TEENAGE TEARS, the newest Fabulous Females musical, tells the story of 16-year-old Laylah and her 12-year-old brother, Day Day, as they desperately try to find out the truth about their mother’s whereabouts. Told by their oldest sister that the mother is on a work trip, the siblings discover that she is, in fact, in jail. As the younger siblings react to this news about Mom, the play reveals the profound effects of an incarcerated parent on an entire family.
Young women incarcerated at the Illinois Youth Center in Warrenville (IYC-Warrenville) have written the script and, under the guidance and direction of Storycatchers Theatre, will perform it in November in the Sheila Kalish Memorial Theatre at IYC-Warrenville.
There is a very special performance of …TEARS on November 13. Guests may tour the facility before the show and join the cast and staff after for a specially catered lunch. The $35/person fee for this event covers the cost of lunch and helps to fund equipment rental for the show. A chartered bus is available for guests that wish to ride from Storycatchers office to Warrenville for this one-day-only event. Payment and reservations for November 13 must be made by Oct 24, 2014.
There is no charge for admission to the 12:30 p.m. performances on November 15 and 16, but reservations are required for all guests. Go to the Storycatchers website, www.storycatcherstheatre.org, for more details.
Jacob Clinkscales, a member of the Teens Together Ensemble, and Johnny Smith, of the Changing Voices Ensemble, join the Fab Females as guest artists for this production. Elizabeth Gray, current cast member of Lyric Opera Porgy and Bess and former member of the CSO chorus, is back as a Teaching Actor to play the role of Laylah and DayDay’s incarcerated mother.
Chicago Symphony Fellows Lindsay Flowers, oboe; Simon Gomez, percussion; Erin Rafferty, viola, and Jessica Wolfe, double bass, will accompany the ensemble under the musical direction of Justin Callis, of Storycatchers. The Fellows’ participation is made possible through Storycatchers’ partnership with the Negaunee Music Institute of the CSO and the Citizen’s Musician Initiative.