TimeLine Theatre is thrilled to announce that it will offer a new streaming production of its smash hit To Master the Art, a story that recalls the adventure and romance of Julia and Paul Child’s journey of discovery to Paris during the 1950s.
Remote view performances of To Master the Art, featuring a “magnificent” and “not to be missed” (Chicago Tribune) lead performance by Karen Janes Woditsch as Julia Child, written by William Brown and Doug Frew and directed by William Brown, will run May 12–June 7, 2020.
Patrons in Chicago and beyond are able to purchase tickets for a specific date and time, just like a live performance; however, they will have a one-week window starting with that performance date to complete their one-time viewing. One hour before curtain time for their purchased performance, ticketholders will receive a link and password, which will expire seven days later.
Remote view tickets go on sale Monday, May 4 at 12 p.m. for $15 or $25 (pay-what-you-will, inclusive of all ticketing fees), for performances running Tuesday, May 12 through Sunday, June 7, 2020.
Tickets are organized similar to a regular performance schedule: Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Patrons are then able to stream their performance anytime within a one-week window that begins with the performance date and time purchased. Only 99 tickets are available for each streamed performance, reflecting the number of seats in TimeLine’s theatre.
With the flexibility to complete their viewing within one week, patrons are encouraged to purchase for the earliest date available to ensure that as many people as possible will have an opportunity to enjoy this production.
For remote view tickets and information, visit timelinetheatre.com or call the TimeLine Box Office at (773) 281-8463 x6. Please note that TimeLine’s Box Office is currently working remotely and staff may need to return messages rather than answer calls directly.
BUYING TICKETS
Remote view tickets go on sale Monday, May 4 at 12 p.m. for $15 or $25 (pay-what-you-will, inclusive of all ticketing fees). For tickets and information, visit timelinetheatre.com or call the Box Office at (773) 281-8463 x6.
A portion of all single ticket sales ($1 of each $15 ticket; $2 of each $25 ticket) will be donated to support the Chicago Theatre Workers Relief Fund, administered through the League of Chicago Theatres. For more information about the fund, visit chicagoplays.com.
ONLINE DISCUSSION EVENTS
In conjunction with remote view performances, TimeLine is offering three opportunities for patrons who have already viewed the production to gather via Zoom for an online video conference moderated by dramaturg Maren Robinson and featuring members of the To Master the Art artistic team.
These discussions will begin at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26; Wednesday, June 3; and Thursday, June 11; and will last for one hour. For further details, including participating artists to be announced, and to sign up to attend a free virtual discussion, visit timelinetheatre.com or call the Box Office at (773) 281-8463 x6.
Julia Child (Karen Janes Woditsch, left) is schooled in the delicate art of cooking scrambled eggs by Le Cordon Bleu instructor Chef Max Bugnard (Terry Hamilton) in TimeLine Theatre’s To Master the Art. Photo by Lara Goetsch.
ABOUT TO MASTER THE ART
From the French bistro where Julia Child fell in love with food, to the kitchen table where she recreated everything learned during cooking class, to a room where her husband Paul was grilled by U.S. agents about alleged Communist contact, To Master the Art is the story of a larger-than-life culinary icon and her remarkable spouse as they struggle to find themselves as Americans abroad.
Commissioned by TimeLine in 2008, To Master the Art received its world premiere at TimeLine in 2010, selling out its eight-week run within days and receiving more than 20 rave reviews and five Jeff Award nominations, including New Work and Production. The production was remounted in 2013 at the Broadway Playhouse via the Chicago Commercial Collective, Broadway In Chicago, and producers Brian Loevner and Aurélia F. Cohen. The video that will stream during this remote viewing run was filmed during the 2013 production.
“We are thrilled to share this important piece of TimeLine’s history—one of our most successful and beloved productions,” Artistic Director PJ Powers said. “With everyone sheltered in place, we are inspired by Julia Child’s passion for creating and sharing joy within our own homes. And although we cannot wait until we are able to perform live in our theater again, we are delighted to have the opportunity to share this love letter of a play once more. I bet Julia would agree, it should be enjoyed with a good glass (or bottle) of wine and a dinner made with love and care, plus an appreciation for living life as fully as Julia taught us.”
During its two previous Chicago runs, To Master the Art was acclaimed as “an excellent, intimate, foodie-friendly staging, resonant with atmosphere and the kind of classic, cozy, autumnal kitchen ambiance that makes one want to swear off takeout food from this moment forth” by the Chicago Tribune.
Talkin’ Broadway called it “a total delight—funny, touching, charming and as enjoyable as an exquisite meal enjoyed together with good company.”
Woditsch’s performance as Julia Child was declared "magnificent" and "a piece of acting not to be missed" (Chicago Tribune) and “so absolutely perfect … that we left the theater discussing the possibility that she is actually a better Julia Child than [Meryl] Streep” (Newcity).
The cast of To Master the Art features Karen Janes Woditsch as Julia Child and Craig Spidle as Paul Child, with TimeLine Company Members Janet Ulrich Brooks (Madame Brassart, Avis) and Juliet Hart (Judith, Grace), TimeLine Associate Artist Terry Hamilton (Bugnard, Big John), and Jeannie Affelder (Madame Dorin, Maria, Simca), Sam Ashdown (Carolina, Black), Ian Paul Custer (Joe, Lee, Hollings), Heidi Kettenring (Jane), and Brian Plocharczyk (Gilles, Mick, Richard, Smith, Cole).
The production team is Keith Pitts (Scenic Designer), Rachel Anne Healy (Costume Designer), TimeLine Associate Artist Charles Cooper (Lighting Designer), Julie Eberhardt (Properties Designer), TimeLine Associate Artist Andrew Hansen (Sound Designer and Composer), TimeLine Company Member Maren Robinson (Dramaturg), TimeLine Associate Artist Eva Breneman (Dialect Coach), Lauren V. Hickman (Stage Manager), and Jonathan Nook (Assistant Stage Manager).
For more information, visit timelinetheatre.com/to-master-the-art-remote.
Karen Janes Woditsch as Julia Child with Jeannie Affelder as her cookbook collaborator Simca.
ABOUT TIMELINE THEATRE COMPANY
TimeLine Theatre Company, recipient of the prestigious 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, was founded in April 1997 with a mission to present stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. Currently celebrating its 23rd season, TimeLine has presented 83 productions, including 10 world premieres and 38 Chicago premieres, and launched the Living History Education Program, which brings the company's mission to life for students in Chicago Public Schools. Recipient of the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence and the Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award from the Association for Strategic Planning, TimeLine has received 56 Jeff Awards, including an award for Outstanding Production 11 times.
As TimeLine looks to its future, the company has purchased property in Uptown—encompassing a five-story, 45,500-square-foot warehouse building plus a vacant lot near the corner of Broadway and Argyle—to be the site of its new home. Preliminary plans feature two intimate and flexible black box theatres seating up to 225 and 125 audience members, respectively. TimeLine’s new home also provides an expanded area for the immersive lobby experiences that are a TimeLine hallmark, new opportunities for education and engagement, room to allow audience members to arrive early and stay late for theatergoing experiences that extend far beyond the stage, and more. TimeLine also has announced the selection of HGA as architect for its new home project, which is expected to take approximately three years to complete. In the meantime, TimeLine continues to maintain its operations and present the majority of its productions at its current home in Lakeview East.
TimeLine is led by Artistic Director PJ Powers, Managing Director Elizabeth K. Auman and Board President Eileen LaCario. Company members are Tyla Abercrumbie, Will Allan, Nick Bowling, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Wardell Julius Clark, Behzad Dabu, Charles Andrew Gardner, Lara Goetsch, Juliet Hart, Anish Jethmalani, Mildred Marie Langford, Mechelle Moe, David Parkes, Ron OJ Parson, PJ Powers, Maren Robinson, and Benjamin Thiem.
Major corporate, government and foundation supporters of TimeLine Theatre include Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, The Crown Family, Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation, Forum Fund, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Irving Harris Foundation, Illinois Arts Council Agency, Laughing Acres Family Foundation, A.L. and Jennie L. Luria Foundation, MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Pauls Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, and The Shubert Foundation.
For more information, visit timelinetheatre.com on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@TimeLineTheatre).