By Susan Falk ‘20
Louisa May Alcott's beloved classic comes to life in this acclaimed musical filled with the sounds of an America discovering its voice. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters, Meg, Amy, Beth, and, of course. the fiery Jo, as they live their lives through the civil war era
What is passion? Certainly passion is an easy word to define, yet perhaps more challenging to find where it lives. It seems a vague term, like "talent." A word in which we are usually unclear of its origins, depth, or true meaning in our lives, and yet its presence is undeniable in the stories of those we admire and emulate. "I've got a fire in me!" Jo proclaims in our story, and it is this "Fire," this passion, that has inspired the Department of Theatre Art’s production of Little Women, the Musical.
“Passion is sneaky. Our life's work isn't normally accompanied by a ticker tape parade. Bit by bit, we discover our passion, and like an ethereal dance partner, passion discovers us, leading us into parts of ourselves we may have never known. In Little Women, the Musical, actors experience dance through the life of our heroine, Jo. Her ambition takes her far from home, as she struggles to define herself. Yet, like many young artists, she is only able to find her fire among the ashes of her dreams,” stated guest director Chad Bradford.
For over a century, the novel Little Women has delighted families all across the world. It’s simple, yet beautiful prose has simultaneously warmed and broken our hearts. The story has endured because no matter how far you go, what you do, or where you are, you can identify with the quest for something greater than yourself, and the recognition that what you seek has been with you all along.
“I hope you will discover the ‘fire’ in this story as our company of talented and enthusiastic young artists grapple with their own passions in this production”, commented Chad Bradford. “As a Guest Director, I've been privileged to watch these actors embark on their own ‘Hero's Journey’ as we have put this show on its feet. Their commitment and talent is a testament to the Theatre Department in particular, as well as the Bradley Community as a whole. I've grown to adore the people here at Bradley because from day one we've understood that sometimes our true "fire" is found in the art we make, the passion that we share, and the families we create.”
Jo March, a character who has helped innumerous women throughout history and continues to touch the hearts of girls today, lives her life as she wants to, disregarding all social norms guides one through the story of Little Women. Cassy Joy Lillwitz, who portrays the beloved character Jo March described her character, “Jo March is such an inspiration. She is someone everyone--especially young women--can relate to. In life we are constantly told "no" and are always getting pummeled by obstacles and expectations, but Jo doesn't settle for what people think of or want from her. She hikes up her skirt and plows through--full force--until she gets what she has her heart set on.”
Little Women will run from October 19 through October 29 with 7:30 shows on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and a 2:00 matinee on Sundays at the Hartmann Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are available through the box office by calling 309-677-2650.
PEORIA — Bradley University Theatre opens its 2017-2018 main stage season Oct. 19 with the acclaimed Broadway musical, “Little Women,” based on novelist Louisa May Alcott’s classic 19th-century novel.
Cherished by generations of readers since its publication in 1868, Alcott’s story centers around the four March sisters, Meg, Amy, Beth and the fiery Jo, the writer who chronicles their coming-of-age in Civil War-era New England. Performances are Oct. 19-29 at the Hartmann Center for the Performing Arts.
Set in both New York City and the small town of Concord, Mass., “Little Women” alternates scenes from the March girls’ lives with hilarious vignettes from Jo’s blood-and-guts tales, dramatizations of author Alcott’s earliest written works.
The musical draws on two volumes of the “Little Women” trilogy to evoke its themes of family solidarity, individual responsibility and the conviction that young American women, even within constructs of the time, could create lives and works of authenticity, empowerment and distinction.
Staging the production and making his BU main stage directorial debut is guest artist Chad Bradford. A longtime member of the artistic collective of the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, the New York-based director/actor received his degree from Penn State University. He most recently directed Arkansas’ “The Taming of the Shrew” and played Professor Harold Hill in “The Music Man.”
Music Director Susan Somerville Brown (“Twelfth Night,” “Mr. Burns,” “High Fidelity,” “Spring Awakening,” “Sideshow”) returns to the Hartmann Center, to conduct the show’s seven-piece orchestra. She joins scenic and lighting designer professor Chad Lowell; costume, hair and makeup designer professor Becki Arnold; sound designer Michelle Rice; and stage manager Katie Wilson.
Senior performance major Cassy Lillwitz plays the iconic Jo March and leads the cast of 15, which includes Peoria favorite and guest artist Charles R. Brown as the curmudgeonly Mr. Laurence.
The show is the inaugural Rodney W. Leininger Legacy Production, supported in part by the generosity of the late Peoria native and Bradley Theatre Arts and Speech alumnus, “Rod” Leininger, whose recent estate gift established the Rodney W. Leininger Theatre Arts Endowment.
The fund is one of the largest private donations in the department’s history, and will annually support a wide range of academic initiatives, production activities and student fellowships. A special pre-show ceremony on opening night will honor Leininger’s generosity.
Story posted with permission from Peoria Journal
Posted October 15, 2017
