Every year DePaul University’s renowned Theater School provides a set of shows that thrill avid playgoers and new-timers alike. Each performance is precise, chalk-full of talent, and imbued with an unadulterated love for the art of acting. The Theater School offers a variety of shows and an assortment of series of shows as well. This school year, we are in for a serious treat.

“This season is full of brilliant writers and truly bold stories. Beginning in 1890’s Germany with “Spring Awakening,” the season highlights heroes as they discover the power of their own voice and action in the context of distinct time, place, and community,” said manager of special events and public relations Andrea Tichy. “From the 1980’s in NYC (“Angels in America”) to notions of authority in 1914 Austria (“Measure for Measure”), it all really boils down to the politics of people.”

DePaul University perpetually celebrates and explores social action; this season’s selection of shows is both apropos and delightfully varied.

The Theater School Showcase will kick things off with the beautiful and controversial eight-time Tony award-winning musical “Spring Awakening.” This show tells the tale of teenagers living in Germany in the late 1800’s. It paints a striking and universal portrait of the way children come of age, explore their sexuality, and cope with others trying to stifle their vibrancy. It will open on Sept. 28 and run through Oct. 7.

The next installment of The Theater School Showcase series will be “Angels in America: Part Two: Perestroika.” The show is the second of a two-part series and explores the tragic AIDS epidemic in New York during the 1980’s. It is recommended for mature audiences and will run from Feb. 8 to Feb. 17.

Come springtime, DePaul is in store for a unique Shakespeare experience. The third show of The Theater School Showcase will feature William Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure,” which takes place in Austria in the early 1900’s. It tells the tale of a riveting power struggle and is bound together by the striking and meaningful contrast between the crystalline-wealthy exterior and the hidden poverty within the city. “Measure for Measure” will run from April 19 until April 28.

The Theater School Showcase will conclude the 2012-2013 season with a new currently untitled work by up-and-coming playwright and Theater School alumnus Ike Holter. More information is yet to come, but the show will run from May 17 to May 26.

The Theater School will also feature a variety of shows in a set of performances known as the Chicago Playworks series. These performances will be geared toward a younger audience. They may be a bit more family-friendly than the shows offered in The Theater School Showcase, but they will lose none of the excitement that makes the Theater School at DePaul as intimate and intriguing as it is. There is vivacity in DePaul’s theater for younger audiences that fosters an absolutely enjoyable experience for children and adults alike. They are always poignant, colorful and charismatic.

The first of this series will be a “Wrinkle in Time,” the cherished children’s book that will surely come to life in a whole new way on the Merle Reskin stage. It will run from Oct. 23 until Dec.1. Next, Chicago Playworks will be treating us to a show titled “Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy” which will run from Jan. 9 to March 2. The Chicago Playworks series will conclude with a show called “The Coral King” which will run from April 2 to May 25.

In addition to the Theater School Showcase and Chicago Playworks series, the Theater School will also offer the New Directors Series and the New Playwrights Series. The New Director Series will feature two shows. The first will be “In the Red and Brown Water” and will be directed by Mark Pinate. The second is titled “The Royal Hunt of the Sun” and will be directed by Peter Shaffer. The New Playwrights Series will feature a show titled “A Tribute to Thick Leonard,” which was written by Gil Tanner.

The Theater School is a gift to both the talented students within it and the entirety of DePaul that can enjoy it. This year’s lineup of shows is varied, touching and absolutely intriguing.

“I have never attended a DePaul Theater School production, but this season seems like a really incredible set of shows. I’m definitely going to check it out,” said sophomore English major Andreas Tsironis.

The ebb and flow of this selection of shows truly provides something for everyone to appreciate. The determination and talent that radiates from the school ensures that every playgoer will leave with a smile on their face. It will undoubtedly be a season to remember and will start in just a few short weeks.
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