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

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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

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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. 

 

 

The Midwest Premiere of The Brightest Thing in the World Via About Face Theatre March 14-April 13, 2024

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

About Face Theatre to produce

the Midwest premiere of 

The Brightest Thing in the World

directed by Keira Fromm

March 14-April 13, 2024 

About Face Theatre continues its 29th season with the Midwest premiere of The Brightest Thing in the World by Leah Nanako Winkler, directed by AFT Artistic Associate Keira Fromm. The show will run March 14 through April 13, 2024, at The Den Theatre. The Brightest Thing in the World starts as a bubbling romantic comedy between barista Lane and her regular Steph, charting their growing relationship as they encounter real-world challenges like teen pregnancy, parenting, and addiction. This play is a celebration of love, family, and the people in our lives who shine the brightest.

THE BRIGHTEST THING IN THE WORLD

Written by Leah Nanako Winkler

Directed by AFT Artistic Associate Keira Fromm

March 14 – April 13, 2024 | Press opening: Friday, March 22

All performances will take place at The Den Theatre, 1331 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago

Showtimes: Thurs and Fri at 8:00pm, Sat at 3:00pm and 8:00pm, Sun at 3:00pm

Please note: There is no matinee performance on Saturday, March 16

Open Captioning performances: Dates TBD.

Masks Required performances: Saturday matinees on March 30 and April 6 will require every attendee to wear a mask.

Pay-what-you-can tickets ($5 – $35) on sale now at The Den Theatre box office or About Face Theatre’s website.

 

TICKETS

Tickets are on sale now online at AboutFaceTheatre.com, by calling 773.697.3830, or in-person at The Den Theatre box office. Ticket prices range from $5 to $35. 

AFT offers a ticket pricing system that allows each patron to decide the price that they can comfortably afford to pay for a ticket. Ultimately, About Face wants everyone who wants to attend a show to be able to do so. Please note: there are limited quantities available at each pricing level.

THE PLAY

Charmingly free-spirited barista Lane is determined to win over her new regular, the reserved and intellectual Steph. Delightful romantic comedy ensues with poetry, homemade desserts, and sparks flying. But both women are carrying life-changing secrets involving addiction, past relationships, and family. What happens when the giddy romance wears off and Lane and Steph must do the work of building a lasting relationship out of honesty, compassion, and courage? The Brightest Thing in the World is a funny, heartfelt new play delving into the people we think we know and the people we know we love.

“I love Leah Nanako Winkler’s use of language and the smart, messy, recognizable women at the center of the story,” says director Keira Fromm. “She has created a play that manages to be both a funny queer rom-com and a devastating portrait of addiction and the ways we’re all constantly in a state of recovery.”

The Brightest Thing in the World was commissioned by Yale Repertory Theatre in 2019, where it received its world premiere in 2022.

 

CAST

Blakewell (Della)

Claire Kaplan (Lane)

Jojo Brown (Steph)

 

PRODUCTION TEAM

Dramaturg, Casting Director        Catherine Miller

Choreographer                              Jenn Freeman

Intimacy & Violence Designer     Sheryl Williams

Assistant Director                         Aimy Tien

Scenic Designer                           Sotirios Livaditis

Lighting Designer                         Conchita Avitia

Sound Designer                           Christopher Kriz

Costume Designer                       Gregory Graham

Properties Designer                     Amanda Herrmann

Technical Director                        Becca Venable

Stage Manager                            Jean Compton

Assistant Stage Manager            B Valek

Production Manager                    Audrey Kleine

Keira Fromm (she/her): director

Keira is a Chicago-based, Jeff-award nominated director. She is also an Artistic Associate with About Face Theatre where she directed Bull in a China Shop, Significant Other, Bright Half Life, and A Kid Like Jake. Other directing credits include: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Milwaukee Chamber Theatre), The Moors, A Phoenix Too Frequent, and A Doll’s House (American Players Theatre), The Last Match (Writers Theatre); At the Wedding and Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (TheatreSquared); Top Girls and hang (Remy Bumppo); The Columnist (American Blues Theater); Charles Ives Take Me Home (Strawdog); The How and the Why (TimeLine Theatre); Broadsword (The Gift Theatre); and Fallow (Steep Theatre.) She received her MFA from DePaul University, her BFA from Boston University, is an alumna of Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, and a member of SDC, the professional directors union. Keira will be directing The Liar at American Players Theatre this upcoming summer. www.keirafromm.com

Cyd Blakewell (she/her): “Della”

Cyd was most recently seen in Northlight Theatre’s Birthday Candles. She is a proud ensemble member of The Gift Theatre. Gift Theatre credits: The Locusts, Pillowman, Doubt, A Life Extra Ordinary, Good For Otto, Body + Blood, Broadsword, Mine, and TEN. Other Chicago credits: The Snare (Jackalope); Balm In Gilead and Port (Griffin); Buddy Cop 2, breaks & bikes, and Milk Milk Lemonade (Pavement Group); Sweet Confinement and Ivanov (SiNNERMAN Ensemble); Orange Flower Water (Interrobang); Lies & Liars and Mimesophobia (Theatre Seven); Rewind (The Side Project). Last summer she wrapped on a short film called Fairground and can also be seen in Jeri’s Grille. Next, you can see her in the World Premier of Obliterated by Andrew Hinderaker, co-starring Michael Patrick Thornton. Cyd got her BFA from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX and is a graduate of the School at Steppenwolf. She is represented by Promote Talent Agency.

Jojo Brown (she/her): “Steph”

Jojo Brown is a stage and screen actor who was born and raised in Chicago. Off-Broadway credits include CHARM and 7 Minutes. Television credits include her recurring role as Mindy on Freeform's “Single Drunk Female” and appearances on NBC, Showtime, Comedy Central, FX, and Paramount Plus. 

Claire Kaplan (she/her): “Lane”

Claire is a theater-maker, actor, and teacher from Long Beach, CA. Regional credits include South Coast Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, and East West Players. Claire is co-artistic director of The West, an experimental theatre company formerly based in LA, now creating work in Chicago and Berlin. She is directing Theatre Unspeakable's touring show introducing Shakespeare to kids and is teaching devised theater at UIC. She recently helped create the musical world for Backroom Shakes' The Winter's Tale.

Leah Nanako Winkler (she/her): playwright

Leah Nanako Winkler is an award-winning playwright and TV writer from Kamakura, Japan, and Lexington, Kentucky. Her plays include God Said This, Two Mile Hollow, Kentucky, Hot Asian Doctor Husband, and The Brightest Thing in the World, as well as many short plays all produced Off-Broadway and regionally. Accolades and fellowships: Yale Drama Series Prize, Mark O’Donnell Prize from The Actors Fund and Playwrights Horizons, Audible’s Emerging Playwrights Fund, Jerome New York Fellow at the Lark, Francesca Primus Prize, and a 2020 Steinberg Playwright Award. She is published by American Theater Magazine, Nanjing University’s Stage and Screen Reviews, Yale University Press, Backstage, Smith and Krauss, Samuel French, and Dramatists Play Service. TV credits include Michael Moore’s TV NATION, New Amsterdam, A24’s Ramy on Hulu (where she along with the other writers won a Peabody Award), Love Life on HBO MAX, and currently on projects at Apple, Warner and Amazon.

ABOUT FACE THEATRE advances LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance. AFT envisions an affirming and equitable world in which all LGBTQ+ individuals are thriving and free from prejudice and discrimination. About Face Theatre is also dedicated to being an intentionally and increasingly anti-racist organization. Due to the intersectionality of our identities, we understand our work to advance LGBTQ+ equity as directly connected to movements for racial justice.

 

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

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Midwest Premiere!

Griffin Theatre Company Launches 33rd Season with

MARYS SEACOLE

By Jackie Sibblies Drury

Directed by Jerrell L. Henderson and Hannah Todd

October 1 – November 6, 2022 at Raven Theatre

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Press performance: Sunday, October 9 at 7 pm

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

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

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

 

About the Artists

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

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

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

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

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

 

About Griffin Theatre Company

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

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

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

For additional information, visit www.griffintheatre.com.

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

PEQUEÑOS TERRITORIOS EN RECONSTRUCCIÓN SEPTEMBER 21 – 25, 2022 IN GOODMAN THEATRE'S OWEN THEATRE

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

GOODMAN THEATRE PRESENTS 

PEQUEÑOS TERRITORIOS EN RECONSTRUCCIÓN 

IN 2022 DESTINOS—5TH CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL LATINO THEATER FESTIVAL AND IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CHICAGO LATINO THEATER ALLIANCE

***HAILING FROM MEXICO CITY’S TEATRO LÍNEA DE SOMBRA, PEQUEÑOS TERRITORIOS EN RECONSTRUCCIÓN APPEARS IN A LIMITED ENGAGEMENT SEPTEMBER 21 – 25 IN THE OWEN THEATRE***

Running time is approximately 60 minutes (no intermission)

Goodman Theatre and the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) presents the Midwest premiere of Pequeños Territorios en Reconstrucción by Teatro Linea de Sombra of Mexico City, appearing in a limited engagement September 21-25 at the Goodman. The production is produced as part of Destinos—the 5th Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, a five-week festival of Latino theater artists and companies from Chicago, the U.S. and Latin America in shows, panels and student performances at venues citywide. Pequeños Territorios en Reconstrucción appears September 21 – September 25 in the 350-seat flexible Owen Theatre. Tickets ($10 –$25, subject to change) are now available at GoodmanTheatre.org/Pequenos or by phone at 312-443-3800.

Photo Credit: Julie Cherki

The Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), a transformative cultural engine helping drive the city’s local Latino theater community to a more prominent level, was founded by Myrna Salazar and the National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA), the International Latino Cultural Center (ILCC) and the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance (PRAA). Chicagoans are still stunned by the recent loss of Ms. Salazar, who passed away suddenly on August 3. “CLATA’s success would not have been possible without a visionary at the helm, a person with the tenacity and passion to bring Chicago’s Latino theater community to a level that had not yet been imagined. Now, in Myrna’s honor, CLATA is charged with the task of making sure her legacy forges ahead with the same unbridled zeal that she brought to her beloved organization, the Destinos Festival, and her everyday life,” wrote the CLATA staff in a program note dedicating this year’s Destinos to her memory.

Pequeños Territorios en Reconstrucción is among the six world premieres, four U.S. premieres and three Midwest premieres featured at 2022 Destinos. The complete festival line-up, with performances presented at marquee venues downtown, neighborhood storefront theaters and cultural institutions throughout Chicago, is now available at DestinosFest.org. Directed by Jorge A. Vargas, the Midwest premiere features Sonya Madrigal, Shanttal Saad, Abril Pinedo and Alicia Laguna in a story about the “City of Women” in Turbaco, Colombias where 15 years ago, a group of women displaced by armed conflict created the “League of Displaced Women” and built 98 houses with their own hands. After a short stay there, Teatro Linea de Sombra created a documentary fable posing a series of ethical questions on the potential destiny of the settlement, of the women who built it and especially of the children who inhabit it.

Photo Credit: Julie Cherki

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Jorge A. Vargas (Director) has been the artistic director of Teatro Línea de Sombra (Shadow Line Theatre) since its inception in 1993.  In the mid 1980s he studied at École de Mime Corporel Dramatique of Ettiene Decroux in Paris, which led to his first work, Galería de Moribundos (Gallery of Dying Men), and established Vargas in physical and visual theater in México City.  He subsequently trained with the International Theatre School for Latin America and the Caribbean in Havana, Cuba (1990) and Tlaxcala, Mexico (1994.) Until 2010, he alternated between devising experimental theater and directing plays written by authors such as Roland Schimmelpfenning, Jon Fosse, Anthony Neilson, Neil LaButte and Lars Norén. The Association of Theater Writers and Critics (UCCCT) twice recognized Vargas and Teatro Línea de Sombra (TLS) with Best Theatre Group in the Provinces (1982, 1991), and Vargas with two awards for Best Research Theatre Director (2001, 2005). Their work tours throughout Mexico and has toured to major festivals and theaters in France, Argentina, the U.S., Canada, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Spain, Finland, Russia, Korea, Slovenia and Macedonia. Amarillo, the hallmark work by Vargas with TLS, received the Latin ACE Award for the Best Foreign Production in New York, in 2012 and the Audience Award for the Best Performance of the 21st Exponto International Performing Arts Festival in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The Universal Forum of Cultures Monterrey commissioned Vargas to create and direct The Forge of the World, a large-scale performance piece inside Oven 3 of Fundidora Park in Monterrey. More than a million spectators attended its 80 performances. Their most recent international co-production, which Vargas also co-directed, is Artículo 13 (Article 13) with Cie Carabosse in France, an immersive installation regarding migratory movements around the world.  Last pieces of the company are – Baños Roma (2013); Pequeños Territorios en Reconstrucción (2014); Durango66; El Puro Lugar,  a Site Specific piece in Jalapa Veracruz and Theatre Version ( 2016-2017); Filo de Caballo(s) (2018), a commission of the Contermporary Arts Museum in Chicago that opened in fall 2018 at Teatro El Galeón; Danzantes del Alba, a co-production of Internation Cervantino Festival Teatro UNAM and TLS (2020-2021). Their most recent project is Zona Clausurada, a scenic installation presented at Museo Universitario del Chopo, UNAM.  

Sonya Madrigal (Narrator) is thrilled to be making her Goodman Theatre acting debut. Previously Sonya choreographed and was a movement consultant on the Goodmans productions of Zulema and American Mariachi. Sonya is a proud first-generation Mexican-American from Chicago IL, where she received her BFA in Acting from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is currently an MFA acting candidate at the University of Iowa. Favorite Chicago credits include Day of Absence (Congo Square); Hope Part II; A Mexican Trilogy (Teatro Vista); Oedipus Rex and the premiere of David Auburn's The Adventures of Augie March (Court Theater). Recent credits include Henry V (Riverside Theater); Letters From Cuba and Our Lady of 121st. Sonya is proudly represented by Stewart Talent.  

Shanttal Saad is a Mexican-American actress, singer and songwriter with over 10 years of experience in working with performing arts with a focus on vocal proficiency and experimental music. With studies in drama, she has performed for theatrical productions in the U.S., Mexico and Europe as an actress and as a live musician working with international theater companies such as Teatro Línea de Sombra. She has created original soundtracks for theater, movies and radio. Shanttal is also known as Frida Canti in a project where she transforms into the lead performer of her own compositions and explores Latin genres, rock and folk music. 

Abril Pinedo was born in Ciudad Juárez Chihuahua in 198 and graduated from the University Theater Center, UNAM in 2010. With more than 20 years of artistic experience, she has performed in almost all areas of the performing arts. As an actress, she has participated in more than thirty productions, including Desert under lunar scenery by Alberto Villarreal; Words of love in German by Gilberto Guerrero; Bullet music by Hugo Salcedo under the direction of Alfonso Cárcamo; Nothing Always Everything Never with Colectivo Macramé directed by Mariana Gándara and Tales of Boca en Boca with Vereda Teatro, directed by Sofía Sanz. She has collaborated on numerous occasions with T3Y Teatro as director of Tania Mayrén's text, Hedda. She is the artistic director of the Colectivo La Maqueta with whom she has directed two productions, Radiocuento, music noise and sound (2016) and What can be invented, not all stories are for children (2016). She is currently working on her new project La Casa.

Alicia Laguna has trained at the Universidad de Nuevo León in Monterrey, Mexico. She has been the artistic co-director of Teatro Línea de Sombra (TLS) since 1993 and a company actress and a creator of plays addressing the context of Mexico’s socio-political reality for over ten years. She has toured with TLS in Europe, South America, Canada, USA, Korea, China and Russia. As an actress she has participated in movies such as Norteado, directed by Rigoberto Perezcano and has won the prize for best actress at the Abu Dabhi Film Festival. She was, along with film director Maria Berns, a co-creator of the experimental film So Long. 

THE COMPANY OF PEQUEÑOS TERRITORIOS EN RECONSTRUCCIÓN 

Sonya Madrigal

Shanttal Saad

Abril Pinedo

Alicia Laguna

Please note: Masks are currently recommended, but not required, while in the theater. Policies may change based on prevailing medical guidance. Learn more about Goodman’s current Health and Safety Protocols at GoodmanTheatre.org/Protocols.

ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE

Chicago’s theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit arts and community organization in the heart of the Loop, distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and community engagement. The theater’s artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics. Artists and productions have earner two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and more than 160 Jeff Awards, among other accolades. The Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” Its longtime annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, now in its fifth decade, has created a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production and program partner with national and international companies and Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters.

Using the tools of the theatrical profession, the Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand the cultures and stories of diverse voices. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of these programs, which are offered free of charge for Chicago youth—85% of whom come from underserved communities—schools and life-long learners.

As a cultural and community organization invested in quality, diversity and community, Goodman Theatre is committed to using the art of theater for a better Chicago. Goodman Theatre’s Action Plan for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism and Access (IDEAA) was born out of the belief that progress means action, which includes building on the decades-long commitment to using art, assets and resources to contribute to a more just, equitable and anti-racist society.

Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family’s legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth’s family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation on the new Goodman center in 2000.

Today, Goodman Theatre is led by Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director Roche Schulfer. Theater leadership also includes the distinguished members of the Artistic Collective: Rebecca Gilman, Dael Orlandersmith, Henry Godinez, Steve Scott, Kimberly Senior, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor and Mary Zimmerman. Jeff Hesse is Chairman of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Fran Del Boca is Women’s Board President and Craig McCaw is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.

ABOUT DESTINOS, 5TH CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL LATINO THEATER FESTIVAL

Now entering its fifth year, Destinos is the signature program of the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), a transformative cultural engine helping drive the city’s local Latino theater community to a more prominent level.

CLATA, which produces Destinos, was founded in 2016 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization by Myrna Salazar and Chicago’s three most prominent Latino arts organizations: the National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA), the International Latino Cultural Center (ILCC), and the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance (PRAA). 

“In Spanish, the word ‘destinos’ has multiple meanings: destinies, destinations or fate,” explained CLATA’s late Executive Director Myrna Salazar, who passed away suddenly this past August, and to whom the 2022 festival is dedicated. “Destinos showcases Latino theater artists from Chicago, across the U.S. and Latin America to present engaging and thought-provoking stories that transcend boundaries, amplify Latino voices, and diversify Chicago stages to encourage cross-cultural conversation.” 

The organization’s goal is to create the country’s leading international Latino theater festival with an emphasis on showcasing Chicago Latino theater artists and companies. Additionally, CLATA provides local groups ongoing organizational, marketing and financial support, and works diligently to create a permanent home for Chicago’s Latino theater artists. Ultimately, CLATA strives to underscore Chicago’s reputation as one of the most exciting and culturally diverse theater cities in the world.

CLATA gratefully acknowledges ongoing support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Joyce Foundation, Ford Foundation, Walder Foundation, Driehaus Foundation, Bezos Family Foundation, Creative Reaction Lab, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, Shubert Foundation, a CityArts grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Illinois Arts Council Agency, National Endowment for the Arts, Wintrust, Allstate, Choose Chicago, ComEd and Comcast/Xfinity.

Free: Midwest Premiere of Paris Now Playing at Steep Theatre Through July 23rd

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

PARIS

By Eboni Booth

Directed by Jonathan Berry

A Midwest Premiere

Running Time: 1:30 with no intermission

Content Advisory: This production is intended for adult audiences. For more information about the content of this show, please click here.

Masks and vaccines are required at Steep Theatre. Please review our COVID safety protocols prior to reserving your tickets. 

All performances of Paris are currently sold out. We are working to increase seating capacity, but in the meantime, we encourage you to sign up for the wait list.

Ticket Price: In celebration of Steep’s return to Edgewater, this production will be free to attend. Donations are accepted.

Returning home to the small town of Paris, Vermont, Emmie tries to make ends meet while navigating the challenges of being Black in a predominantly white community. After finally landing a second job at a retail giant, her search for connection and identity leads her to a stark realization. Eboni Booth’s Paris, an off-beat workplace comedy, explores the impacts of race and economics on the wage-earners of rural America.

All Photos by Randall Starr

“A master class in putting on a play in a raw space.”

”It’s a heck of a reminder of what we have been missing.”

-Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

Performance Schedule

Previews: June 11 - June 16

Press Opening: Friday, June 17

Performances: June 17 - July 23

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm

Sunday afternoons at 3 pm

Performance Location

Steep Theatre

At the corner of Berwyn & Kenmore in Chicago

Please visit our Location Page for more details.

COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS

Accessibility

Audio Description and a Touch Tour will be available on Sunday, June 26. Open Captioning will be available on Sunday, July 3. 

Contact us at access@steeptheatre.com or 773-649-3186 for more information or to reserve tickets.

Production Sponsors: Dr. Susan Burland & George Plumb, Ken Burlington, James T. O’Neill, Barbara & Randy Thomas, Lisa & Randy White, Jan Willer & Mark Osing, Martha Anne & Stephen Yandle

Ticketing: We use a paperless ticketing system, and there are no physical tickets to pick up. When you arrive at the theatre, your reservation will be under your last name at the Box Office.

The Box Office will open 45 minutes prior to show time

The house will open for seating 15 minutes prior to show time

Late Seating: Please note that late seating is not possible and that all tickets not claimed by the scheduled performance time may be released to the waitlist. For questions about this, please contact our box office.

About the Venue: 1044 W Berwyn Ave is our new home, and we couldn’t be more excited, but it’s not quite a theatre yet. We have a renovation project in the works, but in the meantime Paris will give you the chance to join us in exploring the space pre-renovation. The former church is ADA accessible and offers ample restrooms, but some of the trappings of the Steep experience (such as beverage service in the lobby lounge) are still waiting in the wings. The art we create and the community we bring together will be 100% Steep, but the physical space is still somewhere between church and theatre. 

CAST

Alex Gillmor^

Alex Levy

Josh Odor

Michaela Petro

Amber Sallis^*

Lynda Shadrake

Terence Sims

Norm Woodel (voiceover)

CREATIVE TEAM

Director – Jonathan Barry^

Stage Managers – Jennifer Aparicio*, Hannah Weiss

Costume Designer – Alexia Rutherford

Co-Lighting Designers – Conchita Avitia, Heather Gilbert

Sound Designer – Daniel Etti-Williams

Props Designer - Carol-Delaney Gibson

Scenic Consultant – Eleanor Kahn

Intimacy Choreographer - Tristin Hall

Production Manager – Julie Siple^

Production Electrician – Mark Brown

Technical Director  – Evan Sposato

Assistant Director –Lisa Troi Thomas^

Assistant Stage Managers – Ender Collins, Andrea Enger, Rachel Silver

Makeup Assistant - Liz Sharpe

Casting Director – Lucy Carapetyanˆ

Photographer - Randall Starr

ˆ Steep Company Member

 ˆˆ Steep Artistic Associate

* Appearing through an Agreement between Steep Theatre and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

In the Press

“…what comes across clearly in this work—the first live production from Steep since 2020, and the first in their new space on Berwyn—is that Booth is a fierce and funny writer to watch.”

-Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader

Eboni Booth

Eboni Booth is a writer and actress from New York City. Her play Paris had its premiere at the Atlantic Theater Company. Her work has been developed with Victory Gardens Theater, Ojai Playwrights Conference, Cape Cod Theater Project, WP Theater, Two River Theater, Clubbed Thumb, and Northern Stage. Eboni is a resident playwright at New Dramatists and the recipient of a Steinberg Playwright Award, a Helen Merrill Award for Playwriting, and a John Gassner award. She is a graduate of Juilliard’s playwriting program and the University of Vermont.

SHOWS ON OUR RADAR: Chicago Premiere of If I Forget at Victory Gardens Theater July 7, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Victory Gardens Theater Presents the

Chicago Premiere of

If I Forget

By Steven Levenson

Directed by Devon de Mayo

Through July 7, 2019

Victory Gardens Theater continues its 44th season with the Chicago Premiere of If I Forget, written by Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen) and directed by Devon de Mayo. If I Forget runs June 7 – July 7, 2019, with press performance on Friday, June 14, 2019 at 7:30pm at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.

In the final months before 9/11, liberal Jewish studies professor Michael Fischer has reunited with his two sisters to celebrate their father’s 75th birthday. Each deeply invested in their own version of family history, the siblings clash over everything from Michael’s controversial scholarly work to the mounting pressures of caring for an ailing parent. As destructive secrets and long-held resentments bubble to the surface, the three negotiate—with biting humor and razor-sharp insight—how much of the past they’re willing to sacrifice for a chance at a new beginning. If I Forget tells a powerful tale of a family and a culture at odds with itself.

If I Forget “speaks to both the head and the heart.” – The New York Times, Critic’s Pick

"We are proud to give a Chicago home to Steven Levenson's poignant play, If I Forget. This explosive family drama deftly explores the power and complexity of history, legacy, gentrification and identity," says Chay Yew. "The play centers on a Jewish American family as they are forced to grapple with an ever-changing world, and how their histories inform the present, and how they embrace their past as they move towards the future. I'm thrilled to share this powerful and timely work with our Chicago audiences."

The cast of If I Forget includes Alec Boyd (Joey Oren), Daniel Cantor (Michael Fischer), David Darlow (Lou Fischer), Keith Kupferer (Howard Kilberg), Elizabeth Ledo (Sharon Fischer), Gail Shapiro (Holly Fischer), and Heather Townsend (Ellen Manning). 

The creative team includes Andrew Boyce (scenic design), Izumi Inaba (costume design), Heather Sparling (lighting design), Kevin O'Donnell (sound design), and Rachel Watson (props design).

About the Artists

Steven Levenson (Playwright) is the Tony Award-winning book writer of Dear Evan Hansen. His plays include If I Forget, The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin, Days of Rage, and The Language of Trees. Honors include the Obie Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama League Award, and the Helen Hayes Award. He worked for three seasons as a writer and producer on Showtime’s Masters of Sex and is a founding member of Colt Coeur and an alumnus of MCC’s Playwrights Coalition and Ars Nova’s Play Group. His work has been published by Dramatists Play Service and Playscripts. A graduate of Brown University, he is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Inc. and the WGA. Upcoming projects include the limited series Fosse/Verdon (FX) and the film adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s tick, tick…boom!

Devon de Mayo (Director) has directed twice at Victory Gardens as part of their Ignition Festival of New Plays. Most recently she directed the world premiere of The Scientific Method by Jenny Connell Davis at Rivendell Theatre and First Love is the Revolution at Steep Theatre. Other Directing credits include: Women Laughing Alone With Salad (Theatre Wit); The Burn (Steppenwolf Theatre), Harvey (Court Theatre), Sycamore (Raven Theatre), You on the Moors Now (The Hypocrites), Animals Out of Paper (Shattered Globe Theatre), You Can’t Take it With You, and Lost in Yonkers (Northlight Theatre), Jet Black Chevrolet (side project); Compulsion and Everything is Illuminated (Next); Roadkill Confidential, The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler, and Clouds (Dog & Pony). Directing and devising credits: Don’t Look Back/Must Look Back (Pivot Arts); Guerra: A Clown Play (La Piara, Mexico); The Whole World is Watching, As Told by the Vivian Girls and The Twins Would Like to Say (Dog & Pony). She received her MFA from Middlesex University in London and did further studies at the Russian Academy of Dramatic Arts in Moscow and the Indonesian Institute for the Arts in Bali, Indonesia.

Alec Boyd (Joey Oren) Victory Gardens debut. Chicago: The Cryptogram (Profiles Theatre), Damn Yankees (Music Theater Works). Film & TV: “Another Yesterday”, "Chicago Med".  Education/training: Interlochen Arts Camp.

Daniel Cantor (Michael Fischer) Victory Gardens: Relatively Close, Jacob and Jack. Chicago: Rabbit Hole, Fishmen, Chicago Boys (Goodman), Water by the Spoonful (Court,) Comedy of Errors (Chicago Shakespeare), Boeing Boeing, Deathtrap (Drury Lane), Paulus (Silk Road Rising), Return to Haifa (Next). Off-Broadway: Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight (Promenade) Tuesdays With Morrie (Minetta Lane), Strictly Personal (Soho Playhouse). National Production: Picasso at the Lapin Agile (San Francisco). Regional: A.C.T., Milwaukee Rep., Cincinnati Playhouse, Cleveland Playhouse, Studio Theater, Barrington Stage, Hartford TheatreWorks, Arkansas Rep., Contemporary American Theater Festival, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Notre Dame Shakespeare, Worcester Foothills Theater, Mill Mountain Theater, National Shakespeare. Film: The Auteur Theory, Alternative Universe: A Rescue Mission, Alchemy, Justice, House of Satisfaction. TV: "Empire," "Chicago Fire," "Chicago PD," "Law and Order," "Law and Order: CI," "Law and Order: SVU," "Conviction," "Sopranos" (Webisode), "As the World Turns," "Asphalt Man" (Korea). Education: Wesleyan, A.C.T.Teaching: Head of BFA Performance, University of Michigan.

David Darlow (Lou Fischer) Indecent, Among Friends (Victory Gardens). Chicago: Le Puff, Pygmalion, Heroes, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Best Man, Major Barbara (After Dark Award), The Father, A Delicate Balance, Power and Hapgood (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company); Endgame (American Theater Company, Jeff Award); Tug of War, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, Timon of Athens and Othello (Chicago Shakespeare Theater). Regional: Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., South Coast Repertory, Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Barter Theatre and Syracuse Stage. Film & TV: “The Fugitive”, “Road to Perdition”, “Hoodlum”, “Let’s Go to Prison”, and “High Fidelity”; “Empire”, “Chicago Fire”.

Keith Kupferer (Howard Kilberg) Victory Gardens: Hillary and Clinton, Never the Sinner, and Appropriate. Sweat, Support Group for Men, God of Carnage, Passion Play (Goodman Theater); The Mystery of Love and Sex, Death of a Streetcar Named Virginia Wolf (Writers Theatre); The Qualms, Good People, Middletown, Carter's Way, Things Being What They Are (Steppenwolf Theatre);The Humans (American Theatre Company); Gypsy (Chicago Shakespeare Theater);  The Legend of Georgia McBride (Northlight Theatre); Big Lake, Big City, Trust (Lookingglass Theatre). Dada Woof, Papa Hot (About Face). The Cake, Cal in Camo (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble). Film credits: “Widows”; “Monuments;” ”The Dilemma;” “Dark Knight;” “Public Enemies;” “The Express;” “Stranger Than Fiction;” “Road to Perdition;” “Finding Santa;” “Fred Klaus;” “The Last Rights of Joe May;” and “The Merry Gentleman.” TV credits: “The Chi”; “Proven Innocent”; “Better Call Saul”; “Empire”; “Chicago P.D.”; “Betrayal”; “Crisis”; “Chicago Fire”; and “Detroit 187”.

Elizabeth Ledo (Sharon Fischer) Victory Gardens Debut. Chicago: Mamma Mia, Barefoot in the Park, (Drury Lane Oakbrook) Tug of War: Civil Strife, A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, Amadeus (Chicago Shakespeare) One Man Two Guvnors, Secret Garden, Tartuffe, The Illusion, The Comedy of Errors, Titus Andronicus, Uncle Vanya (Court Theatre) The Matchmaker, Boleros for the Disenchanted, A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre) Homebody/Kabul, Morningstar (Steppenwolf Theatre) Charm, The Chalk Garden (Northlight Theatre) Bright Half Life, Le Switch, The Homosexuals (About Face Theatre) Isaac's Eye, Arms and the Man (Writers Theatre) The How and the Why (Timeline Theatre) The Old Curiosity Shop (Lookingglass Theatre). Regional: Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Renaissance Theaterworks, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Shakespeare at Notre Dame. Film & TV: "Boss", "Doubt", "Chicago Fire". "The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas". Elizabeth is a 2016 Lunt-Fontanne Fellow.

Gail Shapiro (Holly Fischer) Victory Gardens Debut. Diary of Anne Frank (Steppenwolf Theatre), The Book of Joseph (Chicago Shakespeare Theater). National: Los Angeles; Country Wife, Romeo and Juliet, The Seagull, Cymbeline, Major Barbara, The Importance of Being Earnest (A Noise Within). The Game of Love and Chance (San Jose Rep), Sidney Bechet Killed A Man (South Coast Rep). TV: “Chicago Med” recurring (ABC). Natalie Schaffer Award, numerous Ovation and Backstage West awards. MFA Yale School of Drama. Gail teaches acting at Northwestern University and is a private coach for actors and non-actors.

Heather Townsend (Ellen Manning) Victory Gardens Theater debut. Chicago:  Orpheus Descending (Shattered Globe), Roadkill Confidential (Dog & Pony), Macbeth (City Lit), On Golden Pond (Buffalo Theatre Ensemble), A Christmas Story (Theatre Wit); Icarus, Hello Again (BoHo), Company (Venus Cabaret Theatre), Hairspray (Paramount), Nine, Sunday in the Park with George, 1776, Gifts of the Magi (Porchlight), A Grand Night for Singing (Mercury), Boojum (Chicago Opera Vanguard).  Film & TV:  “Empire”.  

Full Performance Schedule:
Previews for If I Forget are June 7-13, 2019. Previews are $20-$45. The Press opening is Friday, June 14, 2019 at 7:30pm. Regular performances run June 15 – July 7, 2019: Tuesday – Friday at 7:30pm; Saturday at 3pm and 7:30pm; Sunday at 3pm. Regular performances are $27-$60. 

Accessible Performance Schedule:

ASL Interpreted Performance: Friday, June 21 at 7:30pm

Word for Word (open captioning): Friday, June 21 at 7:30pm, Saturday, June 22 at 3:00pm and Wednesday, June 26 at 2:00pm

Audio Description/Touch Tour: Friday, June 21 at 7:30pm (Touch tour at 6:00pm), Sunday, June 30 at 3:00pm (Touch tour at 1:30pm)

Performances are at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, in the heart of Chicago’s Lincoln Park Neighborhood. For tickets and information, call the Victory Gardens Box Office, 773.871.3000, email tickets@victorygardens.org, or visit www.victorygardens.org. Ask the Box Office about discounts for students, seniors, and those with access needs. Groups of 10 or more, call 773.634.9862 for discounted rates. 


Cast: Alec Boyd (Joey Oren), Daniel Cantor (Michael Fischer), David Darlow (Lou Fischer), Keith Kupferer (Howard Kilberg), Elizabeth Ledo (Sharon Fischer), Gail Shapiro (Holly Fischer), and Heather Townsend (Ellen Manning)

Creative Team: Andrew Boyce (scenic design), Izumi Inaba (costume design), Heather Sparling (lighting design), Kevin O'Donnell (sound design), and Rachel Watson (props design).

Previews: June 7 - 13, 2019
Press Performance: Friday, June 14, 2019
Regular run: June 15 – July 7, 2019

Schedule:      Tuesdays - Fridays: 7:30pm 
Saturdays: 3:00pm; 7:30pm
Sundays: 3:00pm

Accessible
Performances: Word for Word (open captioning): Friday, June 21 at 7:30pm, Saturday, June 22 at 3:00pm and Wednesday, June 26 at 2:00pm

ASL Interpreted: Friday, June 21 at 7:30pm

Audio Description/Touch Tour: Friday, June 21 at 7:30pm (Touch tour at 6:00pm), Sunday, June 30 at 3:00pm (Touch tour at 1:30pm)

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

Tickets: Previews: $20 - $45
Regular run: $27 - $60

Box Office: The Box Office is located at 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago.
773.871.3000; www.victorygardens.org.

2018/19 Season Sponsors: REAM Foundation, The Harvey L. Miller Supporting Foundation, Bill and Orli Staley Foundation, Helen Zell

Season Sponsor Partners: Conant Family Foundation; George A. Joseph; Marcelle McVay and Dennis Zacek; Jeffrey Rappin and Penny Brown; Jane M Saks, Nathan Cummings Foundation 

Major Production Sponsor: The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust

Production Sponsors: 
The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; Lois Morrison and Justin Daab



Playwright’s Society 
Sponsors: 
Bruce and Jacki Barron; Paul Lisnek; Linda Garrison, 
Brienne Letourneau and Richard Bailey, Tony and Anne Ruzicka; 
Anuradha Behari and Anjan Asthana, Chanel W. Coney, 
E. Patrick Johnson and Stephen J. Lewis

Student Matinee and 
Youth Engagement 
Sponsors:
Exelon, AllState, Capital Group Private Client Services

Travel Sponsor: Southwest Airlines


In-Kind Sponsor: Whole Foods Market

Major Season Support: Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Joyce Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Shubert Foundation, Venturous Theater Fund of the Tides Foundation, Wallace Foundation.



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. 

Victory Gardens Theater receives major funding from 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, Wallace Foundation. Additional major funding comes from Crown Family Philanthropies, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Polk Bros. Foundation.

Major funders also include: Allstate, Alphawood Foundation, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Edgerton Foundation, Exelon, Field Foundation of Illinois, The Harvey L. Miller Supporting Foundation, David Rockefeller Fund, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Time Warner Foundation, Inc.

Additional funding this season Robert and Isabelle Bass Foundation Inc., Charles H. and Bertha L. Boothroyd Foundation, Capital Group Private Client Services, Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, ComEd, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Golden Country Oriental Foods, Goldman Sachs, John R. Halligan Foundation, Illinois Humanities Council (with support from the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety + Justice Challenge), ITW, Mayer Brown LLP, The McVay Foundation, Metropolitan Capital Bank and Trust, National Endowment for the Arts, Negaunee Foundation, Roberta Olshansky Charitable Fund, Origin Ventures, Pauls Foundation, PNC Financial Services Group, Prince Charitable Trusts, Charles and M.R. Shapiro Foundation, Wrightwood Neighbors Foundation. 

In-kind support is provided by: Italian Village Restaurants, Southwest Airlines, Roy’s Furniture, Suite Home Chicago, Taco Joint, and Whole Foods Market. 

Capital improvement support from the Performing Arts Venue Fund at the League of Chicago Theaters, with funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; and Capacity Building support by Compass-Chicago.

Victory Gardens Theater is proud to be part of the 2019 Year of Chicago Theatre, presented by the City of Chicago and the League of Chicago Theatres. To truly fall in love with Chicago, you must go to our theatres. This is where the city bares its fearless soul. Home to a community of creators, risk-takers and big hearts, Chicago theatre is a hotbed for exciting new work and hundreds of world premieres every year. From Broadway musicals to storefront plays and improv, there’s always a seat waiting for you at one of our 200+ theatres. Book your next show today at ChicagoPlays.com.

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