2012 Season

Shakespeare's R&J
February 16th-March 18th
by Joe Calarco, directed by Tristan Brandon

In a parochial school any of us might have attended, in a time in which any of us might have lived, four students find an immortal story to transport them out of the stricture and drudgery of their schooldays, as their nights become the stage on which they decide to perform for each other--with each other--the seminal story of love in the face of authority. Barriers melt away as they each discover for themselves a character, and then a reason for that character to be heard.

We all know the story--it’s everyone’s story. Romeo and Juliet has endured 400 and more years because it’s a story about love; in fact, it’s about that rarest of all things: first love. When you first read or saw Shakespeare’s immortal story about young lovers who insist on each other against all odds--who were you?  Which character could you see in yourself? When did it occur to you that what they were feeling--that hopeless, fantastic, elevating, crushing madness could be yours too, and led you to wonder: what would I do?

The Monument
July 26th-August 26th *pending rights approval
by Colleen Wagner, directed by Evan Jackson

2011 Season

The Lion In Winter
August 11th - September 11th, 2011
By James Goldman, Directed by Evan Jackson

As the sun sets on his reign, Henry Plantagenet, “the greatest power in a thousand years,” calls his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and their three sons to Chinon for the negotiation of a treaty and a marriage contract. Locked behind the palace doors, a deadly game of alliances and betrayals unfolds as each of the players, fueled by anger and old wounds, moves to control who will sit on throne when Henry is gone. The Lion in Winter will deliver a fresh, Idle Muse interpretation of the classic costume drama, which asks: How far have we come? And will it ever be far enough?

Dracula
February 3rd - March 6th, 2011
Adapted by Steven Dietz, based on the original 1897 novel by Bram Stoker.  Directed by Lenny Wahlberg

Dracula is a story known to us all--the story of a vampire and those who fight, hate, chase, love, and fear him--but the meaning of the story that has come down to us through the ages has changed with each telling. It’s been a dark tale of adventure against impossible odds, a saga of cunning and faith, and even a love story, but those interpretations aren’t what we’re after--Idle Muse is going to tell the real story of Dracula, the story of desperate, human goodness and perseverance against total, unstoppable evil.

Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure
July 22–August 22, 2010
Adapted by Steven Dietz, based on the 1899 play by William Gillette and Arthur Conan Doyle .  Directed by Evan Jackson

Chicago Reader RECOMMENDED!

...a finely honed and crackling production... - Steadstyle Chicago  Full Review
...polished timing and terrific acting... - Chicago Critic.com      Full Review
...perfect timing and luminous stage presence... - Chicago Reader   Full Review
...Idle Muse Theatre, dedicated to redefining classical theatrical modes and methods, meets their goal.... - Centerstage Chicago  Full Review

Drawn from the contents of several canonical Holmes stories, Dietz’s adaptation of this 1899 collaboration between Doyle and Victorian stage actor William Gillette finds the Great Detective at the end of his career, contemplating a life empty of feeling as the specter of Dr. Moriarty descends upon London.  What happens when a man who has spent a lifetime making himself into the perfect machine for catching criminals meets a perfect adversary?  What happens when that same man encounters the prospect of love?  The game is afoot as Holmes and Watson strike out on one last case!