Janus Theatre Company begins its 26th season presenting the Men on Boats by Jaclyn Backhaus. The play is based on the John Wesley Powell expedition to chart the Colorado river. In this true(ish) history of the 1869 adventure, a one-armed captain and a crew of insane yet loyal volunteers set out to chart the course of the Colorado River. The play is performed by ten women who bring the story to life.
Running Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm on June 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16.
Performances take place at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division Street, Elgin, IL on the 8th floor. Tickets are $20.
The play is directed/produced by Sean Hargadon. With production assistance from Faith Hollander, Tara Morrison and Heidi Swarthout. Movement Direction by Jennifer Reeves Wilson. Costume Design by Tiffany Jasinski.
The cast features Claire Yearman, Heidi Schultz, Sarafina Montelone, Elizabeth Ley, Danielle Spence, Susan Anderson, Remya Kightlinger, Kathryn Laird, Paige Coe, and Tricia Miller Hewson.
About the story: Ten explorers. Four boats. One Grand Canyon. MEN ON BOATS is the true(ish) history of an 1869 expedition, when a one-armed captain and a crew of insane yet loyal volunteers set out to chart the course of the Colorado River.
The play has been called:
“…off-the-canyon-walls funny…” —Variety.
“[MEN ON BOATS] is marvelously destabilizing both as history and theater. The stalwartness and selfishness of the adventurers—their cockiness and cluelessness—become biting satire when sent up by women.” —New York Magazine.
“…you will surely want to spend time with the hearty title characters of MEN ON BOATS…[a] rollicking history pageant…MEN ON BOATS makes canny use of the obvious distance between performers and their roles to help bridge the distance between then and now…The tone is comic... And ultimately, you feel, the play respects its bold if fallible pioneers, in all their natural bravery and fearfulness.” —The New York Times.
This production is begins Janus Theatre’s 26th anniversary season based on the theme - CALL TO ADVENTURE– featuring prominent figures and stories from the past brought to life for today’s audience, while reflecting on our time. The production is presented by special arrangement with Dramatist Play Service, Inc. and is sponsored in part by the Elgin Cultural Arts Commission.
