EXTENDED: Theater Wit's Midwest Premiere of The Ally Through May 17, 2026

Chi, IL Live Shows on our Radar:

Theater Wit adds shows, extends its Midwest Premiere of 

The Ally

the 2025 Pulitzer-nom'd play by Itamar Moses, through May 17, 2026

DeVaughn Asante Loman (left) as Baron and Jordan Lane Shappell as Asaf. Credit: Charles Osgood.

Theater Wit is excited to announce added performances and a two-week extension of its current Midwest premiere of The Ally due to popular demand.

The critics agree, The Ally is must-see:



“It is unusual to encounter a play so ferociously intelligent and even more unusual to encounter one that respects the intelligence of its audience…more than great theatre, it is important, essential theatre.” 

- C.J. Fernandes, Stage & Cinema



“Heady and passionate questions…(The Ally) explodes with rhetoric and recrimination—mostly around Israel and Palestine, but also touching on a host of other urgent issues.” 

- Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader, adding “It’s also often a very funny play, despite the subject matter” 



“The Ally has a heightened immediacy today, and should be seen. Highly Recommended.” 

- Bill Esler, Buzz Center Stage


Originally slated to run through May 2, The Ally has now been extended through May 17. The updated performance schedule, including newly-added Saturday matinees, is Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m.; and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Theater Wit is also offering free pre-show discussions before the next two Sunday matinees to explore and add context to the themes of The Ally, and to learn more about engaging in social movements in Chicago. Admission is free with a ticket to the 2 p.m. performance that follows.

Sunday, April 19, 12:30 p.m.

“Approaches for Social Change” with Kelly Bencola, Northwestern University

Bencola will explore different models of social change and create space to reflect on how individual strengths and values can shape your approach to making an impact.


Sunday, April 26, 12:30 p.m.

“Organizing for Jewish Safety & Collective Freedom” with artist and activist Eli Newell from IfNotNow

Newell presents perspectives on the communal organizing landscape in the Jewish world, exploring grassroots contexts on the proliferation of antisemitic ideology and how we might disrupt its exploitation.

Extension tickets go on sale Wednesday, April 17. Tickets are $18-$44. Purchase tickets at theaterwit.org, by calling (773) 975-8150, or in person at the Theater Wit box office.

Theater Wit is located at 1229 W. Belmont Ave., in Chicago’s Lake View neighborhood. Convenient parking is available for $10 across Belmont in the lot behind Kubo restaurant (pay at the Theater Wit box office.) Neighborhood street parking is available, as are private paid lots (tip: book ahead and at a discount with Spothero). Theater Wit is also accessible via the CTA 77 Belmont bus, and is three blocks west of the CTA Belmont Red/Brown/Purple line stop.

The Ally: A student manifesto forces questions about identity and faith

From the Tony Award-winning author of The Band's Visit comes a provocative new play about identity, loyalty, and the complexities of unity.

A finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize, The Ally, written by Itamar Moses (Completeness, Dead Outlaw), directed by Jeremy Wechsler (Prayer for the French Republic), is now enjoying its Midwest Premiere at Chicago’s Theater Wit. 

Moses’ newest play is a darkly funny and deeply human new play that asks: just whose side are you on? When Asaf’s student asks him to sign a petition condemning police brutality, he wants to do the right thing — until he realizes the manifesto turns out to be broader than he imagined, and every choice feels like betrayal. As the debate roars through his Midwestern campus and his ex-girlfriend takes the lead, Asaf is pulled into a political storm that tests his convictions and his sense of self. Will his fumbling entrée into activism help or hurt the cause? Who’s side is Asaf – and the audience – really on?

The cast for Theater Wit’s Midwest Premiere of The Ally features Sharyon Culberson as Nakia, Eliyah Arman Ghaeini as Farid, Mira Kessler as Rachel, DeVaughn Asante Loman as Baron, Evan Ozer as Reuven, Jordan Lane Shappell as Asaf, and K Chinthana Sotakoun as Gwen. Designers are Joe Schermoly (set), Matthew Eggers (costumes), Piper Kirchhofer (lights), Jonathan Berg-Einhorn (props), Joe Cerqua (composer and sound designer), Sarah Luse (stage manager), Matthew R. Chase (production manager) and Claire Simon (casting director).

The Ally premiered off-Broadway at the Public Theater in February 2024. The New York Times called it “Important…Itamar Moses’ play offers eloquent arguments on all sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” New York Stage Review wrote “The Ally will most certainly give you the tools to wage a cogent, forceful argument, no matter what side you’re on.”

"I recognized myself in Asaf the moment I read this play," said Jeremy Wechsler, Theater Wit Artistic Director and director of The Ally. "Before October 7th, I — like a lot of American Jews on the left — held two ideas at once: that Israel was a haven and that the occupation was wrong. Itamar Moses saw, honestly before I did, that those two ideas were becoming impossible to hold simultaneously. But there are always two ways to answer the question ‘What do I believe?': what do I think, and what do I feel? Where we land on that spectrum is a constant negotiation between ourselves and the world around us. What The Ally asks — what it really demands — is that we face that negotiation honestly. Can we be good people when our hearts and our heads aren't aligned?”



Mira Kessler (from left) as Rachel, Jordan Lane Shappell as Asaf, DeVaughn Asante Loman as Baron, Eliyah Arman Ghaeini as Farid and Sharyon Culberson as Nakia inTheater Wit's Midwest Premiere of The Ally. Credit: Charles Osgood



Evan Ozer ( left) as Reuven and Jordan Lane Shappell as Asaf in Theater Wit's Midwest Premiere of The Ally. Credit: Charles Osgood


About Theater Wit, Chicago’s “Smart Art” theater
Photos courtesy Theater Wit

As a production company, Theater Wit is the premier smart art theater in Chicago, producing humorous, challenging, and intelligent plays that speak with a vibrant and contemporary theatrical voice. As an institution, Theater Wit seeks to be the hub of the Chicago neighborhood theater scene. Led by Artistic Director Jeremy Wechsler, Wit brings together Chicago’s best storefront theater companies in its three, 99-seat spaces, where audiences find a smorgasbord of excellent productions, see the work of a parade of talented artists, and mingle with audiences from all over Chicago.

In Fall 2025, Theater Wit received a three-year, $600,000 grant from the Paul M. Angell Foundation in support of Theater Wit’s Shared Spaces program, which empowers the artistic work of independent itinerant theater producers through subsidized, affordable space rentals and tailored production, accessibility and administrative support. 

In addition to Theater Wit’s The Ally, productions playing this spring at Theater Wit include resident company Shattered Globe Theatre’s World Premiere of Paul W. Kruse’s Eelpout!, April 17-May 30; and visiting company The Artistic Home’s The Sugar Wife, now through May 3.

A great way to show support for Chicago storefront theater is to purchase a Theater Wit Membership. For a low monthly fee of $35 – often less than the price of a single ticket – $25 for students, and $62 for a dual membership - Theater Wit members see as many shows as they want on the company’s three stages, year round. Sign up at theaterwit.org/boxoffice/membership.

REVIEW: Midwest Premiere of The Ally at Theater Wit Now Playing Through May 2, 2026

Chi, IL Live Shows on our Radar:

From the Tony Award-winning author of The Band's Visit comes a provocative new play about identity, loyalty, and the complexities of unity.

The Ally

at Theater Wit March 20-May 2, 2026

Mira Kessler (from left) as Rachel, Jordan Lane Shappell as Asaf, DeVaughn Asante Loman as Baron, Eliyah Arman Ghaeini as Farid and Sharyon Culberson as Nakia inTheater Wit's Midwest Premiere of The Ally. Credit: Charles Osgood

REVIEW

By Bonnie Kenaz-Mara

When I walked into the world of The Ally I could almost smell centuries of bound volumes in the library. This set by Joe Schermoly is next level gorgeous and made me want to curl up with a novel or break out a stack of academic textbooks and do a deep dive into human psychology. Add in tense current events, good intentions, an intense ex girlfriend, and a struggling professor and you have the makings of a hit!  Itamar Moses is a talented playwright and it's easy to see why The Ally was a 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist. It's also quite the score that Theater WIT has the rights to present the Midwest Premiere. 

DeVaughn Asante Loman (left) as Baron and Jordan Lane Shappell as Asaf. Credit: Charles Osgood.

Like most of my favorite productions, The Ally is complicated, multilayered, and thought provoking. Theater WIT is self described as a "smart art theater" with a mission to produce humorous, challenging, and intelligent plays that speak with a vibrant and contemporary theatrical voice. The Ally does all that with panache. This show sparked fabulous post show discussions and I was still mulling this one over well into the night. 

Evan Ozer ( left) as Reuven and Jordan Lane Shappell as Asaf in Theater Wit's Midwest Premiere of The Ally. Credit: Charles Osgood

The entire cast was exceptional and the scenario is deliciously complex and all too timely. Special shout out to Jordan Lane Shappell, who does a compelling job as Asaf. Don't miss this! The Ally is one of spring's definite must sees. ChiIL Live Shows on our radar. Highly recommended. Four out of Four Stars. ★★★★ 

Bonnie is a Chicago based writer, theatre critic, photographer, artist, and empty nester. She owns two websites where she publishes frequently: ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) & ChiILMama.com (family friendly).



A well-meaning professor finds himself in a firestorm in The Ally, the 2025 Pulitzer Prize-nominated new play by Itamar Moses, March 20-May 2 at Theater Wit

The Ally, a finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize, written by Itamar Moses, directed by Jeremy Wechsler, is receiving its Midwest Premiere at Theater Wit, Chicago's smart art theater.

Moses’ newest play, about a well-meaning professor who finds himself in a firestorm, is a darkly funny and deeply human new work that asks: just whose side are you on?

“Important…Itamar Moses’ play offers eloquent arguments on all sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” 

- The New York Times



From the Tony Award-winning author of The Band's Visit comes a provocative new play about identity, loyalty, and the complexities of unity.

A finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize, The Ally, written by Itamar Moses (Completeness, Dead Outlaw), directed by Jeremy Wechsler (Prayer for the French Republic), will receive its Midwest Premiere at Chicago’s Theater Wit in March. Moses’ newest play is a darkly funny and deeply human new play that asks: just whose side are you on? 

Performances run through May 2: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m. Exception: No show Thursday, April 2. Tickets are $18-$44. Run time is two hours with intermission. Purchase tickets at theaterwit.org, by calling (773) 975-8150, or in person at the Theater Wit box office.

A student manifesto forces questions about identity and faith in 

The Ally

When Asaf’s student asks him to sign a petition condemning police brutality, he wants to do the right thing — until he realizes the manifesto turns out to be broader than he imagined, and every choice feels like betrayal. As the debate roars through his Midwestern campus and his ex-girlfriend takes the lead, Asaf is pulled into a political storm that tests his convictions and his sense of self. Will his fumbling entrée into activism help or hurt the cause? Who’s side is Asaf – and the audience – really on?

The Ally premiered off-Broadway at the Public Theater in February 2024. The New York Times called it “Important…Itamar Moses’ play offers eloquent arguments on all sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” New York Stage Review wrote “The Ally will most certainly give you the tools to wage a cogent, forceful argument, no matter what side you’re on.”

"I recognized myself in Asaf the moment I read this play," said Jeremy Wechsler, Theater Wit Artistic Director and director of The Ally. " Before October 7th, I — like a lot of American Jews on the left — held two ideas at once: that Israel was a haven and that the occupation was wrong. Itamar Moses saw, honestly before I did, that those two ideas were becoming impossible to hold simultaneously. But there are always two ways to answer the question ‘What do I believe?': what do I think, and what do I feel? Where we land on that spectrum is a constant negotiation between ourselves and the world around us. What The Ally asks — what it really demands — is that we face that negotiation honestly. Can we be good people when our hearts and our heads aren't aligned?”

The cast for Theater Wit’s Midwest Premiere of The Ally features Sharyon Culberson as Nakia, Eliyah Arman Ghaeini as Farid, Mira Kessler as Rachel, DeVaughn Asante Loman as Baron, Evan Ozer as Reuven, Jordan Lane Shappell as Asaf, and K Chinthana Sotakoun as Gwen.

Designers are Joe Schermoly (set), Matthew Eggers (costumes), Piper Kirchhofer (lights), Jonathan Berg-Einhorn (props), Joe Cerqua (composer and sound designer), Sarah Luse (stage manager), Matthew R. Chase (production manager) and Claire Simon (casting director).

Theater Wit is located at 1229 W. Belmont Ave., in the Belmont Theatre District in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Convenient parking is available for $10 across the street from the theater in the lot behind Kubo restaurant (pay at the Theater Wit box office.) Neighborhood street parking is available, as are private paid lots (tip: book ahead and at a discount with Spothero). Theater Wit is also accessible via the CTA 77 Belmont bus, and is three blocks west of the CTA Belmont Red/Brown/Purple line stop.

To learn more, visit theaterwit.org or follow the company on Facebook or Instagram.

Photos courtesy Theater Wit

About Theater Wit, Chicago’s “Smart Art” theater 
As a production company, Theater Wit is the premier smart art theater in Chicago, producing humorous, challenging, and intelligent plays that speak with a vibrant and contemporary theatrical voice. As an institution, Theater Wit seeks to be the hub of the Chicago neighborhood theater scene. Led by Artistic Director Jeremy Wechsler, Wit brings together Chicago’s best storefront theater companies in its three, 99-seat spaces, where audiences find a smorgasbord of excellent productions, see the work of a parade of talented artists, and mingle with audiences from all over Chicago.

In Fall 2025, Theater Wit received a three-year, $600,000 grant from the Paul M. Angell Foundation in support of Theater Wit’s Shared Spaces program, which empowers the artistic work of independent itinerant theater producers through subsidized, affordable space rentals and tailored production, accessibility and administrative support.

In addition to Theater Wit’s The Ally, productions playing this spring at Theater Wit include resident company Remy Bumppo’s new staging of Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, now through March 8; visiting company The New Theatre Project’s The Shape of the Bones, now through March 22; resident company Shattered Globe Theatre’s Midwest Premiere of Kirsten Greenidge’s Morning, Noon, and Night, now through March 28; visiting company The Artistic Home’s The Sugar Wife, March 28-May 3; and Shattered Globe’s 35th season finale, Eelpout!, a World Premiere by Paul W. Kruse, April 17-May 30.

A great way to show support for Chicago storefront theater is to purchase a Theater Wit Membership. For a low monthly fee of $35 – often less than the price of a single ticket – $25 for students, and $62 for a dual membership - Theater Wit members see as many shows as they want on the company’s three stages, year round. Sign up at theaterwit.org/boxoffice/membership.

Biographies:



Itamar Moses (playwright, he/him) is the author of the full-length plays Outrage, Bach at Leipzig, Celebrity Row, The Four of Us, Yellowjackets, Back Back Back, Completeness and The Whistleblower, the musicals Nobody Loves You (with Gaby Alter), Fortress of Solitude (with Michael Friedman) and The Band’s Visit (with David Yazbek), and the evening of short plays Love/Stories (or But You Will Get Used to It). Awards for his work include the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for The Band’s Visit, along with Lucille Lortel, New York Drama Critics Circle, Outer Critics Circle and Obie awards in New York, and from the Portland, San Diego, Dallas and Bay Area Theatre Critics Circles. His work has appeared off-Broadway and elsewhere in New York, at regional theaters across the country and in Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Venezuela, Turkey and Chile, and is published by Faber & Faber and Samuel French. He’s received new play commissions from The McCarter, Playwrights Horizons, Berkeley Rep, The Wilma Theater, South Coast Rep, Manhattan Theatre Club, Lincoln Center and The Goodman. On television, Moses has written for TNT’s Men of a Certain Age, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, WGN’S Outsiders and Showtime’s The Affair. He holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU and has taught playwriting at Yale and NYU. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and is a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect. Born in Berkeley, CA, he now lives in Brooklyn, NY.



Jeremy Wechsler (director, he/him) is the founding Artistic Director of Theater Wit. Under Wechsler’s leadership over the last 15 years, Theater Wit has emerged as the go to destination for cutting edge contemporary work, gaining national recognition for excellence. His Theater Wit directing credits include, most recently, the 2025 smash hit co-production with Northlight Theatre, Prayers for the French Republic, along with the Chicago premieres of The Whistleblower, Hurricane Diane, Admissions, The Realistic Joneses, The Antelope Party, 10 Out of 12, Naperville (Jeff Award), This Way out of Santaland, The New Sincerity, The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence(Best of 2015, Chicago SunTimes), Bad Jews (Best of 2015, Newcity), Mr. Burns: a post electric play (Time Out Peoples’ Choice Award for Direction, Best of 2015), Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England (Sun-Times Best of 2014), Completeness, Tigers Be Still, The Four of Us, Feydeau-Si-Deau, Men of Steel, Thom Pain (Based on Nothing) (Jeff Award, Best Solo Peformance), Two for the Show and many, many productions of The Santaland Diaries. He has directed over 60 shows in the last 20 years at various theaters, including Tragedy A Tragedy, The Flu Season, A Taste of Honey (U.S. Best of 2008, Wall Street Journal), Now Then Again (Jeff Award, Best New Work), The Play about the Squirrel, The White Devil, This is Not a Play about Cancer, Peer Gynt, The Real Thing, Shinhaz, The Duchess of Malfi, Titus Andronicus, The Roaring Girl, Flight, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, This is the Fill Speaking, Hay Fever, A Month in the Country, Europe, Henry VI: Blood of a Nation, The Promise, Spin, Un Robot, Horror Academy, Kind Lady, Playing by the Rules, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, Solitaire, The Coarse Acting Show, Life is a Dream, The Prisoner’s Dilemma, Cabaret and The Threepenny Opera. His productions have been nominated for and won multiple awards for design, performance, adaptation and best new work.



Sharyon Culberson (she/her, Nakia Clark) has appeared in The Chi(Showtime), Chicago PD and Chicago Fire (NBC), and The Big Leap and Proven Innocent (FOX). She also starred in the short films Mama’s Boy and Daughters. On stage, Culberson has performed in regional and national productions and she was a performing artist-in-residence with Arts + Public Life.



Eliyah Arman Ghaeini’s (he/him, Farid) regional credits include Whitelistedand A Year with Frog and Toad (Salt Lake Acting Company); Shakespeare in Love, West Side Story, The Odd Couple: Female Version and In the Heights(West Valley Theatre); and Twelfth Night (Creekside Theatre Festival). TV/film credits include The Chosen (CW), High School Musical: The Series (Disney+) and Amber Brown (AppleTV).



Mira Kessler (she/her, Rachel) grew up in Durham, North Carolina and comes to Chicago by way of New York, where she was a member of The New Yiddish Rep Theater Company, performing with them in God of Vengeance and Awake and Sing! Other credits include Netflix's Unorthodox, The Band’s Visit at Writers Theatre (u/s) and Goodbye Marianne at Goodman Theater (reading). Kessler graduated with an MFA in acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University.

DeVaughn Asante Loman (he/him, Baron) most recently played Kenneth in Eboni Booth’s Primary Trust at Farmers Alley Theatre. Other credits include Movement Revisited (Muhammad Ali) at Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Jive Records (Bobby Womack, Bob Marley, Ensemble) for Black Ensemble Theatre, A Drop in the Bucket (Sumwea) at Jackalope Theatre, and Cult Showat The Neo-Futurists.



Evan Ozer (he/him, Reuven) is a Chicago-based actor, originally from New York. After graduating from The Theater School at DePaul University in Spring 2025, he played Duke Orsino in Twelfth Night at Oak Park Festival Theater.



Jordan Lane Shappell’s (he/him, Asaf) most recent credits include King James, for which he won a San Francisco Bay Area Theater Critics Award for Best Actor. Credits also include Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley(TheatreWorks), The Real Thing (Writers Theatre), Be a Good Little Widow(NoHo Theater), How to Quit (Meta Theatre), Henry V (Meta Theatre), Journeys of Identity (National Theatre of the Deaf), Dancing at Lughnasa(Merle Reskin Theatre), and Day in the Death of Joe Egg (dir. Larry Moss). Film and TV credits include Monkey Bread, Abigail Before Beatrice, Scream: Fan Favorite, Patient and The Orville (Fox) Shappell earned his BFA from The Theater School at DePaul University.

K Chinthana Sotakoun (they/them, Gwen), making her Chicago theater debut, recently appeared in the indie folk rock musical Hundred Days as Abigail and in the streaming series Heavy Hitters. Other roles include Yitzhak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Neary/Sothea in Cambodian Rock Band, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, and Jessica/Jolene in Hand to God.

Midwest Premiere of The Ally at Theater Wit March 20-May 2, 2026

Chi, IL Live Shows on our Radar:

From the Tony Award-winning author of The Band's Visit comes a provocative new play about identity, loyalty, and the complexities of unity.

The Ally

at Theater Wit March 20-May 2, 2026



A well-meaning professor finds himself in a firestorm in The Ally, the 2025 Pulitzer Prize-nominated new play by Itamar Moses, March 20-May 2 at Theater Wit

The Ally, a finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize, written by Itamar Moses, directed by Jeremy Wechsler, is receiving its Midwest Premiere at Theater Wit, Chicago's smart art theater.

Moses’ newest play, about a well-meaning professor who finds himself in a firestorm, is a darkly funny and deeply human new work that asks: just whose side are you on?

“Important…Itamar Moses’ play offers eloquent arguments on all sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” 

- The New York Times



Theater Wit presents the Midwest Premiere of The Ally by Itamar Moses (top, center), directed by Jeremy Wechsler (right), March 20-May 2. The cast features (bottom, from left) Sharyon Culberson as Nakia, Eliyah Arman Ghaeini as Farid, Mira Kessler as Rachel, DeVaughn Asante Loman as Baron, Evan Ozer as Reuven, Jordan Lane Shappell as Asaf, and K Chinthana Sotakoun as Gwen.

From the Tony Award-winning author of The Band's Visit comes a provocative new play about identity, loyalty, and the complexities of unity.

A finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize, The Ally, written by Itamar Moses (Completeness, Dead Outlaw), directed by Jeremy Wechsler (Prayer for the French Republic), will receive its Midwest Premiere at Chicago’s Theater Wit in March. Moses’ newest play is a darkly funny and deeply human new play that asks: just whose side are you on? 

Previews are March 20-29: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m. Press opening is Monday, March 30 at 7 p.m. Performances run through May 2: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m. Exception: No show Thursday, April 2. Tickets are $18-$44. Run time is two hours with intermission. Purchase tickets at theaterwit.org, by calling (773) 975-8150, or in person at the Theater Wit box office.

Candid photos from the first rehearsal of Theater Wit’s The Ally. Top: DeVaughn Asante Loman (Baron) and Sharyon Culberson (Nakia). Middle: Jordan Lane Shappell (Asaf), Bottom:Jordan Lane Shappell (Asaf) and K Chinthana Sotakoun (Gwen). Courtesy Theater Wit.

A student manifesto forces questions about identity and faith in 

The Ally

When Asaf’s student asks him to sign a petition condemning police brutality, he wants to do the right thing — until he realizes the manifesto turns out to be broader than he imagined, and every choice feels like betrayal. As the debate roars through his Midwestern campus and his ex-girlfriend takes the lead, Asaf is pulled into a political storm that tests his convictions and his sense of self. Will his fumbling entrée into activism help or hurt the cause? Who’s side is Asaf – and the audience – really on?

The Ally premiered off-Broadway at the Public Theater in February 2024. The New York Times called it “Important…Itamar Moses’ play offers eloquent arguments on all sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” New York Stage Review wrote “The Ally will most certainly give you the tools to wage a cogent, forceful argument, no matter what side you’re on.”

"I recognized myself in Asaf the moment I read this play," said Jeremy Wechsler, Theater Wit Artistic Director and director of The Ally. " Before October 7th, I — like a lot of American Jews on the left — held two ideas at once: that Israel was a haven and that the occupation was wrong. Itamar Moses saw, honestly before I did, that those two ideas were becoming impossible to hold simultaneously. But there are always two ways to answer the question ‘What do I believe?': what do I think, and what do I feel? Where we land on that spectrum is a constant negotiation between ourselves and the world around us. What The Ally asks — what it really demands — is that we face that negotiation honestly. Can we be good people when our hearts and our heads aren't aligned?”

The cast for Theater Wit’s Midwest Premiere of The Ally features Sharyon Culberson as Nakia, Eliyah Arman Ghaeini as Farid, Mira Kessler as Rachel, DeVaughn Asante Loman as Baron, Evan Ozer as Reuven, Jordan Lane Shappell as Asaf, and K Chinthana Sotakoun as Gwen.

Designers are Joe Schermoly (set), Matthew Eggers (costumes), Piper Kirchhofer (lights), Jonathan Berg-Einhorn (props), Joe Cerqua (composer and sound designer), Sarah Luse (stage manager), Matthew R. Chase (production manager) and Claire Simon (casting director).

Theater Wit is located at 1229 W. Belmont Ave., in the Belmont Theatre District in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Convenient parking is available for $10 across the street from the theater in the lot behind Kubo restaurant (pay at the Theater Wit box office.) Neighborhood street parking is available, as are private paid lots (tip: book ahead and at a discount with Spothero). Theater Wit is also accessible via the CTA 77 Belmont bus, and is three blocks west of the CTA Belmont Red/Brown/Purple line stop.

To learn more, visit theaterwit.org or follow the company on Facebook or Instagram.

Photos courtesy Theater Wit

About Theater Wit, Chicago’s “Smart Art” theater 
As a production company, Theater Wit is the premier smart art theater in Chicago, producing humorous, challenging, and intelligent plays that speak with a vibrant and contemporary theatrical voice. As an institution, Theater Wit seeks to be the hub of the Chicago neighborhood theater scene. Led by Artistic Director Jeremy Wechsler, Wit brings together Chicago’s best storefront theater companies in its three, 99-seat spaces, where audiences find a smorgasbord of excellent productions, see the work of a parade of talented artists, and mingle with audiences from all over Chicago.

In Fall 2025, Theater Wit received a three-year, $600,000 grant from the Paul M. Angell Foundation in support of Theater Wit’s Shared Spaces program, which empowers the artistic work of independent itinerant theater producers through subsidized, affordable space rentals and tailored production, accessibility and administrative support.

In addition to Theater Wit’s The Ally, productions playing this spring at Theater Wit include resident company Remy Bumppo’s new staging of Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, now through March 8; visiting company The New Theatre Project’s The Shape of the Bones, now through March 22; resident company Shattered Globe Theatre’s Midwest Premiere of Kirsten Greenidge’s Morning, Noon, and Night, now through March 28; visiting company The Artistic Home’s The Sugar Wife, March 28-May 3; and Shattered Globe’s 35th season finale, Eelpout!, a World Premiere by Paul W. Kruse, April 17-May 30.

A great way to show support for Chicago storefront theater is to purchase a Theater Wit Membership. For a low monthly fee of $35 – often less than the price of a single ticket – $25 for students, and $62 for a dual membership - Theater Wit members see as many shows as they want on the company’s three stages, year round. Sign up at theaterwit.org/boxoffice/membership.

Biographies:



Itamar Moses (playwright, he/him) is the author of the full-length plays Outrage, Bach at Leipzig, Celebrity Row, The Four of Us, Yellowjackets, Back Back Back, Completeness and The Whistleblower, the musicals Nobody Loves You (with Gaby Alter), Fortress of Solitude (with Michael Friedman) and The Band’s Visit (with David Yazbek), and the evening of short plays Love/Stories (or But You Will Get Used to It). Awards for his work include the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for The Band’s Visit, along with Lucille Lortel, New York Drama Critics Circle, Outer Critics Circle and Obie awards in New York, and from the Portland, San Diego, Dallas and Bay Area Theatre Critics Circles. His work has appeared off-Broadway and elsewhere in New York, at regional theaters across the country and in Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Venezuela, Turkey and Chile, and is published by Faber & Faber and Samuel French. He’s received new play commissions from The McCarter, Playwrights Horizons, Berkeley Rep, The Wilma Theater, South Coast Rep, Manhattan Theatre Club, Lincoln Center and The Goodman. On television, Moses has written for TNT’s Men of a Certain Age, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, WGN’S Outsiders and Showtime’s The Affair. He holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU and has taught playwriting at Yale and NYU. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild and is a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect. Born in Berkeley, CA, he now lives in Brooklyn, NY.



Jeremy Wechsler (director, he/him) is the founding Artistic Director of Theater Wit. Under Wechsler’s leadership over the last 15 years, Theater Wit has emerged as the go to destination for cutting edge contemporary work, gaining national recognition for excellence. His Theater Wit directing credits include, most recently, the 2025 smash hit co-production with Northlight Theatre, Prayers for the French Republic, along with the Chicago premieres of The Whistleblower, Hurricane Diane, Admissions, The Realistic Joneses, The Antelope Party, 10 Out of 12, Naperville (Jeff Award), This Way out of Santaland, The New Sincerity, The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence(Best of 2015, Chicago SunTimes), Bad Jews (Best of 2015, Newcity), Mr. Burns: a post electric play (Time Out Peoples’ Choice Award for Direction, Best of 2015), Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England (Sun-Times Best of 2014), Completeness, Tigers Be Still, The Four of Us, Feydeau-Si-Deau, Men of Steel, Thom Pain (Based on Nothing) (Jeff Award, Best Solo Peformance), Two for the Show and many, many productions of The Santaland Diaries. He has directed over 60 shows in the last 20 years at various theaters, including Tragedy A Tragedy, The Flu Season, A Taste of Honey (U.S. Best of 2008, Wall Street Journal), Now Then Again (Jeff Award, Best New Work), The Play about the Squirrel, The White Devil, This is Not a Play about Cancer, Peer Gynt, The Real Thing, Shinhaz, The Duchess of Malfi, Titus Andronicus, The Roaring Girl, Flight, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, This is the Fill Speaking, Hay Fever, A Month in the Country, Europe, Henry VI: Blood of a Nation, The Promise, Spin, Un Robot, Horror Academy, Kind Lady, Playing by the Rules, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, Solitaire, The Coarse Acting Show, Life is a Dream, The Prisoner’s Dilemma, Cabaret and The Threepenny Opera. His productions have been nominated for and won multiple awards for design, performance, adaptation and best new work.



Sharyon Culberson (she/her, Nakia Clark) has appeared in The Chi(Showtime), Chicago PD and Chicago Fire (NBC), and The Big Leap and Proven Innocent (FOX). She also starred in the short films Mama’s Boy and Daughters. On stage, Culberson has performed in regional and national productions and she was a performing artist-in-residence with Arts + Public Life.



Eliyah Arman Ghaeini’s (he/him, Farid) regional credits include Whitelistedand A Year with Frog and Toad (Salt Lake Acting Company); Shakespeare in Love, West Side Story, The Odd Couple: Female Version and In the Heights(West Valley Theatre); and Twelfth Night (Creekside Theatre Festival). TV/film credits include The Chosen (CW), High School Musical: The Series (Disney+) and Amber Brown (AppleTV).



Mira Kessler (she/her, Rachel) grew up in Durham, North Carolina and comes to Chicago by way of New York, where she was a member of The New Yiddish Rep Theater Company, performing with them in God of Vengeance and Awake and Sing! Other credits include Netflix's Unorthodox, The Band’s Visit at Writers Theatre (u/s) and Goodbye Marianne at Goodman Theater (reading). Kessler graduated with an MFA in acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University.

DeVaughn Asante Loman (he/him, Baron) most recently played Kenneth in Eboni Booth’s Primary Trust at Farmers Alley Theatre. Other credits include Movement Revisited (Muhammad Ali) at Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Jive Records (Bobby Womack, Bob Marley, Ensemble) for Black Ensemble Theatre, A Drop in the Bucket (Sumwea) at Jackalope Theatre, and Cult Showat The Neo-Futurists.



Evan Ozer (he/him, Reuven) is a Chicago-based actor, originally from New York. After graduating from The Theater School at DePaul University in Spring 2025, he played Duke Orsino in Twelfth Night at Oak Park Festival Theater.



Jordan Lane Shappell’s (he/him, Asaf) most recent credits include King James, for which he won a San Francisco Bay Area Theater Critics Award for Best Actor. Credits also include Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley(TheatreWorks), The Real Thing (Writers Theatre), Be a Good Little Widow(NoHo Theater), How to Quit (Meta Theatre), Henry V (Meta Theatre), Journeys of Identity (National Theatre of the Deaf), Dancing at Lughnasa(Merle Reskin Theatre), and Day in the Death of Joe Egg (dir. Larry Moss). Film and TV credits include Monkey Bread, Abigail Before Beatrice, Scream: Fan Favorite, Patient and The Orville (Fox) Shappell earned his BFA from The Theater School at DePaul University.

K Chinthana Sotakoun (they/them, Gwen), making her Chicago theater debut, recently appeared in the indie folk rock musical Hundred Days as Abigail and in the streaming series Heavy Hitters. Other roles include Yitzhak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Neary/Sothea in Cambodian Rock Band, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, and Jessica/Jolene in Hand to God.

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

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

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.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater Presents the Midwest Premiere ofJaja's African Hair Braiding January 14–February 2, 2025

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents

the Midwest Premiere of

Jaja’s African Hair Braiding

Direct from a Tony Award-winning Broadway run

A vibrant comedy about West African immigrant women who find community in a Harlem salon

Written by Jocelyn Bioh and directed by Chicago native Whitney White

January 14–February 2 in The Yard

Straight from a twice-extended Broadway run, Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) presents the Midwest premiere of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Hailed as “wickedly entertaining” by The Washington Post and nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Play, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding was written by award-winning, Ghanaian-American playwright Jocelyn Bioh (School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, Nollywood Dreams) and is directed by Chicago native, Tony Award nominee, and Obie Award winner Whitney White (Our Dear Dead Drug Lord, What to Send Up When It Goes Down). The production runs January 14–February 2, 2025 in The Yard. 

The cast includes Melanie Brezill, Leovina Charles, Victoire Charles, Yao Dogbe, Mia Ellis, Tiffany Renee Johnson, Jordan Rice, Awa Sal Secka, Aisha Sougou, and Bisserat Tseggai.

This vibrant comedic gem offers a glimpse into the lives of a group of West African immigrant women who find community in a bustling Harlem hair salon. Over the course of a sweltering summer day, love ignites, dreams soar, and secrets unravel. Uncertainty simmers below the surface, and when it boils over, this tight-knit community is forced to confront what it means to be an outsider on the edge of the place they call home. With humor as rich as its characters, this play weaves hilarious moments with profound insights to create “an overwhelmingly affectionate portrait of Black female joy” (TheaterMania). 

Jaja's African Hair Braiding is a co-production with Arena Stage, Berkeley Repertory Theater, and La Jolla Playhouse and is presented in association with Madison Wells Live and LaChanze. The play had its world premiere at Manhattan Theatre Club.

"It's such a joy to be able to give the gift of this whip smart, funny, and original comedy to Chicago audiences,” shared Artistic Director Edward Hall. “Like all great comedies, there is plenty to laugh about and reflect on as Whitney White has orchestrated Jocelyn Bioh's play with the kind of dramatic perfection that is as rare as it is supremely enjoyable.”

"I am thrilled and honored that audiences beyond Broadway will get to come to 'the shop' and meet the vibrant women of Jaja's African Hair Braiding,” says Playwright Jocelyn Bioh. “This play means so much to me as both a native New Yorker and as a first-generation Ghanaian American as it speaks to the heart of what makes our country so beautifully unique: its rich diversity of people and culture. There is a real universality to these women's experiences, and I can't wait for audiences to connect and fall in love with each of them." 

The cast features three performers returning to the Chicago Shakespeare stage: Melanie Brezill, whose CST credits include As You Like It and The Comedy of Errors, along with Broadway and National Tour credits in The Book of Mormon, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and Mamma Mia!; Yao Dogbe, returning to CST after appearing in Richard III, Twelfth Night, and Short Shakespeare! Macbeth; and Tiffany Renee Johnson, who appeared in CST’s Red Velvet and whose other Chicago credits include Blues for an Alabama Sky at Remy Bumppo Theatre, School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play at Goodman Theatre, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom at Writers Theatre. 

Making CST debuts are Leovina Charles (The Lion King on Broadway, Lempicka at La Jolla Playhouse), Victoire Charles (Golden Age and Ruined at Manhattan Theatre Club), Mia Ellis (The Amen Corner at Shakespeare Theatre Company), Jordan Rice (Ava DuVernay’s film Selma), Awa Sal Secka (After Midnight at Paper Mill Playhouse, Goddess at Berkeley Repertory Theater), Aisha Sougou (Beehive and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at Marriott Theatre), and Bisserat Tseggai (The Jungle at St. Ann’s Warehouse, For All The Women Who Thought They Were Mad at Soho Repertory Theater).

Playwright Jocelyn Bioh is a Tony Award-nominated, Ghanian-American writer and performer from New York City. Her other work includes Merry Wives, which won the 2022 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Adaptation, Nollywood Dreams, Broadway-bound musical Goddess, and the multi-award-winning School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, which has been produced more than 65 times regionally and in the UK. She was a Tow Playwriting Fellow and has won several playwriting awards including the Drama Guild’s Hull-Warriner Prize, Steinberg Playwright Award, Lortel Award, and Drama Desk Award. Bioh has also written for TV series including Russian Doll, Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It, Tiny Beautiful Things, and The Acolyte, and is also writing the upcoming film adaptation of the Broadway musical Once on This Island for Disney.

Director Whitney White is an Obie Award and Lilly Award-winning, as well as a Tony Award-nominated, director, writer, and musician from Chicago. Jaja’s African Hair Braiding marks her CST debut, but it is also a homecoming; she fondly remembers field trips to CST productions as a high school student and credits a Shakespeare workshop at CST as an impactful early-career experience. Her Chicago credits include directing The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington at Steppenwolf Theatre, and other directing credits include the upcoming Broadway production of The Last Five Years starring Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren, What To Send Up When It Goes Down (NYT Critic’s Pick) and Jordans at The Public Theater, The Secret Life of Bees at The Almeida in the UK, and Soft at MCC Theatre (NYT Critic’s Pick). Original works include Semblance (New York Theatre Workshop), Definition (Bushwick Starr), and Macbeth in Stride (American Repertory Theater, Under the Radar Festival at The Public Theater), for which she won an Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Musical Performance. Her four-part cycle deconstructing Shakespeare’s women is currently in development with American Repertory Theater and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

White is joined by the creative team from the Broadway production, including three-time Tony-winning scenic designer David Zinn (Stereophonic, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, The Humans), returning to CST after designing the set for The Notebook; costume designer Dede Ayite, the first Black woman to win a Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Play (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding); Tony Award-nominated lighting designer Jiyoun Chang (Stereophonic, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, Slave Play); Tony-nominated original music and sound designer Justin Ellington (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf); Tony-nominated video designer Stefania Bulbarella (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding); and Tony Award-winning hair and wig designer Nikiya Mathis (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding). The company also includes associate director Manna-Symone Middlebrooks, dialect and vocal coach Yetunde Felix-Ukwu, intimacy consultant Sierra Young, associate sound designer Dwaine Potts, stage manager Melanie J. Lisby, and assistant stage manager Brillian Qi-Bell. Casting is by Caparelliotis Casting, Kelly Gillespie and Erica A. Hart.

There will be a student matinee performance during the run which will host nearly 600 students, 90% of whom are from Chicago Public Schools. This is one of many live performance opportunities for students offered in the 2024/2025 season, including student matinees of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Pericles this fall and 40 performances of Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the spring.

I'll be out for the press opening for Jaja’s African Hair Braiding on January 17th, so check back shortly after for my full review. 

More information at chicagoshakes.com/jaja or on social media at @chicagoshakes.  

PERFORMANCE DETAILS:

Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m.

Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (no matinee on January 15)

Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.

Fridays at 7:00 p.m.

Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

Chicago Shakespeare strives to make its facility and performances accessible to all patrons. Accessible seating, assistive listening devices, large-print and Braille programs, and sensory tools are available at every performance. Enhanced performances include:

Audio-described performance with optional touch tour – Sunday, January 26 at 2:00 p.m.

A program that provides spoken narration of a play’s key visual elements for patrons who are blind or have low vision. Touch Tours provide patrons the opportunity to experience, firsthand, a production’s design elements.

Open captioned performances – Wednesday, January 29 at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

A text display of the words and sounds heard during a play, synced live with the action onstage.

ASL interpreted performance – Thursday, January 30 at 7:00 p.m.

All dialogue and lyrics are translated into American Sign Language by two certified interpreters

CREATIVE TEAM

Jocelyn Bioh - Playwright

Whitney White - Director 

David Zinn - Set Designer

Dede Ayite - Costume Designer

Jiyoun Chang - Lighting Designer 

Justin Ellington - Original Music and Sound Designer

Stefania Bulbarella - Video Designer

Nikiya Mathis - Hair and Wig Designer

Manna-Symone Middlebrooks - Associate Director

Yetunde Felix-Ukwu - Dialect and Vocal Coach

Erica A. Hart, CSA - Casting

Kelly Gillespie, CSA - Casting

David Caparelliotis, CSA - Casting

Sierra Young - Intimacy Consultant

Dwaine Potts - Associate Sound Designer

Melanie J. Lisby - Stage Manager

Brillian Qi-Bell - Assistant Stage Manager

CAST

Melanie Brezill - Michelle, Chrissy, LaNiece

Leovina Charles - Vanessa, Sheila, Radia

Victoire Charles - Jaja

Yao Dogbe - James, Franklin, Olu, Eric

Mia Ellis - Jennifer

Tiffany Renee Johnson - Aminata

Jordan Rice - Marie

Awa Sal Secka - Bea

Aisha Sougou - Ndidi

Bisserat Tseggai - Miriam

Onye Eme-Akwari - Nollywood Dreams Actor

Morgan Scott - Nollywood Dreams Actor

Kevin Medesse Aousso - Understudy

Renea S. Brown - Understudy

Debora Crabbe - Understudy

CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER (CST)

A Regional Tony Award recipient, Chicago Shakespeare Theater produces a bold and innovative year-round season that includes Shakespeare, original plays, musicals, family programming, and international theatrical events. CST is committed to serving as a cultural center across its three stages—the 700+ seat Yard, 500 seat Jentes Family Courtyard Theater, and the 200 seat Carl and Marilynn Thoma Upstairs Studio as well as in classrooms, neighborhoods, and venues around the world. CST has a deep commitment to education and lifelong learning with robust programming for students, teachers, and lifelong learners, and engagement with communities across the city. Onstage, in classrooms and neighborhoods across the city, and in venues around the world, Chicago Shakespeare is a multifaceted theater—inviting audiences, artists, and community members to share powerful stories that illuminate the complexities, ambiguities, and wonders of our world. www.chicagoshakes.com

Kokandy Productions Presents the Midwest Premiere of ALICE BY HEART July 18 – September 29, 2024 at The Chopin Theatre

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Kokandy Productions Presents the Midwest Premiere of

ALICE BY HEART

July 18 – September 29, 2024 at The Chopin Theatre

  

Pictured (front to back) Joe Giovannetti and Caitlyn Cerza in a publicity image for

Kokandy Productions’ Midwest premiere of Alice by Heart. Photo by Collin Quinn Rice.

 

Book by Steven Sater and Jessie Nelson

Music by Duncan Sheik

Lyrics by Steven Sater

Directed by Derek Van Barham and Brittney Brown

Music Direction by Heidi Joosten

Choreography by Derek Van Barham 

Kokandy Productions is pleased to present the Midwest premiere of Alice by Heart, a “magical, fantastical” musical inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland directed by Derek Van Barham and Brittney Brown, with music direction by Heidi Joosten and choreography by Derek Van Barham. Alice by Heart will play July 18 – September 29, 2024 at The Chopin Studio Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. in Chicago. Tickets are now on sale at kokandyproductions.com. We'll be out for the press opening August 2, so check back shortly after for our full review. 

Caitlyn Cerza stars as Alice, the young girl who takes refuge in her beloved copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. She is joined by a whimsical cast of curious characters including Ezra Borrero (Nigel, Dormouse), Elliot Esquivel (Angus, Caterpillar, u/s Alfred), Niki-Charise Franco (Red Cross Nurse, Queen of Hearts), Joe Giovannetti (Alfred, White Rabbit), Darian Goulding (Dr. Butridge, Jabberwocky, King of Hearts), Will Lidke (Harold Pudding, Mad Hatter), Emily Ling Mei (Young Alice), Patrick O'Keefe (Dodgy, Duchess), Mizha Overn (Tabatha, Cheshire Cat), Alex Stetkevich (Clarissa, Mock Turtle) and Peter Stielstra (Young Alfred). Swings include Sophia Mae Brenner, Victor Lopez, Kevin Parra, Jack Saunders and Ava Stovall.

From the Tony and Grammy Award-winning creators of Spring Awakening, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik, and co-written by Jessie Nelson (Waitress), Alice by Heart is a touching musical that invites audiences to go through the looking glass, seeking solace in a Wonderland unlike any they’ve seen.

In the rubble of the London Blitz of World War II, Alice Spencer’s budding teen life is turned upside down as she and her dear friend Alfred are forced to take shelter in an underground tube station. When the ailing Alfred is quarantined, Alice encourages him to escape with her into their cherished book and journey down the rabbit hole to Wonderland. As they travel through the tale, Alice by Heart explores the poignancy of first love, coming to terms with loss and finding the courage to move forward. This Midwest premiere encourages us all to celebrate the transformational power of the imagination, even in the harshest of times.

Kokandy Producing Artistic Director Derek Van Barham says, “Get ready to fall in love with Alice by Heart. We sure did. It’s a show that Scot, Brittney, Heidi and I have listened to for years, and we’re just delighted to be able to share it with Chicago. The Chopin basement will be transformed into Wonderland, the audience experiencing Alice’s beautiful journey up close and all around them. It’s dark, whimsical and witty—a curious twist on a story we think we know.”

The production team includes: G "Max" Maxin IV (Scenic Design and Lighting Design), Mike Patrick and Matt Reich (Sound Design), Rachel Sypniewski (Costume Design), Jakob Abderhalden (Properties Designer, Scenic Décor), Syd Genco (Makeup Design), Keith Ryan (Wig Design), Nicholas Reinhart (Production Manager), Shane Roberie (Casting Associate), David Moreland (Technical Director), Lynsy Folckomer (Sound Engineer) and Shelby Burgus (Stage Manager).

 

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Location: The Chopin Studio Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, July 18 at 7 pm, Friday, July 19 at 7 pm, Saturday, July 20 at 7 pm, Sunday, July 21 at 5 pm, Thursday, July 25 at 7 pm, Friday, July 26 at 7 pm, Saturday, July 27 at 7 pm, Sunday, July 28 at 5 pm and Thursday, August 1 at 7 pm

Press performance: Friday, August 2, 2024 at 7 pm

Regular run: Saturday, August 3 – Sunday, September 29, 2024

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7 pm; Sundays at 5 pm

Tickets: Previews $25 (with code PREVIEW). Regular run $45 general admission, $55 reserved seating. Students/Seniors $35. There will be a limited number of $15 tickets (with code ARTIST) available to artists for each performance. Tickets are on sale now at kokandyproductions.com.

 

About the Artists

Derek Van Barham (Co-Director and Choreographer, he/him) is the Producing Artistic Director of Kokandy Productions. Directing credits include Children of Eden in Concert (Broadway In Chicago), Sweeney Todd, American Psycho and Head Over Heels (Jeff Awards and Jeff nomination, Kokandy); The View Upstairs (Circle Theatre); Miracle by Dan Savage, Poseidon (Hell in a Handbag); Taylor Mac’s A Walk Across America for Mother Earth and Merrily We Roll Along (CCPA); Songs from an Unmade Bed (Jeff Award nomination) and PRISCILLA, Queen of the Desert (PrideArts). Choreography credits include Evil Dead (Jeff nom.), Coraline the Musical, Ghost Quartet, Shockheaded Peter and Coraline the Musical (Black Button Eyes). He was named one of Newcity Magazine's 50 Players 2024 and one of Windy City Times 30 Under 30, recognizing individuals from Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community. He holds an MFA in Acting from CCPA/Roosevelt University in Chicago. derekvanbarham.com | IG @dvbarham

Brittney Brown (Co-Director, she/her) is a Chicago-based actor and director. Some select Chicago acting credits include: Raven Theatre’s brother sister cyborg space, Blank Theatre’s Merrily We Roll Along, Theo Ubique’s Assassins, Hedwig & the Angry Inch and Sweeney Todd, Kokandy Productions’ Sweeney Todd and Bonnie & Clyde, Pride Arts’ All That He Was (Jeff Nomination—Best Performer in a Supporting Role), Factory Theater’s Kelly Girls (Jeff Nomination—Best Performer in a Principal Role), and Griffin Theatre’s Ragtime and Violet. Brittney was also the associate director for The Story Theatre’s Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes, Factory Theater’s May the Road Rise Up and Exit 63’s Wolves. She was a featured director in Broken Nose Theatre’s Bechdel Fest 7: Momentum and directed a staged reading of Paul Michael Thomson’s Artemis Books & the Well-Meaning Man for Avalanche Theatre, as well as the audio drama Primer for Broken Nose Theatre. She has also directed productions of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and Calvin Berger.

Heidi Joosten (Music Director, she/her) is a Jeff Award-winning music director (Assassins – Theo Ubique Cabaret), composer, lyricist, pianist, harpist, orchestrator, sound designer, vocal coach and conductor. After last fall’s sold out run of American Psycho, she is absolutely thrilled to be returning to Kokandy Productions for another Duncan Sheik Chicago premiere! Since 2014, Heidi has collaborated on over 100 new theatrical, comedic and concert productions in the Chicagoland area, including serving as the music director and conductor of Children of Eden – starring Destiny’s Child member Michelle Williams, gospel singer David Phelps and singer/songwriter Sam Tsui – performed live at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in October 2022 and available soon to stream. Notable theatrical writing collaborations include: Queer Eye: The Musical Parody, The Bone Harp, Saint Hildegard and Micro. In 2023, she orchestrated for Drury Lane Theater (Grease) as well as the Chicago Shakespeare Theater (Beauty and the Beast) and Theo Ubique Cabaret (add’l arrangements for Assassins), and she also served as the associate/sub conductor on the national tour of Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse with The Sinfonietta. This fall, she will hit the road as the associate conductor of the U.S. leg of the world concert tour of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Heidi’s award-winning original music has been performed across the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. She is an adjunct professor at North Park University and also serves as the understudy music director for the Second City Mainstage revue. Heidi is a proud member of ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild. heidijoosten.com | IG @heidijoosten

 

About Kokandy Productions

Founded in 2010, Kokandy Productions seeks to leverage the heightened reality of musical theatre to tell complex and challenging stories, with a focus on contributing to the development of Chicago-based musical theatre artists, and raising the profile of Chicago's non-Equity musical theatre community. 

The company's artistic staff is comprised of Derek Van Barham (Producing Artistic Director), Scot T. Kokandy (Executive Producer) and Adrian Abel Azevedo & Leda Hoffman (Artistic Associates). The Board of Directors includes Preston Cropp, Scot T. Kokandy, Danielle Sparklin and Katie Svaicer. 

For additional information, visit kokandyproductions.com.