OPENING: Chicago Premiere of Tom Stoppard's The Hard Problem at Court Theatre 3/9-4/9

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Court Theatre presents the Chicago Premiere of

The Hard Problem

By Tom Stoppard

Directed by Charles Newell

March 9 – April 9, 2017

Court Theatre, under the leadership of Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Stephen J. Albert, announces casting for the Chicago premiere of The Hard Problem by Tom Stoppard, directed by Charles Newell. The Hard Problem runs March 9 – April 9, 2017 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue in Chicago. 

Court Theatre is proud to bring award-winning and renowned playwright Tom Stoppard’s highly-anticipated new play to Chicago. His new work introduces Hilary, a young psychologist working at the prestigious Krohl Institute for Brain Science. She struggles to bear the burden of her regrets as she works through a troubling issue in her research. Where does our biology end and our personhood begin?

If there is nothing but matter, what is consciousness? Will the computer someday answer all questions psychology can ask? This “hard problem” sets Hilary at odds with her colleagues, but she prays for a miracle to lead her to the solutions.

"Court Theatre has produced more of Tom Stoppard’s plays than any other contemporary playwright’s work because he such a great fit for our audience," says Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director. "He is a writer who asks complicated questions, but our job as theatre artists is to find the heart in it all. The Hard Problem is no exception."

The cast for the Chicago premiere of The Hard Problem includes Owais Ahmed (Amal), Celeste M. Cooper (Julia), Chaon Cross (Hilary), Kate Fry (Ursula), Emjoy Gavino (Bo), Jürgen Hooper (Spike), Nathan Hosner (Jerry), Brian McCaskill (Leo), and Sophie Thatcher (Cathy).

The creative team includes John Culbert (Scenic Design), Nan Cibula-Jenkins (Costume Design), Keith Parham (Lighting Design), Eva Breneman (Dialect Design). Amanda Weener-Frederick is the Production Stage Manager.

About the Artists

TOM STOPPARD (Playwright) began his career in England in 1954 as a journalist, soon moving to London in 1960 to start work as a playwright. Plays: The Hard Problem, The Real Inspector Hound, After Magritte, Jumpers, Travesties, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (with André Previn), Dirty Linen, New-Found-Land, Dogg’s Hamlet, Cahoot’s Macbeth, Night and Day, The Real Thing, Hapgood, Arcadia, Indian Ink, The Invention of Love, The Coast of Utopia, Rock’n’Roll, and The Hard Problem. Adaptations: On the Razzle (Nestroy), and Rough Crossing (Molnar). Tom’s most recent work for TV was Parades End; for radio, Darkside (with Pink Floyd); and for film, Anna Karenina. His film Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead won the Venice FIlm Festival Prix d’Or, and Shakespeare in Love won an Academy Award.

CHARLES NEWELL (Director/Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director) was awarded the SDCF Zelda Fichandler Award, “which recognizes an outstanding director or choreographer who is transforming the regional arts landscape through singular creativity and artistry in theatre.” Charlie has been Artistic Director of Court Theatre since 1994, where he has directed over 50 productions. He made his Chicago directorial debut in 1993 with The Triumph of Love, which won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Production. Charlie’s productions of Man of La Mancha and Caroline, or Change have also won Best Production Jeffs. Other directorial highlights at Court include Man in the Ring; One Man, Two Guvnors; Satchmo at the Waldorf; Agamemnon; The Secret Garden; Iphigenia in Aulis; The Misanthrope; Tartuffe; Proof; Angels in America; An Iliad; Porgy and Bess; Three Tall Women; Titus Andronicus; Arcadia; Uncle Vanya; Raisin; The Glass Menagerie; Travesties; Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; The Invention of Love; and Hamlet. Charlie has also directed at Goodman Theatre (Rock ‘n’ Roll), Guthrie Theater (The History Cycle, Cymbeline), Arena Stage, John Houseman’s The Acting Company (Staff Repertory Director), the California and Alabama Shakespeare Festivals, Juilliard, and New York University. He has served on the Board of TCG, as well as on several panels for the NEA. Opera directing credits include Marc Blitzstein’s Regina (Lyric Opera), Rigoletto (Opera Theatre of St. Louis), Don Giovanni and The Jewel Box (Chicago Opera Theater), and Carousel (Glimmerglass). Charlie was the recipient of the 1992 TCG Alan Schneider Director Award, and has been nominated for 16 Joseph Jefferson Director Awards, winning four times. In 2012, Charlie was honored by the League of Chicago Theatres with its Artistic Achievement Award.

OWAIS AHMED (Amal) makes his Court debut. He is a Chicago native and ensemble member of Definition Theatre Co. Theatre credits include: The Invisible Hand (Milwaukee Rep), Orange (Mixed Blood Theatre), The Qualms (Steppenwolf Theatre), Heartland (PlayPenn), Blood & Gifts (Timeline Theatre), The Reckoning of Kit (First Floor Theater), Red Handed Otter (A Red Orchid Theatre), and Samsara (Victory Gardens). Other theatre credits: Anon(ymous), The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing and Passion Play. Film/TV credits: Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice, Age Of Ice , and Empire. Owais is represented by Gray Talent.

CELESTE M. COOPER (Julia) returns to Court Theatre. Celeste most recently played Delia in Blues for an Alabama Sky. Some theatre credits include: Measure for Measure (Goodman); Stick Fly (Windy City Playhouse/ nominated for Best Featured Actress from BTAA), Never the Sinner (Victory Gardens Theater), Ruined (Eclipse), understudying Animal Farm (Steppenwolf); The Hammer Trinity (House/ Adrienne Arsht in Miami),The Mecca Tales (Chicago Dramatists); How We Got On (Citadel), Our Lady of 121st Street (Eclipse), her original one woman shows- Fight 4 Your Life, and later The Incredible Cece (MPAACT & Stage 773). Celeste is a recipient of The Most Promising Actress Award from the Black Theater Alliance for her portrayal of Josephine in Ruined, which led her to becoming an ensemble member and casting associate with Eclipse Theatre Company. Her TV/ Film credits include a recurring role as the Medical Examiner on Chicago PD (NBC), Spike Lee’s Chiraq, Sense8 (Netflix), and various other projects. Ms. Cooper has a B.A. in Speech Communications & Theatre from Tennessee State University and an M.F.A. in Acting from DePaul University Theatre School.

CHAON CROSS (Hilary) Chicago credits include: Life Sucks, Brothers Karamazov (Lookingglass Theatre Company); One Man, Two Guvnors, Proof (Joseph Jefferson Nomination), Uncle Vanya, The Glass Menagerie, Scapin, The Romance Cycle, and Phèdre (Court); Cyrano (Court Theatre and Redmoon Theater); As You Like It, Private Lives, Cymbeline, Troilus and Cressida, The Two Noble Kinsmen, and The Taming of the Shrew (Chicago Shakespeare); The Wheel and The Cherry Orchard (Steppenwolf); Macbeth (Lyric Opera of Chicago); and Grace (Northlight Theatre). Regional credits include Lady Windermere’s Fan (Milwaukee Repertory Theater) and Pride & Prejudice (Cleveland Play House). TV credits: The Exorcist (FOX), Chicago Fire (NBC), Boss (Starz), and Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC). Film: My Dog Skip (Warner Bros).

KATE FRY (Ursula) returns to Court Theatre, where she has performed in over a dozen productions, including Electra, The Romance Cycle, Twelfth Night, The Cherry Orchard, My Fair Lady, and Caroline, or Change. Other Chicago area credits include work with Writers Theatre (Arcadia, Marjorie Prime, Hedda Gabler, The Letters, Oh, Coward!,  A Minister’s Wife); Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (several productions, including As You Like It, Henry IV Parts One and Two, The Merchant of Venice, The Molière Comedies); Northlight Theatre (Outside Mullingar, The Miser); Victory Gardens (In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play); as well as work with Theatre at the Center, Marriott Theatre, Apple Tree Theatre, and Candlelight Playhouse. Elsewhere, she has worked at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ, Center Theatre Group in L.A., Repertory Theatre of St Louis, and Lincoln Center. She is the recipient of three Joseph Jefferson awards, an After Dark award, Chicago Magazine’s actress of the year, and the Sarah Siddons award for Chicago’s leading lady.

EMJOY GAVINO (Bo) returns to Court, where she was last seen as Chrysothemis in Electra. Representative Chicago credits include The Hypocrites, Second City (national tour), Northlight, Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, Remy Bumppo, Paramount, Broadway Playhouse, Lookingglass, The Neo-Futurists, and Goodman. Regional credits include Repertory Actors Theatre, Book-It Repertory, ACT, and Village Theatre.  Film/TV: The Exorcist, Mob Doctor, Chicago Fire, Empire, and Chicago Med.  Emjoy is the casting director of Gift Theatre, a company member with Barrel of Monkeys, and is the founder and producer of The Chicago Inclusion Project.

JÜRGEN HOOPER (Spike) makes his Court Theatre debut. Broadway: Brighton Beach Memoirs. Chicago: Life & Limb, Huck Finn (Steppenwolf) Rabbit Hole (Goodman), The Comedy of Errors, Amadeus, Short Shakespeare! Romeo & Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare), Isaac's Eye, The Chosen (Writer's Theatre), The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (American Theatre Company), Paradise Lost (TimeLine Theatre), What's Wrong With Angry? (Circle Theatre, Non-Equity Jeff Award Best Principle Actor - Play). Regional: The Mousetrap, The Game's Afoot (Indiana Rep) The Game's Afoot (New Theatre), Wanamaker's Pursuit (Arden Theatre Co.), The Cherry Orchard (Milwaukee Rep). TV/Film: Chicago Med, Crisis, Chicago Fire (NBC), Suits (USA) and the film Game Day.

NATHAN HOSNER (Jerry) makes his Court Theatre debut. Chicago credits include productions with Writers Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Goodman Theatre, Northlight Theatre, The Paramount Theatre, About Face Theatre, First Folio Theatre, Shaw Chicago, and The Shakespeare Project of Chicago. Other credits include: Peter and the Starcatcher (first national tour) and productions with American Players Theatre, The New Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, The BoarsHead Theater, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Door Shakespeare, and the Madison Repertory New Play Festival. Nathan is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London.

BRIAN MCCASKILL (Leo) is making his Court Theatre debut. Previous credits include Windy City Playhouse, Lyric Opera, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Shattered Globe Theatre, TimeLine Theatre and Raven Theatre. He has received one Jeff Award, four Jeff Award nominations and two After Dark Awards for his theatrical work. Film and television credits include Chicago P.D., Crisis, Prison Break and numerous commercials.

SOPHIE THATCHER (Cathy) makes her Court Theatre debut in The Hard Problem. Credits include The Diary of Anne Frank (Writers Theatre), Oliver! (Drury Lane Theatre), The Secret Garden (Light Opera Works), and work with Theatre at the Center and Provision Theater. Television credits include Chicago P.D. (NBC), a recurring role on The Exorcist (Fox), and commercials for the Illinois Office of Tourism.

           

Schedule: 

Wed & Thurs:       7:30 p.m.

Fridays:                8:00 p.m.

Saturdays:            3:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.

Sundays:              2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Location: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave.

Tickets: $38-$48 previews

                        $48-$68 regular run

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

Production

Sponsors:         Nuveen Investments; Kirkland & Ellis LLP; Michael Charles Litt

Now in its 62^nd season, 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.

Court Theatre's 2016/17 Season is sponsored by Barbara and Richard Franke.

OPENING: Blues for an Alabama Sky at Court Theatre

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar

Court Theatre presents

Blues for an Alabama Sky

By Pearl Cleage

Directed by Ron OJ Parson

Blues for an Alabama Sky part of Harlem Renaissance Celebration in Hyde Park

Now Playing Through February 12, 2017

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we're looking forward to Court Theatre's latest production and we'll be out to review mid week. 

In the midst of the Great Depression, the creative spirit of New York’s Harlem Renaissance struggles with harsher realities. Angel and Guy, emerging artists with grand dreams, live next door to the more serious and political Delia, a social worker with the goal to open a community family planning clinic. Each must face their own hardships head on, but always with hope for a better life close at hand. They search for a way to keep their dreams of love, career, and service alive in times of economic despair, and they learn that the Great Depression can't destroy the source of their creative spirit.

Regular Run: January 22 – February 12, 2017

Schedule: 

Wed & Thurs: 7:30 p.m.

Fridays: 8:00 p.m.

Saturdays:  3:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.

Sundays: 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Location: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave.

Tickets: $38-$48 previews

     $48-$68 regular run

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

Playwright Pearl Cleage’s striking story encounters very modern problems in a fantastically lively 1920s Harlem. Court Resident Artist and Director Ron OJ Parson will dive into this world to illuminate the characters’ intersecting lives and experiences on stage. Blues for an Alabama Sky will serve as the centerpiece for a Chicago celebration of the music, art, language, and impact of the Harlem Renaissance.

"Pearl Cleage’s play Blues for an Alabama Sky captures a sense of the Harlem Renaissance, and era between the end of World War I and the Great Depression when Harlem became a center for the cultural, social, and artistic explosion. The Harlem Renaissance generated an amazing group of artists, political forces, and its impact is still felt today. This robust time has inspired a celebration, and Court Theatre will partner with community cultural organizations and colleagues at the University of Chicago to examine the influences of that period," notes Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Charles Newell. 

The cast of Blues for an Alabama Sky includes Celeste M. Cooper (Delia), James Vincent Meredith (Sam), Sean Parris (Guy), Toya Turner (Angel) and Geno Walker (Leland).

The creative team includes Linda Buchanan (Scenic Designer), Rachel Healy (Costume Designer), Keith Parham (Lighting Designer) and Joshua Horvath (Sound Designer). Amanda Weener-Frederick is the Production Stage Manager. 

Blues for an Alabama Sky is part of the Harlem Renaissance Celebration in Hyde Park, a celebration bringing together performing arts, music, film, and scholarship to immerse audiences into the artistic explosion in America that changed the course of black identity and expression. Court is partnering with University of Chicago scholars, musical performers, local schools, arts organizations, and film centers to rediscover the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance and the ways in which it redefined how America, and the world, witnessed the spirit and talent of African Americans. Other participating organizations include Beverly Arts Center, Black Cinema House, the Center for Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago, DuSable Museum of African American History, Logan Center for the Arts, the Promontory and South Side Projections. For more information on this celebration, including a schedule of events, visit http://harleminhydepark.com/. 

About the Artists

RON OJ PARSON (Director/Resident Artist) hails from Buffalo, New York and is a graduate of the University of Michigan’s professional theatre program. He is a resident artist at Court Theatre, former co-founder and artistic director of The Onyx Theatre Ensemble, and co-founder of the Beyond The Stage Theatre Project. Ron is a company member of TimeLine theatre, and associate artist at Writers Theatre, and Teatro Vista, Recent directing credits include, Sunset Baby, by Dominique Morriseau, at TimeLine Theatre, East Texas Hot Links, Writers Theatre, Apt 3A, Windy City Playhouse,  The Who & The What (Victory Gardens Theater); Gem of The Ocean, Seven Guitars, by August Wilson, The Mountaintop, by Katori Hall,  and Waiting For Godot by Samuel Beckett,  (Court Theatre); Detroit 67 (Northlight Theatre); A Raisin in the Sun (TimeLine Theatre) Other Chicagoland theatres Ron has worked with include Black Ensemble Theatre, ETA, Congo Square Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Writers Theatre, Victory Gardens, Teatro Vista (associate artist), Chicago Dramatists, Urban Theatre Company, Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago Theatre Company, and City Lit Theatre. Regional theatres Ron OJ has worked with include Virginia Stage Company, Portland Stage, Studio Theatre, Studio Arena Theatre, Roundabout Theatre, Mechanic Theatre, Center Stage Baltimore, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Milwaukee Rep, St. Louis Black Rep, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, Geva Theatre, Signature Theatre (New York), Alliance Theatre, South Coast Rep, and Pasadena Playhouse. In Canada, Ron directed the world premiere of Palmer Park by Joanna McClelland Glass at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Ron is a member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and SDC.

CELESTE M. COOPER (Delia) is making her Court Theatre debut. Celeste most recently appeared in Eclipse Theatre’s production of Our Lady of 121st Street. Some theatre credits include: Measure for Measure (Goodman); Stick Fly (Windy City Playhouse/nominated for Best Featured Actress from BTAA), Never the Sinner (Victory Gardens Theater), Ruined (Eclipse), understudying Animal Farm (Steppenwolf), The Hammer Trinity (House/Adrienne Arsht in Miami), The Mecca Tales (Chicago Dramatists), How We Got On (Citadel), AND her original one woman shows Fight 4 Your Life, and later The Incredible Cece (MPAACT & Stage 773). Celeste won The Most Promising Actress Award from the Black Theater Alliance for her portrayal of Josephine in Ruined, which led her to becoming an ensemble member and casting associate with Eclipse Theatre Company. Her TV/Film credits include a recurring role on Chicago PD (NBC), Spike Lee’s Chiraq,and Sense8 (Netflix). Ms. Cooper has a B.A. in Speech Communications & Theatre from Tennessee State University and an M.F.A. in Acting from DePaul University The Theatre School. 

JAMES VINCENT MEREDITH (Sam) makes his Court Theatre debut. Broadway: Superior Donuts. National Tour: 3 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, Between Riverside and Crazy (Steppenwolf, ensemble member); Othello, Much Ado About Nothing, King John, Julius Caesar, The Merchant of Venice (Chicago Shakespeare); Othello, The Duchess of Malfi (Writers'); 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.

SEAN PARRIS (Guy) was born in L.A., raised in Miami and Georgia, with parents from Barbados and a stepfather from Ohio. He currently lives in Pilsen with boyfriend Ricardo Gamboa. Sean received his MFA from DePaul University’s Theatre School. He is a graduate of Black Box Acting Academy and staff writer for the podcast PleasureTown in Chicago. He is excited to be making his Court Theatre debut. Chicago credits include: Space Age, a two man show, created with real life intimate partner Ricardo Gamboa; The Magic Play, The Solid Sand Below (Goodman Theatre); Compass, The Drunken City, Animal Farm (Steppenwolf); The Whipping Man (Northlight Theatre); Seascape (Remy Bumppo); Pornography (Steep Theatre); Shakespeare's Greatest Hits (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); A Girl With Sun in Her Eyes (Pinebox Theatre). Television Credits: Sickos (Gun Collective). He will next be seen in the OpenTV’s original web series BRUJOS. He is represented by Paonessa Talent Agency. 

TOYA TURNER (Angel) Toya Turner is making her Court Theatre debut. Toya is a Jamaican-American from Houston, Texas. She's a graduate of the British American Drama Academy at Oxford University. Stage credits include: Christina, The Girl King (Cor Theatre); For Her As A Piano (Pegasus Theatre); and Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 (Other Theatre Co.). TV/Film credits include: Easy (Netflix), Chicago Med (NBC), and Empire (FOX). Up Next: Tracy in The Chi (Showtime) and Mayme in Intimate Apparel (TheatreSquared, Arkansas).

GENO WALKER (Leland) makes his Court Theatre debut. A graduate of Oberlin College and a Bob Curry Fellow with Second City Chicago, Geno is represented by Grossman and Jack Talent.

Now in its 62^nd season, 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.

Court Theatre's 2016/17 Season is sponsored by Barbara and Richard Franke. 

OPENING: Sophocles' Electra Dramatic Conclusion of Court’s groundbreaking Greek Cycle

Court Theatre continues its 62^nd Season with

Electra

By Sophocles

Translated by Nicholas Rudall

Directed by Seret Scott

November 10 – December 11, 2016

Ever since I was in Aristophanes' Ladies' Day way back in high school, I've had an affinity for Greek plays. They're still fairly rarely performed and we're elated to see the inimitable Court Theatre is taking on Sophocles' Electra! Don't miss this.

Court Theatre, under the leadership of Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Stephen J. Albert, presents Electra by Sophocles, translated by Nicholas Rudall and directed by Seret Scott. Electra runs November 10 - December 11, 2016 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue in Chicago. 

Previews: November 10 – 18, 2016

Regular Run: November 20 – December 11, 2016

Schedule:     Wed & Thurs: 7:30 p.m. (except November 24)

Fridays: 8:00 p.m.

Saturdays: 3:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.

Sundays: 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Location: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave.

Tickets: $38-$48 previews

     $48-$68 regular run

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

"More than three years ago, we began planning for our 60th Anniversary Season. We dreamed big, imagining a three-year cycle of plays that would tell a single narrative of the fall of the House of Atreus. After successful productions of Iphigenia in Aulis and Nick’s world premiere translation of Agamemnon, we now complete the cycle with Sophocles’ Electra. This massive undertaking is emblematic of Court Theatre’s mission, ambition, and opportunity as the professional theatre of the University of Chicago," comments Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Charles Newell. 

The cast of Electra includes Caren Blackmore, Thomas J. Cox, Kate Fry, Emjoy Gavino, Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel, Rashaad Hall, Sandra Marquez, Michael Pogue, Tracy Walsh and Dexter Zollicoffer. 

The creative team for Electra includes Scott Davis (scenic design), Jacqueline Firkins (costume design), Paul Toben (lighting design), Andre Pluess (sound design) and Tracy Walsh (choreography). Amanda Weener-Frederick is the Production Stage Manager. 

Proclaiming justice, Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus murdered her husband, Agamemnon, after his triumphant return from the Trojan War. Now, many long, quiet years have passed and she cannot anticipate the judgments that will soon arrive in Argos. Her vengeful daughter Electra and son Orestes reunite and scheme to confront their mother—upholding the House of Atreus’ eternal mission to balance the scales, they seek to reclaim their father’s throne. 

Translated by renowned scholar and Founding Artistic Director Nicholas Rudall, Electra presents the third and final tragic chapter of Court’s groundbreaking Greek Cycle.  Electra is directed by Seret Scott, who is welcomed back to Court following her incredibly successful direction of Native Son in 2014. 

About the Artists

NICHOLAS RUDALL (Translator) is the Founding Artistic Director of Court Theatre, having led the theatre from 1971 to 1994. He led the growth of Court from a community theatre to a leading professional Equity theatre. In addition to his achievements as an actor and director, Rudall is a Professor Emeritus in Classics at the University of Chicago, where he taught for over forty years. His translations for the theatre—known for their stage-friendly language and “playability”—are myriad and span many languages, but he is best known for his translations of ancient Greek tragedy. Court is producing three translations by Rudall over three years. Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides began the series two years ago, and last year featured the world premiere of his Agamemnon by Aeschylus. We now conclude with Sophocles' Electra.

SERET SCOTT (Director) is directing her third show at Court Theatre, having previously directed Spunk and Native Son. 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).

CAREN BLACKMORE (Chorus) returns to Court Theatre, where she was last seen in Jitney. Some of her Chicago Theatre credits include: Spill(Timeline Theatre), The MLK Project:The Fight For Civil Rights (Writers Theatre),Bulrusher (Congo Square), Bodies and MiLK (MPAACT), I Gotcha!:The Story of Joe Tex and The Soul Clan (Black Ensemble Theater), and Checkmates (eta). Caren is a proud graduate of Oberlin College and has attended The National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center and Freedom Theatre.

THOMAS J. COX (Orestes) returns to Court Theatre, where he has previously appeared in Fräulein Else, Raisin, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,Orlando,Agamemnon, and Man in the Ring. He is an ensemble member with Lookingglass Theatre, where he has worked on more than forty productions since 1988. Regionally, he has performed in End of the Rainbow (Milwaukee Rep); Elephant Man(Steppenwolf Young Audiences); Rock n Roll (Goodman); Season on the Line(House); Pride and Prejudice, Jekyll and Hyde, and Outgoing Tide (Northlight); andRichard III (Gift); as well as seven seasons at the Weston Playhouse in Vermont. He serves as Master Teacher for Lookingglass, and teaches theatre around the Chicago area. Film/TV:Since You've Been Gone (Miramax); Brotherhood(Showtime); Chicago Fire (NBC).

KATE FRY (Electra) returns to Court Theatre, where she has performed in over a dozen productions, including The Romance Cycle, Twelfth Night, The Cherry Orchard, My Fair Lady, and Caroline, or Change. Other Chicago area credits include work with Writers’ Theatre (Arcadia, Marjorie Prime, Hedda Gabler, The Letters, Oh, Coward!, A Minister’s Wife); Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (several productions, including As You Like It, Henry IV Part One and Two, The Merchant of Venice, The Moliere Comedies); Northlight Theater (Outside Mullingar, The Miser); Victory Gardens (In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play); as well as work with Theater at the Center, Marriott Theatre, Apple Tree Theatre, and Candlelight Playhouse. Elsewhere, she has worked at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ, Center Theatre Group in L.A., Repertory Theatre of St Louis, and Lincoln Center. She is the recipient of three Joseph Jefferson awards, an After Dark award, Chicago Magazine’s actress of the year, and the Sarah Siddons award for Chicago’s leading lady. Fry is married to actor/teacher Timothy Edward Kane. They have two sons.

EMJOY GAVINO (Chrysothemis) returns to complete Court Theatre's Greek Cycle, having been in its first chapter, Iphigenia in Aulis. She was last seen at Court as Bethany in The Good Book and looks forward to the upcoming production of A Hard Problem as Bo.  Representative Chicago credits include The Hypocrites, Second City (national tour), Northlight, Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, Remy Bumppo, Paramount, Broadway Playhouse, Lookingglass, The Neo-Futurists and The Goodman. Regional credits include Repertory Actors Theatre, Book-It Repertory, ACT and Village Theatre.  Film/TV: The Exorcist, Mob Doctor, Chicago Fire, Empire and Chicago Med.  Emjoy is the casting director of Gift Theatre, a company member with Barrel of Monkeys and is the founder and producer of The Chicago Inclusion Project.

CRUZ GONZALEZ-CADEL (Chorus) makes her Court Theatre debut. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Cruz received her degree in acting from the Universidad del Salvador. Chicago credits include: You on the Moors Now (The Hypocrites), The Compass (Steppenwolf Theatre), The Grown Up (Shattered Globe Theatre), The Life and Death of Madam Barker (Red Tape Theater), i put the fear of Mexico in ‘em (Teatro Vista), and Your Problem With Men (Teatro Luna). Film Credits include: Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Cruz is an artistic associate at Teatro Vista and is represented by Stewart Talent. 

RASHAAD HALL (Pylades) is an actor, teaching artist, poet and visual and performance artist in Chicago. He has worked at  Goodman Theatre, Hypocrites Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Victory Gardens, Chicago Slam Works, and Black Ensemble Theatre among others since graduating from DePaul's BFA program in 2010. Recently, he was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson award with the cast of The Hairy Ape by Eugene O'Neil. Film credits include his guest starring role on Brown Girls, a web series premiering in 2017. He is a company member of For Youth Inquiry, providing sexual health and wellness forum theatre to students across Chicago with Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health. He is represented by Paonessa Talent Agency. 

SANDRA MARQUEZ (Clytemnestra) returns to the Court Theater stage as Clytemnestra. She is an actor, director and educator, as well as a longtime ensemble member and former Associate Artistic Director (1998-2006) of Teatro Vista. Last spring she had the honor of joining the ensemble of Steppenwolf Theater where she most recently appeared in the world premiere of Mary Page Marlowe. As a director, Ms. Marquez’ credits include Teatro Vista’s production of Breakfast, Lunch and Dinnerand the critically acclaimed production of Our Lady of the Underpass, which went on to receive a Jeff nomination for best production. More recently she directed the very well received productions of My Mañana Comes (Chicago premiere, Teatro Vista), andMen on the Verge of Hispanic Breakdown (Pride Films and Plays). As an actor, Ms. Marquez has worked at respected venues in Chicago and beyond including The Goodman Theater; Steppenwolf Theater; Victory Gardens; the Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Madison Repertory; and New York’s off-Broadway house, Second Stage Theater, Uptown. A proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA, she has also worked in numerous industrial films and national commercials. Film and TV credits include: The Big Bang Theory, Chicago Code, Boss, Chicago Med and Timer. She has been a member of the theater faculty at Northwestern University since 1995.

MICHAEL POGUE (Aegisthus) returns to Court Theatre with Electra. He has appeared in their productions of Agamemnon, Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, Angels in America, and Spunk. Other theater credits include: Dutchman (American Blues);  Carter's Wayand Venus (Steppenwolf); Stick Fly (Windy City Playhouse); Night and Day (Remy Bumppo); Romeo and Juliet (Teatro Vista); The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Hamlet(Oak Park Festival); Ruined and Six Degrees of Separation (Eclipse);  Saturday Night/Sunday Morning (Prologue); As You Like It and King Lear (Lakeside Shakespeare); Radio Golf (Raven); Lobby Hero (Redtwist); Panther Burn (MPAACT). Television credits include: Chicago Fire and Crisis (NBC).

TRACY WALSH (Choreographer/Chorus) returns to Court Theatre where she recently choreographed Agamemnon and choreographed and appeared inIphigenia in Aulis. She is an ensemble member of Lookingglass Theatre Company where she has written, directed, acted in and choreographed shows over the years.  Tracy has also written and directed several shows for the Lookingglass Young Ensemble. She modified her most recent project with them, Handle With Care, into a two woman play which is now being performed at locations in the Chicago area. The play was commissioned by The Working Women's History Project and is about the importance of quality, affordable childcare. She and her husband own Lighthouse Yoga in Evanston.

DEXTER ZOLLICOFFER (Paedagogus) Other Court Theatre appearances include Water by the Spoonful and The Mystery Cycle: Creation and Passion. Most recently, Dexter appeared in Charm for Northlight Theatre in the Steppenwolf Garage (Jeff nominations for Best Actor, Best Ensemble, Best Production). Other theatre credits include: The Little Foxes, Dartmoor Prison, The Odyssey, Blues for an Alabama Sky, and A Christmas Carol at Goodman Theatre; To Kill a Mockingbird, A Lesson Before Dying, and Pudd’nhead Wilson at Steppenwolf Theatre Company; Relatively Close,Knock Me a Kiss and The Sutherland at Victory Gardens Theater; The Overwhelming at Next Theatre Company. 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, 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 2011-2012 recipient of the Spirit of DePaul award given by DePaul’s Office of Mission and Values.

Now in its 62^nd season, 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.

Court Theatre's 2016/17 Season is sponsored by Barbara and Richard Franke. Electra is sponsored by The Karla Scherer Foundation.

OPENING: The World Premiere of Man in the Ring at Court Theatre

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar

Court Theatre Presents

the World Premiere of 

Man in the Ring

By Michael Cristofer

directed by Artistic Director Charles Newell

September 15 – October 16, 2016

Court Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Stephen J. Albert, presents the World Premiere of Man in the Ring by Michael Cristofer, directed by Artistic Director Charles Newell. Man in the Ring runs September 15 – October 16, 2016 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue in Chicago. 

Dates: Previews: September 15 – 23, 2016

Press Opening: Saturday, September 24, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.

Regular Run:     September 25 – October 16, 2016

Schedule: Wed & Thurs: 7:30 p.m.

Fridays: 8:00 p.m.

Saturdays: 3:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.

Sundays: 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Location: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave.

Tickets: $35-$45 previews

$45-$65 regular run

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

"We have dreamed of Court Theatre being a place where distinguished artists are willing to bring their newest and most daring works,” comments Artistic Director Charles Newell. “We are thrilled to be able to present this world premiere of Man in the Ring, which is inspired by and made possible by true artists, on our stage to open our 62nd season at Court."

Based on the true story of six-time world champion boxer Emile Griffith, Man in the Ring charts Emile’s humble beginnings in the U.S. Virgin Islands to his infamous match against his archrival Benny “Kid” Paret. When Benny challenges Emile's sexual identity, Griffith responds in the ring and leaves a mark that lingers long after their legendary encounter. Man in the Ring is a story of violence, love, and life under the public eye—and one man’s fight to get the world back in his corner.

Man in the Ring is written by playwright Michael Cristofer, who received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play for The Shadow Box in 1977. The play is brought to Court Theatre under the thoughtful direction of Artistic Director Charles Newell. 

The cast of Man in the Ring includes Kamal Angelo Bolden (Young Emile), Melanie Brezill (Sadie/Lucia/ensemble), Sheldon Brown (Bennie/Bennie Jr./ensemble), Thomas Cox (Howie/ensemble), Allen Gilmore (Emile), Gabriel Ruiz (Luis/ensemble), Sean Michael Sullivan (ensemble) and Jacqueline Williams (Emelda/ensemble). 

The creative team includes John Culbert (scenic design), Jacqueline Firkins (costume design), Keith Parham (lighting design), Andre Pluess (sound design) and Tommy Rapley (fight choreography). Amanda Weener-Frederick is the Production Stage Manager.  

About the Artists

Michael Cristofer (Playwright) was awarded a Pulitzer Prize and an Antoinette Perry “Tony” Award for the Broadway production of his play, The Shadow Box. Other plays include Breaking Up (Primary Stages); Ice (Manhattan Theatre Club); Black Angel (Circle Repertory Company); The Lady and the Clarinet starring Stockard Channing; and Amazing Grace starring Marsha Mason which received the American Theater Critics Award for best American play. 

Mr. Cristofer’s film work includes the screenplays for The Shadow Box directed by Paul Newman (Golden Globe Award, Emmy nomination), Falling in Love with Meryl Streep and Robert DeNiro, The Witches of Eastwick with Jack Nicholson, The Bonfire of the Vanities directed by Brian DePalma, Breaking Up starring Russell Crowe and Salma Hayek, Georgia O'Keefe with Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons and Casanova starring Heath Ledger. His directing credits include Gia for HBO Pictures starring Angelina Jolie, Mercedes Ruehl, and Faye Dunaway which was nominated for 5 Emmys and for which he won a Director’s Guild Award. He next directed Body Shots for New Line Cinema and Original Sin starring Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas. 

As an actor, he has appeared in over a hundred plays including Romeo and Juliet (NY Shakespeare Festival), Trumpery by Peter Parnell,Chinchilla (Obie Award), Three Sisters (Williamstown Theater), Body of Water with Christine Lahti, The Seagull with Joanne Woodward, The Cherry Orchard with Irene Worth (Theater World Award), and the acclaimed Broadway revival of A View from the Bridge with Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson. He was Truxton Spangler in the AMC series Rubicon, he created the role of Gus in Tony Kushner's The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures at the Public Theater, appeared on the NBC series Smash and American Horror Story, and plays Phillip Price on the USA series Mr. Robot.

Charles Newell (Director/Artistic Director) was awarded the SDCF Zelda Fichandler Award, “which recognizes an outstanding director or choreographer who is transforming the regional arts landscape through singular creativity and artistry in theatre.” Charlie has been Artistic Director of Court Theatre since 1994, where he has directed over 50 productions. He made his Chicago directorial debut in 1993 with The Triumph of Love, which won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Production. Charlie’s productions of Man of La Mancha and Caroline, or Change have also won Best Production Jeffs. Other directorial highlights at Court include Satchmo at the Waldorf, Agamemnon, The Secret Garden, Iphigenia in Aulis, The Misanthrope, Tartuffe, Proof, Angels in America, An Iliad, Porgy and Bess, Three Tall Women, Titus Andronicus, Arcadia, Uncle Vanya, Raisin, The Glass Menagerie, Travesties, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Invention of Love, and Hamlet. Charlie has also directed at Goodman Theatre (Rock ‘n’ Roll), Guthrie Theater (The History Cycle, Cymbeline), Arena Stage, John Houseman’s The Acting Company (Staff Repertory Director), the California and Alabama Shakespeare Festivals, Juilliard, and New York University. He has served on the Board of TCG, as well as on several panels for the NEA. Opera directing credits include Marc Blitzstein’s Regina (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Rigoletto (Opera Theatre of St. Louis), Don Giovanni and The Jewel Box (Chicago Opera Theater), and Carousel (Glimmerglass Festival). Charlie was the recipient of the 1992 TCG Alan Schneider Director Award, and has been nominated for 16 Joseph Jefferson Director Awards, winning four times. In 2012, Charlie was honored by the League of Chicago Theatres with its Artistic Achievement Award.

Kamal Angelo Bolden (Young Emile) OFF BROADWAY: The Opponent (59e59 Theater) REGIONAL: Immediate Family (Mark Taper Forum); Hands Up (National Black Theatre); Jitney, Home, The Misanthrope (Court Theatre); SS: Romeo & Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Detroit ’67 (Northlight Theatre); The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, We Are Proud… (Victory Gardens); The Island(Remy Bumppo); Coriolanus (Nashville Shakespeare); Jackie and Me, Bud Not Buddy (Chicago Children’s Theater); Glengarry Glen Ross (Tennessee Repertory);The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (Actors Theatre of Louisville). FILM: Elvis & Nixon, The Night Before, Consumed, Generational Curses. TELEVISION: Insecure, Rosewood, Major Crimes, Law & Order: SVU, Chicago Fire, Betrayal, Crisis, Low Winter Sun, Boss, Lights Out. Kamal is an ensemble member of A Red Orchid Theatre and an artistic associate of Erasing the Distance.

Melanie A. Brezill (Sadie/Lucia/Ensemble) returns to Court Theatre. Other Court Theatre credits include Caroline, or Change (Jeff Nomination). She recently appeared in the Broadway cast and National Tours ofThe Book of Mormon. Her Chicago credits include The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane at Chicago Childrenʼs Theater, A Christmas Carol and Crowns at the Goodman Theater, the one-woman show The MLK Project: The Fight for Civil Rights at Writers Theatre; Aida at Drury Lane Oakbrook, Yeast Nation at American Theater Company; Living Green at Victory Gardens Theater; High School Musical at Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire; Once on This Island (Black Theater Alliance Award for Best Actress in a Musical) at Porchlight Music Theater and Seussical! and Willy Wonka at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Other tours include the National Tour of Mamma Mia!. Ms. Brezill is a graduate of Northwestern University.

Sheldon Brown (Bennie/Bennie Jr./Ensemble) is a 2014 graduate of Acting at Emerson College in Boston. He is fresh to Chicago and happy to make his debut with Court Theatre. His recent credits include Feral with MPAACT Theatre Company, American Revolution with Theater Unspeakable, and the stage reading of The Gospel of Lovingkindness with Victory Gardens. He has numerous credits in Boston, including The Grand Inquisitor directed by Peter Brook and a collaborative new work with friends, The Shakespearean Jazz Show, which turns Shakespeare into New Orleans Jazz.

Thom Cox (Howie/Ensemble) returns to Court Theatre, where he has previously appeared in Fraulein Else, Raisin, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,Orlando, and Agamemnon. He is an ensemble member with Lookingglass Theatre, where he has worked on more than forty productions since 1988. Regionally, he has performed in End of the Rainbow (Milwaukee Rep); Elephant Man(Steppenwolf Young Audiences); Rock n Roll (Goodman); Season on the Line(House); Pride and Prejudice, Jekyll and Hyde, and Outgoing Tide (Northlight); andRichard III (Gift); as well as seven seasons at the Weston Playhouse in Vermont. He serves as Master Teacher for Lookingglass, and teaches theatre around the Chicago area. Film/TV: Since You've Been Gone (Miramax); Brotherhood (Showtime); Chicago Fire (NBC).

Allen Gilmore (Emile)  returns to Court Theatre, where he previously appeared in Scapin, the title role of Cyrano, Endgame, the title role in Sizwe Banzi Is Dead (Jeff, BTA, and Black Excellence nominations), Jitney, The Misanthrope, Tartuffe, Seven Guitars, Waiting for Godot (Jeff, BTA, Black Excellence nominations), The Good Book, and One Man Two Guvnors. He is (Alt.) Scrooge in Goodman Theatre’s annual production of A Christmas Carol. Other favorite Chicago performances include Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Jeff, BTA nominations) and The African Company Presents Richard the Third with Congo Square Theater Company; Argonautika and Arabian Nights with Lookingglass Theater; and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (BroadwayWorld nomination) with Writers Theatre. Originally from Houston, he is a U.S. Army Infantry veteran, a 2015 3Arts prize awardee, a 2015 Lunt-Fontanne fellow, and a proud ensemble member of Congo Square. 

Gabriel Ruiz (Luis/Ensemble) is a graduate of the DePaul Theatre School and a proud ensemble member of Teatro Vista. Chicago credits include Agamemnon at Court Theatre,  Arcadia and Company at Writers Theater, City of Angels at Marriott Theatre, The Upstairs Concierge at Goodman Theatre, White Tie Ball for Teatro Vista, Creditors at Remy Bumppo, How Long Will I Cry? and Motherfucker with the Hat at Steppenwolf, Sita Ram for the Chicago Children’s Choir, Working: The Musical at Broadway Playhouse, Richard III and Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and Arabian Nights at Lookingglass Theatre. Regional credits include Native Gardens at The Cincinatti Playhouse, Harvey at Milwaukee Repertory; Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them at Forward Theater Company; and Blood and Gifts at Lincoln Center in New York. He can be seen as Dilip Singh in both seasons of Boss on the Starz Network, and he appears on an episode of Chicago Fire.  

Sean Michael Sullivan (Ensemble) Along with his wife, Sean is the co-director of The Sullivan Chicago Studio of Performing Arts (www.thescspa.com).  He hails from Ohio, where he earned a BA in theatre from The Ohio State University and began working in Chicago in 2002. Sean has appeared on stage in Chicago as Johnny Cash in the Million Dollar Quartet; as Harlan 'Mountain' McClintock in Requiem for a Heavyweight  at Shattered Globe (Jeff nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Principle Role); as M'Ling in The Island of Dr. Moreau with Lifeline Theatre; and as Floyd in Fiorello! and Joe in The Children’s Hour with Timeline Theatre. Sean’s television credits include episodes of Boss; The Beast; Crisis; Chicago Fire and Chicago PD; Empire; ABC’s In an Instant; and as a featured guest on The Rosie Show. Sean is a freelance scenic carpenter and stagehand in theatre and television. Sean was an ensemble member with BackStage Theatre Company, serving as an actor, master carpenter, scenic designer, and technical supervisor.  Sean can be found playing his guitar and singing throughout Chicagoland as a founding member of the Blue-Irish-Folk-Grass band, One of the Girls (www.oneofthegirls.net).

Jacqueline Williams (Emelda/Ensemble) returns to Court where she appeared in Gem of the Ocean (Aunt Ester); The Good Book; Caroline, or Change (Dotty); Fences (Rose, Jeff award); Electra (title role); and The First Breeze of Summer. Most recently, she played Makeda in The House That Will Not Stand at Victory Gardens. Her long association with Goodman Theatre includes stop. reset, Pullman Porter Blues (some performances), Blues For An Alabama Sky, Camino Real, The Trinity River Plays, The Amen Corner, Richard II and many others.  Chicago: Steppenwolf (Airline Highway, Head of Passes, The Hot L Baltimore, The Brother/Sister Plays, Othello, and others).  Victory Gardens (Gospel of Lovingkindness, The Colored Museum and others).  Northlight (Gees Bend, The Miser, and others).  Next (Yellowman, Fabulation), Fleetwood Jourdain (Maya Angelou in the premiere Maya’s Last Poem, Going to St. Ives, Having Our Say).  Regional: Asolo Repertory, La Jolla, Huntington Playhouse, ACT Seattle, Berkeley Rep, Portland Stage Co., Arena Stage, and more. Tours: Crowns and Born in the RSA with Market Theatre of Johannesburg. Broadway: The Young Man from Atlanta. Off-Broadway: From the Mississippi Delta (co-produced by Oprah Winfrey),  Mill Fire, and The Talented Tenth. TV/Film: cast of Turks, recurring as Officer Beccera on Chicago PD and Chicago Fire, Chicago Code, Prison Break, Heartlock, The Break Up, The Lake House, and Hardball. Awards/Nominations: Jeff, Helen Hayes, BTAA, Lunt-Fontanne Shakespeare  Fellow, 3Arts, American Arts Council, Drama Desk, Sarah Siddons, Excellence in the Arts, After Dark, among others. Jacqueline holds a BFA from Goodman/Theatre School. 

Now in its 62^nd season, 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.

OPENING: Commedia dell’arte Comedy One Man, Two Guvnors at Court Theatre

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Court Theatre presents the Midwest Premiere of

One Man, Two Guvnors

by Richard Bean

based on The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni

with songs by Grant Olding

directed by Artistic Director Charles Newell

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we adore the commedia dell’arte style and are eagerly anticipating this show. We'll be there tonight for the press opening. Check back soon for our full review.

May 12 – June 12, 2016

Court Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Stephen J. Albert, presents the Midwest Premiere of Richard Bean’s One Man, Two Guvnors, based on Carlo Goldoni’s The Servant of Two Masters, with songs by Grant Olding and directed by Artistic Director Charles Newell. One Man, Two Guvnors runs May 12 – June 12, 2016 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue in Chicago. 

Regular Run: May 22 – June 12, 2016

Schedule: Wed & Thurs: 7:30 p.m.

Fridays: 8:00 p.m.

Saturdays: 3:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.

Sundays: 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Location: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave.

Tickets: $35-$45 previews

$45-$65 regular run

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

“This production continues Court’s exploration into works that enable our artists to revive, re-examine, and reconsider previous texts that are enduring,” comments Artistic Director Charles Newell. “Richard Bean’s play is an adaption of The Servant of Two Masters, Carlo Goldoni’s 18th century classic. The original is that rare thing: a wonderfully amusing piece of commedia dell’arte. This adaptation is a glorious comedy with an original mix of satire, songs, and physical comedy.”

Set in 1963 on the coast of Brighton, Francis Henshall is separately employed by two men: local gangster Roscoe Crabbe, and upper-class criminal Stanley Stubbers. Francis tries to keep the two from meeting and discovering his secret, but Roscoe is really Rachel Crabbe in disguise—her twin brother Roscoe was killed by her lover, who happens to be Stanley Stubbers! One man, two jobs. How hard could it be?

An incredible cast of Chicago actors come together for a rollicking jaunt through crooked schemes, cross-dressing twins, and general buffoonery in this riotous summer delight.

One Man, Two Guvnors features Elisa Carlson (Ensemble/Musician), Chaon Cross (Pauline Clench), Allen Gilmore (Lloyd Boateng), Alex Goodrich (Alan Dangle), Francis Guinan (Charlie Clench), Derek Hasenstab (Ensemble/Musician), Erik Hellman (Stanley Stubbers), Timothy Edward Kane (Francis Henshall), Elizabeth Ledo (Rachael Crabbe), Ross Lehman (Harry Dangle) and Hollis Resnik (Dolly).

About the Artists

CHARLES NEWELL (Director/Artistic Director) was awarded the SDCF Zelda Fichandler Award, “which recognizes an outstanding director or choreographer who is transforming the regional arts landscape through singular creativity and artistry in theatre.” Charlie has been Artistic Director of Court Theatre since 1994, where he has directed over 50 productions. He made his Chicago directorial debut in 1993 with The Triumph of Love, which won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Production. Charlie’s productions of Man of La Mancha and Caroline, or Change have also won Best Production Jeffs. Other directorial highlights at Court include Satchmo at the Waldorf, Agamemnon, The Secret Garden, Iphigenia in Aulis, The Misanthrope, Tartuffe, Proof, Angels in America, An Iliad, Porgy and Bess, Three Tall Women, Titus Andronicus, Arcadia, Uncle Vanya, Raisin, The Glass Menagerie, Travesties, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Invention of Love, and Hamlet. Charlie has also directed at Goodman Theatre (Rock ‘n’ Roll), Guthrie Theater (The History Cycle, Cymbeline), Arena Stage, John Houseman’s The Acting Company (Staff Repertory Director), the California and Alabama Shakespeare Festivals, Juilliard, and New York University. He has served on the Board of TCG, as well as on several panels for the NEA. Opera directing credits include Marc Blitzstein’s Regina (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Rigoletto (Opera Theatre of St. Louis), Don Giovanni and The Jewel Box (Chicago Opera Theater), and Carousel (Glimmerglass Festival). Charlie was the recipient of the 1992 TCG Alan Schneider Director Award, and has been nominated for 16 Joseph Jefferson Director Awards, winning four times. In 2012, Charlie was honored by the League of Chicago Theatres with its Artistic Achievement Award.

ELISA CARLSON (Actor/Musician/US) holds a Bachelor’s degree in piano performance and theater from Indiana University. Elisa is currently a singer and multi-instrumentalist at Howl at the Moon Chicago, entertaining audiences nightly on the piano, violin, drums, and bass. In addition, she is an ensemble member of Barrel of Monkeys, a company member of Innervation Dance Cooperative, and a member of the Chicago-based band, Mechanical Animals. Elisa is also proud to be choreographing Seussical for the Dream Big Performing Arts Workshop this summer, and she is thrilled to be appearing alongside such incredible talent in this production of One Man, Two Guvnors. 

CHAON CROSS (Pauline Clench) Chicago credits include: The Wheel, The Cherry Orchard (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), Proof (Joseph Jefferson Award Nomination), Uncle Vanya, The Glass Menagerie, Scapin, The Romance Cycle, Phèdre (Court Theatre), Cyrano (Court Theatre and Redmoon Theater), As You Like It, Private Lives, Cymbeline, Troilus and Cressida, The Two Noble Kinsmen, The Taming of the Shrew (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Macbeth (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Brothers Karamazov (Lookingglass Theatre Company) and Grace (Northlight Theatre). Regional credits include: Lady Windermere's Fan (Milwaukee Repertory Theater) and Pride & Prejudice (Cleveland Play House). TV credits: Chicago Fire (NBC), Boss (Starz) and Detroit 187 (ABC). Film credits: My Dog Skip (Warner Bros).

ALLEN GILMORE (Lloyd Boateng) returns to Court Theatre. He has previously been seen here in Scapin (M. Geronte; BTA nom), Cyrano (Cyrano De Bergerac), Endgame (Hamm), Sizwe Banzi  Is Dead (Sizwe Banzi; Jeff, BTA, Black Excellence noms), Jitney (Turnbo), The Misanthrope (Mlle Arsinoe), Tartuffe (Mme Pernelle), Seven Guitars (King Hedley), Waiting for Godot (Vladimir; Jeff, BTA, Black Excellence noms), and The Good Book (St. Paul and others). In 2014, he became the first black actor to perform the role of Scrooge in Goodman Theatre’s annual production of A Christmas Carol. Other favorite Chicago performances include Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Bynum; Jeff, BTA noms) and The African Company Presents Richard the Third (Papa Shakespeare), both with Congo Square Theatre Company; Argonautika (Typhius) and Arabian Nights (Ishaak of Mosul), both with Lookingglass Theatre; and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (The Player; BroadwayWorld nom) with Writers Theatre. He is a 2015 3Arts prize awardee, a 2015 Lunt-Fontanne fellow, and a proud ensemble member of Congo Square.

ALEX GOODRICH (Alan Dangle) returns to Court Theatre where his credits include The Comedy of Errors. Other Chicago credits include Elf The Musical, On The Town, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, HERO (Jeff Award), For the Boys, How Can You Run With A Shell On Your Back? (Marriott Theatre); Seussical, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Taming of the Shrew, Aladdin, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and How Can You Run..? (Chicago Shakespeare); The Explorers Club (Windy City Playhouse); Shining Lives, A Civil War Christmas, She Stoops to Conquer (Northlight); as well as shows at Next Theater, Timeline, Chicago Children’s Theater, and Provision Theater. 

FRANCIS GUINAN (Charlie Clench) is a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Ensemble. With Steppenwolf he has appeared in over 30 productions, including East of Eden, The Night Alive, The Seafarer, The Birthday Party, Time Stands Still, American Buffalo, August: Osage County, Balm in Gilead, and Say Goodnight, Gracie. He has also appeared in productions at Northlight Theatre (White Guy on the Bus, Stella and Lou, Season’s Greetings, and Inherit the Wind), Victory Gardens Theatre (A Guide for the Perplexed), Goodman Theatre (Seagull, Pullman Porter Blues) and American Blues Theatre (Rantoul and Die), Route 66 Theatre (Goldfish). Television appearances include Boss in the role of Gov. Cullen; Eerie, Indiana; ER; Frasier; and several Star Trek franchise episodes. Film roles include appearances in Abundant Acreage Available, The Last Airbender, Typing, Low Tide, and Constantine. 

DEREK HASENSTAB (Actor/Musician) National Tour: Zazu in The Lion King. Regional: Doc in Come Back, Little Sheba (Huntington Theatre), Hermes in Metamorphoses (Arena Stage and Mark Taper Forum), and Tom in The Glass Menagerie (Kansas City Repertory). Chicago: Never The Sinner (Victory Gardens); October Sky (Marriott Lincolnshire); Road Show, Sunday In The Park With George (Chicago Shakespeare); Animals Out of Paper, Disappeared (Steppenwolf); Eastland (Lookingglass); The Game’s Afoot, The Foreigner (Drury Lane Oakbrook); Cloud Nine (After Dark Award), and A Home At The End Of The World (About Face Theatre).

ERIK HELLMAN (Stanley Stubbers) returns to Court Theatre after appearing in The Good Book, Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, Proof (Jeff Award Nomination - Supporting Actor), The Comedy of Errors, The Mystery of Irma Vep (Jeff Award Nomination - Lead Actor), Titus Andronicus, and Arcadia. Chicago credits include Luna Gale (Goodman); Marjorie Prime, Hesperia, and The Frog Prince (Writers’ Theatre); Shining Lives, The Commons of Pensacola, and Lost in Yonkers (Northlight); The Madness of  King George III, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, and Edward II (Chicago Shakespeare); Honest, The Elephant Man, and Huck Finn (Steppenwolf);  Eastland (Lookingglass);  All My Sons (TimeLine); as well as shows at Next, Chicago Dramatists, Remy Bumppo, The House Theatre of Chicago, and as a company member of Strawdog. Outside of Chicago, Erik has appeared at Milwaukee Repertory, Geva, Syracuse Stage, Indianapolis Repertory, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Houston’s Stages Repertory, and Off-Broadway at The Mirror Repertory.  Film/TV work includes The Dark Knight, The Chicago Code, Boss, Betrayal, Chicago Fire, and Chicago PD.

TIMOTHY EDWARD KANE (Francis Henshall) returns to Court Theatre having previously appeared in An Iliad (2013 & 2011), The Illusion, Wild Duck, Titus Andronicus, Uncle Vanya, The Romance Cycle, and Hamlet. Chicago credits include: Blood and Gifts (Timeline Theatre Company); Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Arms and the Man (Writers Theatre); The North Plan (Steppenwolf Garage); Lost in Yonkers, The Miser, She Stoops to Conquer (Northlight Theatre); and fourteen productions at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre including: The Comedy Of Errors, A Flea In Her Ear, Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 (CST and at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-Upon-Avon), and the upcomingTug of War: Civil Strife. Regional credits: The Mark Taper Forum, Notre Dame Shakespeare, Peninsula Players, and the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. TV: Chicago Fire. Education: BS, Ball State University; MFA, Northern Illinois University. He is the recipient of a Joseph Jefferson Awards and an After Dark Award. Kane is married to actress Kate Fry with whom he has two sons.

ELIZABETH LEDO (Rachel Crabbe) returns to Court Theatre where she previously appeared in The Secret Garden, Tartuffe (Jeff award), The Misanthrope, The Illusion, The Comedy of Errors, Titus Andronicus, Uncle Vanya, and The Real Thing. Chicago credits include: The Matchmaker, Boleros for the Disenchanted, and three seasons of A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre); Charm, and The Chalk Garden (Norhtlight Theatre); Le Switch, The Homosexuals, and Say you Love Satan (About Face Theatre); Issac’s Eye and Arms and the Man (Writers Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Amadeus, and Funk it Up About Nothin’ (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); The How and The Why (Timeline Theatre); Barefoot in the Park and The Odd Couple (Drury Lane Oakbrook); The Old Curiosity Shop (Lookingglass Theatre); Homebody/Kabul and Morningstar (Steppenwolf Theatre). Regional credits include: Richard III, Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice, The Comedy of Errors, and Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare at Notre Dame); Arcadia (Indiana Repertory Theatre); and over 25 productions with Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, including Almost Maine, Anna Karenina, Wit, The Lonesome West, and The Clean House. Ms. Ledo is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago.

ROSS LEHMAN (Harry Dangle) makes his Court Theatre debut. Ross Lehman’s Broadway credits include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Tempest, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Most recently, Ross was seen as Vanya in Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at the Goodman Theatre, where he also appeared in Waiting for Godot, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Jeff Award), The Rover, A Christmas Carol, and Stage Kiss. Ross last appeared at the The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire as Moonface Martin in Anything Goes. Earlier at the Marriott, he appeared in Hot Mikado, Hairspray, The Producers, and Fiddler on the Roof. At Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, he has been seen most recently as The Fool in King Lear. Among his other CST roles have been Jacques/As You Like It, Feste/Twelfth Night, Dudley Marsh and Dromio of Syracuse/The Comedy of Errors, Thersites/Troilus and Cressida, and Peto, Rumour, and Lord Hastings/Henry IV (at CST and on tour to the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon). Steppenwolf Theatre Company credits: The Man Who Came to Dinner and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. At Apple Tree Theatre: A Man of No Importance (Jeff Award), The Dresser (After Dark Award), and Where's Charlie (Jeff Award). Writer’s Theatre credits: As You Like It and Bach at Leipzig. His reprise of his role as Koko in Hot Mikado in London’s West End production earned him a Laurence Olivier Award nomination. Ross just completed a year as an Artist in Residence at Loyola University.

HOLLIS RESNIK (Dolly) Court theatre productions include: Angels in America, Man of La Mancha, The Good Book, Little Foxes, Learned Ladies, The Cherry Orchard, The Chairs, Carousel, Travesties, An Ideal Husband, and many more. Hollis has also been seen at Goodman Theatre, The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Apollo Theater, Arena Stage, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Long Wharf Theatre. National tours include: Sister Act, Les Miserables, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Awards include the Helen Hayes Award, several Jeff Awards, and two Sarah Siddon Awards. Hollis is the recipient of the 2012 Lunt/Fontaine fellowship and a proud member of Actors Equity.

Now in its 61^st season, 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.