Invictus Theatre Company today announced the cast and production team for its live virtual production of Marsha Norman’s drama, ‘NIGHT, MOTHER, winner of 1983’s Pulitzer Prize for drama. ‘NIGHT, MOTHER, a nominee that year for the Tony Award for Best Play, is a gripping two-person drama of a woman suffering from depression who tells her mother she plans to take her own life at the end of the evening. The production will be directed by Diane Sintich, an actor whose credits include CHICAGO MED, LAW AND ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT, and Invictus’s OTHELLO. ‘NIGHT, MOTHER will be performed live and streamed online four times per week for a three-week run. Press Opening is Thursday, October 22, 2020 at 7 pm. The production will play online through November 8, 2020. Tickets are $20 for all performances and 10% of ticket proceeds will be donated to Sista Afya, a non-profit organization that provides mental health and wellness services for black women in Chicago.
Playing Jessie, the daughter, will be Courtney Gardner. Gardner was seen most recently as Mrs. Johnson in Invictus’s production of A RAISIN IN THE SUN this past spring. Keisha Yelton-Hunter will play the mother, Thelma. Yelton-Hunter was the primary understudy for the roles of Lena Younger (Mama) and Mrs. Johnson in Invictus’s A RAISIN IN THE SUN and has appeared in the Showtime series THE CHI. Understudies are Carolyn Nelson (Thelma) and Jimiece J. Gilbert (Jessie).
Top Row L-R: Courtney Gardner, Tekeisha Yelton-Hunter
Lower Row L-R: Jimiece J. Gilbert, Carolyn Gardner
All CDC measures will be in place, as both actors will stage the play in their respective homes. All rehearsals and performances will take place via Zoom. Two to three cameras will be utilized on each set to give the play a cinematic feel whilst working in the world of Zoom. This approach to “Quarantine Theatre” will prove to be a creative and novel approach to our current circumstances.
When ‘NIGHT, MOTHER opened on Broadway in 1983, NEW YORK MAGAZINE called it “…honest, uncompromising, lucid, penetrating, well-written, dramatic, and…unmanipulatively moving…” THE NEW YORK TIMES said it was “a shattering evening.” A film version co-starring Sissy Spacek and Anne Bancroft was released in 1986.
The production/design team includes Joseph Beal* (Set/Properties Designer), Satoe Schechner (Costume Designer), Kate McDuffie* (Stage Manager), Charles Askenaizer* (Production Manager, Artistic Director), Chad Lussier (Technical Director), Arlicia McClain (Assistant Director), and Ana Schedler (Graphic Designer). (* indicates Invictus Theatre Company member.)
Representatives from Sista Afya will be leading a talkback after one of the performances (date to be announced). Understudies Carolyn Nelson (Thelma) and Jimiece J. Gilbert (Jessie) will play an understudy performance on Wednesday, November 4 at 7 pm.
Invictus Theatre’s production of ‘NIGHT, MOTHER is sponsored by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation and the Chicago Community Trust Art Works Fund.
Tickets will be available at www.invictustheatreco.com beginning September 13, 2020.
LISTING INFORMATION
‘NIGHT, MOTHER
- By Marsha Norman
- Directed by Diane Sintich
- October 22 – November 8, 2020
- Thursdays-Saturdays @ 7pm Sundays @ 3pm
- Understudy performance on Wednesday, November 4 @7pm
- Press Opening: Thursday, October 22 @ 7pm
- Tickets: $20 (all ages and shows), available at https://www.invictustheatreco.com/onstage
This is an entirely VIRTUAL performance. Patrons will be given a link and streaming code with their ticket purchase to watch the show.
'NIGHT, MOTHER displays a mother and daughter relationship in a free fall crisis. Disillusioned Jessie Cates, a woman suffering from epilepsy and depression, announces to her mother Thelma, that she will be killing herself at the end of the evening. The ensuing evening is what playwright Marsha Norman describes as, "a fight for their lives" as Thelma begs, bargains, and beseeches her uncompromising daughter to change her plan. 'NIGHT, MOTHER unsparingly explores the impact of mental health on mothers and daughters in our society. This production will be an entirely virtual streamed performance.
BIOS
Diane Sintich (Director) is thrilled to be making her directorial debut with ‘NIGHT MOTHER. A disciple of craft and raw emotion, Diane is looking forward to the purity and beauty of this very important play. Mental health /depression is woven into our societies and continues its reign of shaming us into silence. This production of ‘NIGHT, MOTHER endeavors to shine a light on our humanity and why, sometimes, without the help we need, we become too tangled to find our way out. Diane’s past acting credits include CHICAGO MED, LAW AND ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT and Invictus’s OTHELLO.
Marsha Norman (Playwright) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and co-chair of Playwriting at Juilliard. She won a Tony for THE SECRET GARDEN, and another nomination for THE COLOR PURPLE. Norman also wrote the book for the musical adaptation of THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY. Her first play, GETTING OUT, received the John Gassner Playwriting Medallion, the Newsday Oppenheimer Award, and a citation from the American Critics Association. Other plays include THE LAUNDROMAT, THE POOL HALL, LOVING DANIEL BOONE, TRUDY BLUE, and her newest play, LAST DANCE. Published collections of her works include FOUR PLAYS, COLLECTED WORKS OF MARSHA NORMAN, VOL. 1, and a novel, THE FORTUNE TELLER.
Courtney Gardner (Jessie) works in Chicago as a litigation paralegal by day, actress by night. She is beyond excited to still be making art in these strange times. When not working or performing, she can usually be found with a good book, her cats, and a horde of foster kittens. Courtney is thrilled to remain in the Invictus family, following her role in A RAISIN IN THE SUN with Invictus in February - March 2020 and her recent addition to the team as Director of Development.
Keisha Yelton-Hunter (Thelma) was the primary understudy for the roles of Lena Younger (Mama) and Mrs. Johnson in A RAISIN IN THE SUN and has appeared on Showtime’s hit drama THE CHI. Her passion for acting has led her to further her training at the Acting Studio Chicago. Beyond acting, she enjoys singing in her local choir, practicing her Latin and hip-hop Zumba dance moves, and digging into a good book about murder mysteries and historical social movements.
About Invictus Theatre Company
At Invictus Theatre Company our mission is to create theatre that promotes a better understanding of language: its poetry, its rhythm, its resonance; through diverse works by diverse artists. We respect the power of heightened language: spoken, written, sung; to express the breadth of the human condition. We work to harness the power of language: to promote diversity, to engender respect, to foster collaboration; and to empower our communities to share their voices.
Invictus Theatre Company incorporated in January 2017 and received its 501 (c)(3) nonprofit status in February 2017. A diverse group of Chicago actors and directors founded Invictus with the vision to empower their communities through theatrical productions of heightened language. We are committed to the idea that our productions should reflect the communities we represent, and, to that end, we are committed to non-discriminatory hiring practices. In working with local artists, designers, and production teams, Invictus Theatre Company does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, nationality, citizenship, religion, or any other protected status by law.