Pages

Showing posts with label Madhuri Shekar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Madhuri Shekar. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

World Premiere of Dhaba on Devon Avenue at Writers Theatre June 19 – July 27, 2025

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Writers Theatre concludes its 2024/25 Season with 

the World Premiere of

Dhaba on Devon Avenue


Written by Madhuri Shekar

Directed by Chay Yew

Produced in partnership with TimeLine Theatre Company

June 19 – July 27, 2025

Writers Theatre, under the leadership of Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma and Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Artistic Director Braden Abraham, concludes its 2024/25 Season with Madhuri Shekar’s Dhaba on Devon Avenue, directed by Chay Yew. Dhaba on Devon Avenue will run June 19-July 27, 2025 in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. 

Tickets are on sale at Writers Theatre at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe; 847-242-6000; www.writerstheatre.org.  

Dhaba Canteen has been a stalwart institution on Chicago’s Devon Avenue since the ‘80s, serving up delicious Sindhi food with the power to transport diners back to the halcyon days of undivided India. Times are changing, however. With the bank threatening foreclosure and Chef Neeraj’s health in decline, the restaurant may soon be cooking up its last meal—unless sous chef Rita can convince her father to let her take over the kitchen. Rich with culinary tradition and dramatic twists, Dhaba on Devon Avenue serves up a searing Chicago-set story of family, legacy, and survival at all costs. 

This World Premiere production Dhaba on Devon Avenue is produced in partnership with TimeLine Theatre Company.

Dhaba on Devon Avenue is produced in partnership with TimeLine Theatre Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director PJ Powers and Executive Director Mica Cole.

"Writers Theatre is honored to join forces with TimeLine Theatre Company, an organization whose dedication to illuminating history through imaginative storytelling perfectly aligns with our own artistic values. This collaboration feels like a natural extension of both our missions," said Writers Theatre Artistic Director Braden Abraham. “Madhuri Shekar's vibrant new work invites audiences into the heart of Chicago's Indian community, where tradition and innovation collide in a deeply personal exploration of cultural heritage. Both funny and scathingly direct, Madhuri's timely play explores the complexities of allegiance, independence, and what it truly means to belong.”

“TimeLine is thrilled to partner with Writers Theatre, an organization that we’ve greatly admired throughout our history, not only for its mission but also its commitment to audience engagement and uplifting the esteemed artists who work on stage and behind the scenes,” said TimeLine Theatre Artistic Director PJ Powers. “It’s an honor to collaborate with them and director Chay Yew to bring to life Madhuri Shekar’s play. Delving into the rich history of Chicago’s famed Devon Avenue and Indian cuisine, this world premiere is a wonderful marriage between TimeLine and Writers, coalescing our missions and artistic aesthetics, as we present this heart-stirring and timely story about identity, culture, and legacy.”

The cast is: Isa Arciniegas (Luz Fuentes), Arya Daire (Sindhu Madhwani), Kamal Hans (Adil Jaisinghani), Anish Jethmalani (Neeraj Madhwani), and Tina Muñoz Pandya (Rita Madhwani).

The creative team includes: Chay Yew (Director), Lauren M. Nichols (Scenic Designer), Christine Pascual (Costume Designer), Christine A. Binder (Lighting Designer), Eric Backus (Sound Designer), Kristina Fluty (Intimacy Director), and Karina Patel (Dramaturg). The stage manager is Katie Klemme and the assistant stage manager is Alexis Wiley.

Dates: First performance: June 19, 2025

Press opening: Friday, June 27, at 7:30pm 

Closing performance: July 27, 2025


Performance Schedule:

Wednesdays: 3:00pm (July 2 & 16 only) and 7:30pm

Thursdays: 7:30pm 


Fridays: 7:30pm

Saturdays: 3:00pm (except June 21) and 7:30pm

Sundays: 2:00pm and 6:00pm (June 29 & July 13 only)

Open Captioned Performance: Thursday, July 10 at 7:30pm

ASL-Interpreted Performance: Saturday, July 19 at 3:00pm

Location: Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe

Prices: $35-$95

Discounts are available for students, educators, theater industry professionlas, active military personnel, veterans, police officers, firefighters, and their immediate families. Information is available at: https://www.writerstheatre.org/plan-your-visit/box-office-and-theatre-center/pricing--special-offers

Box Office: The Box Office is located at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe; 847-242-6000; www.writerstheatre.org.

Dhaba on Devon Avenue is inspired by Chicago’s South Asian community, the third largest population of South Asians in the country. The play takes place on Devon Avenue on the far north side of Chicago, an area renowned for its remarkable diversity, and a magnet for immigrants as they settle in to life in America.

DHABA ON DEVON EVENTS

South Asian Community Night 

Friday, July 11 at 6pm 

Members of the South Asian community are invited to Writers Theatre for an evening of good food, great company, and outstanding theatre! Join us for a pre-show reception and exclusive post-show discussion with members of the creative team. Enjoy happy hour specials at the WT bar and food for purchase from Highland Park’s top-rated restaurant Indus.  

Family Matinee 

Saturday, July 12 at 3pm 

Parents and caregivers can see the 3pm matinee of the production and drop their young ones off for an imaginative afternoon at a special onsite theatre class with Writers Theatre Education’s expert teaching artists.

The Restaurant Generation: South Asian cuisine and the immigrant story 

In association with TimeLine Theatre’s Sunday Scholars program 

Sunday, July 20 at 12pm 

Join local experts for a discussion of the importance of the food industry to new arrivals and the evolution of South Asian flavors in America. 

The Final Word Audience Discussion 

Sunday, July 27 at 12pm 

Join Writers Theatre Artistic staff and fellow audience members for a conversation about the themes and production elements of the show. 

Glencoe Al Fresco 

It’s too nice to eat inside! Writers Theatre, the Village of Glencoe and Glencoe Public Library invite you to WLC park for food trucks, happy hour specials, live bands and activities for the whole family on Friday nights in July. 


Upcoming Education & Engagement Programs 

Wake Up Words Family Playtime 

Sunday, June 8 at 11am

Stories jump off the page on select Sunday mornings at Writers Theatre. Each Playtime pairs a favorite story with another art form and is a unique opportunity for young children and their families to create together. Designed for ages 3-6 and their parents/caregivers, siblings welcome.  


Show & Tell Storytelling: True Colors

Tuesday, June 10 at 7pm 

Enjoy an engaging evening of storytelling at our monthly Show & Tell series. Each event features talented professional storytellers and celebrates unique themes in a relaxed environment. In June, celebrate Pride Month at True Colors, an evening of stories celebrating the queer experience. Tickets are Pay What You Can. 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Madhuri Shekar has said that Dhaba on Devon Avenue is “my ode to the quiet heroism and daily struggles that are required to be an artist, an entrepreneur, an immigrant, and a parent.” 

Madhuri Shekar (Playwright)’s plays have been produced across the United States and internationally. They include House of Joy, Queen, In Love and Warcraft, A Nice Indian Boy, and many other works specifically for young audiences. In TV and film, her projects include the movies Evil Eye and A Nice Indian Boy, and the TV shows The Nevers and 3 Body Problem. She is an alumnus of USC and Juilliard. She is thrilled that Dhaba on Devon Avenue, a play commissioned with love for the city of Chicago, is getting its world premiere now with Writers Theater and Timeline Theatre Company. 

Playwright Madhuri Shekar is the 2020 winner of the Lanford Wilson Playwrighting Award, established by the Estate of Lanford Wilson and presented by the Dramatists Guild Council to a dramatist based primarily on their work as an early career playwright. Her play A Nice Indian Boy was adapted into a feature film and is now playing in theaters to great critical acclaim. 

Chay Yew (Director) His New York credits include the Public, Playwrights Horizons, New York Theatre Workshop, Signature, New York City Center Encores!, Flea, Playwrights Realm, Audible, Rattlestick, and Ensemble Studio Theatre. His regional credits include the Goodman, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Rep, Arena, American Conservatory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Alley Theatre, Goodspeed, South Coast Rep, Old Globe, Center Theatre Group, Denver Center Theater, Huntington, Seattle Rep, Writers Theatre, Victory Gardens, amongst others. His opera credits include Perelman Performing Arts Center, Tanglewood, and LA Philharmonic. He is a recipient of the 2024 Doris Duke Artist Award, and the OBIE for direction.

Director Chay Yew returns to Writers Theatre where he previously directed Dishwasher Dreams. In May 2025, Yew was highlighted by the Stage Directors and Choreographers Union as one of the 65 directors and choreographers whose “work has inspired SDC Members and transformed the American theatre.”

Isa Arciniegas (Luz Fuentes) Chicago credits: Love Song (Remy Bumppo); Solaris (Griffin Theatre); How to Defend Yourself (Victory Gardens Theatre); Wolf Play (The Gift Theatre); First Love Is the Revolution (Steep Theatre); Fantastic Mr. Fox (Emerald City Theatre); The Wolves (Goodman Theatre, Jeff Award—Best Ensemble), Fun Home (Victory Gardens Theater); Buried Child (Writers Theatre); We’re Gonna Die (Haven Theatre Company, ALTA Award—Outstanding Actor in a Principal Role in a Musical); Good Friday (Oracle Productions); American Idiot (The Hypocrites); Romeo and Juliet (Teatro Vista); and Adventures with Aladdin (Lookingglass Theatre Company with Chicago Symphony Orchestra). Regional: Where Did We Sit On the Bus? (Milwaukee Chamber Theatre); Such Things as Vampires (People’s Light Theatre); Stinky Cheese Man and Letters Home (Griffin Theatre National Tour). TV/FILM: The Bear, Swipe Up, Vivian!, Grace and Betty, Kissing Wells.

Arya Daire (Sindhu Madhwani)  Chicago Credits: An Enemy of the People (Goodman Theatre; Jeff Nomination for Best New Adaptation), A Disappearing Number (TimeLine Theatre Company), Inana (TimeLine Theatre), Julius Caesar (Writers Theatre), Samsara (Victory Gardens), Much Ado About Nothing (Victory Gardens), Principal Principle (Stage Left Theatre; Jeff Nomination for Best New Play), Big Lake, Big City (Lookingglass Theatre), Suburbia (University of Chicago), Disconnect (Victory Gardens), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Beverly Arts Center). Regional Credits: A Christmas Carol (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre), Miranda (Indiana Repertory Theatre). Film & TV: A Christmas Carol - The Concert (PBS; Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Original Music & Lyrics), Chicago Fire (NBC). 

Kamal Hans (Adil Jaisinghani) has appeared in Disconnect (Victory Gardens), Multitudes!, A Passage to India (Vitalist Theatre), Invasion!, Merchant on Venice (Silk Road Theatre), Kabulitus, Much Ado About Nothing, A Nice Indian Boy (Rasaka) F*#kn’ A, Cuba and His Teddy Bear (Urban Theater), Fanny, Tempest, West Side Story (ITC), and Chess (Phoenix). Film & TV: Contagion, “Consumed!”, Marvel, The Last Question, Promise Land, “Chicago PD”, “Chicago Med”, “Shameless”. Goodman school of drama, Julliard, Illinois Wesleyan University, R.A.D.A.

Anish Jethmalani (Neeraj Madhwani) returns to Writers Theatre where he previously appeared in The Caretaker and To the Greenfields Beyond. Chicago credits include The Lehman Trilogy, Campaigns Inc., Oslo, In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play, A Disappearing Number, Inana, and Blood & Gifts (TimeLine Theatre); Wit and A Christmas Carol (The Goodman Theatre); Titus Andronicus, Water by the Spoonful, Mary Stuart, The Invention of Love and Life is a Dream (Court Theatre);  Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Around the World in 80 Days, and Sita Ram (Lookingglass); as well as various productions at Chicago Shakespeare, Victory Gardens, Remy Bumppo, A Red Orchid, and more. Regional credits include Henry VII and Much Ado About Nothing at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Film and television credits include Deli Boys (Hulu), Station Eleven (Max), 61st Street (CW), Chicago PD (NBC), Chicago Med (NBC), APB (Fox), Boss (Starz), Leverage (TNT), Empire (Fox), Early Edition (CBS), Batman vs. Superman, Girl on the Third Floor, Animals and more. He is a company member of TimeLine Theatre.

Tina Muñoz Pandya (Rita Madhwani) is an actor, musician, and teaching artist whose Chicago credits include: The Matchbox Magic Flute (Goodman Theatre); London Road and The Tall Girls (Shattered Globe Theatre); The Secretaries (First Floor Theater); Anna in the Tropics (Remy Bumppo Theatre); Mr. Burns (Theater Wit); The Mousetrap (Court Theatre); and Octagon (Jackalope Theatre). Regional and touring credits include: The Matchbox Magic Flute (Shakespeare Theatre DC, Berkeley Rep); As You Like It and The Old Man and the Old Moon (Door Shakespeare); Matt and Ben (Penobscot Theatre); House of Joy (St. Louis Rep); The Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV Pt 1 (Montana Shakespeare in the Parks); and HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado (The Hypocrites). You can also hear her on the Chicago-based audio dramas The Vanishing Act and Fawx and Stallion. Tina is an ensemble member with Shattered Globe Theatre.

WRITERS THEATRE 2025/26 SEASON 

The 2025-26 Season launches with Hershey Felder’s brand-new musical play Rachmaninoff and the Tsar, followed by a musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s As You Like It by Tony Award winner Shaina Taub (Suffs), directed by Artistic Director Braden Abraham with music direction by Michael Mahler. Celebrated Chicago director Lisa Portes joins Writers for the first time to direct Two Sisters and a Piano, by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz, followed by the Midwest Premiere of the off-Broadway/Broadway hit Job by Max Wolf Friedlich, directed by David Esbjornson. The subscription season caps off with the Midwest and Chicago Premiere of Tom Stoppard’s epic, Tony Award-winning play Leopoldstadt, directed by Carey Perloff. The season also includes two productions available as add-ons to subscription packages: the one-night only special event of Hershey Felder’s Great American Songbook Sing-Along, and a limited engagement of sleight of hand magician Harry Milas’ The Unfair Advantage.  

Writers Theatre is offering a variety of subscriptions with an option for every theatregoer. Each subscription includes a deeply discounted ticket price, ranging from $275-$375 for one ticket to the five-play series, Flex subscriptions, with options for either four tickets ($280) or five tickets ($350), are available.

Season package subscribers receive the new Writers Theatre concierge service for ticket exchanges and questions. Exclusive subscriber benefits include: complimentary ticket exchanges (upgrade fees may apply), special “subscriber-rate” prices on additional tickets, advance access to special events and programs, easy, free parking, exclusive discounts in bar items and merchandise, discounts on rental of Writers Theatre event spaces on Writers Theatre merchandise, event rentals, and more. For a complete list of benefits visit writerstheatre.org. 

Season Packages are available online at www.writerstheatre.org., and at the Box Office by calling 847-242-6000. 

Single tickets will go on sale for each show approximately two months prior to first preview. Single ticket prices start at $35.

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES: 

WT offers Open Captioning on select dates for each production. Please visit writerstheatre.org/accessibility for more information. 

Throughout the season, Writers Theatre offers a variety of audience enrichment and special programming. This includes regularly occurring offerings like the Family Matinee Series, The Green Room artist interview series and podcast, and The Final Word Audience Discussion Series. Please visit writerstheatre.org/events for a full listing of upcoming offerings. 

ABOUT WRITERS THEATRE  

Writers Theatre boldly looks to the future as it looks toward its 34th season. Having captivated audiences for years with its dedication to creating the most intimate theatrical experience possible, the theatre is now a major Chicagoland cultural destination with a national reputation for excellence, being called “America’s finest regional theater company” by The Wall Street Journal. Under the leadership of Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Artistic Director Braden Abraham and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma, the company is charting a path forward for the next 30 years.  

Since its founding in 1992, Writers Theatre has stayed true to its core values: valuing the power of the written word and uplifting the artists who bring that word to life. The company has produced over 140 productions—everything from inventive interpretations of classics to groundbreaking new work. In 2016, Writers Theatre opened a new, state-of-the-art facility designed by the internationally renowned Studio Gang Architects. 

Writers Theatre now welcomes more than 60,000 patrons each season and has helped establish the North Shore of Chicago as a premier cultural destination. Through its Literary Development Initiative, which has been responsible for the nurturing and premiering of over 30 world premieres, the theatre has established itself as a major originator of new theatrical works. Serving as an extension of the Writers Theatre mission, WT Education programs engage an average of 10,000 students each year with active learning opportunities centered around the written word.

ABOUT TIMELINE THEATRE COMPANY

TimeLine Theatre Company, recipient of the prestigious 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, was founded in April 1997 with a mission to present stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. Currently celebrating its 28th season, TimeLine has presented 92 productions, including 14 world premieres and 42 Chicago premieres, and launched the Living History Education Program and TimeLine South summer arts program, which bring the company's mission to life for students in Chicago Public Schools and beyond. Recipient of the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence and the Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award from the Association for Strategic Planning, TimeLine has received 62 Jeff Awards, including an award for Outstanding Production 11 times.

The company departed its longtime home on Wellington Avenue in August 2024 and moved into temporary administrative offices a few blocks north of the site of its future new home, to be located at 5035 N. Broadway in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. Construction is ongoing on that site, where plans feature an intimate black box theater seating up to 250 audience members, expanded area for the immersive lobby experiences that are a TimeLine hallmark, new opportunities for education and engagement, room to allow audience members to arrive early and stay late, and more. For more information, visit timelinetheatre.com.

The COVID-19 pandemic shut down the intended 2020 world premiere production of Dhaba on Devon Avenue at Victory Gardens in Chicago, and a second time at Writers Theatre in 2021. This Writers Theatre and TimeLine co-production now reunites many of those original cast members and designers.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

SAVE THE DATES: 44th Season Announced for Victory Gardens 2018-2019

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Victory Gardens Theater announces its 2018-2019 Season
including the Chicago premieres of the Tony Award-nominated play Indecent by Paula Vogel, Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau, and Cambodian Rock Band by Lauren Yee; and the world premieres of Rightlynd by Ike Holter and Miriam for President by Madhuri Shekar


Here at ChiIL Live Shows we're quite excited to see what Victory Gardens has in store for 44. They've been around an astounding 4+ decades and they're featuring lots of works by women, minorities, and an exciting mix of diverse voices. They're also producing a Tony Award-nominated play, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, with a season long focus on "new American plays that speak immediately to our times"

Victory Gardens Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Chay Yew and Managing Director Erica Daniels, announces the lineup for its 2018-2019 Season. Victory Gardens’ 44th Season will include the Tony Award-nominated play Indecent by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel; the Chicago premieres of Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau and Cambodian Rock Band by Lauren Yee; and the world premieres of Rightlynd by Ike Holter and Miriam for President by Madhuri Shekar.

 
“I’m extremely excited to announce our 44th season of new American plays that speak immediately to our times,” said Artistic Director Chay Yew. “Victory Gardens continues to give a Chicago home to our country’s finest playwrights who write powerful and relevant work that reflect and represent our diverse nation. These remarkable artists raise poignant questions about current issues through the resilience and humanity of their characters despite their circumstances. Their plays celebrate the best in us and inspire us to be better global citizens in these fractured times.”

The 2018-19 Victory Gardens Theater Season up close:



Indecent
By Paula Vogel
Directed by Gary Griffin
September 21-Nov 4, 2018
Press Opening: September 28, 2018

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel (How I Learned to Drive) tells the deeply moving story of the controversial 1923 Broadway debut of Jewish playwright Sholem Asch’s God of Vengeance — a play about a forbidden lesbian romance that enchanted and outraged audiences.  Inspired by true events, Indecent, is performed by an ensemble of seven actors and three musicians portraying more than 40 roles to chart an explosive moment in theatrical history and the artists who risked their careers and lives to perform it. Award-winner Gary Griffin (Hand To God, Fun Home) returns to Victory Gardens to direct this 2017 Tony Award-nominated play.



Rightlynd
By Ike Holter
Directed by Lisa Portes
November 9-December 23, 2018
Press Opening: November 16, 2018

Rightlynd is Chicago's 51st Ward. The L doesn't run here anymore and it is full of abandoned storefronts, crumbling apartment buildings, and its fair share of crime. A powerful real estate conglomerate is planning a massive redevelopment project that would gentrify the neighborhood and change Rightlynd forever. Only one woman stands in the way: Alderman Nina Esposito. In award-winning local playwright Ike Holter's ambitious new work, one woman tries to use her street smarts and raw determination to save the Chicago neighborhood she loves. But will the political machine turn her into the very person she is trying to destroy? Lisa Portes (BREACH, A Little Bit Not Normal) directs the first play that sets in motion Holter’s ongoing seven play saga set in this fictional Windy City neighborhood; the story cycle that includes previous pieces Exit Strategy, Sender, Prowess, and The Wolf at the End of the Block.



Pipeline
By Dominique Morisseau
Directed by Cheryl Lynn Bruce
February 1-March 3, 2019
Press Opening: February 8, 2019

Nya, an inner-city public high school teacher, is committed to her students but desperate to give her only son, Omari, opportunities her students will never have. When a controversial incident at his private school threatens to get him expelled, Nya must confront his rage and her own choices as a parent. But will she be able to reach him before a world beyond her control pulls him away?  With profound compassion and poetry, Dominique Morisseau’s (Skeleton Crew, Detroit 66, and the Broadway-bound Ain’t Too Proud to Beg) Pipeline brings to light a powerful and important conversation about parenthood, the state of our public school system, and the prison pipeline that claims so many of our inner city youth.



Cambodian Rock Band 
By Lauren Yee
Directed by Marti Lyons
April 5-May 5, 2019
Press Opening: April 12, 2019

Part comedy, part mystery, part rock concert, this thrilling story toggles back and forth in time, as father and daughter face the music of the past. Neary, a young Cambodian American, has found evidence that could finally put away individuals who carried out the Cambodian genocide. But her work is far from done. When Dad shows up unannounced—his first return to Cambodia since fleeing 30 years ago—it’s clear this isn’t just a pleasure trip. A wild rock-and-roll journey through the eyes of father and daughter, Artistic Director Chay Yew brings the world premiere journey of Lauren Yee’s (Samsara) Cambodian Rock Band from South Coast Repertory Theatre to Victory Gardens. 



Miriam for President
By Madhuri Shekar
Directed by Chay Yew
June 7-July 7, 2019
Press Opening: June 14, 2019

Miriam hates to be known as “that girl who got kidnapped then escaped that sex trafficking ring.” She wants to be known as Miriam, your top candidate for student council president at Roosevelt High School. But her parents, counselor, and best friend keep insisting that she's not ready. But what do they know? What do they really know about what happened to Miriam? From Madhuri Shekar, the author of Queen, comes a powerful play about survival, rebirth, and the silent crime of human trafficking in Chicago.

Subscriptions
Subscriptions start at just $99 are on sale at www.victorygardens.org and by phone at the Victory Gardens Box Office at 2433 N. Lincoln, 773.871.3000.

Victory Gardens Theater is located at 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, in the heart of Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.

About Victory Gardens Theater
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Chay Yew and Managing Director Erica Daniels, Victory Gardens is dedicated to artistic excellence while creating a vital, contemporary American Theater that is accessible and relevant to all people through productions of challenging new plays and musicals.  Victory Gardens Theater is committed to the development, production and support of new plays that has been the mission of the theater since its founding, set forth by Dennis Začek, Marcelle McVay, and the original founders of Victory Gardens Theater.

Victory Gardens Theater is a leader in developing and producing new theater work and cultivating an inclusive Chicago theater community. Victory Gardens’ core strengths are nurturing and producing dynamic and inspiring new plays, reflecting the diversity of our city’s and nation’s culture through engaging diverse communities, and in partnership with Chicago Public Schools, bringing art and culture to our city’s active student population.  

Since its founding in 1974, the company has produced more world premieres than any other Chicago theater, a commitment recognized nationally when Victory Gardens received the 2001 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, Victory Gardens Biograph Theater includes the Začek-McVay Theater, a state-of-the-art 259-seat mainstage and the 109-seat studio theater on the second floor, named the Richard Christiansen Theater.

Victory Gardens Ensemble Playwrights include Luis Alfaro, Philip Dawkins, Marcus Gardley, Ike Holter, Samuel D. Hunter, Naomi Iizuka, Tanya Saracho and Laura Schellhardt. Each playwright has a seven-year residency at Victory Gardens Theater.

For more information about Victory Gardens, visit www.victorygardens.org.  Follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/victorygardens, Twitter @VictoryGardens and Instagram at instagram.com/victorygardenstheater/.

Victory Gardens Theater receives sustaining support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Joyce Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The REAM Foundation, Shubert Foundation, Venturous Theater Fund of the Tides Foundation, and Wallace Foundation. It receives major funding from Crown Family Philanthropies, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, and Polk Bros. Foundation. Major funders also include: Allstate Insurance, Alphawood Foundation, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Edgerton Foundation, Field Foundation of Illinois, Illinois Arts Council Agency, David Rockefeller Fund, Bill and Orli Staley Foundation, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Time Warner Foundation Inc., Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Additional funding this season is provided by: Alliance Bernstein, Charles H. and Bertha L. Boothroyd Foundation, Capital Group Private Client Services, Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, The Chicago Foundation for Women, the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, ComEd, Nathan Cummings Foundation,  Exelon, Golden Country Oriental Foods, John R. Halligan Charitable Fund, ITW, JCCC Foundation, Mayer Brown LLP, The McVay Foundation, Metropolitan Capital Bank & Trust, National Endowment for the Arts, Negaunee Foundation, Roberta Olshansky Charitable Fund, Origin Ventures, Pauls Foundation, PNC Financial Services Group, Prince Charitable Trusts, Seabury Foundation, Charles & M.R. Shapiro Foundation, Wrightwood Neighbors Association. In-kind support is provided by:  Dimo’s Pizza, Fiesta Mexicana, Italian Village Restaurants, Southwest Airlines, Suite Home Chicago and Whole Foods Market.

Google Analytics