CHICAGO PREMIERE OF the american vicarious’ DEBATE: BALDWIN VS. BUCKLEY

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

TIMELINE THEATRE TO PRODUCE A SITE-SPECIFIC 

CHICAGO PREMIERE OF 

the american vicarious’ 

DEBATE: BALDWIN VS. BUCKLEY

ADAPTED AND DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER MCELROEN AND PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE THEATRE SCHOOL AT DEPAUL UNIVERSITY

This imagining of the historic debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr., on the occasion of the event’s 60th anniversary, will run January 29 - March 2, 2025 

at DePaul University’s Cortelyou Commons

Run time is approximately 90 minutes. There is no late seating.

TimeLine Theatre’s Chicago premiere of the american vicarious’ Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley will run January 29-March 2, 2025 at DePaul University’s Cortelyou Commons, in partnership with The Theatre School at DePaul University.  TimeLine Theatre has long been a favorite of ours and I'll be out to review for ChiIL Live Shows on February 1st. 

The production features Teagle F. Bougere (left) as Baldwin and Eric T. Miller as Buckley. Credit: Christopher McElroen

“Is the American Dream at the expense of the American Negro?”

This was the topic on February 18, 1965, when an overflow crowd packed the Cambridge Union in Cambridge, England, to witness a historic televised debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley, Jr. Baldwin was the leading literary voice of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, while Buckley Jr., was a fierce critic and America’s most influential conservative intellectual. Their historic clash revealed the deep roots and lasting legacy of racial conflict that continue to haunt America.

This winter, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of their legendary duel, TimeLine Theatre Company will present the Chicago premiere of the american vicarious’ Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley, adapted and directed by Christopher McElroen, January 29 - March 2, 2025.

Thanks to a unique partnership between TimeLine Theatre and The Theatre School at DePaul University, the Midwest’s leading theatre conservatory and the alma mater of TimeLine’s founders, the internationally acclaimed the american vicarious’ Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley will be uniquely staged, not in a traditional theater, but in an immersive, site-specific production, tailor-made for Chicago and replicating the feeling of being in the Cambridge Union.

 Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley features Teagle F. Bougere as Baldwin.

Credits: left: Ellie Kurttz; right: Valya Korabelnikova

Eric T. Miller plays Buckley in Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley. Credit (both photos): Ellie Kurttz

Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley will be presented at Cortelyou Commons, built in 1929, remodeled in 2006, located at 2324 N. Fremont St. on the DePaul campus in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Credit: DePaul University 

The entire five-week run of Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley will be presented inside Cortelyou Commons, a historic student gathering space built in 1929 on DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus, an academic setting with a beautiful Gothic Collegiate design that replicates Cambridge Union, where the original debate was held. 

Once inside Cortelyou Commons, audiences will witness an epic confrontation that pitted Baldwin’s call for a moral revolution in race relations against Buckley’s unabashed elitism and implicit commitment to the status quo. 

“TimeLine is thrilled to produce this powerful theatrical experience in the immersive setting of the Cortelyou Commons. Partnering with the internationally acclaimed company, the american vicarious, and The Theatre School at DePaul University—alma mater to me and my fellow TimeLine co-founders—is an honor, as TimeLine continues a season of curated collaborations across Chicago while our new home in Uptown is under construction,” said TimeLine Artistic Director PJ Powers. “Following heralded productions in New York and London, we’re creating a unique, Chicago version of Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley that will invite the audience into a space resembling the one in Cambridge where Baldwin and Buckley’s legendary clash of ideas occurred. Presenting this on the 60th anniversary of their debate will illuminate what progress has occurred in our country and what troubling comparisons still can be made with arguments from 1965.”

“The objective of the american vicarious in restaging this historic debate is not to inhabit such monumental figures as James Baldwin or William F. Buckley, their shoes are too large to fill,” said Christopher McElroen, Founding Artistic Director of the american vicarious. “Rather, our objective is to simply place their words, which still resonate 60 years later, within the voice of contemporary artists.”

“With Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley, TimeLine will transform DePaul’s Cortelyou Commons into a unique and immersive space where powerful public discourse can take place,” said Mica Cole, Executive Director of TimeLine Theatre. “Scholars, activists and audiences will be able to experience a historic moment in race relations, then engage in a critical conversation about our present and future.”

Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley features (from left) Teagle F. Bougere as Baldwin, Eric T. Miller as Buckley, with DePaul Theatre BFA students Jack Baust and Quintin Craig alternating as Mr. Jeremy Burford, and Alexander Perez and Aspen Schucker rotating as Mr. David Heycock. 

Original cast members Teagle F. Bougere (Baldwin) and Eric T. Miller (Buckley) will reprise their roles in Chicago, following critically acclaimed runs in New York City, London, and elsewhere.

Underscoring TimeLine’s connection with The Theatre School, the cast also showcases four student performers, all in their final year in DePaul’s BFA Acting program. Alexander Perez and Aspen Schucker will rotate performances as Mr. David Heycock of Pembroke College, the Cambridge University student who introduced Baldwin at the 1965 debate. Jack Baust and Quintin Craig will rotate as Mr. Jeremy Burford of Emmanuel College, who championed Buckley.

The production team includes Sally Dolembo (Co-Costume Designer), TimeLine Company Member Maren Robinson (Dramaturg) and Katrina Herrmann (Stage Manager). Understudies are Kevin Aoussou (Baldwin) and Joseff Stevenson (Buckley).

Not only will this unique, immersive Chicago theater experience honor the 60th anniversary of the historic Baldwin vs. Buckley debate, 2025 also marks the 100th anniversary of The Theatre School at DePaul University.

How fitting is it that, to kick off the school’s centennial, a team of DePaul theatre students will gain real-world professional experience as part of the Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley production team, including Zachary Grasee (Co-Costume Designer), Bruno Díaz Miranda (Assistant Stage Manager), Edward Ambrose (Wardrobe Supervisor), and Ashly Demay, Katherine Schuert and Omari Sloan (Dramaturgs).

“We are so happy to have our current students and faculty work with our alumni on a production that ushers in the beginning of our centennial year of existence and also speaks to the importance of debate in an educational backdrop,” said Martine Kei Green-Rogers, Dean of The Theatre School at DePaul University.  

DEBATE: BALDWIN VS. BUCKLEY PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley will be presented at DePaul University’s Cortelyou Commons, located at 2324 N. Fremont St., in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.

Previews are Wednesday and Thursday, January 29 and 30 at 7:30 p.m. Press Opening is Friday, January 31 at 7:30 p.m. Regular performances continue through March 2: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 2 p.m. Exceptions: There is an added performance on Tuesday, February 18 at 7:30 p.m. No show Wednesday, February 19. 

For details regarding free street parking, paid parking, convenient drop off, public transit and accessibility, visit timelinetheatre.com/venues/cortelyou-commons.

BUYING TICKETS

Single tickets to Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley are on sale now, priced $40 - $75. For tickets and information, visit timelinetheatre.com or call the TimeLine Box Office at (773) 281-8463 x6. 

Preview tickets are $40. Single tickets to regular performances are $62 (all evening performances) and $75 (all matinee performances). Student discount is 35% off regular price with valid ID. TimeLine is also a member of TCG’s Blue Star Theatre Program and is offering $25 tickets to U.S. military personnel, veterans, first responders, and their spouses and family.

Ticket buyers ages 18-35 may join TimeLine’s free MyLine program to obtain access to discounted tickets, special events and more. Discounted rates for groups of 10 or more are also available. Visit timelinetheatre.com/discounts for more about available discounts.

Cortelyou Commons is accessible. Although seating for performances is general admission, accessible seats may be requested for patrons who need specific seating due to disability. If you require accessible seating, please let TimeLine know when placing your reservation how we may assist in finding the best seats to fit your needs.

SAVE WITH A TIMELINE THEATRE 2024-25 FLEXPASS

TimeLine Theatre's 2024-25 three-play season launched this fall with Falsettos, music and lyrics by William Finn, book by William Finn and James Lapine, produced in partnership with Court Theatre and directed by TimeLine Associate Artistic Director Nick Bowling. The production was a smash hit critically and at the box office, earned a one-week extension and was named to the Chicago Tribune's list of Top 10 Plays of 2024.

Following Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley, TimeLine’s 2024-25 season concludes with the world premiere of Dhaba on Devon Avenue, a searing Chicago-set story of family, legacy, and survival at all costs by Madhuri Shekar, directed by Chay Yew, produced in partnership with Writers Theatre. Performances are June 19 - July 27 at Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe.

This remarkable season marks the launch of TimeLine’s next era. The company departed its longtime home on Wellington Avenue in Lakeview East this past summer and has moved to temporary administrative offices closer to Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood as it continues the process toward establishing its future home at 5035 N. Broadway Avenue.

Multiple 3-Admission and 2-Admission TimeLine FlexPass options, priced from $64 to $232, are now on sale. For more information and to purchase, call (773) 281-8463 x6 or visit timelinetheatre.com.

ACCESS PERFORMANCES

CAPTIONED PERFORMANCES: Open-captioned performances with a text display of words and sounds heard during performances are Friday, February 21 at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, February 22 at 4 p.m. 

AUDIO-DESCRIBED PERFORMANCE: On Saturday, March 1, the 4 p.m. performance will feature narration about visual elements of the production around the dialogue, available for individual patrons via headphones.

DIRECTIONS AND PARKING

STREET PARKING: Limited street parking is free south of Cortelyou Commons on West Belden Avenue. Since Cortelyou Commons is on a college campus, there may be other events and traffic around the venue. Make sure to plan ahead if you intend on finding free street parking.

PARKING GARAGE: The nearest parking garage is the Sheffield Lot, 2331 N. Sheffield Avenue. The garage is open 24/7 and always has a cashier available to assist patrons as they exit. TimeLine staff will be able to provide a validation voucher to patrons. Please see TimeLine staff at the Cortelyou Commons for a voucher, which you will need to present to the garage’s cashier upon exit.

DROP OFF: If you are driving to Cortelyou Commons and dropping off a passenger, please note that the venue is not accessible from Fullerton Avenue. Instead, drive east along Belden Avenue from Sheffield. Turn left onto North Chalmers Place. Follows signage/one ways to the west to Fremont Street. You should be able to exit on Chalmers Place after drop-off.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Cortelyou Commons is accessible via CTA Red, Brown, and Purple lines via the Fullerton stop. The #74 Fullerton bus is nearby, as well as the #8 Halsted. The #22 Clark bus stops at Clark and Fullerton, about a 15 minute walk away. For more public transit options, please visit TransitChicago.com.

BIOGRAPHIES

Christopher McElroen (Adapter and Director) is the Founding Artistic Director of the american vicarious. Previously, he co-founded the Classical Theatre of Harlem, where from 1999 to 2009, he oversaw 41 productions yielding 18 AUDELCO Awards, six OBIE Awards, two Lucille Lortel Awards, and a Drama Desk Award. McElroen’s recent projects Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley (2022) and Static Apnea (2020) were both listed as “Highbrow and Brilliant” in New York magazine’s Approval Matrix, and Broadwayworld said “the american vicarious is on my list of must-see theatre companies.” In collaboration with six-time Grammy Award nominee Gerald Clayton, McElroen developed and directed Piedmont Blues: A Search for Salvation, which was presented at Harlem Stage in June 2022. McElroen received a 2013 Helen Hayes Award for his direction of the world premiere stage adaptation of Ralph Ellison’s iconic novel Invisible Man. McElroen had the honor of directing 51st (dream) State, the final work of poet, musician, and activist Sekou Sundiata, which premiered at BAM’s Next Wave Festival. Alongside visual artist Paul Chan, actor Wendell Pierce, and Creative Time, he co-produced and directed Waiting for Godot in New Orleans, a year-long community development through the arts initiative in post-Katrina New Orleans. The archives from the production were acquired into the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). 

Teagle F. Bougere (James Baldwin) Broadway appearances include The Tempest (Caliban) with Patrick Stewart, directed by George C. Wolfe; A Raisin in the Sun (Asagai) with Phylicia Rashad and The Crucible (Judge Hawthorne), directed by Ivo van Hove. Selected television and film include Law and Order S.V.U. a.d.a. Phillip Baptiste (recurring); Queen America (series regular) with Catherine Zeta-Jones; The Blacklist; Bull; The Mist; The Path; Cosby; The Big C; The Job; A Gifted Man; Conviction, What The Deaf Man Heard; eight episodes for the various Law and Order franchises; A Night At The Museum; The Pelican Brief; Two Weeks Notice; and The Imposters. Selected Off-Broadway includes The New Englanders, Manhattan Theater Club (Audelco Award-Outstanding Lead Actor); Beast In The Jungle, Vineyard Theater, directed by Susan Stroman; Is God Is, Soho Rep; A Last Dance For Sybil by Ossie Davis, starring Ruby Dee, and Coriolanus at The New York Shakespeare Festival. Coriolanus was Bougere’s thirteenth appearance with the New York Shakespeare Festival Public Theater. Past turns at the festival include Plato in Socrates (with Michael Stuhlbarg); Caska in Julius Caesar; Eros in Antony and Cleopatra, directed by and starring Vanessa Redgrave; and Cymbeline, directed by Daniel Sullivan. Regionally Mr. Bougere created the title role in the world premiere stage adaptation of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. The production was directed by Christopher McElroen and played Court Theater in Chicago, Studio Theater in Washington D.C., and Boston’s Huntington Theater.

Eric T. Miller (William F. Buckley Jr.) Theater credits include Mope (Ensemble Studio Theatre), rogerandtom (HERE), Sweet Storm (LAByrinth), (A)Loft Modulation (the american vicarious), Awake and Sing! and Ripcord (Huntington Theatre), Wink (TerraNova), Luft Gangster (Sheen Center), Safe Home (Royal Family Productions), Betrayed (Culture Project) as well as work at the Syracuse Stage, Bard Summerscape, New York Stage and Film, Rattlestick, PS 122, Workshop, and the Flea. Film and Television credits include Mare of Easttown, Separation, Jules, FBI: Most Wanted, Halston, The Good Fight, Blue Bloods, Chicago PD, Blacklist, Person of Interest, Elementary, The Unusuals, Kings, Law & Order, Shame, Reaching Home, The Waiting Room, Home, Tom’s Dilemma, AdFirm, Redemption in Cherry Springs, Josie & Jack, and the Oscar-nominated film Nyad. erictroymiller.com 

ABOUT TIMELINE THEATRE COMPANY

TimeLine Theatre Company, recipient of the prestigious 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, was founded in April 1997 with a mission to present stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. Currently celebrating its 28th season, TimeLine has presented 92 productions, including 14 world premieres and 42 Chicago premieres, and launched the Living History Education Program and TimeLine South summer arts program, which bring the company's mission to life for students in Chicago Public Schools and beyond. Recipient of the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence and the Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award from the Association for Strategic Planning, TimeLine has received 62 Jeff Awards, including an award for Outstanding Production 11 times.

The company recently departed its longtime home on Wellington Avenue and moved into new administrative offices at 5539 N. Broadway, Ste. B, a few blocks north of the site of its future new home, located at 5035 N. Broadway in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. Construction has begun on that site, where plans feature an intimate black box theater seating up to 250 audience members, expanded area for the immersive lobby experiences that are a TimeLine hallmark, new opportunities for education and engagement, room to allow audience members to arrive early and stay late for theatergoing experiences that extend far beyond the stage, and more.

TimeLine is led by Artistic Director PJ Powers, Executive Director Mica Cole, and Board President Thaddeus J. Malik. TimeLine Company members are Tyla Abercrumbie, Will Allan, Nick Bowling, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Behzad Dabu, Charles Andrew Gardner, Lara Goetsch, Juliet Hart, Anish Jethmalani, Mildred Marie Langford, Mechelle Moe, David Parkes, Ron OJ Parson, PJ Powers, and Maren Robinson.

Major corporate, government and foundation donors providing season support via TimeLine’s Annual Fund include Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation, Bayless Family Foundation, CIBC U.S., Crown Family Philanthropies, Joseph & Bessie Feinberg Foundation, Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and Van Dam Charitable Foundation. TimeLine also acknowledges the support of a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

For more information, visit timelinetheatre.com or Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (@TimeLineTheatre on all platforms). 

ABOUT THE THEATRE SCHOOL AT DEPAUL UNIVERSITY

The Theatre School at DePaul University, founded in 1925 as the Goodman School of Drama, is one of the nation’s oldest conservatory training institutions. With more than 15 undergraduate degree programs across three departments (design/technology, performance, and theatre studies), and two master’s degrees offered in acting and arts leadership, students combine rigorous coursework with continuous production practice to hone their skills. This hands-on approach develops students with practical problem-solving experience, not just in theatre, but in a variety of artistic and business pursuits. 100% of students receive a scholarship to help support artists from a variety of backgrounds and to encourage quality and accessible education to all. 

For more information, to donate, or to join The Theatre School’s mailing list, please visit theatre.depaul.edu or follow @theatreschooldepaul on Instagram.

ABOUT the american vicarious

the american vicarious is a New York City-based nonprofit producing company committed to generating creative content that crosses disciplinary boundaries and reflects on America’s ideals, realities, and the forces that unite and divide its people. Since its founding in 2018, the company has produced a wide variety of critically acclaimed, interdisciplinary works of art, including Fight for America!, a participatory gaming installation exploring the fragility of American democracy (New York City and London, 2025); the stage adaptation Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley, premiering in New York City (2020, 2022) and subsequently in London, Cambridge, and Bristol (2023); two world premiere plays, Shooting Celebrities (2022) and (A)loft Modulation - a play with jazz (2019); the mixed-media jazz concert Piedmont Blues: A Search for Salvation (2020-22); two performance installations, Negative Liberty / Positive Liberty (2021) and Static Apnea (2020, The New York Times Critics Pick); and the documentary feature film Far From the Nile (2022, Best Non-Fiction Film Award, Cairo Film Festival). The programs of the american vicarious are supported by the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and generous individual donors. 

For more, visit theamericanvicarious.org.

Chicago Premiere of Reina Hardy’s GLASSHEART Via City Lit Theatre January 10 – February 23

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Cast and production team announced for Chicago Premiere of 

Reina Hardy’s 

GLASSHEART

January 10 – February 23

Modern-day reimagining of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is both hilarious and poignant. City Lit Executive Artistic Director Brian Pastor to direct.

City Lit Theater has announced its cast and creative team for the Chicago Premiere of GLASSHEART, by Chicago-based playwright Reina Hardy. City Lit Executive Artistic Director Brian Pastor will direct this new take on the Beauty and the Beast story, in which the Beast has had to live centuries enduring his existence in a hideous body. He has moved to present-day Chicago with his only friend, a lamp named Only, who thinks he should get out more and meet a woman who might fall in love with him and break the spell. The landlady of their new home – a low rent apartment in an unnamed Chicago neighborhood – happens to be a Witch, perhaps the one who turned him into a beast in the first place. But there is hope when Only and the Beast meet their new neighbor Aiofe, a recent transplant from Michigan who is looking forward to her new life as a barista in the Windy City. Though the Beast is very much an 18th Century European gentleman and Aiofe a 21st Century independent woman, they find they have much in common and together learn things about their true selves and what it means to be human. GLASSHEART will open to the press on Sunday, January 19 at 3 pm, following previews from January 10, and play through February 23, 2025.

Pastor’s cast for the four-person play will include three veterans of City Lit and the Chicago theater scene, along with one newcomer. Actor and playwright Mark Pracht, a Jeff Award winner for his leading role in REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT with The Artistic Home, a nominee for his John Proctor in Invictus Theatre’s THE CRUCIBLE, and known most recently to City Lit audiences for the title role in PROMETHEUS BOUND, will play The Beast. Additionally, Pracht’s “Four Color Trilogy” of plays about the comic book industry was produced at City Lit over the past three seasons, concluding with THE HOUSE OF IDEAS this past fall. Kat Evans, whose many roles at City Lit include Bridget in THE SAFE HOUSE and Io to Pracht’s Prometheus, will play the lamp called Only.

Appearing as The Witch will be Elaine Carlson, whose most recent of many City Lit roles was as Meg in THE BIRTHDAY PARTY. She has earned Jeff Award nominations for her title role in MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION and her Eleanor of Aquitane in A LION IN WINTER, both with Promethean Theatre Ensemble; and won an Actress in a Principal Role Jeff Award for SALT OF THE EARTH with Famous Door Theatre. Completing the cast as the independent, politically minded Aiofe will be Cailyn Murray, a new-to-Chicago actress who moved from Washington DC to Chicago in 2023. Since arriving in Chicago, she has appeared in Corn Productions’ DRINK:PRIDE and has been a Dungeon Master for Otherworld Theatre’s Interactive D20 Dungeons & Dragons events. Cailyn holds a BA in Theatre from Muhlenberg College. 

L-R: Mark Pracht, Cailyn Murray, Elaine Carlson, Kat Evans. 

The production team will include Jeremiah Barr (Scenic Design), Liz Cooper (Lighting Design), Petter Wahlbäck (Sound Design and Original Music), kClare McKellaston (Costume Design), Paul Chakrin (Violence Design), Courtney Abbott (Intimacy Coordinator), Meghan Norine McGrath (Props Design), and Hazel Marie Flowers-McCabe (Stage Manager).

A Chicago-based self-described “playwright and fabulist,” Reina Hardy’s work has been produced across the United States, and in the UK, Australia and Greece. GLASSHEART was praised by the WASHINGTON POST for its “off-key insights” and its “funky, poetic” nature. THE WASHINGTONIAN called it “enchanting, funny, and thought-provoking.”

Tickets may be ordered online at www.citylit.org or purchased over the phone by calling 773-293-3682. Ticket prices are $30 for previews and $35 for regular performances. Senior prices are $25 for previews and $30 for regular performances. Students and military are $12.00 for all performances. City Lit Theater is located at 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, on the second floor (accessible via elevator) of the Edgewater Presbyterian Church.

Production Details 

January 10 – February 23, 2025

Previews January 10 – 18, 2025

Press opening Sunday, January 19 at 3 pm

Regular run January, January 24 – February 23, 2025

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3 pm

Mondays, February 10 and 17, 2025 at 7:30 pm

Tickets $30 for previews and $35 for regular performances. Senior prices are $25 previews and $30 regular performances. Students and military are $12.00 for all performances.

Tickets available online at www.citylit.org  or by phone at 773-293-3682.

All performances at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, on the second floor (accessible via elevator) of the Edgewater Presbyterian Church.

Chicago premiere of a new play by Chicago-based playwright Reina Hardy. A modern-day reimagining of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. The Beast has moved into a low-rent district in Chicago with his last loyal friend, a lamp named Only. They meet a neighborly witch and a young woman who might, somehow, still break the curse.

BIOS

Reina Hardy (Playwright). Reina Hardy's plays, which usually contain magic and sometimes contain science, have been produced across the US, the UK, Australia and Greece. Her prose has appeared in Electric Literature, Fantasy Magazine, Startrek.com, and more, and her first movie as a screenwriter, PAGING MR. DARCY, aired on the Hallmark Channel in February 2024. She is currently under contract with Simon and Schuster for a nonfiction book entitled SH*TTY BOYFRIENDS OF WESTERN LITERATURE. Hardy’s honors include a Michener Fellowship, Kilroy’s List, National New Play Network New Play Showcase, Source Festival, Kennedy Center MFA Playwrights Workshop, Interact 20/20 Commission, Kennedy Center ACTF TYA PRIZE. Her plays are currently licensed through Broadway Play Publishing and TRW Plays.

She received her Master of Fine Arts in Playwriting and Screenwriting from the University of Texas at Austin. Hardy is represented  by the Gurman Agency for theatre, Aevitas for nonfiction, and Arlook Management and Verve for television and film.

Brian Pastor (they/them, Director, Executive Artistic Director) is a trans/non-binary producer, director, actor, and playwright in Chicago and the Executive Artistic Director of City Lit Theater. Brian previously spent ten and a half years on staff at City Lit, including nine as Managing Director. Brian has served as City Lit’s Resident Director, from 2019 until assuming their current position on July 1. For City Lit, they directed THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD, George Bernard Shaw’s ARMS AND THE MAN, Archibald MacLeish’s J.B., and their own acclaimed adaptation of Robert Kennedy’s THIRTEEN DAYS. Brian is a founder and Emeritus Artistic Director of Chicago’s Promethean Theatre Ensemble, where they directed THE LION IN WINTER, THE WINTER’S TALE, and GROSS INDECENCY: THE THREE TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE (all Broadway World Award Nominated - Best Director), as well as HENRY V and THE DARK SIDE OF THE BARD. Brian also directed the world premiere of THE BLACK KNIGHT by Angeli Primlani, the inaugural show for Lifeboat Productions. As an actor, Brian has worked with Strawdog, Raven, WildClaw, Promethean, Accomplice, and City Lit, among others. Brian is the former Executive Director of Sideshow Theatre and the former Executive Director of Raven Theatre. They also served as a board and company member of The Mime Company and as a founding company member of Chicago dell’Arte. A Pittsburgh native, Brian has called Chicago home since their graduation from Northwestern University in 2003.

 

ABOUT CITY LIT THEATER COMPANY:

City Lit is the eighth oldest theatre company in Chicago, behind only Goodman, Court, Northlight, Oak Park Festival, Black Ensemble Theatre, Steppenwolf, and Pegasus theatres.  It was founded in 1979 with $210 pooled by Arnold Aprill, David Dillon, and Lorell Wyatt.  For its current season, its 44th , it operates with a budget slightly over $200,000.  It was the first theatre in the nation devoted to stage adaptations of literary material.  There were so few theatres in Chicago at the time of its founding that at City Lit’s launch event, the founders were able to read a congratulatory letter they had received from Tennessee Williams.

For four decades and counting, City Lit has explored fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoirs, songs, essays and drama in performance. A theatre that specializes in literary work communicates a commitment to certain civilizing influences—tradition imaginatively explored, a life of the mind, trust in an audience’s intelligence—that not every cultural outlet shares.

City Lit is located in the historic Edgewater Presbyterian Church building at 1020 West Bryn Mawr Avenue. Its work is supported in part by the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency,  and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events CityArts program.  An Illinois not-for-profit corporation and a 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt organization, City Lit keeps ticket prices below the actual cost of producing plays and depends on the support of those who share its belief in the beauty and power of the spoken written word.

Chicago debut of FAT HAM: A GOODMAN CO-PRODUCTION WITH DEFINITION THEATRE JANUARY 11 – FEBRUARY 23, 2025

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

TRUMANE ALSTON, SHELDON BROWN, E. FAYE BUTLER, RONALD L. CONNER, VICTOR MUSONI, IREON ROACH & ANJI WHITE CAST IN 

FAT HAM

A GOODMAN CO-PRODUCTION WITH DEFINITION THEATRE

Chicago debut with an all-Chicago cast

JANUARY 11 – FEBRUARY 23

**TYRONE PHILLIPS DIRECTS THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF JAMES IJAMES’S PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING PLAY**

***TICKETS ON SALE NOV. 1 WITH EVENTS INCLUDING PRIDE NIGHT (JAN. 14) AND BLACK AFFINITY NIGHT (FEB. 7)***

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we're SO excited for Fat Ham. We dig James Ijames wonderful work. You're in for a treat, whether you're a longtime fan or you're just hearing about this Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award nominated playwright. We've also adored Tyrone Phillips' expert directing skills for years. Don't miss this! 

Come to the barbecue! James Ijames’s Pulitzer Prize-winning, five-time Tony Award-nominated play Fat Ham—an “uproarious reimagining of ‘Hamlet’” (The New Yorker)—makes its Chicago debut with an all-Chicago cast led by Trumane Alston. The Chicago- premiere production is directed by Tyrone Phillips—Founding Artistic Director of Chicago’s famed Definition Theatre, who co-produces Fat Ham at the Goodman—and also features Sheldon Brown, E. Faye Butler, Ronald L. Conner, Victor Musoni, Ireon Roach and Anji White. Fat Ham appears January 11 – February 23. I'll be out for opening night on January 21st, so check back shortly after for my full review. 

Tickets ($25 - $85; subject to change) are on sale November 1 at GoodmanTheatre.org/Ham or by phone at 312.443.3800. Goodman Theatre is grateful for the support of ITW (Corporate Sponsor Partner) and the Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust (Lead Sponsor of IDEAA Programming).

“I am thrilled to bring this production to life with some of Chicago’s finest artists on and off the stage,” said Director Tyrone Phillips. This cast is extraordinary, and I can’t wait to get to be in the room with each one of them as we explore this beautiful coming of age story. I’m also thrilled to collaborate once again with Definition ensemble members Ireon Roach and Victor Musoni.”

A boisterous Southern cookout sets the scene for a Black, queer discovery of self and resilience in this Pulitzer Prize-winning, five-time Tony nominated coming-of-age story. As Juicy grapples with his identity and his family at a backyard barbecue, his father’s ghost shows up asking for revenge—on Juicy’s uncle, who has married his widowed mom—bringing his quest for joy and liberation to a screeching halt. James Ijames has reinvented Shakespeare’s masterpiece, creating what the New York Times hails as “a hilarious yet profound tragedy, smothered in comedy,” where the only death is the patriarchy. 

Special events for the production include Pride Night (January 14), a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community that includes a discounted ticket, specialty drink, light refreshments and music. In addition, Black Affinity Night (February 7) celebrates the richness of Black culture and community at a special pre-show reception and conversation, followed by the evening performance.

James Ijames is a Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award nominated playwright, director and educator. Ijames’ plays have been produced by Flashpoint Theater Company, Orbiter 3, Theatre Horizon, Wilma Theatre, Theatre Exile, Azuka Theatre (Philadelphia, PA), The National Black Theatre, JACK, The Public Theater (NYC), Hudson Valley Shakespeare Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre, Definition Theatre, Timeline Theater (Chicago IL) Shotgun Players (Berkeley, CA) and have received development with PlayPenn New Play Conference, The Lark, Playwright’s Horizon, Clubbed Thumb, Villanova Theater, Wilma Theater, Azuka Theatre and Victory Garden. Ijames is the 2011 F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Artist recipient, and two Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Direction of a Play for The Brothers Size with Simpatico Theatre Company and Gem of the Ocean with Arden Theatre. Ijames is a 2015 Pew Fellow for Playwriting, the 2015 winner of the Terrance McNally New Play Award for WHITE, the 2015 Kesselring Honorable Mention Prize winner for ….Miz Martha, a 2017 recipient of the Whiting Award, a 2019 Kesselring Prize for Kill Move Paradise, a 2020 and 2022 Steinberg Prize, the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Drama recipient and a 2023 Tony nominee for Best Play for Fat Ham. James was a founding member of Orbiter 3, Philadelphia’s first playwright producing collective. He received a BA in Drama from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA and a MFA in Acting from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. James is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Villanova University. He resides in South Philadelphia. 

Tyrone Phillips is a first generation Jamaican-American artist, Founding Artistic Director of Chicago’s Definition Theatre and a proud member of the NAACP, SAG-AFTRA and SDC. Recipient of the 2022 Alumni Association Award for Diversity & Inclusion, he is an honors graduate of the Fine and Applied Arts college at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and has studied abroad at Shakespeare’s Globe. Tyrone is currently leading a capital campaign for the development of Definition’s new theater, community center and entrepreneur incubator in Woodlawn. Past directing and associate directing credits include: Purpose (Steppenwolf Theatre), Twelfth Night, I,Cinna (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Fairview (Jeff Nomination), Byhalia, Mississippi (Jeff Nomination), Dutchman (Definition Theatre), An Octoroon (Goodman Theatre/Definition Theatre) and The MLK Project (Writers Theatre). Regional: The Royale (American Players Theatre) and The Tale of Despereaux (Old Globe, Berkeley Rep). Off–Broadway: Trevor, the Musical. Awards and Honorable Mention: Arts Midwest’s Peter Capell Award for Midwestern Creativity & Entrepreneurship (2022) and Newcity Stage Hall of Fame (2024).  

Full Company of Fat Ham (in alphabetical order)

By James Ijames

Directed by Tyrone Phillips

Trumane Alston…Juicy

Sheldon Brown…Larry

E. Faye Butler…Rabby

Ronald L. Conner…Rev/Pap

Victor Musoni…Tio

Ireon Roach…Opal

Anji White…Tedra

Understudies for this production include Blake Hamilton Currie, Marquise De’Jahn, TayLar, Joseph Primes and Jazzy Rush.

Creative Team

Set Designer…..Arnel Sancianco

Costume Designer ……Jos N. Banks

Lighting Designer…..Jason Lynch

Sound Designer….. Willow James

Illusion Consultant…Benjamin Barnes

Fight and Intimacy…Gaby Labotka

Casting is by Lauren Port, CSA. Jared Bellot is the Dramaturg. Patrick Fries is the Production Stage Manager.

ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES AT GOODMAN THEATRE

ASL-Interpreted Performance: Friday, January 31 at 7:30pm – Professional ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played.

Touch Tour* and Audio-Described Performance: Saturday, February 1, 12:30pm Touch Tour; 2pm performance – The action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset.

Spanish-Subtitled Performance: Saturday, February 1 at 7:30pm – An LED sign presents Spanish-translated dialogue in sync with the performance.

Open-Captioned Performance: Sunday, February 2 at 2pm – An LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.

ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE

Chicago’s theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit arts and community organization in the heart of the Loop, distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and community engagement. Led by Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins, the theater’s artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics. Artists and productions have earned two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and more than 160 Jeff Awards, among other accolades.

The Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” Its longtime annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, now in its fifth decade, has created a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production and program partner with national and international companies and Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters.

Using the tools of theatrical practice, the Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand and empathize with cultures and stories of diverse voices. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of these programs, which are offered for Chicago youth—85% of whom come from underserved communities—schools and life-long learners.

Goodman Theatre was built on the traditional homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi Nations. We recognize that many other Nations consider the area we now call Chicago as their traditional homeland—including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo and Mascouten—and remains home to many Native peoples today. While we believe that our city’s vast diversity should be reflected on the stages of its largest theater, we acknowledge that our efforts have largely overlooked the voices of our Native peoples. This omission has added to the isolation, erasure and harm that Indigenous communities have faced for hundreds of years. We have begun a more deliberate journey towards celebrating Native American stories and welcoming Indigenous communities.

Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family’s legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth’s family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation on the new Goodman center in 2000.

Julie Danis is Chair of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Lorrayne Weiss is Women’s Board President and Kelli Garcia is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.

Drury Lane 2025/26 Season to Include Chicago Premiere of The Da Vinci Code and More

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar 

Drury Lane announces the 2025/26 Season 

featuring a lineup of shows that invite audiences to escape the ordinary 

including the Chicago premiere of The Da Vinci Code, Always…Patsy Cline, Dial M For Murder, Sister Act, and the Chicago regional premiere of On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan

Drury Lane Theatre invites audiences to escape the ordinary with an enticing lineup of productions in its 2025/2026 season, including a gripping Chicago premiere, a tale of envy and murder, and a trio of beloved female-driven musicals sure to have you singing along. The new season is packed with shows audiences have been clamoring for, and Drury Lane is proud to present them as only it can, with unparalleled theatrical artistry.

Drury Lane kicks off the 2025/26 season with the action-packed Chicago premiere of The Da Vinci Code, adapted from the best-selling novel by Dan Brown; a tale of friendship and heartache based on a true story in Always…Patsy Cline; a new adaptation of the beloved thriller of jealousy and deception, Dial M For Murder, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the original by Frederick Knott; the heavenly musical comedy Sister Act, based on the hit 1992 film; and the Chicago regional premiere of the unstoppable rhythm of the Miami Sound Machine in On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan.

Drury Lane’s new season runs from April 1, 2025 – March 22, 2026, at 100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace. For more information, visit www.drurylanetheatre.com.

“For me, announcing the 2025-2026 season is a thrilling experience. Drury Lane has crafted a groundbreaking series of productions with titles you will recognize, music you can start singing now, and surprises that I hope will bring thrills and chills,” comments Drury Lane Managing Director Wendy Stark Prey.

The performance schedule for Drury Lane’s 2025/2026 Season is Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m., Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Excellence isn’t limited to the stage at Drury Lane! Before or after the show, theatergoers can indulge in delicious onsite dining at Lucille Restaurant, which features seasonal pre-fixe menus and an elevated atmosphere to complete their experience. Boasting over a century of collective expertise in hospitality, the dedicated team ensures that you will be cared for with freshly prepared meals, handcrafted cocktails, and exceptional service. At Drury Lane, everything is in one place, so you will never be late for your performance. 

Drury Lane Theatre Membership Program

Lock in your seats for a season of spectacular theatre with Drury Lane’s new Membership Program! Members have exclusive access to uniquely tailored benefits designed to enrich their Drury Lane experience, all at a cost savings of more than 50% off single ticket prices. Membership includes Tier One seating for all five Drury Lane Theatre productions, free ticket exchanges, dedicated dining credits at Lucille Restaurant, exclusive event invitations, Member pre-sales and unlimited single ticket discounts. Membership prices range from $229.25 - $260.75. For more information, visit www.drurylanetheatre.com.

Group tickets start at $45 and Student group tickets start at just $35. To book a group of 10 people or more, call Group Services at 630-570-7272 or email Groups@DruryLane.com.

The Drury Lane Theatre 2024/2025 Mainstage Season is as follows:

Chicago Premiere

The Da Vinci Code

Adapted by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel

Based on the novel by Dan Brown

April 9 – June 1, 2025

Press Opening: Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 7pm

 

Witness the action-packed novel live on stage as Professor Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu race against the clock to unlock the secrets of Da Vinci in this Chicago regional premiere.

 

Based on a True Story

Always…Patsy Cline

Created and originally directed by Ted Swindley

June 11 - August 3, 2025

Press Opening: Thursday, June 19, 2025 at 7pm

Featuring 27 of Patsy Cline’s biggest hits, this is the ultimate love letter to one of the most celebrated and influential performers of the 20th century.

 

New Adaptation

Dial M For Murder

Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher

From the original by Frederick Knott

September 3 - October 26, 2025

Press Opening: Thursday, September 11, 2025 at 7pm

An affair, a fortune on the line, and the perfect murder…But what happens when it all goes wrong? Find out in this riveting new adaptation.

 

Sister Act

Music by Alan Menken

Lyrics by Glenn Slater

Book by Cheri Steinkellner & Bill Steinkellner

Additional Book Material by Douglas Carter Beane

November 12, 2025 - January 11, 2026

Press Opening: Thursday, November 20, 2025 at 7pm

Based on the hit 1992 film, this divine, feel-good comedy will have you rejoicing with your group this holiday season.

 

Chicago Regional Premiere

On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan

Book by Alexander Dinelaris

Featuring Music Produced and Recorded by Emilio & Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine

January 28 - March 22, 2026

Press Opening: Thursday, February 5, 2026 at 7pm

Filled with the exhilarating music of the Miami Sound Machine, this celebration of Gloria Estefan’s greatest hits will have you dancing in the aisles.

 

Theatre for Young Audiences 2025 

A Christmas Carol

By Charles Dickens

November 28 – December 27, 2025

Single Tickets: $30-$40, Group Tickets: $17.50 (10 or more)

Continue your tradition or start a new one by gathering the whole family for Drury Lane Theatre's heartwarming production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Set in Victorian-era London, A Christmas Carol tells the classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts that visit him one fateful Christmas Eve hoping to change his miserly ways. Complete with falling snow and magical illusions, the play is a visually stunning experience and, at one hour long, perfect for children of all ages.

 

About Drury Lane Theatre  

Built from scratch. Built in Oakbrook. Built for you.

Founded by Anthony DeSantis over 60 years ago, Drury Lane remains a family-run organization under the leadership of President Kyle DeSantis. Drury Lane Theatre continues as a major force in the Chicagoland theatre scene, producing world-class theatre in collaboration with some of the nation’s leading actors, directors, and creative minds. Drury Lane Theatre produces the highest quality theatrical experience that immerses and supports our artists and audiences in the exploration of what it means to be human and to experience the transcending power of the performing and visual arts. Drury Lane strives to create an environment in which every individual or group is welcomed, respected, supported, valued and able to fully experience and participate in this transformative art form.

The theatre has staged more than 2,000 productions and has been nominated for over 360 Joseph Jefferson Awards. Drury Lane proudly employs thousands of professional actors, musicians, designers, and crew members to entertain upwards of nine million audience members and counting

 

Chicago Premiere of A BEAUTIFUL NOISE, THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL November 12 – 24, 2024

GOOD TIMES NEVER SEEMED SO GOOD.

  A BEAUTIFUL NOISE, THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL

TO MAKE ITS CHICAGO PREMIERE AT THE CADILLAC PALACE THEATRE

AS PART OF A MULTI-YEAR NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 

Direct from Broadway, A BEAUTIFUL NOISE, THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL will make its Chicago debut, November 12 – 24, 2024, at Broadway In Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre as part of multi-year North American Tour.

TICKET INFORMATION

Groups of 10+ are now on sale by calling (312) 977-1710 or by emailing GroupSales@BroadwayInChicago.com. A BEAUTIFUL NOISE will be part of the next Broadway In Chicago subscription. Current subscribers can renewal beginning on Monday, February 26, and the season will be available to new subscribers on Wednesday, March 20. Single tickets will be on sale at a later date. Ticket prices range from $40 - $135 with a select number of premium tickets available. For more details, visit BroadwayInChicago.com.

“Some of my most thrilling nights have been while I was on tour, bringing my music to audiences across the world,” said Neil Diamond. “Having A BEAUTIFUL NOISE go on tour is an honor and I can’t wait for audiences across North America to experience this show. I hope they enjoy it as much as I have.”

The tour will be lead produced by Ken Davenport, Bob Gaudio and NETworks Presentations.

Producer Ken Davenport said, “Neil is one of the best live entertainers the world has ever seen. In his fifty-year career, he’s performed for millions of fans around the globe. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect way to honor his legacy than having A BEAUTIFUL NOISE touring North America, visiting the same cities where he gave so many people so much joy.”

Producer Bob Gaudio said, “When Neil and I first started talking about making a musical using his music, I knew how daunting that would be. With Jersey Boys, I learned how vital it is to have a first-rate creative team making sure everything weaves together. We have that on A BEAUTIFUL NOISE—an incisive book that tells Neil’s story honestly, fantastic choreography, one of the best directors on Broadway guiding the entire production, and of course, Neil’s iconic songs. Having the show go on tour is an exciting next step.”

The Broadway production continues to play for cheering audiences nightly at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City.

A full tour route and casting will be announced at a later date. Please visit abeautifulnoisethemusical.com to sign up for the email newsletter and be among the first to receive tour news and updates.

“SO GOOD, SO GOOD, SO GOOD!”

CBS, CNN, GMA, Entertainment Weekly, Morning Joe

 

“DAZZLING! WE SAW HIS SHOW, NOW WE’RE A BELIEVER”

WBUR

“THE BIOGRAPHICAL DRAMA IS A HEARTWARMING CELEBRATION OF MR. DIAMOND’S UPLIFTING MUSIC AND INSPIRATIONAL LIFE.”

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

ABOUT A BEAUTIFUL NOISE, THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL

This is the story of that Brooklyn kid who made it big and took us all along for the ride. From those exhilarating early days in New York to the sold-out spectacles that defined his career, A BEAUTIFUL NOISE, THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL explores the life of a rock icon through the music that made him “a national treasure” (Los Angeles Times).

The story of the legendary Neil Diamond comes to life on stage in an uplifting new Broadway musical, A BEAUTIFUL NOISE, featuring all his hit songs including “Sweet Caroline,” “America,” and “Cracklin’ Rosie.”

The grandson of Jewish and Polish immigrants, Brooklyn born and raised, Neil Diamond was a New York kid down to his boots, strumming his guitar on the steps of Erasmus High School on Flatbush Avenue. 1960s America was hungry for change and so was he. He landed a gig selling songs for fifty bucks a week in the legendary Tin Pan Alley’s Brill Building. At night he honed his voice on stage at the Village’s Bitter End, but knew he was destined for something greater. This was New York, after all. City of dreams. Full of life and opportunity where anyone could write their story. And so he did, in song after song.

10 Top 10 Hits. 140 million albums sold. His 1972 concert and live album Hot August Night sung in front of 5,000 screaming fans catapulted him to fame as the ultimate entertainer. He sang his way to a Grammy Award, into the Rock and Roll and Songwriters Halls of Fame, then topped it off with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy and the Kennedy Center Honors.

Directed by Tony Award® winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, Hedwig and the Angry Inch), choreographed by Olivier Award winner Steven Hoggett (Once, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), and written by four-time Academy Award nominee Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody, The Two Popes), A BEAUTIFUL NOISE is a thrilling look at an artist’s search for himself and a celebration of the enduring power of his music.

The design team for A BEAUTIFUL NOISE on Broadway features Tony Award winner David Rockwell (scenic design), Tony Award nominee Emilio Sosa (costume design), four-time Tony Award winner Kevin Adams (lighting design), Tony Award winner Jessica Paz (sound design), Jamie Harrison (Illusion consultant), and Luc Verschueren (hair and wig design). The production has music supervision and arrangements by Sonny Paladino, incidental music and dance music arrangements by Brian Usifer, vocal design by AnnMarie Milazzo, and orchestrations by Bob Gaudio, Sonny Paladino, and Brian Usifer. Casting is by Jim Carnahan, CSA & Jason Thinger, CSA. The A BEAUTIFUL NOISE tour will be directed by Austin Regan and choreographed by Yasmine Lee. The stage management team is led by production stage manager Stacy N. Taylor. The company management team is led by Erik Birkeland.

A BEAUTIFUL NOISE, THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL is produced on Broadway by Ken Davenport, Bob Gaudio, Sandi Moran, Hunter Arnold, Scott Abrams, Marco Santarelli, Jonathan and Rae Corr, Marguerite Steed Hoffman, Ron Kastner, Rob Kolson, Valli Family Group, Caiola Productions, Paul Dainty AM, Gaudio Family Group, Joseph J. Grano Jr., Starlight Theatre, Roy Putrino, James L. Nederlander, Tricia Blake, Mark E. Jacobs, Universal Music Group Theatrical, Deborah Green, Patty Baker, Sheri and Les Biller, H. Richard Hopper, Sharon Karmazin, NETworks Presentations, Adam Riemer, Matthew Salloway, BB Investments LLC, Universal Theatrical Group, Witz End Productions, Theatre Producers of Color, and Ryan Conway.

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of A BEAUTIFUL NOISE, THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL, produced by Bob Gaudio and released by UMe, is available now as a CD and to stream on all major platforms. To order the album or stream it, please visit www.abeautifulnoise.lnk.to/originalcastalbumpr

Follow the show online: abeautifulnoisethemusical.com

Facebook.com/abeautifulnoisemusical

@beautifulnoise on X

@abeautifulnoisemusical on Instagram

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

BIOGRAPHIES

KEN DAVENPORT (Producer) is a two-time Tony Award-winning producer of Once on This Island, The Play that Goes Wrong, Gettin’ the Band Back Together, Spring Awakening, It’s Only a Play, Macbeth, Godspell, Kinky Boots and the Off-Broadway productions of Altar Boyz, The Awesome 80s Prom, My First Time and more. He was the executive producer for North America for Andrew Lloyd Webber and the theatrical consultant for Primary Wave. Ken founded TheaterMakersStudio.com for writers, producers and anyone who dreams about getting a show on a stage. His blog and podcast have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair and more. Ken conceived the best-selling board game Be a Broadway Star (Amazon) and is an avid golfer. Born Kenneth Anjum Hasija, Ken dedicates his career to his late father, Dr. Kenny Dipchand Hasija, an Indian immigrant who dreamed about going into the theatre. Favorite production is daughter McKenna with his wife, Tracy Weiler. Upcoming: Harmony by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman, The Griswolds’ Broadway Vacation and Joy the Musical. KenDavenport.com. Instagram: @kendavenportbway

BOB GAUDIO (Producer). Inducted into the Songwriters, Rock and Roll, and the New Jersey Hall of Fame. The principal writer and an original member of The Four Seasons portrayed in Jersey Boys, one of the top ten longest-running Tony and Olivier Award-winning hit Broadway musicals. Earned a Grammy for the JB cast album, remaining one of the top ten bestselling cast albums. Gaudio wrote and/or co-wrote “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Beggin’,” the classic “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and numerous others. He produced and co-wrote with Jake Holmes, the album Watertown for Frank Sinatra. He produced a number of songs for Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Roberta Flack and others and the film soundtrack for Little Shop of Horrors. Bob’s longtime association with Mr. Diamond yielded seven albums, including The Jazz Singer Soundtrack, along with “America,” “Hello Again,” “September Morn,” “Love on the Rocks,” “Forever in Blue Jeans” and the Diamond & Streisand duet “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.” Thanks to the life-long support of his three children, Lisa, Danielle and Shannon. Special thanks to the Nashville ABN music development team: Ryan Sutton, Debra Clements, Blair Masters. A Beautiful Noise would not be a reality without the insights and trust of Neil and Katie Diamond.

NETWORKS PRESENTATIONS (Producer) is an industry-leading producer of touring theatrical productions, committed to delivering quality entertainment to audiences worldwide for more than 25 years. Networkstours.com

Chicago Premiere of The Reclamation of Madison Hemings Via American Blues Theater February 16 – March 24, 2024

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

American Blues Theater continues its 2023-24 Season

with the Chicago Premiere of

The Reclamation of Madison Hemings

Written by Charles Smith

Directed by Ensemble Member Chuck Smith

Featuring Ensemble Member Manny Buckley and Jon Hudson Odom

February 16 – March 24, 2024

at American Blues Theater’s new home, 5627 N. Lincoln Ave.

Tickets on-sale now

American Blues Theater, under the continued leadership of Executive Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside, presents the Chicago premiere of The Reclamation of Madison Hemings, written by Charles Smith and directed by Ensemble Member Chuck Smith. The Reclamation of Madison Hemings will be presented in American Blues Theater’s new permanent home, located at 5627 N Lincoln Ave in Chicago, February 16 – March 24, 2024. The press opening is Thursday, February 22 at 7:30pm. Tickets are on sale now at www.americanbluestheater.com or by calling (773) 654-3103.

It’s 1866, and the Civil War has ended. Madison Hemings, son of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, and Israel Jefferson, formerly enslaved footman, return to Monticello in search of Israel’s long-lost brother. Their search gets sidetracked when Madison decides to claim what’s left of his birthright as the son of an American president. Together, the two men must face their conflicting feelings about the man who wrote “All men are created equal.” Slavery has been abolished, but what has changed? What do we need to keep with us as we move through this world and what should we leave behind?

Executive Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside comments, “Ensemble member Chuck Smith brought this incredible project to us. We immediately connected the poignant themes to our mission. We’re thrilled to work with celebrated playwright Charles Smith, and we’re honored for the opportunity to premiere this script to Chicago audiences.”

The Reclamation of Madison Hemings will play in the new home of American Blues Theater. The new venue, which had its first public performance on December 8, 2023, includes two theaters (137-seat proscenium and 40-seat flexible studio); an inviting lobby with box office, bar, and concessions; gendered and all-gendered restrooms; dressing rooms and greenroom; administrative offices; production spaces for scenery, props, and costumes; a small on-site parking lot with ample street parking.

The cast of The Reclamation of Madison Hemings includes Jon Hudson Odom (Madison Hemings) and Manny Buckley* (Israel Jefferson).

The creative team includes Jonathan Berg-Einhorn (scenic/props), Jared Gooding* & Rachel West* (co-lighting), Lily Walls* (costumes), Rick Sims* (sound), Warren Levon* (associate sound), and Richard Lundy (stage management).

*Denotes Ensemble member or Artistic Affiliate of American Blues Theater.

 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

CHARLES SMITH (Playwright) – Charles Smith’s plays include The Reclamation of Madison Hemings, Objects in the Mirror, Free Man of Color, Knock Me a Kiss, The Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues, Freefall, The Gospel According to James, Jelly Belly, Pudd’nhead Wilson, Les Trois Dumas, Denmark, Sister Carrie, The Sutherland, Black Star Line, Takunda, Cane, and City of Gold. His plays have been produced by Indiana Repertory Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, The Acting Company, People’s Light, The New Federal Theatre, Penumbra, Crossroads Theatre Company, Shakespeare & Company, Penguin Repertory Theatre, Ujima Theatre Company, The Colony Theatre, St. Louis Black Rep, Weissberger Theater Group, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Jubilee Theatre, Ensemble Theatre in Houston, Pegasus Theatre Chicago, Westcoast Black Rep., Robey Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theater, Ensemble Theatre in Cleveland, Independent Theatre in Adelaide, South Australia, the HBO New Writers Project, the International Children’s Theater Festival in Seattle, and The National Black Theatre Festival. He has been commissioned by Cleveland Play House and The Acting Company, and has received multiple commissions from Victory Gardens, Indiana Rep, and Goodman. His awards include a Joseph Jefferson Award, a John W. Schmid Award, two Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Awards, the Illinois Arts Council Governors Award, the Joyce Award, the Cornerstone National Playwriting Award, The National Black Theatre Festival’s August Wilson Playwriting Award, Princess Grace Fellowship, the Theodore Ward National Playwriting Award, two Black Theatre Alliance Awards for New Work, the NBC New Voices Award, and numerous other AUDELCO, Jeff, NAACP, and Black Theatre Alliance award nominations. He is an alumnus of New Dramatists, a graduate of the University of Iowa Playwrights Workshop, one of the founding members of the Playwrights Ensemble at the Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Presidential Research Scholar in the Arts and Humanities at Ohio University and has taught playwriting at Northwestern University, for the Prague Summer Program in Creative Writing in the Czech Republic, and for the Center for Dramatic Art in Groznjan, Croatia. His plays may be obtained through Dramatic Publishing, Samuel French, Northwestern Press, Smith and Kraus, Swallow Press, and Alexander Street Press. 

CHUCK SMITH (Director) is an Ensemble member of American Blues Theater where he directed Leroi Jones’ Dutchman and Flyin’ West. He is a member of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees and is a Goodman Theatre Resident Director. He is also a resident director at the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe in Sarasota, Florida. Goodman credits include the Chicago premieres of Pullman Porter Blues; By the Way, Meet Vera Stark; Race; The Good Negro; Proof and The Story; the world premieres of By the Music of the Spheres and The Gift Horse; James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner, which transferred to Boston’s Huntington Theatre Company, where it won the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Award for Best Direction; A Raisin in the Sun; Blues for an Alabama Sky; August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean, Two Trains Running and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; Objects in the Mirror, Having Our Say, Ain’t Misbehavin’ the 1993 to 1995 productions of A Christmas Carol; Crumbs From the Table of Joy; Vivisections from a Blown Mind and The Meeting. He served as dramaturg for the Goodman’s world-premiere production of August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean. He directed the New York premiere of Knock Me a Kiss and The Hooch for the New Federal Theatre and the world premiere of Knock Me a Kiss at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theater, where his other directing credits include Master Harold... and the Boys, Home, Dame Lorraine and Eden, for which he received a Jeff Award nomination. Regionally, Mr. Smith directed Death and the King’s Horseman (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Birdie Blue (Seattle Repertory Theatre), Jitney and Gem of the Ocean (Nashville Shakespeare Festival), The Story (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Blues for an Alabama Sky (Alabama Shakespeare Festival) and The Last Season (Robey Theatre Company). At Columbia College he was facilitator of the Theodore Ward Prize playwriting contest for 20 years and editor of the contest anthologies Seven Black Plays and Best Black Plays. He won a Chicago Emmy Award as associate producer/theatrical director for the NBC teleplay “Crime of Innocence” and was theatrical director for the Emmy-winning “Fast Break to Glory” and the Emmy-nominated “The Martin Luther King Suite”. He was a founding member of the Chicago Theatre Company, where he served as artistic director for four seasons and directed the Jeff-nominated Suspenders and the Jeff-winning musical Po’. His directing credits include productions at Fisk University, Vanderbilt University, Roosevelt University, Eclipse Theatre, ETA, Black Ensemble Theater, Northlight Theatre, MPAACT, Congo Square Theatre Company, The New Regal Theater, Kuumba Theatre Company, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre, Pegasus Players, the Timber Lake Playhouse in Mt. Carroll, Illinois, the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, and the University of Wisconsin in Madison. In 2019 he received an Honorary Ph.D. from his alma mater Governors State University and has received lifetime achievement awards from The African-American Arts Alliance of Chicago, the League of Chicago Theaters and the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee. He is a 2003 inductee into the Chicago State University Gwendolyn Brooks Center’s Literary Hall of Fame and a 2001 Chicago Tribune Chicagoan of the Year. He is the proud recipient of the 1982 Paul Robeson Award and the 1997 Award of Merit presented by the Black Theater Alliance of Chicago.

JON HUDSON ODOM (Madison Hemings) previously appeared at American Blues Theater in On Clover Road. Other Chicago credits include No Man’s Land, Describe the Night, The Seagull, Ms. Black For President (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Toni Stone, A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre); Witch (Writers Theatre). Regional credits include: Ain’t No Mo’, An Octoroon, Botticelli in the Fire, Shipwreck (Woolly Mammoth Theatre); Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Denver Center for the Performing Arts); The Magic Play (Actors Theatre of Louisville); Angels in America (Round House Theatre & Olney Theatre Center). TV credits include: “Lovecraft Country “(HBO), “Somebody Somewhere” (HBO Max), “South Side” (HBO Max), “Chicago PD” (NBC). Film credits include: “The Year Between”, “A Savage Nature”, “Reporting for Christmas.” He is a five-time nominee and recipient of the Helen Hayes Awards & Jeff Award nominee. He attended University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

MANNY BUCKLEY (Israel Jefferson) is an Ensemble member of American Blues Theater. He is a Chicago based actor, director, and writer. Directing credits include Driving Miss Daisy, The Bad Seed (Jedlicka Performing Arts), Kingdom, an audio play (Broken Nose Theatre), Uhuru, Cane, Origin Story, Mother of Pearl and The Reapers On Woodbrook Avenue (Blue Ink Festival), multiple short plays in the Ripped: The Living Newspaper, #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence, and The One Minute Play Festival. Acting credits include work with Chicago Shakespeare, Steppenwolf, Goodman, Court, Victory Gardens, Chicago Dramatists, Next Theater, House Theatre, Shattered Globe Theater, Cincinnati Children’s Theatre and Studio Theatre. Manny has numerous credits with American Blues Theater, including his critically-acclaimed, award-winning solo performance in Looking Over the President’s Shoulder. Film and TV credits include: Proven Innocent, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, The US Navy, Northwestern University, and The Onion. He has received nominations for the Joseph Jefferson Award, the Helen Hayes Award and the 3Arts Award; he is the recipient of both a Black Theater Alliance Award and Black Excellence Award. Mr. Buckley was recently seen in American Blues Theater’s sold-out production of Fences and annually in American Blues' annual production of It's a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!

Dates: 

February 16 – March 24, 2024

Previews: February 16, 71, 18 and 21

Opening: February 22 at 7:30pm

Regular Run: February 23 – March 24, 2024

 

Schedule:                    

Thursdays: 7:30pm

Fridays: 7:30pm

Saturdays: 7:30pm

Sundays: 2:30pm

 

Location: American Blues Theater, 5627 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago

Ticket prices: $25-$55, plus a $4.50 ticket fee

Box office:  Buy online at www.americanbluestheater.com or by calling (773) 654-3103.

About American Blues Theater

Winner of the prestigious National Theatre Company Award from American Theatre Wing (Tony Awards). American Blues Theater is an Ensemble of artists committed to producing new and classic American stories that ask the question: “What does it mean to be American?”

The diverse and multi-generational artists have established the second-oldest professional Ensemble theater in Chicago. As of 2023, the theater and artists received 232 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nominations that celebrate excellence in Chicago theater and 44 Black Theatre Alliance Awards. The artists are honored with Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize nominations, Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards and numerous other accolades. 

REVIEW: Fringe Fest Fan Favorite Being Seen, Now Playing The Den Through July 2, 2023

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

“FAN FAVORITE” OF THE NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL FRINGE FESTIVAL 

Chicago Premiere of 

BEING SEEN

STARRING WILL CLINGER AND KELLY ANNE CLARK 

Now Playing Through July 2nd at The Den

Note: This production includes themes of power imbalance and is 

recommended for ages 15 and older.

REVIEW:

By Bonnie Kenaz-Mara

They're seen everywhere. The theatre industry is rife with narcissists, abusive bosses, toxic workplaces, misleading ads, and new talent hungry for a chance to break into the field of their dreams. Being Seen brings the audience along for the ride on an audition from hell. I adore the dynamic of two person shows, and Will Clinger and Kelly Anne Clark are amazing to watch in this high energy, psychologically wrenching production. It's a timely piece, especially relevant in our current era of gig workers, toxic politicians, and cancel culture. This delightfully insidious production brings abuse of power to light with equal parts horror and hilarity. 

All Production Photos by Mike Martin

Kelly Anne Clark in particular, just killed it in this invasively soul baring audition. This tour de force comedy asks the question: “What would you do for a dream?”, and she shouts back with physical, mental, and emotional gymnastics. The audience is left to question why we've let fame and acclaim excuse indecent and even illegal behavior for far too long. 

Being Seen is a gaslighting bonanza and a must see for anyone embarking on the audition or interview process. If you've ever been in a relationship, job, or friendship with a narcissist, this show will ring true. Highly recommended. Don't miss this limited run.

Bonnie is a Chicago based writer, theatre critic, photographer, artist, and Mama to 2 amazing adults. She owns two websites where she publishes frequently: ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) & ChiILMama.com (family friendly). 

The Chicago Premiere of Being Seen 

Written and Directed by Richard Gustin 

Enjoyed a Sold Out Run during its New York Premiere

Voted “Fan Favorite” (one of 12 out of 180+ productions so honored) at the New York International Fringe Festival, Being Seen, written and directed by Richard Gustin and starring Will Clinger and Kelly Anne Clark makes its Chicago premiere, June 14 - July 2, in the Crosby Theatre at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave.  The preview date is Wednesday, June 14 at 8:00. 

The regular performance schedule is Wednesdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets for Being Seen are $35 with $20 tickets available to seniors, industry and students. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased through the box office by calling 773.697.3830 or by visiting TheDenTheatre.com.  

This captivating, fast-paced comedy by Richard Gustin looks at launching a “fresh start.” An actor answers the audition notice of a highly acclaimed director and finds herself navigating his outlandish creative process.

The original production at the New York International Fringe Festival starred Broadway actor William Youmans and Allison Minick and premiered at the 2015 New York International Fringe Festival to critical and audience acclaim. “The most nonstop laughs at FringeNYC this year (2015) were provided by a show about theatre… simultaneously comedic and thought-provoking,” said HYReviews.com about the New York production and Theatre in The Now wrote, “the script Gustin has written is wickedly smart. The dialogue is snappy, the conversations are genius. . . There was never a dull moment and every beat has a purpose. The storytelling is sharp and precise.”

The Chicago production proudly features Will Clinger and Kelly Anne Clark in the lead roles. 

Being Seen’s creative team includes Richard Gustin (director), Lydia Goble LaGue (production stage manager), Guy Wicke (male understudy), Gabrielle Johnsen (female understudy), Gabe Gorsline (lighting designer), Max McNeal Martin (media consultant) and Vanessa Ellis (production intern).  

ABOUT RICHARD GUSTIN, writer and director

Richard Gustin (he/him/his)  is an emerging playwright whose plays include Being Seen, Surviving the Cycle, A Sparrow Falls, Leviathan, Circle 7, Mercy, Flat World, Someone Like Me, Concentric Circles, Found Objects, Switch, CruciFiction and an original adaptation of Everyman. As an Equity actor Gustin has been featured in major roles at various regional theaters including Kansas City Repertory Theater, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, Virginia Museum Theatre, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, First Stage Milwaukee, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Chicago’s Ivanhoe and Blackstone Hotel, and Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre. For more information on Richard Gustin visit www.richardgustin.com 

ABOUT WILL CLINGER, performer

Will Clinger (he/him/his) is an award-winning actor, producer, writer and TV show host. Beloved for his role as host and segment producer for WTTW’s “Wild Chicago,” he has also a wide range of stellar acting credits in feature films “Witless Protection,” ”Stranger Than Fiction,” ”Something Better Somewhere Else,” ”Camp Manna,” ”B-Roll,” ”After Effect,” ”No Sleep ‘Til Madison,” ”Stash” and ”Serious Business,” as well as the short films ”Stealing Kisses,” ”Hit and Run,” ”Rain Rain” and ”Train Town” (which won a Silver Award at the 2007 Chicago International Film Festival and a 2008 Best of the Midwest award for Best Short Film). Klinger’s work in ”Train Town” was nominated for a 2008 BMA Award for Best Actor.  He has also guest-starred on a number of network and cable television shows, including “Fargo,” ”Chicago P.D.,” ”Sirens,” ”Play by Play,” “ER,” ”Early Edition,” ”America's Most Wanted” and ”The Untouchables,” as well as the pilots ”Peep Show” and ”JimMortal.” For more information on Will Klinger visit ​​www.willklinger.com.

ABOUT KELLY ANNE CLARK, performer

Kelly Anne Clark (she/her/hers) is an award winning actress who has lived and worked in the Chicago area for more than 25 years. Her credits include “Jeanette Guerre” in the U.S. Premiere of The House of Martin Guerre (Goodman Theater), “Norma Cassidy” in Victor/Victoria (Jeff Award), “Mabel” in The Pirates of Penzance, “Rosemary” in How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre), “Rose White” in Beaches the Musical, “Mary Turner” in Of Thee / Sing, “Philia” in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (Jeff Nomination) and “Minnie Faye” in Hello Dolly! (Drury Lane Oakbrook Theater) among numerous other credits.