LOOKINGGLASS ANNOUNCES TWO NEW BOARD MEMBERS AND PREPARES TO REOPEN WITH CIRCUS QUIXOTE JANUARY 30, 2025

LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES TWO NEW BOARD MEMBERS: FOUNDING ENSEMBLE MEMBER DAVID SCHWIMMER 

AND CHICAGO ATTORNEY JAMES (JIMMY) OH

STRENGTHENING ITS LEADERSHIP AS LOOKINGGLASS 

PREPARES TO REOPEN WITH 

CIRCUS QUIXOTE, JANUARY 30, 2025

The 2024/2025 Season Includes Two World Premieres: Circus Quixote, Jan. 30 – March 30, 2025, and Iraq, But Funny, May 29 – July 20, 2025; a Renovated Lookingglass Lobby, Bar and Café Also Reopens Thursday, Jan. 30

Here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows, we've been covering Lookingglass Theatre Company and reviewing all their shows for over 15 years. We're elated that they're returning with a new managing director, Jamey Lundblad, a new artistic director, Kasey Foster, a longtime favorite of ours on stage and behind the scenes, and a couple of powerhouse board members. David Schwimmer and James (Jimmy) Oh are fabulous assets to have on board. We can't wait to check out Lookingglass' new lobby makeover, and 2 world premiers shows coming in January and May! 

After pausing its operations last year to reorganize and create a new business model, Chicago’s Tony-Award winning Lookingglass Theatre Company is proud to announce two new Board members as it prepares to reopen January 30, 2025: founding ensemble member, actor and director David Schwimmer and Chicago employment and healthcare attorney James (Jimmy) Oh. Lookingglass’ Board of Directors is now composed of 25 business, civic and arts leaders charged with advancing the mission of this ensemble-based company founded in 1988. Located inside the historic Water Tower Water Works building, 163 E. Pearson St. at Michigan Ave., Lookingglass will present two world premieres this season: Circus Quixote, Jan. 30 – March 30, 2025, and Iraq, But Funny, May 29 – July 20, 2025, plus Young Ensemble performances and special events in neighborhoods throughout Chicago. A renovated lobby, bar and café also reopens Thursday, Jan. 30, with its menu and programming to be announced in the coming months. The full list of Board members and 2024/2025 season details may be found at LookingglassTheatre.org. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Jimmy and David to our Board of Directors, as we continue to strengthen Lookingglass’ leadership at this pivotal moment for the Company,” said Board Chair Richard Chapman. “David and Jimmy bring a passion for the performing arts and unique skill sets and networks that will help advance our vital mission—to redefine the limits of theatrical experience and to make theatre exhilarating, inspirational and accessible to all.”

Jamey Lundblad (formerly with the City of Chicago’s Cultural Affairs department) joined Lookingglass as managing director this fall, and ensemble member and multi-hyphenate artist Kasey Foster was named artistic director earlier this year. Additionally, this past spring, the Company welcomed four new members into its ensemble: Atra Asdou, Wendy Mateo, Ericka Ratcliff and Matthew C. Yee.

“Lookingglass has been my artistic home for more than three decades, and I have worked hard to sustain it, but this is my first time serving on the Board,” said David Schwimmer. “I’m incredibly excited to partner with our dedicated Board of Directors, talented Ensemble and hardworking Staff to bolster an organization that means so much to me, and to Chicago.”

“My passion for theatre is personal. All four of our sons performed in children’s theatre, three earned theatre degrees—and now they’re working in the arts,” said Jimmy Oh. “So, I’m thrilled to be directly involved in and supporting the creative industries through my Board service at Lookingglass, one of the best regional theatres in the U.S.”

ABOUT DAVID SCHWIMMER

David Schwimmer’s many television and film acting credits include the hit comedy series “Friends,” for which he received his first Emmy Award nomination, “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson” for which he received a second Emmy nomination, “Band of Brothers,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Madagascar 1, 2 &; 3,” “Feed the Beast,” “Six Days Seven Nights,” “Apt Pupil,” “The Pallbearer,” “Duane Hopwood,” “The Iceman,” “The Laundromat” and “Little Death.” Schwimmer executive produced and starred as the lead in the Sky TV/Peacock original sitcom “Intelligence” and in “Extrapolations” for Apple TV+.  

He will next be seen in Disney’s anthology series “Goosebumps,” based on R.L. Stine’s bestselling Scholastic series.

Schwimmer has directed over twenty plays, including his adaptations of Studs Terkel’s RACE and Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle for Lookingglass and Laura Eason’s Sex with Strangers for the Second Stage Theatre. Other stage credits outside of Lookingglass include Detroit at Playwrights Horizons, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial on Broadway and the premiere of Neil LaBute’s Some Girls in the West End, London.

Schwimmer’s television and film directing includes ten episodes of “Friends,” the HBO series “Little Britain USA,” “Growing Up Fisher” for NBC, the feature films “Since You’ve Been Gone,” “Run Fat Boy Run” and the independent drama “Trust” starring Clive Owen, Catherine Keener and Viola Davis. He also produced the film “LOVE” directed by Alexander Zeldin for the BBC based on his play produced at the National Theatre in London.

ABOUT JAMES (JIMMY) OH

Jimmy Oh is an employment and healthcare attorney based in Chicago, with a passion for theatre. At Epstein Becker Green, Oh’s work traverses all three of the firm’s core practices: employment, labor and workforce management (ELWM); health care and life sciences (HCLS) and litigation and business disputes. He  has tried cases in federal courts around the country on both employment and healthcare-related issues. 

Oh is a member of Epstein Becker Green’s ELWM Steering Committee, health employment and labor (HEAL®) strategic industry group (which consists of members of both the ELWM and HCLS practices) and litigation and business disputes practice. He also holds leadership roles on the firm’s Diversity and Professional Development Committee and serves on the Executive Committee of the firm’s Minority Attorney Forum.

In addition, he has published numerous articles and made presentations on a variety of topics. He is a graduate of Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and Northwestern University.

ABOUT THE 2024/2025 SEASON

WORLD PREMIERE 

Circus Quixote

January 30 – March 30, 2025

Joan and Paul Theatre at Water Tower Water Works, 163 E. Pearson St. at Michigan Ave. 

Based on Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote of La Mancha

Written and Directed by Kerry and David Catlin

Circus by Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi

Produced in Association with Actors Gymnasium

Somewhere in La Mancha there lived a man who read so many books that his brains dried up…Saddle up with Lookingglass as they go tiltingly, acrobatically into the dreamy madness of Don Quixote and his impossible folly-filled quest to bring good-deed doing back into the world— whether the world wants it or not!

Circus Quixote production sponsors include Greg Thompson & Greg Cameron and Marla Mendelson, M.D. & Stephen Wolf. 

WORLD PREMIERE 

Iraq, But Funny 

May 29 – July 20, 2025 

Joan and Paul Theatre at Water Tower Water Works, 163 E. Pearson St. at Michigan Ave. 

Written by Atra Asdou 

Directed Dalia Ashurina 

A raucous satire about five generations of Assyrian women reclaiming their stories, as narrated by a British guy. Making its world premiere at Lookingglass Theatre, Ensemble Member Atra Asdou’s original dark comedy jauntily marches through the Ottoman Empire to modern-day U.S.A. exploring history, family and dysfunction.  

2024/2025 season sponsors are Joan & Paul Rubschlager, Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, HMS Media, Waldorf Astoria Chicago and the City of Chicago. 

Lookingglass Young Ensemble 

March 2025 

The Lookingglass Young Ensemble (YE) is a group of Chicago-area young adults, ages 13-18 years old, committed to building their theater skills, lifting their voices and developing theircreativity through collaborative creation. Three months of rehearsal and ensemble-building amongst this incredible group of artists will culminate in three public performances. 

 

Lookingglass Outdoors 

Summer 2025

Lookingglass takes their art outside the historic Water Tower Water Works and into the neighborhoods through special events like Sunset 1919, educational opportunities like summer camp and recurring programs that tour around town. This summer, Lookingglass continues its ambitious video project to bring Chicago together despite the lines that divide us, 50 Wards: A Civic Mosaic. The series currently has 10 wards available for viewing at LookingglassTheatre.org. 

ABOUT LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE COMPANY

Founded in 1988 by graduates of Northwestern University, Lookingglass Theatre Company is a nationwide leader in the creation and presentation of new, cutting-edge theatrical works and in sharing its ensemble-based theatrical techniques with Chicago-area students and teachers through Education and Community Programs. Guided by an artistic vision centered on the core values of collaboration, transformation and invention, Lookingglass seeks to capture audiences’ imaginations leaving them changed, charged and empowered. Recipient of the 2011 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Lookingglass has built a national reputation for artistic excellence and ensemble-based theatrical innovation. Notable world premieres include Mary Zimmerman’s Tony Award-winning Metamorphoses and The Odyssey, J. Nicole Brooks’ Her Honor Jane Byrne, David Schwimmer’s adaptation of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and Studs Terkel’s Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel about the American Obsession, Matthew C. Yee’s Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon and David Catlin’s circus tribute to Lewis Carroll, Lookingglass Alice, which was captured by HMS Media and reached 1.6 million PBS viewers. Lookingglass Alice is now available to more than four million students worldwide through Digital Theatre+. Work created by Lookingglass artists has been produced in Australia, Europe and dozens of cities throughout the United States.

Guarneri Hall Celebrates Schoenberg’s Seminal Composition Pierrot Lunaire in Concert Series Pierrot Unmasked December 9-10, 2024

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Guarneri Hall celebrates Schoenberg’s seminal composition 

Pierrot lunaire in concert series 

Pierrot Unmasked

With Different Experiences on December 9th and 10th at 6:30 p.m.

The 2-day event enlivens the melodrama on the tragic-comic character Pierrot via poetry reading and theatrical performance, followed by Q&A and intimate reception with the artists

The nonprofit Guarneri Hall, a state-of-the-art, custom-built classical music venue in the heart of downtown Chicago at 11 E. Adams St., presents Pierrot Unmasked, a concert series exploring the poetic and theatrical context of Arnold Schoenberg’s seminal melodrama, Pierrot lunaire. On December 9th and 10th, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Pierrot Unmasked presents two different performances around the tragic-comic character Pierrot from Commedia dell'Arte, one with a reading of Albert Giraud’s poems on which Pierrot lunaire is based, and the other featuring a lively theatrical performance. Tickets can be purchased at guarnerihall.org, with general admission priced at $40 and student discounts available.

The stock character Pierrot originated in the Commedia dell’Arte of 17th-century Italy. This sad clown has been a source of artistic inspiration since, reflected in the work of many French painters and Symbolist poets. Giraud’s 50-poem set, Pierrot lunaire: rondels bergamasques, formed the basis of the commission that resulted in Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire. The extended tonality of Schoenberg’s musical language super-charges the haunting, other-worldly quality of Giraud’s poems, making both performances of Pierrot lunaire uniquely evocative and modernistic experiences.

Guarneri Hall’s unique pair of evenings will provide context for Pierrot lunaire with in-depth perspectives on the literary and theatrical histories of the Pierrot character. Each evening will culminate in a performance of Pierrot lunaire by soprano Kristina Bachrach with pianist Daniel Pesca, flutist Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson, clarinetist Graham Steele Johnson, and Guarneri Hall’s resident ensemble, NEXUS Chamber Music, and include a post-performance Q&A session with the performers and event organizers. While the music is the same both nights—taking a cue from Schoenberg himself, who with his circle frequently staged performances where works were played twice in their entirety—the two evenings promise to offer uniquely different experiences, as outlined below.

Pierrot Unmasked: Pierrot the Poet

Monday, December 9th, 2024, at 6:30 p.m.

Renowned poet David Yezzi of Johns Hopkins University will discuss the interpretive implications of existing translations of the Giraud poems followed by a performance of the Schoenberg by Bachrach and NEXUS Chamber Music. Yezzi is an American poet, editor, actor, and professor, who currently teaches poetry in the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University. He last appeared in Guarneri Hall in 2021, reading poems of Emily Dickinson and Gustav Mahler.

Pierrot Unmasked: Pierrot the Actor

Tuesday, December 10th, 2024, at 6:30 p.m.

Pierrot the Actor will feature a semi-staged theatrical performance of Pierrot lunaire directed by actor-director Jim Iorio, Associate Professor of Theatre at Roosevelt University. The evening begins with Iorio providing the historical background of the character Pierrot, and completes with a semi-staged theatrical performance of the Schoenberg by Bachrach and NEXUS Chamber Music, directed by Iorio.

Performing artists include Kristina Bachrach, soprano; Daniel Pesca, piano; Brian Hong, violin and viola; Alexander Hersh, cello; Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson, piccolo and flute; Graeme Steele Johnson, clarinet and bass clarinet.

About Guarneri Hall

Guarneri Hall NFP delivers extraordinary classical music to a broad and diverse audience through a curated mix of live performances and original music videos. The hall is a uniquely intimate, custom-built, 60-seat venue in the heart of downtown Chicago with optimal acoustics designed by Threshold Acoustics. In addition to presenting live performances that connect audiences to the dynamism of live performance with unparalleled intimacy, Guarneri Hall also produces high-quality video content designed to advance classical music in the digital age. Named after the famous Italian family of luthiers whose prominence in violin making is equaled only by that of Stradivari, Guarneri Hall (pronounced gwar-NAIR-ee) was founded in 2018 by esteemed violinist and violin dealer Stefan Hersh. For more information on Guarneri Hall visit guarnerihall.org.

Photos left to right, top to bottom: David Yezzi, Jim Iorio, Kristina Bachrach, Daniel Pesca, Brian Hong, Alexander Hersh, Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson, Graeme Steele Johnson.

Shannon Walsh’s documentary ADRIANNE & THE CASTLE at Music Box Theatre with filmmakers’ Q&A Nov. 23rd

Films On Our Radar:

Music Box Theatre & Intuitive Pictures present director Shannon Walsh’s fantastical documentary 

ADRIANNE & THE CASTLE

beginning November 22, 2024, with filmmakers’ Q&A November 23rd

On Saturday, Nov. 23, director Shannon Walsh, film subject Alan St-George, composer Richard Reed Parry, co-writer/creator Laurel Sprengelmeyer, and actress SLee will be in attendance for a post-film Q&A after the 7:15pm screening.

For showtimes and information, click here: https://musicboxtheatre.com/films-and-events/adrianne-the-castle.

“It’s a truly fascinating story taken to a transcendent level with a wholly original approach to the filmmaking.” — Den of Geek

“The film challenges jaded perspectives and invites viewers to reconsider the possibility of timeless, unwavering devotion. It reminds that perhaps, even in our most cynical moments, extraordinary love can still be found.” — In Review Online

“In keeping the fantasy alive, Walsh seems to honor Adrianne's wishes to forge a magical world of her own. That's what makes ADRIANNE & THE CASTLE feel so very special.” — RogerEbert.com

About ADRIANNA & THE CASTLE:

A true story of love and loss, ADRIANNA & THE CASTLE documents the unique life of the St-Georges, who built a castle to their love in rural Illinois. Now facing the future without the love of his life, Alan grapples with his grief through creative musical re-enactments of their story, transporting him into the fantasy world they created together.

Pricing: Ticket prices are $11 ($8 for Music Box members).

Become a member: https://www.musicboxtheatre.com/membership/become-a-member

About Music Box Theatre:

Operating since 1929, the Music Box Theatre has been the premier venue in Chicago for independent and foreign films for more than four decades, playing host to over 200,000 patrons annually. It currently has the largest theater space operated full time in the city. The Theatre is independently owned and operated. Its sister company, Music Box Films, is dedicated to curating a diverse repertoire of films from around the world and distributing them throughout the US. Music Box Theatre and Music Box Films both engage audiences with exciting alternatives to mainstream entertainment.

Regular events produced, presented, and hosted at Music Box Theatre include the 70mm Film Festival; Music Box Christmas Sing-a-long and Double Feature, the annual 24-hour horror-movie marathon Music Box of Horrors; and Noir City: Chicago, co-presented by the Film Noir Foundation.

Follow the Music Box Theatre on Facebook (www.facebook.com/musicboxchicago/), Twitter (@musicboxtheatre), Instagram (@musicboxchicago), TikTok @musicbox_chicago

Court Theatre Presents A Raisin in the Sun January 31 – March 2, 2025

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Court Theatre presents

A Raisin in the Sun

Written by Lorraine Hansberry

Leon Savage, Untitled; courtesy of the South Side Community Art Center

Directed by Senior Artistic Producer Gabrielle Randle-Bent

January 31 – March 2, 2025

Court Theatre – under the continuing leadership of Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre, with interim artistic leadership from Senior Artistic Producer Gabrielle Randle-Bent and Senior Managing Producer Heidi Thompson Saunders – is thrilled to present Lorraine Hansberry’s masterpiece A Raisin in the Sun, winner of a Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award nominee for Best Play, and the first play written by a Black woman to be produced on Broadway. This production will run January 31 – March 2, 2025 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. 

The cast of A Raisin in the Sun includes Shanesia Davis (Lena Younger/Mama); Brian Keys (Walter Lee Younger); Kierra Bunch (Ruth Younger); Martasia Jones (Beneatha Younger); Jeremias Darville (Travis Younger, alternating); Di'Aire Wilson (Travis Younger, alternating); Elliot Charles Johnson (Joseph Asagai); Charles Andrew Gardner (George Murchison); Julian Parker (Bobo); Vincent Teninty (Karl Lindner); and J. Nicole Brooks (Mrs. Johnson).

The creative team includes Andrew Boyce (scenic design); Raquel Adorno (costume design); Maximo Grano De Oro (lighting design); Willow James (sound design); Khalid Long, PhD (production dramaturg); Becca McCracken, CSA (casting); Kate Ocker (production stage manager); and Jaclynn Joslin (assistant stage manager).

Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun is a stunning portrayal of a family’s fight for dignity and the right to dream. As the Youngers await their recently deceased patriarch’s life insurance check, they allow themselves to imagine a bigger life – a life with room to breathe – until those plans are thrown into jeopardy. Hansberry’s language rings as wise and prescient as ever in her moving answer to Langston Hughes’s question, What happens to a dream deferred?

Staged sixty years after Lorraine Hansberry’s passing, Senior Artistic Producer Gabrielle Randle-Bent (Antigone) brings Hansberry’s masterpiece home to Chicago’s vibrant South Side and Court’s stage for the very first time.

Accompanying this production of A Raisin in the Sun is a suite of public programs, including:

●      Community Reads Series, presented in partnership with Chicago Public Library at the Blackstone Branch

○      Community Reads Social at the Blackstone Branch of the Chicago Public Library (4904 S. Lake Park Avenue)

○      Community Reads Book Club at the Blackstone Branch of the Chicago Public Library (4904 S. Lake Park Avenue)

○      Community Reads Post-Show Conversation at Court Theatre (5535 S. Ellis Avenue)

●      Agora Conversation – A Dream Deferred: Black Mobility and Housing – at the National Public Housing Museum, presented in partnership with the National Public Housing Museum (625 N Kingsbury Street)

●      Let’s Talk About Art at the Hyde Park Art Center, presented in partnership with the Hyde Park Art Center (5020 S. Cornell Avenue)

●      Bushman Screening and Lecture at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, presented in partnership with the University of Chicago’s Film Studies Center (915 E 60th Street)

Tickets to A Raisin in the Sun are available now, and can be purchased by calling the Box Office at (773) 753-4472 or online at  www.CourtTheatre.org. Information about the public programming offerings will be available online at  www.CourtTheatre.org.

A Raisin in the Sun is sponsored by Bel Brands USA, Mesirow, and Gustavo Bamberger and Martha Van Haitsma. A Raisin in the Sun is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com.

Featuring: Shanesia Davis (Lena Younger/Mama); Brian Keys (Walter Lee Younger); Kierra Bunch (Ruth Younger); Martasia Jones (Beneatha Younger); Jeremias Darville (Travis Younger, alternating); Di'Aire Wilson (Travis Younger, alternating); Elliot Charles Johnson (Joseph Asagai); Charles Andrew Gardner (George Murchison); Julian Parker (Bobo); Vincent Teninty (Karl Lindner); and J. Nicole Brooks (Mrs. Johnson).

Creatives: Andrew Boyce (scenic design); Raquel Adorno (costume design); Maximo Grano De Oro (lighting design); Willow James (sound design); Khalid Long, PhD (production dramaturg); Becca McCracken, CSA (casting); Kate Ocker (production stage manager); and Jaclynn Joslin (assistant stage manager).

 

Dates:             

Previews:                   January 31 – February 7, 2025

Press Opening:       February 8, 2025 at 7:30pm

Regular Run:             February 9 – March 2, 2025

 

Schedule:       

Wed/Thurs/Fri:           7:30 p.m.

Sat/Sun:                     2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

 

Accessible Performances:       

ASL Interpretation on March 1, 2025 at 12:30pm

Touch Tour on March 2, 2025 at 12:30pm

Audio Description and Open Captioning on March 2, 2025 at 2:00pm

                     

Location:  Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave.

 

Tickets:           

$42.00 – $72.00 Previews

$58.00 – $90.00 Regular Run

Student, group, and military discounts available

 

Box Office:      

Located at 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472 or www.CourtTheatre.org.

Court Theatre reimagines classic theatre to illuminate our current times. In residence at the University of Chicago and on Chicago’s historic South Side, we engage our audiences with intimate and provocative experiences that inspire deeper exploration of the enduring questions that confront humanity and connect us as people.

Northlight Theatre to produce the world premiere of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women November 29 – January 5, 2025

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Northlight Theatre to produce the world premiere of

Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women

Adapted by Lauren Gunderson

From the novel by Louisa May Alcott

Directed by Associate Artistic Director Georgette Verdin

Due to early demand, an additional week of performances has been added to the run

November 29 – January 5, 2025

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, continues its 2024–2025 season with Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women adapted by Lauren Gunderson from the novel by Louisa May Alcott, directed by Associate Artistic Director Georgette Verdin.

Due to early demand a week has been added to the run, which was originally scheduled to close December 29, 2024. Little Women runs November 29, 2024 – January 5, 2025, at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. I'll be out for the press opening, December 5th, covering for ChiIL Live Shows, so check back soon for my full review. 

The cast includes Tyler Meredith (Louisa/Jo), Janyce Caraballo (Meg), Demetra Dee (Beth), Yourtana Sulaiman (Amy), Lucy Carapetyan (Marmee/Aunt March), John Drea (Laurie), and Erik Hellman (John/Friedrich).

Four sisters find their voices in 19th century New England, proving that sisterly bonds are more powerful than the friendships, hardships, romantic entanglements, and inevitable losses they face along the way. In a time marked by societal expectations, the shared love and feminine strength of the March sisters shines through. Captivating readers for generations, this beloved classic is a timeless tale of family, resilience, and a determined young writer finding her way in the world.

In a unique creative partnership, Northlight is one of four regional theaters that have jointly commissioned playwright Lauren Gunderson to adapt the classic novel. This new theatrical work will enjoy a “rolling” world premiere with four independent productions occurring between 2024-2026 in each of the partnering theaters’ home locale. It will play first at Northlight Theatre with subsequent productions at City Theatre Company (Pittsburgh, PA) People’s Light (Malvern, PA), and TheatreWorks Silicon Valley (Palo Alto, CA). The co-commission partnership represents an example of how regional nonprofit producers continue to adapt to post-pandemic financial realities while exploring new partnerships that allow for the continued investment in the commissioning of new work for the stage. All four theaters have a history of producing plays by Gunderson.

The creative team is Sotirios Livaditis (set design), Raquel Adorno (costume design), Emma Deane (light design), Christopher Kriz (original music and sound design), Nicolas Bartleson (props design), Jake Snell (production assistant) and Sarah Slight (dramaturg). The stage manager is Katie Klemme.

The Lead Sponsor for Little Women is Byline Bank.

Tickets are available through the box office at 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie; 847.673.6300; northlight.org.

About the Artists

Lauren Gunderson (Playwright) is one of the most produced playwrights in America since 2015 topping the list thrice including 2022/23. She is a two-time winner of the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award for I and You and The Book of Will, the winner of the William Inge Distinguished Achievement in Theatre Award, the Lanford Wilson Award and the Otis Guernsey New Voices Award; a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Weisberger Award, and John Gassner Award for Playwriting; and a recipient of the Mellon Foundation’s Residency with Marin Theatre Company. She studied Southern Literature and Drama at Emory University, and Dramatic Writing at NYU’s Tisch School where she was a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. Her play The Catastrophist, about her husband virologist Nathan Wolfe, premiered digitally in January 2021. She co-authored the Miss Bennet plays with Margot Melcon, and The Half-Life of Marie Curie premiered off-Broadway and is now at Audible.com. Her work is published at Bloomsbury (Revolutionary Women: A Lauren Gunderson Anthology, anthropology, I and You), Playscripts (I and You; Exit Pursued By A Bear; The Taming and Toil And Trouble), Dramatists Play Service (The Revolutionists; The Book of Will; Silent Sky; Bauer, Natural Shocks, The Wickhams and Miss Bennet) and Samuel French (Emilie). Her picture book Dr Wonderful: Blast Off to the Moon is available from Two Lions/Amazon. She is the book writer for musicals with Ari Afsar (Jeannette), Dave Stewart and Joss Stone (The Time Traveller’s Wife), Joriah Kwamé (Sinister), Kait Kerrigan and Bree Lowdermilk (Justice and Earthrise), and Kira Stone (Built for This). She is a board member of The Playwrights Foundation.

Georgette Verdin (Director/Associate Artistic Director) is a Cuban-American freelance director, the Associate Artistic Director of Northlight Theatre and a company member with Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. Recent directing credits include: the adaptation of Dial M for Murder (Northlight); the revival of Night Watch and the Chicago Premiere of Ironbound (Raven Theatre); the U.S. premieres of The Writer (Steep Theatre) and Out of Love (Interrobang Theatre Project); the World Premieres of The Singularity Play (Jackalope Theatre); A Mile in The Dark (Interrobang Theatre Project/Rivendell); Enough to Let the Light In (Teatro Vista); Chagall in School (Grippo Stage Company); and Spay (Rivendell). Georgette is a three-time Jeff nominated director and was the 2022 Michael Maggio Directing Fellow at Goodman Theatre. She is an Associate Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. georgetteverdin.com.

Janyce Caraballo (Meg) is returning to Northlight, where she was last seen as Georgiana in Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley. Select Chicago: A Christmas Carol (Drury Lane); Shakespeare in the Parks (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Romeo and Juliet, Hope: Part 2 of a Mexican Trilogy (Teatro Vista); Seussical (Marriott); Suddenly, Last Summer (Raven Theatre); Hot Pink (New American Folk Theatre); The Full Monty (Theo Ubique). Regional: Peninsula Players, Indiana Repertory Theatre, American Players Theatre, First Folio Theatre, TheatreSquared. She received her Master of Fine Arts from The Theatre School at DePaul University and is represented by Paonessa Talent Agency. 

Lucy Carapetyan (Marmee/Aunt March) previously appeared at Northlight in Dial M for Murder and You Can’t Take It With You. Recent Chicago productions include Ironbound (Raven), The Singularity Play (Jackalope), and The Writer (Steep, where she's an ensemble member). Other Chicago credits include First Love is the Revolution, Earthquakes in London, Linda (Steep Theatre); Right To Be Forgotten, Nice Girl (Raven); Animal Farm (Steppenwolf). Lucy works as a motion capture actor for Injustice and Mortal Kombat video games, and as a freelance Intimacy Director and Casting Director. TV: Fargo season 4, Somebody Somewhere, Chicago Fire, Proven Innocent. Film: Brooklyn 45, Departing Seniors. She is represented by Paonessa Talent.

Demetra Dee (Beth) is making her Northlight debut. Corduroy (Chicago Shakespeare); The Penelopiad, The Nacirema Society, Relentless (Goodman); Chlorine Sky (Steppenwolf); Relentless (Timeline); Stew, Be Here Now (Shattered Globe); Cullud Wattah (Victory Gardens); The Last Pair of Earlies, Middle Passage (Lifeline); Comfort Stew, Migration (ETA Creative Arts Foundation); The Colored Museum (Pegasus Theatre Chicago); The Greenbook (Chicago Dramatist). Television: Power Book IV: Force (Starz), The Bear (FX). Education: BFA in theater, East Carolina University. Agency: DDO Chicago. www.demetradee.com

John Drea (Laurie) Northlight Theatre debut. Chicago: Little Bear Ridge Road (Steppenwolf); The Sound Inside (Goodman); Solaris (Griffin Theatre, Jeff Nomination); Chagall in School (Grippo Stage Company, Jeff Nomination); Twelfth Night, Cymbeline (Midsommer Flight); American Psycho (Kokandy Productions); Skunk and Badger, Whose Body? (Lifeline Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Goodly Creatures Theatre). Off-off Broadway: OneIronaut (The Outer Loop). Regional: Deathtrap (Constellation Stage). Television: Ashley Green, The Onion. Upcoming film: PIP! (Sacred Arthouse). He is represented by Gray Talent Group. @johndrea1998

Erik Hellman (John/Friedrich) Previous shows at Northlight include Georgiana and Kitty, Miss Bennet, Shining Lives, and Lost in Yonkers. Recent shows in Chicago include: 1776, The Sound of Music (Marriott); Lindiwe, Familiar, The Burn (Steppenwolf); Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Othello, Mousetrap, The Misanthrope, Proof, The Mystery of Irma Vep (Court); Smart People, Marjorie Prime (Writers); Eastland (Lookingglass); and Luna Gale (Goodman). Film/TV work includes The Dark Knight, Walden, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, The Good Fight, Mrs. America, Fargo, 61st Street, and the David Fincher Film The Killer.

Tyler Meredith (Louisa/Jo) Chicago credits include: Inherit the Wind, The Penelopiad, The Cherry Orchard, Twilight Bowl, Graveyard Shift/New Stages (Goodman); Campaigns, Inc. (Timeline); The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Chicago Shakespeare); A Christmas Carol (Drury Lane); The Columnist (American Blues). Regional credits include: A Phoenix Too Frequent (American Players Theatre); At The Wedding, Miss Bennet: Christmas At Pemberley, My Father’s War (TheatreSquared); Hamlet (Montana Shakespeare in the Parks). TV/Film credits include Chicago Fire. Tyler is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, School at Steppenwolf, and the University of Illinois-Chicago. She is represented by Gray Talent Group. @tylermckmeredith

Yourtana Sulaiman (Amy) is an Iraqi-Assyrian actor and teaching artist based in Chicago. Recent credits: Happy Days are Here (Again) (Steep), The Singularity Play (Jackalope), Selling Kabul (Northlight), the live in(n) (The Story Theatre), Mosque4Mosque (About Face), Chagall in School (Grippo Stage Company), NBC’s Chicago Fire, and more. Education: BFA Acting, UIC School of Theatre and Music; The Second City; Eolia Conservatory of the Dramatic Arts BCN. Follow her on instagram @yourtana for more shenanigans!

Production Details

Featuring: Tyler Meredith (Louisa/Jo), Janyce Caraballo (Meg), Demetra Dee (Beth), Yourtana Sulaiman (Amy), Lucy Carapetyan (Marmee/Aunt March), John Drea (Laurie), and Erik Hellman (John/Friedrich).

Creative Team: Sotirios Livaditis (set design), Raquel Adorno (costume design), Emma Deane (light design), Christopher Kriz (original music and sound design), Nicolas Bartleson (props design), Jake Snell (production assistant) and Sarah Slight (dramaturg). The stage manager is Katie Klemme.

Dates: November 29, 2024-January 5, 2025

Previews begin November 29, 2024

Press Opening: Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 7:30pm

Regular run: December 6-29, 2024

Added dates: through January 5, 2025

Schedule:   

Tuesdays: 7:30pm (December 3 only)

Wednesdays: 1:00pm and 7:30pm (no performances December 25 or January 1)

Thursdays: 1:00pm (December 26 only) and 7:30pm (except December 5)

Fridays: 7:30pm

Saturdays: 2:30pm (except November 30) and 7:30pm

Sundays: 2:30pm and 7:30pm (December 1 & 29 only)

Backstage with BJ – Northlight’s popular discussion series with Artistic Director BJ Jones – will be held November 22 at 12pm.

An Open Captioned performance will be held on Friday, December 20 at 7:30pm. An Open Captioned and Audio Described/Touch Tour performance will be held on Saturday, December 21 at 2:30pm.

Location: Northlight Theatre is located at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie

Tickets: $39-$91

Previews: $39-$74

Regular run: $49-$91

Student tickets are $15, any performance 

(subject to availability)

Box Office: The Box Office is located at 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie.; 847.673.6300; northlight.org.

• In a unique creative partnership, Northlight is one of four regional theaters that have jointly commissioned playwright Lauren Gunderson to adapt the classic novel. It will play first at Northlight Theatre with subsequent productions at City Theatre Company (Pittsburgh, PA) People’s Light (Malvern, PA), and TheatreWorks Silicon Valley (Palo Alto, CA).

• Playwright Lauren Gunderson is one of the country’s most produced playwrights since 2015. Northlight previously produced her works The Book of Will, The Wickhams, Miss Bennet and Georgiana and Kitty. She considers Northlight to be an artistic home.

• Director Georgette Verdin is Nothlight’s Associate Artistic Director. She continues to direct in theatres across Chicago. She previously directed Dial M for Murder at Northlight.

2024-2025 Season

The 2024-2025 season continues with Lloyd Suh’s funny and moving play The Heart Sellers about the Asian immigrant experience in the 1970s, January 23 – February 23, 2025; and Joshua Harmon’s celebrated play Prayer for the French Republic, directed by Jeremy Wechsler in a co-production with Theater Wit, April 10 – May 11, 2025. The season closes with the mesmerizing one-man show about Donny Hathaway, Twisted Melodies, written and performed by Kelvin Roston Jr, July 10-August 10, 2025.

Subscriptions range in price from $135-290. Flex pass options are $120-$210. With its wide range of ticket prices, discounted subscription packages and complimentary parking, Northlight remains one of the best theatrical values in Chicagoland. Package options include traditional 5-Play Packages, 4-Play Packages, and Flex Packages. Subscriptions are available at northlight.org/subscribe or 847.673.6300.

Northlight Theatre aspires to promote change of perspective and encourage compassion by exploring the depth of our humanity across a bold spectrum of theatrical experiences, reflecting our community to the world and the world to our community.

Founded in 1974, the organization has mounted over 240 productions, including more than 45 world premieres. Northlight has earned 230 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and 36 Awards, as well as 11 Edgerton Foundation for New Play Awards. As one of the area’s premier theatre companies, Northlight is a regional magnet for critical and professional acclaim, as well as talent of the highest quality.

Northlight is supported in part by generous contributions BMO Harris Bank; Bulley & Andrews; Byline Bank; Dr. Scholl Foundation; Eckenhoff Saunders Architects, Inc.; The Field Foundation of Illinois; Full Circle Foundation; Grumman Butkus Associates; Hagerty Consulting; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; John R Halligan Charitable Fund; LionBird; Lloyd A. Fry Foundation; Mabadi Realty; Mammel Family Foundation; Modestus Bauer Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Pritzker Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; The Sullivan Family Foundation; The Weatherlow Foundation; Tom Stringer Design Partners.

Chicago Magic Lounge Presents Trent James in Static Magic Wednesdays Beginning January 8, 2025

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Chicago Magic Lounge Presents

Trent James in Static Magic

Wednesdays beginning January 8, 2025

Chicago Magic Lounge also announces new Monday night show, addition of Chef Hunter Moore

Chicago Magic Lounge, Chicago’s home for close-up magic, presents the first Artist-In-Residence show of the 2025 season, Trent James’ Static Magic. In this new show from one of the country’s fastest-rising magicians, Trent mixes humor and wit with personal stories growing up as a second-generation magician. Static Magic runs Wednesdays at 7:00pm, January 8 – March 26, 2025. I'll be out for the press opening January 22, so check back shortly after for my full review. Tickets are priced $42 (Main Floor) and $47.50 (Front Row). Tickets for all Chicago Magic Lounge shows are available at the box office, (312) 366-4500 or online at chicagomagiclounge.com..

The Chicago Magic Lounge proudly presents its newest production, The Close-Up Show. Three featured magicians will perform sleight-of-hand each Monday on the Harry Blackstone Cabaret stage, with the magician's most subtle movements projected live onto the big screen for the audience to see. Enjoy being fooled as you follow the magician's every move. You will have an up-close view of the magic wherever you are seated and might even be part of the act! No two shows are alike!

The Close-Up Show seating begins at 7:00 p.m., and the stage show starts at 7:30 p.m. The show's runtime is approximately 90 minutes, with two brief breaks between acts, and does not include table magic before the stage show.

In addition to welcoming world-class magic talent, Chicago Magic Lounge is pleased to announce the addition of Chef Hunter Moore to its kitchen where he will create a small, exciting menu that changes seasonally and fits in with the concept of Chicago Magic. Examples of new menu items include crab fritters, braised short rib sliders, and flatbread with prosciutto and marinated melon.

About Trent James

Trent James is quickly becoming one of the top magicians working today. Trent adds a fresh spin on an art form that’s been around for centuries. You won’t find him pulling rabbits out of top hats or a dramatic spotlight forcing the audience to take him seriously. He prefers a much more casual approach, combining sleight of hand magic with humor and intimate connection.

At a very young age, he received over twenty awards recognizing his skill in magic, including being the youngest recipient of the prestigious Milbourne Christopher Award, a distinction previously given to David Copperfield and Penn and Teller. Since then, Trent has built a career traveling the world, performing at colleges, comedy clubs, corporate events, luxury cruise ships, and headlining iconic venues such as The Chicago Magic Lounge and The Magic Castle in Hollywood. No matter the circumstances, Trent James will make you fall in love with magic.

About Chef Hunter Moore

At sixteen, Hunter Moore got his first professional job at a cheeseburger joint in Florida. He moved to Champaign-Urbana after high school, where he began to think creatively about food while working at a mom-and-pop Italian spot and a primarily vegan deli and bakery. From there, he moved to Chicago to attend culinary school. Once out of school, Moore worked his way through some of the city’s best kitchens, including Spiaggia, Avec, Girl and the Goat, and Lula Cafe, deepening both his knowledge of and passion for the craft of quality ingredients and seasonality as well as cooking and hospitality in general. Hunter opened Parsonʼs Chicken & Fish in May of 2013 as the Executive Chef, creating an evolving seasonal menu that has received much acclaim and successfully opening four locations.

Also Happening at Chicago Magic Lounge

Music & Magic

Mondays at 7:00pm through December 23, 2024

Tickets: General Admission $30

 

The Showcase

Tuesdays at 7:00pm

Tickets: Standard: $37.50; Front Row: $42

Artist-in-Residence Series

Mister Danny’s Magic In Session

Wednesdays at 7:00pm through December 18, 2024

Tickets: Standard: $42.50; Front Row: $47.50

By day, Mister Danny is Mister Rudnick, an advanced high school chemistry teacher. By night (and weekends and summer break), he practices his lifelong passion as an award-winning professional magician. In Magic in Session, Mister Danny fuses his two professional personas into one, presenting awe-inspiring magic that he has perfected over years of practice and study in a way only a science teacher can. While most magicians go to great lengths to conceal the secrets of magic, Mister Danny believes that the secret is the best part!

The Signature Show

Thursdays-Sundays at 7:00pm, Fridays and Sundays at 10pm

Tickets: Front Row $89.50 - $96, Premium Main Floor (main floor banquette and main floor cabaret) $76.00 – $82.50, Standard (rail and elevated banquette) $68.50 - $75, Mezzanine $55.00 – 61.50. 

 

Family Show

Sundays at 3:30pm

Tickets: Standard: $40; Front Row: $50

Tickets for all Chicago Magic Lounge performances are available at the box office, (312) 366-4500 or online at chicagomagiclounge.com. Chicago Magic Lounge is a 21+ venue. Ages 16+ allowed to ticketed evening shows with a legal guardian. Ages 5+ are allowed to The Family Show. Children must be supervised by an adult at all times. The staff and performers of the Chicago magic lounge are fully vaccinated for covid 19. Ticket holders must attest to being fully vaccinated against covid-19 or have tested negative within 48 hours prior to your visit to enter the premises.

For a complete schedule of performances and more information about Chicago Magic Lounge, resident and guest performers, and more, please visit chicagomagiclounge.com.

Redtwist Theatre's TWISTED PLAYFEST 12/5-12/22 AND HEADLINING PRODUCTION TOTALITY OF ALL THINGS DECEMBER 5, 2024 - JANUARY 19, 2025

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

REDTWIST THEATRE ANNOUNCES CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR ITS INAUGURAL 

TWISTED PLAYFEST 

AND HEADLINING PRODUCTION 

TOTALITY OF ALL THINGS

DECEMBER 5, 2024 - JANUARY 19, 2025 

AND PLAYS, PLAYWRIGHTS AND DIRECTORS FOR 

TWISTED PLAYFEST, DECEMBER 17 - DECEMBER 22

Erik Gernand’s Totality of All Things, directed by Enrico Spada, is the headliner 

and kicks off Twisted Playfest

Top: (L to R) Jacqueline Grandt, Kason Chesky, Philip C. Matthews

Bottom: (L to R) Suzy Krueckeberg, Aundria TraNay, Phil Aman

Award-winning Redtwist Theatre is proud to announce the roster of plays for its inaugural Twisted Playfest, December 17 - 22, and the cast and creative team for the headlining production in Twisted Playfest, The Totality of Things, written by Eric Gernand and directed by Enrico Spada, December 5, 2024 - January, 19, 2025, at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Complete schedule and additional details are below. The Totality of All Things single tickets and Twisted Playfest reservations will be available on Monday, Nov. 18 at RedtwistTheatre.org with discounts available for seniors, students and industry professionals and pay-what-you-can for all Friday performances of The Totality of All Things.

Redtwist's inaugural new work incubator, Twisted Playfest features six plays at various stages of development. The plays are presented as staged readings, stand readings and a main stage production of Eric Gernand's The Totality of All Things. In addition to inclusion in Twisted Playfest, Redtwist supports its festival playwrights throughout the new year with additional readings and workshops.

“We look forward to the launch of the first Twisted Playfest at our newly renovated Redtwist Theatre,” said Co-Artistic Director Dusty Brown. “This new festival - six plays, 10 days, 20 performances, all Chicago - will introduce plays from Chicago playwrights and offer audiences a rare opportunity to see these new works.”

“The Twisted Playfest is the first step in these new plays’ incubation,” said Co-Artistic Director Eileen Dixon. “From our headliner The Totality of All Things to the staged readings to the stand readings, the inaugural roster of plays represents a wide variety of styles, ideas and themes. Redtwist is introducing this new work so that the playwrights may hear from audiences and contemporaries to continue the works’ development.”

The 2024 Twisted Playfest includes:

TWISTED PLAYFEST HEADLINER 

The Totality of All Things

Headliner of the Twisted Playfest

December 5 - January 19, 2025

Written by Eric Gernand

Directed by Enrico Spada

Previews: Thursday, Dec.5 and Friday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Press Opening: Saturday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Performance Schedule:

Previews: Thursday, Dec.5 and Friday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Performances: Sunday, Dec. 8 at 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 12 - Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 15 at 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 19 and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 9 and Friday, Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 11 at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 12 at 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 16 and Friday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 18 at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 19 at 3:30 p.m.

Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.

RedtwistTheatre.org

Tickets: $35 with discounts available for seniors, students and industry professionals and pay-what-you-can for all Friday performances.

The centerpiece of Redtwist's inaugural Twisted Playfest is The Totality of All Things. The Totality of All Things introduces audiences to Judith Benson, “teacher-famous” for the award-winning student newspaper she proudly oversees at her small Indiana high school, a program that extols truth and integrity in journalism. At the start of a new school year, an anti-gay hate crime occurs calling everything Judith believes about inspiring the next generation of reporters and the definition of truth itself into question.

The cast of Totality of All Things is Redtwist Ensemble Member Jacqueline Grandt (she/her, Judith); Suzy Krueckeberg (she/her, DeeAnn); Philip Matthews (he/him, Gregg); Kason Chesky (he/him, Micah); Aundria TreNay (she/her, Ms. Carter); Phil Aman (he/him, Principal Benson); Hilary Sanzel (she/her, Judith understudy); Michelle Perry (she/her, DeeAnn understudy); Nate Brimner Smith (he/him, Gregg understudy); Zachary Cutter (he/him, Micah understudy); Andi Muriel (she/her, Ms. Carter understudy) and Hugo Balta (he/him, Principal Benson understudy).

The production team for Totality of All Things is Erik Gernand (he/him, playwright); Enrico Spada (he/him, director); Taylor Mercado Owen (he/him, stage manager); Emily Newmark (she/her, assistant director); Madeline Felauer (she/her, costume designer); Redtwist Ensemble Member Jeff Brain (he/him, props designer and technical director); Camille Pugliese (she/her, dramaturg); Nicholas Svoboda (he/him, sound designer); Brandii Champagne (they/them, scenic designer); Raine DeDominici (they/them/she/her, production manager) and Cat Davis (she/her/they/them, lighting designer).

TWISTED PLAYFEST STAGED READINGS

Fiona

Written by Zack Peercy

Directed by Jessica Love  

Performance schedule: Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 4 p.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

Fiona is the performance of a lifetime. What starts as an examination of 25 letters all addressed to an unknown "Fiona" rapidly evolves, expands, contracts and explodes into an exploration of belief, reality, presentation and legacy.

Man Cave

Written by Caroline Kidwell

Directed by Co-Artistic Director Eileen Dixon  

Performance schedule: Friday, Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 22 at 3 p.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

Guess what? The world ended. And Hannah, a lifestyle vlogger, has been living alone in a bunker for five years. She’s an influencer with no one to influence until Wanda, a survivor, knocks on her door.

Keep It Light

Written by Toby Inoue

Directed by LeKecia Harris

Performance schedule:

Tickets: Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 12 p.m.

Pay-What-You-Can 

To find their way back to each other, two mixed-race half-sisters are forced to grapple with the complicated ways in which their mother's racism broke them apart. Winnie, half African-American, is a famous but canceled celebrity stand-up comedian and Tomi, half Asian-American, is an elementary school art teacher who stayed in their hometown. Tomi calls Winnie home when their mother becomes seriously ill and the sisters sort their mother's house as they accommodate her last wishes, including a comeback show for Winnie and a hospital wedding for Tomi.

TWISTED PLAYFEST STAND READINGS

You Sit Down and You Cry

Written by Ruben Carrazana

Directed by Joshua Servantez

Performance schedule: Thursday, Dec. 19 at 10 p.m and Sunday, Dec. 22 at 1 p.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can 

The play is about a break-up. A really bad break-up. Like the worst. And about time. And how time heals. And how, sometimes, it doesn't. A play about moving on. And not moving on. An anti-romantic comedy about toxic masculinity and pain and suicide and pizza rolls and the United States Postal Service. A love letter to getting your heart crushed, because sometimes, you deserve it.

Murder in Residence

Written by MT Cozzola

Directed by Hannah Blau

Performance schedule: Friday, Dec. 20 at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 22 at 5 p.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

When a brilliant young poet disappears from an artist’s colony, her fellow writers weave alibis to shield their secrets from an unseen inspector who digs relentlessly for the truth. In a secluded mountain retreat, six ambitious women come together to write their masterpieces but switch to alibis when brilliant young Kenna meets a mysterious demise. As they struggle to shield their secrets, a relentless inspector digs for the truth. Everyone is lying - Kenna’s lover Mandy, rival Fern, would-be bestie Lynette…even the kindly cabbie who saw her last. In a race against time to unmask the killer, each must confront their deepest desires and wrestle with the bonds of love, art and community.

Deserted

Written by Melanie Coffey

Directed by Co-Artistic Director Dusty Brown

Performance schedule: Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

Jodie and Emma are the lucky winners of the Project's Soil competition, where they receive a truckload of soil and are to garden it with prairie grasses, native flowers and the vegetables of their choosing. But their well is drying up, the Neighbor keeps sneaking over and eating the soil and the couple is becoming less and less the good team they thought they were. Putting roots down in desertified land is never easy.

Following

Written by Ben F. Locke

Directed by Devin Christor

Performance schedule: Wednesday, Dec. 19 at 8 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 10 a.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

Darnell is an up and coming app designer. His popularity attracts a lot of fame and attention. It all seems great until he finds out that he's being stalked. Can Darnell solve the mystery before it's too late? Following explores what exactly it means to be an ally. Do we do what we do because it's the right thing to do or do we all have our own selfish motives that dictate what we deem as what's right and wrong?

Strange Fruit

Written by Brandon Wright

Directed by Rashaad A. Bond

Performance schedule: Friday, Dec. 20 at 10 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 22 at 11 a.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

In quiet suburbia, a group of five come across the body of a black boy hanging from a tree. They take it upon themselves to figure out whodunit, but as they explore the nature of this violent hate crime true secrets start to become uncovered within themselves.

Short Changed

Written by Jordan Gleaves

Directed by Aja Singetary

Performance schedule: Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 10 p.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

Stan is homeless in the West End neighborhood of Atlanta and estranged from his brother. To make matters worse, Stan is about to lose his beloved “Mother,” Friendship Baptist Church, which is to be demolished and replaced by a new football stadium for the Atlanta Falcons. In the midst of the neighborhood’s rapid gentrification, Richard returns into Stan’s life with hopes of helping his younger brother get a leg up out of homelessness and avoid displacement. First, however, they must work to amend their relationship and work past moral differences. Is reconciliation possible and how much will it matter when the community around the brothers is changing with or without their participation?

Stage managers for Twisted Playfest are Marisa Langston (she/her), Eliot Colin (they/them/he/him) and Charlie Levinson (they/them/she/her).

Productions, participants and dates are subject to change.

ABOUT REDTWIST THEATRE RENOVATIONS

Redtwist partnered with the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development to build back better following the COVID quarantine. Redtwist was selected as a finalist for a 3-to-1 matching grant from the City of Chicago, which provided up to $250,000 in funding to renovate its performance space, lobby and street frontage.

These renovations mean a fresh face for Redtwist’s corner of Bryn Mawr, drawing in audiences from across the city and bringing new life to a Historic District that has been devastated by COVID-19. On the Western side of the building, the lobby was reimagined; increasing accessibility and installing a new cafe to provide concessions for all Redtwist shows. Finally, it means a revived performance space with added production capabilities, which will allow the Company to continue creating thrilling performances in its intimate black box space.
 

ABOUT REDTWIST THEATRE

Redtwist, now celebrating its 20th anniversary, is an award-winning theatre company that stages up close and personal contemporary dramas annually in its intimate black box theatre housed proudly within the heart of Edgewater’s Bryn Mawr Historic District.

Intimate performances at Redtwist are designed to place the theatre patron in the midst of the stories being told, making them accessible and riveting. Redtwist strives for excellence with every project and endeavors to take risks while offering opportunities for up-and-coming actors, designers and directors to work with established talent. Redtwist provides the very best Chicago storefront theatre experience from excellence on stage, to warm hospitality in a clean, friendly environment.

Hell in a Handbag Productions Presents Rudolph THE RED-HOSED REINDEER December 13, 2024 – January 5, 2025

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

25th Anniversary Edition!

Hell in a Handbag Productions Presents

Rudolph THE RED-HOSED REINDEER

An Unauthorized Musical Parody

By Artistic Director David Cerda

Directed by Anthony Whitaker

December 13, 2024 – January 5, 2025

at Hoover Leppen Theatre at Center on Halsted

Pictured: Hell in a Handbag Productions’ 2011 production of Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer (An Unauthorized Musical Parody). Photo by Rick Aguilar Studios.

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we adore Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer. This sexy, silly celebration of the season is a hoot, and an excellent tonic to too much family together time, and too many mainstream Christmas tunes. Can't wait to catch it again. Are you more of a Dasher, a Dancer, a Prancer, or maybe a Vixen? No matter your gender or orientation, if queer positive camp, witty parody, drag, and comedy is your jam, you'll find Hell in a Handbag Productions shows a welcome space to share a laugh. 

Hell in a Handbag Productions is pleased to open its 2024/25 Season with the 25th anniversary edition of Artistic Director David Cerda’s* holiday classic Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer (An Unauthorized Musical Parody), directed by Anthony Whitaker, playing December 13, 2024 – January 5, 2025 at Hoover Leppen Theatre at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Tickets are now on sale at handbagproductions.org or buytickets.at/hellinahandbagproductions/1452754. I'll be out for the press opening December 15th, so check back soon for my full review.

This beloved and twisted musical parody of the animated 1967 children’s television special features all your favorite misfits and Rudolph – the cross-dressing reindeer with a penchant for red hose and heels. In trademark Handbag style, Rudolph combines parody with heartfelt moments and a splash of scathing social commentary.

The cast includes ensemble members David Cerda*, Sydney Genco*, Caitlin Jackson*, Lori Lee*, and Terry McCarthy* with Eustace Allen, Mark Bartishell, Kelly Bolton, Cameron Cai, Michael Hampton, Micah Mixon, TJ O'Brien, Shawn Quinlan, Michael Radford, Peter Ruger, Matt Sergot and Whitney Willard Wilkinson. Understudies include: Sophia Dennis, Douglas Levin, Al Duffy and Vito Vittore.

The production team includes Marcus Klein (Scenic Designer), Marquecia Jordan (Costume Designer), Liz Cooper (Lighting Designer), Maya Reter, (Sound Designer), Maggie O'Brien (Props Designer), Jamal Howard (Choreographer), Chad Gearig (Music Director), Syd Genco* (Make-Up Designer), Keith Ryan* (Wig Designer), Veronica Kostka* (Production Manager), Tom Daniel (Technical Director), Jackson Mikkelsen (Electrician), Michael S. Miller (Graphic Designer), Nihan Baysal (Stage Manager) and Sara Blickem (Assistant Stage Manager).

Benefit Weekend

Handbag will host a weekend of benefit performances Friday, December 20 – Sunday, December Sunday, December 22, 2024 with a pre-show party including appetizers, plus the option of VIP reserved seating, drink tickets and a gift bag. There will also be raffles and a silent auction with fabulous items to bid on. All proceeds will support Handbag’s mission to serve Chicago audiences with the best camp and parody – thus ensuring the preservation and celebration of this unequivocally queer art form.

*Denotes Handbag Ensemble Member

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Cast (in alphabetical order): Eustace Allen (Tom Donner, Choo Choo), Mark Bartishell (Drag Beast, Ensemble), Kelly Bolton (Herbie), Cameron Cai (Spike/Ensemble), David Cerda* (Gladys Dasher), Sydney Genco* (Elfina, Choo Choo), Michael Hampton (Santa), Caitlin Jackson* (Mrs. Claus, Dolly), Lori Lee* (Yukon Cornelia), Terry McCarthy* (Connie Blitzen, TT Barbie), Micah Mixon (Jane Donner, Ensemble) TJ O'Brien (QMR, Ensemble), Shawn Quinlan (Andy Cohen), Michael Radford (Score, Half Naked Cowboy), Peter Ruger (Rudolph), Matt Sergot (Sam the Snowman) and Whitney Willard Wilkinson (Clarice).

Understudies: Sophia Dennis, Al Duffy, Douglas Levin and Vito Vittore.

Location: Hoover Leppen Theatre at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., Chicago

Previews: Friday, December 13 at Saturday, December 14 at 7:30 pm

Opening/Press performance: Sunday, December 15 at 7:30 pm

Regular run: Wednesday, December 18, 2024 – Sunday, January 5, 2025

Curtain Times: Thursday, Fridays and Saturday at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will be added performances on Wednesday, December 18 at 7:30 pm and Monday, December 30 (Industry Night).

Special Benefit Performances: Friday, December 20 at 7 pm, Saturday, December 21 at 7 pm and Sunday, December 22 at 3 pm. Please note early curtain times on Friday and Saturday.

Tickets: $29 previews, $39 early bird general admission, $45 general admission, $50 at the door, $52 advanced VIP/reserved ticket with no drink ticket, $60 advanced VIP/reserved seating with drink ticket. Group rates $36 for 10 or more.

Benefit Performance Tickets: $60 general admission (includes appetizers) and $125 VIP/reserved (includes reserved seating, appetizers, drink ticket and gift bag).

Tickets for all performances are now on sale at handbagproductions.org or buytickets.at/hellinahandbagproductions/1452754.

About the Artists

David Cerda (Playwright) is a founding member and Artistic Director of Hell in a Handbag Productions, now celebrating its 23rd  year anniversary. As resident playwright, he has written many Handbag productions as well as acted in them. His play, The Drag Seed was recently produced at LaMaMa Experimental Theater and his Golden Girls Lost Episodes parody shows have been produced around the country and was featured in Golden Con: Thank you for being a Fan, the world’s first fan convention dedicated to all things Golden Girls at Chicago’s Navy Pier. Cerda is a proud inductee into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame and recipient of a Jeff Award for lifetime achievement for his 23 years (and counting) of work and service to the community. He lives in Chicago with his partner, Christopher.

Anthony Whitaker (Director) is happy to be returning to Hell In a Handbag after having directed the Jeff-nominated Murder Re-Wrote and a week-long run as Happy The Elf in The Golden Girls Save Christmas. They most recently appeared in Sign Of The Traveler, a self-written solo performance, Anything Goes (Porchlight Music Theatre), Cabaret (Metropolis Performing Arts Center) as Herr Schultz and La Cage Aux Folles with Ginger Minj (Music Theater Works). They are the Co-Artistic Director the New American Folk Theatre (newamericanfolktheatre.org), where they wrote and/or performed in productions of, Two from the Trailer Court, The Marvelous Land of Oz, Dark of the Moon, Trash. Hot Pink, My Life Is A Country Song and directed the Jeff-nominated The Summer of Daisy Fay, written by Ed Howard and based on a novel by Fannie Flagg. Some of their favorite Chicago performances include Whoop Dee Doo (Royal George Theatre), A Funny Thing Happened... (Porchlight), Hands On A Hardbody (Refuge Theatre) and Shockheaded Peter (Black Button Eyes). In addition to performing, Anthony teaches music and theatre in various Chicago area schools. They recently completed the short films, Shape Notes and The Caretaker, and has appeared on Chicago PD. They are represented by Big Mouth Talent.

About Hell in a Handbag Productions

Hell in a Handbag is dedicated to the preservation, exploration, and celebration of works ingrained in the realm of popular culture via theatrical productions through parody, music and homage. Handbag is a 501(c)(3) Not for Profit. For additional information, visit handbagproductions.org.