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[Marjorie (Angelee Johns) and Walter (Jamie Ewing) have a serious discussion in "Marjorie Prime" at Village Theatre Guild.] GLEN ELLYN – A thought-provoking play full of surprises will open Jan. 18 at the Village Theatre Guild of Glen Ellyn, and the director has asked cast and crew to keep mum about what's in store for audiences. When she first read the script of the recent play by Jordan Harrison, director Cynthia Katz of Naperville said she couldn't put it down. The science fiction underpinnings were unlike anything she had ever directed. "Part of the exciting thing about the play is the discovery of what it's about," Katz said. "I have been trying to not give away the details about it. It's just so much fun when you start finding out about it." She said the plot does entail artificial intelligence and how it will be part of people's lives in the future. "On the surface, it's basically a story about a family," Katz said. "And it touches on issues of memory and how our memories shape who we are … and who we are becoming." (Photos provided)
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[Jon (Guy Sullivan) and Tess (Mary Kuhn) discuss urgent matters in "Marjorie Prime" at Village Theatre Guild.] The story examines how individuals are affected by memory and the changing influence of technology in our lives. "I'm always attracted to plays that are a combination of some meaningful deep themes but they also contain humor," Katz said of the drama. "It definitely has some humor in it. That always makes things more fun and entertaining [to have] a mixture of those elements." Appearing on stage will be Jamie Ewing of Crystal Lake, Angelee Johns of Willowbrook, Mary Kuhn of Naperville and Guy Sullivan of Roselle. It is produced by Renata Allelujka of Downers Grove, and stage manager is Linda Rodemaker of Naperville. "My cast is a dream," Katz said. "They are all very talented [and] experienced actors." She said they too were fascinated by the premise of the show.
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[The cast of "Marjorie Prime" at Village Theatre Guild features Jamie Ewing (from left), Angelee Johns, Guy Sullivan and Mary Kuhn.] "They're all very excited to be doing it," Katz said. "The discovery is one of the things that makes it such an interesting play." She said the theater has added online ticketing for more convenience, and notes that the intimate theater space frequently sells out, so early purchase is recommended. Sullivan, who portrays Marjorie's son-in-law, predicted that audiences will walk away with things to ponder. “I feel they will leave thinking about the aging process and the relationship struggles," he stated in a news release. "How future advancements in technology will continue to affect those relationships and how we connect with each other.” If you go WHAT: Village Theatre Guild presents "Marjorie Prime" WHERE: Near the northwest corner of Butterfield Road and Park Boulevard in Glen Ellyn WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 18 to Feb. 9, plus 3 p.m. Feb. 2 and 9 COST: $19.99 INFO: Tickets available at www.villagetheatreguild.org or 630-469-8230