Patrick Brennan starts at the The Institute with a secret that weighs heavily on him and which propels him to succeed in spite of it. He is the most serious-minded of all his friends at The Institute, and the most questioning. While others joke and act immature, he acts old beyond his young years. Come see […]
Read MoreDanny Smith is the most happy-go-lucky member of the band of brothers you’ll meet at The Institute. The smartest kid at his suburban grade school, he finds himself looking up at many classmates much smarter than he is. Keeping up with classes and all the academic and other challenges The Institute throws his way is tough, […]
Read MoreThe 2nd Act Players are scheduling special performances for veterans and for area high school students of its new play, The Institute, Coming of Age during the Vietnam War, which opens Oct. 21 in Evanston. “We have always been about using our plays to start wider discussion on important issues,” explains John N. Frank, 2nd […]
Read MoreFrankie Johnson has been an outsider all his young life and that remains true at The Institute. Come see Matthew J. Lloyd portray Frankie in the 2nd Act Players’ fall production of The Institute, coming fo Age during the Vietnam War, opening Oct. 21. Frankie has no family history at the school, unlike many of […]
Read MoreShamus O’Malley, who will be played by Scott Stockwell in the 2nd Act Players’ upcoming production of The Institute, coming of age during the Vietnam War, is what’s known at the school as a legacy. His family of proud Irish Catholics has been sending young men to the school almost since it’s founding in 1847. For […]
Read MoreThe 2nd Act Players has received an Honorable Mention for the 2016 Mayor’s Award for the Arts in its home city of Evanston, Il. The award came “for exceptional contribution to the arts in Evanston, Il.,” according to the award certificate. “We were overjoyed to be recognized, and to join so many of the other […]
Read MoreThe Institute, coming of age during the Vietnam War doesn’t open until Oct. 21, but already the buzz is building among people who have seen the script and are familiar with the story of four young men who attend a Catholic, military school during the height of the Vietnam War. The story is based on […]
Read MoreIt’s always interesting to see who the early ticket-buyers are for any new production we do. Often its people who know actors in the cast. But for our 2016 world premiere of The Institute, Coming fo Age during the Vietnam War, it’s been a much different phenomenon. Early ticket sales have gone almost exclusively to […]
Read More“We have never challenged a cast in a 2nd Act Players production to show their acting chops like we do with this script,” says 2nd Act Creative Director John N. Frank. He should know, he’s acting in this one himself!
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