CHARGES (The Supplicants)

  Theatre Y Presents
CHARGES (The Supplicants)

German title: Die Schutzbefohlenen     “those entrusted to protection”       

Written by Elfriede Jelinek
Translation by Gitta Honnegar
American Premiere by Theatre Y

A powerful elegy for the plight of refugees, from ancient times to the present.  

Chicago, IL — Join us this Winter for CHARGES (The Supplicants) – Nobel Prize winner
Elfriede Jelinek’s Charges (The Supplicants) is a cry for the displaced.
Originally written to address the global refugee crisis, Theatre Y’s production—
co-directed by Melissa Lorraine and Héctor Álvarez— turns the lens squarely on modern-day America.
In Chicago’s own neighborhoods, the threat of removal looms over our neighbors every day.

          “Nobody can make his own suffering sound convincing.”   – Peachum in The Threepenny Opera

          “One should open one’s eyes and take a new look at cruelty.”   – Friedrich Nietzsche
          “The point of art is to show people that life is worth living by showing that it isn’t.”  – Fanny Howe

          “Our raft-making won’t stop the fires from flaring up,
                            but it may teach us how to sit with the heat without burning away.” –Báyò Akómoláfé

February 26-March 29th, 2026 / Thursday- Saturday 7 pm & Sundays 5 pm
Location: Theatre Y – 3611 W Cermak Rd, Chicago, IL 60623
FREE and open to the public.  PLEASE RSVP – TICKETS: www.theatre-y.com( LIMITED SEATING!)

All performances are FREE to the public thanks to members who donate as little as $5/month ($60/year).
We welcome DONATIONS and MEMBERS!