United Flight 232

The House Theatre of Chicago

“Best Production of a Play (midsize),” adapted and directed by Vanessa Stalling+, United Flight 232. On July 19, 1989, a DC-10 headed for O’Hare with 296 aboard is paralyzed mid-air. For 44 minutes, the aircraft descended towards an emergency landing and crashed at Sioux City Gateway airport. To the astonishment of all who witnessed the event, 184 of 296 passengers and crew survived. Drawing on the interviews and research conducted by Evanston author Laurence Gonzales for his critically acclaimed book, Flight 232: A Story of Disaster and Survival this award-winning original play, United Flight 232, is a reflection on how to comprehend tragedy and celebrate human ingenuity in the face of overwhelming challenges.

“This is a celebration of the valor and dedication of the United Flight staff, the strength and heroism of the survivors and a tribute to those poor souls who lost their lives in this disaster …”
~Colin Douglas, Chicago Theatre Review
Read Full Review
“…To enter The House Theatre of Chicago’s production of “United Flight 232″ – adapter-director Vanessa Stalling’s heart-stopping, all-consuming dramatization of Evanston writer Laurence Gonzales’ meticulous chronicle of an airline disaster – you must walk through a narrow passageway much like those jet bridges that lead from a departure gate into the airtight cocoon of a jumbo jet. And once you take your seat in the all-white space you almost instantly begin to count yourself among the passengers.”
~Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun Times
Read Full Review
“…Conceived and executed with a graceful clarity by Stalling and her tremendous ensemble, this moving portrait of our shared humanity approaches a collective catharsis in a manner akin to the way the ancient Greeks must have consumed tragedy. United Flight 232’s cumulative effect is one of beauty and speechless transfixion.”
~Brent Ervin-Eickhoff, Picture This Post
Read Full Review
Want more reviews? 
Click Here