INCOMING: The Inspector Cluzo To Play Chicago's Subterranean May 20th, 2024

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar

INDEPENDENT FRENCH BLUES-ROCK DUO/ORGANIC FARMERS

The Inspector Cluzo

ON FIRST-EVER NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINE TOUR

ACCLAIMED LATEST ALBUM, HORIZON,

AVAILABLE NOW VIA THE BAND’S OWN FTBP RECORDS 

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we caught The Inspector Cluzo opening for CLUTCH in Chicago at Concord Music Hall, a few years back. They put on an excellent live show and we can't wait to see them again this May, on their first-ever North American headline tour. We adore this DIY blues-rock duo from Gascony, France. Don't miss this!

Running A Family Farm Tour 2024 gets underway May 1 at The Basement in Nashville, TN and then travels the continent through the month. Highlights include an eagerly awaited festival appearance at Atlanta, GA’s Shaky Knees (May 4) as well as stops at such renowned venues as Oklahoma City, OK’s Diamond Ballroom (May 10), Chicago, IL’s Subterranean (May 20), and New York City’s Mercury Lounge (May 27). For complete details and ticket information, please visit www.theinspectorcluzo.com.

 

THE INSPECTOR CLUZO: RUNNING A FAMILY FARM TOUR 2024

MAY

1 – Nashville, TN – The Basement

2 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506

4 – Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees *

7 – Austin, TX – The Ballroom

10 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom

12 – Denver, CO – The Other Side

13 – Omaha, NE – Reverb

15 – Des Moines, IA – XBK

17 – Kansas City, MO – Encore

19 – Detroit, MI – Pike Room

20 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean

21 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi

23 – Buffalo, NY – Electric City

24 – Montreal, QC – Cabaret Foufs

27 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge

* Festival Appearance

The Inspector Cluzo – Laurent (guitar, lead vocals) and Mathieu (drums) – have earned worldwide applause and attention for their elemental brand of hard-working blues rock ‘n’ roll and uniquely self-sufficient approach. Since coming together in 2008, the fully independent duo has released nine albums via their own FTBP Records, including last year’s acclaimed Horizon. Produced by 6x GRAMMY® Award-winner Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, Phish), the album earned them the cover of Rolling Stone France as well as a four-starred rave, and named by Classic Rock as one of “The 50 Best Albums of the Year.” 

Last year also saw The Inspector Cluzo starring in their own full-length documentary, Running A Family Farm, showcasing their extraordinary work as professional organic farmers in the Gascony region of France. The duo’s Lou Casse Farm (“The Oak” in Gascon) is a 15-hectare family farm building the agriculture of the future via Agro-Ecology, that is to say without chemicals, non-polluting, creating biodiversity, and fighting against climate change. Filmed over three years, the film – which follows the band’s 2015 documentary, Rockfarmers - presents an intimate look at the daily life and inner workings of Lou Casse, highlighting issues like global warming and the uncertain future facing family farms around the globe. 

Along with running Lou Casse (as well as their own label and E-shop), The Inspector Cluzo have lit up countless stages around the work, performing more than 1200 gigs in 67 countries spanning North American runs supporting bands like Clutch and EELS to international festival appearances including Lollapalooza (France, Brazil, Chile), Japan’s Fujirock, South Korea’s Pentaport, the UK’s Download Festival, and France’s own Hellfest, to name only a few. As with Lou Casse, The Inspector Cluzo adhere to organic principles on stage and in the studio, guided by strong convictions and deep passion for the natural and true sound of the blues.

Babes With Blades Theatre Company Presents World Premiere of The S Paradox April 7th Through May 18th, 2024

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BABES WITH BLADES THEATRE COMPANY’S WORLD PREMIERE OF 

THE S PARADOX

WINNER OF INTERNATIONAL PLAYWRITING COMPETITION

Please note: masks are required for all performances. 

The running time is 95 minutes with no intermission. 

True to Chicago Being a Hub for New Work, Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s 10th Winner Of The International Playwriting Competition Joining Sword & Pen and The Margaret W. Martin Award Opens this Sunday, April 7

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU FIGHT FOR

Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s (BWBTC) 2024 season opens this Sunday, April 7 with The S Paradox, written by Joining Sword & Pen International Playwright Competition (JS&P) and Margaret W. Martin Award Winner Jillian Leff, directed by Morgan Manasa with fight direction by Samantha Kaufman at The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St. The S Paradox runs through May 18 with preview performances Sunday, April 7 at 3 p.m.; Thursday, April 11 at 8 p.m. and Friday, April 12 at 8 p.m. The press opening is Saturday, April 13 at 8 p.m. with a performance schedule of Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. The streaming dates are Saturday May 11  at 8 p.m.; Sunday, May 12 at 3 p.m.; Thursday, May 16 and Friday, May 17 at 8 p.m. available via Vimeo.com.  Open Caption performances are available Saturday, May 4 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, May 5 at 3 p.m., and Thursday and Friday, May 9 and 10 at 8 p.m. with sensory-friendly performances Sundays, April 21 and 28 at 3 p.m. Tickets for the live and the streaming productions are $28 - $35 and available at BabesWithBlades.org.

Taking place in a distant future where the United States has undergone sweeping reform, The S Paradox is a world where guns are banned, healthcare is free,and numerous tax and economic bills have helped lessen the division of classes and pulled millions out of poverty. Sloane (first name Bridget, but don’t call her that) is a young woman who has been tapped by a watchdog intelligence agency called the CRC, led by the odd, yet domineering William Hale. As Sloane triumphantly (and a little drunkenly) leaves a warehouse after signing her contract, she is stopped by a mysterious woman who says she has come back in time to stop Sloane from making the biggest mistake of her life. 

“Chicago’s storefront theatre scene as a whole is very passionate about creating something that makes a lasting impact and is new and fresh and bold,” states winning Playwright Jillian Leff*. “Most of the time, you're going to find that in a new play.” 

“The S Paradox is an “Alias” meets “Looper” type tale, a sci-fi adventure that is an addition to the canon of new plays cultivated by BWBTC. The ensemble, originally founded as a company for women trained in stage combat, found few scripts outside of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew that called for femme actors to fight,” said Artistic Director Hayley Rice*. “Scripts that did “benefit” from having a woman trained in stage combat typically involved scenarios where female characters were the victims of the violence happening in a play.”

Now in its 19th year, Joining Sword & Pen International Playwright “continues to give space and a voice for stories from marginalized voices in theater,”added Rice. “With the total prize and award being a combination of developing the new script that leads to a full production and a cash prize, this is rare in the theater industry and we want to continue this as an opportunity for the development of new work in the industry.

Chicago playwright Jillian Leff talks about her experience through the development process with BWBTC: “I've done mostly one-off workshops for my other plays, which are definitely helpful, but I enjoy BWBTC’s Fighting Words program because it's working with your script over the better part of a year, with mainly the same people. I've felt it's helped The S Paradox grow exponentially.”

The S Paradox’s ensemble cast of 12 artists includes Elisabeth Del Toro (she/her, Dez); Luz Espinoza (she/her, Dez U/S and Older Dez); Cat Evans (any with respect, Ava); Kayla Marie Klammer (she/her, Sloane); Sonja Lynn Mata (she/her, Older Dez); Deanna Palmer (she/her, Nameless, Sloane U/S); Steve Peebles (he/him, William); Jessica Pennachio (she/her, Nameless, S U/S); Thomas Russell (he/they, Nameless, William U/S); Emily Sturges (she/they, Nameless U/S); Tina-Kim Nyguen (she/her, Nameless, Ava U/S) and Maureen Yasko* (she/her, S).

The production team includes BWBTC Ensemble Members Line Bower* (they/them, technical director), Jillian Leff* (she/her, playwright) and Morgan Manasa* (she/her, director) as well as Evy Burch (they/her, props designer), Rose Hamill (she/her, production manager), Rose Johnson (they/them, scenic designer); Samantha Kaufman (she/her, fight director), L.J. Luthringer (he/him, sound designer); Payton Shearn (she/they, production assistant), Taylor Stageberg (she/they, stage manager); Rachel M. Sypniewski (she/her, costume designer); Laura J. Wiley (she/her, lighting designer) and Theo Yaeck (they/them, assistant stage manager). 

*Denotes BWBTC ensemble member

ABOUT JILLIAN LEFF, PLAYWRIGHT OF THE S PARADOX

Jillian Leff (she/her/hers) is a Chicago based playwright and actor, whose work has been

produced in Chicago, Los Angeles, Florida and Indiana. The world premiere of Small

World (co-written with Joe Lino) was a Jeff Award nominee for New Work. She is an

ensemble member with Babes With Blades Theatre Company, where she has appeared in Richard III (Buckingham), Women of 4G (Pierce) and The Good Fight (Cicely) and is excited to work with BWBTC as a playwright again after workshopping her play The Mark through Fighting Words. She has a BFA in acting from Ball State University and is an advanced actor combatant with The Society of American Fight Directors. 

ABOUT MORGAN MANASA, DIRECTOR OF THE S PARADOX

Morgan Manasa (she/her/hers), a graduate of the Chicago College of Performing Arts and Theatre Conservatory at Roosevelt University, has been a theatremaker in Chicago for the past 20 years. Manasa is an ensemble member of Babes With Blades Theatre Company where she’s been seen in their production of Henry V (Fluellen) and Witch Slap! (Goody Blunt). She has directed a handful of one-acts and 10-minute play festivals but made her mainstage directorial debut with Arthur M. Jolly’s The Lady Demands Satisfaction (Jeff Recommended) with BWBTC. Most recently she directed JANE: The Abortion Underground with Idle Muse Theatre Company where she also directed In The Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 

ABOUT JOINING SWORD & PEN INTERNATIONAL PLAYWRITING COMPETITION AND THE MARGARET W. MARTIN AWARD

The Joining Sword & Pen international playwriting competition launched in 2005 to generate more scripts that featured women in roles involving stage combat.  Created in collaboration with Artistic Advisor and Fight Master in the Society of American Fight Directors David Woolley who sponsors the competition, scripts inspired by a specific image are submitted and go through a blind judging process.  The winning script goes through BWBTC’s new play development program, but also receives a full production, cash prize and the Margaret W. Martin Award.

Margaret W. Martin was ahead of her time. In the 1960s and 70s, she maintained her full time job, taught piano, and raised a family of 6 children (4 girls, two boys) all while she traveled the globe from the States to Saudi Arabia, across Europe and Vientiane Laos during the height of the Vietnam war. She founded the American International School – Riyadh (K-12) in Saudi Arabia in 1963, and it has flourished as an institution since then. The Margaret W. Martin Award is in honor of Artistic Advisor and SAFD Fight Master David Woolley’s mother. 

ABOUT BABES WITH BLADES THEATRE COMPANY

Babes With Blades Theatre Company – for over the past 20 years, and moving into the future – strives to develop and present scripts focused on complex, dynamic (often combative) characters who continue to be underrepresented on theatre stages based on gender. Babes With Blades Theatre Company uses (and will continue to use) stage combat to tell stories that elevate the voices of underrepresented communities and dismantle the patriarchy.

In each element of their programming, they embrace two key concepts:

1) Folks of marginalized genders and underrepresented communities are central to the story, driving the action rather than responding or submitting to it.

2) Everyone is capable of a full emotional and physical range, up to and including violence and its consequences.

The company offers participants and patrons alike an unparalleled opportunity to experience every person as heroes and villains; rescuers and rescues; right, wrong and everywhere in between: exciting, vivid, dynamic PEOPLE. It’s as simple and as subversive as that. 

BWBTC’s 2024 programming is partially made possible by the kind support of The Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, a grant from The Illinois Arts Council Agency, a CityArts Grant from the the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events (DCASE), and the support of the Small Business Alliance Shuttered Venue Operators (SVOG) grant program.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT STATEMENT:

Babes With Blades Theatre Company produces theatre in venues located on the traditional homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations. Many other tribes such as the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac, and Fox also called this area home. This region that we now commonly refer to as “The Chicagoland Area”, has long been a center for Indigenous people to gather, trade, and maintain kinship ties. Today, one of the largest urban Native American communities in the United States resides in Chicago. Members of this community continue to contribute to the life of this city and to celebrate their heritage, practice traditions and care for the land and waterways.

A.B.L.E. presents "The Odyssey" at Chicago Shakespeare Theater One Night Only On May 11th, 2024

ChiIL Mama’s ChiIL Picks List: 

Set sail for an inclusive adventure 

with A.B.L.E. & Chicago Shakespeare Theater

A.B.L.E.’s Sunday ensemble clusters together for a silly group photo. This team will join forces with A.B.L.E.’s Monday ensemble to present The Odyssey. In total, 44 performers will take the stage on Saturday, May 11, 2024.

24 performers with Down syndrome 

and other intellectual and developmental disabilities 

re-imagine an epic classic for our modern times

Here at ChiIL Mama, we have several friends with Down syndrome who have been in productions with A.B.L.E.--Artists Breaking Limits & Expectations, for years. It's been a great experience for them, and their families are enthusiastic about the program. Come check out these creative kids who are absolutely ready and A.B.L.E. to bring you a re-imagining of the epic classic The Odyssey.

A.B.L.E., a Chicago-based nonprofit that creates theatre and film for, with, and by individuals with Down syndrome and other intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) partner up once again to ensuring everyone feels they have a space in the theatre. 

A.B.L.E.'s production weaves music, movement, shadow puppetry, and scenes devised by the group into a powerful and joyful celebration of the choices we make, and the challenges we face along our journey. The vibrant adaptation features a neurodiverse cast of 44 performers, including 24 actors with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The performance in the Courtyard Theater on May 11, 2024 at 2:00pm will mark the two companies’ 7th collaboration, most recently having co-produced A Midsummer Night’s Dream last spring.

Christian Boyd leans in close to the camera and raises his hands as if coming to grab the viewer. Christian will appear as one of the sirens. In A.B.L.E.’s version, these seductive songstresses will tempt Odysseus and crew with an original rap written by the cast. Photo by Joe Mazza/Brave Lux.

The theme of fate vs. agency is prevalent in Homer’s tale, and it’s one that co-directors Braden Cleary and Katie Yohe particularly wanted to highlight with the Ensembles. Currently, 24 actors with varying disabilities including Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and autism take part in A.B.L.E.’s performance ensembles. “Folks with intellectual and developmental disabilities often have a lot of choices made for them, or it’s presumed that they are not capable of making their own choices,” says Yohe, also A.B.L.E.’s Executive Artistic Director. “Braden and I drafted a loose skeleton of the story but the script and production is really actor-led.” Each actor self-identified where their strengths lie as a performer, and were assigned to a chapter of the story based on their interests.

Actor Lucas Miezal holds a green sheet of paper as he shares ideas during a writing session. Actors developed original dialogue and movement pieces for their scenes. Photo by Joe Mazza/Brave Lux.

Over the course of a 10-week rehearsal process, actors collaborated with a team of volunteer facilitators to build the story. Facilitator Kara Davidson, a company member at Manual Cinema, helped actors design and build shadow puppets to bring to life monsters like the Cyclops and Scylla. Music Educator Polly Yukevich loaned the ensembles 15 ukuleles to bring musical magic to The Lotus Eaters and the seductive Sirens.

A.B.L.E. is committed to ensuring everyone feels they have a space in the theatre. The sensory-friendly performance will include numerous accessibility supports for audience members of all ages and ability levels. This includes dual ASL interpretation and open captioning. A.B.L.E. also reserves a designated movement zone for audience members who need to move around to help them focus. Audience members will receive a social story and sensory guide before the show to help audience members know what to expect from their trip to the theatre. “We hope we can set an example for our community of what true inclusion looks like both onstage and off.”

EVENT DETAILS

Saturday May 11, 2024 at 2:00pm

Chicago Shakespeare’s Courtyard Theater

800 East Grand Avenue

Chicago, IL 60611

Co-director Katie Yohe introduces a jointed Cyclops shadow puppet to members of the ensemble. The Odyssey will feature shadow puppet monsters and settings with consultation from Manual Cinema company member, Kara Davidson. Photo by Joe Mazza/Brave Lux. 

Tickets: All tickets are Pay-what-you-can starting at $15, general admission

Online: ableensemble.com/events

Phone: 312.595.5600

In person: at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater Box Office

Access: Performances will be open captioned and dual ASL interpreted. Out of consideration for our immunocompromised community members, masks are required in the theater.

This production of The Odyssey is sponsored by Gail and Dennis Rossow. A.B.L.E.’s 2023-2024 Season is partially supported by grants from The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, FunFund, The Illinois Arts Council, Innovation 80, The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, and The National Endowment for the Arts.

ABOUT A.B.L.E.

A.B.L.E.—Artists Breaking Limits & Expectations - is celebrating their 8th anniversary of creating theatre and film for, with, and by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A.B.L.E. engages actors ages 13 and up through ensembles and outreach programming. Whether in person or online, all A.B.L.E. programs strive to foster agency, and nurture lifelong skills like communication, collaboration, and creativity. A.B.L.E.'s ensembles have produced more than 25 projects for the stage and screen, ranging from adaptations of theatrical classics by Shakespeare, Dickens, and Gilbert & Sullivan, to original work, to innovative Zoom projects including Romeo & Juliet Remix. A.B.L.E.’s feature films have been recognized by several local and international festivals. By placing people with disabilities in the spotlight, A.B.L.E.’s work strives to shift societal preconceptions, and build more inclusive, empathetic communities. For more information about A.B.L.E., please visit www.ableensemble.com and find them on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

ABOUT CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER

Regional Tony Award-recipient Chicago Shakespeare Theater produces a bold and innovative year-round season—plays, musicals, world premieres, family productions, and theatrical presentations from around the globe—alongside nationally recognized education programming serving tens of thousands of students, teachers, and lifelong learners each year. Founded in 1986, the Theater’s onstage work has expanded to as many as twenty productions and 650 performances annually. Chicago Shakespeare is dedicated to welcoming the next generation of theatergoers; one in four of its audience members is under the age of eighteen. As a nonprofit organization, the Theater works to embrace diversity, prioritize inclusion, provide equitable opportunities, and offer an accessible experience for all. On the Theater’s three stages at its home on Navy Pier, in classrooms and neighborhoods across the city, and in venues around the world, Chicago Shakespeare is a multifaceted cultural hub—inviting audiences, artists, and community members to share powerful stories that connect and inspire. www.chicagoshakes.com.

Eddie Izzard performs Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in limited engagement, April 19–May 4

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces

Direct from triple-extended New York run prior to London transfer

Eddie Izzard performs Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Strictly limited engagement! April 19–May 4, 2024

Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces today a thrilling addition to the season: Tony Award-nominated actor Eddie Izzard brings her celebrated solo theatrical performance of Hamlet to Chicago, direct from a triple-extended New York run at the Orpheum and Greenwich House Theaters and prior to launching a highly anticipated London transfer at Riverside Studios. Izzard portrays 23 characters in William Shakespeare’s iconic play in this dynamic new staging adapted by Mark Izzard and directed by Selina Cadell. This strictly limited two-week engagement plays April 19–May 4, 2024 in the Courtyard Theater.

In Hamlet, The King of Denmark is dead, and Prince Hamlet is determined to take revenge—initiating a cascade of events that will destroy both family and state. Izzard portrays men, women, ghosts, scholars, tyrants, courtiers, lovers, fools, and poets.

She says of the monumental undertaking, “I have always gravitated towards playing complex and challenging characters and Hamlet is the ultimate. This is a production for everyone, a timeless drama with an accidental hero. Selina, Mark, and I want audiences to see and hear an accessible, touching, scary, and dramatic Hamlet.”

CST Executive Director Kimberly Motes and Artistic Director Edward Hall shared, “After seeing Eddie's extraordinary performance in New York, we are thrilled she’s agreed to join us at CST and share her Hamlet with Chicago audiences before London. It's a rare opportunity to see a Hamlet that makes this a play for all of us—truly a play for today.”

A Tony Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning actor, Izzard’s boundary-pushing career includes critically acclaimed roles in theater, film, and television. On Broadway, Izzard starred in Roundabout Theatre Company’s 2003 revival of A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, garnering the Tony nomination for Leading Actor in a Play—and appeared in David Mamet’s Race. Major London stage credits include The Cryptogram, Edward II, 900 Oneonta, Joe Egg, and Lenny. Izzard made her West End debut in 1993 in the solo show Live at the Ambassadors, receiving an Olivier Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement. Izzard’s film roles include Stephen Frears’ Victoria & Abdul opposite Dame Judi Dench, Julie Taymor's Across the Universe, Peter Bogdanovich's The Cat's Meow, Valkyrie, Ocean’s Twelve, Ocean’s Thirteen, and the recent Doctor Jekyll in which she plays Dr. Nina Jekyll and Rachel Hyde. She is the recipient of two Emmy Awards for her televised special, Dressed to Kill. She’s also been seen as Dr. Abel Gideon in “Hannibal” and in FX’s critically acclaimed series, “The Riches,” in which Izzard both starred and executive produced.

In 2022, Izzard performed a solo adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations—also created in collaboration with Mark Izzard and Selina Cadell—which played to rave reviews and sold-out audiences in New York and in London’s West End. The creative team reunites for Hamlet, which features set design by Tom Piper, lighting by Tyler Elich, costume styled by Tom Piper and Libby DaCosta, composer Eliza Thompson, movement director Didi Hopkins, and fight director J. Allen Suddeth. It is produced by Westbeth Entertainment, Mick Perrin Worldwide, and John Gore.

More information at www.chicagoshakes.com/hamlet or on social media at @chicagoshakes.

Hamlet will be presented April 19–May 4, 2024, in the Courtyard Theater. Single tickets starting at $69 are on sale now. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit www.chicagoshakes.com.

Announcing a digital lottery for Eddie Izzard’s solo HAMLET! 

A limited number of $35 tickets will made be available for each performance on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to availability. They will go on sale at 9:00 a.m. one day before each performance.Sign up to be in the know at www.chicagoshakes.com/lottery 

ABOUT CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER

Regional Tony Award-recipient Chicago Shakespeare Theater produces a bold and innovative year-round season—plays, musicals, world premieres, family productions, and theatrical presentations from around the globe—alongside nationally recognized education programming serving tens of thousands of students, teachers, and lifelong learners each year. Founded in 1986, Chicago Shakespeare’s onstage work has expanded to as many as twenty productions and 650 performances annually. CST is dedicated to welcoming the next generation of theatergoers; one in four of its audience members is under the age of eighteen. As a nonprofit organization, Chicago Shakespeare works to embrace diversity, prioritize inclusion, provide equitable opportunities, and offer an accessible experience for all. On CST’s three stages at its home on Navy Pier, in classrooms and neighborhoods across the city, and in venues around the world, Chicago Shakespeare Theater is a multifaceted cultural hub—inviting audiences, artists, and community members to share powerful stories that connect and inspire. www.chicagoshakes.com.

Hamburgers and Disappointment: Plays about Enoughness, a festival of works by Barrie Cole playing in repertory, May 2 - 19th, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

SWEETBACK PRODUCTIONS, IN COLLABORATION WITH LABYRINTH ARTS COLLECTIVE PRESENTS 

HAMBURGERS AND DISAPPOINTMENT: 

PLAYS ABOUT ENOUGHNESS 

A FESTIVAL OF WORKS BY BARRIE COLE, MAY 2 - 19

AT LABYRINTH ARTS PERFORMANCE COLLECTIVE

Cole’s Four Short Two-Character Plays, Including a World Premiere, Explore Relationships in all their Beautiful and Twisting Forms

Top row: Barrie Cole, playwright; Jayita Bhattacharya, director, FRUIT TREE BACKPACK; Kristy Lockhart, actor, FRUIT TREE BACKPACK

Second row: Julia Williams, actor FRUIT TREE BACKPACK; Jen Moniz, director, I LOVE YOU PERMANENTLY and MEANING IS TRICKY; Jeffrey Bivens, actor, I LOVE YOU PERMANENTLY

Third Row: Vicki Walden, actor, I LOVE YOU PERMANENTLY, Kelly Anchors, actor, CAPACITY; KellyAnn Corcoran, actor, CAPACITY;

Third row: David Isaacson and Diana Slickman, actors MEANING IS TRICKY; Carolyn Hoerdemann, actor, ELEVATOR TOURS

Fourth Row: Colm O’Reilly, actor, ELEVATOR TOURS

Sweetback Productions, in collaboration with Labyrinth Arts, is proud to announce Hamburgers and Disappointment: Plays about Enoughness, a festival of works by Barrie Cole playing in repertory, May 2 - 19 at 7:30 p.m., at Labyrinth Club, 3658 N. Pulaski Road. Performances of Schedule 1 includes I Love You Permanently and Fruit Tree Backpack runs on Thursdays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Schedule 2 that includes Capacity and Meaning is Tricky runs on Fridays and Sundays at 7:30 p.m. In addition, for those who may not be able to attend, a digital play, Elevator Tours, will be available for digital download for $10.  Press nights for Hamburgers and Disappointment: Plays about Enoughness are Schedule 1, Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m., and schedule 2, Sunday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are now on sale at SweetBackProductions.com.

“All of us at Labyrinth are proud to be co-producing this festival of Barrie Cole’s works,” said Artistic Director and Founder Diane Hamm of Labyrinth Arts. “We look forward to welcoming audiences, both familiar with her work and those experiencing them for the first time, to experience the complete relationship cycle created by Barrie.”  

Hamburgers and Disappointment: Plays about Enoughness, is a new festival of four short, two-character plays by Chicago-based playwright, Barrie Cole. The festival includes performances in repertory:

 

SCHEDULE 1

Performed on Thursdays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.

Fruit Tree Backpack

Written by Barrie Cole (she/her) 

Directed by Jayita Bhattacharya (she/her)

Ceil (Kristy Lockhart, she/her) and Anna (Julia Williams, she/her) traverse the various rooms inside the exhausting, sweet, metaphorical mansion of love.

 

I Love You Permanently

Written by Barrie Cole (she/her) 

Directed by Jen Moniz (she/her) 

Jay (Jeffrey Bivens, he/him) wants to be with Lee (Vicki Walden, she/her), but is unable to leave his abusive relationship. They meet one last time and try to find out if it is possible to have an entire relationship in the span of one cold night.

 

SCHEDULE 2

Performed on Fridays and Sundays at 7:30 p.m.

WORLD PREMIERE

Capacity

Written by Barrie Cole (she/her) 

Capacity is a world premiere and completes Cole’s collection of two-person plays about relationships. The play explores a thorny friendship between a playwright (Kelly Anchors, she/her) and an actor (KellyAnn Corcoran, she/her) who were both, at different times, married to the same man.

Meaning is Tricky

Written by Barrie Cole (she/her) 

Originally directed by Jen Moniz (she/her)

Roommates and former lovers Mark (David Isaacson, he/him) and Clare (Diana Slickman, she/her) navigate Clare's burgeoning new relationship with a TV-obsessed man in an open marriage whose wife operates a flower kiosk.

  

AUDIO PLAY 

Elevator Tours 

Written by Barrie Cole (she/her) 

Originally directed by Jen Moniz (she/her)

A special audio play with animation. Ruth (Carolyn Hoerdemann, she/her) has just moved into a new apartment when her recently divorced friend Will (Colm O’Reilly, he/him), comes to stay with her. They discuss life as a spectacle, art and sex.

The creative team for Hamburgers and Disappointment: Plays about Enoughness includes: Pamela L. Parker(set/props designer, she/her); Diane Hamm (producer/lighting designer, she/her); Kelly Anchors (producer/costume designer, she/her); Paul Brennan (film/sound designer, he/him); Charlotte Lastra (stage manager, she/her); Hannah Tymosko(stage manager, she/her); Timothy Hiatt (photographer, he/him) and Jules Darling (graphic designer, they/them).

ABOUT BARRIE COLE, playwright

Barrie Cole has written 14 plays, numerous monologue works, as well as essays, hybrid-works and more. Her plays have been produced by Theater Oobleck, Curious Theatre Branch and others.The Chicago Reader said about Cole: “Her ambiguously concrete work layers childlike simplicity over seasoned melancholy to produce piercing, wondrous images of charming, discomfiting transformation.”  

ABOUT JEN MONIZ, director, I Love You Permanently

Jen Moniz is an immigration paralegal, artisan gelato maker and writer, performer, producer and director of fringe theater. She is originally from California and has called Chicago home for 17 years. She has previously directed Mexico, Room, Elevator Tours, On Loss, To Relax and Laugh, Meaning is Tricky and Reverse Gossip.

ABOUT JAYITA BHATTACHARYA, director, Fruit Tree Backpack

Jayita Bhattacharya is a multidisciplinary theatre artist originally from Southern California, who has made her home in Chicago as an ensemble member of Curious Theatre Branch. Directing credits include What Is Even Happening?!!! by Kristin Garrison, Lizzie Borden Is Smashing by Sue Cargill and The McGuffins Run the 440 by Beau O'Reilly. She wrote the plays To End to Seem to End, today like a kind of shivering and Should We Put It Out? (The Smoke). Bhattacharya has also appeared in numerous Curious and Rhinofest productions through the years, including The Skriker, 4:48 Psychosis, Evanston Which Is Over There, The Buzz that is the Buzz and most recently, the revival of Hit Me Like a Flower.

ABOUT SWEETBACK PRODUCTIONS

Sweetback Productions was founded in 1994 by Kelly Anchors and Mike McKune. They started with a string of hit late night parodies of cult films that includes; Plan 9 From Outer Space, Female Trouble, Super Pussy Vixen, Go Faster! Kill! Kill!, Scarrie, The Musical!, The Birds and Freaks. Sweetback now focuses on more obscure and original work, most recently, Deep Fried and Suck My Nose, which featured three generations of family actors weaving their love through their pain while tap dancing and singing hymns; Bipolar Bitch, a mystical ride into psychosis and Dorothy Mae and the 1978 Holiday Rambler Ramblette, an outdoor extravaganza detailing Kelly’s roadtrip across the southwest during the Trump re-election season. Sweetback is beyond thrilled to be producing this festival of Barrie Cole’s plays, a playwright that Anchors was lucky enough to work with in Clumsy Sublime. Find them on Facebook.

ABOUT LABYRINTH ARTS AND PERFORMANCE COLLECTIVE

Labyrinth Arts and Performance Collective, a 501 c 3 not for profit, is organized for the purpose of building the creative community and developing wisdom through art.  The Collective believes that making and sharing meaning is key to being with artistic projects as a means of interactive exchange towards meaningful experience and encourages consciousness.  Risk taking requires compassion and holding space for fearless, free self-expression, the Collective believes that joy is the highest expression of being and inherent in all creative acts. And believes in artistic autonomy where the artistic project takes precedence over a single executive's vision.  

Recent past projects included the Labyrinth Film Fest 2024, variety shows 2023, music shows 2023, comedy showcases of John and Paul 2023 and play development in 2023. More information on their website or on Facebook. 

EXTENDED: The Band’s Visit at Writers Theatre Now Playing Through March 24, 2024

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Writers Theatre adds a week of performances to the

critically acclaimed, hit production of

The Band’s Visit

MUST CLOSE MARCH 24, 2024

Adam Qutaishat, Dana Saleh Omar, Dave Honigman

All production photos by Michael Brosilow

Writers Theatre, under the leadership of Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma and Artistic Director Braden Abraham, announces an additional week of performances to the run of The Band’s Visit, featuring music and lyrics by David Yazbek, book by Itamar Moses, and based on the screenplay by Eran Kolirin. The Writers Theatre production is directed by Zi Alikhan with music supervision by Andra Velis Simon and choreography by Sebastiani Romagnolo. The Band’s Visit will now run through March 24, 2024, in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe.

Following the blockbuster success of Once, Writers Theatre ventures into another immersive and engaging musical production. This co-production with TheatreSquared, Fayetteville, AR, is directed by Zi Alikhan, who has previously helmed productions at Geva Theatre Center, Paper Mill Playhouse, Olney Theatre Center, Pasadena Playhouse, and Primary Stages. Music Supervisor Andra Velis Simon returns to WT after previously working on Next to Normal in the 2018/19 season.

Armand Akbari, Adam Qutaishat, Jonathan Shaboo, Rom Barkhordar

In a small Israeli desert town where every day feels the same, a lost bus arrives carrying an Egyptian Police Band. With no hotel and no buses until morning, the musicians are taken in for the night by the locals. Under the spell of the desert sky, these misplaced musicians bring everyone together in the way that only music can. Winner of ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical, The Band’s Visit is a beautifully intimate show, perfectly suited for the Nichols Theatre, about the unifying power of music.

Sophie Madorsky, Rom Barkhordar, Armand Akbari

“The Band’s Visit is a warm and inviting piece that subverts our expectations about the kinds of stories musicals can tell. The emphasis is on individual connections between a group of strangers from different cultures over one enchanted night,” comments Artistic Director Braden Abraham. “The circumstances invite a more careful listening, and the result is a modicum of recognition and the beginning of a tenuous bond - one which allows for these characters to share their passions, quiet disappointments, and the longing for something more.”

Becky Keeshin and Sam Linda. Armand Akbari (back)

The cast includes: Armand Akbari [he/him] as Haled, Jacob Baim [he/him] as Sammy, Rom Barkhordar [he/him] as Tewfiq, Harper Caruso [she/her] as Telephone Guy, Jordan Golding [he/him] as Zelger, Dave Honigman [he/him] as Itzik, Marielle Issa [she/her] as Anna, Becky Keeshin  [she/her] as Julia, Sam Linda [he/him] as Papi, Sophie Madorsky [she/her] as Dina, Michael Joseph Mitchell [he/him] as Avrum, Dana Saleh Omar [she/her] as Iris, Adam Qutaishat [any/all] as Camal, and Jonathan Shaboo [he/him] as Simon. The understudies are Rae Robeson [she/her], David Sajewich [he/him] and Jordan Tannous [any/all].

Rom Barkhordar, Sophie Madorsky

The band includes: Emily Beisel (they/them) reeds, Jocelyn Butler-Shoulders (she/her) cello, Lior Shragg (he/him) percussion, and Matt Ulery (he/him) bass.

Sophie Madorsky

The creative team includes: Zi Alikhan (Director), Andra Velis Simon (Music Supervisor & Additional Orchestrations), Sebastiani Romagnolo (Choreographer), Jason Burrow (Music Director), Afsoon Pajoufar (Scenic Designer), Raquel Adorno (Costume Designer), Solomon Weisbard (Lighting Designer), Willow James (Sound Designer), Smooch Medina (Projections Director), Greg Geffrard (Intimacy Director), Sammi Grant (Dialect Coach), Celia Villacres (Associate Music Director & Conductor), and Faith Hart (Assistant Director). The stage manager is Miranda Anderson and the assistant stage managers are Natalie Cohen and Zachary Crewse.

Dana Saleh Omar, Jonathan Shaboo, Dave Honigman, Michael Joseph Mitchell

Tickets are now on sale at Writers Theatre at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe; 847-242-6000; www.writerstheatre.org.

Dates: First performance: February 8, 2024

Press opening:  Friday, February 16, 2024 at 7:30pm

Closing performance:  March 24, 2024

Harper Caruso with Adam Qutaishat

Performance Schedule:  

Wednesdays: 3:00pm and 7:30pm,

except no matinee on March 20, 2024

Thursdays: 7:30pm

Fridays: 7:30pm

Saturdays: 3:00pm and 7:30pm

Sundays: 2:00pm and 6:00pm

Location: Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe

Prices: Prices for all performances range from $35 - $90

Purchase early for best prices.              

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

 

WRITERS THEATRE 2023/24 SEASON

The remainder of the season includes Monsieur Chopin, written by and starring Hershey Felder and directed by Joel Zwick; and The Hot Wing King, written by Katori Hall, directed by Lili-Anne Brown.

The 2023/24 Season will see the company now firmly at home in its award-winning building at 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe, designed by Studio Gang Architects. Productions will be presented in the 255-seat Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre. Masks are strongly encouraged, but not required, in all Theatre spaces. Please visit https://www.writerstheatre.org/covid-safety for full details.

Writers Theatre is pleased to welcome back BMO Harris Bank as a 2023/24 Season Sponsor, marking the Bank’s tenth consecutive year as season sponsor. Writers Theatre also acknowledges Capital Group Private Client Services as a Lead Production Sponsor.

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

 

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES:

WT offers Open Captioning on select dates for each production. Please visit writerstheatre.org/accessibility for more information.

Writers Theatre is working with Erika Walker and Maylene Peña of the Walker Thomas Group on workplace culture and equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives. Additional information about this important and ongoing work can be found at writerstheatre.org/working-at-wt.

ABOUT WRITERS THEATRE 

Writers Theatre boldly looks to the future as it begins its 31st season. Having captivated audiences for years with its dedication to creating the most intimate theatrical experience possible, the theatre is now a major Chicagoland cultural destination with a national reputation for excellence, being called “America’s finest regional theater company” by The Wall Street Journal.

Since 1992, Writers Theatre has stayed true to its core values: valuing the power of the written word and uplifting the artists who bring that word to life. The company has produced over 120 productions—everything from inventive interpretations of classics to groundbreaking new work. In 2016, Writers Theatre opened a new, state-of-the-art facility designed by the internationally renowned Studio Gang Architects. The new facility has allowed the Theatre to accommodate its growing audience, while maintaining its trademark intimacy.

Writers Theatre now welcomes more than 60,000 patrons each season and has helped establish the North Shore of Chicago as a premier cultural destination. Through its Literary Development Initiative, which has been responsible for the nurturing and premiering of over two dozen world premieres, the theatre has established itself as a major originator of new theatrical works. Serving as an extension of the Writers Theatre mission, WT Education programs engage hundreds of students each year with active learning opportunities centered around the written word.

Rom Barkhordar as Tewfiq

Tony Award-Winning Girl From The North Country is now playing at the CIBC Theatre through February 25 Only

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar

GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY 

is the Tony Award-winning new musical

that the Chicago Tribune declares is “a Broadway revelation!”

It’s 1934 in Duluth, Minnesota. We meet a group of wayward travelers whose lives intersect in a guesthouse filled with music, life and hope. Experience this ‘profoundly beautiful' production (The New York Times) brought to vivid life by an extraordinary company of actors and musicians.

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we're excited to see Girl From The North Country. I'll be out with my husband for the press opening on Valentine's Day, celebrating our 29th first date anniversary. We were wayward travelers ourselves, at the time, on a road trip through Taos, NM. What better way to celebrate than with dinner and a Broadway play featuring 20 legendary songs of Bob Dylan reimagined!

Broadway In Chicago and Runaway Entertainment are pleased to announce that Girl From The North Country is now playing at the CIBC Theatre through February 25 only. Ticket prices range from $35 - $129 with a select number of premium tickets available. Additional ticket information and the performance schedule are below.

ABOUT GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY

Written and directed by celebrated playwright Conor McPherson and featuring Tony Award-winning orchestrations by Simon Hale, GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY reimagines 20 legendary songs of Bob Dylan as they’ve never been heard before, including “Forever Young,” “All Along The Watchtower,” “Hurricane,” “Slow Train Coming,” and “Like A Rolling Stone.”

The Girl From The North Country acting company includes Alan Ariano (Dr. Walker), David Benoit (Mr. Burke), Ben Biggers (Gene Laine), Paul Blankenship (Offstage Cover), Jennifer Blood (Elizabeth Laine), Ashley D. Brooks (Ensemble), Justin Michael Duval (Ensemble), Rayla Garske (Swing), Matt Manuel (Joe Scott), Kelly McCormick (Ensemble), Sharaé Moultrie (Marianne Laine), Hosea Mundi (Ensemble) Warren Nolan Jr. (Swing), Ali Regan (Swing), Jay Russell (Mr. Perry), John Schiappa (Nick Laine), Chiara Trentalange (Kate Draper), Danny Vaccaro (Swing), Jill Van Velzer (Mrs. Burke), Jeremy Webb (Reverend Marlowe), Aidan Wharton (Elias Burke) and Carla Woods (Mrs. Neilsen). Casting subject to change.

Girl From The North Country features scenic and costume design by Rae Smith; orchestrations, arrangements, and music supervision by Simon Hale, with additional arrangements by Simon Hale and Conor McPherson; lighting design by Mark Henderson; sound design by Simon Baker; movement direction by Lucy Hind; associate direction by Barbara Rubin; and music direction by Timothy Splain.

Girl From The North Country’s Original Broadway Cast Album was a 2022 GRAMMY Award® nominee for “Best Musical Theater Album.”

For more information visit www.northcountrytour.com

X: @NorthCountryBwy ● Facebook: @NorthCountryBroadway ● Instagram: @northcountrybroadway

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE 

WEEK ONE

Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 7:00 pm

Wednesday, Feb 14 at 7:00 pm

Thursday, Feb 15 at 7:00 pm

Friday, Feb 16 at 7:30 pm

Saturday, Feb 17 at 2 pm

Saturday, Feb 17 at 7:30 pm

Sunday, Feb 18 at 1 pm

Sunday, Feb 18 at 6:30 pm

   

WEEK TWO

Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 7:00 pm

Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 1 pm

Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 7:00 pm

Thursday, Feb. 22 at 7:00 pm

Friday, Feb. 23 at 7:30 p

Saturday, Feb. 24 at 2 pm

Saturday, Feb. 24 at 7:30 pm

Sunday, Feb. 25 at 1 pm

 

TICKET INFORMATION

Ticket prices range from $35 - $129 with a select number of premium tickets available. Individual tickets are available by visiting www.BroadwayInChicago.com, or going to any Broadway In Chicago venue box office. Tickets are available for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing GroupSales@BroadwayInChicago.com.

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO

Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 24 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and presenting Broadway shows at the Auditorium Theatre.

For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com. Follow @broadwayinchicago on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok #broadwayinchicago

World Premiere of WIPEOUT Via Rivendell Theatre Ensemble February 23 – April 6, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble announces the World Premiere of

WIPEOUT

by Aurora Real de Asua

Directed by Rivendell Artistic Director Tara Mallen

Movement Direction by Ensemble Member Devon de Mayo

February 23 – April 6, 2024

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble (RTE), Chicago’s only Equity theatre dedicated to advancing the lives of women through the power of theatre, announces the world premiere of WIPEOUT by Aurora Real de Asua, directed by Rivendell Artistic Director Tara Mallen with movement direction by Ensemble Member Devon de Mayo. WIPEOUT runs February 23 – April 6, 2024. Tickets are now available at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, 5779 N. Ridge Avenue in Chicago, (773) 334-7728 or www.RivendellTheatre.org.

Three retired best friends. One hotrod surf instructor. The currents of the Pacific Ocean. What could possibly go wrong? Set on surfboards, WIPEOUT is a poignant comedy about friendship, grief, and the unpredictable tides of life.

WIPEOUT tells the story of three women staring down the mouth of 70, friends for decades, who throw themselves into their first-ever surfing lesson with the help of a young instructor. As the women learn how to paddle and navigate the currents of the Pacific Ocean, they also learn how to navigate their friendships, their fears, and just how hard it can be to let it all go.

The cast of WIPEOUT includes RTE members Glenn Obrero and Meg Thalken, with Cindy Gold and Celeste Williams. 

The creative team includes RTE Members Regina Garcia (Scenic Design), Victoria DeIorio (Sound Design), Devon de Mayo± (Movement Director), with Evelyn Danner (Costume Design), Michael Mahlum (Lighting Design) Angie Tillges (Surfboard Design), Andres Fiz (Projection Design), Tanya Palmer (Dramaturgy), Shannon Golden-Starr (Production Manager), Deya Friedman (Production Stage Manager) and Mia Maccarella (Assistant Stage Manager).

“As a young surfer, I'd be paddling hard, getting ready to catch my wave, only to find a blissed-out grandmother already hanging ten. That's what I love most about surfing. Anybody - any body - can do it. The ocean is our great equalizer,” comments playwright Aurora Real de Asua. “It has a way of revealing the truth, of disintegrating the boundaries we place around ourselves and each other. This play is my love letter to the joys of surfing, the power of the ocean, and the tenacity of female friendship. I am so thrilled to premiere this play with Rivendell and honored to be working with their fabulous, fearless artists.”

“In 2019, when Aurora first brought us WIPEOUT, we were immediately taken by the audaciousness of this young writer having so confidently penned a moving, thoughtful, and hilarious drama about a trio of first-time women surfers some forty years her senior,” comments Artistic Director Tara Mallen. “This production features the formidable talents of three powerhouse Chicago actors I have long admired. Bringing these dynamic actors together with our young and inspired playwright sets Aurora’s play on firm footing from the start as we launch this first stop on WIPEOUT's three-part Rolling World Premiere. I am deeply grateful to be in the room with this collective of absurdly talented artists, to have this wonderful opportunity to stretch, flex our creative muscles and grow as theater artists as we tackle the unique challenges this play brings.” 

WIPEOUT is produced at Rivendell as part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. Other Partner Theaters are B Street Theatre, Sacramento, CA and The Gloucester Stage Company, Gloucester, MA. For more information, please visit nnpn.org

About the Artists

Aurora Real de Asua (playwright) is a playwright, filmmaker, and actor. Her plays have been workshopped at Williamstown Theatre Festival, the New Harmony Project, the Old Globe, the Playwright's Realm, Rivendell, the Chicago Children's Theatre, and Sideshow. She is currently working on a commission for South Coast Repertory Theatre. Her short film Heartsong debuted on Shorts of the Week and can be streamed at Mítu.tv. Acting credits include shows at Rivendell, Goodman, Court, Northlight, Victory Gardens, and American Players Theatre. She is also an ensemble member at Remy Bumppo. She holds a BA in theatre from Northwestern University and an MFA in film from Columbia University. In her spare time, you can find her surfing a longboard in Santa Cruz, California.

Tara Mallen (director) is an actor, director, producer and the founding Artistic Director at Rivendell. Most recently she was on stage as part of Rivendell’s Jeff Award-Winning Ensemble in Motherhouse. Other recent projects include Raven Theatre’s The Luckiest (Jeff nomination - supporting actor); RTE’s premiere productions of Spay, Laura and the Sea, The Cake (Jeff Award - Actor) Look, we are breathing, The Firebird’s Take the Field, Rasheeda Speaking, Crooked, Self Defense, and The Walls. Other credits include Sweat (Arena Stage), The Cake (Renaissance Theatreworks), and How Long Will I Cry (Steppenwolf), among others. She is the proud recipient of a 2017 3Arts Award for her work as a Chicago theatre artist. Screen credits include the upcoming feature film Ghostlight, premiering at Sundance Film Festival in January 2024; Dark Matter (Apple TV); Empire (Fox); Contagion (Warner Bros.); The Last Shift (Sony Pictures); Boss (Starz); Chicago Fire (NBC); Doubt (CBS/Sony Pictures); Chicago P.D. (NBC); and Sense8 (Netflix). For Rivendell, Tara co-conceived and directed the critically acclaimed World Premiere of Women At War, the Jeff-nominated Midwest premieres of The Electric Baby, 26 Miles (in co-production with Teatro Vista); Fighting Words by Sunil Kuruvilla; Psalms of a Questionable Nature ; the co-production of Elliot, a Soldier’s Fugue with Stageworks/Hudson; and the brief and brilliant Shady Meadows by Lisa Dillman as part of the 2007 Chicago Humanities Festival. 

Cindy Gold (Gary) Recent Chicago area appearances include The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington (Steppenwolf Theatre), Christmas Carol (Goodman), Household Spirits (Theatre Wit), Indecent (Victory Gardens), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Drury Lane), Measure for Measure (Goodman), Awake and Sing (Northlight), Taming of the Shrew (Chicago Shakespeare), and at The Lyric Opera in Showboat and My Fair Lady. Regionally, Cindy performed at Asolo Theatre in The Cake, The Kennedy Center in Showboat and Daughter of the Regiment (where she shared a role with RBG!), in The Music Man with Glimmerglass Opera, both in New York and at the Royal Opera House in Muscat. Cindy won a Jeff award for playing Gertrude Stein in Frank Galati and Stephen Flaherty’s Loving Repeating. Recent TV and film: Ghostlight, I Used to Go Here, Work in Progress, Empire, Chicago Fire, and the pilot episode of TNT's Leverage. Cindy is a Professor of Theatre at Northwestern University. 

Glenn Obrero (Blaze) was last seen in Scientific Method at Rivendell Theatre and is stoked to back as an Ensemble Member. Select theatre credits include: The Great Leap (Steppenwolf and Asolo Repertory Theatre), The Chinese Lady (Timeline Theatre), 20K Leagues Under the Sea (Lookingglass), Edith Can Shoot Things And Hit Them (Kitchen Theatre) and Letters Home (Griffin Theatre). Television credits include Chicago Fire (NBC) and Next (FOX). Glenn is a graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Acting and represented by Gray Talent Group.

Meg Thalken (Wynn) is thrilled to be a recent new member of Rivendell! Upcoming credits: Judgement Day at Chicago Shakespeare Theater Spring 2024. Regional Credits include Becky Nurse of Salem at Trinity Rep, Steel Magnolias at Milwaukee Rep, Ripcord at Peninsula Players, Tribes at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Chicago credits include: Steep Theatre: Mosquitoes, The Den Theatre: Four Places* (Jeff nomination), Steppenwolf: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Domesticated, Goodman: Soups, Stews, and Casseroles, Route 66: A Funny Thing Happened at the Gynecological Oncology Unit, Victory Gardens: A View of the Dome, Guide for the Perplexed, Symmetry, The Long Awaited, Next Theatre: The Metal Children, Chicago Dramatists: I Am Going to Change the World, Travel Light: Laundry & Bourbon, Wisdom Bridge: Bagtime, TV Credits: Chicago PD, Chicago Med, Chicago Justice, Chicago Fire, Paper Girls, 61st Street, Shameless, Empire, Easy Abby, Detroit 187, ER, The Joan Cusack Show, Turks, Chicago Hope, Early Edition, EZ Streets, The Untouchables, Chicago Story, Jack & Mike, The Richard Speck Case and Through Naked Eyes. Film: Christmas Again, This Day Forward, Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, Bad Johnson, Hannah Free, Check Please, The Company, U.S. Marshals, Poltergeist III, A Family Thing, The Babe, Class. 

Celeste Williams (Claudia)  most recently performed in Court Theatre’s production of Arsenic and Old Lace. Some of her work includes performances at: Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Victory Gardens Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Next Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Writers Theatre, New American Theatre, Seattle Group Theatre, Onyx Theatre Ensemble, and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. Celeste is a 4-time Jeff Award nominee; a 3-time Black Theatre Alliance Award winner; and received a 2023 Black Excellence nomination for Outstanding Theatre Artist from the Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago for her performance as Martha in Arsenic and Old Lace. Celeste was co-founder of Onyx Theatre Ensemble. 

Featuring: RTE Members Glenn Obrero+ and Meg Thalken*+, with Cindy Gold* and Celeste Williams*.

Creative Team: Regina Garcia± (Scenic Design), Evelyn Danner (Costume Design), Michael Mahlum (Lighting Design), Victoria DeIorio± (Sound Design), Devon de Mayo± (Movement Director), with Angie Tillges (Surfboard Design), Andres Fiz (Projection Design), Tanya Palmer (Dramaturgy), Shannon Golden-Starr (Production Manager), Deya Friedman* (Stage Manager) and Mia Maccarella (Assistant Stage Manager)

*= Member of Actors Equity Association

± = RTE Member

           

Schedule:

Thursdays at 8:00pm

Fridays at 8:00pm

Saturdays at 4:00pm and 8:00pm

Special added performances include Sunday, March 10 at 3:00pm; Monday, March 25 at 8:00pm (Industry Night)

Tickets:

$39 General Admission

$17 Student, Educators, Military/Veterans, Industry (Limited quantity, first-come, first-served)

$28 Seniors

$49 Sponsor Admission (to help us pay artists fair wages by covering the full cost of a seat at the performance)

$94 Angel Admission (1 Basic Admission, plus helping to cover discounted or free tickets to people who need them)

Membership / Subscription

RIV Pass: $95 (see Rivendell productions and other events as often as desired)

Box Office: (773) 334-7728 or www.RivendellTheatre.org

Parking and Transportation: There is limited paid and free street parking in the area. The theatre is easily accessible via the Clark (#22) or Broadway (#36) bus and is a short walk from the Bryn Mawr Red Line L station. 

About Rivendell Theatre Ensemble

Founded in 1994, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble advances the lives of women through theatre. Rivendell cultivates the talents of women artists—writers, actors, directors, designers and technicians—by seeking out innovative plays that explore unique female experiences and producing them in an intimate salon environment.

Rivendell employs women theatre artists, offers mind-expanding experiences with new voices and perspectives, and sparks dialogue and action on critical issues in the lives of women and their communities.

In our 25+ year history, Rivendell has earned 12 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nearly four dozen nominations. We are recognized as a national force in new play development and a home for women theatre artists. We engage about 200 artists and 3,000+ audience members each year through our mainstage season and new work development.

For more information about Rivendell Theater Ensemble, visit www.RivendellTheatre.org. Follow Rivendell on Facebook at Facebook.com/rivendelltheatre, on Twitter @RivendellThtr, and on Instagram at @rivendelltheatre.

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble is supported by generous grants from: SIF Fund at The Chicago Community Trust; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events; The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust; Shubert Foundation; Illinois Arts Council Agency; The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; The Field Foundation of Illinois; League of Chicago Theatres; Sarah and the 2 C Dogs; Amazing Edibles; Actor’s Equity Association.

Invictus Theatre’s TOPDOG/UNDERDOG at Windy City Playhouse February 13- March 31, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Invictus Theatre’s 

TOPDOG/UNDERDOG 

at Windy City Playhouse 

February 13- March 31, 2024

Full cast and crew have been announced for Invictus Theatre’s upcoming production of Suzan Lori-Parks’s TOPDOG/UNDERDOG, its first at the Windy City Playhouse, the company’s new home. Parks’s drama is a darkly comic fable of brotherly love, family identity and the way we are defined by history. Lincoln and Booth are two African American adult brothers whose names were given to them as a joke, foretelling a lifetime of sibling rivalry and resentment. Aaron Reese Boseman (director of Invictus’s productions of THE MOUNTAINTOP and A RAISIN IN THE SUN) will direct the two-hander. His cast will include Mikha’el Amin (previously seen at Invictus as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in THE MOUNTAINTOP, Marc Antony in JULIUS CAESAR, Laertes in HAMLET, and Walter Lee Younger in A RAISIN IN THE SUN) as Lincoln, and DeMorris Burrows (of 1919 at Steppenwolf and the BET feature film INFIDELITY) as Booth. Understudies are Stanley King (u/s/ Lincoln) and Aaron McCloud (u/s Booth).  TOPDOG/UNDERDOG will be performed at the Windy City Playhouse at 3014 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago. 

Top row (l-r): Mikha'el Amin, DeMorris Burrows

Second row (l-r):Stanley King, Aaron McCloud

TOPDOG/UNDERDOG’S Lincoln and Booth cope with poverty, racism, work, women, and their troubled upbringings. Haunted by the past, the brothers are forced to confront the shattering reality of their future. TOPDOG/UNDERDOG premiered off-Broadway at New York’s Public Theatre in a production directed by George C. Wolfe and starred Don Cheadle and Jeffrey Wright. It won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and the Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Play and moved to Broadway the following year. Its 2022 Broadway revival won the Tony® Award for Best Revival of a Play.

Invictus Theatre Company has been one of the most notable success stories among Chicago’s storefront theatres in spite of the challenges facing the theater community in recent years. When the pandemic shut down in-person performances just three years after the company’s founding, they responded with a thrillingly intimate Zoom production of ‘NIGHT, MOTHER. They returned from the pandemic by acquiring their own space – the former Jackalope Frontier Theater – which they renamed in honor of the late founding company member Reginald Vaughn. In that space, they continued to build a reputation for intimate and honest interpretations of classics with fidelity to the original texts and close attention to character development. The company’s extraordinarily successful 2021-22 season netted the company five Jeff Awards for its 13 nominations.

The company continued its upward trajectory during its 2022-23 season. That season began with intimate, yet full-scale stagings of the epics JULIUS CAESAR and THE CRUCIBLE along with the two-hander THE MOUNTAINTOP. BUZZ CENTER STAGE’s Wesley David said in reviewing  JULIUS CAESAR that “Invictus Theatre Company is quickly becoming one of my favorite venues in Chicago” and of THE MOUNTAINTOP said “They constantly exceed their reach. I have to remind myself this is a storefront theatre.” The CHICAGO READER’S Jack Helbig said of THE CRUCIBLE “This is a production that grabs an audience in the first seconds, pulls us in, and doesn’t let go until the final lights go out.”

Tickets for TOPDOG/UNDERDOG and the rest of Invictus's 2024 season will be available soon at www.invictustheatreco.com

February 13 – March 31, 2024

Previews: Tuesday 2/13/24, Friday 2/16/24, Saturday 2/17/24 at 7 p.m. Saturday 2/17/24 and Sunday 2/18/24 at 2 p.m.

Press Opening Monday 2/19/24 at 7 p.m.

Regular performances Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays at 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Performances at Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago

Ticket prices: Previews $25. Monday $25. Friday through Sunday $45.  Season subscriptions available. www.invictustheatreco.com

A darkly comic fable of brotherly love and family identity and the way we are defined by history. Lincoln and Booth are two brothers whose names were given to them as a joke, foretelling a lifetime of sibling rivalry and resentment. Haunted by the past, the brothers are forced to confront the shattering reality of their future.

BIOS

Charles Askenaizer (Artistic Director) is the Founding Artistic Director of Invictus Theatre. He won the 2023 Jeff Award (Non-Equity Wing) for his direction of the company’s WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, which also won Jeff Awards for Production of a Play, Scenic Design (Kevin Rolfs), and Performer in a Supporting Role – Play (Rachel Livingston). Other recent directing credits include THE CRUCIBLE, JULIUS CAESAR, and HAMLET (Invictus Theatre), readings with Chicago Dramatists, 'NIGHT, MOTHER (Associate Director-Invictus Theatre), THE MERCHANT OF VENICE (Invictus Theatre), OTHELLO: THE MOOR OF VENICE (Invictus Theatre), TITUS ANDRONICUS (Bare Knuckles Theater), JULIUS CAESAR (Associate Director- Brown Paper Box), TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA (Reutan Collective), and THE DIFFERENCE (Reading-Piccolo Theatre). Charles has worked with Citadel Theatre, Teatro Vista, the Artistic Home, City Lit, Raven, Brown Paper Box, Chicago Dramatists, the Side Project and many more. Charles graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Theatre and Communications. In 2024, Charles was named one of Newcity Magazine’s “Players 50 2024: The Rising Stars and Storefront Stalwarts.”

Aaron Reese Boseman (Director) is a Chicago native and a graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Direction and Acting. He directed Invictus’s acclaimed productions of THE MOUNTAINTOP and A RAISIN IN THE SUN and is a Jeff Award nominated actor, Black Excellence Award and Black Theatre Alliance Award nominated director and designer. He is also co-founder and artistic director of PULSE Theatre Chicago, where his directing credits include the critically acclaimed, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, IN THE BLOOD, THE COLORED MUSEUM, FABULATION, OR THE RE-EDUCATION OF UNDINE, and A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. Other directing credits include THE TIGER WHO WORE WHITE GLOVES (eta Creative Arts Foundation), THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT, S'KIN, THE PHILADELPHIA (Columbia College Chicago), AMERICAN SON (Ghostlight Theatre), NETWORTH, ROOM FOR MORE (Film Series) and DETROIT '67 (Columbia College Chicago-Mainstage). Upcoming: THE MUSIC MAN (Metropolis Performing Arts) and FAIRVIEW (Theatre at Cedar Rapids).  Recent Acting Credits include BLUE HEAVEN (Black Ensemble Theater), RAGTIME (Metropolis Performing Arts), RUINED (Invictus Theatre), BIG RIVER (TATC), SHREK THE MUSICAL (Windy City Performs), IN THE HEIGHTS (The Miracle Center, Slate), VIOLET, BALM IN GILEAD (Griffin Theatre and Loyola University), GOLDEN BOY, DO RE MI (Porchlight Music Theatre), RENT (CCC), and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (Skylight Music Theatre and Citadel Theatre).

ABOUT INVICTUS THEATRE COMPANY

At Invictus Theatre Company, our mission is to create theatre that promotes a better understanding of language: its poetry, its rhythm, its resonance; through diverse works by diverse artists. We respect the power of heightened language: spoken, written, sung; to express the breadth of the human condition. We work to harness the power of language: to promote diversity, to engender respect, to foster collaboration; and to empower our communities to share their voices.

Invictus Theatre Company incorporated in January 2017 and received its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in February 2017. A diverse group of Chicago actors and directors founded Invictus with the vision to empower their communities through theatrical productions of heightened language. We are committed to the idea that our productions should reflect the communities we represent, and, to that end, we are committed to non-discriminatory hiring practices. In working with local artists, designers, and production teams, Invictus Theatre Company does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, nationality, citizenship, religion, or any other status protected by law.

Invictus Theatre Company's 2024 season is generously sponsored by Michael and Mona Heath of The Heath Fund, with additional support from The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), Untouchable Times Tours, Inc., and the Illinois Arts Council.