A letter from the Artistic Director
Dear friend of the Next,
Folks that know me are always surprised to find out that I never attend theater when I go on vacation. I am not a “busman’s holiday” kind of guy. But last March, I was in New York serving on an arts panel and had a single evening off… and I figured (since I was working anyway) I should go see a show.
Looking over the ABCs in the Times, I noticed that John Patrick Shanley’s new play, Defiance, was having its first preview that night. Like many of you, I’d seen his play Doubt (I was lucky enough to catch both Cherry Jones and Brian O’Byrne on Broadway), and was curious to see how he’d follow up his Tony- and Pulitzer-winning outing of the year before. I was especially intrigued when I read this from Shanley himself:
“Doubt was about the birth of uncertainty in a person of faith set in a church school I attended in the ‘60s. Shortly thereafter, the country went through a cultural earthquake. The authority of most of our institutions was called into question, and a powerful
cynicism took hold. In short, Doubt turned into Defiance, which is my second play about American hierarchy. I feel doubt is an important and valuable exercise, a hallmark of wisdom. Defiance is a necessary step in the life of an individual and in the life of a nation.”
My suspicions that Defiance would be a great play for you were confirmed after the first ½ hour… and by the end of the play’s taut 90 minutes, I was riveted in my seat once more by Shanley’s fierce depiction of a powerful figure in moral crisis. Set at Camp Lejeune in 1971 – the heart of the Marines, in the heat of a revolution – Defiance explores how just how slippery justice can be in the midst of cultural turmoil.
I immediately emailed Shanley and begged him for the rights to do the Chicago premiere. But after I hit “send,” I was consumed by worry about who we’d cast in the demanding lead role of Lt. Colonel Littlefield. By the time he gave us the rights, though, I’d come up with the perfect answer: Steve Pickering, the former Artistic Director of Next Theatre (1994-99), and one of Chicago’s best-loved actors.
In this business, the stars rarely align. But on this project they did, and I’m lucky to be directing Steve alongside Artistic Associates Laura T. Fisher and Joseph Wycoff in a positively dreamy project. Even Shanley’s excited (he’s promised to visit us pending his filming schedule for Doubt). I’m proud to bring it to you, and look forward to hearing what you think.
All the best,
Jason Loewith
P.S. You can always let me know what you think at Jason@nexttheatre.org, or on our blog.