Mosaic Players to start live performances in Lake County in September

‘On the Verge’ to be performed at Parkman Pavilion on Sept. 4-5

Theater masks

ANTIOCH – “On the Verge or The Geography of Yearning,” a chimerical comedy by Eric Overmyer, will kick off the Mosaic Players’ Fall Tour on Sept. 4 and 5 at Lindenhurst Park District’s Parkman Pavilion.

“On the Verge” follows three Victorian-era female explorers as they discover “Terra Incognita” and later realize they’re actually traveling forward through time into the 21st century. The independent and intrepid explorers encounter eight diverse beings throughout their journeys, all played by the same actor.

There are two casts available for performances throughout the next few months. Meghan Lane and Susie Perkowitz play Mary, a woman who considers travel her unequivocal calling; Jennifer Drinka and Cristianna Formeller play Fanny, the most socially, politically and morally conservative member of the group; Jamie Lee and Bonnie Hart play Alex, who is enthralled by new discoveries; and Patrick Blake and Josh Formeller play eight characters ranging from Fanny’s husband, Grover, to a Yeti in the Himalayas.

The artistic team for “On the Verge” is led by artistic director Rebecca Zellar. Gretchen Grassl is providing research and context as dramaturge. Christi Nicholson will be collaborating on costumes with the cast. Connie Wurster is helping with props, stage design and stage crew. The show’s assistant director is Zellar’s daughter, Clara Riter. Members of the Mosaic Players also will be helping out with the show.

“On the Verge” opens the fall touring season for the Mosaic Players at Parkman Pavilion, 2200 Grass Lake Road in Lake Villa. Performances are free to the public. If you would like to donate to the Mosaic Players to help with production costs, visit mosaicplayers.org. Seating is limited, so contact Zellar at rebecca.zellar@mosaicplayers.org or 773-610-9249 to reserve your space. Bring a chair or blanket to sit on.

The Mosaic Players plan on having performances at libraries, park districts, festivals, forest preserves, churches and schools. More performance dates soon will be announced. If you are interested in hosting a production of “On the Verge,” contact Jennifer Drinka at jennifer.drinka@mosaicplayers.org.

The Mosaic Players, based in Antioch, is a nonprofit traveling ensemble that creates and performs theater focusing on social justice, human rights and anti-racist issues while promoting dignity, equity, inclusion, understanding and respect. Visit them online at www.mosaicplayers.org for show announcements, news, blog posts and more about the company. They also are on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.