Student performances in drama and music — plus an annual crowd-pleasing event for children with special needs — are among the highlights of the spring 2025 season at North Central College in Naperville.
“The 39 Steps” will be staged in February, followed by “Assassins” in March and “The Serpent Lady” in April. All are productions of North Central’s Department of Theatre, helmed by Chair Laura Lodewyck.
The school’s Department of Music, chaired by Susan Chou, will present a wide variety of performances by North Central’s student vocal and instrumental groups, plus the popular Chords for Kids annual concert.
The theater plays are produced by the students “from pitch to production,” Lodewyck said, modeled after Chicago storefront theater and “the idea of exciting, vivid, creative new works or the reinvention of existing works in nontraditional spaces and with innovative approaches.”
“The 39 Steps,” adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan, will be presented in the Madden Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13-15 and at 2 p.m. Feb. 15-16.
“’39 Steps’ is a zany comedy with a frenetic pace,” Lodewyck said. “A small ensemble cast is recreating numerous characters. It’s a sendup of a spy thriller with Hitchcock and film noir elements.”
“Assassins” is a well-known musical by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman and will be performed at 7:30 p.m. March 27-29 and at 2 p.m. March 29-30 in the Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall.
“’Assassins’ is classic Sondheim,” Lodewyck said. The idea is that assassins and would-be assassins from different historical periods — like John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald — meet and collaborate.
“It has really beautiful music and a lot of fun songs and is being envisioned in a way from the designers and directors that is a contemporary and fresh take on what it means to take on these historical figures,” she said.
“The Serpent Lady” by Carlo Gozzi, translated by Daniel Smith and Valentina Denzel, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. April 24-26 and at 2 p.m. April 26-27 at the Madden Theatre.
“This was a student-proposed piece,” Lodewyck said. Senior Directing and Dramaturgy major Kelly Ahr “really wanted to mount something that had a fairytale esthetic and had a lot of possibilities for movement and song,” she said.
“The Serpent Lady” is a new translation of an 18th-century commedia dell’arte piece that tells the story of how love can conquer not only death, but immortality.
“It’s an educational production but we work with our prominent faculty professionals, prominent guest artists. It is an ambitious season with high-quality work and you’re seeing the next generation of artists come through Naperville,” Lodewyck said.
The students are having a blast” with the works, she added.
“The amount of energy and focus and characterization it takes to move through something like character-to-character transition in ’39 Steps’ takes a lot of skill and they’ve really dedicated themselves in finding the most joy and entertainment in this story,” she said.
North Central College Music
North Central’s spring music season includes several powerhouse concerts. Among the shows is the Feb. 19 Winter Choral Festival, which features North Central College’s Concert Choir, Chorale and Chamber Singers, Chou said.
“The special part of this concert is that Dr. (Ramona) Wis always uses this opportunity to invite guest high schools,” she said. This year, guest choirs from Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park and Oswego High School will perform.
“At the end of the concert is always a combined choir and that’s always really fun,” she said. “If anyone is interested in choral music or for (perspective) students, that’s always a good concert to show up for.”
The Jazz Big Band Winter Concert is Feb. 20 in Madden Theatre.
“Jazz is the program that has really grown a lot the past year,” she said. “Last year, we only had two jazz faculty recitals, this year we have four. The Latin Jazz ensemble is pretty new. The students are excited about it.”
On Feb. 22, North Central presents the 37th annual Gospel Extravaganza in the Wentz Concert Hall, featuring the North Central College Voices of Praise gospel choir. Gospel Extravaganza is an opportunity to celebrate Black History Month with song, spoken word, dance and other performances. The show starts at 5 p.m.
A show on Feb. 26 called Across the Curriculum Faculty Recital allows students to see their professors in a new light when they take to the performance stage. It’s set for 7:30 p.m. in the Madden Theatre.
“People should be prepared to be surprised,” Chou said.
The popular Chords for Kids concert is set for March 1. It’s designed for children with special needs and their families so they can enjoy an afternoon of music without worrying about staying quiet or seated for the performance.
“It’s such a special event every year,” Chou said. “It’s always a really fun concert for the kids.”
April 4 is the last choral concert of the season, offering a culmination of the works they’ve done throughout the year, she said. Also scheduled is the Concert Winds spring concert on April 9, the Jazz Big Band spring concert April 10 and the Wind and Percussion Studio spring recital April 16.
The North Central College Opera Workshop Showcase is April 17, Chou said.
“It’s usually a small production, but very creative,” she said. “In addition to the singing, the acting is always great. And there is staging and lighting.”
A Chamber Music recital is April 19. The Vocal Jazz and Latin Jazz ensembles spring concert is planned for April but will likely be moved to a different date than the scheduled April 20 as that’s Easter, Chou said.
The last show of the year is the North Central College Symphony Orchestra spring concert April 23.
“We’re doing Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6,” she said. “This is probably the biggest and hardest orchestra repertoire that we’ve ever done at this school. I think it’s going to be great.”
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
If you go…
- Wentz Concert Hall and Madden Theatre at North Central College are located at 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville.
- The Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall at North Central College is at 31 S. Ellsworth St., Naperville.
- Pfeiffer Hall at North Central College is at 310 E. Benton Ave., Naperville.
Tickets: $7-$15
Information: 630-637-7469; northcentralcollege.edu/show.
