The Second City’s Holiday Revue Returns to Paramount Theatre November 25-December 23

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

PARAMOUNT READY TO UNWRAP ITS HILARIOUS  HOLIDAY GAG GIFT  THE SECOND CITY'S HOLIDAY REVUE NOVEMBER 25-DECEMBER 23

The Second City's Holiday Revue. Photo courtesy The Second City.  Paramount Theatre is ready to unwrap its annual end-of-year tradition - bringing The Second City’s famous brand of seasonal hilarity to downtown Aurora for the holidays. And this year, Paramount’s gag gift is titled The Second City’s Holiday Revue: I Saw Mommy Kissing The Second City. Have a holly jolly holiday season with Chicago’s famed improv and sketch comedy troupe. I Saw Mommy Kissing The Second City is a new revue starring Second City’s freshest young talent, presented in Paramount’s beautiful, newly-remodeled Copley Theatre, where you’re never more than 70 feet away from this side-splitting, song filled holiday spectacular. Whether you are on the nice list or the naughty list, this show will have you laughing so hard you’ll shoot eggnog out your nose.  So skip the long lines and shipping delays, and give the gift of laughter to everyone you meet this holiday season. Performances are November 25-December 23: Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $38 and are on sale now. Buy early, as these shows will sell out.  The Copley Theatre is located at 8 E. Galena Blvd. in the North Island Center, right across the street from Paramount Theatre, in downtown Aurora. For tickets and information, visit ParamountAurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount box office, 23 E. Galena Blvd., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. This production is for audiences 18 years and older due to strong adult language and content. Children under 12 are not allowed.

Paramount Theatre’s Covid-19 commitment to and safety and protocol Paramount Theatre has followed, and will continue to follow, the requirements of the State of Illinois and the Kane County Health Department. Therefore, Paramount is following the guidance of the State of Illinois and recommends, but no longer requires, masks, proof of vaccination or negative COVID test for patrons. Mask wearing is strongly encouraged, but will be optional. For complete details, please read Paramount’s full Covid Policy.

About Paramount Theater Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., is the center for performing arts in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. The beautiful, 1,843-seat theater, graced with a strong 1930s Art Deco influence and original Venetian décor, nationally known for its high-quality productions, superb acoustics and historic grandeur, has been downtown Aurora’s anchor attraction since 1931. After launching its own Broadway Series in 2011, Paramount Theatre grew to be the second largest subscription house in the U.S. Before Covid, more than 41,000 subscribers from all over Chicagoland and the Midwest were enjoying Paramount’s critically acclaimed, 2019-20 Broadway-caliber productions. In addition, Paramount also presents an array of internationally known comedians, musicians, dance troupes and family shows annually. Paramount Theatre is one of four live performance venues programmed and managed by the Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA), along with Aurora’s newly renovated 165-seat Copley Theatre, RiverEdge Park, the city’s 6,000-seat outdoor summer concert venue, and Stolp Island Theatre, an immersive space opening in summer 2023. ACCA also oversees Paramount School of the Arts. Paramount Theatre continues to expand its artistic and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Tim Rater, President and CEO, Aurora Civic Center Authority; Jim Corti, Artistic Director, Paramount Theatre; a dedicated Board of Trustees and a devoted staff of live theater and music professionals. For the latest news from Paramount Theatre, please visit ParamountAurora.com or follow @ParamountAurora on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, @paramountarts on Tik Tok, and on LinkedIn.

Over My Dead Body; Or, How to Distribute Generational Wealth Via Laughing Stock Theatre Now Playing Through Dec. 4 at Chicago’s Athenaeum Center

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Laughing Stock Theatre Presents

Over My Dead Body; Or, How to Distribute Generational Wealth 

Nov. 3-Dec. 4 at Chicago’s Athenaeum Center

A show for all ages and eras, Renaissance Italy comes to 21st Century Chicago in this modern interpretation of the classical commedia dell’arte titled Over My Dead Body; Or, How To Distribute Generational Wealth. Directed by acclaimed Italian director and educator Antonio Fava (from Scuola Internazionale dell’Attore Comico -International School of the Comic Actor in Reggio Emilia, Italy), Laughing Stock Theatre’s skilled commedia actors take on family dynamics and the challenges of capitalism in their newly devised show.

Tomorrow is the wedding of Flaminia and Fulgenzio, but that can wait because today is Pantalone’s birthday. His family and friends plan a surprise to celebrate, but Pantalone mistakes their actions as a plot to kill him! He decides to fake his own death and leave everything to himself... but his family and friends have other ideas. His friends, family, and even a dashing stranger squabble over the various “true” wills they produce, all while being “haunted” by the ghost of Pantalone. Hijinks ensue, but their hilarious and dramatic antics will return to the status quo in the end.

Director Fava, who traveled from Italy to direct this American show, finds something anachronistic and relatable in the modern conundrums the plot produces, saying that the show is “an original, timeless, yet concretely human comedy. In Comedy there is no struggle between Good and Evil, there is instead the struggle for survival, between people…the urgency of a problem… love, money, hunger, or fear. In short, normal people…and the aim is to make the public spend two pleasant hours. Comedy has been doing this for five centuries.”

Producer Aaron Quick says “Laughing Stock is excited to bring one of the world’s foremost scholars and practitioners of the Commedia, our own dear friend and educator, to direct this show straddling the line between classic and modern, comic and dramatic, European and American.”

Quick describes the enduring significance of Commedia dell’Arte framing in their storytelling,“Commedia dell’Arte is often taught as a stepping stone to ‘serious theatre’, but Laughing Stock has dedicated itself to showcasing the modernity it encompasses.” They do this, says Quick, by highlighting the connection between Commedia’s rise in popularity right along with modern capitalism’s influence on society, demonstrating the allure and the absurdity of the enduring eco-system and archetypes remaining the same after all of these years. As a result, Quick says, “The Commedia never died but keeps being relevant.”

Join Laughing Stock Theatre in November for this living demonstration of a theater form that is as hilarious as it is timeless.

 

ARTISTIC TEAM:

Director, Antonio Fava; Lighting and Sound Design, Aaron Quick; Costume Design, Jennifer Mohr; Scenic Design, Claire Hart Proepper.

Performers- Claire Hart Proepper, Jeffrey “JR” Rubin, Jennifer Mohr, Martin Downs, Shea Lee, Helena Scholz-Carlson, Jordan Scherer, and Andy Huttel.

 

SHOW SCHEDULE:

Evenings: Thursday - Saturday @ 8pm

Matinees: Saturday @ 2pm & Sunday @ 3pm

Dates of shows:

11/3 thru 11/6

11/10 thru 11/13

11/17 thru 11/20

12/1 thru 12/4

Doors open 30 minutes before show with a 2 hour run time plus a 15-minute intermission.

 

VENUE:

In Chicago’s Belmont Theater District, at Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture Studio B, 2936 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago, IL.

 

TICKETS AND INFO:

Tickets on sale through Athenaeum Theater Box Office.

TICKET PRICES: 

$25 suggested General Admission; Pay-What-You-Want tickets available for all shows.

TRANSPORTATION:

Street parking and parking lots available (behind the building on Oakdale, and South of the building on Southport), public transportation access via Brown and Purple line (Wellington stop), Accessible by #9 Ashland Bus

ABOUT Laughingstock Theatre:

Laughing Stock Theatre creates and performs substantive, high-quality Commedia dell’Arte that spectacularizes the mundane and delights their audiences. The majority of their programming is pay what you can or free. Founded in 2019, Laughing Stock has performed original commedia dell’arte shows throughout the Chicagoland area including the Towle Theater, at the Chicago Circus & Performing Arts Festival, The Crowd Theater, William Powers State Park, and their first venue: Mrs. Murphy and Sons Irish Bistro. They have taught lectures and workshops for schools and private events in Indiana and Chicago. See LaughingStockChi.com for more information

PRAISE FOR Laughingstock Theatre’s previous show Masquerade

“The tight physical comedy combined with the situational drama ensured that every scene was both hilarious and moved the plot forward.”

“Masquerade was a hilarious romp which managed to stay true to the classic Commedia art form, center queer characters, fit a sword fight into the Crowd Theatre and keep me laughing throughout.”

“Masquerade blew me away with its bawdiness, fast-paced action and stunning masks!”

Rolling World Premiere of Man and Moon Runs October 19-November 13, 2022 at Madison Street Theater

 

Siena Marilyn Ledger’s Rolling World Premiere Man and Moon Opens on October 21 at Madison Street Theater in Oak Park – A Dragonfly Theatre + 16th Street Theater NFP Co-Production –

Info

Peter Danger Wilde as Aaron and Clare Wols as Luna. Photo by Omar Fernandez.

San Diego-based Siena Marilyn Ledger’s National New Play Network rolling world premiere Man and Moon runs October 19-November 13, 2022, at Madison Street Theater, 1010 Madison Street in Oak Park, directed by Hayley Procacci. All tickets are $25, and virtual performances are $10 starting October 27, available online or at 708-795-6704. In addition, The Write Collective’s resident playwrights present free virtual staged readings on Fridays at 7 p.m. CT: October 7, The Queen of Ithaca by Aline Lathrop December 2, Lost Girl by Kathryn Feeney

Man and Moon is set in the waiting room of a hospital oncology unit, where transitioning man Aaron meets 12-year-old middle-schooler Luna, who loves outer space. Together, they learn how to wait and navigate their own changing bodies. The cast for this piece about expansion, connection, grief, and hope includes Peter Danger Wilde (he/they) as Aaron, Clare Wols (she/her) as Luna, and Emma Anderson as Luna’s understudy. “Man and Moon guides us toward our inner children,” said Procacci. “Ledger breathes comedic wit and childlike wonder into this spellbinding two-hander. This play reminds audiences about the importance of community and the feeling of belonging.”    Procacci directs, produces, and devises physical and immersive theater work that dismantles the antiquated ideology of what is traditionally known as “American Theater." Procacci strives to “reflect the stories for and representing all, not just the able, straight, cis, select pool. Through radical inclusivity and a dedication to ensemble, I will tell stories of queerness and gender expression as existent and natural.”   Man and Moon runs October 19-November 13, 2022, at Oak Park’s Madison Street Theater (run time is 90 minutes without intermission). Previews are Wednesday, October 19, and Thursday, October 20 at 8 p.m. Opening night is Friday, October 21 at 8 p.m., and the production runs Thursdays at 8 p.m. (first Thursday is October 27, no Thursday show on November 3), Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. The Saturday, October 29, 4 p.m. show is a free teen matinee. Talkbacks will be held on Sundays, October 23 and November 6 at 2 pm., and Saturdays, October 29 and November 12 at 8 p.m. At 1010 Madison Street, the theater is located near the Forest Park Blue Line stop, and the Harlem/Lake Green Line stop.  Peter Danger Wilde as Aaron and Clare Wols as Luna. Photo by Omar Fernandez. The production’s artistic team includes Angelina Davila (production manager), Omar Fernandez (assistant director), Vibyana Sacluti (stage manager), Stefan Brun (technical director), Adrian Luca Oxoa (set design), Lauren Alyssa Skulley, IV (light design), Payton Kaye (sound design), Scout Gregory (costume design), and Michele DiMaso (intimacy coach). Man And Moon is produced by The 16th Street Theater NFP as a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere, which lets three or more theaters mount the same play within 12 months to allow playwrights to develop work with multiple creative teams across different communities. Other partners are Good Company Theatre (Ogden, UT) and Oregon Contemporary Theatre (Eugene, OR).  Siena Marilyn Ledger Siena Marilyn Ledger (they/them) tells stories with poems, personal video documentaries, and plays including The Empty Space, Inosculation, and Say NO to One Paseo. They graduated cum laude from California State University Fullerton's BFA acting program. Ledger is a member of the Chicago Dramatist's second class of Tutterow Fellows. Hayley Procacci Hayley Procacci (they/she) is director, producer, playwright, and theatre educator. Originally from Orlando, Hayley has worked professionally in New York and Chicago, directed national and international tours with Missoula Children’s Theatre, and is a full time staff member at Lookingglass Theatre Company. Recent credits include A Sign of The Times (NYC, LDK Productions), Games (NYC, SoHo Playhouse), Better Angels (NYC, SoHo Playhouse), My Uncle Sam (CHICAGO, Theater Unspeakable), Angels In America: Millennium Approaches, Silent Sky, Gruesome Playground Injuries, and Fool For Love (University of Alabama at Birmingham).  Peter Danger Wilde Peter Danger Wilde (he/they) is a Chicago-based trans/queer artist who has worked on- and off-stage with Odradek, Redmoon Spectacle Theater, and The Fly Honey Show. Wilde is pursuing a degree in psychology to serve LGBTQ youth through social work, harm reduction and counseling.  Clare Wols Clare Wols (she/her) was most recently seen as Brigitta in alternate performances in The Sound of Music at Marriott Theatre. When she’s not studying musical theater at Ovation Academy in Oak Park, this 12-year-old enjoys reading, writing, and hanging with her dog Buddy.  The 16th Street Theater NFP is partially funded by the Oak Park Area Arts Council, in partnership with the Village of Oak Park, the American Rescue Plan Act, the Illinois Arts Council Agency and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funds are provided by The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, The Driehaus Foundation, The Oak Park River Forest Future Philanthropists Program and The Arts Midwest GIG Fund.

Sam Shepard's Buried Child Via AstonRep Theatre Company October 21 – November 19, 2022 at The Edge Theater

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

AstonRep Theatre Company

Launches 15th Anniversary Season with

BURIED CHILD

By Sam Shepard

Directed by Derek Bertelsen

October 21 – November 19, 2022 at The Edge Theater

 

AstonRep Theatre Company is pleased to launch it 15th and final season with a revival of Sam Shepard’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Buried Child directed by Ensemble Member Derek Bertelsen*, playing October 21 – November 19, 2022 at The Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway. in Chicago. Tickets are now on sale at www.astonrep.com or by calling (773) 828-9129. 

The production features Ensemble Members Rian Jairell* and Robert Tobin* with Stephanie Baires, Liz Cloud, Roberto Jay, Jim Morley and Jorge Salas. Understudies include Caleb Gibson, Maxwell Peters and Erica Romero.

Set in America’s heartland, Sam Shepard’s powerful Pulitzer Prize-winning play details, with shocking hilarity, the disintegration of the American Dream. When 22-year-old Vince unexpectedly shows up at the family farm with his girlfriend Shelly, no one recognizes him. So begins the unraveling of dark secrets. A surprisingly twisted look at disillusionment and morality, Shepard’s masterpiece is the family reunion no one anticipated. Winner of the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. 

The production team includes Jeremiah Barr* (Scenic and Props Designer, Covid Safety Officer), Andrés Mota (Costume Designer), Samantha Barr* (Lighting Designer, Production Manager), Becca Venable (Sound Designer), Robert Tobin* (Fight Choreography), Bethany Hart (Vocal Coach), Anna Vu (Stage Manager) and Miguel Salgado (Asst. Stage Manager).

*Denotes AstonRep Company Members. 

COVID protocol: AstonRep is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable theatre-going experience. At this time, we will require patrons to wear a face mask during the performance. As guidance is rapidly evolving, so may our protocols, so please check our website for the most up to date information.

 Cast (in alphabetical order): Stephanie Baires (Shelly), Liz Cloud (Halie), Rian Jairell* (Bradley), Roberto Jay (Vince), Jim Morley (Dodge), Jorge Salas (Father Dewis) and Robert Tobin* (Tilden).

Understudies: Caleb Gibson, Maxwell Peters and Erica Romero.

 

Location: he Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway, Chicago

Dates: Preview: Friday, October 21 at 7:30 pm

Press performance: Saturday, October 22 at 7:30 pm

Regular run: Sunday, October 23 – Saturday, November 19, 2022

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

Tickets: Previews: $10; Regular run: $20. Student/seniors discounts available. Tickets are now on sale at www.astonrep.com or by calling (773) 828-9129.

 

About the Artists

Sam Shepard (Playwright) Eleven of Shepard’s plays have won Obie Awards including Chicago and Icarus’s Mother (1965), Red Cross and La Turista (1966), Forensic and the Navigators (1967), The Tooth of the Crime (1972), Action (1974) and Curse of the Starving Class (1976). Shepard was awarded a Pulitzer Prize as well as an Obie Award for his play Buried Child (1979). Fool for Love (1982) received the Obie for Best Play as well as for Direction. A Live of the Mind (1985) won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award in 1986 and the 1986 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Play. As an actor he appeared in the films Days of Heaven, Resurrection, Raggedy Man, The Right Stuff, Frances, Country, Fool for Love, Crimes of the Heart, Baby Boom, Steel Magnolias, The Pelican Brief, Safe Passage, Hamlet and, most recently, Don’t Come Knocking”, also co-written with Wim Wenders. In 1986, Shepard was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1992, he received the Gold Medal for Drama from the Academy, and in 1994, he was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame. Mr. Shepard died in 2017.

Derek Bertelsen (Director) This season marks Derek’s 12th season with AstonRep and Buried Child is his twelfth production as a director or co-director. Other AstonRep credits as director include Doubt, Wit, Next Fall, The Leiutenant of Inishmore, The Lyons, The Laramie Project and Equus. Previously he was co-founder/Artistic Director of The Comrades (2016-2020). In addition to his work with these two companies, he’s worked with BrightSide Theatre, Pride Films & Plays (member and Artistic Associate from 2011-2015), GreatWorks, Arc Theatre and Bailiwick Chicago. He’s served as assistant director at Goodman and Steppenwolf Garage. Summer stock credits include Shawnee Summer Theatre in Bloomfield IN, Festival 56 in Princeton IL and five seasons at Timber Lake Playhouse in Mt. Carroll IL.

 

About AstonRep Theatre Company

AstonRep Theatre Company was formed in the summer of 2008. Since then, the company has produced numerous full-length productions, along with their annual Writer’s Series. They are currently in residence at The Edge Theater. AstonRep Theatre Company is an ensemble of artists committed to creating exciting, intimate theatrical experiences that go beyond the front door to challenge audiences and spark discussion where the show is not the end of the experience: it is just the beginning. 

OPENING: ROUTES Via Remy Bumppo Theatre Company October 12 - November 20, 2022 at Theater Wit

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

Remy Bumppo Theatre Company

Announces Casting and Production Team for 

ROUTES

by Rachel De-lahay

Directed by Mikael Burke

October 12 - November 20, 2022 at Theater Wit

 

Remy Bumppo Theatre Company is pleased to announce the casting and design team for the final show in its 2022 Season, ROUTES by Rachel De-lahay and directed by Mikael Burke. The show will run from October 12 through November 20, 2022 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Avenue in Chicago.

Olufemi hopes to return home to his family. Bashir wants to remain in the only home he knows. Kola yearns to find home in a place that’s never felt like one. Rachel De-lahay’s shattering, urgent new play looks through the eyes of immigrants, refugees, and children in conflict with the law as they fight to get home through an impossibly complex system designed to keep them out.

 

ROUTES will feature Terry Bell (Remy Bumppo Core Ensemble Member) Yao Dogbe, Kristin E. Ellis, Evelyn Lockley, Kevin Tre’von Patterson and TJ Thomas. Designs for this production will feature work by Bindu Poroori (Dramaturg), Mara Zinky (Scenic Design), Gregory A. Graham (Costume Design), Eric Watkins (Lighting Design), Peter Clare (Sound Design), Amanda Herrmann (Properties Design) and Sana Selemon (Dialect Coach).

 

Remy Bumppo Theatre Company’s production of ROUTES will run from October 12 through November 20, 2022 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Avenue in Chicago. Subscriptions and single tickets are on sale at www.RemyBumppo.org or by calling the Theater Wit Box Office at 773.975.8150.

 

Remy Bumppo Theatre Company’s 2022-2023 Presenting Sponsor is Geoffrey A. Anderson. Remy Bumppo Theatre Company’s 2022-2023 Season Sponsors are Brenda and James Grusecki, Lynne and George Simon, and Charlotte Toerber.

Remy Bumppo’s programs and operations are also partially funded by the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council, the MacArthur Foundation for Arts and Culture at Prince Charitable Trusts, and the Shubert Foundation.

Cast (in alphabetical order): Terry Bell (Bashir) Yao Dogbe (Olufemi), Kristin E. Ellis (Lisa), Evelyn Lockley (Anka), Kevin Tre’von Patterson (Abiola) and TJ Thomas (Kola). 

Understudy Cast (in alphabetical order): Maya Jahan Abram (U/S Lisa), Kevin Aoussou (U/S Abiola), Tamarus Harvell (U/S Bashir), Benjamin Jenkins (U/S Olufemi), Lucas Looch Johnson (U/S Kola), Amanda Winston (U/S Anka)

 

Artistic Director: Marti Lyons

Stage Manager: Lucy Whipp

Assistant Director: Alex Dauphin

Assistant Stage Manager: Cecilia Koloski

Production Manager: Ellen Willett

Technical Director: Harrison Ornelas

Dramaturg: Himabindu Poroori

Scenic Designer: Mara Zinky

Costume Designer: Gregory Graham

Assistant Costume Designer: Aija Moreno

Lighting Designer: Eric Watkins

Assistant Lighting Designer: Liz Gomez

Sound Designer: Peter Clare

Properties Designer: Amanda Herrmann

Dialect Coach: Sana Selemon

Scenic Charge Artist: Trent Jones

Sound Engineer: Andrew Littleton

Head Electrician: Devin Sullivan

Wardrobe Supervisor: Gabi Sitze-Martin

Casting Director: Katie Galetti

Casting Associate: Jasmine B. Gunter

Creative Producer, Company Management, Covid Compliance Officer: Christina Casano

 

Location: Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, IL 60657

Dates: Previews: Wednesday, October 12 - October 15, 2022 at 7:30pm; Sunday, October 16, 2022 at 2:30pm

Press Performance: Thursday, October 20, 2022

Regular Run: Friday, October 21 - Sunday, November 20, 2022

Curtain Times: Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2:30pm

Matinee Performances (other than Sundays): Saturday, October 29 at 2:30pm; Saturday, November 5 at 2:30pm; Saturday, November 12 at 2:30pm; Thursday, November 17 at 2:30pm

 

Audio Description/Touch Tour Performance: Saturday, October 29, 2022; Touch Tour starts at 1:00pm, and the performance starts at 2:30pm

Open Caption Performance: Saturday, November 5, 2022 at 2:30pm

Tickets: Previews: $30.00

Regular Run: $32.00 - $40.00

Industry Tickets: $15.00, available for all performances

Student Tickets: $10.00, available for all performances

Group Discounts: Available for parties of 10 or more, call 773.975.8150

Top Row (L to R) - Terry Bell, Kristin E. Ellis, Yao Dogbe

Bottom Row (L to R) - Evelyn Lockley, Kevin Tre’von Patterson and TJ Thomas.

ABOUT REMY BUMPPO THEATRE COMPANY:

 

Remy Bumppo Theatre Company expands and enriches their community’s view of the world, and their own, by producing both the great plays of the past and the important plays of today. As an ensemble-driven theater company, Remy Bumppo authors a more humane culture that listens to, and seeks to understand, the voices, the ideas 

and the stories of one another. Since its inception in 1996, Remy Bumppo has produced a blend of modern classics and complex contemporary works, presented in an intimate setting with clarity, wit and passion. We invite audiences to engage directly with the art through conversation with the artists.