REVIEW: Skeleton Crew Skewers As Impressive Detroit Cycle Conclusion

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Northlight Theatre continues its 2017-18 season with

Skeleton Crew

Written by Dominique Morisseau

Directed by Ron OJ Parson

Featuring Bernard Gilbert, Kelvin Roston Jr., AnJi White and Jacqueline Williams

Skeleton Crew Photo credit: Charles Osgood Photography

Review:

Here at ChiIL Live Shows it's been a great pleasure to catch all 3 plays in Dominique Morisseau's acclaimed trilogy, directed by Ron OJ Parson. The concluding show, Skeleton Crew, did not disappoint. I was particularly struck by the amazing set design, sound design, and lighting that effectively evoke both the relentless, rhythmic cacophony of a Detroit auto stamping plant, and the desolate refuge of the break room, of a dying industry and it's desperate workers. The production is poignant, powerful and incredibly well cast. Jacqueline Williams (Faye) is a particular standout, well supported by Bernard Gilbert (Dez), Kelvin Roston Jr. (Reggie), and AnJi White (Shanita).

This is a rare glimpse into the struggle for survival so many blue collar workers face. With insufficient healthcare and precarious job security, most of these hardworking Americans are just a paycheck or less away from homelessness. The large and small indignities, acts of kindness, addictions, small comforts, and dynamics between coworkers evoke a rollercoaster of emotions, as we're privy to the lives of a scrappy, homeless cancer survivor, a pregnant single mom, an aspiring businessman, and their boss who is caught between management and his past, struggling to do right by everyone. 







Skeleton crew humanizes the unseen lives behind the ubiquitous cars we're surrounded by on a daily basis. Morisseau effectively skewers the sometimes heartless corporations that give and take livelihoods, and worship the bottom line, despite human casualties. Highly recommended. 

Through March 3, 2018

Skeleton Crew is part of a 3-part cycle of plays by Dominique Morisseau set in Detroit Previously, Detroit ‘67 was produced at Northlight and Paradise Blue was produced locally at TimeLine. Ron OJ Parson directed all of them.

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, continues its 2017-18 season with Skeleton Crew, written by Dominique Morisseau and directed by Ron OJ Parson. Skeleton Crew runs January 25 – March 3, 2018 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. 

At the start of the Great Recession, rumors of impending closure surround one of the last auto plants in Detroit. The nation’s financial crisis gets personal as each of the workers confronts the life-altering choices they must make if their plant goes under, while the supervisor is torn between allegiances to his makeshift family of co-workers and management’s “cost-saving” demands. When pushed to the limits of survival, how far over the lines are people willing to cross?

Playwright Dominique Morisseau was one of the Top 20 Most Produced Playwrights in America in 2015–16, with ten productions of her plays being produced. She is a two-time award winner of the NAACP Image Award, which celebrates the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts, as well as those individuals or groups who promote social justice through their creative endeavors.

The third play in Dominique Morisseau’s Detroit trilogy, Skeleton Crew was named one of Time Magazine’s 10 Best Shows of the Year. BJ Jones comments, “Several years ago Northlight introduced playwright Dominique Morisseau to Chicago with Detroit '67, the first installment of her Detroit trilogy. Paradise Blue was produced at Timeline Theatre in 2017, and Skeleton Crew completes the trio. 

Her triptych spans decades of a sociopolitical evolution in her home city. With Skeleton Crew, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Morisseau looks at life on the assembly line—which feels like a conveyor belt to oblivion. Set in 2008, the diminishing workers are in a race to stay ahead of the collapsing economy, fighting for their financial lives. While much of the country has their eyes set on Wall Street, more concerned with their portfolios than their neighbors, the working majority don’t own stock and struggle to pay the rent. Dominique re-focuses our gaze on the majority, whose hourly wage becomes more precious by the day.” 

The cast of Skeleton Crew includes Bernard Gilbert (Dez), Kelvin Roston Jr. (Reggie), Jacqueline Williams (Faye) and AnJi White (Shanita).

The creative team includes Scott Davis (Scenic Design), Samantha C. Jones (Costume Design), Keith Parham (Lighting Design), and Ray Nardelli (Sound Design). The production stage manager is Rita Vreeland.

Northlight’s production of Skeleton Crew is supported in part by The Chicago Community Trust, National Endowment for the Arts, The Pauls Foundation, Carol and Steve Mullins, Bill and Eleanor Revelle, Hagerty Consulting, and Alan Zunamon and Nancy Cunniff.



ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Dominique Morisseau (Playwright) is the author of The Detroit Project (A 3-Play Cycle) which includes the following plays: Skeleton Crew (Atlantic Theater Company), Paradise Blue (Signature Theatre), and Detroit ’67 (Public Theater, Classical Theatre of Harlem and NBT). Additional plays include: Pipeline (Lincoln Center Theatre), Sunset Baby (LAByrinth Theatre); Blood at the Root (National Black Theatre) and Follow Me To Nellie’s (Premiere Stages). She is also the book writer on the new musical Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations (Berkeley Repertory Theatre). Dominique is alumna of The Public Theater Emerging Writer’s Group, Women’s Project Lab, and Lark Playwrights Workshop and has developed work at Sundance Lab and Eugene O’Neil Playwrights Conference. Her work has been commissioned by the Hip Hop Theater Festival, Steppenwolf Theater Company, Women’s Project, South Coast Rep, People’s Light and Theatre, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival/Penumbra Theatre. She recently served as Co‐Producer on the Showtime series “Shameless.” Awards include: Stavis Playwriting Award, NAACP Image Award, Spirit of Detroit Award, Weissberger Award, PoNY Fellowship, Sky-­‐Cooper New American Play Prize, TEER Spirit Trailblazer Award, Steinberg Playwright Award, Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama (Detroit ’67), Audelco and OBIE Award (Skeleton Crew).

Ron OJ Parson (Director) is a native of Buffalo, New York and is a graduate of the The University of Michigan’s professional theatre program. He is a resident artist at Court and former co-founder and artistic director of The Onyx Theatre Ensemble. Chicago credits include Court, Timeline (Company Member), Victory Gardens, Northlight, Teatro Vista (Associate Artist), Goodman, Black Ensemble, ETA, Congo Square, Chicago Dramatist, Urban Theatre Company, Steppenwolf, Chicago Theatre Company, City Lit, and Windy City Playhouse. Regional credits include Virginia Stage Company, Portland Stage, Studio Theatre, Studio Arena Theatre, Roundabout, Mechanic Theatre, Center Stage Baltimore, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Milwaukee Rep, St. Louis Black Rep, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, Geva Theatre, Signature Theatre (New York), Alliance Theatre, South Coast Rep, Kansas City Rep, and Pasadena Playhouse. Ron has also directed at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Recent directing credits include Apt. 3A, East Texas Hot Links, Paradise Blue, Blues For An Alabama Sky, 5 Guys Named Moe, and Fences. Ron is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, AEA, and SDC.

Bernard Gilbert (Dez) makes his Northlight debut. His other theatre credits include The Royale (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis; and City Theatre, Pittsburgh), the world premiere of Man in the Ring (Court), Letters Home (Griffin Theatre), and Our Lady of 121st Street (Eclipse Theatre). Bernard is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul.


Kelvin Roston, Jr. previously appeared at Northlight in Morisseau’s Detroit ’67. He most recently appeared in the acclaimed production of Five Guys Named Moe at Court Theatre. 

Kelvin Roston Jr. (Reggie) returns to Northlight where he was last seen as Sly in Dominique Morisseau’s Detroit ’67.  Kelvin most recently played Four-eyed Moe in Court’s Five Guys Named Moe. Chicago credits: Congo Square, Court, Paramount, Marriott, Goodman, ITC, Eta, Writers, Black Ensemble, Timeline, Northlight, and Steppenwolf. Regional: The Black Rep, Fulton, New Theatre Restaurant, MSMT, and Baltimore Center Stage. International: Orb, Festival Hall. TV: Chicago Med, Chicago PD, KFC, and Instant Care.  Film: Get a Job, Princess Cyd, and Breathing Room. He is a 4-time Jeff Award nominee, Jeff winner (Best Ensemble, East Texas Hotlinks, Writers), 3-time BTA Award winner, and 2-time Black Excellence Award winner. He wrote and performed the play Twisted Melodies for which he won the Light in the Darkness Public Education Award from NAMI. Kelvin is an Artistic Associate of Congo Square, a proud member of AEA, and represented by Paonessa Talent.

AnJi White (Shanita) makes her Northlight debut. Chicago credits include Monticello (Aurora Works Theatre); Great & Terrible Wizard of Oz (House); The Last Wife, Sunset Baby (Timeline); The Project(s), Rent (ATC); Fabulation, or the Re-education of Undine (Pulse Theatre); Forgotten Future Remount (Collaboraction Theatre); Mud, River, Stone (Eclipse Theatre); Ithaka (Infusion Theatre) and Soul Samarai (Infusion Theatre). TV & Film credits: Chicago PD, Empire, Home for the Weekend (Pilot), and Hope Springs Eternal. Represented by Paonessa Talent, AnJi has received 3 BTAA nominations, 1 Jeff nomination and received the BTAA for Best Actress for Timeline’s Sunset Baby. 

Jacqueline Williams recently returned from Los Angeles where she reprised her role of Mae, opposite Phylicia Rashad, in Academy Award winner Tarell McCraney’s Head of Passes at Mark Taper Forum.

Jacqueline Williams (Faye) returns to Northlight after reprising her role of Mae in Academy Award winner Tarell McCraney’s Head of Passes at Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles opposite Phylicia Rashad. Northlight appearances include The Miser, Gees Bend, and Po’ Boy Tango. Broadway: Young Man From Atlanta. Off Broadway: From The Mississippi Delta (Oprah Winfrey co-produced), Talented Tenth, Mill Fire. Select Chicago credits include The Christians, Airline Highway, Head of Passes, Brother/Sister Plays (Steppenwolf); Man in the Ring, Gem of the Ocean, Fences, Caroline, or Change (Court); The House That Will Not Stand, A Wonder In My Soul (Victory Gardens); Pullman Porter Blues, stop.reset, Camino Real, Trinity River Plays and many more (Goodman). She has worked extensively regionally including tours with the Johannesbug’s Market Theatre and Crowns. TV/Film: Turks, recurring on Chicago Fire, PD, and Med; Empire, Prison Break, Heartlock, The Break Up, The Lake House. Her many awards/nominations include Jeff, Helen Hayes, BTAA, American Arts Council, Lunt-Fontanne (Shakespeare) Fellow and Excellence in the Arts. 

The Box Office is located at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Boulevard, in Skokie. Box Office hours are Monday-Friday 10:00am-5:00pm, and Saturdays 12:00pm-5:00pm. On performance days, the box office hours are extended through showtime. The Box Office is closed on Sundays, except on performance days when it is open two hours prior to showtime.

Curtain times are: Tuesdays: 7:30pm (January 30 only); Wednesdays: 1:00pm (except February 21) and 7:30pm; Thursdays: 7:30pm; Fridays: 8:00pm; Saturdays: 2:30pm (except January 27) and 8:00pm; and Sundays: 2:30pm and 7:00pm (January 28 and February 25 only).



Northlight is continuing its popular special event series in conjunction with each production. All events are free.

Backstage with BJ: Skeleton Crew
Friday, January 19 at noon
at Northlight Theatre
9501 Skokie Boulevard, Skokie, IL
Backstage with BJ is a mid-day discussion with Artistic Director BJ Jones, featuring special guest artists, actors, directors and designers, offering behind-the-scenes insight into each production while it is still in rehearsal. Backstage with BJ for Skeleton Crew will last approximately one hour. The event is free but reservations are required. Visit https://northlight.org/events/backstage-with-bj/ to reserve your spot.

Inside Look: Skeleton Crew
Tuesday, February 6 at 2:00pm
 
Evanston Public Library
1703 Orrington Avenue, Evanston, IL
Explore the social and historical context of Skeleton Crew through a discussion and Q&A session with artists related to the production.

Community Panel Discussion
Saturday, February 10 at 3:00pm
Curt’s Café
 2922 Central St, Evanston, IL
The play portrays employees on the brink of probable unemployment, facing the pressures of mortgage payments, raising children, and potential homelessness. Northlight's Artistic team will engage with community organizations to discuss the relevance of the play's themes to Chicago's North Shore and what we can do to make a difference. Panelists include: Karen Tollenar Demorest, Executive Director, Youth Job Center; Andi Drileck, Vice President of Workforce Services, National Able Network; and Sue Loelbach, Manager of Advocacy, Connections for the Homeless.

Northlight Theatre aspires to promote change of perspective and encourage compassion by exploring the depth of our humanity across a bold spectrum of theatrical experiences, reflecting our community to the world and the world to our community. 

Now in its 43rd season, the organization has mounted over 200 productions, including nearly 40 world premieres. Northlight has earned 203 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and 34 Awards. As one of the area’s premier theatre companies, Northlight is a regional magnet for critical and professional acclaim, as well as talent of the highest quality. 

Northlight is supported in part by generous contributions from Allstate Insurance; the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Robert & Isabelle Bass Foundation; BMO Harris Bank; Henrietta Lange Burk Fund; The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; The Chicago Community Trust; ComEd, An Exelon Company; The Davee Foundation; Edgerton Foundation for New American Plays Award; Evanston Community Foundation; Full Circle Foundation; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; Kirkland & Ellis Foundation; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Melvoin Award for Playwriting; Modestus Bauer Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; Niles Township; The Offield Family Foundation; The Pauls Foundation; Room & Board; Sanborn Family Foundation; Dr. Scholl Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust; The Sullivan Family Foundation; and Tom Stringer Design Partners.

Dates:
Previews: January 25 – February 1, 2018
Regular run: February 3 – March 3, 2018

Schedule:
Tuesdays: 7:30pm (January 30 only)

Wednesdays: 1:00pm (except February 21) and 7:30pm
Thursdays: 7:30pm 
Fridays: 8:00pm
Saturdays: 2:30pm (except January 27) and 8:00pm
Sundays: 2:30pm and 7:00pm (January 28 and February 25 only)

Location: Northlight Theatre is located at the North Shore
Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd,
Skokie

Tickets: Previews: $30-$57
Regular run: $30-$81
Student tickets are $15, any performance 
(subject to availability)

Box Office:The Box Office is located at 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie.
847.673.6300; northlight.org

OPENING: Skeleton Crew at Northlight Theatre Through 3/3/18

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Northlight Theatre continues its 2017-18 season with

Skeleton Crew

Written by Dominique Morisseau

Directed by Ron OJ Parson

Featuring Bernard Gilbert, Kelvin Roston Jr., AnJi White and Jacqueline Williams

January 25 – March 3, 2018

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we're eager to catch Skeleton Crew, which concludes Dominique Morisseau's acclaimed trilogy. I had an informal chat with director, Ron OJ Parson recently and he peaked my interest in the production even more. He's even enlisted input on the show from a long time friend who has first hand experience working in the Detroit auto plants. I've thoroughly enjoyed Parson's directing prowess all over Chicago in the past few years, including Dominique Morisseau's Paradise Blue which was produced at Timeline Theatre in 2017. I'll be out for the press opening February 2nd, so check back soon for my full review.

Skeleton Crew is part of a 3-part cycle of play by Dominique Morisseau set in Detroit Previously, Detroit ‘67 was produced at Northlight and Paradise Blue was produced locally at TimeLine. Ron OJ Parson directed all of them.

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, continues its 2017-18 season with Skeleton Crew, written by Dominique Morisseau and directed by Ron OJ Parson. Skeleton Crew runs January 25 – March 3, 2018 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. 

At the start of the Great Recession, rumors of impending closure surround one of the last auto plants in Detroit. The nation’s financial crisis gets personal as each of the workers confronts the life-altering choices they must make if their plant goes under, while the supervisor is torn between allegiances to his makeshift family of co-workers and management’s “cost-saving” demands. When pushed to the limits of survival, how far over the lines are people willing to cross?

Playwright Dominique Morisseau was one of the Top 20 Most Produced Playwrights in America in 2015–16, with ten productions of her plays being produced. She is a two-time award winner of the NAACP Image Award, which celebrates the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts, as well as those individuals or groups who promote social justice through their creative endeavors.

The third play in Dominique Morisseau’s Detroit trilogy, Skeleton Crew was named one of Time Magazine’s 10 Best Shows of the Year. BJ Jones comments, “Several years ago Northlight introduced playwright Dominique Morisseau to Chicago with Detroit '67, the first installment of her Detroit trilogy. Paradise Blue was produced at Timeline Theatre in 2017, and Skeleton Crew completes the trio. 

Her triptych spans decades of a sociopolitical evolution in her home city. With Skeleton Crew, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Morisseau looks at life on the assembly line—which feels like a conveyor belt to oblivion. Set in 2008, the diminishing workers are in a race to stay ahead of the collapsing economy, fighting for their financial lives. While much of the country has their eyes set on Wall Street, more concerned with their portfolios than their neighbors, the working majority don’t own stock and struggle to pay the rent. Dominique re-focuses our gaze on the majority, whose hourly wage becomes more precious by the day.” 

The cast of Skeleton Crew includes Bernard Gilbert (Dez), Kelvin Roston Jr. (Reggie), Jacqueline Williams (Faye) and AnJi White (Shanita).

The creative team includes Scott Davis (Scenic Design), Samantha C. Jones (Costume Design), Keith Parham (Lighting Design), and Ray Nardelli (Sound Design). The production stage manager is Rita Vreeland.

Northlight’s production of Skeleton Crew is supported in part by The Chicago Community Trust, National Endowment for the Arts, The Pauls Foundation, Carol and Steve Mullins, Bill and Eleanor Revelle, Hagerty Consulting, and Alan Zunamon and Nancy Cunniff.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Dominique Morisseau (Playwright) is the author of The Detroit Project (A 3-Play Cycle) which includes the following plays: Skeleton Crew (Atlantic Theater Company), Paradise Blue (Signature Theatre), and Detroit ’67 (Public Theater, Classical Theatre of Harlem and NBT). Additional plays include: Pipeline (Lincoln Center Theatre), Sunset Baby (LAByrinth Theatre); Blood at the Root (National Black Theatre) and Follow Me To Nellie’s (Premiere Stages). She is also the book writer on the new musical Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations (Berkeley Repertory Theatre). Dominique is alumna of The Public Theater Emerging Writer’s Group, Women’s Project Lab, and Lark Playwrights Workshop and has developed work at Sundance Lab and Eugene O’Neil Playwrights Conference. Her work has been commissioned by the Hip Hop Theater Festival, Steppenwolf Theater Company, Women’s Project, South Coast Rep, People’s Light and Theatre, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival/Penumbra Theatre. She recently served as Co‐Producer on the Showtime series “Shameless.” Awards include: Stavis Playwriting Award, NAACP Image Award, Spirit of Detroit Award, Weissberger Award, PoNY Fellowship, Sky-­‐Cooper New American Play Prize, TEER Spirit Trailblazer Award, Steinberg Playwright Award, Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama (Detroit ’67), Audelco and OBIE Award (Skeleton Crew).

Ron OJ Parson (Director) is a native of Buffalo, New York and is a graduate of the The University of Michigan’s professional theatre program. He is a resident artist at Court and former co-founder and artistic director of The Onyx Theatre Ensemble. Chicago credits include Court, Timeline (Company Member), Victory Gardens, Northlight, Teatro Vista (Associate Artist), Goodman, Black Ensemble, ETA, Congo Square, Chicago Dramatist, Urban Theatre Company, Steppenwolf, Chicago Theatre Company, City Lit, and Windy City Playhouse. Regional credits include Virginia Stage Company, Portland Stage, Studio Theatre, Studio Arena Theatre, Roundabout, Mechanic Theatre, Center Stage Baltimore, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Milwaukee Rep, St. Louis Black Rep, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, Geva Theatre, Signature Theatre (New York), Alliance Theatre, South Coast Rep, Kansas City Rep, and Pasadena Playhouse. Ron has also directed at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Recent directing credits include Apt. 3A, East Texas Hot Links, Paradise Blue, Blues For An Alabama Sky, 5 Guys Named Moe, and Fences. Ron is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, AEA, and SDC.

Bernard Gilbert (Dez) makes his Northlight debut. His other theatre credits include The Royale (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis; and City Theatre, Pittsburgh), the world premiere of Man in the Ring (Court), Letters Home (Griffin Theatre), and Our Lady of 121st Street (Eclipse Theatre). Bernard is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul.


Kelvin Roston, Jr. previously appeared at Northlight in Morisseau’s Detroit ’67. He most recently appeared in the acclaimed production of Five Guys Named Moe at Court Theatre. 

Kelvin Roston Jr. (Reggie) returns to Northlight where he was last seen as Sly in Dominique Morisseau’s Detroit ’67.  Kelvin most recently played Four-eyed Moe in Court’s Five Guys Named Moe. Chicago credits: Congo Square, Court, Paramount, Marriott, Goodman, ITC, Eta, Writers, Black Ensemble, Timeline, Northlight, and Steppenwolf. Regional: The Black Rep, Fulton, New Theatre Restaurant, MSMT, and Baltimore Center Stage. International: Orb, Festival Hall. TV: Chicago Med, Chicago PD, KFC, and Instant Care.  Film: Get a Job, Princess Cyd, and Breathing Room. He is a 4-time Jeff Award nominee, Jeff winner (Best Ensemble, East Texas Hotlinks, Writers), 3-time BTA Award winner, and 2-time Black Excellence Award winner. He wrote and performed the play Twisted Melodies for which he won the Light in the Darkness Public Education Award from NAMI. Kelvin is an Artistic Associate of Congo Square, a proud member of AEA, and represented by Paonessa Talent.

AnJi White (Shanita) makes her Northlight debut. Chicago credits include Monticello (Aurora Works Theatre); Great & Terrible Wizard of Oz (House); The Last Wife, Sunset Baby (Timeline); The Project(s), Rent (ATC); Fabulation, or the Re-education of Undine (Pulse Theatre); Forgotten Future Remount (Collaboraction Theatre); Mud, River, Stone (Eclipse Theatre); Ithaka (Infusion Theatre) and Soul Samarai (Infusion Theatre). TV & Film credits: Chicago PD, Empire, Home for the Weekend (Pilot), and Hope Springs Eternal. Represented by Paonessa Talent, AnJi has received 3 BTAA nominations, 1 Jeff nomination and received the BTAA for Best Actress for Timeline’s Sunset Baby. 

Jacqueline Williams recently returned from Los Angeles where she reprised her role of Mae, opposite Phylicia Rashad, in Academy Award winner Tarell McCraney’s Head of Passes at Mark Taper Forum.

Jacqueline Williams (Faye) returns to Northlight after reprising her role of Mae in Academy Award winner Tarell McCraney’s Head of Passes at Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles opposite Phylicia Rashad. Northlight appearances include The Miser, Gees Bend, and Po’ Boy Tango. Broadway: Young Man From Atlanta. Off Broadway: From The Mississippi Delta (Oprah Winfrey co-produced), Talented Tenth, Mill Fire. Select Chicago credits include The Christians, Airline Highway, Head of Passes, Brother/Sister Plays (Steppenwolf); Man in the Ring, Gem of the Ocean, Fences, Caroline, or Change (Court); The House That Will Not Stand, A Wonder In My Soul (Victory Gardens); Pullman Porter Blues, stop.reset, Camino Real, Trinity River Plays and many more (Goodman). She has worked extensively regionally including tours with the Johannesbug’s Market Theatre and Crowns. TV/Film: Turks, recurring on Chicago Fire, PD, and Med; Empire, Prison Break, Heartlock, The Break Up, The Lake House. Her many awards/nominations include Jeff, Helen Hayes, BTAA, American Arts Council, Lunt-Fontanne (Shakespeare) Fellow and Excellence in the Arts. 

The Box Office is located at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Boulevard, in Skokie. Box Office hours are Monday-Friday 10:00am-5:00pm, and Saturdays 12:00pm-5:00pm. On performance days, the box office hours are extended through showtime. The Box Office is closed on Sundays, except on performance days when it is open two hours prior to showtime.

Curtain times are: Tuesdays: 7:30pm (January 30 only); Wednesdays: 1:00pm (except February 21) and 7:30pm; Thursdays: 7:30pm; Fridays: 8:00pm; Saturdays: 2:30pm (except January 27) and 8:00pm; and Sundays: 2:30pm and 7:00pm (January 28 and February 25 only).

Northlight is continuing its popular special event series in conjunction with each production. All events are free.

Backstage with BJ: Skeleton Crew
Friday, January 19 at noon
at Northlight Theatre
9501 Skokie Boulevard, Skokie, IL
Backstage with BJ is a mid-day discussion with Artistic Director BJ Jones, featuring special guest artists, actors, directors and designers, offering behind-the-scenes insight into each production while it is still in rehearsal. Backstage with BJ for Skeleton Crew will last approximately one hour. The event is free but reservations are required. Visit https://northlight.org/events/backstage-with-bj/ to reserve your spot.

Inside Look: Skeleton Crew
Tuesday, February 6 at 2:00pm
 
Evanston Public Library
1703 Orrington Avenue, Evanston, IL
Explore the social and historical context of Skeleton Crew through a discussion and Q&A session with artists related to the production.

Community Panel Discussion
Saturday, February 10 at 3:00pm
Curt’s Café
 2922 Central St, Evanston, IL
The play portrays employees on the brink of probable unemployment, facing the pressures of mortgage payments, raising children, and potential homelessness. Northlight's Artistic team will engage with community organizations to discuss the relevance of the play's themes to Chicago's North Shore and what we can do to make a difference. Panelists include: Karen Tollenar Demorest, Executive Director, Youth Job Center; Andi Drileck, Vice President of Workforce Services, National Able Network; and Sue Loelbach, Manager of Advocacy, Connections for the Homeless.

Northlight Theatre aspires to promote change of perspective and encourage compassion by exploring the depth of our humanity across a bold spectrum of theatrical experiences, reflecting our community to the world and the world to our community. 

Now in its 43rd season, the organization has mounted over 200 productions, including nearly 40 world premieres. Northlight has earned 203 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and 34 Awards. As one of the area’s premier theatre companies, Northlight is a regional magnet for critical and professional acclaim, as well as talent of the highest quality. 

Northlight is supported in part by generous contributions from Allstate Insurance; the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Robert & Isabelle Bass Foundation; BMO Harris Bank; Henrietta Lange Burk Fund; The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; The Chicago Community Trust; ComEd, An Exelon Company; The Davee Foundation; Edgerton Foundation for New American Plays Award; Evanston Community Foundation; Full Circle Foundation; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; Kirkland & Ellis Foundation; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Melvoin Award for Playwriting; Modestus Bauer Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; Niles Township; The Offield Family Foundation; The Pauls Foundation; Room & Board; Sanborn Family Foundation; Dr. Scholl Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust; The Sullivan Family Foundation; and Tom Stringer Design Partners.

Dates:
Previews: January 25 – February 1, 2018
Regular run: February 3 – March 3, 2018

Schedule:
Tuesdays: 7:30pm (January 30 only)

Wednesdays: 1:00pm (except February 21) and 7:30pm
Thursdays: 7:30pm 
Fridays: 8:00pm
Saturdays: 2:30pm (except January 27) and 8:00pm
Sundays: 2:30pm and 7:00pm (January 28 and February 25 only)

Location: Northlight Theatre is located at the North Shore
Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd,
Skokie

Tickets: Previews: $30-$57
Regular run: $30-$81
Student tickets are $15, any performance 
(subject to availability)

Box Office:The Box Office is located at 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie.


847.673.6300; northlight.org

LAST CALL/ REVIEW: American Blues Theater's Beauty's Daughter

Chicago Premiere

by Dael Orlandersmith, Directed by Ron OJ Parson

Featuring Artistic Affiliate Wandachristine

 All photos feature Wandachistine and are to the credit of Michael Brosilow

Review: 

The final days of American Blues Theater's acclaimed one woman show, Beauty's Daughter, are upon us. Wandachristine is nothing short of stunning as she embodies a host of diverse characters with ease. We adored this exploration of community, love and loss, families we choose and those we're born into. 

With the slight exception of a bit of confusion when one monologue jumps locations from New York to Ireland, her storylines and characters were clear and easy to follow. We particularly liked the overlap in narrative where the various personas introduced us to the others before we met them. This show is thought provoking, multilayered and magnificent and Wandachristine brings the words to life in a captivating collage of the senses.

Kudos also to the set designers and the brains behind the projections. The imagery was evocative and provided a fabulous canvas for the storyline to play out on. I've never seen projections concentrated directly on a character's clothing before and it was eerily effective.

If there's any drawback it's the sight lines in some of the upper seats. It's an intimate venue so audio is fine anywhere, but if you want an unobstructed view of the seated monologues, arrive early and aim for the lower rows. 

Beauty's Daughter is highly recommended. Don't miss this!

Beauty's Daughter Trailer from American Blues Theater on Vimeo.

Ending August 5, 2017

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:
Beauty’s Daughter
American Blues Theater

American Blues Theater season with the Chicago Premiere of Beauty’s Daughter by Dael Orlandersmith, directed by Ron OJ Parson, and Artistic Affiliate Wandachristine. Beauty’s Daughter runs July 7 – August 5, 2017 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. 

Schedule: 
Thursday:7:30 p.m.
Friday: 7:30 p.m.
Saturday:7:30 p.m.
Sunday: 2:30 p.m. 

Regular Run: through August 5, 2017

Additional performances on Wednesdays, July 12, 19 & 24 at 7:30pm; Wednesday, August 2 at 2:30pm; and Saturday, August 5 at 3:00pm.  There will be no performance on Saturday, August 5 at 7:30 pm.

Location: Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago

Ticket prices: $19 - $49
Box Office: Buy online at AmericanBluesTheater.com or by calling 773.327.5252.

This Obie Award-winning play by Dael Orlandersmith depicts one woman’s journey through life’s obstacles in an East Harlem neighborhood. Artistic Affiliate Wandachristine takes on 6 different characters during the course of this solo play—some broken, some on the way down, but all memorable.

“Wandachristine’s performance is wholly engrossing as she embodies the gestures, voices, and exceptional rhythms of Ms. Orlandersmith’s world,” says Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside.

The creative team for Beauty’s Daughter includes Caitlin McLeod (scenic design), Artistic Affiliate Jared Gooding (lighting design), Michael Alan Stein (costume design), Eric Backus (sound design), Mary O’Dowd (props design), and Artistic Affiliate Paul Deziel (projection design). The assistant director is Artemis Steakley Freeman, the dramaturg is Wilson Cain and the stage manager is Cara Parrish.




About the Artists
Dael Orlandersmith is a Goodman Artistic Associate and Artist-in-Residence at the new Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement at the Goodman. Ms. Orlandersmith collaborated with the Goodman on Black n Blue Boys/Broken Men during the 2012/2013 Season and Stoop Stories during the 2009/2010 Season. Black n Blue Boys/Broken Men was developed as a co-commission between the Goodman and Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where it was staged in May 2012. Ms. Orlandersmith first performed Stoop Stories in 2008 at The Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival and Apollo Theater’s Salon Series; Washington, D.C.’s Studio Theatre produced its world premiere in 2009. Her play Forever, commissioned by the Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles, was performed at the Mark Taper Forum in fall 2014. The show was then performed at the Long Wharf Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop and Portland Center Stage in 2015. Her play Until the Fall will play the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in fall 2016. Her play Horsedreams was developed at New Dramatists and workshopped at New York Stage and Film Company in 2008, and was performed at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in 2011. Bones was commissioned by the Mark Taper Forum, where it premiered in 2010. Ms. Orlandersmith premiered The Blue Album, in collaboration with David Cale, at Long Wharf Theatre in 2007. Yellowman was commissioned by and premiered at McCarter Theatre in a co-production with the Wilma Theater and Long Wharf Theatre. Ms. Orlandersmith was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Drama Desk Award nominee for Outstanding Play and Outstanding Actress in a Play for Yellowman in 2002. The Gimmick, commissioned by McCarter Theatre, premiered in their Second Stage OnStage series in 1998 and went on to great acclaim at Long Wharf Theatre and New York Theatre Workshop; Ms. Orlandersmith won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for The Gimmick in 1999. Her play Monster premiered at New York Theatre Workshop in November 1996. Ms. Orlandersmith has toured extensively with the Nuyorican Poets Café (Real Live Poetry) throughout the United States, Europe and Australia. Yellowman and a collection of her earlier works have been published by Vintage Books and Dramatists Play Service. Ms. Orlandersmith attended Sundance Institute Theatre Lab for four summers and is the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Grant, the Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights, a Guggenheim award and the 2005 PEN/Laura Pels Foundation award for a playwright in mid-career. She is the recipient of a Lucille Lortel Foundation Playwrights Fellowship and an Obie Award for Beauty’s Daughter.

Ron OJ Parson is a native of Buffalo, New York, and a graduate of the University of Michigan’s professional theatre program. He is the co-founder and former Artistic Director of The Onyx Theatre Ensemble of Chicago, a Resident Artist at Court Theatre and an Associate Artist with Teatro Vista and Writers Theatre. Since moving to Chicago from New York in 1994, he has worked as both an actor and director. His Chicago credits include work with Victory Gardens, Goodman, Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, Northlight Theatre, Court Theatre, Black Ensemble Theatre, Congo Square Theatre, Urban Theatre Co., ETA Creative Arts Foundation, Chicago Theatre Company, and Writers Theatre. Regionally, Ron has directed shows at Studio Arena Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse, Geva Theatre, Virginia Stage and Portland Stage (Maine), among others. Ron also has directed at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada. Acting credits on television and film include ER, Early Edition, Turks, American Playhouse, Vamping, Barbershop 2, Primal Fear, Ali, Drop Squad, Boss and most recently Fox’s Empire.



Wandachristine has graced the small screen in many memorable guest starring roles; the last one playing Birdie on Chicago PD. On the large screen, she’s worked alongside talents like Whoopi Goldberg, Neil Patrick Harris, Paul Newman, Tom Selleck, Clifton Davis; and she starred as Mrs. Jones, in the hit dramedy Me and Mrs. Jones along with Kim Fields and Brian White. On stage, she has appeared in such notable productions as, Spunk, The Vagina Monologues, Oo-Bla-Dee, and the touring company of Fences. However, her role as Quilly in the Writer’s Theatre production of Old Settler, garnered both a Supporting Actress nomination and the Best Actress nomination for the noted Ruby Dee/Black Theater Alliance Award, which was also the last time she and director Ron Oj Parson worked together. Her voice work includes commercials for Mc Donald’s, political campaigns, Scarface the video game, The Justice League and work with Eddie Murphy on the PJ’s. As an alumni of Loyola University, she was commissioned to write a one-act play Welcome Home for the opening of the Newhart Family Theater.  Recent literary projects include her first novel, “I Love You…More Than Shoes!” and her most recent play One Day.



About American Blues Theater
Winner of the American Theatre Wing’s prestigious 2016 National Theatre Company Award, American Blues Theater is a premier arts organization with an intimate environment that patrons, artists, and all Chicagoans call home.  American Blues Theater explores the American identity through the plays it produces and communities it serves.

The diverse and multi-generational artists have established the second-oldest professional Equity Ensemble theater in Chicago.  The 37-member Ensemble has 530+ combined years of collaboration on stage. As of 2016, the theater and artists received 186 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nominations that celebrate excellence in Chicago theater and over 31 Black Theatre Alliance Awards. The artists are honored with Pulitzer Prize nominations, Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards and numerous other accolades.  

The American Blues Theater Ensemble includes all four Founders Ed Blatchford, Rick Cleveland, James Leaming, and William Payne with Dawn Bach, Matthew Brumlow, Manny Buckley, Kate Buddeke, Sarah Burnham, Dara Cameron, Casey Campbell, Darren Canady, Brian Claggett, Dennis Cockrum, Austin Cook, Laura Coover, Ian Paul Custer, Lauri Dahl, Joe Foust, Cheryl Graeff, Marty Higginbotham, Jaclyn Holsey, Lindsay Jones, Nambi E. Kelley, Kevin R. Kelly, Steve Key, Ed Kross, Warren Levon, Michael Mahler, Heather Meyers, John Mohrlein, Christopher J. Neville, Suzanne Petri, Carmen Roman, Editha Rosario, Sarah E. Ross, and Gwendolyn Whiteside.

American Blues Theater programs and activities are made possible, in part by funding by The MacArthur Funds for Arts & Culture at Prince, the Shubert Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, SMART Growth Grant, Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Anixter Foundation, Actors’ Equity Foundation, and the Chip Pringle Fund. ComEd is the Season Lighting Sponsor.

OPENING: Chicago Premiere of Beauty's Daughter Season Opener for American Blues Theater at Stage 773

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

American Blues Theater Presents the Chicago Premiere of

Beauty’s Daughter

by Dael Orlandersmith, Directed by Ron OJ Parson

Featuring Artistic Affiliate Wandachristine

July 7 – August 5, 2017

We can't wait to catch Beauty's Daughter a the press opening on July 13th. Check back soon for our full review.

American Blues Theater opens its 2017-2018 Season with the Chicago Premiere of Beauty’s Daughter by Dael Orlandersmith, directed by Ron OJ Parson, and Artistic Affiliate Wandachristine. Beauty’s Daughter runs July 7 – August 5, 2017 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. 

Dates: July 7 – August 5, 2017
Previews: July 7 – July 12, 2017
Press Opening: Thursday, July 13, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
Regular Run: July 14 – August 5, 2017

Schedule: 
Thursday:7:30 p.m.
Friday: 7:30 p.m.
Saturday:7:30 p.m.
Sunday: 2:30 p.m. 

Additional performances on Wednesdays, July 12, 19 & 24 at 7:30pm; Wednesday, August 2 at 2:30pm; and Saturday, August 5 at 3:00pm.  There will be no performance on Saturday, August 5 at 7:30 pm.

Location: Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago

Ticket prices: $19 - $49
Box Office: Buy online at AmericanBluesTheater.com or by calling 773.327.5252.

This Obie Award-winning play by Dael Orlandersmith depicts one woman’s journey through life’s obstacles in an East Harlem neighborhood. Artistic Affiliate Wandachristine takes on 6 different characters during the course of this solo play—some broken, some on the way down, but all memorable.

“Wandachristine’s performance is wholly engrossing as she embodies the gestures, voices, and exceptional rhythms of Ms. Orlandersmith’s world,” says Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside.

The creative team for Beauty’s Daughter includes Caitlin McLeod (scenic design), Artistic Affiliate Jared Gooding (lighting design), Michael Alan Stein (costume design), Eric Backus (sound design), Mary O’Dowd (props design), and Artistic Affiliate Paul Deziel (projection design). The assistant director is Artemis Steakley Freeman, the dramaturg is Wilson Cain and the stage manager is Cara Parrish.

About the Artists
Dael Orlandersmith is a Goodman Artistic Associate and Artist-in-Residence at the new Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement at the Goodman. Ms. Orlandersmith collaborated with the Goodman on Black n Blue Boys/Broken Men during the 2012/2013 Season and Stoop Stories during the 2009/2010 Season. Black n Blue Boys/Broken Men was developed as a co-commission between the Goodman and Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where it was staged in May 2012. Ms. Orlandersmith first performed Stoop Stories in 2008 at The Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival and Apollo Theater’s Salon Series; Washington, D.C.’s Studio Theatre produced its world premiere in 2009. Her play Forever, commissioned by the Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles, was performed at the Mark Taper Forum in fall 2014. The show was then performed at the Long Wharf Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop and Portland Center Stage in 2015. Her play Until the Fall will play the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in fall 2016. Her play Horsedreams was developed at New Dramatists and workshopped at New York Stage and Film Company in 2008, and was performed at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in 2011. Bones was commissioned by the Mark Taper Forum, where it premiered in 2010. Ms. Orlandersmith premiered The Blue Album, in collaboration with David Cale, at Long Wharf Theatre in 2007. Yellowman was commissioned by and premiered at McCarter Theatre in a co-production with the Wilma Theater and Long Wharf Theatre. Ms. Orlandersmith was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Drama Desk Award nominee for Outstanding Play and Outstanding Actress in a Play for Yellowman in 2002. The Gimmick, commissioned by McCarter Theatre, premiered in their Second Stage OnStage series in 1998 and went on to great acclaim at Long Wharf Theatre and New York Theatre Workshop; Ms. Orlandersmith won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for The Gimmick in 1999. Her play Monster premiered at New York Theatre Workshop in November 1996. Ms. Orlandersmith has toured extensively with the Nuyorican Poets Café (Real Live Poetry) throughout the United States, Europe and Australia. Yellowman and a collection of her earlier works have been published by Vintage Books and Dramatists Play Service. Ms. Orlandersmith attended Sundance Institute Theatre Lab for four summers and is the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Grant, the Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights, a Guggenheim award and the 2005 PEN/Laura Pels Foundation award for a playwright in mid-career. She is the recipient of a Lucille Lortel Foundation Playwrights Fellowship and an Obie Award for Beauty’s Daughter.

Ron OJ Parson is a native of Buffalo, New York, and a graduate of the University of Michigan’s professional theatre program. He is the co-founder and former Artistic Director of The Onyx Theatre Ensemble of Chicago, a Resident Artist at Court Theatre and an Associate Artist with Teatro Vista and Writers Theatre. Since moving to Chicago from New York in 1994, he has worked as both an actor and director. His Chicago credits include work with Victory Gardens, Goodman, Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, Northlight Theatre, Court Theatre, Black Ensemble Theatre, Congo Square Theatre, Urban Theatre Co., ETA Creative Arts Foundation, Chicago Theatre Company, and Writers Theatre. Regionally, Ron has directed shows at Studio Arena Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse, Geva Theatre, Virginia Stage and Portland Stage (Maine), among others. Ron also has directed at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada. Acting credits on television and film include ER, Early Edition, Turks, American Playhouse, Vamping, Barbershop 2, Primal Fear, Ali, Drop Squad, Boss and most recently Fox’s Empire.

Wandachristine has graced the small screen in many memorable guest starring roles; the last one playing Birdie on Chicago PD. On the large screen, she’s worked alongside talents like Whoopi Goldberg, Neil Patrick Harris, Paul Newman, Tom Selleck, Clifton Davis; and she starred as Mrs. Jones, in the hit dramedy Me and Mrs. Jones along with Kim Fields and Brian White. On stage, she has appeared in such notable productions as, Spunk, The Vagina Monologues, Oo-Bla-Dee, and the touring company of Fences. However, her role as Quilly in the Writer’s Theatre production of Old Settler, garnered both a Supporting Actress nomination and the Best Actress nomination for the noted Ruby Dee/Black Theater Alliance Award, which was also the last time she and director Ron Oj Parson worked together. Her voice work includes commercials for Mc Donald’s, political campaigns, Scarface the video game, The Justice League and work with Eddie Murphy on the PJ’s. As an alumni of Loyola University, she was commissioned to write a one-act play Welcome Home for the opening of the Newhart Family Theater.  Recent literary projects include her first novel, “I Love You…More Than Shoes!” and her most recent play One Day.

Community Service
American Blues Theater is proud to continue “Pink Previews” for this production. Proceeds from preview performances are donated to the Lynn Sage Foundation for breast cancer research.

Additional community partners for this production include the Night Ministry, Young Chicago Authors, and The Family Institute at Northwestern University.

Accessible Performance Schedule
Touch Tour and Audio Described Performance: Sunday, July 16. Touch Tour begins at 1:30pm, performance begins at 2:30pm.  Closed Caption Performance: Sunday, July 23 begins at 2:30pm.

Post-Show Town Hall Meetings and Special Events
American Blues Theater offers free post-show events following Sunday performances of Beauty’s Daughter, July 9 – 30, 2017. 

About American Blues Theater
Winner of the American Theatre Wing’s prestigious 2016 National Theatre Company Award, American Blues Theater is a premier arts organization with an intimate environment that patrons, artists, and all Chicagoans call home.  American Blues Theater explores the American identity through the plays it produces and communities it serves.

The diverse and multi-generational artists have established the second-oldest professional Equity Ensemble theater in Chicago.  The 37-member Ensemble has 530+ combined years of collaboration on stage. As of 2016, the theater and artists received 186 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nominations that celebrate excellence in Chicago theater and over 31 Black Theatre Alliance Awards. The artists are honored with Pulitzer Prize nominations, Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards and numerous other accolades.  

The American Blues Theater Ensemble includes all four Founders Ed Blatchford, Rick Cleveland, James Leaming, and William Payne with Dawn Bach, Matthew Brumlow, Manny Buckley, Kate Buddeke, Sarah Burnham, Dara Cameron, Casey Campbell, Darren Canady, Brian Claggett, Dennis Cockrum, Austin Cook, Laura Coover, Ian Paul Custer, Lauri Dahl, Joe Foust, Cheryl Graeff, Marty Higginbotham, Jaclyn Holsey, Lindsay Jones, Nambi E. Kelley, Kevin R. Kelly, Steve Key, Ed Kross, Warren Levon, Michael Mahler, Heather Meyers, John Mohrlein, Christopher J. Neville, Suzanne Petri, Carmen Roman, Editha Rosario, Sarah E. Ross, and Gwendolyn Whiteside.

American Blues Theater programs and activities are made possible, in part by funding by The MacArthur Funds for Arts & Culture at Prince, the Shubert Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, SMART Growth Grant, Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Anixter Foundation, Actors’ Equity Foundation, and the Chip Pringle Fund. ComEd is the Season Lighting Sponsor.