


Latitude 41 revisits Hansberry’s characters

Those who wondered what might have happened to the characters in Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” can turn to Latitude 41’s latest production in Joliet.
The company, which was founded on the belief that Joliet-area audiences are eager for more quality community theater, stages “Clybourne Park” Friday through Feb. 25 at Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park & Theatre.
“It picks up where ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ left off. A white community in 1950s Chicago is concerned because a black family’s about to move into their neighborhood and that’s Act 1,” said Cathie Stewart, who is directing “Clybourne Park” with her husband, Jim.
“Act 2 is the same house, same neighborhood in 2009, 50 years later. Now it’s a black community and white families are trying to move in to gentrify it. So, the question that comes up in the audience’s mind is: What has changed, if anything? That starts a lot of conversation.”
Written by Bruce Norris, “Clybourne Park” received the Pulitzer Prize for drama and the Tony Award for best play.
“The dialogue is unlike anything we’ve ever encountered. It is incredibly smart, scathing and creative. It’s hard to explain because when you first read the script, in the first few pages you don’t know where this thing is going,” Stewart said.
“It very quickly starts tying things together and you can’t put it down. We had a number of actors who said as soon as they read the script that they had to audition. It’s a very compelling script.”
The cast includes Stephanie Maldonado, of Park Forest; Tamara Malebranche, of Joliet; Luke Pascale, of Plainfield; Sabra Rael, of Crest Hill; Steven Shanks, originally of Bolingbrook and now of Chicago’s Humboldt Park community; Jeff A. Smith, of Plainfield; and Kyle Wynn, of Coal City.
“Most of the actors are playing two very different characters,” Stewart said.
“It was probably something they weren’t quite used to. They auditioned with just my husband and me in the room. We had them read monologues from the play from Act 1 and Act 2. That’s a very intimidating process especially for community theater actors,” she said.
“We were able to attract serious actors that were passionate about the play. We got ourselves our dream team. The chemistry is awesome. They are incredibly excited. They’re just real troopers and they’re great to work with.”
Stewart and her husband have been working with Latitude 41 since 2016 after moving to Joliet from Michigan, where they were active in community theater.
“Lat 41 was doing ‘Dog Sees God.’ That’s a brave show to put on. I was really intrigued by that. I thought, ‘Wow, if this is a group willing to put on something that edgy, I want to see it.’ We went to it, saw it and loved it,” she said.
“We sent a note to Al Pindell, who is the board president, just to let him know how much we enjoyed the show and (that we) would love to get involved in community theater in the area.”
After meeting with Pindell, a Shorewood resident who is also Latitude 41’s artistic director, the Stewarts have performed, done sound and produced shows for the company but “Clybourne Park” marks the first time the couple has directed together.
“Clybourne Park,” which is produced by Crest Hill resident Jeff Matson, features strong language and adult themes and is intended for mature audiences only.
‘Clybourne Park’