Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre

Live theatre is storytelling with flair.

2013 Class Schedule

Information on workshops and classes for Spring and Summer 2013 are posted here.

Auditions

Link to Audition Notice for August 31 Gospel Concert (held June 15)

 Summer 2013 Productions

ForColoredGirls_art_only_web_sml.jpgAll performances take place at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St., at 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays or 3:00 p.m. on Sundays. The 2013 season includes four Main Stage performances, a dramatic reading series and a Summer Gospel Music Celebration! See box office section below for ticket prices.

NEW! A limited number of Premium Season Discount Cards are available at the Noyes Center box office. Each $40 card is valid for four plays and two concerts in 2013, which is a $38 savings over full-price tickets.

2013 Main Stage Productions

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf 
by Notzake Shange
June 8-23, Saturdays at 7pm and Sundays at 3pm
A series of 20 Chorepoems accompanied by live original music, which expresses the many struggles and obstacles that women of color face throughout their lives.

Woza Albert! by Percy Mtwa, Mbongeni Ngema and Barney Simon
June 29-July 14, Saturdays at 7pm and Sundays at 3pm
Black South Africans, during the time of apartheid, seek the return of the savior, Morena, who fulfills the biblical prophecy that Jesus Christ will return – this time to South Africa!

Going to St. Ives by Lee Blessing
July 20-August 4, Saturdays at 7pm and Sundays at 3pm
Two impressive women, one a European eye surgeon and the other a mother of an African Dictator, are brought together by that which is personal and divided by that which is political. 

Big Butt Girls and Other Fantasies — The Remix! by Marsha Estell
August 10-25, Saturdays at 7pm and Sundays at 3pm
Trapped by varicose veins and hot flashes, Marty desperately longs for the happier yesteryears. Playwright Marsha Estell (HEAT) is brilliantly funny and bittersweet in this solo performance.

Summertime Concert Series

Summer Blues Set 
Friday, August 30, 7:00 p.m.
Featuring bluesman “Chainsaw” Dupont, the hardest working blues guitarist & singer around…

Gospel Celebration Concert/The Women of Gospel Music 
Saturday, August 31, 7:00 p.m.
Conducted by Rev. Kenneth Cherry

Summertime Saturday Dramatic Reading Series

The 2013 Dramatic Reading Series' theme is "Celebrating the Funny; African American Comedy." Dramatists Guild Award-winner "The Colored Museum" by George C. Wolfe will be presented on Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. at the Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave. on June 1, July 13 and August 3. The play features 11 vignettes that satirize elements of African American culture. The readings are co-sponsored by the Evanston Public Library. Admission is free as part of the Mayor's Summer Recreation Program.

Box Office Information

Advance tickets must be purchased Monday through Friday at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St., Evanston, during box office business hours. Just stop by the Theatre (northeast side of the building).

Advance tickets may be purchased by phone with a major credit card at 847-448-8260 or in person. Box office hours are 10am-4:30pm Monday-Friday. 
Full-price tickets for that day’s performance or advance tickets for other performances may be purchased at the box office on Saturdays starting at 6pm and Sundays starting at 2pm.

2013 Ticket prices
Mainstage Productions: $10 in advance; $12 at the door
Dramatic Reading Series: Free as part of the Mayor's Summer Recreation Program
Summertime Blues Set: $12 in advance; $15 at the door
Summertime Gospel Music Celebration: $12 in advance; $15 at the door

History

Founded in 1979, under the name of the Foster Community Theatre, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre has been thrilling audiences with over three decades of unique, inspirational and invigorating African American and African Diaspora-centered storytelling. From original plays to the best of Broadway, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre remained committed to supplying the very best in theatre.

"Umoja!! ….Working Together in Unity" is the foundation from which FJT began and continues to thrive!

It is our mission to present powerful, thought provoking, community-centered Theater Arts programming with a commitment to diversity and creative excellence. We are dedicated to providing a nurturing and creative environment for directors, playwrights, set, light, and costume designers, as well as for experienced and novice performers. In this positive environment they can develop their skills and fully express their talents.

In August 2007, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre was nominated for five Black Theatre Alliance Awards for its summer production of Sarafina! The Music of Liberation!

For more information, please call 847-448-8260 or 847-448-8254 and ask for the Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre.