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The Oak Brook Academy of Music & Art will be raising funds and awareness of a disease that has nearly crippled one of their own.

Three years ago, Julia Moberly was a vibrant 11-year-old student of acting and voice at the Academy when she was diagnosed with a mitochondrial disease. The group of related metabolic diseases causes cell injury to its victims and sometimes death. In the past three years, Julia has suffered innumerable localized seizures, been hospitalized several times and lost much of her ability to move her limbs and speak.

(From left) Dan Cassin of Clarendon Hills, Ashley Heaney of Villa Park, Chris Anderson of Clarendon Hills and Julia Moberly of Hinsdale rehearse for "Into The Woods." SUBMITTED PHOTO

The talents of 200 students, staff members and parent volunteers are coming together in “The Wizard of Oz,” which opens this weekend at Morton West High School. Janine Delmonico, the show’s director, invites the community to enjoy the entertainment. The production features 50 performers, supported by 25 crew members and a 10-piece pit orchestra. 

The Scarecrow (Justin Wych, front left), Dorothy (Izis Mollinedo) and fellow Morton West High School cast members, including The Tin Man (Rafael Gutierrez), rehearse a dance number for “The Wizard of Oz.”  STAFF PHOTOS BY BILL  ACKERMAN

Understand what it means to go to war and what it takes to come home with the Elmhurst College Theatre production of "Tracers," just in time for Veterans Day.

"Tracers" is a drama conceived by John DiFusco, "Tracers" was developed, written and originally performed by Vietnam veterans. Performances will be Nov. 12-14 and 19-21 at the Mill Theatre, 253 Walter St., Elmhurst. A post-show discussion follows Thursday, Nov. 19 performance.

Batavia High School presents the updated version of the classic play “Twelve Angry Men,” today known as “Twelve Angry Jurors.” It is directed by Josh Casburn, and features two casts who invite the community to catch the drama.

Twelve jurors deliberate on what is supposed to be an open and shut murder case, until one juror swims against the powerful current of opinion, attempting to convince the other jurors to take a second look at the evidence. Tempers flare as two of them stand off about the murder case. 

In an unusual twist, the two lead actors, the male (played by Griffin Price), and the female (Darcy Coussens), alternate roles each night, emphasizing the complicated struggle for justice in every juror, affected by gender, background and prejudices as they make morally difficult decisions.

Village Theatre Guild will conduct auditions for “Rabbit Hole” by David Lindsay-Abaire. They take place at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, at the theater at Park Boulevard and Butterfield Road, Glen Ellyn.

The show will be performed weekends from Jan. 15 to Feb. 6, directed by Bill Burghardt.

The high school actors of the Children’s Theatre of Western Springs were ready for a challenge this season. They didn’t want to be recognized for producing another “cutesy” play. And while bunnies are cute, in “Bunnicula,” the book-turned-musical is a mix of a warm storyline with a Dracula-inspired, vegetable juice-sucking rabbit. Director Emily Monteagudo of Chicago says the cast has really made the show their own.

Cast members of  "Bunnicula" (left-right) Lauren Quinlan of Western Springs, Samantha Kubil of Western Springs, Rachel Walton of Western Springs, Veronica Boswell of Hinsdale and Ivan Keta of Westmont rehearse at the Theatre of Western Springs Thursday October 22, 2009. STAFF PHOTO BY ERICA BENSON

Wilbur, Charlotte and their barnyard friends will entertain children this weekend in Oakbrook Terrace.

The classic children's book, "Charlotte's Web," will be brought to life in a play Friday at the Mario Parent Theater in the Heritage Center. The play is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1 S. 325 Ardmore Avenue.

Tickets are $6.25 and must be purchased in advance. For more information, or to purchase tickets, contact the park district at (630) 627-6100 or visit www.obtpd.org.

Families are invited to catch the final weekend of “The Spirit of All-Hallows Eve” at Bolingbrook’s Theatre-on-the-Hill, which recreates the origins of the holiday, then tells three eerie tales described as fun for kids and adults alike.
 
The troupe says author and director Douglas Hawksworth has created a show filled with fantastical costumes and sets for the informative story. The first act includes the entrance of the Celtic harvest god Samhain, and the judging of a wayward mummy by Egyptian gods Anubis, Horus and Osiris. The second act features the story of a witch, and a vampire chronicle.

The family production plays through Sunday, Nov. 1, in Bolingbrook. SUBMITTED PHOTO

The La Grange Hometown Teen Players again take the stage at La Grange Village Hall to perform four suspenseful and humorous Halloween-themed plays.

Since its founding five years ago, the troupe enjoyed the La Grange Theatre as its home stage and now has moved into the village’s town hall, where it first performed in May.

The troupe is comprised of talented young performers who attend area grade and high schools. Besides acting, dance and song, the kids take charge of all aspects of the production — costume, choreography, design and script writing — under the overall guidance of experienced adult directors.

George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart’s production of “You Can’t Take It With You” first hit the stage in 1936 and nearly 73 years later, the play remains relevant. The Village Players perform “You Can’t Take It With You” through mid-November. The play’s focus is on the eccentricities of the Sycamore family, as the audience learns the reasons behind the family’s odd behavior and hobbies. Actress Zoe Palko of Chicago, who plays Essie Sycamore in the show, is ready to give her best performance and worst dance moves in this show.

(left) Jhenai Mootz and Bryan Wakefield of Chicago rehearse for the upcoming performance of "You Can't Take It With You" at Village Players Performing Arts Center in Oak Park Tuesday October 6, 2009.  STAFF PHOTO BY ERICA BENSON