OPENING: Non-Equity Chicago Debut of Speech & Debate Via Brown Paper Box Co at The Edge Theater Through 3/4/18

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Non-Equity Chicago Debut of

Speech & Debate



by Tony-winner Stephen Karam

directed by David Lipschutz

Running Time: 90-minutes 

February 2 - March 4, 2018


The Edge Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood

We'll be ChiILin' with Brown Paper Box Co at The Edge Theater for the press opening of Speech & Debate on 2/4/18. Check back soon for our full review. 

Following their Jeff Award Recommended run of They’re Playing Our Song, Brown Paper Box Co. concludes their 2017/2018 season with the non-Equity Chicago debut of Tony Award winner Stephen Karam’s Speech & Debate. BPBCo. Board President David Lipschutz* helms the timely dark comedy at The Edge Theater (5451 N. Broadway, Chicago, IL 60660).

Three teenage misfits in Salem, Oregon discover they are linked by a sex scandal that's rocked their town. When one of them sets out to expose the truth, secrets become currency, the stakes get higher, and the trio's connection grows deeper in this fiercely funny dark comedy with music. ​More information - including ticketing, group & student sales, LGBTQ+ tie-ins, and behind-the-scenes insights - can be found at www.BrownPaperBox.org. 

Where: The Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway, Chicago, IL 60660
Preview: Friday, Feb 2, 2018 @ 7:30pm

Opening Night: Saturday, Feb 3, 2018 @ 7:30pm

Press Performances: Sunday, Feb 4, 2018 @ 3:30pm and ​Monday, Feb 5, 2018 @ 7:30pm


Regular Run: Friday, Feb 9 - Monday, Feb 12, 2018
Friday, Feb 16 - Sunday 18, 2018
Thursday, Feb 22 - Understudy Performance
Friday, Feb 23 - Sunday, Feb 25, 2018
 
Thursday, March 1 - Sunday, March 4, 2018
Tickets: On sale now at www.BrownPaperBox.org

“I am excited to stage Speech & Debate with BPBCo. because I’ve been performing, coaching, and judging at forensics competitions for over twenty years,” says director Lipschutz.  “The play holds a special spot in my heart since these high school misfits form an unforeseen friendship after starting their speech and debate team. This is reminiscent of my own high school experience as many of my closest and longest friendships began on the very same teams.”

Speech & Debate stars Trevor Bates (Howie), Austin Book (Howie u/s), Michael Brigance (Solomon u/s), Molly Coleman (Diwata u/s), Elise Marie Davis (Teacher/Reporter), Lauren S. Deaton (Teacher/Reporter u/s), Darren Patin (Solomon), and Deanalís Resto (Diwata).

The production staff and design team includes David Lipschutz* (Director), Sally Baker (Casting Assistant), Zach Dries* (Photographer/Videographer), Jeanine Fry (Costume Designer), ​Sara Heymann* (Properties Designer). Becca Holloway (Ass’t Director/Choreographer), ​Torrey Meyer (Scenic Designer), ​M. William Panek* (Box Office Manager), Erin Pleake (Lighting & Projection Designer), ​Deanna Satin (Stage Manager), Anna Schutz* (Production Manager), Charlie Sheets* (Graphic Designer), Daniel Spagnuolo* (Casting Associate), Gin To (Production Intern), and ​Becca Venable​ (Sound Designer).





Artist Bios

Stephen Karam (Playwright) plays include The Humans (Tony Award, Obie Award for Playwriting and Pulitzer Prize finalist), Sons of the Prophet (Pulitzer Prize finalist), and Speech & Debate. His adaptation of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard premiered on Broadway as part of Roundabout’s 2016 season; his film adaptation of The Seagull starring Annette Bening will premiere in 2017. Recent honors include two Drama Critics Circle, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards; a Lucille Lortel Award, Drama League Award and Hull-Warriner Award. Stephen is a graduate of Brown University and grew up in Scranton, PA.



David Lipschutz* (Director)  BPBCo. member. David has directed with Hell in a Handbag (company member), Underscore Theatre, Generic Theatre Company, and several high schools throughout Chicagoland (where he ironically also coached and judged at speech and debate competitions). He recently assistant directed The Clockwork of the Lonely Soul with Runaways Lab Theatre's DDADIS Festival, and understudied/performed in At the Table (Non-Equity Jeff Award, Best Play) with Broken Nose Theatre. Next up, David is directing The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes, Holiday Edition with Handbag. Thanks to BPBCo. for this incredible opportunity and to BC/KJOC.

Trevor Bates (Howie) is an actor, dancer, writer, and sketch comedian. Recent acting credits in Chicago include The Tempermentals (About Face, u/s); Jerker (Pride Films and Plays); The Wig Bullies (Chicago Nerd Comedy Festival at Stage 773) and The Merchant of Venice, Peter Pan & Wendy, and Metamorphosis (The Theatre School at DePaul) TV: "Play by Play." Love to his family, his vegan tribe, and all brave actors out there.

Elise Marie Davis (Teacher/Reporter) is very happy to be working with Brown Paper Box Co. for the first time! She is the Associate Artistic Director and Casting Director of Broken Nose Theatre, where she was last seen in the recent Jeff Award Winning production of At The Table. Elise is also a company member with The Factory Theater. Her Chicago acting credits include the Lyric Opera, Artemisia, Strawdog, Route 66, The New Colony, Midsommer Flight, Level 11, American Blues, Hobo Junction, and Pride Films and Plays. As a playwright, she has had her work performed at First Floor Theater, BNT, and Arc Theatre, while her play, A Phase, has been taught at the University of Chicago. She is represented by Big Mouth Talent Agency.

Darren Patin (Solomon) ​is excited to be making his Brown Paper Box Co. debut as Solomon in Speech & Debate! A recent BFA Musical Theatre Performance graduate of Columbia College Chicago, his credits include: David Heard (Choir Boy – Raven Theatre), Marco/John Paul understudy/Dance Captain (Little Fish -Kokandy Productions), Male Swing (The Wiz - Kokandy Productions), “Mohawk Guy” (High Fidelity – Refuge Theatre Project), and “CB” (Dog Sees God – CCC). He would like to thank his amazing family and friends for their constant love and support!



Deanalís Resto (Diwata) is a Pennsylvania-Rican teatrista who earned her Musical Theatre degree from Ithaca College. Having previously worked with BPBCo. (They’re Playing Our Song, "Positively Present") she is stoked to be back with the BPBCo. family! Deanalís has also worked with BoHo Theatre, Refuge Theatre Project, Theo Ubique, Oracle, Emerald City Theatre, Teatro Luna, Free Street Theater, & Rabid Bat Theatricals. She has also spent the last four years working as an actor, deviser, and teaching artist with For Youth Inquiry (FYI) at the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health (ICAH), which designs participatory plays and theatre-based workshops for youth about sexual health and reproductive justice.

About Brown Paper Box Co.
Brown Paper Box Co. creates challenging and inspiring theatre that focuses on the text. By employing a smart, simple aesthetic in intimate spaces, we connect audiences directly to the heart of the story. For more information, please visit www.BrownPaperBox.org.

*Denotes Brown Paper Box Co. members


REVIEW: Bomb Shelters and Barbecues Reign In Cold War Comedy We’re Gonna Be Okay

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

American Theater Company opens the Chicago premiere of

We’re Gonna Be Okay

Directed by Artistic Director Will Davis

Written by Basil Kreimendahl

Now playing through March 4, 2018

Review:

In a new era of bomb threats and cold war posturing in 2018, it's fascinating to see this Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy era period piece through the lens of Trump's America. We’re Gonna Be Okay is as funny as it is disturbing. I loved the unique casting choices which made the production edgy and contemporary while making the 1960's gender stereotypical roles even more glaringly apparent. This suburban dystopia is visually fun, with larger than life, playful pop art backdrops. 

The basic takeaway is, you never really know your neighbors, or yourself till you're under duress and under ground. This psychological exploration of life under the shadow of a looming missile crises, and in the close confinement of a shared shelter, is a darkly funny wake up call. The entire cast was excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed Adithi Chandrashekar (Leena), Saraí Rodriguez (Deanna), Avi Roque (Jake), Kelli Simpkins (Efran), BrittneyLove Smith (Mag) and Penelope Walker (Sul) and their portrayals of the American dream turned nightmare. The teens were particular standouts, as they  fumbled about, coming to grips with mortality, sexuality and gender identities, on the cusp of adulthood.

ATC is one of our storefront favorites, with a thought provoking, edgy lineup. They've been pushing gender identity and race assumptions in exciting, cutting edge ways, with unique casting choices. We can't wait to see what's next. 

We’re Gonna Be Okay at American Theater Company. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

American Theater Company (ATC) opens the Chicago premiere of Basil Kreimendahl’s We’re Gonna Be Okay tonight, Monday, January 29. Artistic Director Will Davis directs a cast featuring Adithi Chandrashekar (Leena), Saraí Rodriguez (Deanna), Avi Roque (Jake), Kelli Simpkins (Efran), BrittneyLove Smith (Mag) and Penelope Walker (Sul).

We’re Gonna Be Okay plays now through March 4, 2018, at American Theater Company (1909 W. Byron Street, Chicago). Single tickets are $38 and are available by calling the ATC box office at 773-409-4125 or visiting www.atcweb.org.

In the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy addressed the nation, “My fellow citizens: let no one doubt that this is a difficult and dangerous effort on which we have set out... But the greatest danger of all would be to do nothing.” Well, Efran and Leena and Mag and Sul are thinking about doing something. Something big. Straight from Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival of New American Plays, Basil Kreimendahl’s We’re Gonna Be Okay confronts the fears of the American middle class as two families wrestle with macrame, female empowerment and a shared property line.

Performance schedule:
Press Opening: Monday, January 29 at 7 p.m.
Regular Run: Feb. 1- March 4: Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. (except for Feb. 3) and 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m.

ARTIST BIOS
Adithi Chandrashekar (Leena) is an actor and writer based in Chicago. She has most recently worked with The Hypocrites, Jackalope Theatre, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company and Silk Road Rising. Adithi is currently working on her one actor/multi-media ensemble driven play, Open Season, which was the inaugural project selected to pilot The Gift Theatre Company's 4802 Residency, the theater's new play research and development wing. Adithi is a proud 2015 graduate of the School at Steppenwolf, and has trained at the Second City Training Center, iO Theater, Green Shirt Studios and the Acting Studio Chicago. She has appeared on ABC's Betrayal and NBC's Chicago Med. Adithi is represented by Stewart Talent Agency.
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Saraí Rodriguez (Deanna) thanks you for making the time to come see this show, her first production back at ATC since Men on Boats. Chicago theatre companies she has worked with include: The Hypocrites, Victory Gardens, Teatro Vista, Steep Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Silk Road Rising, Goodman Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, First Floor Theater, Emerald City Theatre Co., and even a few defunct ones, too. She is proudly represented by Gray Talent.
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Avi Roque (Jake) (Gender Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs) is beyond thrilled to be returning to American Theater Company and working with Will Davis! Avi, a San Francisco native, received their B.A. in Theatre from California State University, Fullerton, and moved to Chicago to nurture their artistic spirit. Today, Avi is proud to say that they are a multi-disciplinary artist and a Latinx gender non-conforming/trans individual. Their most recent credits include: Men on Boats (American Theater Company) and The Crucible (Steppenwolf For Young Adults). They also recently worked with Damon Kiely as Assistant Director for Boy (TimeLine Theatre Company). Avi is a company member with Collaboraction, First Floor Theater and Pride Films & Plays. They are represented by Gray Talent.
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Kelli Simpkins (Efran) is a company member of Tectonic Theater Project and is one of the original creator/performers of The Laramie Project directed by Moises Kaufman (Off-Broadway, Denver Center, Berkeley Rep., LaJolla Playhouse). Theater credits: Charm at MCC in NY, directed by Will Davis; T. and Men on Boats at ATC; The Secretaries, The Kid Thing (Jeff nomination: Principle Actor), Execution of Justice and Pony at About Face Theater; Cocked at Victory Gardens; Spill (dramaturg/performer) at EST and Timeline Theater; Teddy Ferrara at Goodman Theatre; In Darfur at Timeline; Late: A Cowboy Song at Piven; Celebrity Row at ATC; Fair Use, Good Boys and True and One Arm at Steppenwolf Theatre; The People’sTemple at the Guthrie, Perseverance and Berkeley Rep.; I Think I Like Girls at LaJolla and Cherry Lane. Directing credits: Good Death, an original play that she directed and co-wrote with students at Western Michigan University. Film/TV credits: Slice, Chicago Fire, Patriot, Betrayal, A League of Their Own, Chasing Amy, Law & Order: C.I. and HBO’s The Laramie Project (Emmy nomination: Ensemble Writing). Kelli is a proud recipient of a 2013 Chicago 3Arts Award.
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BrittneyLove Smith (Mag) is glad to be back at ATC. BrittneyLove was most recently Prix in Eclipse Theatre's production of Breath Boom. BrittneyLove was also Jane Eyre in both the original and remounted production of the Hypocrites production of You On The Moors Now. She was Bradley in ATC's Men On Boats. She also appeared in Secretaries (About Face Theatre) and the four-time Jeff nominated production of Charm (Northlight Theatre) over at the Steppenwolf garage. BrittneyLove played Salima in the critically acclaimed and Jeff nominated production of Ruined (Eclipse Theatre company) earning her a BTAA nomination for Best Supporting Actor. She recently appeared in the new Nash Edgerton feature Film Gringo. You can hear her on the WBEZ podcast series Pleasure Town where she is a series regular.
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Penelope Walker (Sul) is happy to return to ATC to work with Artistic Director Will Davis. She last worked at ATC with former Artistic Director PJ Paparelli on The Project(s), Agnes of God & Doubt. Also at ATC she did People's Temple. Recent Chicago credits include: A Christmas Carol, The Story, Crowns and Wit; The House That Will Not Stand at Victory Gardens Theatre; Love & Information at Remy Bumppo Theatre Company; Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England at Theatre Wit; Will You Stand Up? at Erasing the Distance; Laura Jacqmin’s 10 Virgins and Lydia R. Diamond’s world premiere production of Voyeurs de Venus at Chicago Dramatists; Eclipsed, Gee’s Bend and Bee-luther-Hatchee at Northlight Theatre; Life Sucks & J. Nicole Brooks’ world premiere production of Black Diamond: The Years the Locusts Have Eaten at Lookingglass Theatre Company; Don DeLillo’s Love Lies Bleeding at Steppenwolf Theatre Company and the Kennedy Center; Omnium Gatherum at Next Theatre Company; Chris-T at MPAACT; The Clink at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble and Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery at Chicago Theatre Company. She also wrote and starred in her own solo piece, How I Jack Master Funked the Sugar in My Knee Caps! Ms. Walker has appeared regionally with the Alliance Theatre, Arena Stage, Hartford Stage and the Alley Theatre. She has appeared in national commercials and voice overs. She was in the web series Matching Pursuit; the television pilot SouthSide for Comedy Central; Chicago Justice and Chicago Fire for NBC; Showtime's Boss; the feature film Olympia: An Instruction Manual for How Things Work, Severed Ties; and the film short Something Better Somewhere Else.

Basil Kreimendahl (Playwright) is a resident playwright at New Dramatists. Their plays have won several awards, including the Rella Lossy Playwright Award and a National Science Award at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Kreimendahl has been commissioned by Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s American Revolutions program, and by Actors Theatre of Louisville for Remix 38 (2014 Humana Festival). Their play Orange Julius was developed at the 2012 O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and will have its New York premiere at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, in a co-production with P73. Kreimendahl’s plays have also been produced or developed by New York Theatre Workshop, American Theater Company, Victory Gardens Theater, The Lark, La Jolla Playhouse, and Labyrinth Theater Company. They have been a Playwrights’ Center Jerome Fellow and McKnight Fellow, won an Art Meets Activism grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, and will be a visiting writer at Williams College in 2017. Kreimendahl’s work has been published by Dramatic Publishing and HowlRound. They received their M.F.A. from the University of Iowa in 2013.

Will Davis (Director) is a trans-identified director and choreographer focused on physically adventurous new work and old plays in new ways. He is also the artistic director of American Theater Company (ATC). Recent and upcoming projects include: Bobbie Clearly by Alex Lubischer for The Roundabout; Charm by Philip Dawkins for MCC; Welcome to Jesus by Janine Nabers for ATC; a queer re-imagining of Picnic by William Inge for ATC; Evita, re-conceived for the Olney Theatre Center, for which he received a Helen Hayes Nomination for Best Direction; Men on Boats by Jaclyn Backhaus for Clubbed Thumb’s Summerworks, Playwrights Horizons and ATC, for which he received a Lucille Lortel Nomination for Best Direction; Duat by Daniel Alexander Jones for Soho Rep; Mike Iveson’s SORRY ROBOT for PS122’s COIL Festival; and two productions of Colossal by Andrew Hinderaker for Mixed Blood Theater and the Olney Theatre Center, for which he won a Helen Hayes award for outstanding direction. Davis has developed, directed and performed his work with NYSF, New York Theatre Workshop, Clubbed Thumb, the New Museum, the Olney Theatre Center, the Alliance Theatre, the Playwright’s Realm, the Fusebox Festival, the Orchard Project, the Ground Floor Residency at Berkeley Rep and the Kennedy Center. He is an alum of the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, the NYTW 2050 Directing Fellowship and the BAX (Brooklyn Art Exchange) artist in residence program. He is a member of the TCG board and the Jubilee planning committee. He holds a BFA in Theatre Studies from DePaul University and an MFA in Directing from UT Austin.

About American Theater Company
American Theater Company (ATC) challenges and inspires its community by exploring stories that ask the question, "What does it mean to be an American?" ATC’s Ensemble includes Patrick Andrews, Kareem Bandealy, Jaime Castañeda, Kelly O’Sullivan, Tyler Ravelson, and Sadieh Rifai.

American Theater Company is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, the MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, the Shubert Foundation, ArtsWork Fund, Actors’ Equity Foundation, The Pauls Foundation and Robert & Isabelle Bass Foundation.

REVIEW: Score One For Flying Elephant's We The People at Stage 773 Through 2/10/18

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

World Premiere!

Flying Elephant Productions Presents

WE THE PEOPLE: The Anti-Trump Musical 

Book by Sean Chandler 

Music and Lyrics by Leo Schwartz

Directed by Derek Van Barham 

Music Direction by Ty Miles

 Dwayne Everett with (back, l to r) Carmen Fisher Risi, Elizabeth Rentfro, Timothy Swaim, Alyssa Soto and Bradley Halverson

 All Photos by Michael Brosilow.

The election of 2016: Disappointment, Chaos, Intrigue, Anger, Response! 

Award winners Leo Schwartz (music/lyrics) and Sean Chandler (book) take six actors through fifty-five characters in this new political musical song cycle: We The People!

Run time: 70 minutes, no intermission

Review:
Still reeling from a year of Trump's America? Then this is the show for you. This musical has a spot on score as funny as it is thought provoking. Don your pussy hats and protest garb and come on out to We the People and commiserate. You'll enjoy 70 minutes of fun songs sung by a talented cast of 3 women and 3 men. 

(left to right) Bradley Halverson, Elizabeth Rentfro, Timothy Swaim and Alyssa Soto

The set design is minimal and the box theatre small, but this cast has a big message to share and they belt it out well. They also make great use of projections on a sparkling fringe backdrop, with Washington DC in a clever silhouette cut out. It's always exciting to see new theatre companies popping up on the Chicago scene and Flying Elephant Productions is off to a fun and relevant start that's a great fit for politically blue Chicago.

Bradley Halverson

(left to right) Alyssa Soto, Carmen Fisher Risi, Dwayne Everett, Timothy Swaim, Elizabeth Rentfro and Bradley Halverson

We enjoyed the witty writing and recognition laughs, and left the theatre feeling more empowered and validated. America may have lost it's sanity, dignity, and the possibility of sensible, humane legislation with this past election, but protest music, theatre and art are flourishing. We declare this one a win. 

January 26 – February 10, 2018 at Stage 773

When politics gives you Trump, make a musical! Here at ChiIL Live Shows we're ready for a laugh after a year of cringeworthy executive decisions by 45. Flying Elephant Productions is ready to bring it, with the world premiere of WE THE PEOPLE: The Anti-Trump Musical, to launch their first season. 

Flying Elephant Productions is pleased to launch its inaugural season with the world premiere of WE THE PEOPLE: The Anti-Trump Musical, a political musical song cycle about the turbulent 2016 election, with six actors playing 55 characters. This powerful new musical features a book by Sean Chandler, music and lyrics by Leo Schwartz, direction by Derek Van Barham and music direction by Ty Miles. WE THE PEOPLE will play through February 10, 2018 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at stage773.com, by calling (773) 327-5252 or in person at the Stage 773 box office. 

(left to right) Elizabeth Rentfro, Bradley Halverson, Alyssa Soto, Carmen Fisher Risi, Timothy Swaim and Dwayne Everett

This new political musical song cycle takes audiences from the party conventions through election night and its immediate aftermath into the realization of “Trump’s America.” It all culminates with a call to action from “We The People.”

(left to right) Alyssa Soto, Carmen Fisher Risi and Elizabeth Rentfro

Comments Flying Elephant Productions Executive Director Leo Schwartz, “Often, an artist’s job is to light dark corners and elucidate a way to a new understanding of the world. We see life differently and we passionately express our vision. Whether it’s to expose the workhouses of Victorian London in Dickens’ Oliver Twist, or the ravages of the Spanish Civil War in Picasso’s Guernica, or the social upheaval of the ‘60s with Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?, art inspires us to reconsider, to act, to challenge. We the People is a call to action to save those things which we hold most dear, our country and our freedom.”

The production team to date includes: Theron Wineinger (scenic design), Cat Wilson (lighting design), G. Max Maxin IV (projections design) and Neill Kelly (stage manager).



Location: Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago
Dates: Preview: Friday, January 26 at 8 pm
Regular run: Sunday, January 28 – Saturday, February 10, 2018
Curtain Times: Thursdays at 7:30 pm; Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3:30 pm. 
Tickets: Preview $30. Regular run $40. Thursdays “Industry Night” $10 with headshot/resume.

(front left) Elizabeth Rentfro and the cast of Flying Elephant Productions’ world premiere musical WE THE PEOPLE: The Anti-Trump Musical.

(front right) Carmen Fisher Risi with (back, l to r) Timothy Swaim, Alyssa Soto and Bradley Halverson

Tickets are currently available at stage773.com, by calling (773) 327-5252 or in person at the Stage 773 box office.



About The Creative Team
Sean Chandler’s (Book) works include At The Flash (Pride Films and Plays Great Gay Play and Musical Contest Winner, Oscar Wilde Best New Work Nomination – Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, Outstanding Solo Performance – New York Fringe Festival), Running: A New Musical, Radical Morality (Nicholl Fellowship Quarter-Finalist, Creative World Awards Semi-Finalist, PFP Great Screenplay Contest Semi-Finalist), Kissing The Frog Prince (Scriptoid Writers Challenge, All Access Screenwriters Competition & The Screenplay Festival Semi- Finalist) and The Pack (Creative World Awards Semi-Finalist). Host of the Theater Podcast “Your Program Is Your Ticket”. Sean resides in New York City and is a proud member of The Dramatists Guild. www.seanwchandler.com

Leo Schwartz (Music & Lyrics) won the Jeff Award for Best New Work in 2013 in addition to numerous other awards and recognition for his works of musical theatre and film scores. His works of theatre and concert music have been presented all around the world by various theatres and organizations. Among his successful musicals are Under A Rainbow Flag, The Book of Merman, PEN, TILL and NAUGHTY!. He is the Executive Director of Flying Elephant Productions. www.leoschwartz.com
  
Derek Van Barham (Director) is an Artistic Associate with Pride Films & Plays, a member of the Red Tape Theatre ensemble and a former Artistic Director of The Ruckus. For PFP, he has directed Angry Fags (Steppenwolf Garage Repertory), Songs from an Unmade Bed (Jeff nomination: Best Director of a Musical or Revue), PRISCILLA, Queen of the Desert: The Musical and Terrence Mcnally’s Some Men (co-directed by David Zak). He also wrote, directed and choreographed BITE: A Pucking Queer Cabaret and Kill Your Boyfriends. Other directing credits include Miracle! by Dan Savage and Skooby Don't (Hell in a Handbag), Three Days of Rain (Boho Theatre), Trash and Deep in the Heart of Tuna (New American Folk Theatre) and From These Fatal Loins (The Ruckus). He has choreographed for Black Button Eyes (Coraline the Musical, Goblin Market, Amour), The Plagiarists, Inappropriate Theatre, Brain Surgeon Theatre and Salonathon. He can currently be seen improvising with the LGBT team Baby Wine (Fridays at The Annoyance). He was recently named one of Windy City Times 30 Under 30, recognizing individuals from Chicago's LGBTQ community. MFA: Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. 

Ty Miles (Music Director) is so excited to be working again on such a timely work. Classically trained in music composition and piano performance, Ty has written original songs and incidental music for several theater works including Derek Van Barham’s adaptation of Aristophanes’ Wealth and Dan Caffery’s play Gregor and the Squonk. He is also proud to have worked with Leo Schwartz before as assistant music director for the last two summer’s productions of We The People and PEN. 



About Flying Elephant Productions
Nothing is more challenging than getting a creative career off the ground. In many ways, it would be easier to get an elephant to fly. Flying Elephant Productions is dedicated to presenting new works, musicals and plays, that are dynamic, impassioned, and, in our belief, prone to fly. We not only give them first voice, but will also work with the creators to market and promote their work further. Our success at production and our entrepreneurial experience make us a uniquely qualified voice in theatre. For additional information, visit www.flyingelephantproductions.com.

OPENING: Chicago premiere of We’re Gonna Be Okay Via American Theater Company Through 3/4/18

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

American Theater Company opens the Chicago premiere of

We’re Gonna Be Okay

Directed by Artistic Director Will Davis

Written by Basil Kreimendahl

Now playing through March 4, 2018

We’re Gonna Be Okay at American Theater Company. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

Tonight I'll be ChiILin' at Chi, IL's American Theater Company, for the press opening of We’re Gonna Be Okay. ATC is one of our storefront favorites, with a thought provoking, edgy lineup. They've been pushing gender identity and race assumptions in exciting, cutting edge ways, with unique casting choices. We can't wait to see what's next. 

American Theater Company (ATC) opens the Chicago premiere of Basil Kreimendahl’s We’re Gonna Be Okay tonight, Monday, January 29. Artistic Director Will Davis directs a cast featuring Adithi Chandrashekar (Leena), Saraí Rodriguez (Deanna), Avi Roque (Jake), Kelli Simpkins (Efran), BrittneyLove Smith (Mag) and Penelope Walker (Sul).

We’re Gonna Be Okay plays now through March 4, 2018, at American Theater Company (1909 W. Byron Street, Chicago). Single tickets are $38 and are available by calling the ATC box office at 773-409-4125 or visiting www.atcweb.org.

In the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy addressed the nation, “My fellow citizens: let no one doubt that this is a difficult and dangerous effort on which we have set out... But the greatest danger of all would be to do nothing.” Well, Efran and Leena and Mag and Sul are thinking about doing something. Something big. Straight from Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival of New American Plays, Basil Kreimendahl’s We’re Gonna Be Okay confronts the fears of the American middle class as two families wrestle with macrame, female empowerment and a shared property line.

Performance schedule:
Press Opening: Monday, January 29 at 7 p.m.
Regular Run: Feb. 1- March 4: Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. (except for Feb. 3) and 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m.

ARTIST BIOS
Adithi Chandrashekar (Leena) is an actor and writer based in Chicago. She has most recently worked with The Hypocrites, Jackalope Theatre, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company and Silk Road Rising. Adithi is currently working on her one actor/multi-media ensemble driven play, Open Season, which was the inaugural project selected to pilot The Gift Theatre Company's 4802 Residency, the theater's new play research and development wing. Adithi is a proud 2015 graduate of the School at Steppenwolf, and has trained at the Second City Training Center, iO Theater, Green Shirt Studios and the Acting Studio Chicago. She has appeared on ABC's Betrayal and NBC's Chicago Med. Adithi is represented by Stewart Talent Agency.
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Saraí Rodriguez (Deanna) thanks you for making the time to come see this show, her first production back at ATC since Men on Boats. Chicago theatre companies she has worked with include: The Hypocrites, Victory Gardens, Teatro Vista, Steep Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Silk Road Rising, Goodman Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, First Floor Theater, Emerald City Theatre Co., and even a few defunct ones, too. She is proudly represented by Gray Talent.
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Avi Roque (Jake) (Gender Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs) is beyond thrilled to be returning to American Theater Company and working with Will Davis! Avi, a San Francisco native, received their B.A. in Theatre from California State University, Fullerton, and moved to Chicago to nurture their artistic spirit. Today, Avi is proud to say that they are a multi-disciplinary artist and a Latinx gender non-conforming/trans individual. Their most recent credits include: Men on Boats (American Theater Company) and The Crucible (Steppenwolf For Young Adults). They also recently worked with Damon Kiely as Assistant Director for Boy (TimeLine Theatre Company). Avi is a company member with Collaboraction, First Floor Theater and Pride Films & Plays. They are represented by Gray Talent.
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Kelli Simpkins (Efran) is a company member of Tectonic Theater Project and is one of the original creator/performers of The Laramie Project directed by Moises Kaufman (Off-Broadway, Denver Center, Berkeley Rep., LaJolla Playhouse). Theater credits: Charm at MCC in NY, directed by Will Davis; T. and Men on Boats at ATC; The Secretaries, The Kid Thing (Jeff nomination: Principle Actor), Execution of Justice and Pony at About Face Theater; Cocked at Victory Gardens; Spill (dramaturg/performer) at EST and Timeline Theater; Teddy Ferrara at Goodman Theatre; In Darfur at Timeline; Late: A Cowboy Song at Piven; Celebrity Row at ATC; Fair Use, Good Boys and True and One Arm at Steppenwolf Theatre; The People’sTemple at the Guthrie, Perseverance and Berkeley Rep.; I Think I Like Girls at LaJolla and Cherry Lane. Directing credits: Good Death, an original play that she directed and co-wrote with students at Western Michigan University. Film/TV credits: Slice, Chicago Fire, Patriot, Betrayal, A League of Their Own, Chasing Amy, Law & Order: C.I. and HBO’s The Laramie Project (Emmy nomination: Ensemble Writing). Kelli is a proud recipient of a 2013 Chicago 3Arts Award.
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BrittneyLove Smith (Mag) is glad to be back at ATC. BrittneyLove was most recently Prix in Eclipse Theatre's production of Breath Boom. BrittneyLove was also Jane Eyre in both the original and remounted production of the Hypocrites production of You On The Moors Now. She was Bradley in ATC's Men On Boats. She also appeared in Secretaries (About Face Theatre) and the four-time Jeff nominated production of Charm (Northlight Theatre) over at the Steppenwolf garage. BrittneyLove played Salima in the critically acclaimed and Jeff nominated production of Ruined (Eclipse Theatre company) earning her a BTAA nomination for Best Supporting Actor. She recently appeared in the new Nash Edgerton feature Film Gringo. You can hear her on the WBEZ podcast series Pleasure Town where she is a series regular.
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Penelope Walker (Sul) is happy to return to ATC to work with Artistic Director Will Davis. She last worked at ATC with former Artistic Director PJ Paparelli on The Project(s), Agnes of God & Doubt. Also at ATC she did People's Temple. Recent Chicago credits include: A Christmas Carol, The Story, Crowns and Wit; The House That Will Not Stand at Victory Gardens Theatre; Love & Information at Remy Bumppo Theatre Company; Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England at Theatre Wit; Will You Stand Up? at Erasing the Distance; Laura Jacqmin’s 10 Virgins and Lydia R. Diamond’s world premiere production of Voyeurs de Venus at Chicago Dramatists; Eclipsed, Gee’s Bend and Bee-luther-Hatchee at Northlight Theatre; Life Sucks & J. Nicole Brooks’ world premiere production of Black Diamond: The Years the Locusts Have Eaten at Lookingglass Theatre Company; Don DeLillo’s Love Lies Bleeding at Steppenwolf Theatre Company and the Kennedy Center; Omnium Gatherum at Next Theatre Company; Chris-T at MPAACT; The Clink at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble and Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery at Chicago Theatre Company. She also wrote and starred in her own solo piece, How I Jack Master Funked the Sugar in My Knee Caps! Ms. Walker has appeared regionally with the Alliance Theatre, Arena Stage, Hartford Stage and the Alley Theatre. She has appeared in national commercials and voice overs. She was in the web series Matching Pursuit; the television pilot SouthSide for Comedy Central; Chicago Justice and Chicago Fire for NBC; Showtime's Boss; the feature film Olympia: An Instruction Manual for How Things Work, Severed Ties; and the film short Something Better Somewhere Else.

Basil Kreimendahl (Playwright) is a resident playwright at New Dramatists. Their plays have won several awards, including the Rella Lossy Playwright Award and a National Science Award at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Kreimendahl has been commissioned by Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s American Revolutions program, and by Actors Theatre of Louisville for Remix 38 (2014 Humana Festival). Their play Orange Julius was developed at the 2012 O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and will have its New York premiere at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, in a co-production with P73. Kreimendahl’s plays have also been produced or developed by New York Theatre Workshop, American Theater Company, Victory Gardens Theater, The Lark, La Jolla Playhouse, and Labyrinth Theater Company. They have been a Playwrights’ Center Jerome Fellow and McKnight Fellow, won an Art Meets Activism grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, and will be a visiting writer at Williams College in 2017. Kreimendahl’s work has been published by Dramatic Publishing and HowlRound. They received their M.F.A. from the University of Iowa in 2013.

Will Davis (Director) is a trans-identified director and choreographer focused on physically adventurous new work and old plays in new ways. He is also the artistic director of American Theater Company (ATC). Recent and upcoming projects include: Bobbie Clearly by Alex Lubischer for The Roundabout; Charm by Philip Dawkins for MCC; Welcome to Jesus by Janine Nabers for ATC; a queer re-imagining of Picnic by William Inge for ATC; Evita, re-conceived for the Olney Theatre Center, for which he received a Helen Hayes Nomination for Best Direction; Men on Boats by Jaclyn Backhaus for Clubbed Thumb’s Summerworks, Playwrights Horizons and ATC, for which he received a Lucille Lortel Nomination for Best Direction; Duat by Daniel Alexander Jones for Soho Rep; Mike Iveson’s SORRY ROBOT for PS122’s COIL Festival; and two productions of Colossal by Andrew Hinderaker for Mixed Blood Theater and the Olney Theatre Center, for which he won a Helen Hayes award for outstanding direction. Davis has developed, directed and performed his work with NYSF, New York Theatre Workshop, Clubbed Thumb, the New Museum, the Olney Theatre Center, the Alliance Theatre, the Playwright’s Realm, the Fusebox Festival, the Orchard Project, the Ground Floor Residency at Berkeley Rep and the Kennedy Center. He is an alum of the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, the NYTW 2050 Directing Fellowship and the BAX (Brooklyn Art Exchange) artist in residence program. He is a member of the TCG board and the Jubilee planning committee. He holds a BFA in Theatre Studies from DePaul University and an MFA in Directing from UT Austin.

About American Theater Company
American Theater Company (ATC) challenges and inspires its community by exploring stories that ask the question, "What does it mean to be an American?" ATC’s Ensemble includes Patrick Andrews, Kareem Bandealy, Jaime Castañeda, Kelly O’Sullivan, Tyler Ravelson, and Sadieh Rifai.

American Theater Company is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, the MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, the Shubert Foundation, ArtsWork Fund, Actors’ Equity Foundation, The Pauls Foundation and Robert & Isabelle Bass Foundation.

REVIEW: I've Seen The Light and It's Brilliant; Now Extended Through February 25th

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

The New Colony Presents the World Premiere of

THE LIGHT
Now Extended Through February 25, 2018 at The Den Theatre 

Tiffany Oglesby and Jeffery Owen Freelon Jr. in The New Colony’s world premiere of THE LIGHT. 

All Photos by Evan Hanover.

Written by Loy Webb 

Directed by Toma Langston

January 5 – February 4, 2018 at The Den Theatre

Three Additional Weeks of Performances!

The New Colony’s World Premiere

The New Colony is pleased to announce its sell-out world premiere THE LIGHT is adding three additional weeks of performances, extending through February 25, 2018 at The Den Theatre (2B), 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. Tickets for all performance are currently available at www.thenewcolony.org.

Review:

In this illuminating and all too timely drama, the dynamic duo of Jeffery Owen Freelon Jr. and Tiffany Oglesby absolutely shine. Their energy is palpable and chemistry on stage is a joy to see, as they run the gamut of emotions. This secret filled love story crackles with lies and revelations, and an emotional tug-of-war that is a delight to see unfolding. These characters spring to life on stage with rich, compelling back stories and strong, complicated personalities that are a thrill to get to know.

There is much of immense importance here, about the experience and dynamic of well educated black women in leadership positions in particular, and universally, about survivors of rape and sexual violence. This piece is incredibly well written, and provides a much needed personal window into the current "Me Too" movement. The comfort of a worn family talisman quilt, an unconditional love deep enough to weather the harshest of emotional storms and rage, repressed memories and slow recovery in stages, all ring true and make The Light a multifaceted gem of a production.   

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we thoroughly enjoyed The Light and welcome the thought provoking discussions and debates this show is sparking. The Light is highly recommended and now extended an additional three weeks through February 25th. Don't miss this! 

Written by Chicago playwright Loy Webb and directed by Toma Langston, the gripping romantic drama features TNC Ensemble Member Jeffery Owen Freelon Jr. and Tiffany Oglesby.

A surprise proposal takes an unexpected turn that upends the world of Genesis and Rashad, forcing them to confront a devastating secret from the past and putting the future of their relationship at risk. Featuring two of Chicago’s most dynamic actors, THE LIGHT is a 70-minute, real-time rollercoaster journey of laughter, romance and despair that uncovers how the power of radical love can be a healing beacon of light.

The LIGHT is the 30^th world premiere presented by The New Colony since 2008 and marks the final production under the tenure of founding co-artistic directors Andrew Hobgood and Evan Linder, who are stepping down at the conclusion of the company’s ninth season. 

The production team for THE LIGHT includes: John Wilson (scenic design), Cassandra Kendall (lighting design), Regina Victor (dramaturg), Noelle Simone (assistant director) and Daryl Ritchie (stage manager). 

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title: THE LIGHT

Playwright: Loy Webb

Director: Toma Langston

Cast: Ensemble Member Jeffery Owen Freelon Jr. (Rashad) and Tiffany Oglesby (Genesis).

Location: The Den Theatre (2B), 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Friday, January 5 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, January 6 at 7:30 pm

Opening: Monday, January 8 at 7:30 pm

Regular run: Thursday, January 11 – Sunday, February 25, 2018

Curtain times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm

Industry Night: Monday, January 29 at 7:30 pm and Monday, February 19, 2018

Tickets: $30 on Thursdays/Fridays; $35 on Saturdays/Sundays. Students/seniors: 25% off. Tickets are currently available at www.thenewcolony.org.  

About the Artists

Loy Webb (Playwright) is a Chicago born theatre journalist and playwright. Her new play The Light was developed through The New Colony’s Writer’s Room 4.0. She is an inaugural Tutterow Fellow at Chicago Dramatists, and her one-act plays have been featured at Black Ensemble Theatre, American Theater Company, 20 Percent Theatre Company Chicago, University of North Dakota, GI60 International One Minute Play Festival, Modern-Day Griot Theatre Company New York and the Black Lives, Black Words International Project, in which she is an associate artist. As a theatre journalist she is a member of the Association of Women of Journalists-Chicago, a past mentor with the AWJ-Chicago/Goodman Theatre’s Cindy Bandle Young Critics Program and a contributing theater critic for Newcity. Her one act play, I AM a Woman is published in both Wish to Live: The Hip-hop Feminism Pedagogy Reader and the Black Lives, Black Words International Project anthology. Additionally, her one-act play Saving Inge is published in One Minute Plays: A Practical Guide To Tiny Theatre. Loy holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and J.D. from The John Marshall Law School. Her primary mission with all her writing is to be a pointer towards hope.

Toma Langston (Director) is a freelance theater director. Credits include Victory Gardens: Directors Inclusion Initiative Director 2015. (Assistant Director) Sucker Punch. Jackalope Theatre: 1980 (or Why I'm Voting for John Anderson). Sideshow Theatre: (Assistant Director) Truth and Reconciliation and Give It All Back. Toma is a proud steering committee member of DirectorsLab Chicago and an associate artist with Black Lives, Black Words International Project. Directorial credits include: The Last Five Years, The Shadow Box, For Colored Girls Who Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf. Toma has worked with Chicago Dramatists, Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre and Prologue Theatre. 

Jeffery Owen Freelon Jr. (Rashad) is a proud south side Chicagoan (Hyde Park) and excited  to work on a play by black people and for black people. He is also extremely proud to see it produced by The New Colony. He has worked with an array of theatre companies such as Theatre Unspeakable, Definition Theatre and Victory Gardens and has made an appearance on Chicago PD. He is represented by Paonessa Talent Agency.

Tiffany Oglesby (Genesis) is originally from Atlanta, GA. and recently appeared as Vanessa in About Face and Theatre Wit’s co-production of Significant Other. Other theatre credits include An Octoroon (Definition Theatre), truth and reconciliation (Sideshow), East Texas Hot Links (u/s Writers) and A Small Oak Tree Runs Red (u/s Congo Square). She also had the pleasure of working with other theatre companies including Raven and Lifeline. TV credits include Chicago Med and The Chi. She received her BFA in Performing Arts from Savannah College of Art and Design and her MFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University. Happily exclusive with Grossman and Jack Talent. 

THE LIGHT is sponsored by Michael and Mona Heath.

About The New Colony

The New Colony develops NEW ART and NEW ARTISTS in order to educate and build NEW AUDIENCES. Founded in 2008, The New Colony has established itself as “one of Chicago’s essential off-Loop companies” (Chicago Tribune) having developed and produced over 25 world-premiere plays and musicals garnering four Joseph Jefferson Awards, the 2011 Broadway in Chicago Emerging Theatre Award, and Best Overall Production at the 2012 New York International Fringe Festival. The New Colony is a resident company of The Den Theatre located in Wicker Park.

OPENING: MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG Via PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE AT THE RUTH PAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS Through March 11th, 2018P

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE ANNOUNCES FIRST PRODUCTION AND SPECIAL EVENTS OF 2018, 

STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S 

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, 

JANUARY 26 – MARCH 11, 

AT THE RUTH PAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS

The Landmark Sondheim Musical that Charts the Highs and Lows of a Relationship Among Three Very Close Friends is Directed by Artistic Director Michael Weber with Artistic Associate Christopher Pazdernik as Associate Director and Music Direction by Aaron Benham

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce the next mainstage production it its 2017 – 2018 season Merrily We Roll Along, January 26 – March 11,  2018, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth, with direction by Porchlight Music Theatre Artistic Director Michael Weber, associate direction and musical staging by Porchlight Music Theatre Artistic Associate Christopher Pazdernik and music direction by Aaron Benham at Porchlght’s home, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street. Merrily We Roll Along is based on the play by the same name written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. 

Previews are Friday, Jan. 26 at 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 27 at 8 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. and  Monday, Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m. Opening night is Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m. The regular run performance schedule is Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. (March 4 and March 11) and 6 p.m. (February 4, February 11, February 18 and February 25) with a weekday matinee Thursday, March 8 at 1:30 p.m. There is no 4 p.m. performance Saturday, Feb. 3 and no 7:30 p.m. performance on Thursday, March 8. Tickets are $33 - $60 and are available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre box office, 773.777.9884.

Set over two decades of friendship and business, the landmark musical Merrily We Roll Along charts the highs and lows of a relationship among three very close friends. Starting from adulthood and traveling back in time to the idealistic intentions of youth, this powerful and emotionally moving story of looking at your life from the vantage point of having lived it features some of Stephen Sondheim’s best known songs including “Good Thing Going,” “Not a Day Goes By” and “Old Friends.”


MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG SPECIAL EVENTS

Film Screening: “Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened” Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

Porchlight Music Theatre and members of its Merrily cast host a screening of "Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened.” The screening includes pre-film performances of musical numbers from the Porchlight Music Theatre production and post-film discussion with audience and Porchlight cast members.

Merrily We Roll Along opened to enormous fanfare in 1981, and closed after sixteen performances.  For the first time, "Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened" draws back the curtain on the extraordinary drama of the show's creation—and tells the stories of the hopeful young performers whose lives were transformed by it. Directed by Porchlight Advisory Board Member Lonny Price, who played “Charley” in the original cast, the film is a bittersweet meditation on the choices we all make, and the often unexpected consequences of those choices—through success and failure. Featuring exclusive appearances by Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, Jason Alexander, Mandy Patinkin, Adam Guettel, Frank Rich and the original Broadway cast of Merrily We Roll Along.

Tickets: FREE TO THE PUBLIC
RSVP by calling Porchlight Music Theatre box office, 773.777.9884 or sending an email to BoxOffice@PorchlightMusicTheatre.org

Porchlight Revisits Merrily We Roll Along, the 1934 play
Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
For one night only, Porchlight Music Theatre’s Porchlight Revisits staged concert series will present the original 1934 Broadway play Merrily We Roll Along by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart that inspired the Stephen Sondheim musical. Written by the team that created You Can't Take it With You, The Man Who Came to Dinner and Once in a Lifetime, and originally featuring a cast of over 90 actors, this is an extraordinary opportunity to experience this very rarely seen classic. Join Artistic Director Michael Weber and Porchlight’s Merrily cast with a “Behind the Show Backstory” look at the production that has never been revived on Broadway followed by a fully staged reading of Kaufman and Hart’s play.

Tickets: $20 
Purchase tickets at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org 

Post-Performance Conversation 
Thursday, Feb. 22 - following the 7:30 p.m. performance

Immediate following the performance, Thursday, Feb 22, Porchlight and Merrily cast members share their experiences from this Sondheim production and answer audience questions. 

The Post-Performance Conversation is free and open to the public.
All special events take place at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts.

The cast of Merrily We Roll Along includes Porchlight Music Theatre Artistic Associate Matt Crowle (Charley Kringas), Jim DeSelm (Franklin Shephard), Neala Barron (Mary Flynn), Keely Vasquez (Gussie Carnegie), David Fiorello (Joe Josephson), Aja Wiltshire (Beth), and ensemble including Kyrie Anderson (Make-up Artist), Larry Baldacci (Mr. Spencer), Katherine Condit (Scotty), Christopher Davis (Terry), Andres Enriquez (Tyler), Frederick Harris (Jerome), Michelle Jasso (K.T.), Bernell Lassai (Bunker / TV Newsman), Cisco Lopez (Floor Monitor / Minister), Alana Lovely (Meg / TV Newswoman), Liz Norton (Mrs. Spencer), Khaki Pixley (Dory / Girl Auditioning), Jonathan Stombres (Ru/ Nightclub Pianist) and Zachary Fewkes and Asher Schenk alternating the role of Franklin Shepard, Jr.

Musicians for Merrily We Roll Along include Tony Scandora (percussion), Ben Dillinger (bass), Mike Matlock (reeds #1: flute, oboe, clarinet, alto sax), Lara Regan (reeds #2: clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, bass clarinet), Jered Montgomery (trumpet) and Matt Kowalski (trombone).

Members of the creative/production team of Merrily We Roll Along include Michael Weber (director), Christopher Pazdernik (associate director/musical staging), Aaron Benham (music Director, conductor, pianist), Bill Morey (costume designer), Tony Churchill (projection designer),  Jeff Kmiec (co-scenic designer), Greg Pinsoneault (co-scenic designer), Robert Hornbostel (sound designer), Rachel West (master electrician), Alex Rhyan (production manager), Johnnie Schleyer (technical director) and Matt McMullen (stage manager).

ABOUT MICHAEL WEBER, DIRECTOR
Michael Weber is the artistic director of Porchlight Music Theatre where, under his leadership, the company has received the Best Production Equity Jeff Award for the past five years. He previously served as artistic director for the inaugural season of Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place (now The Broadway Playhouse) and at Theatre at the Center (1998-2004). His productions of End of the Rainbow, Sweeney Todd, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Pal Joey, Assassins and Side Show at Porchlight Music Theatre, Grand Hotel at Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place and She Loves Me at Theatre at the Center were each nominated for the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Production. Directing credits include Living the History-125 Years of The Auditorium Theatre starring Patti LuPone and John Mahoney, Fifth of July and Talley’s Folly at the Oak Park Festival Theatre, The Petrified Forest at Theatre at the Center, Beauty and the Beast at Marriott Theatre, Over the River and Through the Woods at The Mercury Theater, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Pheasant Run Theatre and Cirque du Symphony at Sears Center Arena. The recipient of two Joseph Jefferson Awards, he has written and directed the past twelve Joseph Jefferson Awards ceremonies. Weber’s regional acting credits include Annie Get Your Gun and Gypsy (both starring Patti LuPone) at Ravinia, Disney’s My Son Pinocchio at First Stage Milwaukee, Around the World in 80 Days at Cleveland Playhouse, The Winter’s Tale and Henry V at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, It Had To Be You (starring Cindy Williams and Eddie Mekka) at Little Theatre on the Square, Angel Street at First Folio Shakespeare and The Gifts of the Magi at Indiana Repertory. Weber is proud to serve as a pledge host on WTTW, Channel 11.

ABOUT CHRISTOPHER PAZDERNIK, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR/MUSICAL STAGING
Christopher Pazdernik is a director/choreographer with "a near encyclopedic knowledge of musicals" (Newcity). At Porchlight Music Theatre, Pazdernik is a proud artistic associate and has directed and choreographed numerous Porchlight Revisits including The Rink, Anyone Can Whistle, City of Angels and Applause and co-curated the Porchlight New Faces Sing Broadway series.  He is best known for the critically acclaimed production of High Fidelity (Jeff Awards for Best Director and Best Production of a Musical) at Refuge Theatre Project, where he also serves as artistic director. Recent credits include Carrie (Ohio Northern University), Wicked City (Chicago Theatre Workshop), Planted (Chicago Musical Theatre Festival), Make Me a Song (Eclectic Theatre Co.) and Story of A Story (The Untold Story) (Underscore 

Theater Co.). He is also a frequent cabaret director and curator, including Broadway's Cult Classics at Davenport's Piano Bar and the His & His series at Pride Films & Plays. An openly HIV+ artist, Pazdernik was also a 2016 Windy City Times 30-Under-30 honoree for his contributions to Chicago's LGBTQ community and currently serves on the Ambassador Committee for the AIDS Run/Walk Chicago and as chairperson on the Community Advisory Board for Howard Brown Health, one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ organizations.

ABOUT AARON BENHAM, MUSIC DIRECTOR/CONDUCTOR/PIANIST
Aaron Benham is a local music director, conductor, arranger and composer and has previously worked with Porchlight as music director for Side Show and Putting it Together. Other Chicago credits include The Sweet Smell of Success (Kokandy Productions), The Wild Party (Jeff Award), Carrie, Dessa Rose (Bailiwick Chicago); Melancholy Play (Piven); We Three Lizas (About Face); Always Patsy Cline, revues of Marvin Hamlisch, the Andrews Sisters (Jeff Award), Cole Porter, Jule Styne (Theo-Ubique); Parade, Gypsy (Harper College); as well as work with American Theatre Company, Chicago Opera Theatre, the New Colony, Northlight, Timeline and Writers Theatre.

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE AS RUTH PAGE ARTIST IN-RESIDENCE
Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to be a member of the vibrant Ruth Page Center for the Arts community and an Artist In-Residence. Central to the Ruth Page Center for the Arts’ programming is the Artists In-Residence program, which is designed to serve organizations looking for a home base while they grow or expand their artistic and organizational capabilities. The Center is committed to nurturing and assisting dance and other performing artists, allowing for exchange and collaborative relationships to develop within the artistic community. The Ruth Page Center for the Arts is a destination for quality performing arts, accessible to a wide community regardless of race, gender, age, education or disability. An incubator of artistic energy and excellence, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts carries forward the vision of its founder, legendary dance icon Ruth Page, to be a platform for developing great artists and connecting them with audiences and community.



ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
As the home for music theatre in Chicago now in its 23rd season, Porchlight Music Theatre is nationally recognized for reimagining classic productions, developing new works and showcasing musical theatre’s noted Chicago veterans and rising stars. Porchlight elevates the genre by providing intimate and powerful theatrical experiences of music theatre through the lens of the “Chicago Style.” The 2017–2018 year marks a milestone for Porchlight as the company becomes an Artist In-Residence at the historic Ruth Page Center for the Arts in Chicago’s Gold Coast. Porchlight’s rich history includes the staging of more than 60 productions with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. Through Porchlight’s “Off the Porch” new works program, the musicals of the next generation are developed and given a first audience. The School at Porchlight is Chicago’s center for music theatre training in the areas of performance, writing and appreciation including the launch of a youth “Write Your Own Musical” Summer Camp in 2017. The company’s many accolades include 22 Black Theatre Alliance nominations and seven awards, as well as a total of 139 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations resulting in 42 Jeff Awards including five consecutive Best Production awards for The Scottsboro Boys (2017), Dreamgirls (2016),  Sondheim on Sondheim (2015), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (2014) and A Class Act (2013).

Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from the Actors’ Equity Foundation, the Bloomberg Philanthropies, Chapman | Spingola, Attorneys at Law, the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Prince Foundation, The Saints and the Topfer Family Foundation. The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency and by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.