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Showing posts with label NAPERVILLE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NAPERVILLE. Show all posts

Monday, February 5, 2024

Cast and Crew Announced for BrightSide Theatre's DEATHTRAP March 8 - 24, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Cast and production team announced for BrightSide Theatre production of Ira Levin’s comedic thriller 

DEATHTRAP

March 8 - 24

Children under the age of 5 are not permitted in the theater



BrightSide Theatre Youth Theatre to additionally perform MEAN GIRLS JR. Saturday matinees and Sunday evenings during the first two weekends of DEATHTRAP


Full cast and crew have been announced for BrightSide Theatre’s upcoming production of Ira Levin’s DEATHTRAP, the longest-running comedic thriller in Broadway history, and the fifth-longest-running Broadway play of all time. In it, a playwright and his much younger former student each attempt to kill the other, so that one of them can claim sole authorship of the mystery play on which they’ve been collaborating. The humor and the many plot twists devised by Levin, author of the thrillers ROSEMARY’S BABY, THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL, and THE STEPFORD WIVES, kept Broadway audiences laughing and on the edge of their seats for over four years. It was adapted as a successful feature film starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve and continues to be a hit with audiences to this day.

The cast directed by Jason Harrington will be led by Scott Kelley of Schaumburg as the older playwright, Sidney Bruhl; and Tyler Szarabajka of Vernon Hills as Bruhl’s younger mentee, Clifford Anderson. Lisa Braatz of Naperville has been cast as their neighbor Helga ten Dorp, a noted psychic whose suspicions are aroused by the strange activity in the Bruhls’ Connecticut home. Marianne Embree of Arlington Heights will play Bruhl’s wife, Myra; and John Zimmerman of Carol Stream will be Bruhl’s attorney, Porter Milgrim.

Top row (l-r): Scott Kelley, Tyler Szarabajka

Second row (l-r): Lisa Braatz, John Zimmerman, Marianne Embree

The production team for DEATHTRAP, in addition to Harrington as director, will include Jeff Award winner Eric Luchen (Set Designer), Jeff Award nominee Kurt Ottinger (Lighting Design), Cheryl Newman (Costume Design), Jim Heatherly (Prop Designer), RJ Cecott (Fight Choreographer), Jeff Sand (Technical Director), and JJ O’Connell (Stage Manager).

DEATHTRAP will be performed at Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth, Naperville.  Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm.  Tickets are $37.00 for adults and $32.00 for students and seniors. Tickets are on sale now at www.BrightSidetheatre.com or by phone at 630-447-TIXS (8497).  

BrightSide Theatre Youth Theatre to perform musical MEAN GIRLS JR. March 9-17

The BrightSide Theatre Youth Project, which provides a professional and educational learning experience for students aged 8-18 interested in exploring musical theater, will stage MEAN GIRLS, JR. from March 9-17 on Saturdays at 11 am and 2 pm and on Sundays at 6 pm in the Theater at Meiley-Swallow Hall of North Central College.

The musical MEAN GIRLS, based on the hit 2005 film written by Tina Fey and Rosalind Wiseman, was a hit on Broadway, running from 2018 to 2020. MEAN GIRLS JR. is a condensed, author-approved version of the full musical. 

Special services and free admission for hearing or visually impaired patrons and their parties at selected performances of MEAN GIRLS, JR.

American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters will be present for the 11 am performance on Saturday, March 9. Patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing and their parties can attend this ASL-interpreted performance free of charge. For access to ASL seating, enter the promo code ASL when purchasing online or call the box office at 630.447.8497.=

The Saturday, March 16 performance at 2 pm will offer two services for the visually impaired – audio description and a touch tour. Throughout the performance, patrons can listen to an audio describer who will narrate all of the important visuals of the show (blocking, facial expressions, design choices, choreography) through a personal audio device. The performance will be preceded by a touch tour at 1 pm, in which patrons can explore, through touch, the costumes, props, and sets of a production to better experience the design of a show. It also gives tour attendees a chance to meet actors who will give physical descriptions of their characters and model a few lines of dialog to help patrons better identify the characters' voice during the show. For access to Audio-Described seating enter the promo code AUDIO when purchasing online or call the box office at 630.447.8497.

Free admission for hearing or visually impaired patrons and their parties to these performances is made possible through the generosity of the Naperville Lions Club.


BIOS

Jason Harrington (Director) is thrilled to be at BrightSide again after directing THE ODD COUPLE last season. He is a proud board member of Up and Coming Theatre where his directing credits include: SWEET CHARITY, Lippa's THE WILD PARTY, HAIR, FOOTLOOSE, and HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL (BroadwayWorld Award, best direction of a musical). Other directing credits include productions with: The Second City, Glenview Theatre Guild, Bailiwick, and the Library Theatre at Feltre. 

Ira Levin (Author) became a best-selling author with his first novel, 1953's A KISS BEFORE DYING. More thrilling works followed, including 1968's ROSEMARY'S BABY, 1972’s THE STEPFORD WIVES, and 1976's THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL, all of which were later turned into feature films. Levin served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps from 1953 to 1955. After being discharged, he spent much of his time devoted to the theater. Levin enjoyed some success with his adaptation of Mac Hyman's humorous novel NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS. His own original works included the 1958 mystery INTERLOCK, the comedy CRITIC'S CHOICE, and the 1965 musical DRAT! THE CAT!, a comedy about a thief.  He returned with another play, the mystery DR. COOK'S GARDEN, two years later in 1967.

March 8 – 24, 2024

Performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm

Press Opening Friday, March 8 at 8 pm

Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth, Naperville 

Tickets $35 - $40, available at www.BrightSideTheatre.com or at 630-447-TIXS (8497)  

Holding the record for the longest running comedic thriller on Broadway, DEATHTRAP is the story of the world-famous thriller playwright Sidney Bruhl  who is suffering from a chronic case of writer’s block. When one of his former students shows up at his doorstep with what might be the next Broadway hit, Sidney and his wife concoct a deadly plan to make the manuscript their own. DEATHTRAP is filled with twists and turns in a series of shocking events that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last moment!  

MEAN GIRLS, JR.

Book by Tina Fey, Lyrics by Nell Benjamin, Music by Jeff Richmond

Directed by De Haddad

Choreography by Amanda Vinson

Music Direction by Meghan Kessel

March 9-17, 2024

Saturdays at 11 am and 2 pm, Sundays at 6 pm

Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth, Naperville 

Tickets: $20 adults, $15 students, available online at www,brightsidetheatre.com or by phone at 630-447-TIXS (8497).

ASL-interpreted performance on Saturday, March 9 at 11 am. Admission to this performance is free for hearing impaired patrons and their parties with code ASL

Audio-described performance on Saturday, March 16 at 2 pm, preceded by a Touch Tour at 1 pm. Admission to this performance is free for hearing impaired patrons and their parties with code AUDIO.

A condensed, author-approved version of the Broadway musical based on the 2004 film. Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the wild and vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. How will this naïve newbie rise to the top of the popularity pecking order? By taking on the plastics, a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. Cady and her friends devise a "revenge party" to end Regina’s reign with Cady going undercover as an aspiring plastic. When the lines between the real Cady and her plastic-self get blurred, she must find her way back to herself and her true friends.    

ABOUT BRIGHTSIDE THEATRE

BrightSide Theatre (Jeffrey Cass, Artistic Director and Julie Ann Kornak, Executive Director) is committed to Enlighten, Educate, and Entertain through comedies and inspirational stories from across the globe.  A unique blend of award-winners, premieres, modern works and timeless classics meant to reflect upon and inform our community inhabit BrightSide’s stage.  For more information on BrightSide Theatre, please visit www.BrightSidetheatre.com.     




Saturday, August 20, 2016

Theater Wit's Complete 2016-17 Season Announced

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar

THE TRUMP CARD, THIS WAY OUTTA SANTALAND 
AND ANNE WASHBURN'S 
10 OUT of 12  
JOIN MAT SMART'S NAPERVILLE 
FOR THEATER WIT'S 2016-17 SEASON





Theater Wit Artistic Director Jeremy Wechsler, currently in rehearsals for Wit's 2016-17 season opener, Mat Smart's new dramatic comedy Naperville, announced the balance of the company's 2016-17 "smart art" line-up:




Jeremy Wechsler






New Additions To The Lineup:

First is an election-season production of Mike Daisey's The Trump Card. Already a sensation at New York's Public Theatre and now on tour, Daisey has "open sourced" the rights to his 70-minute take-down of the current Republican presidential nominee. 



Wit can't wait to "take on the reigning world heavyweight of self-mythologizing, the short-fingered vulgarian who captured a nation's heart through bullying, charm, one-syllable explosions, and occasionally telling the brutal truth: Donald J. Trump." The Trump Card opens October 5 and closes on election night, November 8.  Wechsler will direct. Casting, performance times and ticket prices are TBA.





Here at ChiIL Mama & ChiIL Live Shows we were bummed to hear the rights to The Santaland Diaries had been pulled nationally for this holiday season. Mitchell Fain's hilarious portrayal of Crumpet the elf has become a tradition for us and a much needed antidote to all the saccharin sweet songs and annoying commercialism that consumes our public spaces from November to January. We're beyond excited that Mitchell Fain and Theater Wit have found a way to do an end run around this obstacle and present the world premiere of a brand new holiday tradition, This Way Outta Santaland, Mitchell Fain's all-new autobiographical holiday show. Don't miss this stunningly funny tell-all about his eight years starring as Crumpet the elf in Wit's long-running hit The Santaland Diaries



Audiences will adore Fain's fresh revelations about how family, drunks, 250 performances and the holiday spirits collide. Boozy Christmas carols, celebrity holiday gossip and the private lives of elves are all up for grabs in this warm-hearted take on a holiday show about a holiday show. Performances are November 23-December 23, 2016.


The Midwest debut of 10 Out of 12 by Anne Washburn, author of Wit's 2014 smash hit Mr. Burns, a post-electric play, is Wit's spring finale. 


Here at ChiIL Mama & ChiIL Live Shows, we adored Mr. Burns, a post-electric play (pictured above & below)! We can't wait to see what Anne Washburn has in store for us this season.



Washburn's newest, most adventurous work, 10 Out of 12 is a near-perfect recreation of a technical rehearsal, celebrating the hopes and visions that emerge from the most mundane of processes. 

Anne Washburn, Playwright

In Wit's production, audiences will don their own headsets to hear the backstage chatter and experience the challenges of bringing a new play to life. What's more, Washburn will join director Jeremy Wechsler to create a 10 Out of 12 fully customized for Chicago's theater scene. Chicago theater lovers won't want to miss Wit's who's-who Chicago version of what the New York Times declared a  "wholly original love song to the maddening art of the theater." Performances are March 3-April 23, 2017.        

                                                                  


Already announced is Theater Wit's 2016-17 season opener, the Midwest premiere of Mat Smart's Naperville. This extraordinary dramatic comedy is set in a Caribou Coffee in - you guessed it - Naperville.  Smart, a native of Naperville, now a New York writer, returns to Chicago riding a wave of local acclaim after his play The Royal Society of Antarctica at Gift Theatre won the 2015 Equity Jeff Award for Best New Work. New York Theatre Review hailed the 2014 off-off-Broadway premiere of Naperville "a heartfelt and beautiful meditation on the comedy and tragedy of quiet places we are too quick to forget" and a "valentine to the heart and soul of the American suburbs." Previews start August 26. Press opening is Tuesday, 
September 6 at 7:30 p.m. Performances run through October 16. 



"I'm very excited to announce one of Chicago's most exciting seasons of work from the country's finest playwrights and artists, " said Theater Wit Artistic Director Jeremy Wechsler. " These surprising plays are a clarion call for how compassion, humor and understanding can ignite unexpected community in a divided society. Ranging from the broadest political stage to the smallest coffee house, these plays scale from the smallest nuclear family to the larger collectives that create meaning and connection from nothing but plywood and determination. I've strived to find those particular works that can thrive in our unique home and artistic processes. It's going to be a memorable year."

The best way to secure seats is to sign up for a Theater Wit Membership. Wit's Netflix-like "all the theater you can eat" deal lets members see as many plays at they want at any of Theater Wit's three spaces for one low monthly fee of $36/$22 for students, along with many exclusive member perks. 

To purchase a Membership, inquire about Flex Pass options or to buy single tickets, visit TheaterWit.org or call the Theater Wit box office, 773.975.8150.

Theater Wit is located at 1229 N. Belmont, in the heart of the new Belmont Theatre District in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. To receive an "artisanal selection of consonants and vowels from Theater Wit," sign up at TheaterWit.org/mailing for exclusive updates, flash deals and behind-the-scenes production scoop every few weeks.

About Theater Wit
Theater Wit - "a thrilling addition to Chicago's roster of theaters" (Chicago Tribune) and "a terrific place to see a show" (New City) - will open its sixth season this fall in its home at 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. 

Founded in 2004, Theater Wit's mission is to explore contemporary issues with wit and wisdom through new works and Chicago premieres. As a production company, Theater Wit is Chicago's premiere smart art theater, producing humorous, challenging and intelligent plays that speak with a vibrant and contemporary theatrical voice. 

Recent critical and box office hits include The New Sincerity by Alena Smith, Bad Jews by Joshua Harmon, Mr. Burns, a post-electric play by Anne Washburn, The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence and Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England by Madeleine George, Completeness and The Four of Us by Itamar Moses. 

In 2014, Theater Wit was awarded the National Theatre Award by the American Theatre Wing for strengthening the quality, diversity and dynamism of American theater.

As an institution, Theater Wit seeks to be the hub of the Chicago neighborhood theater scene, where audiences enjoy a smorgasbord of excellent productions in three, 99-seat spaces, see a parade of talented artists and mingle with audiences from all over Chicago. 

Theater Wit brings together Chicago's best storefront companies, including 2016-17 resident companies About Face and Shattered Globe. 

For more information, visit TheaterWit.org or all the Theater Wit box office, 773.975.8150.

OPENING: NAPERVILLE Kicks Off Theater Wit's Season With Smart's Locally Flavored Comedy

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

CHICAGO'S THEATER WIT BREWS UP PIPING HOT
HOMETOWN DEBUT OF MAT SMART'S 
NAPERVILLE

CHICAGO'S "SMART ART" THEATER TO SERVE UP NAPERVILLE NATIVE'S NEW DRAMATIC COMEDY, SET IN A NAPERVILLE CARIBOU COFFEE SHOP, 
SEPT. 6-OCT. 16 

      



Here at ChiIL Live Show, we're excited to see what's next for Theater Wit. How can you go wrong pairing Smart and WitWe're expecting great things from this collaboration! We'll be there opening night so check back soon for our full review.


Theater Wit, Chicago's premiere "smart art" theater, looks forward to presenting the Chicago premiere of Naperville by acclaimed young playwright Mat Smart.

This extraordinary dramatic comedy, all new to Chicago, is set in a Caribou Coffee in - you guessed it - Naperville. 

Previews start August 26. Press opening is Tuesday, September 6 at 7:30 p.m. Performances run through October 16: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Exception: No show on Thursday, September 9. 

Tickets are $12-$36. Theater Wit is located at 1229 N. Belmont, in the heart of the new Belmont Theatre District in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. 

To purchase single tickets, a Theater Wit Membership or Flex Pass, visit TheaterWit.org or call 773.975.8150.


Theater Wit's Chicago premiere of Naperville by (from left) Mat Smart, directed by Jeremy Wechsler, stars Laura T. Fisher as Candice, Andrew Jessop as T.C., Abby Pierce as Anne, Charlie Strater as Roy and Mike Tepeli as Howard.


About Naperville
Naperville premiered off-off Broadway in 2014 at New York's Slant Theatre Project. The production was a New York Times "Critic's Pick." New York Theatre Review hailed Smart's heartfelt and beautiful meditation on the "comedy and tragedy of quiet places we are too quick to forget" as a "valentine to the heart and soul of the American suburbs." 

That idyllic suburb is none other than west suburban Naperville, where Howard is considering abandoning his career in Seattle to move back home to care for his mother Candice after an accident has left her blind. At the Caribou Coffee in downtown Naperville, Howard and Candice cross paths with Anne, Howard's high school classmate and an expert on the suburb's founder, Captain Joseph Naper. 

Ultimately, Naperville is a comedy about high school crushes, curfews (for your mother), sight, and how beauty reveals itself in the suburbs.

Smart, born in Naperville and a graduate of Waubonsie Valley High School, looks forward to coming back to work with Wit on the play's hometown premiere, where all of its local references will fully resonate. 



Smart returns to Chicago riding a wave of local acclaim after his play The Royal Society of Antarctica at Gift Theatre won the 2015 Equity Jeff Award for Best New Work.
                                                                                
Theater Wit Artistic Director Jeremy Wechsler directs the Chicago premiere of Naperville. Theater Wit's cast includes Laura T. Fisher as Candice, Andrew Jessop as T.C., Abby Pierce as Anne, Charlie Strater as Roy and Mike Tepeli as Howard. 

The production team includes Joe Schermoly (set), Christine Pascual (costumes), Alexander Rogers (lights), Ethan Deppe (sound), Amanda Hermann (props), Majel Cuza (production manager) and Katrina Herrmann (stage manager). 

Mat Smart's (playwright) other plays include Tinker to Evers to Chance (Geva, Merrimack Rep), Samuel J. and K. (Williamstown Theatre Festival, Steppenwolf for Young Adults), The Hopper Collection (Magic Theatre, Huntington) and The 13th of Paris (City Theatre, Seattle Public Theatre). He is the recipient of two Jerome Fellowships, a McKnight Advancement Grant, and the 2014 Otis Guernsey New Voices Award from the William Inge Center for the Arts. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Evansville and his MFA from the University of California, San Diego. An avid baseball fan and traveler, Smart has been to all 30 of the current MLB stadiums, all 50 states and all of the continents. Smart currently lives in Manhattan. 

Jeremy Wechsler (director) most recently staged Theater Wit's The New Sincerity by Alena Smith, The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence by Madeleine George, Bad Jews by Joshua Harmon, Mr. Burns, a post-electric play by Anne Washburn, Madeline George's Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England, and that show's summer remount at Art Square Theatre in Las Vegas. Wechsler also staged Wit's acclaimed Completeness and The Four of Us (Itamar Moses), Tigers Be Still (Kim Rosenstock), This (Melissa James Gibson), Spin (Penny Penniston), Feydeau-Si-Deau (Georges Feydeau), Men of Steel (Qui Nguyen), Thom Pain (Based on Nothing) (Will Eno), Two for the Show (James Fitzpatrick and Will Clinger) and The Santaland Diaries. His productions have been nominated for and won multiple awards for design, performance, adaptation and best new work.


About Theater Wit
Theater Wit - "a thrilling addition to Chicago's roster of theaters" (Chicago Tribune) and "a terrific place to see a show" (New City) - will open its sixth season this fall in its home at 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. 

Founded in 2004, Theater Wit's mission is to explore contemporary issues with wit and wisdom through new works and Chicago premieres. 

As a production company, Theater Wit is Chicago's premiere smart art theater, producing humorous, challenging and intelligent plays that speak with a vibrant and contemporary theatrical voice. Recent critical and box office hits include The New Sincerity by Alena Smith, Bad Jews by Joshua Harmon, Mr. Burns, a post-electric play by Anne Washburn, The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence and Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England by Madeleine George, Completeness and The Four of Us by Itamar Moses. 

In 2014, Theater Wit was awarded the National Theatre Award by the American Theatre Wing for strengthening the quality, diversity and dynamism of American theater.

As an institution, Theater Wit seeks to be the hub of the Chicago neighborhood theater scene, where audiences enjoy a smorgasbord of excellent productions in three, 99-seat spaces, see a parade of talented artists and mingle with audiences from all over Chicago. Theater Wit brings together Chicago's best storefront companies, including 2016-17 resident companies About Face and Shattered Globe.

The best way to secure seats at Theater Wit is by signing up for a Theater Wit Membership. Wit's Netflix-like "all the theater you can eat" membership deal lets members see as many plays at they want at any of Theater Wit's three, 99-seat spaces for one low monthly fee of $36/$22 for students, along with many exclusive member perks. 

Wit also offers a 10-play Flex Pass for $215 to anything presented in the building, a savings of up to 40%. Single tickets for Wit's 2016-17 productions start at $12, and will go on sale approximately two months before the first preview of each production.

We're also elated about the theme for the 2016-17 season: "Unexpected Families"

I'm very excited to announce one of Chicago's most exciting seasons of work from the country's finest playwrights and artists. These surprising plays are a clarion call for how compassion, humor and understanding can ignite unexpected community in a divided society. I hope you enjoy all these Chicago premieres; I've strived to find those particular works that can thrive in our unique home and artistic processes.
- Jeremy Wechsler, Artistic Director



For more information, visit TheaterWit.org or call the Theater Wit box office, 773.975.8150.

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