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Showing posts with label Qui Nguyen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Qui Nguyen. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

EXTENDED: Vietgone at Writers Theatre Now Extended Through September 29, 2018

Writers Theatre extends the run of
VIETGONE
Written by Qui Nguyen
Directed by Lavina Jadhwani
Original Music & Music Direction by Gabriel Ruiz
Choreographed by Tommy Rapley
Featuring Aurora Adachi-Winter, Rammel Chan, Emjoy Gavino
Ian Michael Minh and Matthew C. Yee


Now through September 29, 2018

Writers Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma, adds four performances to the run of Qui Nguyen’s Vietgone. The production is directed by Lavina Jadhwani, with original music and music direction by Gabriel Ruiz and choreography by Tommy Rapley. Due to demand, Vietgone now runs through September 29, 2018 in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe.

Newly added performances for VIETGONE are as follows: Wednesday, September 26 at 7:30pm; Thursday, September 27 at 7:30pm; Friday, September 28 at 7:30pm; and Saturday, September 29 at 7:30pm.

Tickets for VIETGONE are currently on sale. Subscriptions and individual tickets, priced $35-$80, may be purchased online at www.writerstheatre.org, by phone at 847-242-6000, or in person at the box office, 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe.

It's 1975 and two young survivors (who may or may not be the playwright's parents) meet in a Vietnamese refugee camp in mid-America shortly after the fall of Saigon. Will this strange new land of cowboys, hippies and bikers allow them to fall in love? Playwright Qui Nguyen’s wildly creative, irreverent style flips stereotypes on their head, remixing history and culture into a sexy, funny and energetic fantasia as he imagines how two soul mates might have found each other in a turbulent time.

Equal parts road-trip adventure, buddy film, romantic comedy and Hamilton-esque rap musical, this epic new play repurposes pop culture from the last forty years to tell its “probably-mostly-true” story. Directed by Lavina Jadhwani, Vietgone takes a no-holds-barred approach, transporting you through time and across the globe to put an innovative spin on a critical moment in our history.

Recommended for ages 14 and up. This production contains strong language and sexual situations, violent images, simulated drug use and vapor cigarettes. Please note that the production incorporates the use of fog and haze, as well as flashing lights.

The cast of Vietgone includes: Aurora Adachi-Winter (Tong), Rammel Chan (Asian Guy/American Guy/Nhan/Khue), Emjoy Gavino (Asian Girl/American Girl/Thu/Huong/Translator/Flower Girl), Ian Michael Minh (Playwright/Giai/Bobby/Captain Chambers/Redneck Biker/Hippie Dude) and Matthew C. Yee (Quang).

The creative team includes: Yu Shibagaki (scenic), Melissa Ng (costumes), Sarah Hughey (lighting), Kevin O’Donnell (sound), Rasean Davonte Johnson (projections), Dwight Sora (assistant director) and Carol Ann Tan (production dramaturg). The production stage manager is David Castellanos.


AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
Sunday Spotlight
Sunday, September 16, 2018 at 11:30am
In Vietgone, playwright Qui Nguyen gives us a dynamic look at the Vietnam War and its aftermath from a rarely observed point of view. At this Sunday Spotlight event, we will be joined by a diverse panel of historians, activists and artists to discuss varying perspectives on this contentious time in history when the country—and the world—was undergoing great change. Seating is limited, RSVP is required.

The Making of... Vietgone
Post-Show Conversation: The Word
Join us after every Tuesday evening performance (excluding First Week and any extension weeks) for a 15-minute discussion of the play, facilitated by a member of the WT Artistic Team.
Post-Show Conversation: The Artist
Join us after every Wednesday evening performance (excluding First Week and any extension weeks) for a 15-minute talk-back featuring actors from the production, facilitated by a member of the WT Artistic Team.

Pre-Show Conversation: Up Close
Join us at 6:45pm before every Thursday evening performance (excluding First Week and any extension weeks) for a 15-minute primer on the context and content of the play, facilitated by a member of the WT Artistic Team.

RIDE METRA TO WRITERS THEATRE
In an effort to promote taking public transit to the Theatre, Writers Theatre launched a new promotion in 2013. Any audience member who purchases a ticket to a Writers Theatre production and rides Metra’s Union Pacific North Line to the Theatre may snap a photo of themselves on the train and post it to their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account with a tag of @WritersTheatre (@Writers_Theatre on Instagram) and #VietgoneWT, and upon showing the post at the Writers Theatre Box Office, receive $5 in cash to put toward the cost of your fare as a thank you for going green.

This promotion is available for a limited time only and may end without warning. Ticket must have been paid for in advance. Not valid on comp tickets. More information available at writerstheatre.org/metra

WRITERS THEATRE PARTNERS
Writers Theatre is pleased to recognize BMO Harris Bank as the 2018/19 Season Sponsor and ComEd as the Official Lighting Sponsor of the 2018/19 Season. The Major Corporate Sponsor for Vietgone is Northern Trust. The Major Production Sponsors are Maryellen and Richard Keyser, and the Artists Council Sponsors are Laurie and Michael Petersen. Additional support for Vietgone is provided by the Director’s Society Sponsors.

For more information about Writers Theatre’s 2018/19 partners, visit writerstheatre.org/our-supporters.



ABOUT WRITERS THEATRE
For more than 25 years, Writers Theatre has captivated Chicagoland audiences with inventive interpretations of classic work, a bold approach to contemporary theatre and a dedication to creating the most intimate theatrical experience possible.

Under the artistic leadership of Michael Halberstam and the executive leadership of Kathryn M. Lipuma, Writers Theatre has grown to become a major Chicagoland cultural destination with a national reputation for excellence, being called the top regional theatre in the nation by The Wall Street Journal. The company, which plays to a sold-out and discerning audience of more than 60,000 patrons each season, has garnered critical praise for the consistent high quality and intimacy of its artistry—providing the finest interpretations of both classic and contemporary theatre in its two intensely intimate venues. 

In February 2016, Writers Theatre opened a new, state-of-the-art facility. This established the company's first permanent home—a new theatre center in downtown Glencoe, designed by the award-winning, internationally renowned Studio Gang Architects, led by Founder and Design Principal Jeanne Gang, FAIA, in collaboration with Theatre Consultant Auerbach Pollock Friedlander. The new facility has allowed the Theatre to continue to grow to accommodate its audience, while maintaining its trademark intimacy. The new facility resonates with and complements the Theatre’s neighboring Glencoe community, adding tremendous value to Chicagoland and helping to establish the North Shore as a premier cultural destination.


Up Next:


Find Writers Theatre on Facebook at Facebook.com/WritersTheatre, follow @WritersTheatre on Twitter or @Writers_Theatre on Instagram. For more information, visit www.writerstheatre.org.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

ACT OUT: BUZZ22 CHICAGO’S SHE KILLS MONSTERS GETS ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE


(left to right) Company member Sara SawickiRinska Carrasco-Prestinary, Allie Long, Katherine Banks and Morgan Maher



BUZZ22 CHICAGO’S SHE KILLS MONSTERS GETS ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE AS PART OF STEPPENWOLF THEATRE COMPANY’S FOURTH ANNUAL GARAGE REP 

Buzz22 Chicago’s hit production of She Kills Monsters as part of Steppenwolf’s Garage Rep is getting one additional performance on April 16 at 8pm


We haven't made it over to She Kills Monsters yet, but it's high on our must see list.


 (left to right) Company member Ellie Reed and Jessica London-Shields with (background, left to right) Allie Long and Katherine Banks 


By popular demand, Buzz22 Chicago’s critically acclaimed production of
She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen, directed by Scott Weinstein, gets an additional performance as part of Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s fourth annual Garage Rep. This “clever, funny, moving, lively and delightfully geeky” (Chicago Tribune) play now also performs on Tuesday, April 16 at 8pm; the ensemble cast of 11 remains intact. Garage Rep runs through April 21; tickets ($20) are on sale now through Audience Services (1650 N Halsted St), 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org.



   

 (left to right) Morgan Maher, Rinska Carrasco-Prestinary, Katherine Banks, Jessica London-Shields and company member Sara Sawicki 
                                           
Agnes's life is turned upside down when she stumbles upon her late sister’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook. As she embarks on an action-packed quest to save her sister's soul, Agnes comes face to face with homicidal fairies, raunchy ogres and blood thirsty cheerleaders, and discovers a side of herself she never knew existed. Qui Nguyen's touching comedy combines real life, fantasy and 90s pop culture in the search for the badass in us all.




(top to bottom) Rinska Carrasco-Prestinary and Allie Long 


The cast of She Kills Monsters features Katherine BanksRinska Carrasco-PrestinaryDaeshawna CookFred GeyerJessica London-ShieldsAllie LongMorgan MaherJose NaterasEllie ReedSara Sawicki and Richard TraubThe creative team includes William Boles (scenic design), Rachel Goldberg (costume design), Lee Keenan (lighting design), Daniel Carlyon (sound design), Matt Deitchman(composer), Chuck Coyl (fight director) and Lori Buchanan (dance choreography). Additional credits include Colleen Werle (puppetry design); Sarah FornaceDrew Dir and Julia Miller of Manual Cinema (shadow puppet design); Alex Tey (gore design, assistant fight director); Jamie Karas (properties master); Mary Hungerford (production manager); and Christopher Leck (stage manager).


The fourth annual Garage Rep also features See What I Wanna See, words and music by Michael John LaChiusa, directed by Lili-Anne Brown, music direction by James Morehead, presented by Bailiwick Chicago; and BlackTop Sky by Christina Anderson, directed by Cassy Sanders, presented by Theatre Seven of ChicagoTickets to all three Garage Rep productions ($20) are currently on sale through Audience Services (1650 N Halsted St), 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org.




Credit for all production photos:   Michael Brosilow

Katherine Banks (front) with (background, left to right) company Member Sara SawickiJessica London-Shields and Rinska Carrasco-Prestinary in Buzz22 Chicago’s Midwest-premiere production of She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen, directed by company member Scott Weinstein, presented as part of Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s Garage Rep 2013. Performance through April 21, 2013.


Support for Garage Rep is provided by the “Leading for the Future Initiative,” a program of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. OptionsHouse is the Garage Series Sponsor.

Buzz22 Chicago (Scott Weinstein and Sara Sawicki, Co-Artistic Directors; Philip de Guzman, Managing Director) was founded by seven Northwestern University graduates in 2010. Since then, Buzz22 has staged four productions, including the Midwest premiere of Residue by Joel Sinensky and Quake by Melanie Marnich, performed in repertory at Royal George Theatre. The company seeks to provide a home for up-and-coming artists in the Chicago area. Buzz22 stages stories to explore the constant coming of age: the ever-occurring moments that challenge who we are and who we want to be. buzz22chicago.com


Steppenwolf Theatre Company is America’s longest standing, most distinguished ensemble theater, producing nearly 700 performances and events annually in its three Chicago theater spaces—the 515-seatDownstairs Theatre, the 299-seat Upstairs Theatre and the 80-seat Garage Theatre. Formed in 1976 by a collective of actors, Steppenwolf has grown into an ensemble of 43 actors, writers and directors. Artistic programming at Steppenwolf includes a five-play Subscription Season, a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season and three repertory series: First Look Repertory of New Work, Garage Rep and Next Up. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, nearly 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally, including Off-Broadway, Broadway, London, Sydney and Dublin. Steppenwolf has the distinction of being the only theater to receive the National Medal of Arts, in addition to numerous other prestigious honors including an Illinois Arts Legend Award and nine Tony Awards. Martha Lavey is the Artistic Director and David Hawkanson is the Executive Director. Nora Daley is Chair of Steppenwolf’s Board of Trustees. For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org,facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre and twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr.

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