Productions & Events featuring James Keister

Acclaimed for both its universal themes of humanity and its unforgettable dialogue, this widely admired masterpiece explores life in South Africa during the 1950s era of apartheid. When a white 17-year-old and two black workers he has known all his life connect on one rainy day, their wide-ranging discussions illustrate all that unites us, and the gulf of what still divides us.

Visit Paris in 1923 to eavesdrop on the bohemian life of international star Isadora Duncan — renowned as the “mother of modern dance” — in this evocative and incredibly funny portrait. A multi-lingual script of great heart mixes the high comedy of a colorful cast of characters with a poignant view of how art can move and inspire us.

A landmark classic from the legendary author of Death of a Salesman and The Crucible, this 1947 Tony Award winner for Best Play returns to the Chicago stage for the first time since an acclaimed Broadway revival last season. In the wake of World War II, a middle-class American family struggles with loss, love and an explosive secret from the past in this powerful drama about business ethics and responsibility.

This world premiere drama Not Enough Air follows famed journalist-turned-playwright Sophie Treadwell as she is drawn into the real-life tragedy of Ruth Snyder’s 1928 murder trial. Treadwell is haunted by Ruth’s story and finds herself compelled to bring it to the stage in the form of her landmark play Machinal, acclaimed as one of the high points of expressionist theater on an American stage. In this astonishing exploration of media sensationalism and ethics as well as interpretation and manipulation in the creative process, Obolensky illuminates the lives of two women who pushed against the limitations and expectations imposed upon them by society.

From the author of Bee-Luther-Hatchee and Permanent Collection comes this inspired-by-real-life drama. Philadelphia wants to build its new American Museum of Liberty on the grounds of George Washington’s Philadelphia home and slave quarters. Soon a conservative academic star and a liberal political activist are confronting each other with polarizing questions of African-American legacy and identity. Elegantly juxtaposed with this contemporary conflict is the true story of one of Washington’s slaves as she contemplates escape. The result is a thought-provoking drama that asks vital questions about race in America, both where we’ve been and where we go next.

Written and set during the 1968 presidential campaign, Weekend is a witty comedy about a Republican Senator who is about to announce his candidacy for his party’s nomination when his son arrives with shocking — and potentially politically damaging — news. Prejudice, blackmail, self-righteousness and opportunism become a potent mix as the candidate and his handlers conspire with well-calculated maneuvers to save the day.

One of the most acclaimed playwrights to emerge in Chicago in the last decade, Brett Neveu has a reputation for blistering dialogue, complex characters and haunting stories. Described as a “master at establishing mood” (Chicago Sun-Times) and “perhaps the city’s closest equivalent to a young [David] Mamet” (Chicago Tribune), with Harmless, he delivers a gripping three-character drama about a crisis unfolding on a small Midwestern college campus.

A creative writing professor is called to the office of the college president for questioning. What has been going on in his classroom to provoke a growing controversy and attract the attention of the United States military? Is there a real threat, or is it imagined?

One of the most celebrated new plays of the last decade, Copenhagen is a powerful drama that explores an enduring mystery of modern scientific history. In 1941, German physicist Werner Heisenberg made a mysterious trip to Copenhagen for a meeting with his Danish mentor, Niels Bohr. What was said during their meeting is unknown, but their relationship, and the course of World War II was changed forever.

This Tony Award-winning play that dares to imagine their meeting – the discussions of friendship, developing an atomic bomb and the ultimate moral responsibility of scientific discovery.

Written by veteran Chicago actor Maureen Gallagher, MARTIN FUREY’S SHOT takes us into the life and work of a photojournalist as he moves between his home in Chicago and the violence of the war zones he covers. Martin tries to balance the horrors he has seen in Bosnia, Northern Ireland, and pre-election South Africa with the normalcy he is expected to return to with his family and girlfriend. With his fellow photographers, Martin captures the struggles and dreams of a nation awaiting Nelson Mandela even as his own life falls apart.

Back stabbing, spying, double-crossing and rampant infidelity – just a typical family Christmas for the Plantagenets, England’s royal family. This ingenious drama pits King Henry II against his strong-willed wife Eleanor of Aquitaine and their three heirs in a 12th-century struggle for love and power.

Jewish political theorist Hannah Arendt is thrown into turmoil when her lover and mentor, the renowned philosopher Martin Heidegger, develops ties to the Nazi party and becomes a vocal supporter of Hitler. After the war, she returns to Germany and must weigh the consequences of forgiving Martin for his actions and question whether or not love can truly conquer all.

Winner of six Joseph Jefferson Awards.

August 28 – October 10, 2004

Facing a nation that has already decided his guilt, Richard Hauptmann insists he is innocent of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping. His case is simple: Public pressure forced investigators to pin the “Crime of the Century” on this naïve illegal immigrant. John Logan’s explosive and highly theatrical drama reveals the birth of media frenzy and the execution of a potentially innocent man.

Clifford Odets’ masterpiece is as robust, emotional and gritty as the Great Depression itself. As Odets describes it, each of the characters share a fundamental activity — a struggle for life amidst petty conditions. Crowded together in a cramped Bronx tenement and laid low by the Great Depression, this moving portrait of a Jewish family is both funny and heartbreaking as they cope with survival and cling to dreams of a brighter future.

Gerardo Escobar, who is heading up the commission to investigate the crimes of the old regime, is rescued roadside by a kind passerby, Dr. Miranda. When the two return to Gerardo’s home, his wife Paulina, is convinced that the Doctor is harboring a dark past. Set in a country transitioning back to democracy, Death and The Maiden is a modern thriller with a haunting conclusion. Barry Brunetti, director of TimeLine’s critically acclaimed No End of Blame, returns to our stage with this riveting exploration of human nature and the meaning of justice.

May 4 – June 2, 2002

In 1983, the world’s most powerful nation – the United States – invaded the smallest country in the Western Hemisphere – Granada. This cunning and dark comedy takes us behind the scenes of this bizarre moment in history to the speechwriters spinning furiously to win America’s first “public relations” war. William Brown, who won the Jeff Citation for Direction for TimeLine’s smash hit Not About Nightingales returns with this comic excursion into power, ideals and American politics.

February 9 – March 24, 2002

Faith, Fear, Lust and Longing combust in Arthur Miller’s retelling of one of the strangest and most horrible chapters of American history – the Salem Witch Trials. Jeff Citation winning director Nick Bowling returns to TimeLine to illuminate the tale of a repressed town plunged into deadly panic and a family fighting to stand up for the truth at any cost.

Despite the dark subject matters in his plays, Chekhov was a writer of comedies, not dramas. His plays were meant to be satires of the Russian experience. In writing for the turn of the century Russian audience, THE SEAGULL remains peppered with what could be called inside jokes. Chekhov hoped to show his people that as much as they complained about their unhappiness they were just as much the cause of it.

This intriguing story is presented by two of the greatest minds the theatre has ever known, Anton Chekhov and Tom Stoppard. The collaboration spans generations and produces a gem of a play.

On July 10, 1886 Cap Streeter and his wife Maria were returning to Chicago from Milwaukee in their steamboat, The Reutan, when they crashed into a sandbar just off the shore at the end of East Superior Street. He eventually laid claim to the 186 acres of beach bounded by Erie Street to the south, Oak Street to the north, St. Clair Street to the west, and Lake Michigan to the east. Cap’s notable neighbors did not agree that the land Cap claimed was his for the taking. Although Cap lost the the land, he left present day Chicagoans a legacy – the name of the Streeterville neighborhood and a wildly colorful story.