The Gospel at Colonus Via Court Theatre May 12 – June 11, 2023

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

Court Theatre presents 

The Gospel at Colonus 

Adaptation and Original Lyrics by Lee Breuer 

Adapted Lyrics by Lee Breuer and Bob Telson 

Music by Bob Telson 

Directed by Mark J.P. Hood and Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Charles Newell 

With Associate Director TaRon Patton 

May 12 – June 11, 2023 

Court Theatre - under the continuing leadership of Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director, and Angel Ysaguirre, Executive Director - is overjoyed to present the fourth and final production of its 2022/23 season: The Gospel at Colonus. Featuring Lee Breuer’s adaptation and original lyrics, adapted lyrics by Lee Breuer and Bob Telson, and music by Bob Telson, this exuberant, celebratory musical will be directed by Mark J.P. Hood and Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Charles Newell, with Associate Director TaRon Patton and Associate Music Director Mahmoud Khan. The Gospel at Colonus runs May 12 – June 11, 2023 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. I'll be out for the press opening, Saturday, May 20th, so check back soon for my full review. 

The cast of The Gospel at Colonus includes Kelvin Roston Jr. (Oedipus); Timothy Edward Kane (Creon); Aeriel Williams (Antigone); Kai A. Ealy (Polyneices); Ariana Burks (Ismene); Mark Spates Smith (Theseus); Shari Addison (Choragos/Soloist); Eric A. Lewis (Choragos); Juwon Tyrel Perry (The Friend/Chorus); Jessica Brooke Seals (Evangelist/Chorus); Jerica Exum (Chorus); Shantina Lowe (Chorus); Isaac Ray (Chorus); Eva Ruwé (Chorus); and Cherise Thomas (Chorus).  

The music team will be led by director Mark J.P. Hood, who is also serving as the production’s Music Director, and Mahmoud Khan (Associate Music Director). 

The creative team includes John Culbert (scenic design); Raquel Adorno (costume design); Keith Parham (lighting design); Sarah Ramos (sound design); Cristin Carole (movement design); Wenke (Coco) Huang (production dramaturg); Gabrielle Randle-Bent (Oedipus Trilogy dramaturg); Becca McCracken (casting); Kate Ocker (production stage manager); and Natalie Cohen (assistant stage manager).  

Soulful and stirring, The Gospel at Colonus reimagines the story of Oedipus as the centerpiece of an African American Pentecostal church service. A redemptive celebration, this one-of-a-kind theatrical event breathes new life into a classic myth with a score of powerful gospel music. A bold collaboration from an extraordinary team of artists led by Mark J.P. Hood and Charles Newell, The Gospel at Colonus builds upon the strengths and experiences of its artists to bring this smash hit to life with new clarity on Chicago’s South Side. 

Individual tickets are on sale now. Tickets are available by calling the Box Office at (773) 753-4472, or online at CourtTheatre.org. 

Dates:           

Previews: May 12 – 19, 2023 

Press Opening: May 20, 2023 at 7:30pm 

Regular Run: May 21, 2023 – June 11, 2023 

  

Schedule:

Wed/Thurs/Fri: 7:30 p.m.

Sat/Sun: 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. 

  

Accessible 

Performances:   Audio description on June 10, 2023 at 2:00pm/Touch Tour at 12:30pm  

Open captioning on June 11, 2023 at 2:00pm  

ASL interpretation on June 11, 2023 at 7:30pm  

 

Location: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. 

Tickets:        

$28.50-$66 previews

$40.50-$82 regular run

Student, group, and military discounts available 

Box Office: Located at 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472 or www.CourtTheatre.org. 

Court Theatre is the Tony Award-winning classic theatre of the University of Chicago. 

SAVE THE DATES: The Lady from the Sea Via Court Theatre February 4 – March 6, 2022

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Court Theatre continues Season with

The Lady from the Sea

Chaon Cross, Samuel Taylor. Photo by Michael Brosilow 

By Henrik Ibsen

Translated by Richard Nelson

Directed by Shana Cooper

February 4 – March 6, 2022

Court Theatre, under the continuing leadership of Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director, and Angel Ysaguirre, Executive Director, continues its 2021/22 season with The Lady from the Sea by Henrik Ibsen, translated by Richard Nelson, and directed by Shana Cooper. The Lady from the Sea runs February 4 – March 6, 2022 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. The press opening is Saturday, February 12, 2022 at 7:30pm.

When a sailor returns to fulfill their promise, a lighthouse keeper’s daughter must choose between her landlocked marriage and the mesmerizing allure of the sea. Hailed as a watershed moment in Ibsen’s writing, The Lady from the Sea dissects issues of duty, marriage, and agency with raw emotion and disarming resonance.

Canceled in March of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, The Lady from the Sea makes a triumphant return to Court’s stage in a new translation from playwright Richard Nelson starring Chaon Cross. Director Shana Cooper injects Nelson’s text with a visceral physicality that thrillingly reflects and refracts Ibsen’s structure and characterization.

The cast of The Lady from the Sea includes Chaon Cross (Ellida), Gregory Linington (Dr. Wangel), Tanya Thai McBride (Bolette), Will Mobley (Lyngstrand), Angela Morris (Hilda), Kelli Simpkins (A Stranger), Samuel Taylor (Arnholm), and Dexter Zollicoffer (Ballested),

The creative team includes Erika Chong Shuch (Choreography), Andrew Boyce (Scenic Design), Linda Roethke (Costume Design), Paul Toben (Lighting Design), Andre Pluess (Sound Design), and Becca McCracken (Casting). Erin Albrecht is the production stage manager.

Individual tickets are on sale and available by calling (773) 753-4472, or online at www.CourtTheatre.org.

The Lady from the Sea is sponsored by Sidley Austin Foundation and Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation.

 

About the Artists

RICHARD NELSON (Translator) His plays include The Gabriel Plays (Women Of A Certain Age, What Did You Expect?, Hungry), Oblivion, Nikolai And The Others, The Apple Family Plays (That Hopey Changey Thing, Sweet And Sad, Regular Singing), Farewell To The Theatre, Conversations In Tusculum, Frank’s Home, How Shakespeare Won The West, Rodney’s Wife, Franny’s Way, Madame Melville, Goodnight Children Everywhere (Olivier Award Best Play), The General From America, New England, Two Shakespearean Actors (Tony Nomination, Best Play), Some Americans Abroad (Olivier Nomination, Best Comedy), and others. His musicals include James Joyce’s The Dead (with Shaun Davey, Tony Award Best Book of a Musical), and My Life With Albertine (with Ricky Ian Gordon). He has adapted and/or translated numerous classical and contemporary plays; his films include Hyde Park On Hudson (Roger Michell, director, Focus Features), Ethan Frome (Miramax Films) and Sensibility And Sense (American Playhouse). He is an honorary associate artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company, a recipient of the Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the PEN/Laura Pels “Master Playwright” Award.

SHANA COOPER (Director) is a company member at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., where her directing credits include The Nether and HIR by Taylor Mac. Other directing credits include The Unfortunates (A.C.T., San Francisco); American Night, Romeo and Juliet (Yale Repertory Theatre); Straight White Men (Studio Theater, Washington D.C.); The Unfortunates (World Premiere Musical), Julius Caesar, Love’s Labor’s Lost (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Venus In Fur (Seattle Rep, Arizona Theatre Company), The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (California Shakespeare Theater); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Playmakers Rep); Camino Real (New York University MFA Program); Three Sisters (The Studio/New York); and The Whale Play, Twelfth Night Parking Lot Project (New Theater House). Shana was the Associate Artistic Director of the California Shakespeare Theater (2000-2004), and also a Cofounder of New Theater House with Yale School of Drama alumni (2008-present). Awards include: 2014 U Grant (Funded by The Melon Foundation and administered by TCG), 2010 Princess Grace Award, Julian Milton Kaufman Memorial Prize in Directing (Yale School of Drama), Drama League Directing Fellow, TCG Observership Grant, OSF Phil Killian Directing Fellow, and G. Herbert Smith Presidential Scholarship. She is an Assistant Professor in the Theatre Department at Northwestern University.

CHAON CROSS (Ellida) returns to Court Theatre, where her credits include: The Hard Problem, One Man Two Guvnors, Proof , Uncle Vanya, The Glass Menagerie, Scapin, The Romance Cycle, and Phèdre. Other Chicago credits include: Macbeth, Red Velvet, As You Like It, Private Lives, Cymbeline, Troilus and Cressida, The Two Noble Kinsmen, and The Taming of the Shrew (Chicago Shakespeare); Macbeth (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Life Sucks, Brothers Karamazov (Lookingglass Theatre); Cyrano (Court Theatre and Redmoon Theatre); Grace (Northlight Theatre); The Wheel, The Cherry Orchard (Steppenwolf Theatre Company). Regional credits include Lady Windermere in Lady Windermere’s Fan(Milwaukee Repertory Theater) and Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice (The Cleveland Playhouse). She has also appeared in productions with Frump Tucker, Shattered Globe Theatre, TimeLine Theatre Company, Theatre at the Center, First Folio Shakespeare Festival, and TheatreHikes. TV credits: The Exorcist (FOX), Chicago Fire (NBC), Boss (Starz), and Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC). Film: Widows, My Dog Skip (Warner Bros). Before moving to Chicago, Ms. Cross toured the US and Canada for two years with American Shakespeare Center.

GREGORY LININGTON (Dr. Wangel) Makes his Court Theatre debut. Chicago: Goodman Theatre, Northlight Theatre. New York: Brooklyn Academy of Music and Joe’s Pub. Regional: Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre DC, Theater J, Kennedy Center, Shakespeare Center LA, CTG and PCPA. A 12-year company member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival he is also a five-year company member of Misery Loves Company in Prague. Film and television credits include Innocent Sleep, Harrison’s Flowers; Station Eleven, Chicago PD, Grey’s Anatomy, Shameless, Major Crimes, and The West Wing. 

TANYA THAI MCBRIDE (Bolette) is pleased to make her debut at Court Theatre. Chicago theater credits: Stop.Reset. (Goodman Theatre); The White Snake (Goodman Theatre); Twilight: Los Angeles 1992 (The Other Theatre Co.); Yellow Face (Silk Road Rising); and punkplay (Pavement Group at Steppenwolf Garage), among others. Regional: The White Snake (The Old Globe, Guthrie Theater, McCarter Theatre, Berkeley Repertory and Oregon Shakespeare Festival), A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Heart of Robin Hood (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). TV: Chicago PD, Chicago Fire. Tanya holds an MFA from The Ohio State University.

WILL MOBLEY (Lyngstrand) is pleased to make his Court Theatre debut. Chicago credits include: The Wickham’s: Christmas at Pemberley (Northlight); The Winter’s Tale U/S (Goodman); Ragtime (Marriott); My Fair Lady (Lyric Opera); SS! Twelfth Night (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Days Like Today, Antony and Cleopatra (Writers). Regional credits include: Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberley (Theatre Squared); The Legend of Georgia McBride (Cardinal Stage Company); The Hound of the Baskervilles, A Christmas Carol, Other Desert Cities (Indiana Repertory Theater); Other Desert Cities (Arizona Theatre Company); A View From the Bridge, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Hamlet, Antony and Cleopatra, Twelfth Night, Richard III, The Admirable Crichton, The Taming of the Shrew, The Critic and Of Mice and Men (American Players Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (tour), Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice and Great Expectations (Utah Shakespeare Festival); and The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Artists Repertory Theatre). Will is also a member of the Chicago band The Winchesters.

ANGELA MORRIS (Hilda) is thrilled to make her Court debut. Chicago credits include Twilight Bowl – Jeff Nomination Best Ensemble (Goodman Theatre); Hang Man (The Gift Theatre); The Hamlet Project (The Collective); and Horatio (A Beautiful Fight Productions). Regional credits include The Comedy of Errors (John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts). Television/Film credits include Chicago Fire; Two in the Bush: A Love Story; and the award-winning shorts “SPACEMAN.,” “Trash,” and “My Best Girl,” which she also co-wrote. She voices the main character (and others) in the video game Perception. 

KELLI SIMPKINS (A Stranger) THEATER: Off Broadway: MCC Theater: Charm | Union Square Theater: The Laramie Project. REGIONAL: About Face Theater: The Gulf, Bull in a China Shop, The Secretaries, The Kid Thing (Jeff Award nomination), Pony | American Theater Company: We’re Gonna Be Okay, Men on Boats, T., Celebrity Row | Victory Gardens: Cocked | Goodman Theatre: Teddy Ferrara | Steppenwolf Theatre: Good Boys and True, Fair Use, One Arm | Denver Center: The Laramie Project | Berkeley Rep: The People’s Temple, The Laramie Project | Guthrie Theater: The People’s Temple | La Jolla Playhouse: Think Like Girls, The Laramie Project. FILM: Slice, Chasing Amy, A League of Their Own | TV: Proven Innocent, Chicago Fire, Patriot, Betrayal, The Laramie Project (Emmy nomination– Ensemble Writing), Law & Order: CI. AWARDS: 3ARTS Award (2013). OTHER: Tectonic Theater Project: company member, teaching artist and original creator/performer – The Laramie Project | About Face Theater: Artistic Associate. 

SAMUEL TAYLOR (Arnholm) is co-founder of the Back Room Shakespeare Project and teaches Shakespeare at the University of Chicago. Samuel is also owner & operator of Long Table Pancakes. Chicago credits include Mr. & Mrs. Pennyworth, Thaddeus & Slocum, Lookingglass Alice, and Peter Pan at Lookingglass; The Hot L Baltimore at Steppenwolf Theatre Company; Marnie & Phil at The Actors Gymnasium; Hunchback at Redmoon; and 9 shows at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Regional credits include work at American Players Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Syracuse Stage, and the Guthrie Theater. On Camera credits include recurring roles on Boardwalk Empire and Crisis.

DEXTER ZOLLICOFFER (Ballested) appeared at Court Theatre in Electra, Water by the Spoonful, and The Mystery Cycle: Creation and Passion. Dexter appeared in Charm for Northlight Theatre (Jeff Award for Actor in a Principal Role and a nomination for Ensemble). Other theatre credits include: The Little Foxes, Dartmoor Prison, The Odyssey, Blues for an Alabama Sky, and A Christmas Carol at Goodman; To Kill a Mockingbird, A Lesson Before Dying, and Pudd’nhead Wilson at Steppenwolf; Relatively Close, Knock Me a Kiss and The Sutherland at Victory Gardens; and The Overwhelming at Next Theatre. Regionally, Mr. Zollicoffer appeared in Blues for an Alabama Sky at Alabama Shakespeare Festival, The Odyssey at McCarter Theatre Center, and Seattle Repertory Theatre, Our Country’s Good at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Recruiting Officer and Our Country’s Good at Madison Repertory Theatre, Voice of Good Hope at BoarsHead Theater, and Permanent Collection at Indiana University Northwest. On television, Mr. Zollicoffer has been seen on Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Detroit 1-8-7, and the upcoming feature, Who Gets the Dog. He is an administrator at The Theatre School at DePaul University where he received best director, best ensemble, and Special Jury Prize nominations for his original work, Ma Fille, Ma Naturelle at the 6th annual International Theatre Festival of University Theatre in Tangier, Morocco. He is a 2011-12 recipient of the Spirit of DePaul award given by DePaul’s Office of Mission and Values.

Chaon Cross, Lady from the Sea, credit: Michael Brosilow

Dates:             Previews:            February 4 – 11, 2022

                       Press Opening:   Saturday, February 12, 2022 at 7:30pm

                       Regular Run:       February 13 – March 6, 2022

           

Schedule:        Wed/Thurs/Fri:    7:30 p.m.

Sat/Sun:              2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Location:         Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave.

Tickets:           $28.50-$66 previews

                    $37.50-$84 regular run

Box Office:      Located at 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472 or www.CourtTheatre.org.

 

Court Theatre  is the professional theatre of the University of Chicago, dedicated to innovation, inquiry, intellectual engagement, and community service. Court endeavors to make a lasting contribution to classic American theatre by expanding the canon of translations, adaptations, and classic texts. The theatre revives lost masterpieces; illuminates familiar texts; explores the African American theatrical canon; and discovers fresh, modern classics. Court engages and inspires its audience by providing artistically distinguished productions, audience enrichment activities, and student educational experiences.

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar: Fall 2021 Theatre Favorites in Chicago

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Mask up and see some shows! Photo credit: Milan Pejnovich 

Pictured: Milan Pejnovich, Bonnie Kenaz-Mara (ChiIL Mama), Catherine Hellmann, Deb Frels

The ghost lights have been on 24/7 as stages across the US went dark for over 18 months, while covid ravaged our country. It's not over yet, but with vax cards in hand and masks on faces, we are finally able to gather in person again. Treat yourself! There are many stellar shows on stage in Chicago this fall and we've never been happier to gather with friends and family for a change of scene and some epic story telling. Here are just a few of our favorites. 

Photo credit: B Kenaz-Mara

CHICAGO MAGIC LOUNGE

5050 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60640

312-366-4500

https://www.chicagomagiclounge.com/

Music & Magic

Mondays at 7:00pm

Tickets: General Admission $20

Photo credit: B Kenaz-Mara

The Showcase

Tuesdays at 7:00pm

Tickets: Standard: $35; Front Row: $40

Luis Carreon and Paige Thompson, August 10-August 31.

 

Photo credit: B Kenaz-Mara

The Signature Show

Thursdays-Sundays at 7:00pm, Fridays and Sundays at 10pm 

Tickets: $50-$55 (Standard); $65-$75 (Premium, includes 654 Club admission)

Featuring Special Guest Nick Diffatte

654 Club features Luis Carreon 

Special Guest Nick Diffatte is quickly becoming one of the most talked about and in-demand young comic magicians working today. His unique brand of entertainment seamlessly blends dry humor, quick wit, and incredible skill. His performances are presented with perfect comedic timing and a deadpan delivery that has kept audiences laughing uncontrollably all over the country for over 14 years. Most recently, Nick has been seen in a residency at the Planet Hollywood Casino in Las Vegas, The World Famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, luxury cruise lines and “The Late Late Show with James Corden” on CBS.

 

CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER

800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL 60611

312-595-5600

www.chicagoshakes.com

As You Like It

By William Shakespeare

Adapted & directed by Daryl Cloran

Conceived by Daryl Cloran and the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival

In the Courtyard Theater

Regular Run: October 16 – November 21, 2021 

 

Photo credit: B Kenaz-Mara

Set in the ‘60s, the exuberant celebration of love features nearly 20 musical numbers from The Beatles songbook, performed live onstage, including “She Loves You,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Let It Be,” and “Here Comes the Sun.” The company includes Melanie Brezill (Celia) Adam Wesley Brown (Forest Lord/Hymen), Tony Carter (Oliver), Austin Eckert (Charles the Wrestler/Amiens), Lachrisa Grandberry (Audrey), Kevin Gudahl (Duke Senior/Duke Frederick), Heidi Kettenring (Phoebe), Kayvon Khoshkam (Touchstone), Kieran McCabe (Forest Lord), Steven Pringle (Adam/Sir Oliver Martext), Liam Quealy (Orlando), Lakeisha Renee (Rosalind), and Nancy Voigts (Corin).

 

Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski

By Clark Young and Derek Goldman

Directed by Derek Goldman

Starring David Strathairn

In The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare

Press Opening: November 4, 2021 at 7:45pm

Regular Run: November 5 – November 14, 2021

 

Academy Award-nominated actor David Strathairn takes the stage in a tour-de-force solo performance, Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski. Best known for acclaimed performances in Good Night, and Good Luck, Nomadland, and Lincoln, Strathairn takes on the role of real-life World War II hero Jan Karski. After surviving the devastation of Poland by Nazi Germany, Karski swears allegiance to the Polish Underground and risks his life to carry the first eyewitness reports of the Holocaust to the White House, where his warnings are met with inaction and disbelief. Strathairn captures the remarkable life of the self-described “insignificant, little man” who spoke truth in the halls of power in a timely story of moral courage.

 

Q Brothers Christmas Carol

Written by Q Brothers Collective (GQ, JQ, Jax, Pos)

Directed by GQ and JQ

Developed with Rick Boynton

In The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare

Preview Performances: December 8 – December 9, 2021

Press Opening: December 10, 2021 at 7pm

Regular Run: December 11 – December 23, 2021

 

The Theater’s raucous and irreverent holiday tradition returns in a special limited engagement in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare. Created and performed by Chicago hip hop sensations the Q Brothers Collective (GQ, JQ, Jax, and Pos) and developed with Creative Producer Rick Boynton, this wildly entertaining 80-minute reinterpretation of the Charles Dickens classic mashes up hip hop with contemporary musical styles ranging from reggae and dancehall music, to dubstep and epic rock ballads—all underscored with beats spun live at the turntables by DJ Supernova

COURT THEATRE

5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637

(773) 753-4472

www.courtheatre.org

 

Photo credit: B Kenaz-Mara

The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice

by William Shakespeare

Directed by Charles Newell and Gabrielle Randle-Bent

Featuring Kelvin Roston, Jr as Othello

Regular Run: October 17 - November 21, 2021

In addition to live performances, a digital version will be available to stream on-demand.

 

Photo credit: B Kenaz-Mara

Othello—the noble general, husband, scholar, and traveler—fights for his life, right to love, and position in society. When Othello’s closest confidant objects to his actions, their brotherhood is shattered, provoking a series of tragic events for Othello and everyone around him.

Co-directors Charles Newell and Gabrielle Randle-Bent helm this theatrical examination of humanity and tragedy in Shakespeare’s fraught and famous work. Through scenic design that place audiences in the middle of the action, this telling grapples with how complex notions of race, gender, and complicity at the heart of the play’s murderous events speak to a world on the brink of change.

 

DRURY LANE THEATRE

Drury Lane Theatre

100 Drury Lane

Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181

(630) 530-8300

http://drurylanetheatre.com

 

Photo credit: B Kenaz-Mara

Forever Plaid

Written and Originally Directed and Choreographed by Stuart Ross 

Musical Continuity Supervision and Arrangements by James Raitt

Originally Produced by Gene Wolsk

Directed and Choreographed by Paul Stancato

With Music Direction by Valerie Maze

Preview Performances: September 17 – September 22, 2021

Press Opening: Thursday, September 23 at 8:00 p.m.

Regular Run: September 24 – November 7, 2021

 

Photo credit: B Kenaz-Mara

On the way to their first big gig, tragedy strikes Forever Plaid, a “guy group” specializing in barbershop quartet harmonies and pitch-perfect melodies. Forever Plaid begins when the guys are given the chance to perform from the afterlife. This smash hit musical is a nostalgic homage to the music of the ‘50s and includes hits such as “Three Coins in the Fountain” and “Love is a Many-Splendored Thing.”

The cast of Forever Plaid features Brian Eng (Sparky), Michael Ferraro (Frankie), Yando Lopez (Jinx) and A.D. Weaver (Smudge).

MERCURY THEATER

3745 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60613

(773) 325-1700

www.mercurytheaterchicago.com

 

Sister Act                                                                                                 

Book by Bill and Cheri Steinkellne, and Douglas Carter Beane

Directed by Reneisha Jenkins

Music Direction by Diana Lawrence

Choreography by Christopher Chase Carter

Featuring Chicago Legends Alexis J. Roston (Deloris) and Hollis Resnik (Mother Superior)

Preview Performances: November 5 – November 10, 2021

Press Opening: November 11, 2021 at 7:30pm

Regular Run: November 12, 2021 – January 9, 2022

This feel-good musical comedy is based on the hit 1992 film that has audiences jumping to their feet!  Featuring original music by Tony and Oscar winner, Alan Menken (Newsies, Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors), this uplifting musical was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.  When disco diva, Deloris Van Cartier, witnesses a murder, she is put in protective custody in the one place the cops are sure she won't be a found: a convent! Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with both the rigid lifestyle and uptight Mother Superior. Using her unique disco moves and singing talent to inspire the choir, Deloris breathes new life into the church and community but, in doing so, blows her cover.  Sister Act is reason to rejoice!

 

 

NORTHLIGHT THEATRE

9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie, IL 60077

(847) 673-6300

http://www.northlight.org/

 

Songs for Nobodies

By Joanna Murray-Smith

Directed by Rob Lindley

Music Direction by Andra Velis Simon

Featuring Bethany Thomas

Preview Performances: September 23 – September 30, 2021

Press Opening: October 1, 2021at 8pm

Regular Run: October 2 – October 31, 2021

 

This tour-de-force performance celebrates the iconic work of Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Billie Holiday, Edith Piaf and Maria Callas. Share in the unexpected encounters between these legendary divas and the ordinary women whose lives were changed by their brush with fame. Featuring such favorites as “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “Crazy,” and “Ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do,” Songs for Nobodies illuminates the power of song to share a story, heal a heartbreak, and inspire a dream.

 

The World Premiere of

Mr. Dickens’ Hat

A Play with Music

By Michael Hollinger

Directed by David Catlin

Music Direction by Chuck Larkin

Preview Performances: November 26 – December 2, 2021

Press Opening: December 3, 2021 at 8pm

Regular Run: December 4, 2021 – January 2, 2022

 

In a cozy Victorian shop sits the hat of Charles Dickens, who once used it to carry water to the victims of a train wreck (that’s true!). When a pair of bumbling thieves plots to steal it (that’s imaginary!), young Kit sets out to foil their plan, save the hat, and free her father from debtors’ prison. Filled with a host of colorful characters, constables, and carolers, this warm winter’s tale with original music brings to life the universal lesson: “Beneath our hats, we are all the same.”

 

THE SECOND CITY

Mainstage

1616 N. Wells Street, Chicago

312-337-3992

www.secondcity.com

The Second City presents its 109th Mainstage revue

Happy to Be Here*

Press Opening: September 30, 2021 at 7pm

You’re gonna want to sit down for this news. We’re warming up the bentwood chairs and ready to invite you back inside our theater! Join humans on stage making humans in the audience laugh as we toast being together again. Our Mainstage performances are a celebration of our resilience, our relationships, and our mutual need to get back into the habit of making eye contact. We’ve been pushed apart both physically and politically for way too long…now it’s time to enjoy some good, clean (or at the very least...ultra-hygienic) togetherness.

ChiIL out in Chi, IL, mask up, and see some shows! As always, check back with ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) and ChiILMama.com (family friendly) early and often for original reviews, arts and entertainment news, photo filled recaps, giveaways, and more. See you out there!

OPENING: The World Premiere of Augie March at Court Theatre May 9 – June 9, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Court Theatre concludes 64th Season with

The World Premiere of

The Adventures of Augie March

a play by David Auburn, adapted from the novel by Saul Bellow

directed by Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director

May 9 – June 9, 2019

Court Theatre, under the leadership of Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director, and Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre, concludes its 2018/19 season with the World Premiere of The Adventures of Augie March, a play by David Auburn, based on the novel by Saul Bellow, and directed by Charles Newell. The Adventures of Augie March runs May 9 – June 9, 2019 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. 

Young Augie March is a product of the Great Depression: plucky, resourceful, searching for love, and striving to grow up and away from home. Through odd jobs and encounters with unique characters, Augie explores what it takes to succeed in the world as a true individual.

A novel, written by Nobel Prize-winner Saul Bellow, is adapted for the stage by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Auburn. Bellow was a University of Chicago faculty member for three decades, and his experiences in the city of Chicago and at the University are at the heart of his writing. The Adventures of Augie March is an epic coming-of-age story that bridges continents and stages of life, exuding the endearing confidence of a boy taking in a complex world.

“Staging an epic story such as The Adventures of Augie March is a thrilling challenge that has called upon the insight and diverse talents of a team of designers and collaborators that includes ambitious playwright David Auburn, artistic collective Manual Cinema, and Thusnelda Mercy and Pascal Merighi, former dancers in Pina Bauch’s internationally-acclaimed dance company and founders of the dance company merighi / merci,” comments Charlie Newell. “Having such an accomplished patchwork of creatives involved is heightening the picaresque qualities of Bellow’s novel in truly exciting ways.”

The cast of The Adventures of Augie March features Patrick Mulvey as Augie March with ensemble members Sebastian Arboleda, Aurora Real de Asua, Chaon Cross, Kai Ealy, Marilyn Dodds Frank, Neil Friedman, John Judd, Abby Pierce, Brittney Love Smith, Luigi Sottile, Stef Tovar, and Travis Turner.

The creative team includes John Culbert (scenic and lighting design), Sally Dolembo (costume design), Andre Pluess (sound design), Drew Dir and Manual Cinema (puppet design), Erin Kilmurray (movement consultant), Eva Breneman (dialect design), Nora Titone (resident dramaturg), Erin Albrecht (production stage manager), and Kate Ocker (assistant stage manager).

Tickets, priced $50-$74 ($38-$52 for previews), are available at the Court Theatre box office (5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago), by calling (773) 753-4472, or online at www.CourtTheatre.org.

About the Artists

SAUL BELLOW (1915-2005) was a Nobel laureate in literature and one of the most influential American novelists of the 20th Century. A member of the University of Chicago faculty for more than 30 years, Bellow centered his fictional universe in Chicago, his hometown. Bellow, the Raymond W. and Martha Hilpert Gruner Distinguished Service Professor in the Committee on Social Thought and the Department of English at UChicago authored more than a dozen critically acclaimed novels and works of nonfiction, including Herzog, Humboldt’s Gift, Mr. Sammler’s Planet and The Adventures of Augie March. One of the most honored American writers of his era, Bellow won the 1976 Nobel Prize for literature, a Pulitzer Prize, three National Book Awards, and a Presidential medal. Bellow taught at UChicago from 1962 to 1993 in the Committee on Social Thought and attended the College in the 1930s.

DAVID AUBURN (Playwright) Plays include The Adventures of Augie March, based on the Saul Bellow novel (Court Theatre 2019); Lost Lake (Manhattan Theatre Club 2014); The Columnist (MTC/Broadway 2012); and Proof (2001 Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award, New York Drama Critics Circle Award). Films include The Girl in the Park (writer/director), Georgetown, and The Lake House. Stage directing credits include Long Day's Journey into Night (Court Theatre, Chicago); The Petrified Forest, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Anna Christie, A Delicate Balance,Period of Adjustment, Sick (all Berkshire Theatre Group); and the Off-Broadway world premiere of Michael Weller’s Side Effects (MCC). A former Guggenheim Fellow, he lives in New York City.

CHARLES NEWELL (Director / Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director) has been Artistic Director of Court Theatre since 1994, where he has directed over fifty productions. Recent Court highlights include All My Sons; The Hard Problem; Man in the Ring; and Satchmo at the Waldorf. Charlie has also directed at Goodman, Guthrie Theater, Arena Stage, John Houseman’s The Acting Company, Lyric Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Glimmerglass, and Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Awards received include the SDCF Zelda Fichandler Award, the TCG Alan Schneider Award, and the League of Chicago Theatres’ Artistic Achievement Award. Charlie has been nominated for sixteen Jeff Awards, winning four times.

SEBASTIAN ARBOLEDA (Talavera) is a Colombian-American actor, writer, and director. Recent credits include: Curve of Departure (Studio Theatre); Amy and the Orphans, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Blood Wedding (Yale School of Drama) and directing Teatro Vista’s Community Outreach production of Romeo and Juliet. He is making his Chicago debut with Court Theatre. He received his MFA from Yale School of Drama MFA.

AURORA REAL DE ASUA (Mimi/Esperanza) is making her Court Theatre debut. Other Chicago credits include: Pipeline (Victory Gardens); The Wolves (Goodman); Dracula, You on the Moors Now (Hypocrites); The Firebirds Take the Field (Rivendell); and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (MPAC). She has also worked with Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Lookingglass. Film credits include: Knives and Skin; Working Man. She graduated with a BA in Theatre from Northwestern University and is proudly represented by Gray Talent.

CHAON CROSS (Rebecca/Thea/Tillie/Charlotte) has previously appeared at Court Theatre in Photograph 51, The Hard Problem, One Man Two Guvnors, Proof, Uncle Vanya, The Glass Menagerie, Scapin, The Romance Cycle, and Phèdre (Court Theatre). Other Chicago credits include: Sweat (Goodman Theatre); Macbeth, Red Velvet, As You Like It, Private Lives, Cymbeline, Troilus and Cressida, The Two Noble Kinsmen, The Taming of the Shrew (Chicago Shakespeare); Macbeth (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Life Sucks, Brothers Karamazov (Lookingglass Theatre); Cyrano (Court Theatre and Redmoon Theatre); Grace (Northlight Theatre); The Wheel, The Cherry Orchard (Steppenwolf Theatre Company). TV credits include: The Exorcist (FOX), Chicago Fire (NBC), Boss (Starz), Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC). Film credits include: Widows, My Dog Skip (Warner Bros).

MARILYN DODDS FRANK (Grandma Lausch/Italian Woman/Caligula/Mrs. Magnus) previously worked with Court Theatre on Electra by Sophocles, directed by Nicholas Rudall. Other Chicago productions include work with Goodman, Lookingglass, Steppenwolf, Teatro Vista, Latino Chicago, A Red Orchid, Next, Piven, Remains, Rivendell, Victory Gardens, New Criminals, Shaw Chicago. New York credits include Superior Donuts on Broadway, and The Clean House at Lincoln Center. She appeared in the original productions of Conduct of Life, The Mothers, Hunger, and What of the Night. Recent movies include Knives and Skin, Slice, and Mom and Dad.

KAI EALY (Padilla/FiveProperties/Jacinto) is working with Court Theater for the first time. He studied acting in Alabama before moving to Chicago to pursue his career. Kai was last seen in Cardboard Piano (Timeline Theater). Other Chicago credits include: Shiller’s Mary Stuart (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Franklinland (Jackalope Theater); Two Mile Hollow (First Floor Theater') 30th Annual Young Playwrights Festival (Pegasus Theater Chicago); Migration (eta Creative Arts Foundation). Television credits include Chicago Fire (NBC). Kai is represented by Paonessa Talent Agency.

NEIL FRIEDMAN (Kreindle/Moulton/Bulba/Mr. Magnus) returns to Court Theatre. Chicago credits include: Goodman Theatre, Theatre at the Center, Court Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Steppenwolf, and Peninsula Players. Regional credits include: The People’s Light Theatre; The Fulton Theatre; Utah Shakespeare Festival; Capitol Repertory; The New Victory Theater; Flat Rock Playhouse; Coconut Grove Playhouse; The Clarence Brown Theatre; Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis; Austria’s Vienna English Theatre, Adirondack Theatre Festival; Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre, and The Arts Garage. Neil is a proud recipient of a Joseph Jefferson Award.

JOHN JUDD (Basteshaw/Einhorn) returns to Court Theatre where he previously appeared in Gross Indecency, Lettice and Lovage, and All My Sons. He's also been seen at Steppenwolf, Goodman, Chicago Shakespeare, Lookingglass, Victory Gardens, A Red Orchid, About Face, Writer’s Theatre, Northlight, and others in Chicago. Off-Broadway credits include Barrow Street Theatre, 59E59th, and BAM. Regional credits include Berkeley Rep, The Old Globe, Beaver Creek Colorado Theatre Festival, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, City Theatre Pittsburgh, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Westport Country Playhouse, McCarter Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Huntington Theatre, and Town Hall Theatre in Galway, Ireland.

PATRICK MULVEY (Augie) makes his Court Theatre debut. Originally from Illinois, he received his Bachelor's degree from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. While in the UK, he starred on the BBC series River City and worked with the National Theatre of Scotland and the Globe Theatre in London. Chicago credits include: TimeLine Theatre, Goodman Theatre, and Broadway in Chicago. He made his Broadway debut as Tony in the nine-time Tony award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical. Other theatre credits include Cirque de Soleil's production of Baz Luhrmann: For the Record. Recent television credits include Empire, Chicago Fire, The Girlfriend Experience, and Fox’s Proven Innocent.

ABBY PIERCE (Stella/Lucy/Esther/Polish Woman) recently performed at Court Theatre in All My Sons. Abby recently directed Hopelessly Devoted at Piven Theatre and directed and co-wrote the award-winning short film Eat Your Heart Out. She is a teacher with Piven's EPIC program at Cook County Jail, which is going into its fourth year of classes. As an actor she has performed at Steppenwolf, Goodman, Ricardo Montalban, Lyric, Del Rey, Jackalope, Strawdog, and TimeLine Theatre. Film/TV credits include Proven Innocent, Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, Dreaming Grand Avenue, The Exquisite Corpse, and Workingman.

BRITTNEYLOVE SMITH (Stoney/Dingbat) is delighted to make her Court Theatre debut. She recently played Oddsee in Goodman’s critically acclaimed production of Father Comes Home From the Wars. BrittneyLove was Prix in Eclipse Theatre's production of Breath Boom (BTAA Best leading actress Nomination). She was Victoria in the Jeff winning production of Charm with Northlight Theatre. BrittneyLove played Salima in the Jeff nominated production of Ruined with Eclipse Theatre company (BTAA nomination Best Supporting Actor). She was in the feature film Gringo and is the lead of Web series Velvet. She is a voice over artist for several different podcast and audio books.

LUIGI SOTTILE (Simon/Jaworski) makes his Court debut. Luigi's Chicago credits include Familiar, Buena Vista (Steppenwolf); Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars (Goodman); Book Of Will (Northlight); Shakespeare in Love, Othello, The Tempest (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre). Some Regional Credits include: The Way of the World (Folger Theatre); Zombie the American (Woolly Mammoth); Sex with Strangers (Signature Theatre DC); A Christmas Carol (Milwaukee Rep); Three Sisters, Cyrano (Arden Theatre); Seminar (Philadelphia Theatre Co.); An Ideal Husband (Walnut Street Theatre); Angels in America, The Vibrator Play (Wilma Theater), The Cherry Orchard, Nathan the Wise (People's Light and Theatre). TV credits include: Chicago PD (NBC); It's A Man's World (YouTube Red).

STEF TOVAR (Clem/Oliver/Kellerman/Nails) is making his Court debut. Chicago credits include: Franz in Appropriate for Victory Gardens; Harold Hill in Paramount Theatre's The Music Man; Luther Billis in South Pacific for Marriott Theatre (Jeff nomination); and Noah in A Twist of Water for Route 66 Theatre Company, where he is the founder and co-artistic director. Film and television credits include: Proven Innocent (CBS); Chicago Fire (NBC); Contagion, directed by Steven Soderbergh, and Widows directed by Steve McQueen. Stef can be seen in TimeLine Theatre's upcoming production of Oslo this fall.

TRAVIS TURNER (Georgie/Frazer/Iggy) returns to Court Theatre after having previously appeared in Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, Porgy & Bess, Carousel, and Raisin. Recent Chicago: Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Chicago Shakespeare); The Mystery of Love and Sex (Writer’s Theatre); Bootycandy (Windy City Playhouse); Thaddeus and Slocum (Lookingglass); The Flick (Steppenwolf); The Art of Falling (The Second City and Hubbard Street Dance); and The Upstairs Concierge (Goodman). Recent regional credits include: Goodnight, Tyler, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Alliance Theatre); Macbeth (Denver Center); and the upcoming production of East Texas Hot Links (Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company). He is a Northwestern University graduate.

Featuring: Patrick Mulvey as Augie March with ensemble members Sebastian Arboleda, Aurora Real de Asua, Chaon Cross, Kai Ealy, Marilyn Dodds Frank, Neil Friedman, John Judd, Abby Pierce, Brittney Love Smith, Luigi Sottile, Stef Tovar, and Travis Turner

Creative Team: John Culbert (Scenic and Lighting Design), Sally Dolembo (costume design), Andre Pluess (sound design), Drew Dir and Manual Cinema (puppet design), Erin Kilmurray (movement consultant), Eva Breneman (dialect design), Nora Titone (resident dramaturg), Erin Albrecht (production stage manager), and Kate Ocker (assistant stage manager)

Dates: Previews:  May 9 – May 17, 2019
Press Opening: Saturday, May 18, 2019 at 7:30pm
Regular Run: May 19 – June 9, 2019

Open Captioned Performance: Sunday, June 2 at 2:00pm
Audio Described Performance / Touch Tour: Saturday, June 1 at 2:00pm, Touch Tour 12:30pm

Schedule:     
Wednesdays: 10:30 a.m. (except May 15) and 7:30 p.m.
Thursdays: 7:30 p.m.
Fridays: 7:30 p.m.
Saturdays: 2:00 p.m. (except May 11 & 15) and 7:30 p.m.
Sundays: 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Location: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave.

Tickets: $38-$52 previews
$50-$74 regular run

Box Office: Located at 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472
or www.CourtTheatre.org.




The Adventures of Augie March is sponsored by William D. and Diane S. Anderson, The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, Lorna Ferguson and Terry Clark, and Michael Charles Litt. This production is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

In support of Center for Classic Theatre research for this adaptation and production, the University of Chicago Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society has appointed David Auburn a Visiting Fellow, resulting in collaboration with University faculty and scholars to enhance and inform the production.

Court Theatre’s 2018/19 season is dedicated to Court’s late Executive Director, Stephen J. Albert.

Court Theatre is the professional theatre of the University of Chicago, dedicated to innovation, inquiry, intellectual engagement, and community service. Functioning as the University’s Center for Classic Theatre, Court and its artists mount theatrical productions and audience enrichment programs in collaboration with faculty. These collaborations enable a re-examination of classic texts that pose the enduring and provocative questions that define the human experience. Court endeavors to make a lasting contribution to classic American theatre by expanding the canon of translations, adaptations, and classic texts. The theatre revives lost masterpieces; illuminates familiar texts; explores the African American theatrical canon; and discovers fresh, modern classics. Court engages and inspires its audience by providing artistically distinguished productions, audience enrichment activities, and student educational experiences.

OPENING: Court Theatre continues 64th Season with For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf March 14 – April 14, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Court Theatre continues 64th Season with

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf 

By Ntozake Shange

Directed by Seret Scott

March 14 – April 14, 2019

I'll be ChiILin' with Chi, IL's Court Theatre for the press opening Saturday, March 23rd, so check back soon for my full review.

Court Theatre, under the leadership of Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director, and Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre, continues its 2018/19 season with For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange and directed by Seret Scott. For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf runs March 14 – April 14, 2019 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave.

A sisterhood of eight women tell their stories through dramatic prose poetry, music, and movement. Told in vivid language, their experiences resound with fearless beauty and unity, despite exposing the unending challenges and oppressions that women of color face every day.

Director Seret Scott (Native Son) returns to playwright Ntozake Shange’s cherished work after performing as a member of the original Broadway cast from 1976-1978. She will inspire new audiences with this series of stories that still resonate profoundly forty years later.

"When we selected Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf for our season, we knew it was cherished. We’ve come to understand this depth of feeling even more clearly as we’ve heard from our patrons over the past months. With this production, it seems we’re offering something that actually belongs to our community. We are so thrilled to be sharing Shange's powerful words in a city and at a moment when its messages of hope, resilience, and empowerment are needed more than ever,” notes Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director.

The cast of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf includes Melody Angel, Melanie Brezill, Leah Casey, Melissa DuPrey, Angelica Katie, Patrese D. McClain, Alexis J. Roston, and AnJi White.

The creative team of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf includes Samantha C. Jones (costume design), Paul Toben (lighting design), Andre Pluess (sound design), Melody Angel (additional music), Leah Casey (choreography), and Gabrielle Randle (production dramaturg).

About the Artists
SERET SCOTT (Director) directed Spunk, Native Son and Electra at Court Theatre. Directing credits: Old Globe Theatre (San Diego–Associate Artist), Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Denver Center Theatre Company, New Victory Theatre, and Second Stage Theatre (Off-Broadway), Philadelphia Theatre Company, Arena Stage, Ford’s Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and Studio Theatre (DC), American Conservatory Theatre (San Francisco), South Coast Repertory and L.A. Theatreworks (CA), Long Wharf Theatre and Yale Repertory Theatre (New Haven), Two River Theatre Company (NJ), Hartford Stage (CT), Indiana Repertory Theatre, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre and National Black Theatre (NYC), Alliance Theatre (Atlanta), Alley Theatre (Houston), Actors Theatre of Louisville, Virginia Stage Company, New Mexico Repertory, and Playmakers Repertory Company (NC). She is a member of the executive board of the Stage Directors and Choreographer’s Society and a recipient of a TCG/PEW Residency Grant (Long Wharf Theatre) and Drama Desk Award in acting (My Sister, My Sister). Ms. Scott’s play Second Line was produced by Passage Theatre (NJ) and Tribute Productions (DC).

MELODY ANGEL (Lyric/Additional Music) was recently named one of 2018’s HOT New Faces of Chicago Theatre by Chris Jones at the Chicago Tribune. She made her theatre debut at Goodman Theatre in the highly rated production of Father Comes Home From the Wars by Pulitzer Prize-winner Suzan-Lori Parks. Melody’s performance led her to star in the short film Knockout by Alley Cake Films, for the 48 Hour Film Project (Chicago). This short film went on to win best film, and will now be a part of the International Film Festival Filmapalooza 2019. Melody Angel is also a singer/songwriter/guitarist, who has performed all over the world with her “Blues-Rock-Soul.”

MELANIE BREZILL (Lady in Yellow) returns to Court Theatre. Previous Court Theatre credits include Man in the Ring and Caroline, or Change, for which she received a Jeff Nomination. Broadway and National Tour Credits: The Book of Mormon and Mamma Mia! Regional Credits: Nina Simone: Four Women (Northlight Theatre); Little Shop of Horrors, Aida (Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre); Crowns, A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre); Last Stop on Market Street, My Wonderful Birthday Suit, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Chicago Children’s Theatre); The MLK Project (Writers Theatre); Yeast Nation (American Theater Company); Living Green (Victory Gardens Theater); Once on this Island (Porchlight Music Theatre); and Seussical, Willy Wonka (Chicago Shakespeare Theater). TV Credits: Empire. Melanie is the creator and producer of The Grandmother Project, an original docu-series featured on YouTube and Vimeo.

LEAH CASEY (Lady in Purple/Choreographer) is a Chicago-based performer. She was most recently seen on Court Theatre’s stage in Manual Cinema’s Frankenstein as Mary Wollstonecraft, Percy Shelley, and Caroline Frankenstein. Some of her previous credits include Romeo and Juliet with Teatro Vista, and STORM with Walkabout/Moonfool. When not onstage, Leah can be found behind the mic narrating audiobooks, or working with the cast of Project STELLAR, a science fiction podcast.

MELISSA DUPREY (Lady in Blue) is an actor, stand-up comic, activist, playwright, and musician from Humboldt Park, Chicago. She has 3 critically acclaimed solo shows with two more in development. Her play Brujuja is an official selection of 16th Street’s 2019 Pop Up Reading Series. She was a new talent for the 2014 ABC Diversity Showcase in NYC. She is featured in the Emmy-nominated web series, “Brown Girls,” in development with HBO. She has multiple credits in TV and Film. She has been seen at The Goodman, Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, Free Street Theater, and is honored to be making her Court Theatre debut. She is an Ensemble Member at Urban Theater Company, and the Director of Production and Community Relations at Free Street Theater.

ANGELICA KATIE (Lady in Green) After receiving her degree in Theatre Performance from Bradley University, Angelica has spent her acting career in LA, NYC, and at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Williamstown, MA. She was most recently seen off-Broadway in the premiere of The Parlour at The Rattlestick Theatre in NYC. Angelica is making her Chicago debut in the city where she was born and raised.

PATRESE D. MCCLAIN (Lady in Brown) returns to Court Theatre where she previously appeared in: Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, and Spunk. Additional theatre credits: The Mountaintop, Skeleton Crew (People’s Light and Theatre Co.), Skeleton Crew (Actors Theatre of Louisville); Hang (Remy Bumppo); Bright Half Life (About Face); SS! Romeo and Juliet(Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Cocked (Victory Gardens); Things You Shouldn’t Say Past Midnight (Windy City Playhouse); White Guy on the Bus (Northlight). Regional Theatre: Two Trains Running (GEVA Theatre Center); Crumbs From The Table Of Joy (Mustard Seed), Romeo and Juliet, Pericles, For Colored Girls, No Child… (Black Rep). Recent Film/Television: NBC Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, USA Sirens, ABC Detroit 1-8-7, WIDOWS (directed by Steve McQueen), and CAPTIVE STATE (Directed by Rupert Wyatt). Recognitions include: Barrymore Winner for Outstanding Leading Actress (Mountaintop), Barrymore Nomination for Outstanding Leading Actor (Skeleton Crew), Jeff Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress (White Guy on the Bus and Spunk), and St. Louis Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress (No Child…). Training: MFA Pennsylvania State University, BFA Howard University.

ALEXIS J. ROSTON (Lady in Orange) has been deemed a seasoned triple threat. Her list of accomplishments in musical theatre aren’t simply on stage. She has directed as well as arranged vocals for several productions throughout the Chicagoland area. She most recently directed a well-received Aurin Squire piece, Defacing Michael Jackson (BTAA nomination for Best Direction of an Ensemble), for Flying Elephants Productions. Alexis is an award winner (Jeff Award, Black Excellence Award, Black Theatre Alliance Award) for her performance as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (Porchlight Music Theatre). Other Chicago credits include: Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair (Paramount Theatre); Ain’t Misbehavin’, Crowns (Goodman Theatre); Porgy and Bess, Spunk, The Piano Lesson (Court Theatre); Shrek (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); What I Learned in Paris, Black Nativity, Seven Guitars (Congo Square Theatre Company); and Company, The Old Settler (Writers Theatre). Her TV credits include The Chi, Chicago PD, Chicago Code, and a national commercial for Land O’Frost lunch meat. Alexis is a proud ensemble member of Congo Square Theatre Company, as well as a member of Actor’s Equity and SAG-AFTRA. She is represented by Paonessa Talent Agency.

ANJI WHITE (Lady in Red) Theatre credits include: TimeLine Theatre’s The Last Wife (US Premiere), the critically acclaimed Chicago premiere; Sunset Baby (Equity Jeff nomination-Best Actress, Black Excellence Awards nomination, Black Theatre Alliance Award-Best Actress); and Pulse Theatre’s Fabulations, or the Re-education of Undine Barnes (Black Theatre Alliance nomination-Best Ensemble). She originated the role of Regina “G” Whitnall in TimeLine Theatre’s To Catch A Fish, and was in American Theatre Company’s docudrama of The Project(s) (Black Theatre Alliance Award-Best Ensemble), and more. TV/Film credits: The Chi (Showtime), Empire (FOX), Chicago PD (NBC), and Home for the Weekend pilot (Comedy Central).

beyond the rainbow: Court Community Conversations
In conjunction with the play, Court will be hosting a series of community-focused events to engage new audiences with this classic from the African American canon.

beyond the rainbow: Court Community Conversations features a number of exciting opportunities for audiences to engage further with the central themes of the play. Planned events include a reading of Boogie Woogie Landscapes, another work by seminal playwright Ntozake Shange, as part of Court’s Spotlight Reading Series, on March 8 at 6:30pm at Experimental Station in Woodlawn. beyond the rainbow will also feature a number of post-performance conversations, panel discussions, and a night of poetry and storytelling open to the community.

Tickets, priced $50-$74 ($38-$52 for previews), are available at the Court Theatre box office (5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago), by calling (773) 753-4472, or online at www.CourtTheatre.org.


Dates:
Previews: March 14 – 22, 2019
Press Opening: Saturday, March 23, 2019 at 7:30pm
Regular Run: March 24 – April 14, 2019

Schedule:     
Wednesdays: 7:30 p.m.
Thursdays: 7:30 p.m.
Fridays: 7:30 p.m.                         
Saturdays: 2:00 p.m. (except March 23) and 7:30 p.m.
Sundays: 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Location: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave.

Tickets:
$38-$52 previews
$50-$74 regular run

Box Office: Located at 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472 or www.CourtTheatre.org.

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf’s lead sponsor is Poetry Foundation, with additional support from The Sidley Austin Foundation.



Court Theatre’s 2018/19 season is dedicated to Court’s late Executive Director, Stephen J. Albert.

Court Theatre is the professional theatre of the University of Chicago, dedicated to innovation, inquiry, intellectual engagement, and community service. Functioning as the University’s Center for Classic Theatre, Court and its artists mount theatrical productions and audience enrichment programs in collaboration with faculty. These collaborations enable a re-examination of classic texts that pose the enduring and provocative questions that define the human experience. Court endeavors to make a lasting contribution to classic American theatre by expanding the canon of translations, adaptations, and classic texts. The theatre revives lost masterpieces; illuminates familiar texts; explores the African American theatrical canon; and discovers fresh, modern classics. Court engages and inspires its audience by providing artistically distinguished productions, audience enrichment activities, and student educational experiences.

OPENING: Radio Golf at Court Theatre Through September 30, 2018

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Court Theatre opens 64th Season with

August Wilson’s

Radio Golf

Directed by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson

Featuring James T. Alfred, Allen Gilmore, Ann Joseph,

James Vincent Meredith, and Alfred H. Wilson

August 30 – September 30, 2018

I'll be out for the press opening on September 8th, reviewing for ChiILLiveShows.com. Check back shortly after for my full review. Although August Wilson is not one of my favorites, as playwrights go, I do enjoy the directing prowess of Ron OJ Parson. I also appreciate that Radio Golf is the tenth and final play in August Wilson’s American Century Cycle, and director Ron OJ Parson’s seventh production in the cycle at Court Theatre. What a rare treat for Chicago theatre lovers to be able to see the cycle in its entirety. 

Court Theatre, under the continuing leadership of Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director, and Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre, opens its 2018/19 season with August Wilson’s Radio Golf, directed by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson. Radio Golf runs August 30 – September 30, 2018 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. 

Real estate developer Harmond Wilks is determined to become the first black mayor of Pittsburgh, on a mission to revive his blighted childhood neighborhood. As Wilks confronts characters from the past, he is forced to question how pursuing change could put his neighborhood’s history at risk. 

The cast includes James T. Alfred (Sterling Johnson), Allen Gilmore (Harmond Wilks), Ann Joseph (Mame Wilks), James Vincent Meredith (Roosevelt Hicks) and Alfred H. Wilson (Elder Joseph Barlow).  

The creative team includes Jack Magaw (scenic design), Rachel Anne Healy (costume design), Claire Chrzan (lighting design) and Christopher M. LaPorte (sound design).

Tickets, priced $50-$74 ($38-$56 for previews) are available at the Court Theatre box office (5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago), by calling (773) 753-4472, or online at www.CourtTheatre.org.  

Three, four, and five-play subscriptions to Court’s 2018/19 season range from $96 to $300 and are on sale now. To purchase a subscription or to receive more information, call the Court Theatre Box Office at (773) 753-4472, or visit Court’s website at www.CourtTheatre.org. 



About the Artists

AUGUST WILSON (Playwright,1945–2005) authored Radio Golf, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, Fences, Two Trains Running, Jitney, King Hedley II, and Gem of the Ocean. These works explore the heritage and experience of African Americans, decade-by-decade, over the course of the twentieth century. His plays have been produced at regional theatres across the country and all over the world, as well as on Broadway. In 2003, Mr. Wilson made his professional stage debut in his one-man show, How I Learned What I Learned. Mr. Wilson’s works garnered many awards including Pulitzer Prizes for Fences (1987) and for The Piano Lesson (1990); a Tony Award for Fences; Great Britain’s Olivier Award for Jitney; as well as seven New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Fences, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, The Piano Lesson, Two Trains Running, Seven Guitars, Jitney, and Radio Golf. Additionally, the cast recording of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom received a 1985 Grammy Award, and Mr. Wilson received a 1995 Emmy Award nomination for his screenplay adaptation of The Piano Lesson. Mr. Wilson’s early works included the one-act plays The Janitor, Recycle, The Coldest Day of the Year, Malcolm X, The Homecoming, and the musical satire Black Bart and the Sacred Hills. Mr. Wilson received many fellowships and awards, including Rockefeller and Guggenheim Fellowships in Playwriting, the Whiting Writers Award, the 2003 Heinz Award, a 1999 National Humanities Medal, and numerous honorary degrees from colleges and universities, as well as the only high school diploma ever issued by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. He was an alumnus of New Dramatists, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a 1995 inductee into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and on October 16, 2005, Broadway renamed the theatre located at 245 West 52nd Street—The August Wilson Theatre. Additionally, Mr. Wilson was posthumously inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2007. Mr. Wilson was born and raised in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and lived in Seattle, Washington at the time of his death. He is immediately survived by his two daughters, Sakina Ansari and Azula Carmen Wilson, and his wife, costume designer Constanza Romero.

Ron oj Parson (Director) hails from Buffalo, New York and is a graduate of the University of Michigan’s Professional Theatre Program. Ron is a Resident Artist at Court Theatre, the co-founder and former Artistic Director of The Onyx Theatre Ensemble, a company member of TimeLine Theatre, and associate artist at Writers and Teatro Vista. In Chicagoland, Ron has also worked with Black Ensemble Theatre, eta Creative Arts Foundation, Chicago Dramatists, Congo Square, Oak Park Theatre Festival, Goodman, Victory Gardens, Northlight, Chicago Dramatists, Urban Theater Company, Steppenwolf, and City Lit Theatre. Regional theatres include American Players Theatre, Virginia Stage Company, Portland Stage (Maine), Studio Arena Theatre, Roundabout, Studio Theatre (DC), Baltimore Center Stage, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Wilshire Theater, Coronet Theatre, The Mechanic Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, St. Louis Black Rep, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, Geva, Signature (New York), The Alliance Theatre, South Coast Rep, Kansas City Repertory, and Pasadena Playhouse. In Canada, Ron directed the world premiere of Palmer Park at the Stratford Festival. He is a member of SAG-AFTRA, SDC, and Actors Equity. Ron dedicates this production to the memory of Claude Purdy and Steve Albert. Visit www.ronojparson.com.


James t. alfred (Sterling Johnson) is a native of Chicago, from the nearby Woodlawn community. He was last seen at Court Theatre as Levee Green in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Other Chicago Credits include Head of Passes (World Premiere), Hushabye (World Premiere) and The Glass Menagerie at Steppenwolf Theatre; Brothers of the Dust (world premier) at Congo Square Theatre; SOST at MPAACT; Sundown Names at Chicago Theatre Company; A Brown Tale at Beverly Arts Center; Conversations on a Dirt Road, and Killing Me Softly at ETA Theatre. Regional theatre credits include: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Mountain Top at Guthrie Theatre; Two Trains Running, Redshirts, Jitney, Detroit ‘67 and A Brown Tale (World Premier) at Penumbra Theatre; Clybourne Park at Milwaukee Rep; April 4, 1968 at Indiana Rep; Fences at Denver Center; New York Theatre credits: Blood at National Black Theatre of Harlem; All’s Well that Ends Well at New York Public Theatre and Pipeline at Lincoln Center. Television credits include: Fox’s Empire and Prison Break, NBC’s Chicago PD and The Blacklist, and Starz’s Boss. James is a proud company member of Penumbra Theatre Company. He is a graduate of the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training and holds an M.F.A in acting from the Moscow Art Theatre School.

allen gilmore (Harmond Wilks) has appeared at Court Theatre in Man in the Ring, Scapin, Cyrano, Endgame, Sizwe Banzi Is Dead, Jitney, The Misanthrope, Tartuffe, Seven Guitars, Waiting for Godot, The Good Book, and One Man, Two Guvnors. Other Chicago performances: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and The African Company Presents Richard the Third (Congo Square); Argonautika and Arabian Nights (Lookingglass); Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Buried Child (Writers Theatre); Love’s Labor’s Lost (Chicago Shakespeare); The Matchmaker, Yasmina’s Necklace, An Enemy of the People, Objects in the Mirror, and three seasons as Scrooge (Alt.) in A Christmas Carol (Goodman). Originally from Houston, he is a U.S. Army Infantry veteran, a 2015 3Arts Award winner, a 2015 Lunt-Fontanne fellow, and a proud ensemble member of Congo Square. Allen dedicates his work in Radio Golf to his father, Gerald A. Gilmore Sr, and to the memory of his friend, Steve Albert.

ann joseph (Mame Wilks) is pleased to make her first appearance at the Court Theatre with Radio Golf. Ann is a founding ensemble member of Congo Square Theatre Company where she appeared in The Piano Lesson, Playboy of The West Indies, Stick Fly, From the Mississippi Delta, Seven Guitars (Jeff Award for Best Ensemble) and Elmina’s Kitchen. Other credits include: I Never Sang for My Father, Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Wedding Band, and Time of Your Life at Steppenwolf; Class Dismissed, Lost Boys of the Sudan, Wheatley, and Living Green at Victory Gardens Theatre; Doubt at Writers Theatre, and A Christmas Carol at Goodman Theatre. Regionally, Ann has worked at American Players Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, and Madison Repertory Theatre.  Film and television credits include Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Early Edition, Hunter, and, more recently, the web series Becky’s World.

james vincent meredith (Roosevelt Hicks) made his Court Theatre debut in Blues for an Alabama Sky. Broadway: Superior Donuts. National Tour: three years as Mafala Hatimbi with Book of Mormon. Chicago credits: The Crucible, Carter’s Way, The Tempest, Clybourne Park, The Pain and The Itch, Superior Donuts, The Hot L Baltimore, The March, and Between Riverside and Crazy (Steppenwolf, ensemble member); Othello, Much Ado About Nothing, King John, Julius Caesar, The Merchant of Venice, and Measure for Measure (Chicago Shakespeare); Othello and The Duchess of Malfi (Writers); and Roz and Ray (Victory Gardens). TV credits: Prison Break, Chicago Code, Detroit 187, ER, BOSS, The Beast, Betrayal, Mob Doctor, Law and Order: SVU, The Exorcist, and Chicago Justice.

alfred h. wilson (Elder Joseph Barlow) has appeared at Court Theatre in Agamemnon, Gem of the Ocean, Waiting for Godot, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and The Piano Lesson. Other credits include Holloway in Two Trains Running (Goodman Theatre); Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (University of Wisconsin–Madison); The Exonerated (Next Act Theatre); Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Actor’s Theatre of Louisville and Milwaukee Rep); The Etiquette of Vigilance (Steppenwolf); Two Trains Running (Geva Theatre); “Master Harold”…and the Boys (TimeLine); Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf (Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati);  Radio Golf (Pittsburgh Public Theatre); Bourbon at the Border (Eclipse Theatre); Jitney and Two Trains Running (Jeff Citation–Best Actor, Pegasus Players); and Panther Burn (MPAACT. He was a co-founder of Onyx Theatre Ensemble.

Dates:
Previews: August 30 – September 7, 2018


Press Opening: Saturday, September 8, 2018 at 7:30pm
Regular Run:  September 9 – 30, 2018

Schedule:
Wed/Thurs/Fri:7:30 p.m.
Sat/Sun: 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Location: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave.

Tickets: $38-$56 previews
$50-$74 regular run

Box Office: Located at 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472 or www.CourtTheatre.org.

Parking: Free parking is available in the parking garage on the corner of 55th Street and Ellis Avenue. 

Radio Golf is sponsored by Allstate Insurance Company and The Joyce Foundation.



Court Theatre is guided by its mission to discover the power of classic theatre. Court endeavors to make a lasting contribution to American theatre by expanding the canon of translations, adaptations, and classic texts. Court revives lost masterpieces, illuminates familiar texts, and distinguishes fresh, modern classics. Court engages and inspires its audience by providing artistically distinguished productions, audience enrichment activities, and student educational experiences.