This is a FREE reception immediately following Saturday’s 2 PM matinée performance of IONÉU: A Retelling. Get your tickets to that showtime here.

Join us for a special post-show conversation exploring the deep waters shared by Herman Melville’s beloved Moby Dick and the biblical tale of Jonah—two stories bound by obsession, resistance, and the unknowable sea.

The reception begins with actor and Athenaeum Center Theatre alumnus James Sparling performing a brief monologue as Father Mapple, drawn directly from the text of Moby Dick. His sermon, steeped in salt and scripture, delivers a haunting meditation on Jonah’s flight—and sets the stage for a deeper exploration of the tale’s enduring legacy.

Then, Professor Michael Patrick Murphy, PhD (Loyola University Chicago) offers reflections on the literary and theological intersections between Melville’s novel and the prophetic text, drawing us into a rich conversation on myth, mercy, and meaning.

This enrichment event will be held in our Paradiso ballroom, where performers and experts will engage in extended dialogue and audience talkback over a casual reception.

This is a rare chance to deepen your encounter with IONÉU: A Retelling—and to follow the current of its story into new, unexpected depths.