The largest production in Writers Theatre's history plays its final three performances this weekend in Glencoe, closing a run that was extended twice and drew recognition from the Chicago Tribune as "scoring at the box office."

Tom Stoppard's "Leopoldstadt," directed by Carey Perloff at 325 Tudor Court, wraps with performances Friday, Aug. 14, Saturday, Aug. 15 and Sunday, Aug. 16. Tickets range from $35 to $95 and are available at 847-242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.

The production earned six 2026 Equity Jeff Award nominations, as we reported July 22, tying for the second-most of any single production this season. Those categories include Production of a Play, Ensemble, Director (Perloff), Costume Design (Alex Jaeger), Sound Design (Jane Shaw) and Artistic Specialization for hair, wig and makeup design (Tom Watson). Winners will be announced Sept. 14 at the Harris Theater in Chicago.

Stoppard, who died in November 2025 at 88, wrote "Leopoldstadt" as his final play. Born in Zlín, Czechoslovakia, he did not know he was Jewish until he was in his 50s. The play draws on that personal history. He and Perloff revised the Broadway script specifically for the intimate Glencoe stage. "We spent time at the dining room table, marking up the script," Perloff told the Evanston RoundTable in June.

The play spans 56 years and follows multiple generations of a predominantly Jewish extended family in Vienna through world wars, cultural upheaval and ethnic cleansing. Some 24 actors appear on stage, all Chicago-based, including Ian Barford, Barbara E. Robertson, Jessie Fisher, Joey Slotnick and Sean Fortunato. The production's ornate set and lush costuming are stripped away scene by scene as the family descends into poverty and despair.

Perloff, one of Stoppard's closest collaborators, told the RoundTable in June that the play's themes of displacement feel newly urgent, noting that scenes of people being taken away resonate differently after recent immigration enforcement actions. "We as Americans are endlessly wrestling with who gets to be a citizen, who gets to be part of this society," she said.

Writers Theatre also organized community engagement events around the production, including an interfaith Shabbat service and dinner in partnership with Congregation Sukkat Shalom in Wilmette.

The theater's next production is "Sisters," written by Matthew Libby and directed by Jessica Thebus, running Aug. 13 through Nov. 8. “The Royale,” written by Marco Ramirez and directed by Tyrone Phillips, follows Oct. 22 through Nov. 29.