An aging mother, hiding a tragic secret, decides its time to once again live near her son. The son, who moved away years ago to become his own man, agrees. Yet before they can reconnect, the two must work through decades of issues, anger and mistrust. At the same time, a granddaughter also is striving to discover where she fits in this dysfunctional family. Will she be the bridge that reconnects them all?
This is Moving Boxes, the new two-act play that will have its world premier Nov. 4-19 at the 2nd Act Players’ theater at Northminster Presbyterian Church, Evanston. Tickets are on sale now, simply click here and buy your tickets for a $5 online discount.
“This is the most personal of all the plays I’ve written,” says 2nd Act Players’ cofounder John N. Frank. “It looks at issues of what a family really is while also examining the challenges of aging and of caring for an aging adult.”
Frank cowrote the play with his daughter, 2nd Act Players’ Board Member Jenny Frank. It is based on their own experiences in moving Frank’s mother Faye from New York to Evanston only a few days after the tragedy of 9/11.
“Those were such incredibly uncertain times and, for us, the uncertainty extended to our own family. We’ve tried to convey all that in this play,” says Frank.
Anyone who has cared for an aging parent, anyone who has come to know a grandparent late in their lives, or anyone who has struggled to find the meaning of family in their own daily troubles and trials, will relate to this play and want to see it.
The cast for Moving Boxes includes Emily Eaton, Hannah Goodman, Ryan Hall, Talia Langman, Julie Mitre and Manny Schenk. Aayisha Humphrey, seen last year in an episode of Chicago PD and a Piven Theatre Workshop alum, is serving as assistant director and stage manager for the production.
Shows will be Saturday nights at 7:30 and Sunday afternoons at 3:30. Tickets are $17 in advance, $22 at the door (members of the Northminster Congregation receive the $17 rate at the door as well). To purchase tickets, click here, and use the pull-down menu to pick your show date.