OPENING: Chicago Premiere of HOW TO LIVE ON EARTH Via Chimera Ensemble March 8-24, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

HOW TO LIVE ON EARTH

BY 

MJ Kaufman

Directed by Gwendolyn Wiegold

“[A] beguiling subject, a piece of science fiction that isn’t so fictional after all.” –The New York Times

Chimera Ensemble is proud to present the Chicago Premiere of How to Live on Earth, written by award-winning playwright MJ Kaufman, and directed by Gwendolyn Wiegold.

How to Live on Earth tells the stories of Omar, Eleanor, Aggie, and Bill, applicants to become the first colonists of the planet Mars. The mission, should they be chosen to embark on it, would be one-way, with no possible return to Earth. As the applicants compete for the few spots available, they are forced to reckon with the cost of their dream, especially for the lovers and family they would be leaving behind. 

At a time when environmental and political catastrophe looms large, and our technological capabilities grow stronger and stronger, How to Live on Earth asks us what it really means to go and what it means to stay.

The production will go up March 8-24 in The Pentagon Theater at Collaboraction Studios in The Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago IL 60622. There will be one preview performance on Friday, March 8 at 7:30 pm. Opening night, followed by a reception, will be Saturday, March 9 at 7:30 pm.

How to Live on Earth Cast

Top row: Katlynn Yost, Graham Carlson, Brian Sheridan.

Middle row should be l-r: Siddartha Rajan, Jermaine Robinson, Hannah Larson

Bottom row should be l-r: Bob Webb, Stacey Lind, Arif Yampolsky

BIOS

MJ Kaufman (Playwright) MJ Kaufman is a playwright and devised theater artist. Their work has been produced and developed by The Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, the New Museum, WP Theater, Clubbed Thumb, New Georges, Page73, Colt Coeur, Yale School of Drama, Lark Play Development Center, InterAct Theater, Huntington Theater, and performed in Russian in Moscow. MJ’s awards include the 2013 ASCAP Cole Porter Prize in Playwriting, the 2013 Global Age Project Prize, and the 2010 Jane Chambers Prize in Feminist Theatre. MJ is a resident playwright at New Dramatists and currently a staff writer on Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Originally from Portland, Oregon, MJ attended Wesleyan University and received their MFA in playwriting from Yale School of Drama. MJ also recently founded a fellowship for trans theater artists.

Gwendolyn Wiegold (Director) is a Chicago-based director and producer. She has had the pleasure of working with Chicago companies including Court Theatre, Chicago Children’s Theatre, and Chimera Ensemble, where she also serves as Managing Director, and has assistant directed productions with directors including Seret Scott, Sean Graney, Scott Westerman, and Charlie Newell. She originally hails from New York City and has her BA in Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of Chicago, where her directing credits include As You Like It, Cowboy Mouth, and The Seagull. Most recently, Gwendolyn’s directing was seen in The 9th Annual Chicago One-Minute Play Festival. She is a recipient of the Francis X. Kinahan Memorial Prize.

LISTING INFORMATION 
How to Live on Earth by MJ Kaufman
Directed by Gwendolyn Wiegold

March 8-24 at The Pentagon Theater at Collaboraction Studios, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago IL 60622. Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 3pm.

Pay-What-You-Can Preview: Friday, March 8 at 7:30 pm
Press Opening: Saturday, March 9 at 7:30 pm. Reception to follow.
Ticket Pricing: $23 general admission, $15 senior, $15 student/industry with valid ID (discounts subject to availability)

For additional information and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.chimeraensemble.com/



CHIMERA ENSEMBLE’S MISSION:
To create a quality innovative theatrical platform. To give back to Chicago organizations that advocate for the betterment of our community. To provide accessibility for all people. Above all, we seek out the good; we question our fears and judgments so that others may question theirs.

ACCESSIBILITY: 
Access is an important part of our mission at Chimera Ensemble. Through discussions within the Ensemble and with Chimera’s amazing collaborators in the Chicago community, we attempt to create an environment in which performers, directors, designers, playwrights, and audience members feel welcome to work with us and experience our productions. Season Two marks a new chapter in our mission of access, as every performance will feature Open Captioning, rather than the norm of this programming only being offered for one performance during a production's run. By providing Open Captioning for every performance, Chimera hopes to create not only a more cohesive and inclusive theatrical process that better reflects the varied ways in which individuals experience the world, but also a model for other theater companies to follow. How to Live on Earth will also feature one Audio Described performance proceeded by a Touch Tour, date TBD. 


CHIMERA’S COMMUNITY FUND:
Part of Chimera Ensemble’s mission as a theatrical platform is to give back to the community, so for each show we produce we partner with a local organization whose work matches the themes of the production. We collect money and raise awareness for our partner organization. For How to Live on Earth, Chimera is partnering with Chicago-based Project Exploration. Project Exploration creates transformational learning opportunities for youth underrepresented in the sciences—particularly students of color and girls—by equipping them with the skills, practices, and mindset needed for a lifelong pursuit of learning.

Visit https://projectexploration.org/ for more information. 

OPENING: US Premiere of “DON’T SMOKE IN BED” Via Chimera Ensemble at Collaboraction Studios June 15 - July 8, 2018

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Chimera Ensemble’s

US Premiere of

“DON’T SMOKE IN BED”

Created by 

Aurin Squire

Directed by Chika Ike

 “Eye-opening and troubling, DON’T SMOKE IN BED will force audiences to re-evaluate their understanding of modern society.” – Michelle Keepence, THE UPCCOMING

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we're eager to catch the US premiere. Chimera Ensemble is a favorite of ours, as is Chicago's own Chika Ike, directing. I'll be out for the press opening June 16th, so check back soon for my full review. 

Chimera Ensemble's US Premiere of DON’T SMOKE IN BED, written by award-winning playwright Aurin Squire, and directed by acclaimed director Chika Ike, will open to the press on Saturday, June 16. Kai A. Ealy, who earlier this year appeared in MARY STUART at Chicago Shakespeare and FRANKLINLAND for Jackalope Theatre company; and ensemble member Nicole Fabbri, seen in Chimera’s SISTER CITIES, will play an interracial couple being interviewed about their marriage by an unseen journalist via webcam. Director Ike comes to the project from her recent sellout hit DONTRELL, WHO KISSED THE SEA, by Nathan Alan Davis, produced by First Floor Theater. Ike’s other recent directing credits include Janine Nabers’s A SWELL IN THE GROUND (The Gift Theatre) and Lloyd Suh’s FRANKLINLAND (Jackalope Theatre Company).

Kai A. Ealy (left) and Nicole Fabbri

Ike’s production team includes Milo Bue (Scenic Designer), Stefanie Johnsen (Costume Designer), David Goodman-Edberg (Lighting Designer), Stephanie Slaven-Ruffing (Sound Designer), Warren Wernick (Properties Designer), Gaby Labotka (Intimacy Designer), Jake Engram (Technical Director), Jaime Gutfeldt (Production Manager), Devonte E. Washington (Stage Manager).

The production will go up June 15 - July 8 in The Pentagon Theater at Collaboraction Studios in The Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago IL 60622. There will be one preview on Friday, June 15 at 7:30 pm. Opening night, followed by a reception, will be Saturday, June 16 at 7:30 pm. 

DON’T SMOKE IN BED tells the story of Jamaican-American Richard (Ealy), and Irish-American Sheryl (Fabbri). As the couple open up about their relationship, inner demons are revealed and their effort to start a family together is complicated. DON'T SMOKE IN BED presents a rich, insightful exploration of how society's expectations influence what goes on behind closed doors. The play, which had its World Premiere in London in 2016, contains “intelligent, self-aware dialogue” and has been called “honest and raw” with “each scene more passionate than the last” (Annabel Mellor, THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE GUIDE AND GURU and Michelle Keepence, THE UPCOMING).

Aurin Squire (Playwright) is a Brooklyn-based playwright and journalist whose work has been called “refreshingly clever” by THE NEW YORK TIMES. He is a 2015 graduate of The Julliard School’s Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program, and took part in the Royal Court Theatre’s US Writer Programme, as well as the Dramatists Guild Fellowship. His plays include A FAMILY MANUAL FOR KWANZAA (The Kennedy Center MFA Workshop) THE GREAT BLACK SAMBO MACHINE (Lincoln Centre Lab and Ars Nova), DEFACING MICHAEL JACKSON (Nuyorican Poets Café workshop and winner of Lincoln Center’s Act One Prize), TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN (Abingdon Theatre and ArcLight Theatre productions), and AFRICAN AMERICANA (Brooklyn Arts Exchange and Theatre 503).

Chika Ike (Director) is a Chicago-based director who comes to DON’T SMOKE IN BED fresh from a sold-out run of DONTRELL, WHO KISSED THE SEA, by Nathan Alan Davis, produced by First Floor Theater. Other recent directing credits include Janine Nabers’s A SWELL IN THE GROUND (The Gift Theatre) and Lloyd Suh’s FRANKLINLAND (Jackalope Theatre Company). She has also worked with Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Victory Gardens, The Gift Theatre Company, American Blues Theatre Company, Eclipse Theatre, and Prologue Theatre Company. Chika is an ensemble member at The Gift Theatre Company and has received the SDCF Gielgud Directing Fellowship and the Bret C. Harte Directing Fellowship at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Chika is also a member of the 2017-18 SDCF Observership class, and a member of the Victory Gardens Directors Inclusion Initiative. 

Pay-What-You-Can Preview: Friday, June 15 at 7:30pm
Industry Night: Monday, July 2 at 7:30pm.

Ticket Pricing: $23 general admission, $15 senior, $15 student/industry with valid ID (discounts subject to availability)

Tickets may be purchased HERE.

Click Here For Additional Information 



CHIMERA ENSEMBLE’S MISSION:
To create a quality innovative theatrical platform. To give back to Chicago organizations that advocate for the betterment of our community. To provide accessibility for all people. Above all, we seek out the good; we question our fears and judgments so that others may question theirs.

ACESSIBILITY: 
Access is an important part of our mission at Chimera Ensemble. Through discussions within the Ensemble and with Chimera’s amazing collaborators in the Chicago community, we attempt to create an environment in which performers, directors, designers, playwrights, and audience members feel welcome to work with us and experience our productions. Season Two marks a new chapter in our mission of access, as every performance will feature Open Captioning, rather than the norm of this programming only being offered for one performance during a production's run. By providing Open Captioning for every performance, Chimera hopes to create not only a more cohesive and inclusive theatrical process that better reflects the varied ways in which individuals experience the world, but also a model for other theater companies to follow. DON’T SMOKE IN BED will also feature one Audio Described performance proceeded by a Touch Tour, date TBD. 

CHIMERA’S COMMUNITY FUND:
Part of Chimera Ensemble’s mission as a theatrical platform is to give back to the community, so for each show we produce we partner with a local organization whose work matches the themes of the production. We collect money and raise awareness for our partner organization. Please stay tuned for an upcoming announcement on Chimera’s partner organization for DON’T SMOKE IN BED.

OPENING: Chimera Ensemble's Sister Cities at The Den Benefits ALS Foundation

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar: CHIMERA ENSEMBLE PRESENTS THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED PLAYWRIGHT  COLETTE FREEDMAN’S SISTER CITIES,  AUGUST 20 – SEPTEMBER 18, AT THE DEN The Hit of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Ashley Neal directs this Dark Comedy About Four Estranged Sisters Confronting the Sudden Death of their Mother  Artistic Director Rainee Denham and Chimera Ensemble are proud to present the Chicago premiere of Colette Freedman’s Sister Cities, directed by Ashley Neal, August 20 – September 18 at The Den, 1333 N. Milwaukee.  Previews are Saturday, Aug. 20 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 21 at 3 p.m. (with talk back following the show) and Wednesday, Aug. 24 at 7:30 p.m. Opening night and reception is Thursday, Aug. 25 at 7:30 p.m.  Four estranged sisters, as different as the cities they are named after, face their mother’s recent and sudden death in Sister Cities. Freedman’s Sister Cities was the hit of the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has earned strong critical acclaim around the world, including productions in Paris (Une Ville, Une Soeur), Rome (Le Quattro Sorelle) and recently in Melbourne, Australia. A film version is currently in post-production and stars Jacki Weaver, Alfred Molina, Jess Weixler, Stana Katic, Michelle Trachtenberg, Amy Smart, Troian Bellisario, Tom Everett Scott and Kathy Baker. PARTNERSHIP WITH ALS FOUNDATION Chimera donates 10% of profits from this production to the ALS Foundation. ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that destroys motor neurons. The ALS Foundation for Life are optimistic for the day when a cure or prevention for ALS is discovered, but are equally aware that we cannot sit back idly waiting for scientific research and FDA approvals. It is their goal to do whatever they can to ease the physical, emotional and financial burdens that accompany this diagnosis for the men and women in the community who are forced to battle this disease on a daily basis. POST SHOW DISCUSSIONS Chimera Ensemble, will host post show discussions throughout the run focusing on the production and, in conjunction with the ALS Foundation, the impact of ALS within the home and the community.  Sunday, Aug. 21, immediately following 3 p.m. performance – Playwright Colette Freedman Additional post show discussions, TBA.  Sister Cities runs Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Ticket prices are $14 -16 for previews and $22 - 26 during the run. Based on availability, industry tickets are $10 with a headshot and resume presented to the box office for all performances.  Tickets may be purchased at www.ChimeraEnsemble.com  or www.brownpapertickets.com.  The Den parking lot is at Division and Paulina, a parking pass is available at The Den Box Office.  The cast of Sister Cities includes Chimera Ensemble members Norma Chacon, “Baltimore;” Rainee Denham, “Mary,” Anna Donnell, “Dallas;” Nicole Fabbri, “Austin” and Katlynn Yost, “Carolina.” Sister Cities production team includes Catherine Allen, production manager; Raquel Romo, stage manager; Grant Sabin, set designer; Gwendolyn Wiegold, costume designer; Meghan Erxleben, light designer; Steve Labedz, sound designer; Sam Moryoussef, technical director; Murphy Mayer, dramaturg and Abbie Welsch, prop designer. ABOUT COLETTE FREEDMAN, playwright Colette Freedman is an internationally produced playwright, screenwriter and novelist who was named one of the Dramatist Guild’s “50 to Watch.” She has authored fifteen produced plays including Serial Killer Barbie, First to the Egg (Grand Prize Shorts, urban shorts festival), Bridesmaid # 3 (Louisville finalist 2008) and Ellipses… (Dezart Festival winner 2010), as well as a modern adaptation of Iphigenia in Aulis written in iambic pentameter. She was commissioned to write a modern adaptation of Uncle Vanya that is in preproduction and has co-written, with international bestselling novelist Jackie Collins, the play Jackie Collins Hollywood Lies, which is currently being launched for National Tour. And, in collaboration with The New York Times best selling author Michael Scott, she co-wrote the thriller The Thirteen Hallows. Her novel The Affair and its sequel The Consequences earned both critical and commercial success. Freedman also co-wrote the film And Then There Was Eve is currently in pre-production and begins principal photography this May.  ABOUT ASHLEY NEAL, director Ashley Neal is thrilled to be working with Chimera Ensemble on their inaugural production, Sister Cities. She is a proud member of Rivendell Theatre Ensemble where she has appeared in many productions, including: Wrens, 26 Miles, The Walls, Be Aggressive and others. Other credits include: London Wall, Men Should Weep, and Stage Door with Griffin Theatre, Red Handed Otter with A Red Orchid Theatre, The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle with Steep Theatre, Reverb with Redtwist Theatre, 25 Saints with Pine Box, Holidaze with Step Up Productions, Scenes from the Big Picture with Seanachi as well as work with Chicago Dramatists, Jackalope Theatre, Victory Gardens, Strawdog, The Greenhouse Theatre and others. Neal is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago, The School at Steppenwolf and the Black Box Studio program. She is also a teacher at Columbia College, the School at Steppenwolf and Black Box Acting Studio.  ABOUT NORMA CHACON, “Baltimore” Norma Chacon was born in Zacatecus, Mexico and moved to Chicago as a child.  She has worked as a principal and supporting actress in several television shows and commercials, including Caso Cerrado, Chicago PD and the upcoming show Chop Chop on WCIU.  She holds a BFA from The Illinois Institute of Art. ABOUT RAINEE DENHAM, “Mary” Rainee Denham is the artistic director of Chimera Ensemble and returned to theatre after decades in the business world. She’s worked with Promethean Theatre, LezPlays, Reutan Collective, WTA, and has mounted two one-woman musical shows, The Promise of Spring and Dream.  She has appeared in six indie films, including a feature Mercy’s Girl, a web series “The Photographer” and had a co-starring role on Chicago PD.  ABOUT ANNA DONNELL, “Dallas”  Anna Donnell has worked with The Ruckus and The Whiskey Rebellion Theatre in Chicago, and The Oxford Shakespeare Festival, The Oxford Film Festival and Deer Run Media in Oxford, Mississippi.  Donnell is also a singer and performs with her folk duo “Chauncey and The Beast” all around Chicago.  She holds a BFA from The University of Mississippi.  ABOUT NICOLE FABBRI, “Austin” Nicole Fabbri recently returned to Chicago from Los Angeles and joined The Academy at Black Box for a five-month intensive training. Some of her favorite roles include Mae Pollit from Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Agnes from Bug, Marks from Talking With…, Second Witch from Macbeth, Urania from Dax Dixon vs. The Moth Sluts from the Fifth Dimension, Jane from Death and The Kings Horseman, Beatrice from Serial Killer Barbie (The Musical), and Liesl from Schmutzigen Deutsche Kabarett. ABOUT KATLYNN YOST, “Carolina” Katlynn Yost is from Omaha, and has worked with Nebraska Shakespeare, Blue Barn Theatre, Brigit Saint Brigit Theatre and The Omaha Community Playhouse.  She holds a BA in Acting from The University of Nebraska.  She has spent two years spreading awareness about bullying and mental health issues to kids with RESPECT, a touring educational theater group.   ABOUT CHIMERA ENSEMBLE Dedicated to being storytellers that explore human behavior. Chimera Ensemble’s desire is to expose the universality of human conflict, the deeply negotiable values one fights to keep and to illuminate how love hurts, heals and conquers. Started during the 2015 Summer Academy at Black Box Acting where a deep bond built on honesty, courage and fearlessness was created among the members.  Chimera Ensemble is a community of actors that have chosen to unite with one artistic goal: “to create theater that touches the human soul.” Chimera’s vision is to ignite audiences with truthful theater set in an intimate space while producing socially relevant work, whether new, classic or contemporary plays, that resonant with a social conscience.  In addition, Chimera is a “theater with a conscience,” contributing to organizations that help the underserved and heal the broken by merging art and charitable causes that align with each production. Artistic Director Rainee Denham and Chimera Ensemble are proud to present the Chicago premiere of Colette Freedman’s Sister Cities, directed by Ashley Neal, August 20 – September 18 at The Den, 1333 N. Milwaukee.  Previews are Saturday, Aug. 20 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 21 at 3 p.m. (with talk back following the show) and Wednesday, Aug. 24 at 7:30 p.m. Opening night and reception is Thursday, Aug. 25 at 7:30 p.m. Sister Cities runs Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Ticket prices are $14 -16 for previews and $22 - 26 during the run. Based on availability, industry tickets are $10 with a headshot and resume presented to the box office for all performances.  Tickets may be purchased at  www.ChimeraEnsemble.com  or www.brownpapertickets.com. The Den parking lot is at Division and Paulina, a parking pass is available at The Den Box Office.