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Showing posts with label Griffin Theatre Company. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Griffin Theatre Company. Show all posts

Thursday, June 12, 2025

World Premiere of GIRLS & BOYS Via Griffin Theatre Company at Bramble Arts Loft July 11 - August 16, 2025

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GRIFFIN THEATRE COMPANY 

ANNOUNCES THE MIDWEST PREMIERE OF 

GIRLS & BOYS 

AT BRAMBLE ARTS LOFT, JULY 11 - AUGUST 16, 

WRITTEN BY DENNIS KELLY 

DIRECTED BY ROBIN WITT

This Solo Performance that’s Equal Parts Hilarious and Harrowing Stars Cynthia Marker 

Griffin Theatre Company, is proud to announce the midwest premiere of Girls & Boys, written by Dennis Kelly and directed by Robin Witt, July 11 - August 16 at Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N Clark St. Previews for Girls & Boys are Friday, July 11, Saturday, July 12, Thursday, July 17 and  Friday July 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 13 at 3 p.m. The press opening is Saturday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m. The regular performance schedule is Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Girls & Boys has an approximate runtime of 90 minutes with no intermission. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 6 for $30- $43 and may be purchased at GriffinTheatre.com.

When a woman meets the man of her dreams, their whirlwind romance promises a future full of happiness and fulfillment. Their lives are painted with the vibrancy of passion, success and the joys of parenthood. Yet, as their ambitions escalate and subtle fractures begin to emerge, the veneer of their idyllic existence starts to crumble, leading to the unimaginable. A powerful and unflinching exploration of love and the dark truths that lie beneath, Girls & Boys is told with biting humor and raw emotion--a masterclass in storytelling that’s equal parts hilarious and harrowing.

Girls & Boys will be performed by Cynthia Marker as “Woman,” understudied by Andrea Uppling.

The Girls & Boys creative team includes Robin Witt (director); Sotirios Livaditis (scenic design); Brandon Wardell (lighting design); Jessical Wardell (costume design); Thomas Dixon (sound design); Paloma Locsin (properties design); Matthew Chase (production management); Grace Elizabeth Mealey (stage management); Adam Goldstein (dialect coach); Harrison Ornelas (technical director) and Joe Johnson (asst. scenic designer).  


ABOUT DENNIS KELLY, playwright

DENNIS KELLY (Playwright) is a British screenwriter and playwright.  Born in Barnet, North London, Kelly left school at age sixteen. While working at a Sainsbury's grocery store, Kelly became involved in local youth theatre. Kelly later pursued a degree in Drama and Theatre Arts at Goldsmiths College in South London. Kelly's first play, Debris, was well-received. After a string of other successful plays (Orphans, Love and Money) , Kelly co-wrote the BBC Three sitcom Pulling, which was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award in 2007. Kelly is also known for co-writing Matilda the Musical (Tony Award - Best Book of a Musical) and for his 2007 play DNA, which has been staged and taught in many secondary schools.

ABOUT ROBIN WITT, director

For Griffin Theatre, Robin Witt has directed For Services Rendered, London Wall (Jeff Award), Men Should Weep (Jeff Award), Flare Path (Jeff Nomination) and Stage Door (Jeff Nomination).  She is also a member at Steep Theatre where she recently directed A SlowAir by David Harrower and A Case for the Existence of God by Samuel D. Hunter. Among the other productions she has helmed for Steep are Simon Stephens’s Light Falls, Harper Regan and Wastewater, Alistair McDowall’s Pomona and Brilliant Adventures, as well as Cordelia Lynn’s Lela & Co (Jeff Award) and Dennis Kelly’s Love and Money. Other theatres she has worked for include Steppenwolf, Goodman, Northlight, Writers Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Edinburgh Theatre Festival, Everyman Theatre (Baltimore), A Red Orchid and The Artistic Home. Her essay,  “Interview theatre and the Dream Act: Activism through raising community voices” may be found in “DREAM Act Activists & Teacher Allies: Are You Listening?” (Teachers College Press). She is a professor of directing at UNC Charlotte and holds a BFA from New York University Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA from Northwestern University. As an actor, she last appeared on stage in A Red Orchid’s production of Bug by Tracy Letts in 2001. Robin is the daughter of the late actor Howard Witt.

ABOUT CYNTHIA MARKER, (Woman)

Cynthia Marker is a member of Steep Theatre where she has appeared in Light Falls, Mosquitoes, Linda, Birdland, Earthquakes in London and Moment. Marker most recently played the role of “Dean Healy” in First Floor Theater's premiere of One Party Consent. An alum of The School at Steppenwolf, she is ecstatic to return to Griffin and resume her work with the indomitable and incomparable Robin Witt.

ABOUT ANDREA UPPLING (Woman U/S)

Andrea Uppling is very excited to be working with Griffin Theatre Co. and these amazing creators. Recent credits include her work with Paramount Theatre in What the Constitution Means to Me (“Heidi” U/S) and A Streetcar Named Desire (“Eunice,” “Blanche” U/S) as well as The Winter's Tale (“Hermione”) and the Jeff Award-winning Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (‘Martha”) at Invictus Theatre Co.


ABOUT THE GRIFFIN THEATRE COMPANY

Established in 1988, the mission of the Griffin Theatre Company is to create extraordinary and meaningful theatrical experiences for both children and adults by building bridges of understanding between generations that instill in its audience an appreciation of the performing arts. Through artistic collaboration the Griffin Theatre Company produces literary adaptations, original work and classic plays that challenge and inspire, with wit, style and compassion for the audience. 

The Griffin Theatre has provided a wide range of work including world and mid-west premieres of acclaimed scripts, critically lauded productions of Shakespeare and original adaptations of novels.  Many of the Griffin’s 150 plus productions have appeared on Chicago area critics “Best of the Year” lists. The Griffin Theatre Company is the recipient of 140 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations for theater excellence in Chicago. The Griffin was honored with four 2018 Jeff awards for Ragtime including Best Ensemble, Best Musical, Best Director-Musical and Best Performer in a Supporting Role-Musical. Additionally, the company was the repeat winner of the 2016 Jeff Award for Best Production of a Play for London Wall having won the same award in 2015 for its production of Men Should Weep. In 2014, the Griffin was honored with a Special Jeff Award for  artistic excellence and its dedication to provocative and transformational theatre for Chicago  audiences as well as its touring theater that engages and enlightens youth throughout the  United States.

The Griffin is a nationally recognized producer of youth touring theatre in the United States. The Griffin’s national audience exceeds 100,000 young people and adults each year. Tours have included such prestigious venues as Cleveland Playhouse Square, Tennessee Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville, and the Cerritos Center for the Arts in Cerritos, California. Touring productions include both youth focused plays, Frindle and The Stinky Cheese Man and the Griffin’s hit adult production of Letters Home—a production that pays tribute to the men and women in the US military, In to America, a play that traces America’s 400-year immigrant history and Ghosts of War. Most recently, the Griffin produced the world premiere production of Astronaut Group I, the story of the original Mercury 7 Astronauts. Overall, Griffin’s touring productions have been performed in 44 of the 50 United States.

Griffin Theatre Company, is proud to announce the midwest premiere of Girls & Boys, written by Dennis Kelly and directed by Robin Witt, July 11 - August 16 at Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N Clark St. Previews for Girls & Boys are Friday, July 11, Saturday, July 12,  Thursday, July 17 and Friday July 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 13 at 3 p.m. The press opening is Saturday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m. The regular performance schedule is Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Girls & Boys has an approximate runtime of 90 minutes with no intermission. Tickets go on sale Thursday, June 5 for $30- $43 and may be purchased at GriffinTheatre.com.



Thursday, October 6, 2022

Midwest Premiere of MARYS SEACOLE Via Griffin Theatre Company October 1 – November 6, 2022 at Raven Theatre

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Midwest Premiere!

Griffin Theatre Company Launches 33rd Season with

MARYS SEACOLE

By Jackie Sibblies Drury

Directed by Jerrell L. Henderson and Hannah Todd

October 1 – November 6, 2022 at Raven Theatre

Griffin Theatre Company is pleased to launch its 33rd season with the Midwest premiere drama Marys Seacole by Pulitzer Prize winner Jackie Sibblies Drury, directed by Jerrell L. Henderson and Hannah Todd, playing October 1 – November 6, 2022 on Raven Theatre’s Schwartz Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. in Chicago. Tickets now on sale at www.griffintheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177. I'll be out for the press opening, October 9th, so check back soon for my full review.

Marys Seacole is a dazzling tribute to the 19th century British-Jamaican nurse who crossed battle and race lines to chart her own course in history. Moving from past to present, through space and time, Drury's kaleidoscopic new play follows one woman's extraordinary journey from the battlefields of the Crimean War to a modern-day nursing home. From the acclaimed writer who won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fairview, comes this Midwest premiere that challenges us to question our notions of sacrifice and selfishness, and the cherished perception of women as caregivers. The New York Times hailed Marys Seacole as "breathless and radiant" and The New Yorker Magazine called it "revelatory."

The production features Izzie Jones, Stephanie Mattos, RjW Mays, Jesi Mullins, India Whiteside and Mackenzie Williams. Understudies include Madeline Bunke, Sierra Coachman, Laura Coover and Liv J. Wilson.

  PHOTO CREDIT: The creative team for Griffin Theatre Company’s Midwest premiere of Marys Seacole includes (left to right) playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury and directors Jerrell L. Henderson and Hannah Todd.

The production team to date includes Joe Johnson (Scenic Design), Anna Wooden (Costume Design), Matt Sharp (Lighting Design), L. J. Luthringer (Sound Design), Ivy Treccani (Properties Design), Adam Goldstein (Dialect Coach), Jesi Mullins (Fight Choreography, Violence Design), Matthew Chase (Production Manager), Danny Halminiak (Technical Director), Karen Wallace (Assistant Lighting Design, Head Electrician) and Anna Walker (Stage Manager).

Cast (in alphabetical order): Izzie Jones (Miriam), Stephanie Mattos (Mary), RjW Mays (Duppy Mary), Jesi Mullins (May), India Whiteside (Merry) and Mackenzie Williams (Mamie). Understudies: Madeline Bunke, Sierra Coachman, Laura Coover and Liv J. Wilson.

Location: Raven Theatre’s Schwartz Stage, 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Saturday October 1 at 7:30 pm, Sunday, October 2 at 3 pm, Thursday, October 6 at 7:30 pm, Friday, October 7 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, October 8 at 7:30 pm

Press performance: Sunday, October 9 at 7 pm

Regular run: Thursday, October 12 – Sunday, November 6, 2022

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be a 3 pm performance on Sunday, October 9.

Tickets: Previews $30. Regular run $40. Students/active military and veterans $15. Group discounts are available for groups of ten or more. Tickets available at www.griffintheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177.

 

About the Artists

Jackie Sibblies Drury (Playwright) plays include Marys Seacole (Obie Award), Fairview (2019 Pulitzer Prize), Really, Social Creatures and We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884–1915. Her work has been produced at Lincoln Center Theater, Soho Rep., Berkeley Rep, New York City Players & Abrons Arts Center, Victory Gardens, Trinity Rep, Woolly Mammoth, Undermain Theatre, InterAct Theatre Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Company One and Bush Theatre. Drury has developed her work at Sundance, the Bellagio Center, The Ground Floor at Berkeley Rep, the Soho Rep. Writer/Director LAB, New York Theatre Workshop, the Bushwick Starr, The Lark, and The MacDowell Colony, among others. She has received the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, a Jerome Fellowship at The Lark, a United States Artists Fellowship, a Helen Merrill Playwriting Award and a Windham–Campbell Literary Prize in Drama.

Jerrell L. Henderson (Director) is a Theatre Director, Puppeteer, and African American Theatre Historian and Archivist. Through the mediums of theatre and/or puppetry and film, Jerrell seeks to disrupt generational curses of self-hate (i.e. racism, homophobia, religious intolerance, etc.). Intellectually curious and emotionally dexterous, Jerrell is at home in a number of wide-ranging genres including, but not limited to, American Realism, Magical Realism, Traditional and Contemporary Musical Theatre, Poetic Black-Queer Narratives and Live Spectacle Events. He is the League of Chicago Theatres recipient of the 2022 Samuel G. Roberson, Jr. Resident Fellowship. He will present an original shadow play titled, AmericanMYTH: Crossroads with Free Street Theatre in Fall 2023. Recent directing credits include Reverie by James Ijames (2022 Pulitzer Prize recipient for Fat Ham) with Azuka Theatre and Mlima’s Tale with Griffin Theatre (Jeff Award nomination for Direction and Best Play). Others credits include The River with BoHo Theatre and Untitled with Inis Nua (Barrymore Award nomination for Outstanding Direction of a Play). Puppet short films include a filmed version of his signature puppetry piece, I Am The Bear with The Chicago International Puppet Theatre Festival. Other puppet short films include, Hamlin: La Revue Sombre with Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams and Diamond’s Dream with Chicago Children’s Theatre. His Juneteenth Puppet Protest: The Welcome Table was featured in the New York Times (June 2020) and his Fall 2020 puppetry celebration of the lives of John Lewis and C.T. Vivian titled, Black Butterfly was later expanded into an educational performance piece with Tria Smith of Guild Row and a student collective working with Urban Growers Collective on Chicago’s South Side. As an assistant director, Jerrell has worked with The Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre and Lookingglass Theatre. He received his MFA in Theatre Directing from Northwestern University (2015), is an artistic associate with Black Lives, Black Words, and was a Henson Foundation sponsored participant at the Eugene O’Neill National Puppetry Conference (2020). He is on the board of Directors Gathering. (DG) is a national organization based in Philadelphia, PA which offers theatre directors consistent community, resources and elevation. As a theatre historian and archivist, Jerrell contributed to the recently released Fifty Key Musicals (Routledge Press). He authored the chapter on Shuffle Along (1921) and co-authored the chapter on The Wiz (1975). He also serves as the creator and curator of black_theatre_vinyl_archive on Instagram. black_theatre_vinyl_archive is an extensive collection of vinyl albums which highlight the contributions of members of the African Diaspora in Theatre/Musical Theatre History. He is represented by the Gurman Agency (susan@gurmanagency.com).

Hannah Todd (Director) is a Chicago-based director, where she has directed Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins (Strawdog Theatre, 2021 and upcoming in 2022), Thrones! A Musical Parody (Apollo Theater Chicago), associate directed Cambodian Rock Band (Victory Gardens/Merrimack Repertory Theater, dir. Marti Lyons) and assistant directed at Chicago Shakespeare, Lookingglass Theatre Company and Northlight Theatre. Prior to moving to Chicago, Hannah was based in Washington, DC, where she co-founded We Happy Few Productions (wehappyfewdc.com). In DC, Hannah served as Artistic Fellow at Shakespeare Theatre Company, assistant directed at Folger Theater, Shakespeare Theatre and Studio Theatre, and directed for Theater Alliance, the Capital Fringe Festival, Lean & Hungry Theatre/WAMU 88.5 and the Source Festival. With We Happy Few, Hannah directed critically acclaimed productions of Hamlet, The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, The Winter’s Tale, The Dog in the Manger and Macbeth. Hannah holds a BA from Hampshire College and an MFA in Directing from Northwestern University. www.hannahtodddirector.com

The Griffin Theatre Company is partially supported by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, The Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The MacArthur Funds for Culture, Equity, and the Arts at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and the American Rescue Plan.

The Griffin Theatre Company is a Blue Star Theater and is proud to support our military enlisted and veterans. 

 




About Griffin Theatre Company

Established in 1988. the mission of the Griffin Theatre Company is to create extraordinary and meaningful theatrical experiences for both children and adults by building bridges of understanding between generations that instill in its audience an appreciation of the performing arts. Through artistic collaboration the Griffin Theatre Company produces literary adaptations, original work and classic plays that challenge and inspire, with wit, style and compassion for the audience.

The Griffin Theatre Company is the recipient of 125 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations for theater excellence in Chicago. The Griffin was honored with four 2018 Jeff awards for Ragtime including Best Ensemble, Best Musical, Best Director-Musical and Best Performer in a Supporting Role-Musical. Additionally, the company was the repeat winner of the 2016 Jeff Award for Best Production of a Play for London Wall having won the same award in 2015 for its production of Men Should Weep.

In addition, the Griffin is a nationally recognized producer of youth touring theatre in the United States. The Griffin’s national audience exceeds 100,000 young people and adults each year. Tours have included such prestigious venues as Cleveland Playhouse Square, Tribeca Performing Arts Center in New York City, Tennessee Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville and the Cerritos Center for the Arts in Cerritos, California. Touring productions have included both youth focused plays, Frindle and The Stinky Cheese Man and the Griffin’s hit adult production of Letters Home—a production that pays tribute to the men and women in the US military, In to America, a play that traces America’s 400 year immigrant history and Ghosts of War. Most recently, the Griffin produced the world premiere production of the Emmy Award-winning children’s television show, Innovation Nation-LIVE. Overall, Griffin’s touring productions have been performed in 45 of our United States.

For additional information, visit www.griffintheatre.com.

COVID-19 safety: Raven Theatre will require patrons to wear a face mask at all times inside the building (when not eating or drinking in the lobby). The theatre will no longer require patrons to provide proof of vaccination to attend a production. If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, please contact the box office to reschedule your tickets free of charge. For all of Raven’s current COVID-19 protocols, visit raventheatre.com/covid-19.



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