A Chicago theatrical production directed by a Knox College faculty member is gaining rave reviews from Chicago theatre critics. A total of 25 Knox College faculty, students and alumni are involved in the production.

"Mother Courage," written in 1939 by Bertolt Brecht and directed by Elizabeth Carlin-Metz, is about a peasant who follows armies across Europe during the Thirty Years War, from 1618 to 1648, selling provisions to soldiers.

The show, which opened September 11 and runs through November 5, is an "altogether terrific production," wrote Hedy Weiss in the Chicago Sun-Times.

"Elizabeth Carlin Metz's canny staging and her smart and assured ensemble deliver a powerful journey," wrote Kerry Reid in the Chicago Tribune.

The production is "eclectic, stylized, and riveting," wrote Lawrence Bommer in the Chicago Reader, which picked the play as one of just 18 "Recommended" shows among more than 100 currently playing in Chicago. 

The play is the most recent Chicago production by Vitalist Theatre, operated by Carlin Metz, associate professor of theatre at Knox, and her husband, Robin Metz, the Philip Sidney Post Professor of English and director of the Program in Creative Writing at Knox.

"Vitalist Theatre [is] invariably smart, original and bold in their use of movement and music, " Weiss wrote. The production company "has made a mark [on the Chicago theatre scene] with such movement-driven shows as 'Anna Karenina' and 'The Three Lives of Lucie Cabrol,'" Weiss wrote.

In addition to winning critical acclaim, Vitalist Theatre also has engaged a number of actors and crew members who have gone through Knox College's theatre program. Sixteen Knox alumni, four faculty and five current students, are working on the play.

In the Tribune, Reid praised Knox graduate and cast member Kelly Lynn Hogan as "utterly captivating." Hogan graduated from Knox in 1992, and will teach theatre for a term at Knox later this year.

Weiss, in the Sun-Times, noted the contributions of two Knox alumni, as she awarded "bravos to the endlessly inventive designers -- Craig Choma (sets) and Rachel M. Sypniewski (costumes)." Sypniewski is a Knox theatre major who graduated in 2001, while Choma is an associate professor of theatre at Knox who graduated from Knox in 1993.

"There's a huge Knox involvement," said Choma. Theatre lecturer Margo Shively is wardrobe consultant, while Carlin Metz's husband, English professor Robin Metz, is the executive producer and is now responsible for the show, after Carlin Metz recently left the U.S. for a ten-week teaching assignment with the Knox program in London.

Several Knox students have assisted on the production crew. "Professor Metz knows us and knows what we can do," said Martin Helms, a theatre major and the productions's master carpenter. Other students on the crew are Bri Benson, Beth Golemo, Annie Lawrence, and Christopher Storey.

In addition to Hogan, Tara Weeks, a 2001 Knox graduate, has a role in the play, while 14 other Knox alumni are working on the production crew.

The show is at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont. Tickets are available at (773) 327-5252.

Knox faculty, students and alumni in "Mother Courage"

Faculty:
Elizabeth Carlin-Metz (Theatre/Dance), Director
Robin Metz (Creative Writing), Executive Producer
Craig Choma (Theatre/Dance), Set Design
Margo Shively (Theatre/Dance), Wardrobe Consultant

Current Students:
Annie Lawrence, Set and Electrics Crew
Christopher Storey, Set and Electrics Crew
Beth Golemo, Set and Electrics Crew
Martin Helms, Master Carpenter
Bri Benson, Production Intern

Alumni:
Heather Courtney, Stage Manager
Rachel Sypniewski, Costume Designer, Production Manager
Aly Greaves, Wigs and Make-up
Nathan Thompson, Directing Intern, Deck Chief
Bethany Woodard, Assistant Director
Jaclynn Jutting, Associate Director
Ralph Sledge, Web Master
Helen Drysdale, Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator
Tara Weeks, Actress, Consulting Producer of Marketing and PR
Kelly Lynn Hogan, Actress
Jason Connell, Master Welder
Jake Hebert, Set and Electrics Crew
Chelsea Lynn, Set and Electrics Crew
Jacqueline F. Dehne, Set and Electrics Crew
Doug Porter, Set and Electrics Crew
Vince Singleton, Videographer