Psych-Rock Band Elephant Stone to Play Chicago's Sleeping Village September 22, 2026

Chi, IL Live Shows on our Radar:

North American and European Tour Dates Announced 

in Support of Elephant Stone's Latest Album

ASHA 

Photo Credit: Bowen Stead 

Psych-rock band, Elephant Stone, will be coming through Chicago at Sleeping Village on September 22, in celebration of their new album ASHA (out August 28.) I'll be shooting a photo feature and covering their Chicago gig for ChiIL Live Shows. Check 'em out!

With a discography spanning 10 acclaimed releases, Elephant Stone continues to push the psych-rock genre into exhilarating new territory, transforming their kaleidoscopic sound into a thrilling, full-bodied experience that you don't want to miss seeing live. 

“‘I Got a Pill’ maintains the band’s deepest psychedelic instincts 

while stretching their sound into the realm of radio-ready rock 

embellished with sitar, tabla, and Hammond organ.” - FLOOD Magazine

NA tour poster, Credit: Jon Carling

Tour Dates:
Sept 15 Burlington, VT @ Foam Brewers
Sept 16 Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar
Sept 17 Troy, NY @ No Fun
Sept 18 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
Sept 19 Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong
Sept 20 State College, PA @ Manny's
Sept 22 Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village
Sept 23 Detroit, MI @ Outer Limits
Sept 24 Toronto, ON @ Second Summer Festival
Oct 1 Montreal, QC @ Bar le Ritz
Nov 2 Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Nov 4 Paris, FR @ Le Chinois
Nov 16 London, UK @ MOTH Club

“Elephant Stone’s Rishi Dhir [has] made a career out of channeling personal

and collective upheaval into expansive psych rock, sitar in hand.” - Magnet Magazine

Elephant Stone
Share "I Got A Pill”
Single + Video




ASHA LP Out August 28


ASHA Tracklist:
1. Here Comes The Rising Sun
2. Everything Evil
3. Fascists Killed Yer Rock 'N' Roll
4. I Got A Pill
5. Broken Arrow
6. A Beautiful Fate
7. Parallel And Contrary Motion
8. Sleepwalking In Prague
9. Spirit, Take Me Away (feat. Amy Millan)

“A hypnotic blend of psych-rock and pop, Elephant Stone’s music is 

both enchanting and haunting.” - Rolling Stone

Montreal’s Elephant Stone unveiled their new single “I Got A Pill,” the latest preview of their upcoming album ASHA, arriving August 28. First premiered via FLOOD Magazine, "I Got A Pill" continues where previous single "Fascists Killed Yer Rock 'N' Roll" left off. Same rot, different angle.

Frontman Rishi Dhir explains, "It's about demagogues, the populist playbook. Leaders who feed on people's fear and offer an easy fix. The pill. Take it and your problems go away. Except it doesn't work like that. It's control dressed up as relief.”

"Elephant Stone deftly melds Indian classical music with modern psych-rock,

creating a unique and immersive experience.” - NPR

Directed by Adam Traynor and featuring handcrafted puppets by Diablo Puppets, the accompanying video embodies the song’s false promise of escape, inviting viewers into a surreal puppet world. Handmade and a little unhinged, characters Futzy, Radis, and Mascot lure the audience even deeper into the hypnotic, technicolor dreamscape, blurring the lines between comfort and control.



Adam Traynor says, "The lyrics to 'I Got A Pill' woo and warn all at once. I wanted to put the sweetness of that voice into the mouth of a Tony the Tiger-type mascot with a special breakfast gift for kids that would be sure to kick off a trip into a sugary Wonderland, a cardboard Oz, an awe-inducing game-world of artificial colours, a Dark Crystal quest for power, a Soylent Green feeding frenzy."

“I Got A Pill”: Listen / Watch



"I Got A Pill" comes off ASHA, Elephant Stone's 10th studio release via Elephants On Parade. Named after the late mother of frontman Rishi Dhir – Asha means "Hope" in Sanskrit – the album is a meditation on grief, hope, and the friction between sorrow and the darkness of these times. Limited edition signed and hand-numbered vinyl is available for pre-order now via Little Cloud Records.

At the heart of Montreal’s Elephant Stone is Rishi Dhir, a songwriter and sitarist who has spent twenty years blurring the lines between Western psych-pop and Indian classical tradition. What began in 2006 as a quest for transcendental sound has evolved into a singular, self-contained vision. Operating out of his Montreal home studio, Sacred Sounds, Dhir has emerged as a true studio auteur – producing, engineering, and mixing the band’s increasingly complex and cinematic output.

"Their music is an alluring fusion of traditional Indian sounds and contemporary rock

sensibilities – a true sonic adventure." - BrooklynVegan

While the band’s reputation was built on airtight pop craftsmanship and spiritual exploration, their recent work – anchored by longtime members Miles Dupire, Robbie MacArthur, and Jason Kent – possesses a new, raw intensity. It is a sound forged through Dhir’s deep collaborative history with icons like The Black Angels, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Beck, as well as his role in the psych-supergroup MIEN.

With a discography spanning 10 acclaimed releases, Elephant Stone remains at the forefront of the modern movement, constantly deconstructing the past to find something visceral, haunting, and undeniably human in the present.

In support of their new album, Elephant Stone have also announced new tour dates across Europe this fall, going on sale this Friday, July 17. The band will also be embarking on a North American tour kicking off in September. Dates and tickets for all shows are available here.




EU tour poster, Credit: Jon Carling


Follow Elephant Stone:
Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook
Spotify | TikTok | Substack

REVIEW & PHOTO FEATURE: The Crane Wives at Chicago's Park West August 18, 2026

Chi, IL Live Shows on our Radar:

The Crane Wives

With Direct Support by Brye 

Play Chicago's Park West on August 18, 2026

All Show Photos by Dugan Kenaz-Mara

GUEST REVIEW

By Dugan Kenaz-Mara

On August 18th the Crane Wives made one of the last stops on their Act III tour, once again gracing Chicago with their presence. Spanning the month of August, their tour has 3 stops left. And if you’re quick, you can still catch their final show in Indianapolis on the 22nd. 

The concert started with special guest Brye, a solo artist who grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. Her beautiful music captured the audience and took us on a journey exploring themes of body positivity, queerness, and mental health. During the set we also got to learn about the hardships that she had recently experienced. About a week before the show the trailer with all of her merch and instruments was stolen, and then later found empty. Luckily the Crane Wives were able to lend her a guitar for the end of the tour and she was available in the lobby after the show to take polaroids with fans in lieu of missing merchandise. 

When her set finished, we had a short interlude for the bands to switch over. To my delight, the Crane Wives continued their mysterious pre-show tradition. We watched as the “Mysterious Deer Man” emerged through the haze into the blue stage lights. Walking through the cattail cutouts to place lanterns down, creating the whimsical atmosphere on stage. But this time he wasn’t alone. A second deer appeared and chased the first one, Benny Hill-style, around the stage, before composing himself and leaving the stage so the band could begin. It was a hilarious and unexpected twist that the onlookers thoroughly enjoyed. 

The past 2 years I have covered The Crane Wives when they stopped in Chicago, and like both times before, this concert was a blast to attend! The band always delivers a high-energy show that’s perfect for letting out all of your big emotions. They even encourage the audience to sing, clap, and dance along, inviting everyone in attendance to build up the lively atmosphere their shows are known for.

I also found this performance at Park West highly engaging compared to previous shows. The band was fairly close to the audience thanks to having no pit area, so Kate Pillsbury (guitar/vocals) commented about trying not to look people in the eyes. During the encore she also asked if we were more "The Hand That Feeds" or "Steady, Steady" people, letting us vote. Luckily the vote was split and we got both songs as a treat. 

Which brings me my main takeaway from the night: the Crane Wives are particularly kind. The more intimate site really highlighted all of the things they did to make their performance special for us, and for those they work with. They introduced Brye at the start, encouraging us to give her as much love as we would give them. They lent her the guitar and promoted her merch. They shouted out their crew members by name as well as their tour manager who books their locations. And when they left the stage at the end of the night, they made heart hands to the audience which were returned in kind. 

The last time the Crane Wives performed in Chicago, they were promoting their most recent album and played 6 songs from it. This time, the audience was treated to a fairly even mix of newer and older songs from almost all of their albums. This setlist featured the most songs from Coyote Stories and Foxlore, their hit 2015 and 2016 albums, then wove in a few songs each from The Fool in Her Wedding Dress (2012), Here I am (2020), and Beyond Beyond Beyond (2024). 

The full set list is below:

Brye:

• Lemons

• Apples

• My Body’s My Buddy

• Little Things

• Not a Baby

• Jenna

• Diet Culture

  
  

  

Crane Wives:

• Queen of Nothing

• Icarus

• Arcturus Beaming

• The Well

• Allies or Enemies

• Never Love an Anchor

• Turn Out the Lights

• Take Me to War

• Pretty Little Things

• The Moon Will Sing

• Black Hole Fantasy

• Nobody

• Sleeping Giants

• Curses

• The Garden

• The Hand That Feeds

• Steady Steady

• Tongues & Teeth

  
  

  Dugan Kenaz-Mara is a Chicago based designer, photographer, educator, and graduate of Northwestern University's theatre program.

  
  

  

  All Show Photos by Dugan Kenaz-Mara

  The Crane Wives

  "The Crane Wives charmed us again with its harmony-laced folk-rock…polished sound and dynamic energy…proves just how much fun the band is having with its music.” - NPR
  
  
  "The Crane Wives are a four-piece band that have an uncanny ability 
  at crafting goose-bump inducing three-part harmonies.” - No Depression
  
  
  "They’re an impeccable band with incredibly tight instrumentation and harmonies that, paired with an inclination for catchy hooks and scintillating lyricism, make a strong case for their burgeoning popularity.” - For Folk’s Sake
  
  
  "Harnessing a sense of emotional honesty, guttural lyrics are backed by twangy guitar and steady drum beats" - NYS Music
    
  

  
  

  The Crane Wives 

  highly anticipated US tour. 

  Kicking off on April 14, The Crane Wives will bring their dynamic live show to stages nationwide, delighting audiences in cities including Los Angeles, Portland, Houston, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, and beyond.

  The band has also announced new tour dates this August, hitting cities across Colorado, as well as Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and beyond.

  Tour dates and tickets for all shows are on sale now and available here.

  

  Born of the 2010’s folk boom and now comfortably stationed in their rock and roll era, Grand Rapids’ The Crane Wives epitomize the evolving landscape of indie folk. Their high-energy performances have been described as “charged with emotion and technical skill” (Blurred Culture), while their harmony-dense melodies support deeply resonant lyrics, exploring the vulnerable and the ugly sides of the human condition. The band has built a global community and has amassed over 1m Spotify monthly listeners and 150m total streams with their unparalleled, spirited live show, evocative lyricism and glimmering harmonies.

  

  Featured by Michigan Radio and NPR’s All Songs Considered, the band’s sixth full-length studio record Beyond Beyond Beyond received high praise, with Glasse Factory calling the album “a testament to the band’s ability to turn personal struggles into universally relatable anthems." Niner Times describes the album as “angsty, haunting and gritty,” praising its departure from the more traditional folk sound of The Crane Wives’ previous records. Since its release in September 2024, Beyond Beyond Beyond has accrued over 7 million streams on Spotify.

  

  The pulse of The Crane Wives is delivered by Ben Zito (bass) and Dan Rickabus (drums), creating a driving, dynamic backdrop while co-leads Emilee Petersmark and Kate Pillsbury establish expansive and gritty conversations between their electric guitars. A web of three-part harmony helps to soften the blow of their emotional candor, like a 21st century Cerberus, the hound of Hades reimagined as an emotional support animal.

  The Crane Wives have 6 full-length albums under their belts and have performed over 600 shows across the US, sharing stages with acts such as The Avett Brothers, Lake Street Dive, Rusted Root, The Dead South, Joseph, and many more.
   

  US August Tour Dates:

  August 5 Crested Butte, CO @ Mt. Crested Butte
  August 7 Fort Collins, CO @ Washington’s 
  August 8 Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
  August 10 Dillon, CO @ Dillon Amphitheater
  August 12 Omaha, NE @ The Admiral Theater
  August 13 Des Moines, IA @ Wooly’s
  August 14 Sioux Falls, MD @ The District
  August 15 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
  August 16 Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
  August 18 Chicago, IL @ Park West
  August 20 Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note
  August 21 St. Louis, MO @ The Sovereign
  August 22 Indianapolis, IN @ Nickel Plate District Amphitheater 
  

  

  
  
  

  Follow The Crane Wives:
  Website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Spotify | YouTube | Bio

  
  

  

  All Show Photos by Dugan Kenaz-Mara 

  
  

Hell in a Handbag Productions Presents JOAN CRAWFORD GOES TO HELL August 21 – September 27, 2026

Chi, IL Live Shows on our Radar:

Hell in a Handbag Productions Presents

JOAN CRAWFORD GOES TO HELL

By Artistic Director David Cerda

Directed by Cheryl Snodgrass

August 21 – September 27, 2026 at The Clutch

Hell in a Handbag Productions, now celebrating its 25th year, is pleased to present a revival of the fan favorite Joan Crawford Goes To Hell, written by Artistic Director David Cerda* and directed byCheryl Snodgrass, playing August 21 – September 27, 2026 at The Clutch, Handbag’s boutique performance space at 4335 N. Western Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently on sale at handbagproductions.org and buytickets.at/hellinahandbagproductions/2276662.

The cast includes ensemble members David Cerda*, Lori Lee*, TJ O’Brien* and Michael Rashid* with Tyler Calhoun, Nick Dorado, Jennifer Engstrom, Haley Gillman, Gretchen Greear, Nicholas Ian, Ryan Kenny and Coco Sho-Nell.

Pictured (left to right) Ensemble member David Cerda, Gretchen Greear and Coco Sho-Nell in a publicity image for Hell in a Handbag Productions’ revival of Joan Crawford Goes To Hell. Photo by Rick Aguilar Studios.

About the Production:

Originally produced in 1999 with Sweetback Productions, Joan Crawford Goes To Hell is a roller coaster ride that explores the life of the legendary Hollywood star.

The premise? Joan Crawford (David Cerda*) dies, goes to hell and is forced to view her life through the eyes of her daughter, Christina (TJ O’Brien*) in a tale so big it needs three Joans! Part Mommie Dearest, part biography with a dash of Joan’s lifestyle book, My Way of Life, Joan Crawford Goes to Hell is the perfect summer cocktail for those with a taste for camp.

The production team includes Marcus Klein* (Scenic Design), Ben Kress (Costume Designer), Liz Cooper (Lighting Design), Danny Rockett (Sound Design), Maggie O’Brien (Prop Design), DJ Douglass (Video & Projection Design),Syd Genco** (Makeup Design), Keith Ryan* (Wig Design), Matt Tenny (Fight & Intimacy Coordinator), Carol Kelleher (Production Manager), Jason Pikscher (Technical Director), Francis Brenner (Stage Manager), Rick Aguilar* (Photography) and Michael S. Miller* (Graphics).

*Denotes Handbag Ensemble Member | **Denotes Handbag Associate Member

Cast (in alphabetical order): Tyler Calhoun (Various/Carol Ann u/s), David Cerda* (Joan #1), Nick Dorado (Mr. Deville/Various), Jennifer Engstrom (Celluloid Joan), Haley Gillman (Child Christina/Various), Gretchen Greear (Joan #2), Nicholas Ian (Various/Joan #2 & 3 u/s), Ryan Kenny (Carol Ann/Various), Lori Lee* (Helga/Various), TJ O’Brien* (Teen/Adult Christina), Michael Rashid* (Greg/Various) and Coco Sho-Nell (Joan #3).

Location: The Clutch, 4335 N. Western Ave., Chicago

Now playing through Sunday, September 27, 2026.
Curtain Times: Fridays and Saturday at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm and 7 pm. Please note: There will be an added Industry Night performance on Monday, September 14 at 7:30 pm.

Tickets: $29* previews, $40 VIP previews*, $39* advanced general admission, $52* VIP/reserved seating. Group rates $35* for 10 or more. VIP tickets include a refreshment and reserved premium seating. Tickets are currently on sale at handbagproductions.org and https://buytickets.at/hellinahandbagproductions/2276662. *Ticket prices include processing fees.



About the Artists

David Cerda (Playwright) is a founding member and Artistic Director of Hell in a Handbag Productions, now celebrating its 25th anniversary. As resident playwright, he has written many Handbag productions as well as acted in them. His play, The Drag Seed was produced at LaMaMa Experimental Theater and his Golden Girls Lost Episodesparody shows have been produced around the country and 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 body of work and service to the community. He lives in Chicago with his partner, Christopher and Walter the Wonder Dog..

Cheryl Snodgrass (Director) is an alumnus ensemble member of HIAH and is back to direct her 11th production at her artistic home. She directed Die Mommie! Die!, Haywire, Rip Nelson’s Halloween Spooktacular, SCARRIE: The Musical, L’Imitation of Life, The Birds, The Drag Seed (at Mary’s Attic, Chopin Theatre and LaMama in NYC), A Fine Feathered Murder and Scary Town. She’s worked extensively as a visiting artist at Mill Mountain Theatre, Studio Roanoke and Hollins University (Roanoke, VA). Cheryl has directed for Sweetback, Glass Apple, Trap Door, The Foundlings, Tellin’ Tales, Jonny Staxx Presents, Filet of Solo and Larkspur Productions. Most recently, Cheryl directed the pre-publishing premier of John Cariani’s new play Darker the Night Brighter the Stars at the Penobscot Theatre Company in Bangor, ME and the world premiere of The Posthumous Trial of Giulia Tofana at The Den. Next up, Cheryl will be returning to Penobscot Theatre Company to direct The Book Club.



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.

Sisters To Open Writers Theatre's 35th Season August 13-November 8, 2026

ChiIL Live Shows on our Radar:

Writers Theatre opens its 35th Season

with the riveting and emotional near-future family drama

Sisters

by Matthew Libby, directed by Jessica Thebus

August 13-November 8, 2026

Writers Theatre, under the leadership of Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma and Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Artistic Director Braden Abraham, opens its 35th Season in the intimate Gillian Theatre with Sisters, a gripping family drama exploring the familial bond between a woman and her AI sister, written by Matthew Libby and directed by acclaimed Chicago artist and Northwestern University faculty member Jessica Thebus. On the heels of the record-breaking hit JOB, Sisters continues the theatre's timely exploration of how technology shapes humanity. Sisters will run August 13 – November 8, 2026, at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. 

Single Tickets for Sisters, $75+, and season subscriptions are now available at www.writerstheatre.org, and at the Box Office by calling 847-242-6000.

Matilda and Greta have always been there for one another, through joy and grief and homework and boyfriends. They’re as close as sisters can be—even if Greta is artificial intelligence. As Matilda ages and Greta longs for independence, their relationship begins to be tested like never before. Told over the course of 90 years,Sisters is a riveting and thought-provoking new play about the future of family. 

Sisters continues Writers Theatre’s conversation about technology and humanity. Following the record-breaking, sold-out run of JOB, which explored the psychological dangers of technology and our increasingly online lives, Sisters asks a different question about how technology changes how we define family and what it means to be human. Where JOB was a tense psychological thriller about the dangers of our digital world, Sisters is an intimate, emotional portrait that asks whether artificial intelligence can become family.

Braden Abraham comments, “Sisters marks the opening of our 35th season at Writers Theatre, and it seems fitting to begin a milestone year in The Gillian Theatre, a space built on intimacy and our founding charge that the most exciting theatre is made with the audience and actors in close proximity. This extraordinary new play by Matthew Libby asks what remains distinctly, mysteriously human once you strip away everything that can be simulated, predicted or optimized. I can think of no one better than Jessica Thebus to guide us through Matilda and Greta's long, strange and moving companionship."

Told across 90 years, Sisters is a sweeping, non-chronological epic following the relationship between a human and her AI sister. Sisters features a unique two-person cast, in which the character Matilda physically ages on stage from childhood to 96!

The cast is Brenda Barrie (Matilda) and Chloe Johnston (Greta). The understudies are Julia Rowley and Sarah Hecht.

Brenda Barrie (Matilda) and Chloe Johnston (Greta) are both making their Writers Theatre debuts in this intimate two-hander.

The creative team includes: Jessica Thebus (Director), A Inn Doo (Scenic Designer), Lia Wallfish (Costume Designer), Eric Watkins (Lighting Designer), Andre Pluess (Co-Sound Designer), Harper Justus (Co-Sound Designer), Stephan Mazurek (Projections Designer), Reva Stover (Assistant Director), Bobby Kennedy (Dramaturg) and Dylan Cohen (Assistant Dramaturg). The stage manager is Isabel Pratt and the assistant stage manager is Olivia Leslie.

About the Artists

Playwright Matthew Libby has a degree in cognitive science and creative writing from Stanford University and an MFA from NYU. He blends this background to inform his writing. Data, which the New York Times called "a darkly on-point dramatic mirror of present-day events" that feels "all-too present, all-too raw and indisputably somber", addresses the ethics of AI, privacy and surveillance. Sisters also dives into the world of AI, exploring emotional boundaries between humanity and technology.

Matthew Libby (Playwright) is a writer and actor based in Brooklyn, by way of Los Angeles. He made his Off-Broadway playwriting debut with Data (Lucille Lortel Theatre, Outer Critics Circle nomination for the John Gassner Award); regional productions of his plays include Data (Arena Stage, Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best New Play or Musical) and Sisters (Writers Theatre, Northern Stage). Data was also previously adapted as a digital production by the Tony-winning Alliance Theatre in May 2021, a production featured in a New York Times review of virtual theatre works that “clear a path toward continued innovation and growth of the form.” Winner of the Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition and Neukom Playwriting Award, Matt is a 2026 Ucross Resident, 2022-2023 Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellow, 2023 Theater Masters Visionary Playwright, three-time Princess Grace Award finalist, five-time O’Neill Playwrights Conference semifinalist and Blue Ink Playwriting Award featured finalist. His work has been produced and developed by theaters across the country, including Roundabout, Alliance Theatre, New York Stage and Film, Westport Country Playhouse, Northern Stage, Pioneer Theatre Company, The Kennedy Center, National New Play Network, Theater Masters, The Barrow Group, The Road Theater Company, WNYU’s Theatre-in-the-Sound and others. With Stanford Repertory Theater, he helped devise and act in The Many Faces of Farce, which was nominated for a Bay Area Critics Award for Best Production. For the screen, he is a writer on Season 3 of Fox's hit medical drama Doc, has developed TV projects for Hulu, Lionsgate/eOne, Beau Willimon's Westward Productions and Alex Gibney's Jigsaw Productions, and has been recognized for his screenwriting work by The Black List and Script Pipeline. Matt studied cognitive science and creative writing at Stanford University and received his MFA in dramatic writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he also teaches and was awarded the Chair’s Award for Distinguished Achievement. He is a proud member of the Writers Guild of America and the Dramatists Guild of America.

Jessica Thebus returns to Writers Theatre where she previously directedThe Turn of the Screw. Writers audiences may recognize thematic echoes of Writer’s 2015 production of Marjorie Prime, which featured Thebus’s late mother, Mary Ann Thebus, and explored similar themes of memory and humanity.

Jessica Thebus (Director) is a theater artist, director and educator. She holds a PhD in Performance Studies from Northwestern University, and is currently Director of the Northwestern MFA Program in Directing. She has directed in Chicago and nationally for twenty-five years, and has long associations with many Chicago theaters, including the Goodman Theatre where she directed A Christmas Carol from 2000-2005, as well as plays by Tracy Scott Wilson and Sarah Ruhl. Northlight Theater is also an artistic home for Jessica where she has directed ten plays including Shining Lives: A Musical which received a Joseph Jefferson award nomination for best new work. Favorite others include Steppenwolf Theater Company, Lookingglass Theater Company, The Gift Theater, Writers Theater and Court Theater. Favorite projects nationally have taken place at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Huntington Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, The Marin Theater Company, as well as the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Jessica also creates outdoor spectacle projects in Chicago that celebrate community, joy and environmental justice.

Brenda Barrie (Matilda) is making her Writers Theatre debut. Chicago credits include Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Middletown, Sex with Strangers, Okay Bye); Chicago Shakespeare Theater (Julius Caesar, Elizabeth Rex); American Blues Theater (Roann @ the Gates, Six Corners); Lifeline Theatre (Mrs. Caliban,Mariette in Ecstasy); Goodman Theatre (Mother Road); The House Theatre of Chicago (United Flight 232, The Nutcracker); Route 66 Theatre Company (The Downpour); The Gift Theatre (The Ruby Sunrise); Metropolis Performing Arts Centre (A Streetcar Named Desire); and Silk Road Rising (Caravaggio). She is a four-time Joseph Jefferson Award nominee for Principal Performer and has also appeared on Chicago Med, Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, and The Chicago Code. She earned her BFA in Theatre from the University of Indianapolis and spent a formative semester studying at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. She is represented by Stewart Talent.

Chloe Johnston (Greta) is a writer, director and teacher in Chicago. She has worked with theatres across Chicago and is a long-time ensemble member of The Neo-Futurists. Recent projects include 46 Plays for America’s First Ladies (Critics Pick, NYTimes), Grace (The Orchard Project, Links Hall, Roman Susan, Northwestern University) and Leave the Light On, an interview-based performance and audio project about caretaking labor. With Coya Paz Brownrigg, she is the author of Ensemble-Made Chicago: A Guide to Devised Theater (NU Press). She is an Associate Professor of Theater and Performance Studies at Lake Forest College. www.chloejohnston.org


Performance Schedule:

Wednesdays: 2:00pm and 7:30pm

Thursdays: 7:30pm

Fridays: 7:30pm

Saturdays: 2:00pm and 7:30pm

Sundays: 2:00pm and 7:00pm



Open Captioned Performance: Thursday, September 17 at 7:30pm

ASL-Interpreted Performance: Saturday, September 19 at 2:00pm

Pay What You Can Performances: Sunday, August 23 at 7pm, Sunday, September 27 at 7pm, Saturday, October 31 at 7:30pm and Thursday, November 5 at 7:30pm

Location: Gillian Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe

Prices: $75+

Discounts are available for students, educators, theater industry professionals, active military personnel, veterans, police officers, firefighters and their immediate families. Information is available at: https://www.writerstheatre.org/plan-your-visit/box-office-and-theatre-center/pricing--special-offers

Box Office: The Box Office is located at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe; 847-242-6000;

www.writerstheatre.org

Single tickets are now on sale. Flex subscriptions and tickets are available online at www.writerstheatre.org, and at the Box Office by calling 847-242-6000.

SEASON PACKAGES

Writers Theatre is offering a variety of subscriptions with an option for every theatregoer. Each subscription includes a deeply discounted ticket price, ranging from $275-$385 for one ticket to the five-play series, Flex subscriptions, with options for either four tickets ($280) or five tickets ($350), are available.

Season package subscribers receive the new Writers Theatre concierge service for ticket exchanges and questions. Exclusive subscriber benefitsinclude: complimentary ticket exchanges (upgrade fees may apply), special “subscriber-rate” prices on additional tickets, advance access to special events and programs, easy, free parking, exclusive discounts in bar items and merchandise, discounts on rental of Writers Theatre event spaces on Writers Theatre merchandise, event rentals and more. For a complete list of benefits, visit writerstheatre.org.

Season Packages are available online at www.writerstheatre.org, and at the Box Office by calling 847-242-6000.

Single tickets will go on sale for each show approximately two months prior to first preview. Single ticket prices start at $35.

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Writers Theatre offers Open Captioning and ASL-interpretation on select dates for each production. Please visit writerstheatre.org/accessibility for more information.

Throughout the season, Writers Theatre offers a variety of audience enrichment and special programming. This includes regularly occurring offerings like the Family Matinee Series, The Green Room artist interview series and podcast and The Final Word Audience Discussion Series. Please visit writerstheatre.org for a full listing of upcoming offerings.


ABOUT WRITERS THEATRE
Writers Theatre proudly celebrates its 35th Season. 

From its beginnings in the back room of a Glencoe bookstore, Writers Theatre established what would become its defining conviction: that vibrant language and exceptional performances in an intimate setting create a transformative theatrical experience. Today, the company is a major cultural destination in the Chicago region with a national reputation for artistic excellence, heralded by The Wall Street Journal as “America’s finest regional theatre company.”

Founded in 1992, Writers has produced over 160 productions—from inventive interpretations of classics to groundbreaking new work. In 2016, the company opened a state-of-the-art theatre center designed by the internationally renowned Studio Gang Architects. The new facility includes the 255-seat Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre and the flexible 100-seatGillian Theatre, spaces designed to preserve the company's trademark intimacy and bring audiences up close to Chicago’s finest actors. The building’s striking glass atrium serves as a welcoming gathering space for artists, staff and the community, open daily for reading, working and conversation.

Led by Executive Director Kate Lipuma and Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Artistic Director Braden Abraham, Writers Theatre welcomes more than 60,000 patrons each year. The company has established itself as an important originator of new theatrical work, having produced over 30 world premieres in its history—including Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol, Witch by Jen Silverman, Trevor the Musical by Dan Collins and Julianne Wick Davis, A Minister's Wife by Austin Pendleton, Jan Tranen and Josh Schmidt, The Savannah Disputation by Evan Smith and Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus’s adaptation of Crime and Punishment.

Education and community engagement remain central to Writers Theatre’s mission. Each season, the organization reaches more than 5,000 students and adults through school matinees, in-school residencies and curriculum-based programs that introduce young people to professional theatre. Writers Theatre also offers a wide range of free programs for the broader community, including readings, lectures and partnerships with local organizations that make theatre accessible to audiences of all ages.

Located just 20 miles north of downtown Chicago, Writers Theatre offers artists and audiences a setting that combines world-class theatre with the calm and accessibility of Chicago’s North Shore. As Writers Theatre enters its 35th season, the company continues its commitment to artistic excellence, meaningful storytelling and the uniquely powerful connection that only intimate theatre can create.