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Wings 2019 block

February 24 – March 10, 2019
Hal & Martha Hyer Wallis Theater, 1949 Campus Drive

By Suzan Zeder
Directed by Rives Collins

A fiercely determined young girl and aspiring pilot named B. has decided that she must realize her destiny to fly before turning ten. In a makeshift airplane built in her backyard treehouse she recounts the thrilling and legendary victories of her hero, Amelia Earhart. That night following a tremendous summer thunderstorm, a mysterious birdlike visitor takes up residence in her imaginary cockpit and B. wonders if the strange creature may be an incarnation of her hero and inspiration to finally take flight.

“Embodies the openness and honesty that children want in a theatre production, but it never sacrifices the complexity that adults crave.” -DC Theatre Scene

“Part history lesson, part argument for female empowerment, and part enticing family drama, … goes above and beyond your standard theatre for young audiences offering.” – BroadwayWorld.com

Estimated Running Time: 1hr no intermission

Recommended for ages first graders and up.

RIVES COLLINS (Director) is an acclaimed professional storyteller (ORACLE AWARD, National Storytelling Network, 2017), and works with full faith that planting stories in the world is a bit like the work of Johnny Appleseed. A faculty member and head of Theatre for Young Audiences at Northwestern University (JOHNNY SALDAÑA OUTSTANDING PROFESSOR OF THEATRE EDUCATION, American Alliance for Theatre and Education, 2017), he is a busy director in Chicago, specializing in the development of new work. As a past president of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, and as a current board member of the Children’s Theatre Foundation, he works with an international community of artists and scholars to champion the cause of theatre in the lives of young people. Recent Imagine U productions include THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE, WILEY AND THE HAIRY MAN, THE HUNDRED DRESSES, JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH, and the Wirtz Center mainstage productions of THE LARAMIE PROJECT, THE BLUEST EYE, and EVER IN THE GLADES.

SUZAN ZEDER (Playwright) is one of the leading playwrights for young and family audiences in the United States. Her plays have been produced by professional, university and community theatres in all 50 states as well as internationally. She is a six-time winner of the Distinguished Play Award from the American Alliance of Theatre & Education, including 2015 awards for both WILEY AND THE HAIRY MAN and THE EDGE OF PEACE. WILEY AND THE HAIRY MAN was also the recipient of a Helen Hayes award for Best TYA production to Imagination Stage. She is a member of the College of Fellows of the American Theatre and the Academy of Distinguished Teachers at the University of Texas at Austin, where she headed the playwriting program for 23 years. Zeder was the first holder of an Endowed Chair in Theatre for Youth and Playwriting in the United States. Her plays include MOTHER HICKS, STEP ON A CRACK, THE EDGE OF PEACE, DOORS, and OZMA OF OZ, She now resides in Santa Fe, NM.

Performance Schedule
Sunday, February 24 at 2:00PM – Post Show Discussion
Friday, March 1 at 7:00PM – Post Show Discussion
Saturday, March 2 at 11:00AM & 2:00PM
Sunday, March 3 at 2:00PM – Sensory Friendly Performance, Download Social Story
Friday, March 8 at 7:00PM – Post Show Discussion
Saturday, March 9 at 11:00AM & 2:00PM
Sunday, March 10 at 2:00PM – Post Show Discussion

Ticket Pricing
Adult $12
Full-Time Student $10
NU Student $6/Adv. $10/Door

Buy Tickets

Join us following a performance for a free a 45-minute creative drama workshop with Northwestern teaching artists. In this special workshop, children and their families will explore themes of the show through a variety of games and creative drama-based activities. The workshop is open to any child who attends the show, but it will be most engaging for students who are of school age and their families.

Register: March 2, 3PM

REGISTER: March 9, 3PM

Space is limited. Please select and print a ticket for each child attending the workshop. Contact us at imagineu@northwestern.edu with any questions.