OPENING: Chicago Premiere of 3C at A Red Orchid 4/20-6/4

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

A RED ORCHID THEATRE PRESENTS

THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF 3C

BY DAVID ADJMI

DIRECTED BY ENSEMBLE MEMBER SHADE MURRAY

APRIL 20 – JUNE 4, 2017

Pictured (top): Steve Haggard, Shade Murray (Bottom): Jennifer Engstrom, Larry Grimm

A Red Orchid Theatre concludes its 2016-2017 Season with the Chicago premiere of 3C, written by David Adjmi and directed by Ensemble Member Shade Murray. The production runs April 20 – June 4, 2017, at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells. 

Inspired by 70’s sitcoms and the political incorrectness of "jiggle television," 3C is a hilarious and horrifying look at identity and what lies beneath the homogeneous perky veneer. Brad lands in L.A. to start a new life. A wild night of partying finds him passed out in Connie and Linda’s kitchen and the three strike a deal that raises the suspicions of the landlords. Complications spiral out of control, taking the show from farce to something... unexpected. 

Regular Run: April 29 – June 4, 2017 

Schedule: 

Thursdays: 8:00 p.m.

Fridays: 8:00 p.m.

Saturdays: 8:00 p.m.          

Sundays: 3:00 p.m. (except April 23).

Location: A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells Ave.

Tickets: $15-$25 previews, $30-$35 regular run.  ($30 Thurs, $35 Fri, Sat, Sun)

Box Office: Located at 1531 N. Wells Ave, Chicago, (312) 943-8722; or online www.aredorchidtheatre.org

 “We could use a good laugh, an out-loud, roll-on-the floor, cringe-worthy, ugly-cry laugh,” notes Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald.  “3C certainly brings that to the room along with much, much more. I am beyond thrilled to get to know David and for our artists and audiences alike to mine the deepest and darkest of identity questions both personal and public. Director Shade Murray has a knack for finding the hilarity in the darkest of interactions. I cannot wait to have them in the same room exploring and sharing the world and words with all.” 

The cast of 3C includes Ensemble Members Jennifer Engstrom (Mrs. Wicker), Lawrence Grimm (Mr. Wicker) and Steve Haggard (Terry), with Christina Gorman (Linda), Nick Mikula (Brad) and Sigrid Sutter(Connie). 

The creative team includes Sarah Fabian (Set Designer), Myron Elliott (Costume Designer), Rachel Levy (Lighting Designer), Brando Triantafillou (Sound Designer), Lydia Hanchett (Props Designer) and Jon Martinez (Choreography). The Production Stage Manager is Christa van Baale.

About the Artists

David Adjmi (Playwright) was called "virtuosic" by the New York Times, one of the "best and most original theatre artists of a generation" by Vogue, and one of the Top Ten in Culture by The New Yorker magazine.3C received its world premiere at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater (with Rising Phoenix and Piece by Piece Productions) in June 2012, and was dubbed "revelatory" by the Times and “the most divisive and controversial play of the season” by the New York Post. 3C was selected as one of the top ten plays of 2012 by the Post, Time Out New York and the Advocate.  His other plays include Marie Antoinette (A.R.T. & Yale Rep, Soho Rep, Steppenwolf, Woolly Mammoth and more), Elective Affinities (Royal Shakespeare Company, Soho Rep with Rising Phoenix & Piece by Piece Productions), Stunning (LCT3/Lincoln Center Theater, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company), The Evildoers (Sundance, Yale Repertory Theatre), Caligula (Soho Rep Studio Series), and Strange Attractors (Empty Space).  David was awarded a Mellon Foundation Playwrights Residency, the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Whiting Writers’ Award, the Kesselring Prize for Drama, the Steinberg Playwright Award (the “Mimi”), McKnight and Jerome fellowships, the Helen Merrill Award, the Marian Seldes-Garson Kanin Fellowship, the Fadiman Prize and the Bush Artists Fellowship, among others.  A collection of David’s work, Stunning and Other Plays, is published by TCG, and his work is included in The Methuen Drama Book of New American Plays. His memoir SAVE US, SUPERMAN! is forthcoming from HarperCollins as is a second collection of plays entitled 1789 / 1978.

Shade Murray (Director) is an ensemble member of A Red Orchid Theater, where he has directed the world premieres of Brett Neveu’s Pilgrim’s Progress and Ike Holter’s Sender, as well as productions of Marisa Wegrzyn’s Mud Blue Sky and The Butcher of Baraboo, Annie Baker’s The Aliens, Nick Jones’ Trevor, Mike Leigh’s Abigail’s Party and Kimberly Akimbo by David Lindsay-Abaire.  He also performed in the A Red Orchid production of The Mutilated.  Other directing credits include Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The House Theater, Steep Theater, Second City, Writers’ Theater and elsewhere.  Shade is a lecturer at University of Chicago and teaches at DePaul University and Actors’ Studio Chicago.

Jennifer Engstrom (Mrs. Wicker) returns to A Red Orchid Theatre in 3C. An ensemble member since 2003, Jennifer was most recently seen in AROT's The Mutilated, garnering a Jeff nomination for Outstanding Actress. Other Orchid productions include: Eric LaRue, The Fastest Clock In The Universe, The Hothouse, Weapons of Mass Impact, Fatboy, and Simpatico. Other credits include A Streetcar Named Desire, Death Of A Streetcar named Virginia Woolf (Writers Theatre); Sweet Bird Of Youth (The Goodman Theatre); One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, The North Plan (Steppenwolf Theatre); Skygirls (Northlight); The Incident, Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been...(Next Theatre); MacBeth (Notre Dame Shakespeare); Angels In America (Kansas City Rep).  This summer Jennifer will fill in for the mighty Amy Morton in Steppenwolf's Hir. Jennifer will be seen in the upcoming film Slice starring Chance The Rapper.

Christina Gorman (Linda) is an actor and fight choreographer, originally from the Hudson Valley region of upstate New York. Chicago acting credits include: Men Should Weep (Jeff Award for Best Production-Play) and Stage Door for Griffin Theatre; The Bottle Tree (Stage Left Theatre); Making God Laugh (Fox Valley Rep); Leading Ladies (Buffalo Theatre Ensemble); The Thin Man (City Lit); and The Tall Girls, In the Heat of the Night, The Grown Up, The Rose Tattoo, Our Country's Good, Happy Now, and Romeo and Juliet for Shattered Globe Theatre, where she is an ensemble member.

Lawrence Grimm (Mr. Wicker) is back at A Red Orchid where some of his favorite and more recent shows include Trevor (Jeff Nomination), Solstice, In a Garden, Pumpgirl, Abigail’s Party, The Meek, The Physicists, Mr. Kolpert, Caine-Mutiny Court Martial, In the Solitude of Cotton Fields, and Born Guilty. Other recent Chicago credits: King Charles III and The Tempest (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), 2666(Goodman Theatre), My Name is Asher Lev (Timeline Theatre), In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play (Victory Gardens), Maple and Vine, Welcome Home Jenny Sutter (Next Theatre), Orlando (Court Theatre),  King Lear, Two by Pinter (Piven Theater Workshop), The Balcony (New Crime), Apocalyptic Butterflies, Sketchbook, (Collaboraction), The Glass Menagerie (Raven Theatre – Jeff Award), The Brothers Karamazov, 1984, The Naked King (Lookingglass), I Never Sang for My Father, Wolf Lullaby (Steppenwolf). Film: Welcome to Me, Perfect Manhattan, Cicero in Winter and the upcoming Captive State. Television: Chicago PD, Chicago Med.

Steve Haggard (Terry) was last seen at A Red Orchid in Sender and The Mutilated. He has been an ensemble member since 2007. Other Orchid shows include Accidentally Like A Martyr, The Aliens, Kimberly Akimbo and The Mandrake. Chicago credits: Tribes (Steppenwolf); Funnyman and Season’s Greetings (Northlight); Doubt, Old Glory, The Subject Was Roses and Our Town (Writers); Wasteland (Timeline); King Lear, As You Like It and Romeo and Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare). Regional Credits: R+ G are Dead, Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Tempest, Hay Fever, Comedy of Errors and Ah Wilderness (American Players Theatre), Almost Maine (Milwaukee Repertory) and Fallen Angels (Indiana Repertory). Steve is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University. 

Nick Mikula (Brad) makes his A Red Orchid Theatre debut. Other credits include Warped, Joe Egg, All's Well that Ends Well,  LeapFest's And Eat it Too (Stage Left Theatre) Luther (U/S Steep Theatre), The Brig, Cherrywood (Mary-Arrchie), The Improv Play (Infusion), Map of Virtue (Cor) The Dining Room, The Man Who Was Thursday (New Leaf), 44 Ways (Redtwist)  SS! A Midsummer Nights Dream (U/S Chicago Shakespeare), Six Degrees of Separation (Signal), Macbeth (Greasy Joan), W;T (Gift), ROAD (Ka-Tet), Pretty Penny, Half Shut (Right Brain),  Paper City Phoenix (Tympanic Theatre), Radio Silence, Ping-Pong, The Gas Heart (The Nine), and 20%. Improv Credits include Octavarius and Sam Hill. Film credits include the web series Under Covers.

Sigrid Sutter (Connie) makes her debut at A Red Orchid Theatre. In Chicago she’s worked with Northlight Theatre, Steep Theatre, Jackalope Theatre, Teatro Vista, Sideshow Theatre, Back Room Shakespeare Project, and others. Her film credits include Colma: The Musical and Strange Culture; her television credits include Chicago Justice and Ellen. She is represented by Actors Talent Group. 

About A Red Orchid

A Red Orchid Theatre has served as an artistic focal point in the heart of the Old Town community of Chicago since 1993 and was honored this year with a 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Over the past 23 years, its Resident Ensemble has welcomed into its fold an impressive array of award winning actors, playwrights and theatre artists with the firm belief that live theatre is the greatest sustenance for the human spirit. A Red Orchid is well known and highly acclaimed for its fearless approach to performance and design in the service of unflinchingly intimate stories. In addition to its professional season, the company also produces an annual OrKids (youth) project and hosts The Incubator (providing artists with space and time to explore new work, new forms and new artistic collaborations).

A Red Orchid Theatre is: Lance Baker, Kamal Angelo Bolden, Dado, Mike Durst, Jennifer Engstrom, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Joseph Fosco, Steve Haggard, Mierka Girten, Larry Grimm, Karen Kawa, Karen Kessler, Danny McCarthy, Shade Murray, Brett Neveu, Michael Shannon, Guy Van Swearingen, Doug Vickers and Natalie West.

OPENING: The Nether at A Red Orchid

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

A RED ORCHID THEATRE PRESENTS THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF

THE NETHER BY JENNIFER HALEY

DIRECTED BY ENSEMBLE MEMBER KAREN KESSLER

JANUARY 26 – MARCH 12, 2017

ChiIL Live Shows will be out for the press opening, so check back soon for our full review.

A Red Orchid Theatre continues 2016- 2017 Season with the Chicago premiere of The Nether, written by Jennifer Haley, directed by Ensemble Member Karen Kessler. The Nether features Ensemble Members Guy Van Swearingen and Doug Vickers with Maya Hlava, Ashley Neal and Steve Schine. The production runs January 26 - March 12, 2017, at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells. 

Regular Run:  February 2 – March 12, 2017    

Schedule: 

Thursdays:                  8:00 p.m.

Fridays:                       8:00 p.m.

Saturdays:                   8:00 p.m.         

Sundays:                     3:00 p.m. (Sunday Jan 29 at 7pm)

Location: A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells Ave.

Tickets:  $15-$25 previews, $30-$35 regular run.  ($30 Thurs, $35 Fri, Sat, Sun)

Box Office:  Located at 1531 N. Wells Ave, Chicago, (312) 943-8722; or online www.aredorchidtheatre.org

A young detective uncovers a disturbing brand of entertainment, triggering an interrogation into the darkest corners of the imagination and the most basic of human desires. The Nether is a virtual wonderland that provides total sensory immersion; a beautiful escape that ultimately begs some very serious questions about responsibility, connectivity and love. Winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize 2011-2012.

“The Nether is a play that has puzzled me for several years,” notes Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald. “I read it and could not let it go; could not reconcile my feelings about the technology and the humans in it. Each time I thought that I had an answer, it was yanked out from under me with some new question or undeniable truth. The one thing that I do know is that no matter the technology, the problem is human. These artists andd A Red Orchid's intimate space where there is "nowhere to hide" are the perfect tools with which to investigate.”

The creative team for The Nether includes John Musial (scenic design), Myron Elliott (costume design), Ensemble Member Mike Durst (lighting design), Joe Court (sound design), and Abigail Crain (props design). The Production Stage Manager is Stephanie G. Heller.

About the Artists

Jennifer Haley is a playwright whose work delves into ethics in virtual reality and the impact of technology on our human relationships, identity, and desire. She won the 2012 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for her play, The Nether, produced in Los Angeles, off-Broadway, on London’s West End, across the US and internationally in Scandinavia, Germany, Turkey, Slovenia and Spain. Other plays include Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom, a horror story about suburban video game addiction, and Froggy, a noir thriller with interactive media design. Jennifer has worked with Center Theatre Group, Royal Court Theatre, Headlong, MCC, Sonia Friedman Productions, Woolly Mammoth, the Humana Festival of New Plays, The Banff Centre, Sundance Theatre Lab, O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Lark Play Development Center, PlayPenn, and Page 73. She is a member of New Dramatists in New York City and lives in Los Angeles, where she founded the Playwrights Union.

Karen Kessler (Director) is a member of the Ensemble at A Red Orchid Theatre where she has previously directed the World Premiere of Brett Neveu’s The Opponent, the Midwest Premiere of Pumpgirl by Irish playwright Abbie Spallen, the Chicago premiere of Sarah Kane’s Blasted; the US premiere of Gagarin Way by Gregory Burke (After Dark award for Outstanding Ensemble) and the Midwest premiere of Mr. Kolpert by David Gieselmann.   She recently directed the world premiere of Rob Kuzlaric’s adaptation of The Three Musketeers at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival.  Other Chicago credits include work with Collaboraction’s Sketchbook, Seanachai Theatre,  Famous Door, Next Theatre, Rivendell Theatre and Noble Fool Productions.  Credits outside of Chicago include: Glengarry Glen Ross for the Northern Stage Ensemble in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England; Macbeth for the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival; Measure for Measure for Connecticut Repertory Theatre; Scapin, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, and All’s Well That Ends Well at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival; and The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Complete History of America (Abridged) for Idaho Repertory Theatre.  Karen teaches directing, acting and Shakespeare at Ball State University.

Maya Lou Hlava (Iris) is making her A Red Orchid debut with The Nether.  Other Chicago credits include White Christmas and Bye Bye Birdie (Drury Lane Theater), Jake's Women (Spartan Theatre Company),  The Secret Garden (Court Theatre), The Talking Cure (Idle Muse Theatre Company), Jane Eyre (Lifeline Theatre), Darger & The Detective (Intuit, in association with Steppenwolf  Theatre), The Wheel (Steppenwolf Theatre), Maya is also a principal voice over artist for Disney’s World of English and was seen in the film The Life of Penny Cyclone within the US Premiere of Ride the Cyclone (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre).

ASHLEY NEAL (Morris) returns to A Red Orchid Theatre where she previously made her debut in Red Handed Otter. She was most recently seen in The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argile at Steep Theatre and before that in Men Should Weep with Griffin Theatre where she also didStage Door. A proud member of Rivendell Theatre Ensemble where she has performed in many productions including Wrens, These Shining Lives, The Walls, and Be Aggressive. Other Chicago credits include Reverb at Redtwist, 25 Saints with Pine Box, Living Newspaper at Jackalope and Christmas is for Fools with Step Up Productions. With Rivendell Theatre Ashley has performed in Wrens, 26 Miles, The Walls, These Shining Lives and more. Ashley is a graduate of the School at Steppenwolf and Columbia College.

STEVE SCHINE (Woodnut) has been an Artistic Associate with A Red Orchid Theatre since 2010 and marks his sixth AROT production with The Nether.  Also at AROT: Gagarin Way, Hunger and Thirst, Solstice, Louis Slotin Sonata, and The Earl.  Other Chicago productions: Gem of the Ocean and Invisible Man (Court Theatre), King Lear (Goodman Theatre), Martyr (Steep Theatre), Laughter on the 23rd Floor (First Folio), The Coward (Stage Left), It's a Wonderful Life (ATC), The City & The City (Lifeline Theatre), and The Cider House Rules, pts.1 & 2, A Going Concern, and Hellcab (Famous Door Theatre), as well as productions with Strawdog, Piven, Raven, and Northlight.  Regionally: It's a Wonderful Life (Clarence Brown Theatre), and Romeo and Juliet, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Twelfth Night, and Julius Caesar (Lakeside Shakespeare).  In NYC, he helped foster new works with Abingdon Theatre and studied at HB Studios with Austin Pendleton. TV: Jack Gatins on Chicago Fire and Curtis on Chicago PD.  His voice can be heard in many commercials on television, radio, and the internet, as well as the Ubisoft video game, Watch_Dogs.  Steve is a member of SAG-AFTRA.

GUY VAN SWEARINGEN is an Ensemble Member and the founding Artistic Director at A Red Orchid Theatre, where he was last seen in Red Handed Otter and Simpatico. He has appeared in 14 other productions, including the World Premiere of The Opponent; first here at home and then in its remount Off-Broadway at 59E59th Theatre. Outside of A Red Orchid, he was most recently seen in The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window at The Goodman Theatre. Guy has worked with many theaters in Chicago, including Steppenwolf, Lookingglass, Plasticene, Defiant Theatre, and Mary-Arrchie. Television credits include Sirens, Chicago Fire, Underemployed, Detroit 1-8-7, The Beast, Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story, Early Edition andTURKS. Film: The Dilemma, Take Shelter, Janie Jones, Public Enemies, The Merry Gentleman, Mad Dog & Glory, The Negotiator, Ali, The Weatherman and Adam Rapp’s Blackbird. Guy is also a Lieutenant for the Chicago Fire Department.

DOUG VICKERS is an ensemble member at A Red Orchid Theatre, where he most recently appeared in The Mutilated and Accidentally Like a Martyr. Some of his other favorite appearances at Red Orchid have been in Simpatico, Four Murders, The Grey Zone, and Hunger and Thirst.  Doug was the recipient of the Joseph Jefferson Award for The Best Man at Remy Bumppo Theatre (Best Cameo Performance).  Other Chicago credits: Chicago Shakespeare (Comedy of Errors), Next Theatre (R.I.P.) (U.N. Inspector, Turcaret the Financier), Court Theatre, Famous Door Theatre, Trap Door Theatre, and Hell in a Handbag. Regional: Illinois Shakespeare Festival. TV: Underemployed (MTV). Film: One Rainy Day (MPG Productions), Hope’s Happy Birthday (Perry Productions). He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Northwestern University-School of Continuing Studies and has done graduate level work in English at NU as well.

About A Red Orchid

A Red Orchid Theatre has served as an artistic focal point in the heart of the Old Town community of Chicago since 1993 and was honored this year with a 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Over the past 23 years, its Resident Ensemble has welcomed into its fold an impressive array of award winning actors, playwrights and theatre artists with the firm belief that live theatre is the greatest sustenance for the human spirit. A Red Orchid is well known and highly acclaimed for its fearless approach to performance and design in the service of unflinchingly intimate stories. In addition to its professional season, the company also produces an annual OrKids (youth) project and hosts The Incubator (providing artists with space and time to explore new work, new forms and new artistic collaborations).

A Red Orchid Theatre is: Lance Baker, Kamal Angelo Bolden, Dado, Mike Durst, Jennifer Engstrom, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Joseph Fosco, Steve Haggard, Mierka Girten, Larry Grimm, Karen Kawa, Karen Kessler, Danny McCarthy, Shade Murray, Brett Neveu, Michael Shannon, Guy Van Swearingen, Doug Vickers and Natalie West.

REVIEW: A Red Orchid's Production of Pinter's The Room Brings Full Sensory Exploration To Infamous Comedy of Menace

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

A RED ORCHID THEATRE KICKS OFF 2016-2017 SEASON WITH 

THE ROOM BY HAROLD PINTER

DIRECTED BY ENSEMBLE MEMBER DADO

September 29 – November 13, 2016

There's power in beginnings and it's a thrill to see a staging of the first play ever written by Nobel Prize winner, Harold Pinter. The Room is disturbing, edgy and far more about "how do you feel" than "what does it mean". A Red Orchid's exceptional production makes this a full sensory experience, from the opening scene with aromas and sounds of bacon and eggs actually cooking, to the closing scene of a brutal, inexplicable beating. The sounds of clanging pipes, slamming doors, creaking floorboards, electrical shorts and thumping potatoes are as key as the dialogue. I had read The Room back in college as part of my theatre degree, but I'd never seen it performed, and what a difference that makes in the piece. 

Ensemble Member Kirsten Fitzgerald and HB Ward

All Production Photos by Michael Brosilow

This is an ambitious season opener for A Red Orchid, and director DADO does an admirable job of bringing this unsettling, psychologically tense "comedy of menace" to life on stage. We've seen many of the productions she's directed over the years, and she never ceases to impress.

Light and lack thereof effectively evoked anxiety, and talk of the world beyond the room's walls being frigid and dangerous outside and dank and dripping above and below made the room a claustrophobic but cozy refuge. The angular, sparse set is perfect for this production and the choice to match the curtains to Rose's housedress was brilliant. She not only couldn't seem to leave the room, but the room really became Rose personified. What's left unsaid and unaddressed is as strong as the disjointed dialogue and strange relationships. The timing and rapport of the entire cast was stellar. Highly recommended. 

Mierka Girten and Dano Duran

A Red Orchid Theatre begins its 2016-2017 Season with The Room by Harold Pinter, directed by Ensemble Member Dado and featuring Ensemble Members Kirsten Fitzgerald and Mierka Girten. The Room runs September 29 – November 13, 2016. The press opening is October 3 at 7 p.m. at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N Wells Street. 

“Though I have seen and read many, The Room is my very first Pinter as an actor,” says Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald. “I find his plays to be something of a Rorschach; everyone perceives something a bit different depending on the day and what they bring in. Today, as I consider The Room and the character of Rose in particular, I wonder what causes a person to retreat and how this willful isolation or chosen ignorance breeds territorialism and xenophobia. I wonder these same things when considering the world.”

By turns terrifying, moving and wildly funny, The Room is Pinter’s very first play. Rose prefers to stay in, safe from the hostile world outside, but her seemingly cozy sanctuary is continually being invaded. With visits from the landlord, a couple in search of their own space, a stranger and the return of her husband, it becomes increasingly unclear whether the menace comes from within or without.

Ticket Information

A Red Orchid continues the FLASHPASS, with some exciting new options this year. As always, FLAHPASS holders get reserved seats, ticket and date flexibility, no-fee ticket exchanges, discounts for friends & family tickets, and early access to events such as readings, panel discussions, and more. Three-show Flashpasses are $80 and include one ticket to each of the 3 shows in our 24^th Season, excluding Press Opening and Red Nights. Three-show Red Night Flashpasses are $130 and include a ticket to each Red Night Opening and post-show reception with the cast and creative team. New this season, the Preview Saver Flashpasses are $50 and include one ticket to a preview performance of each of the 3 shows in our 24^th season. 

2 new membership options that allow you to watch a show grow throughout the run:

The Artist’s Circle Membership is $600 and allows you to see a show develop over the run with 2 Flashpasses to see each show in our season as many times as you want and more. The Red Circle Membership is $1500 and includes 2 Flashpasses to our 3-play season, with access to see each show as many times as you want including Red Night Openings and post-show celebrations with the artists and more.  For full breakdown of benefits please give us a ring or visit www.aredorchictheatre.org.  A portion of your Artist Circle Membership and/or Red Circle Membership is tax deductible. Tickets are non-transferable and may only be used by member

Flashpasses and Memberships may be purchased from the Box Office at 1531 N. Wells Street, Monday through Friday from 12 pm to 5:00 pm. Subscriptions may also be purchased by telephone during office hours by dialing (312) 943-8722, or online at www.aredorchidtheatre.org. Individual tickets will go on sale at a later date.

Dates:

Regular Run: October 6 – November 13, 2016

Red Night: October 7, 2016 

Schedule:     Thursdays: 8:00 p.m. 

Fridays: 8:00 p.m. 

Saturdays: 8:00 p.m. 

Sundays: 3:00 p.m. (Sunday 10/2 preview at 7:00pm)

Location: A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells Ave.

Tickets: $15-$25 previews, $30-$35 regular run.  ($30Thurs, $35 Fri, Sat, Sun)

Box Office: Located at 1531 N. Wells Ave, Chicago, (312) 943-8722; or online www.aredorchidtheatre.org 

Anish Jethmalani 

Ensemble Member Kirsten Fitzgerald and Anish Jethmalani 

The cast of The Room includes JoJo Brown (Riley), Dano Duran (Mr. Sands), Kirsten Fitzgerald (Rose), Mierka Girten (Mrs. Sands), Anish Jethmalani (Mr. Kidd) and HB Ward (Bert). 

The creative team for The Room includes Grant Sabin (scenic), Kotryna Hilko (costumes), Claire Chzran (lighting), Heath Hays (sound), Alec Long (properties) and Barbara Siefert (violence). Katie Adams is the stage manager and Shannon Golden is the production manager. 

About The Artists

Dado (Director) directed A Red Orchid’s Jeff nominated production of Tennessee William’s The Mutilated last season. Previous shows at A Red Orchid include Red Handed Otter, Strandline (Actor), Simpatico, Megacosm and The Hothouse, among others. In 2015, Dado directed the Incubator project of Harold Pinter's Celebration (infused with the music of Mauricio Kagel) for A Red Orchid, which enjoyed an extended run at Kamehachi. She also directed As You Like It at UIC and Suburbia at St Joseph (where she also teaches Intro to Performance). She also staged an experimental opera at the Art Expo 2015 called Cake Mix, originally composed by Mikey Moran (Red Handed Otter) and based on the contents of a box of Pillsbury cake mix. She recently took her MFA from the University of Chicago in visual art. She lives in Whiting, Indiana with Stella and Booker.

Jo Jo Brown (Riley) is making their debut at A Red Orchid Theatre. Past credits include Passing Strange at UIC’s School of Theatre and Music, A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Two Pence Theater, and The People’s Temple at American Theater Company.

Dano Duran (Mr. Sands) is debuting with A Red Orchid Theatre for the first time. Dano also shoots as many films/TV/commercials as he's allowed to. When not acting Dano is a broker with The North Clybourn Group.

Kirsten Fitzgerald (Rose) has been a member of the Artistic Ensemble at A Red Orchid since 2001. Her performances here at home include three world premieres by Brett Neveu; Pilgrim’s Progress, Weapon of Mass Impact and Four Murders. Other AROT performances include Mud Blue Sky, The Butcher of Baraboo, The New Electric Ballroom, Abigail's Party, The Sea Horse [Jeff Award], Pumpgirl, Mr. Bundy, The Killer and more. Other Chicago credits include Mary Page Marlowe, The Qualms, Clybourne Park, The Elephant Man, and A Streetcar Named Desire (Steppenwolf Theatre); Appropriate (Victory Gardens), and work with Defiant Theatre, Circle Theatre, Next, Remy Bumppo, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, The Goodman, Shattered Globe, Famous Door, Plasticene and the Utah Shakespeare Festival among others. You can see her on the small screen now in The Exorcist (FOX) and other TV credits include Sirens (USA), Chicago Fire (NBC), ER (NBC) and Underemployed (MTV).

Mierka Girten (Mrs. Sands) is an ensemble member at A Red Orchid, where she has been seen in over thirteen productions, including The Mutilated, Simpatico, Red Handed Otter, Mud Blue Sky and Abigail’s Party among others. This past summer Mierka played Maria Callas in Master Class at The Human Race Theatre Company in Dayton Ohio. Additionally, she has worked with The Hypocrites, Rivendell Theatre, Porchlight Music Theatre, Cobalt Ensemble, Apple Tree, Provision, Strawdog, Circle Theatre, American Blues, Mary-Arrchie, Live Bait, Roadworks, Steppenwolf and The Goodman. She played Esther in Mistakes Were Made both here at A Red Orchid and in the Off-Broadway Barrow Street Theatre production with friend Mike Shannon. Her voice can be heard on national broadcast and web commercials.

Anish Jethmalani (Mr. Kidd) makes his A Red Orchid debut with The Room. His stage credits include Wit and ten seasons of A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre); Water by the Spoonful, Titus Andronicus, Mary Stuart, The Invention of Love and Life’s a Dream (Court Theatre); Romeo & Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Homeland Security (Victory Gardens Theater); Inana, Blood and Gifts (TimeLine Theatre Company); Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Around the World in 80 Days and Sita Ram (Lookingglass Theatre Company); The Caretaker, To the Green Fields Beyond (Writers’ Theatre); Citizens of the World (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Omnium Gatherum, Return to Haifa and The Millionairess (Next Theatre Company); Twelfth Night (First Folio Theatre); The Man Who Murdered Sherlock Holmes (Mercury Theatre); Indian Ink, The Sign of the Four (Apple Tree Theatre); Merchant of Venice (Silk Road Rising) and The Age of Cynicism (Chicago Dramatists). Regionally, he appeared in Henry VIII and Much Ado About Nothing at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. His film and television credits include APB, Boss, Leverage, Early Edition,and Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

H.B. Ward (Bert) has worked with A Red Orchid Theatre once before, in The Butcher of Baraboo. He has acted with many Chicago companies including Curious Theatre Branch, Prop Thtr, Collaboraction, DOG – a Theater Company, The Magpies, Teatro Vista, WNEP, Theater Oobleck, Tympanic Theatre,16th Street Theater, Wildclaw Theatre, Trap Door Theatre, Next Theatre, Rivendell Theatre, The Side Project, Jackalope Theatre, American Blues Theater, Haven Theatre and, most recently, with Timeline Theatre in Chimerica. He has also acted in television, commercials, and films, including Stephen Cone’s In Memoriam. He has understudied at Victory Gardens Theater, Goodman Theatre and Steppenwolf Theater. He is represented by Paonessa Talent Agency.

HB Ward and Anish Jethmalani 

About A Red Orchid

A Red Orchid Theatre has served as an artistic focal point in the heart of the Old Town community of Chicago since 1993 and was honored this year with a 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Over the past 23 years, its Resident Ensemble has welcomed into its fold an impressive array of award winning actors, playwrights and theatre artists with the firm belief that live theatre is the greatest sustenance for the human spirit. A Red Orchid is well known and highly acclaimed for its fearless approach to performance and design in the service of unflinchingly intimate stories. In addition to its professional season, the company also produces an annual OrKids (youth) project and hosts The Incubator (providing artists with space and time to explore new work, new forms and new artistic collaborations). 

A Red Orchid Theatre is: Lance Baker, Kamal Angelo Bolden, Dado, Mike Durst, Jennifer Engstrom, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Joseph Fosco, Steve Haggard, Mierka Girten, Larry Grimm, Karen Kawa, Karen Kessler, Danny McCarthy, Shade Murray, Brett Neveu, Michael Shannon, Guy Van Swearingen, Doug Vickers and Natalie West

NOW PLAYING: COR THEATRE'S THE GOOD PERSON OF SZECHWAN THROUGH SEPT. 11 AT A RED ORCHID THEATRE

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar: "BRECHT MEETS EMPIRE" COR ADDS SIZZLE TO  CHICAGO SUMMER THEATER WITH THE GOOD PERSON OF SZECHWAN,  THROUGH SEPT. 11 AT A RED ORCHID THEATRE   **Note: For adult audiences only. Contains sexual content and partial nudity.** All photos by Matthew Gregory Hollis (from left) Isabella Karina Coelho, Michael Buono and Dawn Bless in Cor Theatre's The Good Person of Szechwan Cor Theatre, the bold new Chicago storefront company hailed for "Most Promising Debut" last season by Time Out Chicago, continues its 2016 season with a scorching new production of Bertolt Brecht's The Good Person of Szechwan. We've been booked so solid this summer here at ChiIL Live Shows Cor company member Ernie Nolan directs Tony Kushner's translation of Brecht's popular parable of good and evil. Fellow Cor ensemble member Will Von Vogt plays the title role of the good hearted prostitute, Shen Te, just one example of non-traditional, color and gender-blind casting in what promises to be one of the most talked about Chicago theater offerings this summer. Performances of Cor Theatre's The Good Person of Szechwan are now through September 11, 2016 at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells Street in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.  Performances run through September 11: Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25; $10 students and industry. Tickets go on sale July 1. For tickets and information, visit CorTheatre.org or call (866) 811-4111.  "Our theater must stimulate a desire for understanding,  a delight in changing reality."  ~Bertolt Brecht Chris Brickhouse is Sun/Husband and Will Von Vogt plays the good hearted prostitute, Shen Te, in Cor Theatre's The Good Person of Szechwan. In The Good Person of Szechwan, three gods are on a journey to find out if there are any good people left on earth. Only Shen Te, a kind and generous prostitute, offers them shelter. With the money they give her she opens a tobacco shop. At once everyone needs her help. Her livelihood is in danger. Worse, she is falling in love with Sun, a pilot, who is robbing her blind. Her hard hearted cousin, Shui Ta, arrives to protect her. Who is he and how can good people stay good in a world of poverty and cruelty? Cor's epic production is set in a multicultural, urban environment on the brink of change, much like Chicago. Infused with hot hip hop beats, Cor's new "Brecht meets Empire" take on Good Person will remind audiences that Brecht was not only one of the greatest theatrical thinkers of the last century, but entertainers as well. "Brecht's brilliant play, which grapples with themes of income and gender inequality, poverty and urban decay, seems just as relevant today, if not more so, than it did when he completed it in 1940," said director Ernie Nolan. "As the nation debates issues of sex and gender identity, as our presidential race is speeding up, and with our presidential candidates asking us to consider why they are 'good' for the job, Good Person examines Shen Te's struggle to be 'good' in a world where goodness isn't exactly in demand."  (from left) Jos N. Banks, Aida Delaz and Ben Chang in Cor Theatre's The Good Person of Szechwan In addition to Von Vogt as Shen Te, Cor's 12-person cast for Good Person reflects the diversity of Chicago: Dawn Bless as Wang the Watercarrier, Chris Brickhouse as Sun/Husband, Niko Kourtis as Shu Fu/Wife, Jeri Marshall as Mrs. Shin, Lea Pascal as Mrs. Mi Tzu, Narciso Lobo as Policeman/Mrs. Yang/Unemployed Man, Ben Chang as God 3/ Grandfather/Old Prostitute, Jos N. Banks as God 2/Sister in Law/Guard, Aida Delaz as God 1/Carpenter/ Guard, Michael Buono as Nephew/Male Vocal and Isabella Coelho as Niece. Designers are Stefin Steberl (set and props), Alarie Hammock (costumes), Claire Chrzan (lights), Matt Reich (sound), Adam Gutkin (technical director), Tosha Fowler (movement), Elyse Cowles (production manager) and Meredith Matthews (production stage manager.) Tosha Fowler is Producing Artistic Director of Cor Theatre. Ernie Nolan is an award winning director and playwright who received the Illinois Theatre Association's 2014 award for Excellence in Theatre for Young Audiences. He is a company member of Cor Theatre and last year he directed Love and Human Remains which New City named one of the "Top Five Dramas of 2015." For Chicago Playworks he has directed The BFG, The Giver, The Witches, A Wrinkle in Time, Number the Stars, and The Day John Henry Came to School. His work at The Broadway Playhouse includes A Charlie Brown Christmas, Fancy Nancy The Musical, Pinkalicious, The Cat in the Hat, Cinderella, Charlotte's Web and the world premiere of Hansel and Gretel: A Wickedly Delicious Musical Treat with Justin Roberts. Nolan's playwriting has been produced nationally and at such theatres as The Coterie, First Stage, Walnut Street, Orlando Rep and Children's Theatre of Charlotte. He has written commissions for Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo, MD, La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, CA, The Milwaukee Zoological Society, and his latest commission, My Broken Doll, for the Institute for Holocaust Education and The Circle Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska. Also a resident artist of The Coterie Theatre in Kansas City, MO, he has directed and choreographed world premieres by such Tony­-nominated artists as Willy and Rob Reale, Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, and Bill Russell and Henry Krieger Nolan is an Assistant Professor of Theatre Studies at The Theatre School at DePaul University as well as the Vice President of Theatre for Young Audiences USA. He is a graduate of both the University of Michigan Musical Theatre Program (BFA Musical Theatre) and The Theatre School at DePaul University (MFA Directing). Will Von Vogt (Shen Te) is an ensemble member at Cor, where he co-starred earlier this season in Christina, The Girl King, and in last season's A Map of Virtue. Other credits include The Other Theatre Company's revival of Bent, along with Romeo and Juliet, The Heidi Chronicles, Blur, The Altruists, Empire Falls (HBO), Google Me Love (produced by the Wachowskis) and serving on the producing team of Salonathon.                                                                            Tony Kushner (translator) is the Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, screenwriter, and author whose works have played everywhere from Broadway to HBO. His play Angels in America earned him the Pulitzer Prize, among many other awards. His other acclaimed plays include Slavs, Homebody/Kabul and Caroline, or Change.  German playwright, poet and director Bertolt Brecht (playwright, 1898-1956) established himself as a playwright during the 1920s and early 1930s with plays such as Baal, Man is Man, The Threepenny Opera and The Mother. In 1933, as Hitler came to power in Germany, he fled to Scandinavia before settling in the U.S. During the war years, he wrote many of his best known plays including The Life of Galileo, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Mother Courage and Her Children and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.  The Good Person of Szechwan, Brecht's parable of good and evil, was first performed in 1943 and remains one of his frequently produced plays worldwide.  Cor Theatre ensemble member Will Von Vogt (center) plays the title role of the good hearted prostitute, Shen Te, in Cor Theatre's The Good Person of Szechwan. About Cor Theatre Cor Theatre (cortheatre.org) debuted in September 2012 with a vision to create theatrical experiences that are rarely presented in Chicago by artists who seek to defy expectation. Cor's mission is to explore the inner truth of the human experience through storytelling that defies convention, and to engage audiences by telling stories that take courage to tell. Cor's first production, Skin Tight by Gary Henderson, produced by Tosha Fowler and Victoria Delorio in 2012 at A Red Orchid, was rewarded with enthusiastic audiences, critical acclaim and made just enough money to establish a not-for-profit corporation. The company subsequently named itself Cor Theatre, deriving its name from the Latin root of courage - meaning heart. In 2015, Cor expanded to a two-show season launching with an acclaimed production of Erin Courtney's A Map of Virtue, named Most Promising Debut by Time Out Chicago, and nominated for several Time Out Chicago Theatre Awards including Best Supporting Actress (Scottie Caldwell) and Best Design (Tierra G. Novy, set; Stefin Steberl, costumes and props; Eric Vigo, lights; and Jeffrey Levin, sound.) Cor's second 2015 production, Love and Human Remains, the first professional staging of Brad Fraser's controversial play in Chicago in 20 years, was directed by Ernie Nolan, played to numerous sold-out houses and was listed as one of the top plays to see by Windy City Times and New City. To kick off its 2016 season this past spring, Cor staged a daring U.S. debut of Christina, The Girl King, Linda Gaboriau's translation of French playwright Michel Marc Bouchard's 2012 play Christine, la reine-garcon, based on the true life of the 17th century's Queen Christina of Sweden. In response, New City reiterated its praise for Cor, calling the company "trailblazing," a "gifted and brave collection of artists," adding "It is one thing to be captivated or even moved by theater. Yet, to be excited or energized are experiences far more rare. These are reactions spurred from witnessing originality and fearlessness." Today, Cor is proud to be one of Chicago's newest and most ambitious Chicago professional theatre companies with a growing board and strong experience behind it. Company members are Tony Bozzuto, Chris Brickhouse, Elyse Cowles, Tosha Fowler, Adam Gutkin, Alarie Hammock, Topher Kielbasa, Jeffrey Levin, Claire Meyers, Ernie Nolan, Stefin Steberl, Eric Vigo and Will Von Vogt.  For more information, visit cortheatre.org, like Cor Theatre on Facebook, follow the company on Twitter, @CorTheatre, or call (866) 811-4111.

OPENING: COR Present's Brecht's The Good Person of Szechwan at A Red Orchid Theatre

Chi IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

"BRECHT MEETS EMPIRE" 

COR ADDS SIZZLE TO CHICAGO SUMMER THEATER WITH

THE GOOD PERSON OF SZECHWAN, 

AUG. 11-SEPT. 11 AT A RED ORCHID THEATRE

**Note: For adult audiences only. Contains sexual content and partial nudity.**

"Our theater must stimulate a desire for understanding, 

a delight in changing reality." 

~Bertolt Brecht

Cor Theatre, the bold new Chicago storefront company hailed for "Most Promising Debut" last season by Time Out Chicago, continues its 2016 season with a scorching new production of Bertolt Brecht's The Good Person of Szechwan.

Cor company member Ernie Nolan directs Tony Kushner's translation of Brecht's popular parable of good and evil. Fellow Cor ensemble member Will Von Vogt plays the title role of the good hearted prostitute, Shen Te, just one example of non-traditional, color and gender-blind casting in what promises to be one of the most talked about Chicago theater offerings this summer.

In The Good Person of Szechwan, three gods are on a journey to find out if there are any good people left on earth. Only Shen Te, a kind and generous prostitute, offers them shelter. With the money they give her she opens a tobacco shop. At once everyone needs her help. Her livelihood is in danger. Worse, she is falling in love with Sun, a pilot, who is robbing her blind. Her hard hearted cousin, Shui Ta, arrives to protect her. Who is he and how can good people stay good in a world of poverty and cruelty?

Cor's epic production is set in a multicultural, urban environment on the brink of change, much like Chicago. Infused with hot hip hop beats, Cor's new "Brecht meets Empire" take on Good Person will remind audiences that Brecht was not only one of the greatest theatrical thinkers of the last century, but entertainers as well.

"Brecht's brilliant play, which grapples with themes of income and gender inequality, poverty and urban decay, seems just as relevant today, if not more so, than it did when he completed it in 1940," said director Ernie Nolan. "As the nation debates issues of sex and gender identity, as our presidential race is speeding up, and with our presidential candidates asking us to consider why they are 'good' for the job, Good Person examines Shen Te's struggle to be 'good' in a world where goodness isn't exactly in demand." 

The Good Person of Szechwan, Brecht's parable of good and evil, 

was first performed in 1943 and remains one of his 

most frequently produced plays worldwide. 

Performances of Cor Theatre's The Good Person of Szechwan are August 11-September 11, 2016 at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells Street in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood. Previews are Thursday through Saturday, August 11-13, at 7:30 pm. 

Gala opening is Monday, August 15 at 7:30 p.m. Gala opening tickets are $75 and include a pre-show reception with food and cocktails, the show and a champagne toast with the cast and crew after the performance.

Performances run through September 11: Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25; $10 students and industry. Tickets go on sale July 1. For tickets and information, visit CorTheatre.org or call (866) 811-4111. 

Top: Cor Theatre company member Will Von Vogt portrays Shen Te in the company's new production of The Good Person of Szechwan. Middle, from left: Ernie Nolan will direct Cor Theatre's The Good Person of Szechwan starring Will Von Vogt in the title role. Reflecting the diversity of Chicago, the cast also features Jos N. Banks, Dawn Bless, Chris Brickhouse, Michael Buono, (bottom, from left) Ben Chang, Isabella Coelho, Aida Delaz, Niko Kourtis, Narciso Lobo, Jeri Marshall and Lea Pascal. 

In addition to Von Vogt as Shen Te, Cor's 12-person cast for Good Person reflects the diversity of Chicago: Dawn Bless as Wang the Watercarrier, Chris Brickhouse as Sun/Husband, Niko Kourtis as Shu Fu/Wife, Jeri Marshall as Mrs. Shin, Lea Pascal as Mrs. Mi Tzu, Narciso Lobo as Policeman/Mrs. Yang/Unemployed Man, Ben Chang as God 3/ Grandfather/Old Prostitute, Jos N. Banks as God 2/Sister in Law/Guard, Aida Delaz as God 1/Carpenter/ Guard, Michael Buono as Nephew/Male Vocal and Isabella Coelho as Niece.

Designers are Stefin Steberl (set and props), Alarie Hammock (costumes), Claire Chrzan (lights), Matt Reich (sound), Adam Gutkin (technical director), Tosha Fowler (movement), Elyse Cowles (production manager) and Meredith Matthews (production stage manager.) Tosha Fowler is Producing Artistic Director of Cor Theatre.

Ernie Nolan is an award winning director and playwright who received the Illinois Theatre Association's 2014 award for Excellence in Theatre for Young Audiences. He is a company member of Cor Theatre and last year he directed Love and Human Remains which New City named one of the "Top Five Dramas of 2015." For Chicago Playworks he has directed The BFG, The Giver, The Witches, A Wrinkle in Time, Number the Stars, and The Day John Henry Came to School. His work at The Broadway Playhouse includes A Charlie Brown Christmas, Fancy Nancy The Musical, Pinkalicious, The Cat in the Hat, Cinderella, Charlotte's Web and the world premiere of Hansel and Gretel: A Wickedly Delicious Musical Treat with Justin Roberts. Nolan's playwriting has been produced nationally and at such theatres as The Coterie, First Stage, Walnut Street, Orlando Rep and Children's Theatre of Charlotte. He has written commissions for Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo, MD, La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, CA, The Milwaukee Zoological Society, and his latest commission, My Broken Doll, for the Institute for Holocaust Education and The Circle Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska. Also a resident artist of The Coterie Theatre in Kansas City, MO, he has directed and choreographed world premieres by such Tony­-nominated artists as Willy and Rob Reale, Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, and Bill Russell and Henry Krieger Nolan is an Assistant Professor of Theatre Studies at The Theatre School at DePaul University as well as the Vice President of Theatre for Young Audiences USA. He is a graduate of both the University of Michigan Musical Theatre Program (BFA Musical Theatre) and The Theatre School at DePaul University (MFA Directing).

Will Von Vogt (Shen Te) is an ensemble member at Cor, where he co-starred earlier this season in Christina, The Girl King, and in last season's A Map of Virtue. Other credits include The Other Theatre Company's revival of Bent, along with Romeo and Juliet, The Heidi Chronicles, Blur, The Altruists, Empire Falls (HBO), Google Me Love (produced by the Wachowskis) and serving on the producing team of Salonathon.                                                                           

Tony Kushner (translator) is the Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, screenwriter, and author whose works have played everywhere from Broadway to HBO. His play Angels in America earned him the Pulitzer Prize, among many other awards. His other acclaimed plays include Slavs, Homebody/Kabul and Caroline, or Change. 

German playwright, poet and director Bertolt Brecht (playwright, 1898-1956) established himself as a playwright during the 1920s and early 1930s with plays such as Baal, Man is Man, The Threepenny Opera and The Mother. In 1933, as Hitler came to power in Germany, he fled to Scandinavia before settling in the U.S. During the war years, he wrote many of his best known plays including The Life of Galileo, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Mother Courage and Her Children and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. 

About Cor Theatre

Cor Theatre (cortheatre.org) debuted in September 2012 with a vision to create theatrical experiences that are rarely presented in Chicago by artists who seek to defy expectation. Cor's mission is to explore the inner truth of the human experience through storytelling that defies convention, and to engage audiences by telling stories that take courage to tell. 

Cor's first production, Skin Tight by Gary Henderson, produced by Tosha Fowler and Victoria Delorio in 2012 at A Red Orchid, was rewarded with enthusiastic audiences, critical acclaim and made just enough money to establish a not-for-profit corporation. The company subsequently named itself Cor Theatre, deriving its name from the Latin root of courage - meaning heart.

In 2015, Cor expanded to a two-show season launching with an acclaimed production of Erin Courtney's A Map of Virtue, named Most Promising Debut by Time Out Chicago, and nominated for several Time Out Chicago Theatre Awards including Best Supporting Actress (Scottie Caldwell) and Best Design (Tierra G. Novy, set; Stefin Steberl, costumes and props; Eric Vigo, lights; and Jeffrey Levin, sound.)

Cor's second 2015 production, Love and Human Remains, the first professional staging of Brad Fraser's controversial play in Chicago in 20 years, was directed by Ernie Nolan, played to numerous sold-out houses and was listed as one of the top plays to see by Windy City Times and New City.

To kick off its 2016 season this past spring, Cor staged a daring U.S. debut of Christina, The Girl King, Linda Gaboriau's translation of French playwright Michel Marc Bouchard's 2012 play Christine, la reine-garcon, based on the true life of the 17^th century's Queen Christina of Sweden. In response, New City reiterated its praise for Cor, calling the company "trailblazing," a "gifted and brave collection of artists," adding "It is one thing to be captivated or even moved by theater. Yet, to be excited or energized are experiences far more rare. These are reactions spurred from witnessing originality and fearlessness."

Today, Cor is proud to be one of Chicago's newest and most ambitious Chicago professional theatre companies with a growing board and strong experience behind it. Company members are Tony Bozzuto, Chris Brickhouse, Elyse Cowles, Tosha Fowler, Adam Gutkin, Alarie Hammock, Topher Kielbasa, Jeffrey Levin, Claire Meyers, Ernie Nolan, Stefin Steberl, Eric Vigo and Will Von Vogt. 

Get Social:

For more information, visit cortheatre.org, like Cor Theatre on Facebook, follow the company on Twitter, @CorTheatre, or call (866) 811-4111.