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Showing posts with label Isaac Gomez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Isaac Gomez. Show all posts

Monday, December 9, 2019

Steep Theatre Casting Announced for The Leopard Play, or sad songs for lost boys

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar
The Leopard Play, or sad songs for lost boys
By Isaac Gomez
Directed by Laura Alcalá Baker
January 24 – February 29, 2020


Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we're excited for the upcoming Isaac Gomez Commission at Steep Theatre. He's a favorite Chicago playwright of ours, and this year I got to know him personally when I had the honor of being accepted for a playwriting intensive he co-led. I'll be out for the press opening, January 24th, so check back soon for my full review.


Isaac Gomez

All families have secrets, but some live in an underbelly too dark to even whisper about. After ten years of walking away, Son returns to his home along the U.S./Mexican border searching for answers about his uncle’s mysterious death, but what he finds there are the men he tried to escape and the memories he thought he left behind. The Leopard Play, or sad songs for lost boys is an excavation of truth amidst lies, intimacy amidst violence, and a reckoning of learning how to love the very thing you hate the most. 

Laura Alcalá Baker will direct Steep’s second commissioned play, Isaac Gomez’ The Leopard Play, or sad songs for lost boys, opening January 24. Gomez has quickly become one of Chicago’s, and the nation’s, most exciting playwrights with productions being staged throughout the country. Alcalá Baker and Gomez recently collaborated on the world premiere production of his the way she spoke, and both are making their Steep Theatre debuts.

The Leopard Play, or sad songs for lost boys will feature Steep Company Member Brandon Rivera with Sebastian Arboleda, Alec Coles Perez, Eduardo Curley-Carrillo, Arash Fakhrabadi, Dennis Garcia, Victor Maraña, and Juan Muñoz, all making their Steep debuts.

This new work is the fifth Steep world premiere in as many years. Steep has premiered work from Hamish Linklater and notable Chicago playwrights Alex Lubischer, Calamity West, Ike Holter, and now Gomez. “It’s been a dream to collaborate with Isaac throughout this development process,” said Artistic Director Peter Moore. “He and Laura have an inspiring partnership and they’ve assembled a brilliant team to bring this powerful story to life.”

About the Playwright
Isaac Gomez is an award-winning Chicago-based playwright originally from El Paso, Texas / Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. His play La Ruta received its world premiere at Steppenwolf Theater Company this past Winter. His one-woman show the way she spoke premiered Off-Broadway at the Minetta Lane Theatre (produced by Audible) in Summer 2019. He is currently under commission from South Coast Repertory, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and Steep Theatre. His plays have been supported by Steppenwolf, Primary Stages, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, Albany Park Theater Project, WaterTower Theater, Haven Theater, Greenhouse Theater Center, Pivot Arts, and many others. He is the recipient of the 2018 Dramatists Guild Lanford Wilson Award, the 2017 Jeffry Melnick New Playwright Award at Primary Stages, an inaugural 3Arts “Make A Wave” grantee, a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists, an Artistic Associate with Victory Gardens Theater, Ensemble Member with Teatro Vista, Artistic Associate with Pivot Arts, and an advisory committee member of the Latinx Theatre Commons (LTC). He is a Professional Lecturer at The Theatre School at DePaul University, and is represented by The Gersh Agency and Circle of Confusion.

About the Director
Laura Alcalá Baker is a Chicago-based director and casting director. She served as the Casting Director and Artistic Programs Manager at Victory Gardens Theater from 2016-2019 leading programs such as The Access Project and Directors’ Inclusion Initiative. While at working at B Street Theatre, CA, as an Artistic Associate, she directed Equivocation, The Giver, 11:11, Collapse and assistant directed May Adrales on Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them.  Shifting her focus to new play development, Laura directed the world premiere of Isaac Gomez’s The Way She Spoke: A Docu-mythologia (DCASE, Greenhouse Theater Center). Other select Chicago pieces include: There is No Message in the Message, Shamed (The Gift Theatre’s TEN), Project Potential (Broken Nose Theatre’s Bechdel Fest), Jets, Sharks, and Beckys (Collaboraction's Peacebook Festival) and assistant directing Seth Bockley on the world-premiere of Samsara by Lauren Yee (Victory Gardens Theater). Most recently, she directed the audio drama BRAVA by Nancy Garcia Loza (Make-Believe Association) which is available on all podcast platforms. Laura has continually sought out creative means for accessibility in the theatre through directing programs such as Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium’s Access Live, which provides theatre leaders a live example of growing practices integrated with accessibility in mind. Laura is a proud member of the Alliance of Latinx Theatre Artists and was nominated for 'Best Casting Director' at the 2018 ALTA Awards.



About Steep Theatre
Housed in what was once a small grocery store, steps from the Berwyn Red Line stop, and lead by an ensemble of 41 actors, directors, designers, writers, and other theatre artists, Steep is the quintessential storefront theatre. Described by Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune as "the most fearless theater in town," Steep creates powerful productions of plays by today's most exciting writers and features the work of Chicago's hottest theatre artists in an intimate, accessible space. Currently in its 19th season, Steep is known as a home for hard-hitting, finely tuned ensemble work. With each production, the company has shepherded a growing community of audiences and artists into bold new territories of story and performance.

Steep Theatre is conveniently located by the Berwyn Red Line stop and is within blocks of the #92, #36, #146, #147, and #151 buses.

About Chicago Theatre Week
Chicago Theatre Week is an annual celebration of the rich tradition of theatre-going in Chicago during which visitors and residents can access value-priced tickets. As a program of the League of Chicago Theatres, in partnership with Choose Chicago, CTW is heading into its eighth year and will take place February 13-23, 2020. More than 100 theatre productions are expected to participate in neighborhoods throughout the city and suburbs. Find more information at ChicagoTheatreWeek.com.

WHERE:                 
Steep Theatre
1115 West Berwyn Ave., Chicago, IL 60640

WHEN:
January 24 – February 29, 2020
Previews: January 18 – 23, 2020
Press Opening: Friday, January 24, 8:00pm
Schedule:
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8pm
Sunday matinees at 3pm
Accessible Performances:
-Audio Description: Saturday, February 15, 8pm
-Open Captioning: Saturday, February 22, 8pm & Sunday, February 23, 3pm
Chicago Theatre Week: February 15 – 23

BOX OFFICE:
General Admission Tickets: $27
Reserved Seat Tickets: $39
Access Tickets: $10 (Steep’s universal discount for students, artists, whomever)
(773) 649-3186
www.steeptheatre.com

GENERAL INFORMATION:
www.steeptheatre.com
773-649-3186
info@steeptheatre.com
Twitter: @SteepTheatre
Facebook: SteepTheatre



CAST:
Sebastian Arboleda*
Alec Coles Perez 
Eduardo Curley-Carrillo 
Arash Fakhrabadi 
Dennis Garcia 
Victor Maraña 
Juan Muñoz 
Brandon Riveraˆ

PRODUCTION TEAM:
Director – Laura Alcalá Baker
Stage Manager – Jon Ravenscroftˆˆ
Set Designer – Arnel Sancianco
Lighting Designer – Alexander Ridgers
Sound Designer – Thomas Dixonˆ
Costume Designer – Uriel Gomez
Props Designer – Emma Cullimore
Intimacy & Violence Director – Micah Figueroa
Choreographer – Breon Arzell
Dramaturg – Lucas Garcia
Production Manager – Catherine Allenˆˆ
Technical Director – Evan Sposato
Assistant Director – Ismael Lara

ˆ Steep Company Member
ˆˆ Steep Artistic Associate
* Appearing through an Agreement between Steep Theatre and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States


Martyna Majok

Ironbound
By Martyna Majok
Directed by Jonathan Berryˆ 
April 17 – May 23, 2020
Press Opening: April 17 at 8:00

Twenty-two years, three relationships, and one New Jersey bus stop tell the story of Darja’s journey through the American Dream. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martyna Majok’s Ironbound navigates the murky waters of love, security, immigration, and mobility with heartbreaking humor.


Cast:
Lucy Carapetyanˆ 
Jeffery Freelon, Jr
Joel Reitsmaˆ*
Brandon Riveraˆ

ˆ Steep Company Member
* Member of Actors' Equity Association


Sunday, December 2, 2018

OPENING: World Premiere of La Ruta to Feature Featuring All-Female Latinx Cast December 13, 2018 - January 27, 2019

Chi, IL Live Shows on our radar
World Premiere
La Ruta
Written by Isaac Gomez
Directed by ensemble member Sandra Marquez

Featuring an all-female cast of some of the most dynamic Latinx actors in Chicago!


December 13, 2018 - January 27, 2019
RUNNING TIME: 1 hour and 40 minutes (no intermission)

I'll be out for the press opening Dec 21st, so check back soon for my full review. 


Cast includes: Ensemble member Karen Rodriguez (Ivonne) with Charin Alvarez (Marisela); Cher Alvarez (Brenda); Laura Crotte (Desamaya); Sandra Delgado (Yoli); Mari Marroquin (Zaide); and Alice da Cunha and Isabella Gerasole (Women of Juarez).



I AM ANGRY. I AM HEARTBROKEN. BUT THE HEART OF A WOMAN BEATS FURIOUSLY IN A MILLION DIRECTIONS AT ONCE, EVEN WHEN IT’S SHATTERED INTO A MILLION PIECES.

ABOUT THIS SHOW
To the U.S.-owned factories in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, La Ruta is just a bus. But to the women who live, work and often disappear along the route, it's so much more than that. Inspired by real testimonies, and using live music to evoke factory work and protest marches, La Ruta is a visceral unearthing of secrets buried in the desert and a celebration of the Mexican women who stand resiliently in the wake of loss.

Isaac Gomez is an award-winning Chicago-based playwright, originally from El Paso, Texas/Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. An important work from a powerful young voice, we are proud to feature the world premiere of Isaac Gomez’s La Ruta with Sandra Marquez in her Steppenwolf directing debut and an all-female cast of Chicago’s most dynamic Latinx artists.

FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT
“Every single woman in this play is based on a real person. And although some names have been changed for their protection, the violence they face and their resilience have not. I made a promise to these women that their stories would be heard by as many people as humanly possible, and through this world premiere at Steppenwolf, we are one step closer to keeping that promise -- to bear witness and carry their stories forward. As a queer Mexicano from the border, I owe my entire existence to Mexican women. This play is for them. Para todas. Para siempre.”


CONTENT ADVISORY
Steppenwolf does not offer advisories about subject matter, as sensitivities vary from person to person.If you have any questions about content, age-appropriateness or stage effects (such as strobe lights or theatrical fog) that might have a bearing on patron comfort, please contact the box office at 312-335-1650.

EVENTS AND OFFERS
Wednesdays – $25 Cultural Industry days (matinees and evening shows, use code CULTURAL)
Thursdays – pay your age and 2-for-1 credit nights for RED Card members
Fridays – pre-show live DJ at Front Bar Dec 21, 28, Jan 4, 11, 18, 25
Saturdays – 2-for-1 credit matinees for Black Card members
Sundays – post-show events following matinees in January

Memberships–More flexibility + perks

6 OR MORE $10 DISCOUNT
Get a group together and save.

For a limited time, groups of 6+ can get a discount on tickets to Familiar and LaRuta. Enter code 44393, get $10 off each ticket—the more the merrier.

SPECIAL PERFORMANCES
Preview performances:
December 13 - December 19

ASL interpretation:
Sunday, January 6 at 7:30pm

Open-captioned:
Thursday, January 10 at 7:30 and Saturday, January 26 at 3pm

Audio-described and touch tour:
Sunday, January 13 touch tour at 1:30, performance at 3pm

This December, Steppenwolf Theatre Company is proud to present the world premiere production of La Ruta by acclaimed Chicago playwright Isaac Gomez, directed by ensemble member Sandra Marquez. Featuring ensemble member Karen Rodriguez along with an eight-member all female Latinx cast, La Ruta is inspired by the lives of Mexican women who live, work—and disappear—along a Ciudad Juárez bus route. La Ruta weaves live music through a story of resilience in the wake of loss.

La Ruta begins previews December 13, 2018 and the production runs through January 27, 2019 in the Upstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted St). Press performances are Thursday, December 20, 2018 at 7pm and Friday, December 21 at 7:30pm; opening night is Thursday, December 20. Single tickets ($20-$89) go on sale this Friday, October 19 at 11am through Audience Services at 312-335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

Playwright Isaac Gomez shares, “Every single woman in this play is based on a real person. And although some names have been changed for their protection, the violence they face and their resilience have not. I made a promise to these women that their stories would be heard by as many people as humanly possible, and through this world premiere at Steppenwolf, we are one step closer to keeping that promise -- to bear witness and carry their stories forward. As a queer Mexicano from the border, I owe my entire existence to Mexican women. This play is for them. Para todas. Para siempre.”

For tickets or more information, contact Audience Services (1650 N Halsted St) at 312-335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.
  
Visitor Information
Steppenwolf is located at 1650 N Halsted St near all forms of public transportation, bike racks and Divvy bike stands. The parking facility ($12 or $14, cash or card) is located just south of our theater at 1624 N Halsted. Valet parking service ($14 cash) is available directly in front of the main entrance starting at 5pm on weeknights, 1pm on weekends and at 12noon before Wednesday matinees. Limited street and lot parking are also available. For last minute questions and concerns, patrons can call the Steppenwolf Parking Hotline at 312.335.1774.

Accessibility
Committed to making the Steppenwolf experience accessible to everyone, performances featuring American Sign Language Interpretation, Open Captioning and Audio Description are offered during the run of each play. Assistive listening devices and large-print programs are available for every performance and the Downstairs and 1700 Theatres are each equipped with an induction hearing loop. All theaters feature wheelchair accessible seating and restrooms, and Front Bar features a push-button entrance, all-gender restrooms and accessible counter and table spaces.

Sponsor Information
United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf.

Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks
Connected to the main lobby is Steppenwolf’s own Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks, offering a warm, creative space to grab a drink, have a bite, or meet up with friends and collaborators, day or night. Open Tuesdays – Sundays from 8am to midnight, Front Bar serves artisanal coffee and espresso is provided by La Colombe and food prepared by Goddess and Grocer. The menu focuses on fresh, accessible fare, featuring grab-and-go salads and sandwiches for lunch and adding shareable small plates and desserts for evening and post show service. front-bar.com.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation’s premier ensemble theater. Formed by a collective of actors in 1976, the ensemble represents a remarkable cross-section of actors, directors and playwrights. Thrilling and powerful productions from Balm in Gilead to August: Osage County and Pass Over—and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony Awards—have made the theater legendary. Steppenwolf produces hundreds of performances and events annually in its three spaces: the 515-seat Downstairs Theatre, the 299-seat Upstairs Theatre and the 80-seat 1700 Theatre. 

Artistic programing includes a seven- play season; a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season; Visiting Company engagements; and LookOut, a multi-genre performances series. Education initiatives include the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf for Young Adults, which engages 15,000 participants annually from Chicago’s diverse communities; the esteemed School at Steppenwolf; and Professional Leadership Programs for arts administration training. 

While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, nearly 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director and David Schmitz is the Executive Director. Eric Lefkofsky is Chair of Steppenwolf’s Board of Trustees. 



Ticket and Production Info
Dates: December 13, 2018 – January 27, 2019

Previews: December 13 – 19, 2018
Opening: Thursday, December 20, 2018 at 7pm
Regular Run: December 21, 2018 – January 27, 2019

Accessible Performances:
American Sign Language Interpretation: Sunday, Open Captioning: Thursday, January 10 at 7:30pm and Audio Description and Touch Tour:
Curtain Times: Tuesday – Friday at 7:30pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm and 7:30pm

Ticket prices:
Previews: $20 – $76, Regular Run: $20 – $89. Prices subject to change
20 for $20: Twenty $20 tickets are available for subscription shows on the day of the performance at 11am (Mon – Sat) and 1pm (Sun), by phone only at 312-335-1650. Limit 2 per person.
Rush Tickets: Half-price rush tickets are available one hour before each show.
Student Discounts: Limited $15 student tickets are available online. (Limit 2 tickets. Must present a valid student ID for each ticket). steppenwolf.org/students.

Group Tickets: All groups of 10 or more receive a discounted rate for any performance. Black Card Memberships are for audiences interested in extreme flexibility. Cards include six tickets for use any time, for any production including the LookOut Series. The tickets are valid for one year with the option to add additional tickets as needed. Perks include easy and free exchanges, access to seats before the general public, savings on single ticket prices and bar and restaurant discounts for pre- and post-show socializing. Red Card Memberships are available for theatergoers under 30.
More info at steppenwolf.org/memberships

For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

Monday, May 28, 2018

OPENING: World Premiere of The Displaced Via Haven Theatre at The Den Theatre

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Haven Theatre Present the World Premiere of
THE DISPLACED
By Isaac Gomez
Directed by Jo Cattell
May 31 – July 1, 2018 at The Den Theatre


Haven Theatre is pleased to conclude its 2017-18 Season with the world premiere of THE DISPLACED, an electrifying thriller exploring the heartbreak of gentrification and the scars we leave on each other. Written by Isaac Gomez and directed by Jo Cattell, THE DISPLACED will play May 31 – July 1, 2018 at The Den Theatre's Janet Bookspan Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Tickets go on sale shortly at haventheatrechicago.com

THE DISPLACED features Rashaad Hall and Karen Rodriguez.

Marísa and Lev have just moved into their new Pilsen apartment in hopes of rekindling a spark that’s long been extinguished. While looking for the circuit breaker in the attic, a mysterious coconut appears, leftover from the previous tenants with a dark history inside it. The Displaced explores the wake of pain and yearning left behind when gentrification forces people out of their homes and the kind of vengeance that can come from it.

Comments Haven Artistic Director Josh Sobel, "The best horror stories, in my view, always have something deeper to say about the world we live in – a warped-mirror reflection of the reality we so often choose to ignore, an attempt to shock us into seeing. This is so much of the power and potency of Isaac Gomez's electrifying new play, The Displaced – a thriller with its heart anchored in the devastating cost of gentrification that is happening even right now in our very own city. Isaac's voice first blew me away in 2016 with his utterly riveting and ravaging The Way She Spoke, and it became immediately clear that this is someone whose point of view I dearly wanted at Haven Theatre. It is a privilege to make that dream a reality with Isaac's stunning world premiere."

The production team for THE DISPLACED includes Arnel Sancianco (scenic design), Christine Pascual (costume design), Erik Barry (lighting design), Sarah D. Espinoza (sound design), Emily Boyd (props design), Rachel Flesher (intimacy/fight/rigging design), Marika Mashburn (casting director), Rebecca Adelsheim (dramaturg), David Moreland (technical director) and MJ Dougherty (stage manager).

Location: The Den Theatre's Bookspan Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Dates: 
Previews: Thursday, May 31 at 8 pm, Friday, June 1 at 8 pm, Saturday, June 2 at 8 pm and Tuesday, June 5 at 8 pm

Regular run: Thursday, June 7 – Sunday, March 11, 2018
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm.

Tickets: Previews: pay-what-you-can. Regular run $18. Tickets on sale at haventheatrechicago.com.

Artist Biographies
Isaac Gomez (Playwright) is a playwright and dramaturg currently working as the Director of New Play Development at Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago where he curates the Public Programs series, directs the new play development department and heads the IGNITION Festival of New Plays. As a playwright, he has worked with the Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theater Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Victory Gardens Theater, Pivot Arts, American Theater Company, Chicago Dramatists, Teatro Vista, Definition Theater Company, Greenhouse Theater Center, Sideshow Theater Company, Broken Nose Theater and Something Marvelous. He is the Co-Creative Director at the Alliance of Latinx Theatre Artists in Chicago where he runs and is a participant of El Semillero: ALTA Chicago's Latinx Playwrights Circle, a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists, an Ensemble Member with Teatro Vista, Artistic Associate with Pivot Arts, Artistic Curator for Theater on the Lake 2017/2018, a steering committee member of the Latinx Theatre Commons (LTC) and an artistic community member at The Hypocrites in Chicago. He is also a Professional Lecturer of Theater Studies at The Theatre School at DePaul University. 

Jo Cattell (Director) is currently creating An Epic Tale of Scale for Chicago Childrens’ Theatre, with Henry Wishcamper for performance in 2018. She is part of the LightPoets (along with dandypunk and Darin Basile), whose immersive theatre show, HEARTCORPS: Riders of the Storyboard premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and is currently in development for a full production. Recent credits: Associate Director on Shakespeare in Love (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Tumbao (Steppenwolf 1700 Theatre), Don Chipotle: Origin, a pilot webisode. Jo has worked with numerous theatre and television companies, including the BBC, Sky Television, Cirque du Soleil, Chicago the Musical (West End, Korean/Japanese Tour), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (West End), Stomp Out Loud (Las Vegas), Pentabus Theatre, Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater, Goodman Theatre, Route 66, Origin Theatre, Leviathan Lab and Culture Project. Jo was awarded the 3Arts Award for her work as a theatre maker in 2016.


About Haven Theatre:
NEXT GENERATION. NEW CANON. SOCIAL PROFIT.

We exist to be a Haven for The Future. We achieve this through championing the next generation of playwrights, directors and actors by producing and promoting plays and performances that are staking their claim as the immediate future of this art form, and by investing in those at the very beginning of their professional journeys. Through this inspiration, we seek to ignite in each audience member a hope for the Future - the Future of theatre and performance, the Future of each other, the Future of our community.

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