On a cross-country trip from New York to the west coast, Vince and his girlfriend Shelly decide to make a stop at his grandparents’ rural Illinois home. But when they arrive, neither his grandparents, Dodge and Halie, nor his father Tilden and uncle Bradley seem to recognize or remember him. As Vince searches for answers, truths begin to emerge that reveal a deep corrosion of this fragmented family living in a forgotten America.
This Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, wriitten by Sam Shepard, will be newly invigorated for the WT stage by Resident Director Kimberly Senior (Hedda Gabler, The Diary of Anne Frank, Marjorie Prime, The Scene), drawing audiences deeply into the story of a family fighting to come to grips with an America that may have left them behind.
Highly Recommended Based Upon Eight Reviews
Run Time: 2 Hours and 50 Minutes with two intermissions
Monitor the Buried Child webpage for the latest news.
About Writers Theatre
Under the artistic leadership of Michael Halberstam and the executive leadership of Kathryn M. Lipuma, Writers Theatre has grown to become a major Chicagoland cultural destination with a national reputation for excellence, being called the top regional theatre in the nation by The Wall Street Journal.
The company, which plays to a sold-out and discerning audience of more than 60,000 patrons each season, has garnered critical praise for the consistent high quality and intimacy of its artistry—providing the finest interpretations of both classic and contemporary theatre in its two intensely intimate venues.
In February 2016, Writers Theatre opened a new, state-of-the-art facility. This established the company's first permanent home—a new theatre center in downtown Glencoe, designed by the award-winning, internationally renowned Studio Gang Architects, led by Founder and Design Principal Jeanne Gang, FAIA, in collaboration with Theatre Consultant Auerbach Pollock Friedlander.
The new facility has allowed the Theatre to continue to grow to accommodate its audience, while maintaining its trademark intimacy. The new facility resonates with and complements the Theatre’s neighboring Glencoe community, adding tremendous value to Chicagoland and helping to establish the North Shore as a premier cultural destination.
You can find Writers Theatre on Facebook
Writers Theatre New Home: Virtual Tour (4:29)
Review of Writers Theatre
Mike Fischer, Theater Critic for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes:
This is the third production I’ve seen in the new Writers Theatre space that opened this year. But it’s the first of those three that I’ve reviewed, giving me the chance to publicly join the chorus of hosannas greeting this magnificent, two-theater complex, built at a cost of nearly $30 million.
Deliberately invoking nearby designs by Frank Lloyd Wright, its public spaces are bathed in natural light and filled with comfortable seating areas as well as a terrace on which one can enjoy a drink. The playing spaces capture the intimate feel of the previous two Writers theaters (the book store that housed one of them in an annex has, alas, now closed).
The new Writers space is among the most beautiful theater complexes I’ve seen. It’s also a reminder that even in a period when the arts are chronically underfunded (Wisconsin ranks near the bottom in per capita arts funding), there are still places where governmental and private visionaries understand that the arts are not only essential to our well being, but also a smart commercial play.
Glencoe will benefit enormously because it houses this new theater. So will you if you come visit. Glencoe is north of Chicago; the easy, 72-mile drive there from downtown Milwaukee is shorter than the drive from Milwaukee to Madison.
LUNCH
Lunch is not included in the trip fee and will be from 11:00-11:45 at the Lake Forest Oasis. There are tables inside and outside the Oasis where you can sit. You can bring your own lunch or choose from the following restaurants:
- Taste of Middle East
- Subway
- Sbarro
- Panda Express
- McDonalds
- Taco Bell Express
- KFC Express
- Dairy Queen
- Doc Popcorn
- Auntie Anne's Pretzels
- Dunkin' Donuts
- Starbucks
Please Note: The Buried Child Theater Trip bus is shared with PLATO members and guests participating in the Bahá'í/Halim Field Trip. Each trip is allotted 28 seats.
Itinerary
Bear in mind that our boarding bus route is like Madison Metro or any other municipal bus service. Please arrive early at your boarding stop so you don’t miss the bus. When everyone is aboard and seated, we leave. Arrive early and we will all arrive in Chicago on time to begin our adventure.
– Don’t be late. We can wait just 5 minutes at any one location.
– Pack water bottles and snacks for sustenance on the trip.
Leave Madison
7:50 AM Bus arrives at Oakwood University Woods to begin boarding.
8:00 AM Bus departs Oakwood
8:20 AM Arrive at Capitol Lakes
8:35 AM Arrive at East Towne Sears
8:45 AM Depart for Chicago (or sooner if everyone is aboard)
Chicago Area Schedule
11:00 AM Arrive at Lake Forest Oasis for lunch
11:45 AM Depart Lake Forest Oasis
12:30 PM Arrive Bahai Temple to drop off field trip participants
1:00 PM Arrive Writers Theatre
2:00 PM Buried Child performance begins
4:50 PM Buried Child performance ends and boarding begins
Madison Return Schedule (Estimated)
7:30 PM East Towne Sears
7:50 PM Capitol Lakes
8:10 PM Oakwood University Woods
Non-Member Policy. Members must register their guests. Each PLATO member is entitled to bring one non-member guest per trip.
Non-member guests pay an additional $15.00 registration fee. PLATO Membership is $60.00/year
Members may bring more than one guest if seats are available. Check with trip organizer near the registration deadline date.
Accessibility Policy. On the Badger Bus, you must be able to climb steps to board and exit the bus. If you need assistance, we recommend that you bring a friend to give you a hand.
Buried Child Theater Trip mail-in registration form (including instructions)
For further information: Contact Buried Child Theater Trip trip organizer, Bob Blitzke, bblitzke@gmail.com and 608-271-7741
