ACT OUT: Jeff Recommended Elemeno Pea Now Playing at Redtwist

By Molly Smith Metzler  Directed by Steve Scott  The Chicago premiere of Humana Festival's runaway hit play from 2011, the hilarious scathing satire on money and class in post-modern America Featuring Redtwist Jeff Award winner, Jacqueline Grandt, and company members, Michael Sherwin, & Johnny Garcia PLAY  Elemeno Pea features two sisters whose relationship gets off-kilter when, Devon, a regular Buffalo gal visits her elegant sister, Simone, who works as a personal assistant for a very rich, pampered woman on Martha's Vineyard. Simone gets a hefty six-figure salary for serving the pretty people and feels she has found nirvana, while Devon thinks her brainwashed sister is selling her soul. A riveting drama one minute, a riotous comedy the next, Elemeno Pea is a blistering play about the volatile mixture of people and money and how we deal with it...and without it. Directed by Clybourne Park director, Steve Scott.  CAST Elizabeth Argus (Simone), Johnny Garcia (Jos-B), Jacqueline Grandt (Michaela), Carley Moseley (Devon), Michael Sherwin (Ethan), Melonie Collmann (after Jan 1, 2014)    STAFF  Steve Scott (Director), Alicia Hynes (Assistant Director), Allison Queen (Stage Manager), Olivia Leah Baker (Assistant Stage Manager/Costume Designer), Ross G. Hoppe (Set Designer/Tech Director), Christopher Burpee (Lighting Designer), Christopher Kriz (Sound Designer), Jeff Shields (Prop Designer), Jan Ellen Graves (Graphic Designer), Kevin McDonald (Dramaturg), Alan Weusthoff (Set Construction), Eric Vigo (Master Electrician), Charles Bonilla (Box Office Manager), E. Malcolm Martinez (Box Office Associate), Johnny Garcia (Box Office Associate/Associate Producer), Michael Colucci & Jan Ellen Graves (Producers) SCHEDULE  Runs: Thu, Fri, Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 3pm Closes: Sun, Jan 12, 2014  Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes total, no intermission Tickets: Thursdays, $25; Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, $30 (seniors & students $5 off)  RESERVATIONS  Call: 773-728-7529  Website/Tickets: www.redtwist.org Redtwist is located at 1044 W Bryn Mawr, 2 blks W of LSD, 2 blks E of the Red Line El station. Street parking (paybox/meters until 10pm, Free on Sundays) is available on Bryn Mawr, side streets, and Broadway. Please reserve 48 hours in advance. Credit cards accepted by phone and online to guarantee seating.  Redtwist Theatre announced its complete line-up for 2013-2014 Season, which includes 14 productions, all at its black box, storefront location, in the Bryn Mawr Historic District of Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood. The complete season includes 7 Chicago premieres and 4 world premieres.  There are five MAIN Season shows, which include at least 18 performances. Each of the MORE RED (off night) and DARK RED (late night) series plays perform in rotating rep with the MAIN Season productions and primarily use the same set as the MAIN Season show.

Chicago Premiere Men Exposed

By Scott Woldman Directed by Matt Dominguez Part of Redtwist's late-night series called DARK RED. Performed in rotating rep with Redtwist's MAIN season show, Elemeno Pea, and its MORE RED off-night series show, Shipwrecked. This is the fourth installment of Redtwist's DARK RED series of late-night plays featuring playwright Scott Woldman's hilarious "Luv Cycle," chronicling the life span of a relationship, from the moment two people meet, to the time they marry...and beyond.  Men Exposed features the wild and crazy hijinks of guys having one last fling before the big day.     CAST Zach Finch (Hugh), Beau Forbes (Jim), Christopher Hahn (Bobby), John Mark Jernigan (Mike), Andrew Marikis (Pete), Ken Miller (Danny), Matthew Webb (Stuart), Dan Wenzel, Jr. (Brian) STAFF Matt Dominguez (Director), Allison Queen (Stage Manager), Olivia Leah Baker (Costume Designer), Eric Vigo (Lighting Designer), Kate Wecker (Sound Designer), Jan Ellen Graves (Graphic Designer), Charles Bonilla (Box Office Manager), E. Malcolm Martinez (Box Office Associate), Johnny Garcia (Box Office Associate/Associate Producer), Michael Colucci & Jan Ellen Graves (Producers) SCHEDULE   Opens: Fri, Dec 20, 10:30pm Runs: Fridays & Saturdays, 10:30pm Closes: Sat, Jan 25 Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes, no intermission Tickets: $15 RESERVATIONS Call: 773-728-7529 Email: reserve@redtwist.org  Website/tickets: www.redtwist.org Redtwist is located at 1044 W Bryn Mawr, 2 blks W of LSD, 2 blks E of the Red Line El station. Street parking (paybox/meters until 10pm, Free on Sundays) is available on Bryn Mawr, side streets, and Broadway. Please reserve 48 hours in advance. Credit cards accepted by phone and online via BuzzOnStage to guarantee seating.

ACT OUT OPENING: A Chicago Premiere Shipwrecked! An Entertainment

The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont  (as told by himself) By Donald Margulies Directed by Ian Frank Part of Redtwist's off-night series called MORE RED. Performed in rotating rep with Redtwist's MAIN season show, Elemeno Pea, and its DARK RED late-night series show, Men Exposed. THE MORE RED SERIES  The MORE RED series at Redtwist features exciting young directors and actors from local college programs. And the cast are some of the finest actors to emerge from The Theatre School at DePaul University in recent years.     THE STORY A dazzling story like nothing you've ever seen, recounting the endless adventures of one man covering the globe at the close of the 19th century as he shares his ravishing tales. Storytelling for the ages. DIRECTOR Ian Frank has directed and assisted at Milwaukee Repertory Theater, The Kennedy Center, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater assistant directed the Jeff Award winning SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. Ian is a graduate of the MFA Directing program at The Theatre School at DePaul University where he directed THE ROYAL HUNT OF THE SUN, PRIVATE LIVES, RICHARD III, MOBY DICK, DOUBT, and BROADSWORD. He will direct REMIX 38 at The Humana Festival of New America Plays this spring at Actors Theatre of Louisville. He holds a BA in Dramatic Arts from Centre College. CAST Matt Browning (Louis); Daniela Colucci (Player #1); Michael C. Countryman (Player #2) STAFF Ian Frank (Director), Lauren Miller (Stage Manager), Olivia Leah Baker (Costume Designer), Eric Vigo (Lighting Designer), Kate Wecker (Sound Designer), Jan Ellen Graves (Graphic Designer), Charles Bonilla (Box Office Manager), E. Malcolm Martinez (Box Office Associate), Johnny Garcia (Box Office Associate/Associate Producer), Michael Colucci & Jan Ellen Graves (Producers)(Producers) SCHEDULE  Opens: Sat, Dec 21, 3pm Runs: Saturdays at 3pm, Sundays & Mondays at 7:30pm (except Mondays Dec 23 & 30) Closes: Mon, Jan 13, 2014 Running Time: Approximately 85 minutes total, no intermission Tickets: $20 (seniors & students $5 off) RESERVATIONS Call: 773-728-7529 Email: reserve@redtwist.org  Website/tickets: www.redtwist.org Redtwist is located at 1044 W Bryn Mawr, 2 blks W of LSD, 2 blks E of the Red Line El station. Street parking (paybox/meters until 10pm, Free on Sundays) is available on Bryn Mawr, side streets, and Broadway. Please reserve 48 hours in advance. Credit cards accepted by phone and online via BuzzOnStage to guarantee seating.

ACT OUT OPENING: Redtwist Presents More Red & Dark Red Series

Off-night MORE RED Series A Chicago Premiere All-American By Julia Brownell Directed by Scott Weinstein Aug 3 - Sep 9, 2013 Chicago Premiere All-American By Julia Brownell Directed by Scott Weinstein  SCHEDULE  Opens: Sat, August 3, 3pm Runs: Sat, 3pm, Sun & Mon 7:30pm Closes: Mon, Sept 9 Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes, no intermission Tickets: $20 (seniors & students $5 off) Part of Redtwist's new off-night series called MORE RED. Performed in rotating rep with Redtwist's MAIN season show, The Beautiful Dark, and its DARK RED late-night series show, Drunk and Ready. Scott Weinstein, recent director of the acclaimed play She Kills Monsters, tackles the game of football in Redtwist's tiny space. All-American asks the question, "Can the daughter of an ex-NFL player become the next star quarterback?" PLAY All-American is a sharp and witty family drama about the strife within a "football family," featuring Katie, a 17-year old high-school quarterback encouraged by her hard-driving, ex-NFL dad to be the first woman to play college and pro ball. Katie is an excellent football player, but her practical mom and insightful twin-brother see the writing on the wall: dad's dream is delusional and his goal for his daughter is obsessive. His inability to accept his own post-football life threatens his daughter's physical and emotional well-being, and the stability of the entire family.  CAST Michael Bartz (Jake), Matt Edmonds (Aaron), Bryce Gangel (Katie), Kimberly Logan (Beth), Andrew J. Pond (Mike), Annie Sauter (Natasha) STAFF Scott Weinstein (Director), Daryl Blalock (Stage Manager), Garvin Jellison (Lighting Designer), Daniel Carlyon (Sound Designer), Olivia Leah Baker (Costume Designer), Will Allan (Football Coach & Consultant), Jessie Chappe (Casting Director), Jan Ellen Graves (Graphics, Marketing), Charles Bonilla (Box Office Manager), E. Malcolm Martinez & Johnny Garcia (Box Office Associates), Johnny Garcia (Associate Producer), Michael Colucci & Jan Ellen Graves (Producers) Late night DARK RED Series World Premiere Drunk and Ready by Scott Woldman Directed by Michael Osinski Aug 9 - Sept 7, 2013 World Premiere Drunk and Ready By Scott Woldman Directed by Michael Osinki  SCHEDULE  Opens: Fri, Aug 9, 10:30pm Runs: Fridays & Saturdays, 10:30pm Closes: Sat, Sep 7 Running Time: Approximately 85 minutes, no intermission Tickets: $15 RESERVATIONS Call: 773-728-7529 Email: reserve@redtwist.org  Website/tickets: www.redtwist.org Part of Redtwist's new late-night series called DARK RED. Performed in rotating rep with Redtwist's MAIN season show, The Beautiful Dark, and its MORE RED off-night series show, All-American The only time you can see it onstage before it becomes a feature film!  PLAY Drunk and Ready is part of our late-night "Luv Cycle" series from our resident playwright, Scott Woldman. An ongoing roller coaster ride through the rocky realm of relationships.  A year after seeing her fiancé flattened by an ice cream truck, Kimberley is finally returning to the world of dating. Fortunately for her, she has her two best friends to help navigate the awkward minefield of stoners, hipsters, posers, and one-liners. This hilarious new comedy exposes the unlimited amount of male stupidity that women endure just to enjoy a night on the town.  CAST Elizabeth Argus (Courtney), Matt Babbs (various), Allison Estep (various), Chris Petlak (various), Amy Rapp (various), Giuseppe A. Ribaudo (various), Jason Rohn (Hot Pants) STAFF Scott Woldman (Playwright), Michael Osinski (Director), Allison Queen (Stage Manager), Garvin Jellison (Lighting Designer), Daniel Carlyon (Sound Designer), Olivia Leah Baker (Costume Designer), Jessie Chappe (Casting Director), Charles Bonilla (Box Office Manager), E. Malcolm Martinez & Johnny Garcia (Box Office Associates), Johnny Garcia (Associate Producer), Michael Colucci & Jan Ellen Graves (Producers)    Redtwist is located at 1044 W Bryn Mawr, 2 blks W of LSD, 2 blks E of the Red Line El station. Street parking (paybox/meters until 10pm, Free on Sundays) is available on Bryn Mawr, side streets, and Broadway. Please reserve 48 hours in advance. Credit cards accepted by phone and online via BuzzOnStage to guarantee seating.

ACT OUT OPENING: World Premiere of The Beautiful Dark at Redtwist Theatre

World Premiere - The Beautiful Dark

July 24, 2013

The Beautiful Dark

A World Premiere by Erik Gernand

Directed by Josh Altman

Featuring Jeff-Award-winner, Jacqueline Grandt 

How do you stop a violent mind?

What should parents do when it may seem that their son is planning a violent act--and the boy has become nearly incommunicado?

SCHEDULE

Opens: Sat, July 27, 3pm

Runs: Thu, Fri, Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 3pm

Note: no evening performance on Sat, July 27, and no performance on Sun, July 28

Closes: Sun, Sep 1, 3pm

Running Time: Approximately 85 minutes total, no intermission

Previews: $15; Wed, Thu, Fri, July 24, 25, 26, at 7:30pm

Tickets: Thursdays, $25; Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, $30 (seniors & students $5 off)

RESERVATIONS

Call: 773-728-7529

Email: reserve@redtwist.org

Reservation link: www.redtwist.org

PLAY

Nancy's son, Jacob, announces he has failed out of college, and upon returning home, sleeps all day. From this deceitful calm, Nancy makes a startling discovery: Jacob didn't flunk out; he was kicked out for writing a graphic play about a killing spree on campus, carried out by a young man who sounds eerily like her son.As the evidence mounts against Jacob, Nancy is forced to confront her darkest fears. Is her son capable of the unthinkable? And can she stop him before it's too late?

PLAY HISTORY

Erik Gernand began writing The Beautiful Dark the week after the shooting in Arizona that injured Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. He was inspired by an editorial he read in defense of the parents of the shooter that posed the question: What would you have done if he were your child? 

A number of theaters have worked with the script.

• Two separate development workshops at American Theater Company, Chicago IL
• Saturday Reading Series at Chicago Dramatists, Chicago, IL
• 2-week workshop and workshop production at T. Schreiber Studio in NY, directed by new About Face Artistic Director Andrew Volkoff, Chicago, IL
• 2-week workshop and staged reading at Redtwist Theatre, Chicago, IL
• Staged reading at The Barrow Group in NY, 2012

The Beautiful Dark has also received the following:

• AWARD: New Works Project Winner, 2012, T. Schreiber Studio, NY
• AWARD: Winner of the Premiere Stages Play Festival, Union, NJ
• Finalist for the Woodward/Newman Drama Award, 2012

PLAYWRIGHT ERIK GERNAND

The Beautiful Dark is Erik's first production with Redtwist Theatre, and will open in September at Premiere Stages in Union, NJ. His plays have been in development or production at American Theater Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Barrow Group (NY), and Chicago Dramatists. Erik's short films have screened at more than 100 film festivals around the world including SXSW, Cinequest, and Chicago International Film Festival, as well as been broadcast on IFC, PBS, and The Logo Channel. He is a lecturer in Radio-TV-Film at Northwestern University.

CAPTION: Nancy (Jacqueline Grandt), tries to prevent a violent confrontation between her ex-husband, Tom (Tommy Lee Johnston), and her son, Jacob (Aaron Hunt). (Photo: Jan Ellen Graves)

CAST

Jacob Bond (Charlie), Jacqueline Grandt (Nancy), Tommy Lee Johnston (Tom), Aaron Kirby (Jacob), Scott Olson (Mr. Marsh), Tiffany Williams (Sydney)

Jacqueline Grandt is a Redtwist company member and won a 2012 Jeff Award for Principal Actress in Bug by Tracy Letts. Tommy Lee Johnston is a Redtwist company member and resident playwright. His play, Aura, received a 2010 Jeff nomination for New Work. Aaron Hunt is a 2012 Jeff Award-winner for Supporting Actor in Dark Play or Stories for Boys. 

STAFF

Josh Altman (Director), Reed Motz (Assistant Director), Lauren Yarbrough (Stage Manager), Olivia Baker (Assistant Stage Manager), Jeff Glass (Production Manager), Alan Weusthoff (Tech Director), Kevin McDonald (Dramaturg), Dan Stratton (Set Designer), Christopher Kriz (Sound Designer), Garvin Jellison (Lighting Designer), Kelsey Ettman (Costume Designer), Jeff Shields (Prop Designer), Jan Ellen Graves (Graphic Designer), Chris Rickett (Fight Designer), Kelsey Melvin (Set Assistant), Charles Bonilla (Box Office Manager), E. Malcolm Martinez (Box Office Associate), Johnny Garcia (Associate Producer), Michael Colucci & Jan Ellen Graves (Producers)

  

Redtwist is located at 1044 W Bryn Mawr, 2 blks W of LSD, 2 blks E of the Red Line EL station

Street parking (paybox until 10pm) is available on Bryn Mawr, side streets, and Broadway

Please reserve 48 hours in advance. Credit cards accepted by phone and online via BuzzOnStage to guarantee seating.

ACT OUT OPENING: Chicago Premiere Reverb at Redtwist

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we're looking forward to Reverb and can't wait to check it out.   They had me at darkly comic...   Redtwist is one of our local favs and they consistently impress with high caliber  offerings in their intimate black box space.

REVERB

By Leslye Headland  

Directed by Jonathan Berry

Opens at Redtwist Theatre Saturday, May 18, at 3pm

Redtwist announces the Chicago premiere of Reverb, a darkly comic, brutal dissection of the deadly force of wrath in the playwright's cycle of the Seven Deadly Sins  

Featuring Redtwist company member and two-time, Jeff Award-winner, Peter Oyloe

PLAY

Jeff-Award winning director, Jonathan Berry, directs the Chicago premiere of Reverb, the story of a rising young musician and his girlfriend/muse as they try to clear the decks of their own dysfunctional pasts, while the reverberations keep these soulmates locked in a vicious maze of loving tenderness and mortal combat. 

  

CAST

Brittany Burch (Lydia), Chris Chmelik (Shane), Ashley Neal (Ivy), Peter Oyloe (Dorian), Nick Vidal (Hank), Mary Williamson (June)

STAFF

Jonathan Berry (Director), Will Crouse (Assistant Director), Allison Queen (Stage Manager), Olivia Baker (Assistant Stage Manager), Elizabeth Penrose (Assistant Stage Manager), Sarah Burnham (Production Manager), Frank Sjodin (Tech Director), Joe Schermoly (Set Designer), Brandon Wardell (Lighting Designer), Christopher Kriz (Sound Designer), Peter Oyloe and Christopher Kriz (Original Music) Emily McConnell (Costume Designer), Jeff Shields (Prop Designer), Ryan Bourque (Fight Designer), Mary Reynard (Vocal Coach), Kevin McDonald (Dramaturg), Garvin Jellison (Master Electrician), Alan Weusthoff (Set Assistant), Peter Oyloe (Graphic Designer), Jan Ellen Graves (Marketing), Charles Bonilla (Box Office Manager), E. Malcolm Martinez (Box Office Associate), Johnny Garcia (Associate Producer), Michael Colucci & Jan Ellen Graves (Producers)

SCHEDULE

Opens: Sat, May 18, 3pm

Runs: Thu, Fri, Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 3pm

Note: no evening performance on Sat, May 18 and no performance on Sun, May 19 

Closes: Sun, June 23

Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes, no intermission

Previews: $15; Wed, Thu, Fri, May 15, 16, 17, at 7:30pm

Tickets: Thursdays, $25; Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, $30 (seniors & students $5 off) 

Group Rates: Special discounts for groups of 10 or more, and groups of 25 or more

 
DETAILS

Call: 773-728-7529

Website/Tickets: www.redtwist.org

ACT OUT OPENING: Purple Heart at Redtwist

Add some color to your holidaze with Purple Heart at Redtwist! 

  

ChiIL Live Shows will be there for opening day, this Saturday, and we'll have a full review for you shortly.

   

Purple Heart

By Bruce Norris 

Directed by Jeff Award-winner, Jimmy McDermott

Opens at Redtwist Theatre Saturday, Dec 22, at 3pm

In this twisted, dark comedy, company member, KC Karen Hill, and guest artist, Kathleen Ruhl, engage in ferocious battle as grieving Carla, and nitpicky mother-in-law, Grace. Clay Sanderson as mystery man, Purdy, and Nicky Roget-King as Carla's son, Thor, are the needy men who complicate her teetering world.

PLAY

Carla has issues: a recently killed-in-battle husband, a terror for a son, a nattering mother-in-law, a mysterious suitor, weird medical problems, and an affection for vodka. Purple Heart is a sick, twisted, wickedly funny drama about love and hate that defies description and expectation, written by Bruce Norris, recent Pulitzer Prize-winner for Clybourne Park. Since its world-premiere at Steppenwolf in July, 2002, Mr. Norris has restricted productions of this explosive and volatile play. In July of this year, he granted the rights to Redtwist personally, via interview, which included approval of director, Jimmy McDermott.

CAST

Featuring company member, KC Karen Hill (Carla), and guest artists, Nicky Roget-King (Thor), Kathleen Ruhl (Grace), and Clay Sanderson (Purdy).

STAFF

Jimmy McDermott (Director), Aaron Henrickson (Assistant Director), Allison Queen (Stage Manager), Olivia Leah Baker (Assistant Stage Manager), Sarah Burnham (Production Manager), Frank Sjodin (Tech Director), Dennis Mae (Set Designer), Christopher Burpee (Lighting Designer), Christopher Kriz (Sound Designer), Rachel S. Parent (Costume Designer), Jeffrey Shields (Prop Designer), Mary Reynard (Vocal Coach), Kevin McDonald (Dramaturg), Chris Rickett (Fight Director); Garvin Jellison (Master Electrician); Jan Ellen Graves (Graphic Designer); Charles Bonilla (Box Office Manager); E. Malcolm Martinez (Box Office Associate); Johnny Garcia (Associate Producer); Michael Colucci & Jan Ellen Graves (Producers)

SCHEDULE

Opens: Sat, Dec 22, 3pm

Runs: Thu, Fri, Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 3pm

Note: no evening performance on Sat, Dec 22 AND no performance on Sun, Dec 23 

Closes: Sun, Jan 27, 3pm

Running Time: Approximately 2:10, which includes one intermission

Previews: $15; Wed, Thu, Fri, Dec 19, 20, 21, at 7:30pm

Tickets: Thursdays, $25; Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, $30 (seniors & students $5 off)

Group Rates: Special discounts for groups of 10 or more, and groups of 25 or more

DETAILS

Call: 773-728-7529

Email: michael@redtwist.org

Website/Tickets: www.redtwist.org

Redtwist is located at 1044 W Bryn Mawr, 2 blks W of LSD, 2 blks E of the Red Line El station. Street parking (paybox/meters until 9pm) is available on Bryn Mawr, side streets, and Broadway. Please reserve 48 hours in advance. Credit cards accepted by phone and via Paypal to guarantee seating.

Opening, Closing, Extended and Highly Recommended

Act Out:  

Opening Friday

 
PROFILES THEATRE
Sweet and Sad (Midwest Premiere)
by Richard Nelson
Directed by Joe Jahraus

 
Featuring Profiles ensemble members Darrell W. Cox and Eric Burgher with Robert Breuler, Kristin Ford, Harmony France and Kate Harris
August 17 – October 7, 2012

Location: Profiles Theatre, The Main Stage, 4139 N. Broadway
Tickets: $30 - $40
Box Office: www.profilestheatre.org or (773) 549-1815
 

With Sweet and Sad, Tony Award-winning playwright Richard Nelson continues his series of plays exploring the immediate present and the ever-changing state of the nation. Over Sunday brunch on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, the Apple Family finds themselves talking about loss, remembrance and the family struggle to maintain its moral equilibrium in a world that no longer reflects its values.

Profiles Theatre’s production follows the highly acclaimed world premiere at The Public Theater in New York last season. Named one of the top ten plays of the year by the New York Times, New York Magazine and Bloomberg News, Sweet and Sad is part of Richard Nelson’s planned series of four works charting the changes undergone by an extended family from the village of Rhinebeck, New York. Beginning with That Hopey Changey Thing in 2010 and the upcoming Sorry opening at The Public Theater in October 2012, the plays take place in real time and have their World premiere on the dates they are set.

Closing (family friendly)

PINKALICIOUS Must Close On September 2!

**Check out ChiIL Mama's review and photo filled Feature (Pinkalicious Turns Gender Stereotypes On Their Heads) by clicking here**

**Check out our exclusive interview with Pinkalicious and her little brother here**
Emerald City Theatre Company's hit production of PINKALICIOUS was tickled pink to have so many extensions and spend over one year at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place.   But the time has come to say goodbye.
 

Still didn't see it, or want one last chance to chuckle along?   Catch em while you can.   Use code SUMMER when ordering to get $18 tickets!*

"Can't I have just one more?" When Pinkalicious eats one too many pink cupcakes, she catches a case of Pinkititis and turns pink from head to toe! It'll take the wisdom of her broccoli-eating little brother to help her get out of this predicament. Don't miss Chicago's Emerald City Theatre production of this smash hit musical based on the popular book by Elizabeth and Victoria Kann.

Best suited for theatre lovers 3 and up.

 

* Valid on all performances through September 2. Offer ends September 1 at 11:59pm. Not valid with any other offer or on previously purchased tickets. Subject to availability. Normal ticketing fees apply. Other restrictions may apply.

Extended

The Glass Menagerie
by Tennessee Williams
directed by Josh Altman
is EXTENDING for 2 weeks through September 16
Thu, Fri, Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 3pm

 

Company member and Jeff Award-winner, Jacqueline Grandt, plays Amanda in Tennessee Williams' most intimate play, up close and personal at Redtwist

THE PLAY
In Williams' deeply personal-and autobiographical-memory play, Tom Wingfield reveals to us a critical moment in his family's life. Brimming with false hope and desperation, this vivid and penetrating drama explores the disguise of illusion and a family's struggle to survive. Redtwist approaches this American masterpiece from the unique perspective of its explosive storefront space to re-examine the dark secrets of a young man's family, the debris from which emerged the legendary American playwright.

CAST
Ryan Heindl as Tom Wingfield; Jacqueline Grandt as Amanda Wingfield; Sarah Mayhan as Laura Wingfield; Chris Daley as Jim O'Connor

STAFF
Josh Altman (Director); Allison Queen (Stage Manager); Olivia Baker (Assistant Stage Manager); Frank Sjodin (Tech Director); Henry Behel (Set Designer); Heather Gilbert (Lighting Designer); Christopher Kriz (Sound Designer); Kelsey Ettman (Costume Designer); Nick Heggestad (Prop Designer); Kevin McDonald (Dramaturg); Kathy Logelin (Dialect Coach); Garvin Jellison (Master Electrician); Mary Reynard Liss (Vocal Coach); Jan Ellen Graves (Graphic Design); Charles Bonilla (Box Office Manager); Justin Castellano (Production Manager); Brett Gould, Heather Brooke Scholten (Production Assistants); Michael Colucci & Jan Ellen Graves (Producers)

SCHEDULE
Runs: Thu, Fri, Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 3pm
Closes: Sun, Sep 16, 3pm
Running Time: Approx. 2:15 hours, includes one intermission
Tickets: Thu, $25; Fri & Sun, $27; Sat, $30 (seniors & students $5 off)

DETAILS
Call: 773-728-7529
Email: reserve@redtwist.org
Website/Tickets: www.redtwist.org

Redtwist is located at 1044 W Bryn Mawr, 2 blks W of LSD, 2 blks E of the Red Line El station. Street parking (paybox/meters until 9pm) is available on Bryn Mawr, side streets, and Broadway. Please reserve 48 hours in advance. Credit cards accepted by phone and via Paypal to guarantee seating.

Highly Recommended

BABES WITH BLADES KICKS OFF 15th ANNIVERSARY SEASON  WITH “SUSAN SWAYNE AND THE BEWILDERED BRIDE”

 WORLD PREMIERE OF REINA HARDY’S VICTORIAN DETECTIVE COMEDY

**Check out our prior coverage and show details here.**

Dig Sherlock in skirts, and cutthroat killers in corsettes?   Then you must see Susan Swayne and The Bewildered Bride.   There's plenty of Victorian murder, mayhem and mystery afoot in this detective drama.  And the gender bending, cross dressing is worthy of The Bard himself.

ChiIL Live Shows had the great privileged of checkin' out opening night and we were thoroughly entertained.   The stage combat and sword play is  exhilarating and intense while the characters are as amusing as they are confusing.   We enjoyed the well written script and quirky sleuthing.   From opium dens to underwear duels, this show is highly recommended!   There are some mature sexual themes and simulated violence but nothing too over the top for older kids.   If in doubt, come check it out first.

Babes With Blades Theatre Company (BWBTC), Chicago’s all-female stage combat ensemble, will open their 15th anniversary season with the world premiere of “Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride” by Reina Hardy, directed by Dan Foss.  

It’s 1888 in London, and the Society of Lady Detectives meets discreetly to indulge its members’  tastes for swordplay and sleuthing.  As the genteel club considers a disturbing series of murders in the Whitechapel district, a frantic heiress turns up with a startling accusation towards one of their own.  Society member Susan Swayne takes the case, defying societal norms and pursuing the truth through the Victorian streets.  

Combat sequences from violence designer/BWBTC ensemble member Libby Beyreis will feature smallsword and bartitsu (a Victorian mixed martial art influenced by jujitsu and savate).  

Tickets are $20 for regular performances, students and seniors $12.
 
Originally submitted to BWBTC’s inaugural Joining Sword & Pen Playwriting Competition in 2005, “Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride” began as a one-act play inspired by a print of Emile Bayard’s “An Affair of Honor.”  The script was selected for the company’s New Plays Development Program in 2009 and became a full-length play through a series of three readings and feedback sessions.  Director Foss describes the resulting script as “a quirky Victorian detective comedy.”
  
 
The cast includes BWBTC ensemble members Lisa Herceg, Kimberly Logan, and  Megan Schemmel, joined by guest artists Kathryn Acosta, Justine Serino, and Kelly Yacono.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW for Reina Hardy’s Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride: CLICK!

“Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride” opened on Saturday, August 18 at 8:00 p.m. at the Lincoln Square Theatre, 4754 N. Leavitt (inside Berry Memorial UMC, lower level).   The show runs Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m., August 23  to September 22.  In addition, there will be Saturday matinees on September 1, 8, and 15 at 2:00 p.m.

For tickets, call 773-904-0391 or to go http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/222921.

ACT OUT: The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later at Redtwist Theatre (Review)

Where else can you currently see 8 actors take on upwards of 50 characters in two interrelated shows?!

Redtwist Theatre is one of our local favorites, with a long string of Jeff recommended productions, and an intimate performance space.   They've got a new entry way into their black box space, off the front lobby now, and a thought provoking show that provides a new entry way into the hot button issue of how hate impacts society.  We've been promoting The Laramie Project:  Ten Years Later since February, on our Facebook and Twitter streams, but if you still haven't seen it yet, you just have until April 7th to check it out.   

We were blown away by Red Twist's current and incredibly timely offering, The Laramie Project:  Ten Years Later.   The choice of simple costume pieces ...glasses here, a tie there, and the presentation of the show on a bare bones set, only serve to accentuate the immensity of the content.   Thirteen years after the horrific beating death of Matthew Shepard, hate crime protection has finally been enacted on the federal level by President Obama, after his two predecessors failed, yet hate crimes, harassment and bullying are still increasing.  As Matthew's mother so eloquently states, "These plays are not about being gay.  They are about being hurt for being different, or perceived to be different, whatever that difference may be."    As the right wing amps up the hate rhetoric to the point where gay teen suicides are in the news frequently and bullies feel sanctified in their violence against others, this production's message is as urgent as ever.

I was saddened though not surprised by the townspeople's collective amnesia, and eagerness to spin history to support a more palpable view of themselves.   A mere ten years later, people who once saw irrefutable court room proof of a heinous, lethal gay bashing, bandied about victim blaming falsehoods about a drug deal gone bad.   Who wants to openly identify with a homicidal homophobic town where peaceful college students are killed for pocket change and partner preferences?   It seems a robbery co-opted into a hate crime by liberals, to advance their politics, is an easier lie to believe.   

On a parallel note, my husband's presently on a TV shoot
with someone who was a student at Columbine during the shootings, and
she recently met with similar resistance and hostility when she wanted
to make a 10 year documentary.   Even as an insider, many of her
classmates refused to talk to her and were adamantly against the
project.   People wanted to forget and not dredge up the past, and gave her so much resistance that the project may not advance.

Still, for all the haters and amnesiacs, there is an encouragingly dogged group in Laramie and beyond, still making sure Matthew's death meant something, and will make a difference for future generations.  The scene of the gay marriage political debate and vote gave me hope, as well.   Even with our current two steps forward, one step back, politics in 2012, there are still leaders who will cross conservative and liberal lines and party views to vote with wisdom and compassion.   This courageous and vital set of shows spread the message to that many more people.   Suggested for adults audiences and mature teens.   Highly recommended.

Interrogation

L-R: Jan Ellen Graves, Gene Cordon, Eleanor Katz, Matt Babbs, Matthew Klingler,Lisa Herceg, Kurt Brocker, Devon Candura,  Photo: Kimberly Loughlin

The Laramie
Project: Ten Years Later

By
Moisés Kaufman, Leigh Fondakowski, Greg
Pierotti, Andy Paris, and Stephen
Belber   

Directed by three-time Jeff Award-winner, Greg
Kolack

The ten-year epilogue is a companion piece to
the iconic, The
Laramie Project,

one of the most-produced plays in the U.S. and
around the world.

---

HISTORICAL FACTS OF THE STORY
On October 6, 1998, a gay University of Wyoming
student, Matthew Shepard, left the Fireside Bar in
Laramie, Wyoming, with Aaron McKinney and Russell
Henderson. The following day he was discovered at
the edge of town. He was tied to a fence, brutally
beaten, and close to death.

By the following day, Matthew's attack and the town
of Laramie had become the focus of an international
news story. On October 12, 1998, Matthew Shepard
died at Poudre Valley Hospital in Ft. Collins,
Colorado.

On November 14, 1998, the members of Tectonic
Theater Project traveled to Laramie, Wyoming, and
conducted interviews with the people of the town.
During the next year, Tectonic would return to
Laramie several times and conduct over two hundred
interviews. The play that resulted is edited from
those interviews, as well as from journal entries by
members of the company and other found texts.


PRODUCTION HISTORY OF BOTH PLAYS

The Laramie Project premiered at The Ricketson
Theatre, performed by the Denver Center Theatre
Company in February, 2000. It was then performed at
the Union Square Theater in New York City, before a
November, 2002, performance in Laramie, Wyoming. The
play has also been performed by high schools,
colleges, and community theaters across the country,
as well as professional playhouses around the world.
In addition, the HBO film directed by Moisés
Kaufman, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in
March, 2002.

The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later is the
epilogue to the original. Ten years after Shepard's
murder, members of the Tectonic Theater Project
returned to Laramie to conduct follow-up interviews
with residents featured in the original play. Those
interviews were turned into this companion piece.

The play debuted as a simultaneous reading at nearly
150 theatres across the US and internationally on
October 12, 2009 - the 11th anniversary of Matthew
Shepard’s death. Most of the theaters were linked by
webcam to New York City where Judy Shepard and the
play's producers and writers gave an opening speech
to begin this unique memorial and evening of
theater.



DIRECTOR
Greg Kolack, former Artistic Director of Circle
Theatre, has won three Jeff Awards as Best Director,
most recently for columbinus,
at Raven Theatre. Greg has been interested in
directing these two projects together since the
nationwide reading in 2009. Several years ago, he
visited Laramie to gather research for the project.
On January 6, 2012, Greg made his second trip to
Laramie on the cusp of the rehearsal period, to meet
with various real-life characters depicted in The Laramie Project.
His travelogue, reported via email to the cast each
evening was filled with first-person reports shared
by the locals who lived through the experience, and
who shared with Greg their unique insights and
poignant reflections on the events over thirteen
years ago that catalyzed tectonic change in our
society. Greg’s diligent research and his eye for
detail as an award-winning director, will surely
inform and enliven this production with a unique
theatrical style.

REDTWIST PRODUCTION
Both shows will be performed by only eight actors,
who portray dozens of roles in our signature,
intimate space. The actors and director have
personally talked with the real characters in the
play, and also with members of the Tectonic Theater
Project. A number of post-show discussions are
scheduled for groups and upon special request.


CAST
Matt Babbs, Kurt Brocker, Devon Candura, Gene
Cordon, Lisa Herceg, Jan Ellen Graves, Eleanor Katz,
Matthew Klingler



STAFF
Greg Kolack (Director), Allison Queen (Stage
Manager), Amanda Lautermilch (Assistant Stage
Manager), Justin Castellano (Tech Director), Andrei
Onegin (Set Designer), Rachel Spear (Sound
Designer), Christopher Burpee (Lighting Designer), kClare Kemock (Costume Designer), Mary Reynard
Liss (Vocal Coach) Jan Ellen Graves (Graphic
Designer), Charles Bonilla (Box Office Manager),
Johnny Garcia (Associate Producer), Michael Colucci
& Jan Ellen Graves (Producers)



REMAINING DATES:

The Laramie Project (the
original)

Saturdays Mar 17, 24, 31, Apr 7, at 3pm

Running time: approx.
2:30 incl. 2 intermissions

Tickets: $15

The Laramie
Project: Ten Years Later (Epilogue)

Performs:  Thu, Fri, Sat at 7:30pm
& Sun at 3pm, Also April 1 at 7:30pm

Closes: Sat, Apr 7, 7:30pm

Running Time: approx. 1:45 incl. 1
intermission

Tickets: Thursdays, $25; Fridays &
Sundays, $27; Saturdays, $30 (seniors & students
$5 off)

Group Rates: Special discounts for groups
of 10 or more, and groups of 25 or more

THE DETAILS

Call:
773-728-7529

Email:
reserve@redtwist.org

Website/Tickets:
www.redtwist.org

Redtwist is located at 1044 W Bryn Mawr, 2 blks W of
LSD, 2 blks E of the Red Line El station. Street
parking (paybox/meters until 9pm) is available on
Bryn Mawr, side streets, and Broadway. Please
reserve 48 hours in advance. Credit cards accepted
by phone and via Paypal to guarantee seating.