Dixon Stage Left has full slate of dramatic shows for remainder of 2023- 24 season

Audiences can expect to be deeply moved during the second half of Dixon Stage Left’s 2023-24 season, with a lineup of emotional, hard-hitting dramas.

The remainder of the season, which began in September and ends this summer, will kick off with a play based on the George Orwell novel, “Animal Farm,” offered Feb. 9 and 10. The show will be a readers theater production, which is a dramatized reading that focuses on the story and words in the script.

The next show, “Playing with Fire,” is a different take on Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” with Dr. Frankenstein and his creature able to have one last conversation. Sean Ports, artistic director at Dixon Stage Left and director of “Playing with Fire,” said the play is done in a series of flashbacks from the present perspective.

“We see all the poor choices that were made [in the story of ‘Frankenstein’], the destruction and devastation caused by the choices that were made,” Ports said. “It emphasizes the relationship between the doctor and his creature. There’s a lot of heartache and emotional baggage attached to many scenes. It’s a challenging script.”

“Playing with Fire” runs March 1-2, 7-9 and 14-16.

The next offering, “Night, Mother,” is a two-person, one-act show in which a daughter decides she is going to end her life that night and informs her mother about her decision, Ports said. It runs May 3-4, 9-11 and 16-18.

“There is not a happy ending to this show; I want people to be prepared for that huge trigger,” he said. “We want to be caring and careful about the sensitivity of suicide and mental health, which is part of the reason we’re producing this show. While it’s not a happy ending, it’s still a very real ending. [The show] is a conversation starter. That’s what we’re all about when producing art – starting conversations.”

An old-fashioned murder mystery follows, with “Hound of the Baskervilles” running July 11-14 and 18-21. Ports described the show as a “classic Sherlock Holmes story,” where audiences can follow the clues to see if they can figure out what’s happening.

The season wraps up with Dixon Stage Left’s young adult performance, which features local young actors between the ages of 14 and 25. This year’s show, “The Giver,” runs Aug. 9-11. Ports said the play is “an original youth dystopian” story, based on the novel by Lois Lowry released in 1993.

“It’s about a young boy who’s part of a utilitarian society, and he’s given a new job known as ‘The Giver,’ and uses that to bring an end to the current society he lives in,” Ports said. “I’d consider this a drama, but producing this is a challenging piece for our young adult actors.”

Ports said that both “Night, Mother” and “Playing with Fire” are “sad and emotional” dramas that have a lot to offer audiences. As the director of both plays, he is looking forward to bringing them to life on the stage with artists primarily from the Sauk Valley area.

“Both shows have a lot of heart, and while we hope as people that things turn out well, the hard reality is that things don’t always turn out well,” he said. “It’s good local theater and local talent, and something that the community can be proud of. We’ve got a great season, and there’s something for everyone.”

Tickets for all shows can be purchased at dixonstageleft.org.

Dixon Stage Left is at 306 W. First St., Dixon.