News Briefs: Tickets available for Writers Theatre season opener; Candidates sought in Winnetka; Highland Park toy drive starts Monday

The Writers Theatre will begin its 2024-’25 season with “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” by Dave Malloy in early September. The production is an adaptation of a portion of Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel “War and Peace.”

“There’s a war going on somewhere out there, and Andrey isn’t here,” said young and impulsive Natasha Rostova when she arrived in Moscow to await the return of her fiancée from the front lines. But when she falls under the spell of the roguish Anatole, family friend Pierre must go through his existential crisis to help Natasha pick up the pieces of her shattered reputation.

“Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812” — written by Dave Malloy and directed and choreographed by Katie Spelman with music direction by Matt Deitchman —will run Sept. 5 thru Oct. 27 in the Writers Theatre’s Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre. The press opening is at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 13. Tickets are now on sale at Writers Theatre at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe; (847) 242-6000; and www.writerstheatre.org.

“We are opening our season with the first Chicago production of one of the most thrilling original musicals of the last 20 years,” said Braden Abraham, WT’s artistic director, in a press release. “Its engine is the timeless humanity of Tolstoy, and the contemporary genius of Dave Malloy is the rocket fuel that makes it go.

“This will be a high-octane experience for our audiences in the uniquely immersive environment at Writers, where they will be up close with some of Chicago’s finest actors. The real power of ‘Great Comet’ for me is in what it says about love. At the heart of the show, love is the force that wakes us up to our own life.”

The cast includes Joseph Anthony Byrd (Anatole), Sophie Grimm (Ensemble, Hélène US/Dance Captain) Rob Lindley (Bolkonsky), Julia Wheeler Lennon (Mary, Sonya US), Will Lidke (Ensemble, Dolokhov US), Evan Tyrone Martin (Pierre), Andrew Mueller (Dolokhov), Aurora Penepacker (Natasha), Maya Rowe (Sonya), Bri Sudia (Hélène), Bethany Thomas (Marya), Jonah D. Winston (Balaga) and Matthew C. Yee (Andrey).

The creative team also includes Courtney O’Neill, scenic designer; Raquel Adorno, costume designer; Yael Lubetzky, lighting designer; and Eric Backus, sound designer.

Winnetka caucus calling all candidates

The Winnetka Caucus Council is seeking candidates to fill numerous local office seats expiring in 2025, including the village president position.

Thirteen seats are available on four governing boards: the Village Council, Winnetka District 36 Board of Education, Winnetka Park District Board and Winnetka Library Board. The application period is open now through midnight on Aug. 21.

Residents interested in running for a seat on the Winnetka Caucus Council can download an application from the caucus website at www.winnetkacaucus.org.

Toy drive begins on Monday

A Park District of Highland Park toy drive to serve children in need begins on Monday, Aug. 12.

The community is asked to donate new toys and games to help children stay busy during days and weeks off from school.

Needed items are: puzzles, Play-Doh, jump ropes, Legos, yo-yos, stuffed animals, card games, other games, shovels and pails, coloring books and crayons, paint, paintbrushes, paper, bubbles, chalk, balls and books.

The toy drive runs from Aug. 12 to Sept. 20. Dropoff locations are: the West Ridge Center, 636 Ridge Road; the Recreation Center of Highland Park, 1207 Park Avenue West; the Deer Creek Racquet Club, 701 Deer Creek Parkway; and the Centennial Ice Arena, 3100 Trail Way.

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Subscribe to The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a subscriber? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.