevas Voces is a thrilling launch point for new work from Northeastern and its vibrant community. Featuring multiple prize-winning short plays selected from an extensive competition, Nuevas Voces reveals the complexity of our human experience through the many lenses that make up Northeastern.
Performance Dates
- 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3; an opening reception begins at 6:30 p.m. and talkback session at the conclusion of the opening night.
- 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3
- 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Oct. 4
Hundreds and Hundreds of stars*
by Sandra Delgado
*Pending Performance Rights
Co-produced in partnership with Teatro Vista.
Like millions of Americans, Clara’s days are consumed with juggling work and family. Recently divorced, she’s taking care of her tween-age daughter, her aging father – and paying alimony to her under-employed ex-husband. But in the midst of all that stress, she’s got something to look forward to: a long planned for trip to Europe with her daughter Stella. In preparation, Clara, who immigrated to the US with her family as a child, decides to apply for full citizenship. She wants to be able to stand in the same customs line as Stella. But when her citizenship application is flagged, it sets off an unfathomable series of events that threaten to force her out of the only home she’s ever known. Timely and provocative, Felons and Familias asks challenging questions about our country’s most fundamental values. (Website)
Featured in The Goodman Theatre's New Stages Festival in September 2018.
Performance Dates
- 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 - Nov. 15
- 3:00 p.m. Nov. 16*: Private Event
- 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20 - Nov. 22
- 3:00 p.m. Nov. 23*
Nov. 16 and Nov. 23 will be livestreamed performances via ShowTix4U. Check back soon for details.
2023-2024 Past Productions
7th Annual Playwriting Contest Winners for the Fall 2023 Nuevas Voces Festival
Directed by Communication, Media and Theatre M.A. Candidate Mara Galeno
Founded by alumnus and former Northeastern professor Jim Blair to create a platform at Northeastern Illinois University for new playwrights, Nuevas Voces is a thrilling launch point for new work from Northeastern and its vibrant community. Featuring multiple prize-winning short plays selected from an extensive competition, Nuevas Voces reveals the complexity of our human experience through the many lenses that make up Northeastern.
Performance Dates
- 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28; an opening reception begins at 6:30 p.m. and talkback session at the conclusion of the opening night.
- 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29
- 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Sept. 30
This year's winning plays:
- 1st Place: "Two People" by Victor Braeseke, prize of $250
- 2nd Place: "It's My Move" by Samuel Jin Seo, prize of $200
- 3rd Place: "The Interns" by Luke Steadman, prize of $150
Honorable mention playwrights:
- "The Palestine/Israeli Conflict" by Michael Gross, prize of $75
- "The Hated Ones" by Anmol Galati, prize of $75
- "Tripping on Xanax at a Mumford and Sons Concert" by David Lipschutz, prize of $75
Fall 2023
"in the belly of the whale (a.k.a. the jonah play)" by Georgette Kelly
Directed by Communication, Media and Theatre faculty Leslie Hull
Astrid is a sculptor. Domino is a hoarder. Jonah is a writer. Calliope is a parrot. They all live together — separately — in a Manhattan studio apartment building. When it begins to rain … and rain … and rain … they pile into one of Astrid’s sculptures and float out to sea. The adventure that ensues tests their endurance, as they lose one world and create another in the belly of a whale. This new take on the biblical story of Jonah asks the question: What does it mean to be swallowed by a great fish? By a city? By yourself? (New Play Exchange)
This play was developed at The National New Play Network MFA Playwrights Workshop. This program, conducted annually in conjunction with The Kennedy Center and the National Center for New Plays, provides a graduate-level student playwright with an NNPN-affiliated director and dramaturg, a professional cast for a week of script development, and an introduction to the Network, its Membership, and programs.
Performance Dates
- 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10, 11, 15, 16, and 17
- 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18*
- *Nov. 18 performances will be live performances with live-stream access via ShowTix4U.
Livestream Ticket Information
- Livestream tickets are $5 each for any patron utilizing the livestream function.
- ShowTix4U Access