ChiIL Live Shows on our radar
Red Tape Theatre's final show (and cast)
in our 15th season
WE ARE PUSSY RIOT
(Or Everything Is P.R.)
by Barbara Hammond and directed by Kate Hendrickson.
Runs: Fridays, Saturdays at 8PM / Sundays at 7PM / Mondays (Industry Night) at 8PM
Admission: FREE ADMISSION with RSVP thanks to our donors to the FREE THEATRE MOVEMENT
Where: THE READY, 4546 N Western Ave
RSVP HERE for FREE or Pay What You Can Tickets
Captioned Performances: We will be having open captioned performances for this production, dates to be announced.
WHAT:
Following our sold out and critically acclaimed productions In The Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks and The Shipment by Young Jean Lee, Red Tape Theatre will proudly close out our 15th season with Barbara Hammond’s WE ARE PUSSY RIOT (or) Everything is P.R. directed by Kate Hendrickson. Pussy Riot is an anonymous collective of young Russian activists who protested the illegal 2012 presidential elections by marching into the Church of Christ the Savior in the center of Moscow and offering up a punk prayer to the Mother of God—“Virgin Mary, Chase Putin Away!” Their 48-second performance earned them a two-year prison sentence and jettisoned them to super-star status in the West. The spectacle was fueled by an unparalleled P.R. campaign from all sides that pitted church against state; East against West; and youth against tradition. We Are Pussy Riot (or) Everything is P.R. weaves together trial transcripts, letters, interviews, media coverage, and statements from celebrities and public officials, to re-imagine the story of Pussy Riot as told by a troupe of Yurodivy, 'Holy Fools,' who, in the Russian Orthodox tradition, strive with "imaginary insanity to reveal the insanity of the world.”
MEET THE CREATIVE TEAM:
Kate Hendrickson (DIRECTOR, she/her/hers) is a Chicago based director with a particular focus on premiering new plays by radical American playwrights. Over the years has Kate developed and sustained long-term collaborative relationships with several playwrights. She is a resident director at Trap Door Theatre where she has directed world premieres of FANTASY ISLAND FOR DUMMIES and ANGER/FLY by Red Tape Theatre company member Ruth Margraff and COOKIE PLAY, CHASTE and BEHOLDER (Jeff Award for Best New Work, After Dark Award for Best Original Music), by Ken Prestininzi. CHASTE received “Best of the Year″ nods in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Stage Review, and the Huffington Post. ANGER/FLY was recognized in the Chicago Reader’s “Best Of Year” edition as part of a Trap Door season presenting the “best string of theatrical stunners.” Kate also directed Midwest premieres of Prestininzi’s AMERIKAFKA, Howard Zinn’s EMMA (After Dark Award for Best Ensemble), and 12 OPHELIAS by Caridad Svich. Additional work has included staged readings of MIGRAANTS by Matei Visniec at the International Voices Project and Caridad Svich’s, SPARK; creating and curating STAND UP! FIGHT BACK at Trap Door; the Midwest premiere of Ruth Margraff’s THREE GRACES at Pivot Arts’ Multi-Arts Festival; and Links Hall’s Physical Fest Chicago. Kate is also the founder and director of Summerdale Workshop Youth Theatre. Located in Andersonville, Summerdale Workshop provides children with high-quality acting instruction in a playful yet focused setting.
Barbara Hammond (PLAYWRIGHT, she/her/hers) is a New Dramatists resident playwright. She has been commissioned by the Royal Court Theatre, named one of the “Influential Women” by the Irish Voice, served as lyricist for the 25th anniversary concern of the AIDS Quilt Songbook at National Sawdust, completed residency at Duke University, has a continuing role as Yale Playwrights Festival mentor since 2010, among many other accolades. She was commissioned for the Contemporary American Theatre Festival for her play WE ARE PUSSY RIOT (Or Everything is P.R.). She is a member of the ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild. Her work has been funded by the National Endowment of the Arts, The Venturous Theatre Fund, the Laurents/Hatcher Foundation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
THE CAST
Dionne Addai, Casey Chapman*, Zoë DePreta*, Jalyn Green, Nora King*, Emilie Modaff, Emily Nichelson*, Alec Phan, Joseph Ramski*, William Rose, Stephanie Shum*, Ann Sonneville*
*indicates Red Tape Theatre Company Member
Dionne Addai (she/her/hers) is an actor and teaching artist, local to Chicago. She is looking forward to making her Red Tape debut! Recently she was seen in Breath, Boom (Eclipse Theater), What of the Night (Cor and Stage Left Theater), Aesops Fables (Raven Theater) and as an understudy with performances at Northlight Theatre, Writer's Theatre, and ETA Creative Arts. She is a company member/performer with FYI, part of the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health. For more info on her teaching artist work with youth check out icah.org/fyi. She is represented by Actor’s Talent Group.
Casey Chapman* (he/him/his) is a proud company member of Red Tape Theatre where he also serves as Marketing Director. He was last seen onstage in In the Blood (Doctor/Trouble) and Round Heads and Pointed Heads (Missena) at Red Tape. He is also a company member with Trap Door Theatre where he was last seen in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Jeff Nomination – best ensemble). Casey is also an award-winning film actor as well, appearing in the feature films Mother’s Milk (Best Actor – New York City Independent Film Festival, Best Actor – International Film Awards Berlin), Canvas, Hell Town, City of Lust, and the upcoming Asymptotes, MyTube, and Not My Brother.
Zoë DePreta* (she/her/hers) is an actor, comedian, and musician from Stamford, CT. She is excited to be performing with Red Tape Theatre, where she is the Associate Marketing & Social Media Manager and a company member. Recent credits include work with Prop Thtr (2 unfortunate 2 travel), Underscore Theatre Company (Family Issues, Tiny Storefront Concert), Lifeline Theatre (Anna Karenina, u/s), and Rhinofest (May Day, 2018). Zoë holds a BA in Theatre and Creative Writing from Oberlin College. Up next: Much Ado About Nothing (Oak Park Festival Theatre).
Jalyn Greene (they/them/she/her) is so happy to be making their Red Tape debut with Pussy Riot! Recent credits include How to Pick a Lock as Zhara (Rhinofest), The Dark at the Top of the Stairs as Cora Flood (U/S) (Eclipse Theatre), The Adventures of Astroman as Dr. Robotica (Runaways Lab), Crumbs from the Table of Joy as Ermina Crump (U/S) (Raven Theatre) and Breathe, Boom as Angel (Eclipse Theatre). Jalyn is also an arts educator for several Chicago theatres including Lifeline Theatre and Emerald City Theatre, as well as CPS schools. Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, they received their BFA from Michigan State University.
Nora King* (she/her/hers) is an actor/improviser living in Chicago. You can see her performing all around town. Her recent theater credits include; Round Heads and Pointed Heads (Red Tape Theatre Co), Thirteen’s Spring and Metamorphosis (Moving Art Collective-Hollywood Fringe Festival), Cem (UCLA Artist Residency/REDCAT), Cloud 9 (Moving Art Collective, festivals in the Czech Republic and Belgium). She has studied with the Second City Conservatory and iO Chicago. If you spend time watching cartoons, you may have heard her voice telling you to buy cute dolls, each sold separately. Nora received her BFA in Acting from California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).She is stoked to be performing alongside this talented cast! Check out more info at noraking.net.
Emilie Modaff (they/them/theirs) is a Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist. They are grateful to be back at Red Tape Theatre after playing Amiga Gringa in Red Tape's most recent production, In The Blood. Other favorite projects include: In The Canyon (Jackalope Theatre), Les Innocents ((re)discover theatre), Little Flower of East Orange (Eclipse Theatre), Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical (Emerald City Theatre), and Bobby Pin Girls (Nothing Without A Company). They are represented by Shirley Hamilton. You can learn more about their work at www.emiliemodaff.com. Thank you Mom, Dad, Andy, Peter & Selena.
Emily Nichelson* (she/her/hers) is a proud company member at Red Tape Theatre where she also serves as the Director of Development. Past RT shows include Round Heads and Pointed Heads and I Saw Myself. Other Chicago credits include Macbeth (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), Tango, Old Woman Broods, Occidental Express, No Matter How Hard We Try, The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls (Trap Door Theatre), as well as work with Griffin Theatre, Strawdog Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Writer's Theatre, and more.
Alec Phan (he/him/they/them) is honored and delighted to be working with Red Tape for the first time. He hails from Wisconsin, where he was previously a founding member of Fermat's Last Theatre Co. Most recently, you may have seen him play an undead catholic priest or a moody punk rocker here in the Windy City. Love and thanks to Catherine Miller for building doors in all the walls.
Joseph Ramski* (he/him/his) is a native Chicago actor, writer, and visual artist with a BFA in Theatre and English from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. He is an Ensemble Member and the Associate Marketing Manager & Webmaster for Red Tape, and has worked with a number of theatres as an actor and designer, including Oracle Productions, Hobo Junction, The Arc Theatre, The Ruckus, MOZAWA, Organic Theatre Company, Reutan Collective, (re)discover theatre, The Runaways, Mudlark Theatre, The Prop Thtr, Chicago Slam Works, and the Right Brain Project, where he served as Managing Director and Graphic Designer from 2013 to 2017. Joe has also performed his poetry and other written work across the city, and had his first full-length play The Dancing Plague produced in the fall of 2016. Joe can be seen next in Prop Thtr’s 2 unfortunate 2 travel.
William Rose (he/him/his) is making his Red Tape Theatre debut. Previous credits include Gabriel Syme (u/s) in the Lifeline Theater’s The Man Who Was Thursday, Cal in Citadel Theater’s The Little Foxes, and Charlie Barker in Station Theater’s the Foreigner, as well as the solo show Every Brilliant Thing.
Stephanie Shum* (she/her/hers) is excited to be back at Red Tape where she is a company member and previously appeared in Mother of Smoke. Other credits include The Crucible (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Men on Boats (American Theater Company); A Story Told in Seven Fights (The Neo-Futurists); Plainclothes (Broken Nose); All Childish Things (First Folio); Harbur Gate (16th Street Theater); Second Skin (Wildclaw); The Adventures of Spirit Force Five (Factory Theater); Merge, Kin Folk, reWILDing Genius, and Kate and Sam Are Not Breaking Up (The New Colony); among others. She is Co-Artistic Director of The New Colony, a graduate of the School at Steppenwolf and is represented by Shirley Hamilton Talent. She can be seen this spring in Small World at The New Colony. http://www.stephanieshum.com
Ann Sonneville* (she/her/hers) is excited to be back onstage at Red Tape, where she was last seen as Mme. Cornamontis in Round Heads and Pointed Heads. Most recently, she appeared as the title role in Lifeline's production of Frankenstein and as Bridget Cleary in Exit 63's Dark Matters. She is an ensemble member with Trap Door Theatre, where she has appeared in numerous productions, including Monsieur D'eon Is A Woman and Phèdre. Other credits include Dracula at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Venus at The Steppenwolf Garage, Thaddeus & Slocum (u/s) at Lookingglass, Kin with Griffin Theatre (Jeff Nomination - Supporting Actress) and work with Strange Tree, Oracle Productions, the side project, The Chicago Mammals and Bruised Orange. Film/TV credits include Miriam Is Going To Mars (BMA Award - Best Actress), Dig Two Graves (BMA Nomination - Best Actress), Chicago PD, Hunting God, and numerous shorts. She is a professional voiceover artist and instructor at the Vagabond School.
CASTING DIRECTOR: CATHERINE MILLER
In 2018, Red Tape Theatre adopted the FREE THEATRE MOVEMENT along with our sister company, Theatre Y. Red Tape believes that access to the arts is essential for our community's ability to engage in a free exchange of ideas. As an art form, the immediacy of theatre provides a powerful platform for this exchange. We strive to remove the barriers that exist between our community and an increasingly commodified culture. Starting in January of 2018, we have offered all of our quality theatrical productions to the public free of charge. We are thrilled to continue this tradition with WE ARE PUSSY RIOT.
