Illinois Valley Community College’s fall theater season features an award-winning play, some wacky wordplay, and a new theater department director.
The IVCC Theatre Department will stage an original work written by instructor Dr. Dale J. Young titled “Bottom’s on First 2.0” on Oct. 17–19 and the Pulitzer- and Tony-winning play “Proof” by David Auburn on Nov. 20–23.
With “Bottom’s on First 2.0,” Young promises a Reader’s Theater-style romp. “It is a mishmash of Shakespeare, puns, wordplay, and vaudeville-style humor aimed at provoking a second thought about language and how we look at it, — not to mention trying to cut poor Shakespeare some slack!” He says the Shakespeare-phobic will hear “only scraps and snippets” of the Bard.
The ensemble includes: Tyler Bienemann; Hope Laza; Isaac Fletcher; Tobias Burkey; Matt Masters; Sarah Masters, and Phillip Goodale.
“Proof” introduces a quartet of compelling characters. Catherine (portrayed by Phoebe Kammer) has spent years caring for her father, Robert (Joe Ennenbach), a famous mathematician. Now, after his death, she must deal with her own volatile emotions, the arrival of her estranged sister, Claire (Ellie Radtke), and the attention of Hal (Alex Stafford), a former student of her father’s. A burgeoning romance and the discovery of a mysterious notebook draw Catherine into the most difficult problem of all: How much of her father’s genius—or madness—will she inherit?
“‘Proof’ is a superbly written play with well-defined characters,” Young said.
Kammer, Radtke and Stafford are IVCC students, and Ennenbach is a community member who has been active in community theater.
Tickets for “Bottom’s on First 2.0” will only be sold at the door starting one hour prior to performance times. Tickets are $5, or non-perishable food donations for IVCC’s Eagles Peak Food Pantry will also be accepted in lieu of the ticket price. The performances will be Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17–18, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 19, at 2 p.m.
Online tickets for “Proof” go on sale Oct. 10. Tickets for adults are $20 and $15 for high school age and under. Performances are Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 20–22, at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee Sunday, Nov. 23, at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased through a link on the IVCC theater website: https://www.ivcc.edu/theatre .
Admission for both productions is free for IVCC students.
Young is a practicing professional theater artist who grew up in Rock Island. He joined the IVCC faculty in August. Most recently, he was Dean of Arts and Behavioral Sciences at Illinois Central College in East Peoria, and taught and coordinated theater programs at colleges in Arizona, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. He holds a doctorate in theater.
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