TIMELINE THEATRE PRESENTS A THEATRICAL EVENT: THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF TWO OF RICHARD NELSON’S ACCLAIMED APPLE FAMILY PLAYS: THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING AND SORRY, PRESENTED ON AN ALTERNATING SCHEDULE JANUARY 13 – APRIL 19, 2015

TIMELINE THEATRE PRESENTS A THEATRICAL EVENT: THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF TWO OF RICHARD NELSON'S ACCLAIMED APPLE FAMILY PLAYS: THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING AND SORRY, PRESENTED ON AN ALTERNATING SCHEDULE JANUARY 13 - APRIL 19, 2015 1 TimeLine Theatre Company continues its 2014-15 season with a special production featuring two of Tony Award winner Richard Nelson’s acclaimed Apple Family Plays: THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING and SORRY, directed by TimeLine Associate Artist Louis Contey, presented on an alternating schedule January 24 – April 19, 2015 (previews January 13 – 23), at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago. The Apple Family Plays will feature the TimeLine debut of Chicago acting legend Mike Nussbaumand more TimeLine Company Members on stage than at any time in the theater’s history: Janet Ulrich Brooks, Juliet Hart, Mechelle Moe, David Parkes and Artistic Director PJ Powers. Richard Nelson’s celebrated series of four Apple Family Plays explores politics, change, and family dynamics. Set on dates of historic significance between 2010 and 2013, Nelson’s plays have been heralded by The New York Times as “a rare and radiant mirror on the way we live … no previous works of theater have been topical in the resonant and specific ways of The Apple Family Plays.” Now TimeLine is presenting the Chicago debut of two of these remarkable works (the first and third in the series) on an alternating schedule. THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING and SORRY are separate plays that may be fully enjoyed individually, or together, and may be viewed in any order. Each play requires the purchase of a separate ticket to attend. Each play runs approximately 1 hour 45 minutes; both are performed without an intermission. Set in the American town of Rhinebeck, New York, THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING takes place as the polls close on the 2010 mid-term elections, and SORRY is set on the morning of the presidential election in 2012. Both explore how a family sorts through personal and political feelings of loss and confusion in the shadow of history as it is being made. The Apple Family Plays were first commissioned and performed at The Public Theater in New York City. Nelson wrote each play to open on the day it is set. The other two plays (the second and fourth in the series), SWEET AND SAD and REGULAR SINGING, are set on the 10th Anniversary ofSeptember 11 and the 50th Anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, respectively. In 2013, all four plays were performed at The Public and were filmed for WNET public television in New York, where they have aired earlier this fall. SWEET AND SAD is the only Apple Family play previously seen in Chicago, at Profiles Theatre in 2012. Production staff includes Brian Sidney Bembridge (Scenic and Lighting Design), Alex Wren Meadows (Costume Design), Andrew Hansen (Sound Design), Amanda Herrmann (Properties Design), Maren Robinson (Dramaturgy), Dina Spoerl (Lobby Display Graphic Design), Nora Mally(Stage Manager) and Elise Hausken (Production Assistant). For more information and to purchase tickets, call the TimeLine Theatre Box Office at (773) 281-TIME (8463) or visit timelinetheatre.com. PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE / EVENTS PREVIEWS: Tuesday, January 13 at 8 p.m. (HOPEY); Wednesday, January 14 at 8 p.m. (SORRY);Friday, January 16 at 8 p.m. (SORRY); Saturday, January 17 at 8 p.m. (HOPEY); Sunday, January 18 at 2 p.m. (HOPEY) and 7 p.m. (SORRY); Thursday, January 22 at 8 pm. (HOPEY) and Friday, January 23 at 8 p.m. (SORRY). OPENING NIGHT: Saturday, January 24 at 4 p.m. (HOPEY) and 8 p.m. (SORRY). PRESS OPENING: Sunday, January 25 at 2 p.m. (HOPEY) and 6 p.m. (SORRY). REGULAR RUN: THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING and SORRY will be presented on an alternating schedule on these days and times each week: Tuesdays (4/14 only), Wednesdays and Thursdays at7:30 p.m (except 8:30 p.m. on 2/18 and 4/2); Fridays at 8 p.m. (except no performance on 3/13); Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 p.m. (also 6 p.m. on 1/25, 3/15, 3/29 and 4/12) through April 19, 2015. For specific dates of each play, visit timelinetheatre.com/apple_family_plays. “MARATHON” DATES: Every Saturday during the regular run and Sundays 1/25, 3/15, 3/29 and 4/12 are “marathon” days with THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING matinee and SORRY evening performance, with time between performances for a dinner break. DISCUSSION EVENTS:</p> Post-Show Discussions: A brief, informal post-show discussion hosted by a TimeLine Company Member and featuring the production dramaturg and members of the cast onWednesday, January 28; Thursday, February 5; Sunday, February 8; Wednesday, February 11; Wednesday, February 25; and Thursday, March 26. Pre-Show Discussions: Starting one hour before these performances, a 30-minute introductory conversation hosted by a TimeLine Company Member and the production dramaturg with members of the production team on Thursday, February 19 and Sunday, March 8. Sunday Scholars Panel Discussion: A one-hour post-show discussion featuring experts on the themes and issues of the play on Sunday, February 22. Company Member Discussion: A post-show discussion with the collaborative team of artists who choose TimeLine’s programming and guide the company’s mission on Sunday, March 1 All discussions are free and open to the public. For further details about all planned discussions, visittimelinetheatre.com/apple_family_plays/events.htm. BUYING TICKETS Ticket prices (inclusive of all fees) are $39 (Wednesday through Friday), $49 (Saturday) and $52 (Sunday). Preview tickets are $25. Student discount is $10 off the regular ticket price with valid ID. Special rates for groups of 10 or more are available. Advance purchase is strongly recommended as performances may sell out. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (773) 281-TIME (8463) or visit timelinetheatre.com. LOCATION / TRANSPORTATION / PARKING THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING and SORRY will take place at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago. TimeLine Theatre is located near the corner of Wellington and Broadway, inside the Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ building, in Chicago’s Lakeview East neighborhood. The location is served by multiple CTA trains and buses. TimeLine offers discounted parking at the Standard Parking garages at Broadway Center ($8 with validation; 2846 N. Broadway, at Surf) or the Century Mall ($9 with validation; 2836 N. Clark). There is also limited free and metered street parking. ACCESSIBILITY                  TimeLine Theatre is now accessible to people with disabilities with the addition in November 2013 of two wheelchair lifts that provide access from street level to the theatre space and to lower-level restrooms. Audience members using wheelchairs or others with special seating needs should contact the TimeLine Theatre Box Office in advance to confirm arrangements. SPONSORS This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, and a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. BIOGRAPHIES Richard Nelson (Playwright) is a playwright whose other plays include NIKOLAI AND THE OTHERS; THE APPLE FAMILY PLAYS: THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING, SWEET AND SAD, SORRY and REGULAR SINGING; FAREWELL TO THE THEATRE; CONVERSATIONS IN TUSCULUM; FRANK’S HOME; HOW SHAKESPEARE WON THE WEST; RODNEY'S WIFE; FRANNY'S WAY; MADAME MELVILLE; GOODNIGHT CHILDREN EVERYWHERE (Olivier Award – Best Play); THE GENERAL FROM AMERICA; NEW ENGLAND; TWO SHAKESPEAREAN ACTORS (Tony Award nomination – Best Play) and SOME AMERICANS ABROAD (Olivier Award nomination – Best Comedy). His musicals include JAMES JOYCE’S THE DEAD (with Shaun Davey, Tony Award – Best Book of a Musical), and MY LIFE WITH ALBERTINE (with Ricky Ian Gordon). He has adapted and/or translated numerous classical and contemporary plays; his films include HYDE PARK ON HUDSON, ETHAN FROME and SENSIBILITY AND SENSE.  He is an Honorary Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company and a recipient of the Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the PEN/Laura Pels “Master Playwright” Award. Louis Contey (Director) is an Associate Artist at TimeLine Theatre, where he received a Non-Equity Jeff Award for Outstanding Direction for AWAKE AND SING! and a Non-Equity Jeff Award nomination for IT'S ALL TRUE. Other TimeLine productions include FROST/NIXON, A HOUSE WITH NO WALLS, TRUMBO, PARADISE LOST, LILLIAN, THE GENERAL FROM AMERICA, COPENHAGEN and PRAVDA. He has directed more than 60 plays, among them REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT, A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, ALL MY SONS, ROCKET TO THE MOON, WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG, MEET JOE DOE, BOYS NEXT DOOR and MARRIAGE PLAY. He is a 12-time Jeff nominee and has received seven Jeff Citations. Contey has worked at the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Theatre at the Center, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, Shattered Globe, Provision, Eclipse and American Theater Company, among others. He received his MFA in directing from The Theatre School at DePaul University, where he is currently an adjunct instructor. ABOUT TIMELINE THEATRE COMPANY TimeLine Theatre Company, named one of the nation's top 10 emerging professional theatres (American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards®), Best Theatre in Chicago (Chicagomagazine, 2011) and the nation's theater "Company of the Year" (The Wall Street Journal, 2010), was founded in April 1997 with a mission to present stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. Over its first 17 seasons, TimeLine presented 59 productions, including nine world premieres and 20 Chicago premieres, and launched the Living History Education Program, which brings the company's mission to life for students in Chicago Public Schools. Recipient of the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence and the Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award from the Association for Strategic Planning, TimeLine has received 52 Jeff Awards, including an award for Outstanding Production 11 times over 15 seasons of eligibility. Still to come this season:</p> Chicago premiere of INANA by Michele Lowe, directed by Kimberly Senior, May 6 - July 26, 2015, at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago TimeLine is led by Artistic Director PJ Powers, Managing Director Elizabeth K. Auman and Board President John M. Sirek. Company members are Nick Bowling, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Lara Goetsch, Juliet Hart, Mildred Marie Langford, Mechelle Moe, David Parkes, PJ Powers, Maren Robinson and Benjamin Thiem. Major supporters of TimeLine Theatre include Alphawood Foundation, The Crown Family, Forum Fund, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, The Pauls Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation and The Shubert Foundation. TimeLine is a member of the League of Chicago Theatres, Theatre Communications Group, Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce and Chicago’s Belmont Theater District.
AFP_WebpageHeaderTimeLine Theatre Company continues its 2014-15 season with a special production featuring two of Tony Award winner Richard Nelson’s acclaimed Apple Family Plays: THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING and SORRY, directed by TimeLine Associate Artist Louis Contey, presented on an alternating schedule January 24 – April 19, 2015 (previews January 13 – 23), at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago.
The Apple Family Plays will feature the TimeLine debut of Chicago acting legend Mike Nussbaumand more TimeLine Company Members on stage than at any time in the theater’s history: Janet Ulrich Brooks, Juliet Hart, Mechelle Moe, David Parkes and Artistic Director PJ Powers.

Richard Nelson’s celebrated series of four Apple Family Plays explores politics, change, and family dynamics. Set on dates of historic significance between 2010 and 2013, Nelson’s plays have been heralded by The New York Times as “a rare and radiant mirror on the way we live … no previous works of theater have been topical in the resonant and specific ways of The Apple Family Plays.”
Now TimeLine is presenting the Chicago debut of two of these remarkable works (the first and third in the series) on an alternating schedule. THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING and SORRY are separate plays that may be fully enjoyed individually, or together, and may be viewed in any order. Each play requires the purchase of a separate ticket to attend. Each play runs approximately 1 hour 45 minutes; both are performed without an intermission.
Set in the American town of Rhinebeck, New York, THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING takes place as the polls close on the 2010 mid-term elections, and SORRY is set on the morning of the presidential election in 2012. Both explore how a family sorts through personal and political feelings of loss and confusion in the shadow of history as it is being made.
The Apple Family Plays were first commissioned and performed at The Public Theater in New York City. Nelson wrote each play to open on the day it is set. The other two plays (the second and fourth in the series), SWEET AND SAD and REGULAR SINGING, are set on the 10th Anniversary ofSeptember 11 and the 50th Anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, respectively. In 2013, all four plays were performed at The Public and were filmed for WNET public television in New York, where they have aired earlier this fall. SWEET AND SAD is the only Apple Family play previously seen in Chicago, at Profiles Theatre in 2012.
Production staff includes Brian Sidney Bembridge (Scenic and Lighting Design), Alex Wren Meadows (Costume Design), Andrew Hansen (Sound Design), Amanda Herrmann (Properties Design), Maren Robinson (Dramaturgy), Dina Spoerl (Lobby Display Graphic Design), Nora Mally(Stage Manager) and Elise Hausken (Production Assistant).
For more information and to purchase tickets, call the TimeLine Theatre Box Office at (773) 281-TIME (8463) or visit timelinetheatre.com.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE / EVENTS
PREVIEWS: Tuesday, January 13 at 8 p.m. (HOPEY); Wednesday, January 14 at 8 p.m. (SORRY);Friday, January 16 at 8 p.m. (SORRY); Saturday, January 17 at 8 p.m. (HOPEY); Sunday, January 18 at 2 p.m. (HOPEY) and 7 p.m. (SORRY); Thursday, January 22 at 8 pm. (HOPEY) and Friday, January 23 at 8 p.m. (SORRY).
OPENING NIGHT: Saturday, January 24 at 4 p.m. (HOPEY) and 8 p.m. (SORRY).
PRESS OPENING: Sunday, January 25 at 2 p.m. (HOPEY) and 6 p.m. (SORRY).
REGULAR RUN: THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING and SORRY will be presented on an alternating schedule on these days and times each week: Tuesdays (4/14 only), Wednesdays and Thursdays at7:30 p.m (except 8:30 p.m. on 2/18 and 4/2); Fridays at 8 p.m. (except no performance on 3/13); Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 p.m. (also 6 p.m. on 1/25, 3/15, 3/29 and 4/12) through April 19, 2015. For specific dates of each play, visit timelinetheatre.com/apple_family_plays.
“MARATHON” DATES: Every Saturday during the regular run and Sundays 1/25, 3/15, 3/29 and 4/12 are “marathon” days with THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING matinee and SORRY evening performance, with time between performances for a dinner break.
DISCUSSION EVENTS:

  • Post-Show Discussions: A brief, informal post-show discussion hosted by a TimeLine Company Member and featuring the production dramaturg and members of the cast onWednesday, January 28; Thursday, February 5; Sunday, February 8; Wednesday, February 11; Wednesday, February 25; and Thursday, March 26.
  • Pre-Show Discussions: Starting one hour before these performances, a 30-minute introductory conversation hosted by a TimeLine Company Member and the production dramaturg with members of the production team on Thursday, February 19 and Sunday, March 8.
  • Sunday Scholars Panel Discussion: A one-hour post-show discussion featuring experts on the themes and issues of the play on Sunday, February 22.
  • Company Member Discussion: A post-show discussion with the collaborative team of artists who choose TimeLine’s programming and guide the company’s mission on Sunday, March 1
All discussions are free and open to the public. For further details about all planned discussions, visittimelinetheatre.com/apple_family_plays/events.htm.
BUYING TICKETS
Ticket prices (inclusive of all fees) are $39 (Wednesday through Friday), $49 (Saturday) and $52 (Sunday). Preview tickets are $25. Student discount is $10 off the regular ticket price with valid ID. Special rates for groups of 10 or more are available. Advance purchase is strongly recommended as performances may sell out. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (773) 281-TIME (8463) or visit timelinetheatre.com.
LOCATION / TRANSPORTATION / PARKING
THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING and SORRY will take place at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago. TimeLine Theatre is located near the corner of Wellington and Broadway, inside the Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ building, in Chicago’s Lakeview East neighborhood. The location is served by multiple CTA trains and buses. TimeLine offers discounted parking at the Standard Parking garages at Broadway Center ($8 with validation; 2846 N. Broadway, at Surf) or the Century Mall ($9 with validation; 2836 N. Clark). There is also limited free and metered street parking.
ACCESSIBILITY                 
TimeLine Theatre is now accessible to people with disabilities with the addition in November 2013 of two wheelchair lifts that provide access from street level to the theatre space and to lower-level restrooms. Audience members using wheelchairs or others with special seating needs should contact the TimeLine Theatre Box Office in advance to confirm arrangements.
SPONSORS
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, and a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
BIOGRAPHIES
Richard Nelson (Playwright) is a playwright whose other plays include NIKOLAI AND THE OTHERS; THE APPLE FAMILY PLAYS: THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING, SWEET AND SAD, SORRY and REGULAR SINGING; FAREWELL TO THE THEATRE; CONVERSATIONS IN TUSCULUM; FRANK’S HOME; HOW SHAKESPEARE WON THE WEST; RODNEY’S WIFE; FRANNY’S WAY; MADAME MELVILLE; GOODNIGHT CHILDREN EVERYWHERE (Olivier Award – Best Play); THE GENERAL FROM AMERICA; NEW ENGLAND; TWO SHAKESPEAREAN ACTORS (Tony Award nomination – Best Play) and SOME AMERICANS ABROAD (Olivier Award nomination – Best Comedy). His musicals include JAMES JOYCE’S THE DEAD (with Shaun Davey, Tony Award – Best Book of a Musical), and MY LIFE WITH ALBERTINE (with Ricky Ian Gordon). He has adapted and/or translated numerous classical and contemporary plays; his films include HYDE PARK ON HUDSON, ETHAN FROME and SENSIBILITY AND SENSE.  He is an Honorary Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company and a recipient of the Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the PEN/Laura Pels “Master Playwright” Award.
Louis Contey (Director) is an Associate Artist at TimeLine Theatre, where he received a Non-Equity Jeff Award for Outstanding Direction for AWAKE AND SING! and a Non-Equity Jeff Award nomination for IT’S ALL TRUE. Other TimeLine productions include FROST/NIXON, A HOUSE WITH NO WALLS, TRUMBO, PARADISE LOST, LILLIAN, THE GENERAL FROM AMERICA, COPENHAGEN and PRAVDA. He has directed more than 60 plays, among them REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT, A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, ALL MY SONS, ROCKET TO THE MOON, WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG, MEET JOE DOE, BOYS NEXT DOOR and MARRIAGE PLAY. He is a 12-time Jeff nominee and has received seven Jeff Citations. Contey has worked at the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Theatre at the Center, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, Shattered Globe, Provision, Eclipse and American Theater Company, among others. He received his MFA in directing from The Theatre School at DePaul University, where he is currently an adjunct instructor.
ABOUT TIMELINE THEATRE COMPANY
TimeLine Theatre Company, named one of the nation’s top 10 emerging professional theatres (American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards®), Best Theatre in Chicago (Chicagomagazine, 2011) and the nation’s theater “Company of the Year” (The Wall Street Journal, 2010), was founded in April 1997 with a mission to present stories inspired by history that connect with today’s social and political issues. Over its first 17 seasons, TimeLine presented 59 productions, including nine world premieres and 20 Chicago premieres, and launched the Living History Education Program, which brings the company’s mission to life for students in Chicago Public Schools. Recipient of the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence and the Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award from the Association for Strategic Planning, TimeLine has received 52 Jeff Awards, including an award for Outstanding Production 11 times over 15 seasons of eligibility.
Still to come this season:

  • Chicago premiere of INANA by Michele Lowe, directed by Kimberly Senior, May 6 – July 26, 2015, at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago
TimeLine is led by Artistic Director PJ Powers, Managing Director Elizabeth K. Auman and Board President John M. Sirek. Company members are Nick Bowling, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Lara Goetsch, Juliet Hart, Mildred Marie Langford, Mechelle Moe, David Parkes, PJ Powers, Maren Robinson and Benjamin Thiem.
Major supporters of TimeLine Theatre include Alphawood Foundation, The Crown Family, Forum Fund, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, The Pauls Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation and The Shubert Foundation.
TimeLine is a member of the League of Chicago Theatres, Theatre Communications Group, Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce and Chicago’s Belmont Theater District.