ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar
Raven Theatre Presents the Chicago Premiere of
RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN
By Sharyn Rothstein
Directed by Sarah Gitenstein
February 9 – March 26, 2023
Raven Theatre, Chicago’s newest Equity-affiliated theatre, is pleased to continue its 40th Anniversary Season with the Chicago premiere of Right To Be Forgotten, Sharyn Rothstein’s smart and timely story about human forgiveness in the age of the internet. Directed by Sarah Gitenstein, Right To Be Forgotten will play February 9 – March 26, 2023 in Raven’s 85-seat East Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago. I'll be out for the press opening February 13th, so check back soon for my full review.
The cast includes Lucy Carapetyan, Kroydell Galima, Susaan Jamshidi, Kelsey Elyse Rodriguez, Adam Shalzi and Jamila Tyler.
Single tickets are now on sale at raventheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177.
The internet never forgets, and Derril Lark’s mistake at 17 haunts him online a decade later. Desperate for a normal life, he goes to extraordinary lengths to erase his indiscretion. But freedom of information is a big business, and the tech companies aren’t going down without a fight. Secrets, lies and political backstabbing abound in this riveting new drama about one man’s fierce battle to reclaim his privacy by Primus Prize winning playwright Sharyn Rothstein (By the Water, Northlight Theatre).
Comments Director Sarah Gitenstein, “As the internet continues to record our personal narrative, from social media to the cloud, we must grapple with the concept that our memory, however subjective, has become permanent. Who we were and mistakes we may have made are cataloged, searchable and available for reinvestigation. But what if that could change? The European Union has recently legislated The Right to be Forgotten, an act that allows individuals to request the removal of personal information from search engines. But in the American constitutional system, where freedom of speech is protected, such an act is nearly impossible to adopt. So, what happens to people who want to escape the new digital permanence of memory? I’m excited to dig into these questions and ideas as we start work on Sharyn Rothstein’s nuanced take on the inescapable impact the internet has on our lives.”
The production team includes Jeffrey D. Kmiec (Scenic Designer), Finnegan Chu (Costume Designer), Liz Gomez (Lighting Designer), Eric Backus (Sound Designer), Ivy Treccani (Props Designer), Reese Craig and Liviu Pasare (Projection Designers), Sarah Slight (Dramaturg), Nora Geffen (Assistant Dramaturg), Catherine Miller (Casting Director), Mia Thomas (Assistant Costume Designer), Tor Campbell (Assistant Director), Lorenzo Blackett (Production Manager), Alan Weusthoff (Technical Director), Rose Johnson (Scenic Artist), Mark Brown (Master Electrician), James Chapman (Stage Manager) and Shana Gordon (Assistant Stage Manager).
COVID-19 safety: Raven Theatre will require patrons to wear a face mask at all times inside the building (when not eating or drinking in the lobby). The theatre will no longer require patrons to provide proof of vaccination to attend a production. If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, please contact the box office to reschedule your tickets free of charge. For all of Raven’s current COVID-19 protocols, visit raventheatre.com/covid-19.
Chicago Theatre Week
Right To Be Forgotten will be featured as part of Chicago Theatre Week, an annual celebration of the rich tradition of theatre-going in Chicago during which visitors and residents can access $15 or $30 value-priced tickets. As a program of the League of Chicago Theatres, in partnership with Choose Chicago, Chicago Theatre Week takes place February 16 – 26, 2023. Find more information at ChicagoTheatreWeek.com. Raven Theatre will offer $30 tickets to performances of Right To Be Forgotten.
Cast (in alphabetical order): Lucy Carapetyan (Annie Zahirovic), Kroydell Galima (Alvaro Santos), Susaan Jamshidi (Marta Lee), Kelsey Elyse Rodriguez (Sarita Imari), Adam Shalzi (Derril Lark) and Jamila Tyler (Eve Selinsky).
Location: Raven Theatre East Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville), Chicago
Dates: Previews: Thursday, February 9 at 7:30 pm, Friday, February 10 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, February 11 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, February 12 at 3 pm
Press performance: Monday, February 13 at 7:30 pm
Regular run: Thursday, February 16 – Sunday, March 26, 2023
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm.
Tickets: Previews $30. Regular run $40. Students/active military and veterans $15. Single tickets are currently available at raventheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177.
Closed Captioned performance: Sunday, March 5 at 3 pm. Note: screens are limited.
Touch Tour: Sunday, March 12 – 1:30 pm touch tour, 3 pm performance.
These accessibility features are available at no additional cost, with advance reservations required by contacting the box office at info@raventheatre.com or (773) 338-2177.
Group tickets: Special group rates are available. For information, call (773) 338-2177 or e-mail info@raventheatre.com.
Plan Your Visit:
Free parking is provided in a lot adjacent to the theatre – additional street parking is available. Nearest El station: Granville Red Line. Buses: #22 (Clark), #36 (Broadway), #151 (Sheridan), #155 (Devon), #84 (Peterson).
About the Artists
Sharyn Rothstein (Playwright) is an award-winning playwright and television writer. Her plays and musicals have been produced around the country, as well as internationally. Sharyn is currently writing for the spin-off of the sci-fi hit Orphan Black, soon to be on AMC, and was a writer and producer for the USA legal drama SUITS for many years. Her play By The Water was first produced by Manhattan Theater Club and Ars Nova and was the recipient of the American Theater Critic’s Association Francesca Primus Prize. Her play All The Days was produced at the McCarter Theater Center, directed by Emily Mann, and her technology drama Right To Be Forgotten premiered at Arena Stage, directed by Seema Sueko. Her audio drama Deep Fake, commissioned by Audible, was released this past fall. Sharyn holds an MFA in dramatic writing from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, and a Masters in Public Health from Hunter College. She teaches television writing at NYU, and lives in Brooklyn and Maine.
Sarah Gitenstein (Director) is a freelance director and educator in Chicago and works as the Associate Producer to the MFA Theater Program at Northwestern University. She hails from Washington, D.C. and graduated from Kenyon College (BA Theater) and Northwestern University (MFA Directing). Directing credits include work at American Theater Company, Court Theatre, Curious Theatre, The Gift, Raven Theatre and A Red Orchid Theatre. For The New Coordinates, Sarah directed Kate and Sam Are Not Breaking Up (Jeff Nomination – New Work) and the world premiere, Off-Broadway, national tour and commercial runs of 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche (Winner Best Production 2012 New York International Fringe Festival). Sarah is an adjunct professor at Northwestern University, where she teaches about her research in Best Practices in Directing. www.sarahgitenstein.com
About Raven Theatre
Raven Theatre tells stories of today and the past that connect us to our cultural landscape. Through its plays, as well as its educational programming, Raven is committed to serving our communities’ needs through the arts.
Raven Theatre Company is funded in part by The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity, and the Arts at Prince, Polk Bros Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, S&C Electric Company Fund, Paul M. Angell Foundation, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
