Lake Forest’s Citadel Theatre has announced its 2026-27 mainstage season, which will include two favorites and two acclaimed recent pieces that may be new to north shore audiences. The season will commence with the satirical comedy EUREKA DAY, which examines the frequently contradictory practices of a fictional, highly progressive private school located in Berkeley, California. The play, which premiered in Berkeley in 2018, deals with topical subjects like vaccinations, privilege, and communication, utilizing sharp wit, farce, and intense dialogue to create laughter It was produced on Broadway in the 2024-25 season and won the 2025 Tony Award for Best Revival of Play. Scott Westerman, the director of such Citadel hits as MISERY, A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN, THE MOUSETRAP, and SEX WITH STRANGERS, will direct. EUREKA DAY will open to the press on Friday, September 11 at 7:30 pm, following a preview on September 9, and play through October 11.
In November and December, Citadel will be visited by Clarence the Angel and the beleaguered George Bailey when the company presents IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: THE LIVE RADIO PLAY, based on the perennial favorite holiday film that starred James Stewart and Donna Reed. When the film premiered in 1946, before the television era, it was a common practice for popular films to be performed as live radio plays, and IT’S WONDERFUL LIFE was performed live on THE LUX RADIO THEATRE with Stewart recreating his role as George Bailey on December 23, 1947. This radio play adaptation by playwright Joe Landry not only brings the film’s beloved story to the stage, but it also recreates the magic of the heyday of radio dramas. Landry has added original pastiches of commercial jingles that run throughout the play and created characters of the radio actors who are playing the characters of the film. Jack Hickey, the former Artistic Director of Oak Park Festival Theatre, who directed Citadel’s THE COTTAGE in 2024, will return to Citadel to direct. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY will open on Friday, November 13 after previews on November 11 and 12, and play through December 13.
Citadel will follow IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE with another story from the 1940’s that has never faded in popularity: Tennessee Williams’ THE GLASS MENAGERIE. In depression-era St. Louis, Amanda Wingfield dreams of her past as an attractive, sought-after southern belle and wants to believe her painfully shy daughter can enjoy the same sort of popularity. Amanda’s adult son Tom spends his days working in a shoe warehouse and his nights at the movies, dreaming of a way to find a more exciting life. THE GLASS MENAGERIE premiered in Chicago on December 26, 1944, and was an instant sensation, establishing Williams as a major American playwright. This poetic and emotional work exploring the tension between reality and illusion, will be directed by Scott Shallenbarger, who helmed Citadel’s I AND YOU and MIRACLE ON SOUTH DIVISION STREET. Citadel co-founder Ellen Phelps will take on the iconic role of Amanda Wingfield. THE GLASS MENAGERIE will open on Friday, February 12, following previews on February 10 and 11 and play through March 14.
Closing Citadel’s 2026-27 season will be ORDINARY DAYS, a musical about four young New Yorkers whose lives intersect as they search for fulfillment, happiness, love and cabs. This sung-through musical featuring 21 songs has been an international hit since it premiered in 2008 in a production at Penn State University. Over the next ten years, it was produced in London (six times), Paris, Barcelona, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, and Wellington, New Zealand before finally making its off-Broadway premiere in 2018. It has enjoyed continued popularity around the world since then, and its ballad, “I’ll Be Here” has been recorded by such artists as Audra McDonald and Liz Callaway. ORDINARY DAYS will be directed for Citadel by Christina Ramirez, who directed RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL for Citadel Theatre in April and May 2026. ORDINARY DAYS will open to the press on Friday, April 16, following previews on April 14 and 15, and play through May 16.
Season subscriptions are available for the full four-show season at $140.00, or as flex passes that can be used for the patron’s choice of either three shows for $115.00 or two shows for $80.00. Preview flex passes are also available for $45 (two shows), $55 (three shows), or $65 (four shows). Subscriptions and single tickets priced at $50 (plus ticketing. Fees) are now on sale at www.citadeltheatre.org.
Citadel Theatre is in residence in the West Campus of the Lake Forest School District at 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. Further information and ticketing is available on the company’s website at www.citadeltheatre.org.
LISTING INFORMATION
EUREKA DAY
By Jonathan Spector
Directed by Scott Westerman
Friday, September 11 – Sunday, October 11, 2026
(Preview September 9 at 7:30 pm)
PRESS OPENING Friday, September 11 at 7:30 pm
Preview ticket prices $27.15 including ticketing fee. Regular run prices $53.40 including ticketing fee. Discounts available for groups, seniors and students.
Citadel Theatre, located in the West Campus building of the Lake Forest School District, 300 S. Waukegan Rd., Lake Forest, IL.
Tickets available online at www.citadeltheatre.org or by phone at 847-735-8554, ext. 1
In this hilarious 2025 Tony Award-winning satire, an elite private school is thrown into crisis when a mumps outbreak divides parents and board members over vaccines. As debates intensify and facts grow slippery, every solution only deepens the conflict. EUREKA DAY asks us to fully recognize the humanity of those we disagree with.
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY
By Joe Landry
Directed by Jack Hickey
Friday, November 13 – Sunday, December 13, 2026
(Previews November 11 and 12 at 7:30 pm)
Press Opening Friday, November 13 at 7:30 pm
Thursdays*, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sunday matinees at 3 pm. Wednesday matinees at 1 pm on November 18 and December 2
* No show on Thursday, November 26 (Thanksgiving Day)
Preview ticket prices $27.15 including ticketing fee. Regular run prices $53.40 including ticketing fee. Discounts available for groups, seniors and students..
Citadel Theatre, located in the West Campus building of the Lake Forest School District, 300 S. Waukegan Rd., Lake Forest, IL.
Tickets available online at www.citadeltheatre.org or by phone at 847-735-8554, ext. 1
On one fateful Christmas Eve, George Bailey teeters on the edge of despair, until an unexpected visitor reveals the extraordinary impact of his life. The immortal story of the classic film is told as a lively 1940s radio broadcast. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY blends humor, nostalgia and heart into a timeless reminder that the choices we make can change everything.
THE GLASS MENAGERIE
By Tennessee Williams
Directed by Scott Shallenbarger
Friday, February 12 - Sunday, March 14, 2027
(Previews February 10 and 11 at 7:30 pm)
Press Opening Friday, February 13 at 7:30 pm
Thursdays*, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sunday matinees at 3 pm. Wednesday matinees at 1 pm on February 17 and March 3.
Preview ticket prices $27.15 including ticketing fee. Regular run prices $53.40 including ticketing fee. Discounts available for groups, seniors and students.
Citadel Theatre, located in the West Campus building of the Lake Forest School District 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, IL
Tickets available online at www.citadeltheatre.org or by phone at 847-735-8554, ext. 1
The classic play that made Tennessee Williams a household name, follows Amanda Wingfield as she struggles to recreate the happier past of her youth for her adult children in their cramped St. Louis apartment. While Amanda clings to memories, Laura retreats into her glass collection and Tom escapes into movies and literature. This poetic, emotional work explores the tension between reality and illusion.
ORDINARY DAYS
A musical by Adam Gwon
Directed by Christina Ramirez
Friday April 16 - Sunday May 16, 2027
(Previews April 14-15 at 7:30 pm)
Press Opening Friday, April 16 at 7:30 pm
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sunday matinees at 3 pm. Wednesday matinees at 1 pm on April 21 and May 5.
Preview ticket prices $27.15 including ticketing fee. Regular run prices $53.40 including ticketing fee. Discounts available for groups, seniors and students.
Citadel Theatre, located in the West Campus building of the Lake Forest School District 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, IL
Tickets available online at www.citadeltheatre.org or by phone at 847-735-8554, ext. 1
ORDINARY DAYS is a musical about four young New Yorkers whose lives intersect as they search for fulfillment, happiness, love and cabs. Through 21 vibrant, memorable songs, it celebrates life’s everyday moments and the small choices that bring strangers together. Since premiering in London and New York City, it has won over audiences around the world.
DIRECTOR BIOS
Scott Westerman (Director, EUREKA DAY) makes, does, and teaches theatre and film in and around Chicago. At Citadel, he has directed MISERY, A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN, THE MOUSETRAP, THE CHRISTIANS and SEX WITH STRANGERS. Scott is the founding Artistic Director of Go To Productions, a 501©3 nonprofit which develops projects that explore the nexus between theatre and film. He created and directed the web series HAMLET & OPHELIA which won Best Picture at the New York Film Awards, Best Web Series at the LA Film Awards, and Best Mobile Series at the 2022 New Media Film Festival. Scott has directed stage productions for The Artistic Home, ChiArts, City Lit Theatre, Chimera Theatre Company, Citadel Theatre, Beyond This Point, Barter Theatre, Stage Left Theatre, The Smithsonian Institution, American Theatre Company (Bridge), National High School Institute (Cherubs), and Reverie Theatre Company. Scott is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, an ensemble member with The Artistic Home, represented by Gray Talent Group, and a teaching artist with Writers Theatre and The Theatre School at DePaul University. He has an MFA from The Shakespeare Theatre Academy. As an actor, Scott has worked with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Lookingglass, Northlight, The Shakespeare Theatre and Ford’s Theatre in DC, Everyman Theatre in Baltimore, the Warehouse Theatre in South Carolina, and the Barter Theatre in Virginia to name a few. On Camera credits include MACHINE GUN PREACHER, PRISON BREAK, and HEIST 88 which will premiere in 2023. More about Scott can be perused at www.ScottWesterman.org.
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Jack Hickey (Director, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY) Jack returns to Citadel Theatre, where he directed THE COTTAGE in 2024 and appeared as Tony Reilly in 2023’s OUTSIDE MULLINGAR. Jack has been a member for over 20 years of the Oak Park Festival Theatre, where he served as Artistic Director for 15 of those years. He has acted in or directed over 25 productions with the company, most notably as Falstaff in HENRY IV, Henry Drummond in INHERIT THE WIND, and Cyrano in CYRANO DE BERGERAC. Jack was nominated for an Equity Jeff Award playing Michael in SOMEONE WHO’LL WATCH OVER ME.
Jack is also a former company member of ShawChicago, performing in over 20 productions with them. Favorite roles there include The Devil in DON JUAN IN HELL, and Andrew Undershaft in MAJOR BARBARA. TV credits include CHICAGO MED and UNSOLVED MYSTERIES. He was in two commercials with Michael Jordan and appeared briefly (uncredited) in the film CONTINENTAL DIVIDE with John Belushi.
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Scott Shallenbarger (Director, THE GLASS MENAGERIE). Scott returns to Citadel Theatre after directing MIRACLE ON SOUTH DIVISION STREET IN 2025, I AND YOU in the 2024-5 season and BABY in the 2023-34 season. Previous Productions include THE GLASS MENAGERIE (Jeff Award) SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION; THE ROAD TO MECCA (Raven Theatre), SKYSCRAPER, BURN THIS, OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD (Piven Theatre), JEFFREY, and LOVE, VALOUR, COMPASSION (Hubris Productions). Scott enjoyed a long tenure as Director of Theatre Arts at Highland Park High School in Highland Park Illinois and thanks his husband and sons for their love and never-ending support.
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Christina Ramirez (Director, ORDINARY DAYS) is a Chicago-based theatre maker known for her work as a director, teaching artist, private audition coach, and college audition coach. She returns to Citadel, where she directed RUTHLESS! THE MUSICAL this spring. She currently serves as Managing Director of the award-winning Actors Training Center in Wilmette. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, she earned her BFA in Musical Theatre from Webster University's Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts and performed at renowned venues such as The MUNY, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Hope Repertory Theatre, Maples Repertory Theatre, Insight Theatre Company, Union Avenue Opera, and Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Christina’s Chicago-area directing credits include the musical FIRST DATE and the upcoming revue SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM, both for Oil Lamp Theatre.
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Scott Phelps (Artistic Director) is in his 24th year as the Artistic Director at Citadel. He’s acted in and directed dozens of Citadel productions for over two decades since founding this North Shore theatre in 2002 with his friend and lifelong companion, Ellen. In 2025, Scott co-starred with Ellen in MISERY, and the two played husband and wife in 2023’s THE CHRISTIANS. He has acted/directed in NYC, and in his home state of California; trained as an actor at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Santa Maria, CA; received his BFA from the University of Utah and did an apprenticeship at the Actors Theatre of Louisville. For 18 years Scott worked for a promotional company and raised his three daughters and his son in Lake Forest. Recently he has been taking on the next chapter of his life — the role of “Beepa” to his grandchildren. Although he is unsure if he is old enough to play that part, he’s been enjoying the challenge.
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PLAYWRIGHT BIOS
Jonathan Spector (Playwright, EUREKA DAY) is a Tony Award-winning playwright based in Oakland, California, whose work has been produced on and off-Broadway, regionally and internationally. His plays include EUREKA DAY (2025 Best Revival: Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Drama League Award & Dorian Award); THIS MUCH I KNOW (Edgerton Award, Glickman Award, BATCC Award); BIRTHRIGHT; BEST AVAILABLE; SIESTA KEY;and GOOD. BETTER. BEST. BESTED. Jonathan’s work has been produced with Manhattan Theatre Club, the Old Vic/Sonia Friedman Productions, Pasadena Playhouse, Hampstead Theatre, Miami New Drama, Colt Coeur, Theater J, Syracuse Stage, Asolo Rep, Aurora Theatre, Marin Theatre and Mosaic Theater, among others. He has been a MacDowell Fellow, Playwrights Foundation Resident Playwright, TheatreWorks Core Writer, Playwrights Center Core Writer, SPACE on Ryder Farm Resident and PlayPenn Haas Fellow. Jonathan is currently under commission with Manhattan Theatre Club, Roundabout Theatre Company and La Jolla Playhouse.
Joe Landry (Playwright, IT’S A WONDEFFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY) Joe Landry’s plays have been produced across the country and internationally and include IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY, REEFER MADNESS, VINTAGE HITCHCOCK: A LIVE RADIO PLAY, EVE & CO., BEAUTIFUL, HOLLYWOOD BABYLON, and NUMB. Mr. Landry attended Playwrights Horizons/NYU, founded Second Guess Theatre Company in Connecticut, and is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America. He is currently developing new projects for the stage and screen
Tennessee Williams (Playwright, THE GLASS MENAGERIE) was an iconic American playwright whose works are central to 20th-century theater. Born Thomas Lanier Williams III, he rose to fame with plays like THE GLASS MENAGERIE, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, and CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, each exploring complex themes of human vulnerability, desire, and societal pressures. Williams’s poetic dialogue and deeply drawn characters have made his plays enduring favorites on stage and screen. His literary accomplishments earned him numerous awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama, and his influence on both American drama and global theater remains profound.
Adam Gwon (Composer/Lyricist/Bookwriter, ORDINARY DAYS) Adam Gwon is a musical theater writer named one of "50 to Watch" by The Dramatist magazine and hailed "a promising newcomer to our talent-hungry musical theater" whose songs are “funny, urbane, with a sweetness that doesn’t cloy” by The New York Times. His musicals have been produced on six continents, in ten languages. Off-Broadway: ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE (Keen Company, Drama Desk nomination, Off-Broadway Alliance Award winner, Best Musical), SCOTLAND, PA (Roundabout Theatre, Drama Desk Award nomination, NYT Critic’s Pick), ORDINARY DAYS (Roundabout Theatre; Keen Company, Drama League Award nomination, Best Revival), OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES (Westside Theatre, NYT Critic’s Pick); Regional: WITNESSES (California Center for the Arts, Craig Noel Award winner, Outstanding New Musical), STRING (Village Theatre), CAKE OFF (Signature Theatre, Helen Hayes Award nomination; Bucks County Playhouse), CLOUDLANDS (South Coast Repertory, LA Times Critic’s Pick), THE BOY DETECTIVE FAILS (Signature Theatre), BERNICE BOBS HER HAIR (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma); West End: ORDINARY DAYS (Trafalgar Studios).
Citadel Theatre is one of Chicagoland’s premier live theatres, producing hundreds of performances annually and inspiring audiences for nearly 24 years. Founded by Scott and Ellen Phelps in 2002, Citadel Theatre is comprised of its Main Stage performances and its theatre acting classes for children. A proud member of the League of Chicago Theatres and the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff ArtsLink, Citadel Theatre offers a unique intimate theatre experience that transports you to another setting and leaves you feeling exhilarated and wanting more. A recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Citadel can accept tax-deductible donations. For more information, ticketing, and to donate, please visit Citadel online at www.CitadelTheatre.org or call 847.735.8554.