fbpx The Gangster Play: CIRCUS/CIRCUS (forcibly adapted from Brecht’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui) | Krannert Center for the Performing Arts | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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The Gangster Play: CIRCUS/CIRCUS (forcibly adapted from Brecht’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui)

Directed, adapted, and devised by Anderson/Gliege-Rose and The Company

Brecht’s 1941 satirical allegory of Hitler’s rise to power, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, follows the elevation of a 1930s Chicago mobster who works a corrupt political and economic system to his advantage. Set in a world of gangsters and unprincipled politicians, Brecht shows us—through wry humor—that demagogues rise only through the complicity of enablers.

This performance includes the following: depictions of death and lynching, mentions of suicide, LGBTQ+ slurs, gunshots, use of wooden firearms and other objects as firearms, strobe lighting, startling sound effects, mentions of war and mass death, mentions of discrimination, bloodied clothing, use and sound of a whip, and other adult materials.

NOTE: There will be no late seating for the performances of this production.

Patron Co-sponsors

  • Brenda & Stephen Pacey

Event Details

Studio Theatre
Fr Apr 12, 2024 - 7:30pm CT
Sa Apr 13, 2024 - 7:30pm CT
Tu Apr 16, 2024 - 7:30pm CT
We Apr 17, 2024 - 7:30pm CT
Th Apr 18, 2024 - 7:30pm CT
Fr Apr 19, 2024 - 7:30pm CT
Sa Apr 20, 2024 - 2:00pm CT
Advocate 60 / Standard 25 / SC 24 / STU 15 / UI & YTH 10