Almost Heaven: John Denver’s America at Theatre at the Center in Munster February 13 Through March 22, 2020

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar:

Theatre at the Center in Munster 

Opens Its 30th Anniversary Season with Chicago-area Premiere of  

Almost Heaven: John Denver’s America

Photos by Guy Rhodes from left to right:  Steven Romero Schaeffer, Tommy Malouf and Sara Geist

ChiIL Live Shows will be out for opening night on February 16, so check back soon for our full review.

Theatre at the Center Artistic Director Linda Fortunato has cast Shannon McEldowney, Steven Romero Schaeffer, Andrew Mueller, Sara Geist and Tommy Malouf in the musical revue Almost Heaven: John Denver’s America to open its 30th Anniversary Season.   The cast will be joined on stage by musicians William Underwood, Malcolm Ruhl and Alison Tatum.   Fortunato will direct and William Underwood is the Music Director.   Previews begin on February 13 with an Opening Night on February 16 and a continued run through March 22.



According to Variety, “The show pays tribute to an artist who remains great at making people feel good.”

Almost Heaven: John Denver’s America, written and adapted by Peter Glazer and directed by Linda Fortunato, is a musical tribute and intimate celebration of John Denver’s life and career.   From growing up in a military family to his emergence on the 1960s folk scene, the climb to ‘70s superstardom and his later career of the 1980s and 1990s, John Denver’s story is brought to life in this Chicago-area premiere through hits such as “Country Roads,” Rocky Mountain High,” Annie’s Song,” and “Sunshine on My Shoulders.”

Shannon McEldowney returns to TATC after her work swinging in The Pajama Game.   Other credits include Elf and Young Frankenstein at Little Theatre on the Square, Mama Mia at Drury Lane Oakbrook and Disaster at Chicago Theatre Workshop.

Steven Romero Shaeffer returns to TATC after performing in Big River in 2017.   His Chicago credits include roles in Always, Patsy Cline at Firebrand Theatre and Into the Woods at Writer’s Theatre.   He has also toured with Troupe America in Pump Boys and Dinettes.

Andrew Mueller is making his TATC debut.   Other Chicagoland credits include Jesus Christ Superstar at Lyric Opera, Rent at Paramount Theatre, Shakespeare In Love and As You Like It at Chicago Shakespeare, Man of La Mancha at Marriott Theatre and Big River at BoHo Theatre.   Off Broadway roles include Peter and The Starcatcher and Alice By Heart.

Sara Geist, making her debut at TATC, began her professional career at age 12 in The American Girl Revue.   Since then she has performed with Mason Street Warehouse, Emerald City Theatre, Intrinsic Theatre Co., Windy City Performs, Next Theatre and on TV in Chicago Fire.

Tommy Malouf returns to TATC where he last appeared as Johnny Cash in Million Dollar Quartet.   Other Chicago credits include work with Remy Bumppo, The House Theatre of Chicago, Jackalope and Steep.

The creative team for Almost Heaven: John Denver’s America includes Scenic Designer and Head of Production Ann Davis, Lighting Designer G. “Max” Maxin IV, Sound Designer Joe Palermo, Costume Designer Brenda Winstead and Prop Designer Melissa Geel.   Stage manager is Jessica Banaszak.   Linda Fortunato is teamed with TATC General Manager Richard Friedman.

Founded in 1991, the 410-seat TATC is a year-round professional theater at its home: The Center for Visual and Performing Arts, 1040 Ridge Road in Munster, Indiana.   TATC is an accessible venue with plenty of free parking and is located off I-80/94, just 35 minutes from downtown Chicago.

Performances are 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 7:30 p.m. Fridays; 3p.m and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays; and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays.   Individual tickets prices range from $42 - $46.   To purchase individual tickets, call the Box Office at 219-836-3255.   Group discounts are available for groups of 11 or more.   Student tickets are $20 and gift certificates are also available.   For more information on Theatre at the Center, visit www.TheatreAtTheCenter.com.

OPENING: World Premiere of Remember the Alamo With Neo-Futurist Flair March 4 to April 27, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

World premiere of 

Remember the Alamo 

recreates the Battle of the Alamo with a live audience 

and Neo-Futurist flair

March 4 to April 27, 2019 

Production opens exactly 183 years after the famous 1836 battle

I'll be ChiILin' with Chi, IL's Neofuturists for the press opening, Monday, March 4th, so check back soon for my full review. Think theatre is "to die for"? You may just get that chance. In this new production created by Neo-Futurist Ensemble Member Nick Hart and directed by Artistic Director Kurt Chiang, the cast takes over The Neo-Futurist Theater, refuses to leave and obstructs all production in the theater until the audience and actors recreate the Battle of the Alamo in its entirety—through the inevitable "death" of the audience. 

My +1 for this show has visited the Alamo and done the tour, not once but twice, so I'm eager to get her take on the show. She sent me postcards both times saying "where's the basement", referencing the iconic Pee Wee's Big Adventure movie Alamo Tour scene. That's about the extent of my Alamo knowledge, so I'm dying to learn more. Bring it, Neofuturists! History's so much more memorable as on stage storytelling. 




Continuing their 30th Anniversary Season, The Neo-Futurists present the world premiere main stage production Remember the Alamo at The Neo-Futurist Theater from March 4 to April 27, 2019 (previews begin February 28), 183 years after the famous 1836 battle.

Mixing personal stories and historical fact, Hart and the cast breach complex questions around race, Latinx identities, and the border wall. Remember the Alamo is inspired by the grand American tradition of historical reenactment with the meta-theatrical style, honest narratives and personal takes that have defined The Neo-Futurists for 30 years.

Tickets for the world premiere Remember the Alamo at The Neo-Futurist Theater (5153 N. Ashland Avenue) are on sale now and range from $10-$25. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit neofuturists.org/remember-the-alamo.

Remember the Alamo is the 2017-18 commission from The Neo-Futurists’ new works residency program, Neo-Lab, which launched with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Over the past three decades, The Neo-Futurists have created more than 10,500 plays within their flagship late-night event (now known as The Infinite Wrench) and more than 65 full-length mainstage productions incorporating their signature non-illusory, interactive style of performance.

February 28–April 27, 2019
Tickets: $10-$25; all Thursdays & previews are “pay what you can”
Schedule: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.
Previews: February 28–March 2
Regular run: March 7–April 27

ARTIST BIOS
Brenda Arellano is a performer and devisor based out of Oakland, CA. She was an ensemble member of The Neo-Futurists in Chicago, as well as with The San Francisco Neo-Futurists.  She is an alumnus of Barrel of Monkeys, and has performed with Chicago Children’s Theater, The House Theater, Teatro Vista, and the monthly live lit event, Paper Machete. Recent credits in the Bay Area include Berkeley Repertory Theater’s Ground Floor Summer Lab (2016 and 2018), as well as performing as a hospital clown for Medical Clown Project.

Hal Baum is a writer/performer born and raised in the city of Chicago. He previously performed with The Neo-Futurists in The Arrow Drops Anchor and The Arrow Cleans House.

Nancy Casas is a company member with Barrel of Monkeys, teaching in Chicago Public Schools and performing in That's Weird, Grandma. This is her first production with The Neo-Futurists.

Mitchell Chapman is a regular technician for The Neo-Futurists. Recent credits include Tedium/Other Sensations (Asst. Production Manager), Empty Threats (Stage Manager), and regular runs in the long-running show, The Infinite Wrench.

Kurt Chiang is Artistic Director & Ensemble Member with The Neo-Futurists. As a Neo-Futurist, he has written over 300 two-minute plays since joining the company in 2008 and is the creator of the Prime Time show Analog (2013), and the recurring live-reading-and-editing show The Arrow, in collaboration with Lily Mooney. Previous credits at The Neo-Futurists: Saturn Returns (writer/performer), The Neo-Futurists: Body (co-editor), Haymaker (director), BEER! The Musical (performer), Burning Bluebeard (choreographer & installation artist), and The Fool (Returns To His Chair) (writer/performer). He is a Company Member of Barrel of Monkeys and has performed in That's Weird, Grandma. Kurt is a 2017 3Arts Make a Wave grantee.

Nick Hart graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in theatre in 2010. He has been an ensemble member with The Neo-Futurists since 2014, where he has written and performed more than 150 short plays and is currently a writer and performer in their signature late-night production The Infinite Wrench. Hart is also a proud member of Barrel of Monkeys and has regularly performed in their show That’s Weird, Grandma since 2011. Remember the Alamo is his first world premiere mainstage production at The Neo-Futurist Theater this spring.

Steven Edward Mosqueda is a Los Angeles native but considers Chicago home since 1990. He is a Neo-Futurist alum and a founding member of The Drinking & Writing Theater, exploring the connection between creativity and alcohol since 2002.



ABOUT THE NEO-FUTURIST THEATER
Celebrating its 30th Anniversary this season, The Neo-Futurist Theater is a collective of writer-director-performers who create theater that is a fusion of sport, poetry and living newspaper. The company has created more than 10,500 plays to date within its flagship late-night event (now known as The Infinite Wrench) and more than 65 full-length mainstage productions incorporating its signature non-illusory, interactive style of performance. From humble beginnings launching the first late-night theater production in Chicago, The Neo-Futurist Theater created what became the city’s longest-running show and has grown to become one of the most highly regarded experimental theater companies in the United States, with sister companies in San Francisco and New York. For more information, visit www.neofuturists.org.

The Neo-Futurist Theater is partially supported by grants from Alphawood Foundation Chicago, Arts Work Fund, The Chicago Community Foundation, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council Agency, The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, and The National Endowment for the Arts.

REVIEW: Griffin Theatre's Violet Reverberates With Sounds of 60's South

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

VIOLET

Book & Lyrics by Brian Crawley

Music by Jeanine Tesori 

Directed by Scott Weinstein 

Music Direction by John Cockerill

November 26, 2017 – January 13, 2018 
at The Den Theatre
Griffin Theatre Company Launches 30th Anniversary Season

Review:

Griffin is off to a mythic start to their 30th anniversary season. Violet has the intimacy and connection of a small storefront production upstairs at The Den Theatre, yet it's remarkably big on sound, and this score is amazing. With an onstage band and power vocals, the show fills the space in a huge way, to tell a traveling tale of self discovery, healing, accidental friendships, adventure and the Grayhound bus ride that altered the future.

I thought it was an interesting choice to not use stage makeup to create Violet's huge facial scar from a childhood ax accident, since it was such a huge plot point, yet other characters' reactions to her face spoke volumes. It was even more apparent without special effects makeup that her scaring went deeper than the surface and the bullying and ostracism she'd lived with since childhood had been internalized and given her self consciousness and self hatred but also stubborn tenacity, emotional survival skills and a honed sense of humor.

The rock, folk and gospel score easily and effectively transports the audience to the 60's south where Violet is setting off on a pivotal journey that turns out quite different than she expected. Violet is heartbreaking, poignant, and stellar storytelling, reinforcing the idea that it's the travels not the destination that matter more and change one the most. Ultimately this is a unique love story and a celebration of the discovery of those who see past surface scars and skin color to truly see into each other's souls. 

I'm thrilled to see another show with a female protagonist portrayed both as a young teen and a young adult, and to hear this story from her perspective. Violet's story is a tale full of painful tragedy, loss, coping, and longing. Yet ultimately this is a tale of bravery, tenacity, friendship, acceptance, forgiveness and soul mates. Nicole Laurenzi as Violet and Maya Hlava (Young Violet) are stand outs, as is Will Lidke as Monty, and Stephen Allen as Flick. Brianna Buckley, and LaShera Moore are also quite impressive and a joy to hear.

Griffin Theatre Company is pleased to launch its 30th anniversary season with a revival of the Tony-nominated musical VIOLET, with book and lyrics by Brian Crawley (A Little Princess), music by Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Caroline, or Change), direction by Scott Weinstein (Ragtime, Bat Boy: The Musical) and music direction by John Cockerill (Bonnie & Clyde). VIOLET will play November 26, 2017 – January 13, 2018 at The Den Theatre's Upstairs Mainstage, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. 

Single tickets and season subscriptions are currently available at www.griffintheatre.com or by calling (773) 697-3830. 

PHOTO CREDIT: The cast of Griffin Theatre Company’s production of VIOLET: (top, l to r) Nicole Laurenzi as Violet, Will Lidke as Monty, Stephen Allen as Flick, Matt Miles as Father and Maya Hlava (Young Violet) with (bottom, l to r) Connor Baty, Brianna Buckley, Nick Druzbanski, Sarah Hayes, Anthony Kayer and LaShera Moore.

Based on the short story "The Ugliest Pilgrim" by Doris Betts, this award-winning musical fuses a powerful rock, folk and gospel score. With a ticket, a suitcase and a heart full of expectation, Violet Karl, facially disfigured since childhood, boards a bus and travels across the deep south in 1964 to see if a faith healer can transform her life. Along the way, she forms unlikely friendships with her fellow passengers, who teach her about beauty, love and courage and that it's the journeys you take in life that help you discover who you are.

The production team for VIOLET includes: Lauren Nigri (scenic design), Izumi Inaba (costume design), Alexander Ridgers (lighting design), Keegan Bradac (sound design), Jamie Karas (properties design), Kasey Alfonso (choreographer), Catherine Allen (production manager), Laura McClain (asst. director) and Jon Ravenscroft (stage manager).

Dates: Previews: Sunday, November 26 at 3 pm, Monday, November 27 at 7:30 pm, Thursday, November 30 at 7:30 pm, Friday, December 1 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, December 2 at 7:30 pm.

Regular run: Thursday, December 7, 2017 – Saturday, January 13, 2018
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3pm. 

Please note: there will not be a performance on Sunday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) or Sunday, December 31 (New Year’s Eve); there will be an added performance on Saturday, January 13 at 3 pm.

Tickets: Previews $30. Regular run $42. Students, seniors & veterans $37 ($25 previews). Group discount are available for groups of ten or more. Single tickets and season subscriptions are currently available at www.griffintheatre.com or by calling (773) 697-3830.

About the Creative Team
Scott Weinstein (Director) is an award-winning director whose upcoming work includes Sex With Strangers (Cardinal Stage), Million Dollar Quartet (Phoenix Theatre) and Frost/Nixon (Redtwist Theatre). Favorite Chicago credits include Rock of Ages (Drury Lane Theatre), a new chamber version of Ragtime, Titanic (Jeff Nomination – Best Director, Best Musical) and Bat Boy: The Musical (Jeff Nomination – Best Director) all with Griffin Theatre; Rent (Theo Ubique, Jeff Award – Best Director & Best Musical); She Kills Monsters (Steppenwolf Theatre Garage Rep); and Seussical (Chicago Shakespeare Theater). Favorite New York and regional credits include Million Dollar Quartet (Fingerlakes Musical Theatre Festival); Baristas (New York International Fringe Festival) Knights of The Sales Office and Murder For Two (Adirondack Theatre Festival). He is a company member with Redtwist Theatre where he has directed Circle Mirror Transformation, All-American and The Drawer Boy. Scott is the Associate Director for the National Tour, Las Vegas, Chicago and Norwegian Cruise Line productions of Million Dollar Quartet and directed the first regional production currently running at the Lawrence Welk Theatre. Scott is a proud graduate of Northwestern University and member of SDC. www.Scott-Weinstein.com

John Cockerill (Music Director) is a collaborative pianist, vocal coach and music director. Recent credits include: Bonnie & Clyde (Kokandy Productions). María de Buenos Aires (Des Moines Metro Opera), Xanadu (American Theatre Company), and High Fidelity (Refuge Theatre Project). He was a featured pianist on the premiere recording of Ross Crean’s opera, The Great God Pan (Navona Records, 2017), and he’ll be joining Chicago Fringe Opera for their upcoming season of As One and The Great God Pan. 

The Griffin Theatre Company's 2017/2018 Premiere Season Sponsors are Michael and Mona Heath.

The Griffin Theatre Company is a Blue Star Theater and is proud to support our military enlisted and veterans. 

About Griffin Theatre Company
Established in 1988 and celebrating its 30th season, the mission of the Griffin Theatre Company is to create extraordinary and meaningful theatrical experiences for both children and adults by building bridges of understanding between generations that instill in its audience an appreciation of the performing arts. Through artistic collaboration the Griffin Theatre Company produces literary adaptations, original work and classic plays that challenge and inspire, with wit, style and compassion for the audience.

The Griffin Theatre Company is the recipient of 115 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations for theater excellence in Chicago. The Griffin was the repeat winner of the 2016 Jeff Award for “Best Production of a Play” for London Wall having won the same award in 2015 for its production of Men Should Weep.

The Griffin Theatre Company is partially supported by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

For additional information, visit www.griffintheatre.com.

OPENING: 30th Anniversary Season for Griffin Theatre Company Kicks Off With Revival of Musical VIOLET at The Den 11/26/17-1/13/18

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Casting Announced!

Griffin Theatre Company Launches 30th Anniversary Season with

VIOLET

Book & Lyrics by Brian Crawley

Music by Jeanine Tesori 

Directed by Scott Weinstein 

Music Direction by John Cockerill

November 26, 2017 – January 13, 2018 at The Den Theatre

We'll be ChiILin' with Chi, IL's Griffin Theatre Company for the press opening of Violet on December 3rd. Check back soon after for our full review. In the meantime, save the dates.

Griffin Theatre Company is pleased to launch its 30th anniversary season with a revival of the Tony-nominated musical VIOLET, with book and lyrics by Brian Crawley (A Little Princess), music by Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Caroline, or Change), direction by Scott Weinstein (Ragtime, Bat Boy: The Musical) and music direction by John Cockerill (Bonnie & Clyde). VIOLET will play November 26, 2017 – January 13, 2018 at The Den Theatre's Upstairs Mainstage, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. 

Single tickets and season subscriptions are currently available at www.griffintheatre.com or by calling (773) 697-3830. 

PHOTO CREDIT: The cast of Griffin Theatre Company’s production of VIOLET: (top, l to r) Nicole Laurenzi as Violet, Will Lidke as Monty, Stephen Allen as Flick, Matt Miles as Father and Maya Hlava (Young Violet) with (bottom, l to r) Connor Baty, Brianna Buckley, Nick Druzbanski, Sarah Hayes, Anthony Kayer and LaShera Moore.

Based on the short story "The Ugliest Pilgrim" by Doris Betts, this award-winning musical fuses a powerful rock, folk and gospel score. With a ticket, a suitcase and a heart full of expectation, Violet Karl, facially disfigured since childhood, boards a bus and travels across the deep south in 1964 to see if a faith healer can transform her life. Along the way, she forms unlikely friendships with her fellow passengers, who teach her about beauty, love and courage and that it's the journeys you take in life that help you discover who you are.

The production team for VIOLET includes: Lauren Nigri (scenic design), Izumi Inaba (costume design), Alexander Ridgers (lighting design), Keegan Bradac (sound design), Jamie Karas (properties design), Kasey Alfonso (choreographer), Catherine Allen (production manager), Laura McClain (asst. director) and Jon Ravenscroft (stage manager).

Dates: Previews: Sunday, November 26 at 3 pm, Monday, November 27 at 7:30 pm, Thursday, November 30 at 7:30 pm, Friday, December 1 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, December 2 at 7:30 pm.

Regular run: Thursday, December 7, 2017 – Saturday, January 13, 2018
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3pm. 

Please note: there will not be a performance on Sunday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) or Sunday, December 31 (New Year’s Eve); there will be an added performance on Saturday, January 13 at 3 pm.

Tickets: Previews $30. Regular run $42. Students, seniors & veterans $37 ($25 previews). Group discount are available for groups of ten or more. Single tickets and season subscriptions are currently available at www.griffintheatre.com or by calling (773) 697-3830.

About the Creative Team
Scott Weinstein (Director) is an award-winning director whose upcoming work includes Sex With Strangers (Cardinal Stage), Million Dollar Quartet (Phoenix Theatre) and Frost/Nixon (Redtwist Theatre). Favorite Chicago credits include Rock of Ages (Drury Lane Theatre), a new chamber version of Ragtime, Titanic (Jeff Nomination – Best Director, Best Musical) and Bat Boy: The Musical (Jeff Nomination – Best Director) all with Griffin Theatre; Rent (Theo Ubique, Jeff Award – Best Director & Best Musical); She Kills Monsters (Steppenwolf Theatre Garage Rep); and Seussical (Chicago Shakespeare Theater). Favorite New York and regional credits include Million Dollar Quartet (Fingerlakes Musical Theatre Festival); Baristas (New York International Fringe Festival) Knights of The Sales Office and Murder For Two (Adirondack Theatre Festival). He is a company member with Redtwist Theatre where he has directed Circle Mirror Transformation, All-American and The Drawer Boy. Scott is the Associate Director for the National Tour, Las Vegas, Chicago and Norwegian Cruise Line productions of Million Dollar Quartet and directed the first regional production currently running at the Lawrence Welk Theatre. Scott is a proud graduate of Northwestern University and member of SDC. www.Scott-Weinstein.com

John Cockerill (Music Director) is a collaborative pianist, vocal coach and music director. Recent credits include: Bonnie & Clyde (Kokandy Productions). María de Buenos Aires (Des Moines Metro Opera), Xanadu (American Theatre Company), and High Fidelity (Refuge Theatre Project). He was a featured pianist on the premiere recording of Ross Crean’s opera, The Great God Pan (Navona Records, 2017), and he’ll be joining Chicago Fringe Opera for their upcoming season of As One and The Great God Pan. 

The Griffin Theatre Company's 2017/2018 Premiere Season Sponsors are Michael and Mona Heath.

The Griffin Theatre Company is a Blue Star Theater and is proud to support our military enlisted and veterans. 

About Griffin Theatre Company
Established in 1988 and celebrating its 30th season, the mission of the Griffin Theatre Company is to create extraordinary and meaningful theatrical experiences for both children and adults by building bridges of understanding between generations that instill in its audience an appreciation of the performing arts. Through artistic collaboration the Griffin Theatre Company produces literary adaptations, original work and classic plays that challenge and inspire, with wit, style and compassion for the audience.

The Griffin Theatre Company is the recipient of 115 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations for theater excellence in Chicago. The Griffin was the repeat winner of the 2016 Jeff Award for “Best Production of a Play” for London Wall having won the same award in 2015 for its production of Men Should Weep.

The Griffin Theatre Company is partially supported by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

For additional information, visit www.griffintheatre.com.