Chicago premiere of Beyond Brokeback at Auditorium Theatre celebrates role of LGBT community in attaining equality for all Nov. 13 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University with a screening of the 2005 film Brokeback Mountain and the Chicago premiere of Beyond Brokeback.
Joining the Chicago History Museum's ongoing year-long exhibit, Out in Chicago, Roosevelt's day-long program will feature a 2 p.m. screening of the Academy Award-winning film Brokeback Mountain, followed by a 4:35 p.m. panel discussion with makers of the film and a 5:35 p.m. staged reading with music of messages, essays and poetry that have been inspired by the landmark movie. Attendees are invited to come and go as they like during the event.
"It has been a little more than five years since Brokeback Mountain captured our nation's conscience and imagination. With this production of Beyond Brokeback, we are not only remembering the movie, but we are also embracing its impact and a desire to be inclusive, which is in keeping with Roosevelt University's historic mission of social justice," said Brett Batterson, executive director of the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University.
One of Hollywood's highest-grossing romance films of all time, Brokeback Mountain tells the story of a complex romantic and sexual relationship between two men in the American West between 1963 and 1983, and is based on a short story written by Annie Proulx. Its award-winning director, Ang Lee, screenwriters Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry and producer James Schamus have been invited to participate in the panel discussion on the impact the movie has had since its release in 2005.
Adapted for the stage by Gregory Hinton, and based on a book by the same name, Beyond Brokeback is a staged reading with music. It features excerpts of poignant and humorous messages, essays and poetry that were written by contributors to the Ultimate Brokeback Forum discussion website.
Original music is by composer Shawn Kirchner and director of the production is David Zak, an instructor in The Theatre Conservatory at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts. Students and faculty from Roosevelt's theatre conservatory, working alongside several celebrity actors, also will have parts in the Chicago premiere, which is being presented for the first time in the Midwest and only the third time ever in the United States.
Tickets are $15, $20 and $25, and go on sale Monday, Aug. 8 at www.ticketmaster.com or at the box office of the Auditorium Theatre at Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Parkway, Chicago. For information, call 312-922-2110.
