Join us Sunday, January 29 for Blues for an Alabama Sky, the third play in our five-play Chicago theatre trip series. It will be staged in the acclaimed Court Theatre on the University of Chicago Campus.
In the midst of the Great Depression, the creative spirit of New York’s Harlem Renaissance struggles with harsher realities. Angel and Guy, emerging artists with grand dreams, live next door to the more serious and political Delia, a social worker with the goal to open a community family planning clinic.
Each must face their own hardships head on, but always with hope for a better life close at hand. They search for a way to keep their dreams of love, career, and service alive in times of economic despair, and they learn that the Great Depression can't destroy the source of their creative spirit.
Playwright Pearl Cleage’s striking story encounters very modern problems in a fantastically lively 1920s Harlem.
Court Resident Artist and Director Ron OJ Parson will dive into this world to illuminate the characters’ intersecting lives and experiences on stage.
Blues for an Alabama Sky will serve as the centerpiece for a Chicago celebration of the music, art, language, and impact of the Harlem Renaissance.
Unfamiliar with the celebrated University of Chicago? Take a short video tour of the campus - its stunning architecture and the remarkable beauty of its interiors.
Landscape Architectural Tour
Registration Limit: 50
Registration Deadlines:
January 15: Best Seats
January 16-28: Any seats remaining
Pricing
PLATO Member Cost:
$99.00 Lunch is included.
Non-Member Guest of a Member Cost:
$114.00 Lunch is included.
Fee includes: Van Galder Charter Bus with Wi-Fi, Theater Ticket and Lunch at the Nile Restaurant (Entree Choices on registration form)
Family Style Dining
Lunch Entree Options
Kitka Kabob: A blend of lean ground lamb and beef, parsley and onions, charbroiled, served with sautéed vegetables.
Shish Taouk: Chunks of juicy marinated chicken, charbroiled, served with sautéed vegetables.
Maklouba: Sautéed eggplant, cauliflower, carrots, chick peas, rice, topped with pine nuts and served with homemade yogurt.
Sides: Salad or sautéed vegetables, potatoes or yellow rice
Appetizers: Baba Ghannooj w/pita and Hummos w/pita
* * *
NEW! Chicago Museum Independent Study has been added to Blues for an Alabama Sky Theater Trip.
The PLATO Bus will drop you off and later pick you up at these Chicago Museums:
Special Chicago Museum Independent Study Registration fee: $39 Members & $44 Guests.
Registration Deadline: January 28
* * *
Itinerary
Bear in mind that our boarding bus route is like Madison Metro or any other municipal bus service. Please arrive early at your boarding stop so you don’t miss the bus. When everyone is aboard and seated, we leave. Arrive early and we will all arrive in Chicago on time to begin our adventure.
– Don’t be late. We can wait just 5 minutes at any one location.
– Pack water bottles and snacks for sustenance on the trip.
Leave Madison
7:30 AM Bus arrives at Oakwood University Woods to begin boarding.
7:55 AM Arrives at Capitol Lakes
8:15 AM Arrives at East Towne Sears
8:30 AM Departs for Chicago (Or, sooner if everyone is aboard)
In Chicago
11:00 AM Arrive at Art Institute of Chicago
11:15 AM Arrive at Chicago Museum Campus
11:35 AM Arrive at Museum of Science and Industry
12:00 PM Arrive Nile Restaurant
1:30 PM Arrive Smart Museum of Art (adjacent to Court Theatre)
2:00 PM Court Theatre doors open
2:30 PM Blues for an Alabama Sky performance begins
4:30 PM Blues for an Alabama Sky performance ends
4:30 PM Return to Art Institute of Chicago
4:35 PM Post Play Talk about the Harlem Renaissance by Court Theatre Dramatist
4:45 PM Return to Chicago Museum Campus
5:05 PM Return to the Museum of Science and Industry
5:15 PM - 5:30 PM Court Theatre begin boarding for return to Madison (Or, sooner if everyone is aboard)
Arrive Madison
7:45 PM East Towne Sears
8:00 PM Capitol Lakes
8:25 PM Oakwood University Woods
Non-Member Policy. Members must register their guests. Each PLATO member is entitled to bring one non-member guest per bus trip. (Members may bring more than one guest near the registration Deadline Date if seats are available. Check with trip organizer.) Non-member guests pay an additional $15.00 registration fee. PLATO Membership is $60.00/year.
Accessibility Accessibility Policy. On the Badger Bus, you must be able to climb steps to board and exit the bus. If you need assistance, we recommend that you bring a friend to give you a hand.
In the Court Theatre, there is step-down handrail support at each row.
Blues for an Alabama Sky Mail-in Registration Forms (including instructions):
PLATO Members Form
UWRA Members Form
Special Chicago Museum Independent Study Mail-in Registration Forms (Including Instructions)
PLATO Members Form
UWRA Members Form
For further information, contact Blues for an Alabama Sky theater trip organizer, Bob Blitzke, bblitzke@gmail.com and 608-271-7741
