The Chicago premiere of “Boy” in 2018 at TimeLine Theatre Company stuck with Craig Rosen, coordinator of Academic Theater for Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills.
“I said, ‘This is the perfect show for the school. The story is really engaging and topical. It just felt like a great show that would be interesting, good to act and something that would maybe promote discussion in the audience and all sorts of things,” he said.
Rosen directs “Boy” from Feb. 25-March 6 at Moraine Valley Community College’s Fine & Performing Arts Center’s John and Angeline Oremus Theater.
Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25-26 and March 4-5; and 3 p.m. Feb. 27 and March 6.
“It’s inspired by a true story. When the parents bring in twin boys to be circumcised there’s a malfunction with the machine. One of them’s left without genitalia,” he said.
“They have to figure out how they’re going to raise him. They contact a famous doctor that they see on ’60 Minutes.’ He tells them the best option would be to raise the boy as a girl, never letting him know that he was born a boy and then had a surgery.
“It’s about watching this character and this story.”
Anna Ziegler was inspired by the story of the late David Reimer and the late psychologist John Money to write “Boy,” which is set in the 1960s.
“Our world today is trying to come to terms with gender roles and gender identity,” said Rosen of Naperville.
“It’s a time when some people have been very accepting of people who maybe haven’t had much of a voice and haven’t been heard but others have not been so accepting so that’s another aspect to this story.”
The cast for “Boy” includes Moraine Valley Community College students Joe Gomez of Palos Heights, Jeannie Oakes of Oak Lawn, Gracie Polchan of Justice and Lucy West of Tinley Park and part-time employee David Roczkowski of Palos Hills.
“Since COVID, many of our established students have moved on. It’s been a couple of years and this new generation — a few of them were in our show in the fall or our summer show last year — is really a wonderful thing,” said Rosen, who has worked at Moraine Valley Community College since 2002.
“This whole new group of students are re-energizing the school. There’s a lot of talent and a lot of enthusiasm so it’s a wonderful thing. We’ve been very successful in reestablishing our department.”
He commended the cast for preparing for “Boy” in four weeks rather than the typical rehearsal process of five or six weeks.
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“Normally we cast this show at the end of the fall semester but not knowing what the COVID situation would be with health and rules, we said we wanted to wait. The first week of the semester started late because of Martin Luther King Jr. Day so the schedule took us to the next week,” Rosen said.
“That’s been a challenge. Fortunately, it’s a shorter play without a big cast. We’ve really been able to dive in to it,” said Rosen, who is also a professor of theater at Moraine Valley Community College.
“Everyone involved from the actors to the technicians have been working very professionally because they understand there’s not a lot of time. It’s been a really good learning experience that way.”
After starting 2022 with “Boy” Academic Theater will stage “Eurydice” by Sarah Ruhl from April 29-May 8 at the theater.
“‘Eurydice’ is a modern retelling of the great Eurydice myth. Adrianne Cury, the director we have coming in, works in the city at Acting Studio Chicago and teaches. This is a continuation of us reaching out to the Chicago theater community,” Rosen said.
Academic Theater wraps the 2021-22 season with the free “Twelfth Night” by William Shakespeare from July 21-24 outside at Moraine Valley Community College’s Gateway.
“We’ve had a show go to the Kennedy Center American (College) Theater Festival in competition with four-year schools so our work really at its best can compare with anywhere,” said Rosen about “American Griot,” which was developed with Silk Road Rising, an Equity theater in Chicago.
“The show was selected to go there. That was a really big deal.”
‘Boy’
When: Feb. 25-March 6
Where: Moraine Valley Community College’s Fine & Performing Arts Center’s John and Angeline Oremus Theater, 9000 W. College Parkway, Building F, Palos Hills
Tickets: $12
Information: 708-974-5500; morainevalley.edu/fpac
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.