World Premiere of The Singularity Play Via Jackalope Theatre May 19 – June 22, 2024

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JACKALOPE THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE OF 

THE SINGULARITY PLAY 

BY JAY STULL AND DIRECTED BY GEORGETTE VERDIN 

MAY 19 - JUNE 22 AT BERGER PARK

Jackalope’s 16th Season Continues with a Daring and Existential Ensemble Comedy for the Ages

The running time is currently 95 minutes with no intermission. 

Jackalope Theatre Company continues its 16th season at Edgewater’s Berger Park, 6205 N. Sheridan Rd., with the announcement of the cast and creative team for the world premiere of The Singularity Play, May 19 – June 22, by Jay Stull, directed by Georgette Verdin. Previews are Sunday, May 19; Monday, May 20 and Wednesday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m. I'll be catching it May 24th, so check back soon for my full review. The performance schedule is Thursdays -  Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional performances on Mondays, June 10 and June 17 at 7:30 p.m. The accessibility performance with both audio description and live captioning is Sunday, June 9 at 3 p.m. 

Tickets are $15 - 35 with student and Edgewater resident discounts available. For more information or tickets go to JackalopeTheatre.org or call/text the box office at 773.340.2543.

In an unused room at the Google offices in Manhattan, a theater troupe has gathered to rehearse a new play written by an advanced AI named "Denise." In an art that relies so substantially upon our human-ness, what does it mean to cede the stage to artificial intelligence? Who are we when reflected by the intelligence we’ve created?

“Jackalope couldn't be prouder to assemble these enormously talented artists behind this sharp, original and surprising script.,” Artistic Director Kaiser Ahmed remarks, “The intimate design and powerful ensemble will transport audiences to the edges of their imagination in this rapidly unfolding mystery of the human-AI condition. I invite you to be among the first to laugh and gasp at this new play from the brilliant mind of Jay Stull.”

The Singularity Play’s cast includes, in alphabetical order: Lucy Carapetyan (she/her, Alice/Royal); Kroydell Galima (he/him, Jason/Quinn);Christina Gorman (she/her, Lauren/Hollis); Anelga Hajjar (she/her, Denise/Dennis); Madison Hill (they/them, Henry/Finley); Jennifer Jelsema (she/her, Dawn); Ashley Neal (she/her, Heidi/Emily/Jules); Patrick Newson Jr. (he/him, Greg/Salem);Paloma Nozicka (she/her, Skyler) and Collin Quinn Rice (they/them, Ocean). The understudies are Kaiser Ahmed (he/him, Ocean U/S); Katie Bevil (they/it), Lauren/Hollis/Henry/Finley U/S); Maddy Brown (she/her, Heidi/Emily/Jules U/S); Christina Gorman (she/her, Dawn U/S); Gavin Rhys (he/him, Greg/Salem/Jason/Quinn U/S) and Yourtana Sulaiman (she/her, Denise/Dennis/Alice/Royal U/S).

The creative team includes Jay Stull (he/him, playwright); Georgette Verdin (she/her, director); Becca Smith (she/her, production manager); Lucy Carapetyan (she/her, casting director); Warren Duncan (he/him, assistant director); Grace Reasoner (she/her, stage manager); Jonah Fezler (he/him, assistant stage manager); Amal Salem (she/her, assistant stage manager cover); Karina Patel (she/her, production dramaturg); Ryan Emens (he/him, scenic designer); Isa Noe (they/them, prop designer); Eric Watkins (he/him, lighting designer); Izumi Inaba (she/her, costume designer); Christopher Kriz (he/him, sound designer); Gaby Labotka (any with respect, intimacy and fight director); Collin Quinn Rice (they/them, movement director). And, from Jackalope: Kaiser Ahmed (he/him, artistic director); Megan Wildebour (she/her, managing director); Ben Stacy (he/him, season production manager) and Amira Danan (she/her, development manager).  

ABOUT JAY STULL, PLAYWRIGHT THE SINGULARITY PLAY

Jay Stull (he/him) is a theater-maker from New York City. His work has been developed or produced by Ars Nova, The Alliance Theater, The Amoralists, The Bloomington Playwrights Project, New York City Center Off Center, the New Light Theater Project, New York Theatre Workshop, Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater, the Gym at Judson, PlayCo, Roundabout, The Tank and the Theater, Dance, and Media concentration (TDM) at Harvard College. His written work has been supported by Yaddo, the New York Foundation for the Arts and the New York State Council for the Arts and the Sewanee Writers’ Conference. He is an alumnus of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, The Civilians R&D Group and the Early Career Directing Fellowship at Clubbed Thumb and received his MFA from Columbia. 

ABOUT GEORGETTE VERDIN, DIRECTOR THE SINGULARITY PLAY

Georgette Verdin (she/her) is a Cuban-American freelance director, the associate artistic director of Northlight Theatre and a member of Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. Recent directing credits include: Dial M for Murder (Northlight Theatre); the revival of Night Watch (Raven Theatre); the United States premiere of The Writer (Steep Theatre); the world premieres of A Mile in The Dark (Interrobang Theatre Project/Rivendell Theatre Ensemble); Enough to Let the Light In (Teatro Vista); Chagall in School (Grippo Stage Company) and Spay (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble). Verdin is a three-time Jeff nominated director and was the 2022 Michael Maggio Directing Fellow at Goodman Theatre. From 2015-2023, she served as artistic director of Interrobang Theatre Project, an award-winning storefront theatre known for gutsy productions that tackled socially-relevant issues. She was profiled in NewCity’s 2023 “Players: Who Really Performs for Chicago Right Now” and in Chicago Reader’s “Best of Chicago 2022.” She is an associate member with Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

ABOUT JACKALOPE THEATRE

Jackalope Theatre Company expands the definition of American Identity by engaging with communities to produce works that celebrate diverse perspectives. Jackalope is a premier home for new and exciting Off-Loop Theatre based in Chicago's Edgewater and Rogers Park neighborhoods. They are committed to cultivating new voices that contribute to an expanding American culture and mythology. Each season, Jackalope produces full-length plays, new play development programming and provides free classes in partnership with the Chicago Park District.

Jackalope Theatre Company continues its 16th season at its new home in Edgewater’s Berger Park, 6205 N. Sheridan Rd., with the announcement of the cast and creative team for the world premiere of The Singularity Play, May 19 – June 22, by Jay Stull, directed by Georgette Verdin. Previews are Sunday, May 19; Monday, May 20 and Wednesday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m. with the press opening Thursday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays -  Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional performances on Mondays, June 10 and June 17 at 7:30 p.m. The accessibility performance with both audio description and live captioning is Sunday, June 9 at 3 p.m. The running time is currently 95 minutes with no intermission. 

Tickets are $15 - 35 with student and Edgewater resident discounts available. For more information or tickets go to JackalopeTheatre.org or call/text the box office at 773.340.2543.

Jackalope Theatre expands American identity by engaging with our communities to produce works that celebrate diverse perspectives. Season 16 is made possible by the continued generosity of Season Sponsors Michael and Mona Heath.

OPENING: World Premiere of Enough to Let the Light In at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater September 21-October 23, 2022

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TEATRO VISTA PREMIERES PALOMA NOZICKA’S PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER 

ENOUGH TO LET THE LIGHT IN

DIRECTED BY GEORGETTE VERDIN, STARRING MELISSA DUPREY AND LISANDRA TENA, SEPTEMBER 21-OCTOBER 23 AT STEPPENWOLF’S 1700 THEATER, PART OF 5TH DESTINOS FESTIVAL

The performance is presented in English. Runtime is 85 minutes

Melissa DuPrey (left) and Lisandra Tena star in Teatro Vista's psychological thriller Enough to Let the Light In

Teatro Vista opens its 2022-23 season with Enough to Let the Light In, a world premiere drama about love, truth, and the ghosts that won't let us go by Mexican-American actor/playwright/ filmmaker/director Paloma Nozicka.

It’s co-presented at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater, September 21-October 23, 2022, as part of the 5th Destinos, Chicago International Latino Theater Festival. I'll be out for opening night, September 23rd, so check back soon for my full review. 

Enough to Let the Light In is a riveting psychological thriller about girlfriends Marc and Cynthia, who start an evening together celebrating a milestone. But the night quickly devolves into chaos as buried secrets are revealed and lives are irrevocably changed. 

(from left) Playwright Paloma Nozicka, director Georgette Verdin, and actors Melissa DuPrey and Lisandra Tena

Chicago’s own Melissa DuPrey, known for her role as Dr. Sara Ortiz on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, plays Marc. Lisandra Tena, who trained at the Theater School of DePaul and played Lola Guerrero on AMC’s Fear The Walking Dead, is Cynthia. Georgette Verdin directs.

“Enough to Let the Light In is a taut, poignant and startling exploration of love and loss,” said Verdin. “Audiences will experience one fateful evening in the lives of Marc and Cynthia, two women who are very much in love. But what happens when everything they thought they understood about each other gets thrown into question and their commitment is put through the ultimate test? Paloma’s play will have you leaning in and grasping for solid ground.” 

Nozicka, the playwright, elaborated, “Enough to Let the Light In is, at its core, a love story - albeit a different version than what we’re used to seeing onstage. I wanted to write something that features the characters that I want to see more of in theater - funny, complicated, deeply flawed women who are trying their best to deal with truly strange circumstances. My hope is that this play, and these characters, stay in people’s minds for a long, long time.”  

Teatro Vista’s production team includes Sotirios Livaditis (scenic design), Gregory Graham (costumes), Stefanie M. Senior (sound), Emma Deane (lights), Lonnae Hickman (props), Courtney Abbott (intimacy director), Adelina Feldman-Schultz (casting), Julie Jachym (production manager), Johnnie Schleyer (technical director) and Conchita Avitia (master electrician). Stage manager is Wendye Clarendon. Olivia Ellery is assistant stage manager. Covers are Gaby Moldovan and Sofia Tew. Lorena Diaz and Wendy Mateo are co-artistic directors of Teatro Vista. Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel is artistic producer. 

Previews of Enough to Let the Light In are Wednesday and Thursday, September 21 and 22 at 8 p.m. Press opening is Friday, September 23 at 8 p.m. Performances run through October 23: Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 3 p.m.

Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater is located at 1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Tickets, $25-$45, are on sale now at steppenwolf.org.

Sign up for Teatro Vista’s e-newsletter at teatrovista.org to receive first notice of new shows, episodes, and behind-the-scenes content, or follow Teatro Vista on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. 

Teatro Vista’s Enough to Let the Light In doubles as the company’s entry in the 5th Destinos, Chicago International Latino Theater Festival. This year’s annual, city-wide event, produced by the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), will showcase top Latino theater artists and companies from Chicago, the U.S. and Latin America for five consecutive weeks, September 14-October 16, 2022. Visit destinosfest.org to purchase tickets and see the full line-up.

Play Description: En Espanol

Una pareja disfruta una noche de celebración, pero rápidamente se convertirá en un caos a medida que algunos secretos vayan siendo revelados y sus vidas cambien para siempre. Enough to Let the Light In es un thriller psicológico sobre el amor, la verdad y los fantasmas que no nos abandonan.

This is a Teatro Vista Joint: In-person show discount opportunities

Student Nights: Thursday nights are Student Nights at Teatro Vista. Students with a valid student ID can get tickets at $15 with the code TVSTUDENT to every Thursday performance. (Please note: one ticket per student ID.)

Teatro For All: Teatro For All is a new initiative to offer affordable tickets to students, artists, seniors or anyone on a tight budget. Teatro For All tickets are available for every performance on a first come first served basis. We trust our community inherently and hope these tickets find the folks who need them most. If you need to access a Teatro For All priced ticket, please use code TEATROFORALL at checkout.

Group Tickets: Booking a group of 10 or more? Group rates are available. To check availability or other details, please send an email to info@teatrovista.org.

Covid-19 Policy: Enough to Let The Light In is co-presented at Steppenwolf 1700 Theater, which, at press time, requires patrons to wear masks. 

Enough to Let the Light In: Playwright, director and actor bios 

Paloma Nozicka (playwright) is a Mexican-American actor, writer and director. TV acting credits include recurring roles on The Red Line (CBS); Proven Innocent, Empire (FOX); Chicago Med, Chicago PD (NBC). She’s worked at some of the country's most prestigious theaters, including Geffen Playhouse, Goodman Theatre, and Steppenwolf Theatre. She's written several short plays, two short films, and currently has a feature film in development. Directing credits include her short film Each Lovely Thing (currently in festivals). palomanozicka.com

Georgette Verdin (director), is a Cuban-American director, arts educator and the current Michael Maggio Directing Fellow at Goodman Theatre. Since 2015, she has served as the Managing Artistic Director of Interrobang Theatre Project. Verdin is also a company member with Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. Select directing credits include Chagall in School (Grippo Stage Company at Theater Wit), Spay by Madison Fiedler (Rivendell Theatre), This Wide Night by Chloë Moss (Shattered Globe Theatre/Interrobang Theatre Project), Tribes by Nina Raine (Western Michigan University), the U.S. Premiere of Out of Love by Elinor Cook, as well as, Utility, the 2016 Yale Drama Series winner by Emily Schwend (Interrobang Theatre Project). Verdin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance from McNeese State University and a Master in Directing from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. Verdin received 3Arts Make-A-Wave grant in 2021 and is an associate member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. georgetteverdin.com

Melissa DuPrey (Marc) is a multidisciplinary artist with roots from Humboldt Park, Chicago. After earning double Bachelor of the Arts degrees from the University of Houston, she returned to Chicago to join the all-Latina theatre company, Teatro Luna. Her one-woman show, SEXomedy (2012), was developed during their monthly series for women of color in the arts and received a Chicago Reader Recommendation, a Member's Pick, and had a successful debut Off-Broadway in New York. The popular show spurred a progressive sequel, SEXomedy 2.0, which debuted at Steppenwolf Theatre in April 2019. Her second solo show, SUSHI-frito, has also been critically acclaimed as part of MPAACT's Signature Series for solo artists. DuPrey is also a community organizer and spiritualist who also launched The Good Grief Project-an extension of the social justice component from her play GOOD GRIEF where communities of color are connected to local, accessible and multidisciplinary mental and spiritual wellness practitioners of color. In 2021, the New York-based new work development company, ARS NOVA, invited her to develop her fifth solo play, RISE OF THUNDERDOME, to a national digital audience. Her full-length play BRUJAJA was selected as part of 16th Street’s New Play Pop Up Reading Series for 2019 and received its world premiere in 2021 as a digital theatrical release produced by UrbanTheater Company. In 2014, she was selected as a new talent in the ABC Diversity Showcase in New York City. She has performed stand-up comedy in Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. She is a featured actor in the Emmy-nominated web-series Brown Girls and has many regional and non regional theater credits in Chicago. She is credited with playing “Dr. Sara Ortiz” on Grey's Anatomy (Season 17 and 18). Other TV credits include a recurring appearance on Empire (FOX), and guest appearances on The Resident (FOX), Chicago PD (NBC), and The Chi (Showtime). Film credits include: Relative (2022), Long Division (2022), Cherry (2020), Two in the Bush (2017), The Way We Speak (2014) and Bromance (2014). As a musician and active member of her community, she is dedicated to the preservation of Puerto Rican culture by way of the folkloric music, Bomba y Plena, with Africaribe and Las BomPleneras. She is currently an Ensemble Member at UrbanTheater Company and Artistic Associate at Sideshow Theater.

Lisandra Tena (Cynthia) graduated magna cum laude from the Theatre School at DePaul University. Stage credits include Mother Road (Goodman Theatre), Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology (Collaboraction Theatre), Your Problem with Men (Los Angeles Theatre Center), and her self-written one-woman show, Güera (tour included Illinois, New Mexico, and Arizona). Tena has also appeared in numerous films, commercials, and voiceovers. She is best known for her role as Lola Guerrero on AMC’s Fear The Walking Dead. Other television credits include The Good Place, NCIS, Chicago PD and Good Trouble. She is currently based in Los Angeles. 

Coming Soon as part of Teatro Vista’s 2022-23 season

Teatro Vista’s season’s theme is “Shadow Work,” featuring two world premiere live productions and two exciting new digital works intended “to bring to light that which sits in the unconscious mind.”

(from left) Marvin Quijada, Sandra Márquez, Alice da Cunha

Next spring, Chicago will be hailing The Dream King, a silent musical by Teatro Vista ensemble member Marvin Quijada, co-directed by ensemble member Sandra Márquez and Alice da Cunha.

The Dream King is a story of a man who falls in love with the woman of his dreams while in his dreams. A story told using no words. An exploration of the psyche told through movement, circus, projections, puppetry, and a willingness to let go of what one thinks a play should be. Performance dates and venue are TBA.

Teatro Vista digital productions in 2022-23

(from left) Isaac Gómez, Monty Cole

Digital productions dropping this season are La Vuelta, an original Teatro Vista film exploring how our existence in the world has ripple effects beyond us, particularly in times of great crisis and isolation. La Vuelta is written by ensemble member Isaac Gómez, directed by Monty Cole, and devised by ensemble members Charín Álvarez, Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel, Ramón Ybarra, Eddie Torres, Sandra Marquez and Sandra Delgado.  

Gabriel Ruiz

In addition, look for season two of The Fifth World, a serial fiction podcast written by ensemble member Gabriel Ruiz.

Season one, voiced by an all-Teatro Vista ensemble cast, followed Sebastian Reyes as he arrived in the small desert town of Palomas, Arizona to make his name producing a true crime story about a missing child. But things weren’t always what they seemed in Palomas, and Seba found himself in a whole other world.

Rescripted.org called season one of Teatro Vista’s serial podcast “tense, suspenseful, horrifying, gorgeous, and evocative…a must-listen.” Season two will uncover even more mysteries and seal Seba’s fate in a riveting tale rooted in Aztec mythology, set in modern times and influenced by a pandemic.

Get ready by listening to season one of The Fifth World, available to stream for free via teatrovista.org, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Enjoy Season 1, episodes 1 & 2 of The Fifth World. If you dare.

“At Teatro Vista, we believe the artists we collaborate with are inherently genius”

Teatro Vista Co-Artistic Directors Lorena Diaz (left) and Wendy Mateo

In a statement accompanying Teatro Vista’s season announcement, Co-Artistic Directors Lorena Diaz and Wendy Mateo wrote, “At Teatro Vista, we believe that the artists we collaborate with are inherently genius. These artists have not always been given the privilege to explore their work through different expressions in spaces where they see themselves reflected. As artists of color, we know what it means to be drawn into boxes we feel powerless to break out of. It is the work of our artists that defies the idea of what we have been known to produce as a Latine theater company and pushes us into greater depths of expression. Teatro Vista’s 2022-23 ‘Shadow Work’ season will explore what healing looks like and how humans are nurtured to fight against their dark unconscious, in a courageous search for the peace of mind of their inner light.”

Sign up for Teatro Vista’s e-newsletter at teatrovista.org to receive first notice of new shows, episodes, and behind-the-scenes content, or follow Teatro Vista on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. 

World Premiere Comedy Chagall In School Via Grippo Stage Company at Theater Wit August 26 - October 8th, 2022

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GRIPPO STAGE COMPANY PRESENTS A WORLD PREMIERE COMEDY BY PLAYWRIGHT JAMES SHERMAN, 

CHAGALL IN SCHOOL,

AUGUST 26 - OCTOBER 8, AT THEATER WIT

 Left to Right -  John Drea (Marc Chagall) and Warren Duncan (Kazimir Malevich) 

Photo by James Sherman

Directed by Georgette Verdin, this New Comedy is Inspired by the Real Story of Famed Artist Marc Chagall

Previews Begin Friday, Aug. 26

  Pronoun Key: + (he/him/his); * (she/her/hers); ^ (they, them, theirs); = (any with respect)

Grippo Stage Company is proud to present Chagall In School, a world premiere comedy by James Sherman (Beau Jest, The God of Isaac, The Ben Hecht Show) and directed by Georgette Verdin.  The play is inspired by the real story of the famed artist, Marc Chagall. Performances will take place August 26 - October 8, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Preview performances will be Friday, Aug. 26 at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27 at 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29 at 2 p.m.,Thursday, Sept. 1, Friday, Sept. 2 and Saturday, Sept. 3 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 4 at 2 p.m. I'll be catching opening night, Sept. 6th, so check back soon after for my full review. The performance  schedule is Thursdays -  Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are now on sale  from $38 - $42 and information is available at 773.975.8150 or at www.theatrewit.org.

It’s 1920, a few years after the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and Marc Chagall is asked to head a school for artists in his Russian hometown of Vitebsk. By gathering together other noted artists of the time including Yuri Pen, Vera Ermolaeva and El Lissitsky and with the support of his loving wife, Berta, Chagall endeavors to realize his dream of a free school for anyone who wishes to explore their artistic aspirations. His goals are quickly complicated by the clash of personalities and differences between these artists, as well as Chagall’s own inherent inability to take on the role of a stern administrator. When the most impressive artist of the time, Kazimir Malevich, arrives to join the faculty, the artistic soul of the school and Chagall’s own future as an artist are contested.

The full cast includes John Drea+, (Marc Chagall); Yourtana Sulaiman*, (Berta Chagall); Fred Wellisch+,(Yuri Pen); Peter Ferneding+, (Alexander Romm); Daniella Rukin*, (Vera Ermolaeva); Myles Schwarz+, (El Lissitzky); David Lipschutz+, (David Yackerson); Warren Duncan+, (Kazimir Malevich); Hannah Green* (U/S Berta & Vera); Levi Smith+, (U/S Alex & Kazimir & David)

 

ABOUT GEORGETTE VERDIN (Director)

Georgette Verdin is a Cuban-American director, arts educator and the 2022 Michael Maggio Directing Fellow at Goodman Theatre. Since 2015, she's served as the managing artistic director of Interrobang Theatre Project, an award-winning storefront theater known for its gutsy productions tackling socially-relevant issues. Select directing credits include: the world premiere of SPAY by Madison Fiedler (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble), This Wide Night by Chloë Moss (Shattered Globe Theatre/Interrobang Theatre Project), Tribes by Nina Raine (Western Michigan University), the U.S. premiere of Out of Love by Elinor CookGrace and Recent Tragic Events by Craig Wright, as well as the 2016 Yale Drama Series winner, Utility by Emily Schwend (Interrobang Theatre Project).

Verdin has also worked with Lookingglass Theatre, Facility Theatre and Chicago Dramatists, among others. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA and a Master in Directing from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. She is a 2021 recipient of a 3Arts Make-A-Wave grant and an associate member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. For more, visit georgetteverdin.com.

ABOUT JAMES SHERMAN (Playwright)

James Sherman is a Chicago playwright, whose works include Magic Time, The God of Issac, Mr. 80%, The Escape Artist, Beau Jest, This Old Man Came Rolling Home, Jest a Second!, Romance in D, From Door to Door, The Old Man’s Friend, Affluenza!, Half and Half, Relatively Close, Jacob and Jack and The Ben Hecht Show. Sherman began his professional career as a writer and performer with The Second City in the early 1970s. He received an M.F.A. degree from Brandeis University and a Masters Degree in Library and Information Science from Dominican University.  In 1985, he began his long association with the Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago and was a founding member of the Victory Gardens Playwrights Ensemble. Sherman currently teaches playwriting and improvisation at Columbia College Chicago and DePaul University.  He has been a teacher of playwriting and acting on the faculties of The Second City Training Center, Chicago Dramatists Workshop, Victory Gardens Theater and as a visiting professor (2001) in Seoul, South Korea at the Korean National University of the Arts. His published works have been seen in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, England, Germany, Austria, Turkey, South Africa, Australia, China and Korea.   

 

ABOUT GRIPPO STAGE COMPANY

Grippo Stage Company, a 501 (c) (3) public charity, produces new plays and revivals of classic works of theater in the Chicago metropolitan area. Previous productions include The Ben Hecht Show (world premiere) written and performed by James Sherman; Confessions of a P.I.M. P. (co-production with Dennis Zacek), written and performed by Tony Award-winning actor Andre De Shields and The God of Issac (Chicago revival) by James Sherman. Grippo Stage currently partners with pianist/actor/author Hershey Felder to present streaming shows from Florence, Italy.  Upcoming for May of 2023 is Shaw vs. Tunney (world premiere) by Douglas Post, based on The Prizefighter and the Playwright by Jay R. Tunney, which depicts the deep relationship between Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw and Gene Tunney, the American World Heavyweight boxing champion.

Grippo Stage Company is proud to present Chagall In School, a world premiere comedy by James Sherman (Beau Jest, The God of Isaac, The Ben Hecht Show) and directed by Georgette Verdin.  The play is inspired by the real story of the famed artist, Marc Chagall. Performances will take place August 26 - October 8, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Preview performances will be Friday, Aug. 26 at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27 at 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29 at 2 p.m.,Thursday, Sept. 1, Friday, Sept. 2 and Saturday, Sept. 3 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 4 at 2 p.m. Opening night is Tuesday, Sept. 6 at 8 p.m. The performance  schedule is Thursdays -  Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are now on sale  from $38 - $42 and information is available at 773.975.8150 or at www.theatrewit.org.

 

OPENING: GRACE Via The Interrobang Theatre Project at The Athenaeum Theatre 5/4-6/3/18

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Interrobang Theatre Project Presents

GRACE

By Craig Wright

Directed by Co-Artistic Director Georgette Verdin

May 4 – June 3, 2018 at The Athenaeum Theatre

ChiIL Live Shows will be ChiILin' with Chi, IL's Interrobang Theatre Project for the press opening on May 7, so check back shortly for my full review. 

Interrobang Theatre Project is pleased to conclude its 2017-18 Season, exploring the urgent question “What is Truth?,” with a revival of Craig Wright's darkly funny and deadly serious Broadway hit GRACE, directed by Co-Artistic Director Georgette Verdin. GRACE will play May 4 – June 3, 2018 at The Athenaeum Theatre (Studio 2), 2936 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.interrobangtheatre.org, by calling (773) 935-6875 or in person at The Athenaeum Theatre Box Office.

GRACE features Walter Brody as Karl, Evan Linder as Sam, Joe Lino as Steve and ITP ensemble member Laura Berner Taylor* as Sara.

Steve and Sarah have a plan. With nothing more than a little start-up cash and a lot of faith, the couple picks up from their Minnesota home to start a new life in sunny Florida, opening a chain of evangelically-themed motels to spread the good Word while reaping some divine financial benefits. Meanwhile, their new neighbor Sam is in an existential quandary of his own: recently widowed and badly injured, he's faithless, bitter and hardly in the mood for new friends, sent by God or otherwise. As their lives become entwined, and their destinies made clear, all three will come to question their own beliefs and fears. 

The production team for GRACE includes: Pauline Oleksy (scenic design), Noël Huntzinger* (costume designer), Richie Vavrina (lighting design), Erik Siegling (sound design/original music), Melanie Hatch (props design), Brynne Barnard* (assistant director), Lindsay Bartlett (dialect coach), Jeremiah Barr (make-up design), Claire Yearman (violence direction) and Melanie Kulas (stage manager).

*Denotes Interrobang Theatre Project Ensemble Member or Artistic Associate.

Location: The Athenaeum Theatre (Studio 2), 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago
Dates: Previews: Friday, May 4 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, May 5 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, May 6 at 2 pm

Regular run: Thursday, May 10 – Sunday, June 3, 2018
Curtain Times: Thursdays, and Fridays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 2 pm & 7:30 pm: Sundays at 2 pm. Please note: there will not be a performance on Sunday, May 20 due to Interrobang’s annual benefit.

Tickets: Previews: $17. Regular run: $32. Students $17 with ID. (Ticket prices include $2 Athenaeum Theatre restoration fee). Tickets are currently available at www.interrobangtheatre.org, by calling (773) 935-6875 or in person at The Athenaeum Theatre Box Office.

About the Artists:
Craig Wright (Director) is the author of Mistakes Were Made, which played at A Red Orchid Theatre, Hartford Stage, and the Barrow Street Theater; Blind, which played at Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre; The Gray Sisters, which played at Third Rail Rep; The Unseen, which was produced at Actors Theater of Louisville and Stages Rep with Lady, which was commissioned by and received its world premiere from the Northlight Theatre, and was subsequently produced at Rattlestick and around the country; Grace, which premiered at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (nominated for the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play); Recent Tragic Events, which debuted at Woolly and was produced at Playwrights Horizons (finalist for the American Theatre Critics New Play Award and the Helen Hayes Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play); Melissa Arctic, a contemporary adaptation of The Winter’s Tale, which premiered at the Folger Theatre (2005 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play) and was done at Two River Theater; Main Street, commissioned and premiered by the Great American History Theatre; Orange Flower Water, produced at Steppenwolf (Chicago Sun-Times named it one of the Best of the Year); Molly’s Delicious, which debuted at the Arden Theatre (Barrymore nomination for Best New Play) and played at Arizona Theatre Company; The Pavilion, which had dozens of productions around the country, including an extended run at Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre (Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding New Play). Mr. Wright received an Emmy nomination for an episode he wrote of Six Feet Under. He also wrote for Twilight, and served as writer and producer for Lost, Brothers & Sisters, United States of Tara, and his own series on ABC Dirty Sexy Money. A graduate of United Theological Seminary, Mr. Wright lives in Los Angeles and New York.

Georgette Verdin (Director) is Co-Artistic Director of Interrobang Theatre Project, as well as a freelance director, arts educator and arts integration specialist. She was the founding theatre teacher at Polaris Charter Academy, an Expeditionary Learning School in West Humboldt Park where she taught full time for eight years, in addition to teaching speech at the collegiate level. Her recent Interrobang credits include the 2013 Yale Drama Series Winner Still by Jen Silverman, Recent Tragic Events also by Craig Wright (Jeff Recommended) and Katrina: Mother-In-Law of ‘Em All by Rob Florence. Last spring she directed Time Stands Still (Jeff Recommended) for Aston Rep and will be returning to direct Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen as part of their Four by Tenn short play festival honoring Tennessee Williams. Other upcoming projects include assistant directing Lookingglass’ production of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Georgette holds a Bachelor's in Theatre Performance from McNeese State University and a Master's in Directing from Roosevelt University. 



About Interrobang Theatre Project
Now in its eighth season, Interrobang Theatre Project, under the artistic leadership of Georgette Verdin and James Yost, has been hailed by the Chicago Tribune as a “company to watch” and by Time Out Chicago as “one of Chicago’s most promising young theatre companies.” Chris Jones called Foxfinder, which kicked off Interrobang’s 2017-18 season, “...a ripping good yarn,” earning it 3.5 stars in the Chicago Tribune. Season seven earned seven non-Equity Jeff Nominations, including Best Director, Production of a Play, Solo Performance and acting nominations for Lead Actor, Actress and Actor in a Supporting Role. Productions have included the world premiere of Calamity West’s Ibsen is Dead (Jeff Recommended), and the Jeff Recommended The Pitchfork Disney, Orange Flower Water, Recent Tragic Events, The Amish Project, The North Pool and Falling. Director James Yost’s critically-acclaimed Really Really was one of six shows chosen for Chicago Tribune’s “Best of 2015 in Chicago Fringe Theater.”

What’s an interrobang?
An interrobang is the combination of a question mark and an exclamation point, joining the Latin for “question” (interro) with a proofreading term for “exclamation” (bang). Through the plays we produce, Interrobang Theatre Project aims to pose worthwhile and exciting questions which challenge our understanding and assumptions of who we are and the world in which we live. 

For more information, please visit www.interrobangtheatreproject.org.