thinkTank programming features dramatic works with a focus on provoking timely conversation about a social, political or economic issue in which Chicago citizens have a stake. For the production of The Island, thinkTank discussions focus on the broadest subject of Fugard’s play: civil disobedience. Exploring many permutations of civil disobedience through focused discussions after every performance, each discussion is led by a member of the Chicago community.

The Island runs from January 27 – March 6, 2010.  Click here for details…

James Bohnen is the director of The Island, and Artistic Director and co-founder of Remy Bumppo Theatre Company. He has directed many plays for the company, including the Jeff-nominated Heroes earlier this season. For 13 years he has worked with the Tony nominated American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin, where he will direct The Circle by W. Somerset Maugham this summer.

This post-show discussion immediately followed the performance of The Island, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company’s current mainstage show. Athol Fugard’s daring drama is set in an unnamed prison based on the one where Nelson Mandela was held. John and Winston are cellmates who spend their days doing back-breaking labor, and their nights rehearsing Sophocles’ Antigone to present to their fellow inmates. When John learns his sentence is being reduced, the men’s friendship is tested. Fugard plays the parallels between Antigone’s fight against political and patriarchal boundaries off of the imprisoned men’s fight for their dignity. The Island is a testament to the resiliency of the human heart.

Recorded Sunday, February 07, 2010 at The Greenhouse Theater.