E. Faye Butler will direct “Marie and Rosetta” during Northlight Theatre’s 2022-23 season.
Barbara Vitello 
Follow @BarbaraVitello Posted4/22/2022 7:25 AM
E. Faye Butler, Cody Estle and Marti Lyons are among the Chicago-area directors Northlight Theatre tapped to helm productions during its 2022-23 season, which artistic director BJ Jones says is characterized by “renewed vigor and a refreshed vision.”
“This season we bring you both the familiar and the fresh, work that lifts us up and reflects our world,” Jones said in a prepared statement.
The Skokie theater’s season begins Sept. 1 with Estle’s “The Garbologists,” a buddy comedy by Lindsay Joelle about an old-school, blue-collar sanitation worker and his new, college-educated partner.
That’s followed by the rolling premiere of “Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas At Pemberley” (Nov. 25-Dec. 22), the third and final installment of Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon’s Pemberley trilogy (“Miss Bennet,” “The Wickhams”) inspired by characters from Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” and directed by Lyons, a Libertyville native.
Jones directs “Andy Warhol in Iran” (Jan. 19-Feb. 19, 2023), Brent Askari’s play about the pop artist turned celebrity portrait painter whose encounter with a young revolutionary changes his world view.
Next up is “The Porch on Windy Hill: a new play with old music” (April 13-May 14, 2023). Conceived and directed by Sherry Lutken, this celebration of American roots music centers on a young violinist who with her boyfriend, returns home to North Carolina, where her estranged grandfather offers unexpected artistic inspiration.
The season concludes with “Marie and Rosetta” (July 6-Aug. 6, 2023), George Brandt’s play about “godmother of rock ‘n roll,” gospel musician Sister Rosetta Tharpe and her protégé Marie Knight. Directed by Joseph Jefferson Award-winning actress E. Faye Butler, the production stars fellow Jeff winner Bethany Thomas.
Performances take place at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Subscriptions range from $117 to $275 and are available by calling (847) 673-6300 or visiting northlight.org/subscribe.
