OPENING: World Premiere of TAKE ME Via Strawdog Theatre Company May 10 – June 22, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

World Premiere!

Strawdog Theatre Company Presents

TAKE ME

Original Book by Mark Guarino

Original Music and Lyrics by Jon Langford

Orchestrations & Arrangements by Anabelle Revak

Directed by Anderson Lawfer

Music Direction by Chuck Evans

May 10 – June 22, 2019

As a longtime fan Jon Langford's work, I'm particularly jazzed to catch this production, featuring his original music and lyrics. I'll be out for the press opening May 20th, so check back soon for my full review.

Strawdog Theatre Company is pleased to conclude its 31st season with the world premiere of TAKE ME, a musical comic fantasia written by Mark Guarino, with original music and lyrics by Jon Langford (The Mekons, The Waco Brothers), orchestrations and arrangements by Anabelle Revak, direction by ensemble member Anderson Lawfer* and music direction by Chuck Evans. Based on real events,TAKE ME is the story of a woman struggling with trauma who finds solace in the world of alien conspiracy theories. TAKE ME will play May 10 – June 22, 2019 at Strawdog’s new home at 1802 W. Berenice Ave. in Chicago’s Northcenter neighborhood. Tickets are currently available at www.strawdog.org.  

TAKE ME features ensemble members Nicole Bloomsmith*, Kamille Dawkins*, Carmine Grisolia*, and Michael Reyes* with Kristen Alesia, Megan DeLay, David Gordon-Johnson, Loretta Rezos and Matt Rosin.

Inspired by true events, TAKE ME is the story of Shelly, a woman trapped by the trauma of a husband in a coma and the chaos that followed. Looking for solace, she finds herself pulled in to the realm of wild alien conspiracy theories. Voices from the sky tell her the answer to all her problems is to build an alien themed amusement park in Roswell, New Mexico. TAKE ME is a comic fantasia, a story about having faith in a world where there are more questions than answers.  It's the second collaboration between Guarino and Langford since their hit play All the Fame of Lofty Deeds, produced by The House Theatre of Chicago.  

The production team for TAKE ME includes: John Ross Wilson (scenic design), Rachel M. Sypniewski (costume design), John Kelly* (lighting design), Heath Hays* (sound design), Lacie Hexom (props design), Tony Churchill (projections design), Jenn Thompson (stage manager) andEmily Ioppolo (assistant stage manager).

*Denotes Strawdog ensemble member

Cast (in alphabetical order): Kristen Alesia (Ensemble), Nicole Bloomsmith* (Shelley), Kamille Dawkins* (Doggie), Megan DeLay (Nurse), David Gordon-Johnson (Doctor), Carmine Grisolia* (Travis), Michael Reyes* (Matt), Loretta Rezos (Mother) and Matt Rosin (Father).

Location: Strawdog Theatre Company, 1802 W. Berenice Ave., Chicago
Dates: Previews: Friday, May 10 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, May 11 at 7:30 pm, Sunday, May 12 at 4 pm, Thursday, May 16 at 7:30 pm, Friday, May 17 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, May 19 at 4 pm
Board Night Performance: Saturday, May 18 at 7:30 pm 
Press performance: Monday, May 20 at 7:30 pm
Regular run: Thursday, May 23 – Saturday, June 22, 2019
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 4 pm.

Accessible Performance: Sunday, June 9 at 4 pm, includes a pre-show touch tour at 2:45 pm, audio description and open captioning.
Industry Performance: Monday, June 3 at 7:30 pm
Tickets: Previews $18. Regular run $35. Seniors: $26. Board Night: $55. Tickets are currently available at www.strawdog.org. Half price rush and student tickets available at every performance and other discounts available. Call (773) 644-1380 for details.

About the Artists
Mark Guarino’s (Original Book) plays have been produced by The House Theatre of Chicago, Walkabout Theater, the Curious Theater Branch, Chicago Dramatists, Zebra Crossing, among other companies. This is his second collaboration with Jon Langford following All the Fame of Lofty Deeds, produced by the House. He is a recipient of fellowships from the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony in Woodstock, NY, the Vermont Studio Center, and the Sewanee Writers Conference at the University of the South. He has an MFA from Bennington College in Vermont and is under contract for his first book for the University of Chicago Press. Also a journalist, he covers news/culture for the Washington Post and he was the Midwest Bureau Chief for The Christian Science Monitor for six years. Visit mark-guarino.com.

Jon Langford (Original Music and Lyrics) Welsh-born Jon Langford, the original drummer for the punk band the Mekons, stands as a leader in the movement to incorporate folk and country music into punk rock. Langford has released numerous recordings as a solo artist and with other bands, most notably the Waco Brothers, Skull Orchard, Four Lost Souls, The Three Johns, Men of Gwent and The Pine Valley Cosmonauts. Since moving to Chicago, Langford has been active in the music scene nurturing label mates on Bloodshot Records, lending his services as a musician, producer or visual artist, or collaborating with like-minded artists (Dave Alvin, The Sadies, Otis Clay, Bonnie Prince Billy, Steve Earle, Andre Williams, Neko Case). Langford is also a prolific and respected visual artist best known for his striking portraits of country music icons. In 2015, Jon was the artist in residence at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, TN.  Nashville Radio a book of Jon’s artwork and writings was published by Verse Chorus Press in 2006 and was followed in 2011 by Skull Orchard Revisited, a book and CD about his roots in South Wales. The Executioner’s Last Songs, a multimedia music/spoken word/video performance has been performed across the United States, Europe and Australia and two of his solo albums Gold Brick and All the Fame of Lofty Deeds were adapted for theatrical productions in 2009. Langford also illustrated the comic strip Great Pop Thingsunder the pseudonym Chuck Death. From 2005 to 2013, Langford was a host of a weekly radio program, "The Eclectic Company," on Chicago’s WXRT 93.1 FM and has been a contributor to NPR’s This American Life. This year, Jon will be touring Europe and America with the Mekons, taking a musical train ride through Alaska with Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Dave Alvin, working with Marty Stuart on his new museum in Philadelphia Mississippi and lurking backstage at performances of Strawdog’s Take Me, which he wrote a bunch of songs for.

Anabelle Revak (Orchestrations/Arrangements) is a composer, music director and pianist currently based in Chicago. Her original musical Notes and Letters will receive a workshop at Underscore Theatre Company in July 2019. MD credits include: The Incredible 6,000 Foot Ladder (Best Music Director, CMTF 2019), Something Blue, The Bone Harp (CMTF 2019), The Last Five Years (JPAC). Orchestrations/Arrangements: Make Me Bad (Drew Gasparini), Abduction! The Musical (Becky Toth), Wife Material (Jamie Shriner). Annabelle is the literary manager at Underscore Theatre Company. www.annabelleleerevak.com. 

Anderson Lawfer (Director) also worked with Guarino and Langford on the House Theatre's All The Fame of Lofty Deeds. Lawfer served as Artistic Director in Strawdog's Hugen Hall from 2012-16, focusing on new works and adaptations. Lawfer served as Co-Artistic Director of Strawdog from 2016-19. He was a creator and director of Masque Macabre, the immersive Halloween experience at Strawdog last fall. 

Charles "Chuck" Evans (Music Director) is a Chicago-based musician and music therapist. This is Chuck's first time working with Strawdog and second opportunity working as a music director. He can normally be found performing in various theatrical performances in orchestras on violin, viola, and/or bass guitar. Chuck most recently performed in pits for Spring Awakening with Theatre Nebula (Palatine, IL) and Jekyll & Hyde with Next Gen. (St. Louis, MO).

About Strawdog Theatre Company
Since its founding in 1988, Strawdog Theatre Company has offered Chicagoland the premiere storefront theatre experience and garnered numerous Non-Equity Jeff Awards with its commitment to ensemble acting and an immersive design approach. The celebrated Company develops new work, re-imagines the classics, melds music with theatre, asks provocative questions and delivers their audience the unexpected.

Strawdog Theatre Company is supported in part by The MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Alphawood Foundation, The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

OPENING: World Premiere Immersive Theatrical Experience MASQUE MACABRE Via Strawdog Theatre Company Through October 31, 2018

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar  

Strawdog Theatre Company Presents

the World Premiere Immersive Theatrical Experience

MASQUE MACABRE

Inspired by the Stories of Edgar Allan Poe

Written by Aly Greaves Amidei, Cara Beth Heath & 

John Henry Roberts  

Directed by Anderson Lawfer, Janet Howe & Eli Newell

October 4 – October 31, 2018

I'll be ChiILin' with Chi, IL's Strawdog Theatre Company for the press opening October 12th. I can't wait to catch this unique world premiere production where the audience travels from room to room, experiencing scenes. Check back soon for my full review.

Just in time for Halloween, Strawdog Theatre Company launches its 31st season with the world premiere of MASQUE MACABRE, a dark and bloody thrill ride inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe – think Carrie meets Eyes Wide Shut. The handlers of a "bad boy" entrepreneur go to extremes to give him one last big bash before his past catches up to him. An explorative immersive theatre experience a la Sleep No More, guests travel from room to room throughout the space and follow stories of revenge and murder as they play out in real time.

Written by ensemble members Aly Greaves Amidei* and John Henry Roberts* and company member Cara Beth Heath^ and directed by Co-Artistic Director Anderson Lawfer*, Janet Howe and Eli Newell, MASQUE MACABRE will play October 4 – 31, 2018 at Strawdog’s new home at 1802 W. Berenice Ave. in Chicago’s Northcenter neighborhood. Single tickets and season subscriptions are currently available at www.strawdog.org. 

MASQUE MACABRE will feature Strawdog ensemble member Michael Reyes* with guest artists Andrew Bailes, Dan Cobbler, Katie Gonzalez, Henry Greenberg, Adam Hinkle, Brian Hinkle, Patrick TJ Kelly, Lisa McConnell, Laura Nelson, Ella Raymont, Collin Quinn Rice, Shaina Schrooten and Julian Stroop.

Comments Co-Artistic Director Michael Dailey, “MASQUE MACABRE is the most ambitious project in our 31 year history. We’re thrilled to share the immersive and horrifying world of MASQUE with Chicago audiences. With fourteen storylines playing out in real time throughout our entire space, you could see this show multiple times and come out with a totally different experience each time. At a haunting time of year, MASQUE delivers a modern nightmare that explores the line between revenge and justice and how what we do (or don’t do) makes us complicit in the evil and darkness of others. It may just keep you up at night.”

The production team for MASQUE MACABRE includes: Strawdog ensemble members Claire Chrzan* (co-lighting designer), Heath Hays* (sound designer) and Kyle Hamman* (video/media designer) with guest artists: Tom Burch (scenic designer), Virginia Varland (costume designer), Shelbi Arndt and Daniel Friedman (co-lighting designers), Lacie Hexom (props designer), Bobby Wilhelmson (violence designer), Kate Lass (intimacy designer), Mike Sanow (technical director) and Megan Gray (stage manager).

* Denotes Strawdog ensemble member
^ Denotes Strawdog company member


Location: Strawdog Theatre Company, 1802 W. Berenice Ave., Chicago
Dates: Previews: Thursday, October 4 at 7 pm, Friday, October 5 at 7 pm, Sunday, October 7 at 2 pm & 5 pm and Thursday, October 11 at 7 pm & 9:30 pm

Board Night Performance: Special performance with hosted drinks and appetizers, Saturday October 6 at 7 pm.

Press performance: Friday, October 12 at 7 pm or 9:30 pm

Regular run: Saturday, October 13 – Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7 pm & 9:30 pm, Sundays at 2 pm & 5 pm. Please note: Halloween week performances added on Monday, October 29 at 7 pm & 9:30 pm, Tuesday, October 30 at 7 pm & 9:30 pm and Wednesday, October 31 at 7 pm & 9:30 pm. 

Tickets: Previews $30. Regular run $50. Seniors: $40. Board Night: $75. Single tickets and season subscriptions are currently available at www.strawdog.org. Half price Rush and Student tickets available at every performance and other discounts available. Call (773) 644-1380 for details. 

About the Artists

Aly Greaves Amidei (Co-Writer) has worked as a designer, playwright and maker based in Chicago for the last 18 years. She is an Assistant Professor of Costume Design at UNC-Charlotte. She is proud ensemble member of Strawdog Theatre Company and Lifeline Theatre. Her plays and audio dramas have been produced at Lifeline Theatre, WildClaw Theatre, Strawdog Hit Factory, College of DuPage and Cartage Theatre of Charlotte. 

Cara Beth Heath (Co-Writer) has an MFA in Playwriting from Western Michigan University and a BA in Creative Writing from the College of Charleston. She is the Literary Manager at Strawdog Theatre Company. She's also been invited to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for dramaturgy, directing and playwriting. Her work has been read and produced in several festivals and workshops across the Midwest, including her award-winning play Good Enough about the women of the Gibson guitar factory during WWII. She's been in Chicago for a couple of years now, developing her plays and advocating for local playwrights. 

John Henry Roberts (Co-Writer) joined the Strawdog ensemble in 2004. Previous writing credits include Strawdog’s production of The Sweeter Option and the Neo-Futurists’ production of True Dreams of Annie Arbor. Recent acting credits include Pillars of the Community, Barbecue and The Night Season (Strawdog), Neverwhere and Miss Holmes (Lifeline Theatre), The Little Flower of East Orange (Eclipse Theatre, Jeff Nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role), Diamond Dogs and The Hammer Trinity (The House Theatre). He’ll next appear in Twelfth Night at Writers Theatre. He is represented by Paonessa Talent. 

Janet Howe (Co-Director) is a director, immersive theatre consultant and Co-Artistic Director of (re)discover theatre. Over the past four years, Janet’s work has focused exclusively on immersive and site-specific works. Janet directed and spearheaded projects such as FOR ONE: a series of plays built for an audience of one and Farewell My Friend, an immersive melding of Romeo & Juliet and Tristan & Iseult. Other directing credits include Lysistaratra, Fifty Shades of Shakespeare and Jason & (Medea). Starting October 2018, Janet will be studying immersive theatre at Middlesex University: London, focusing on accessibility in immersive forms. www.janetkhowe.com

Anderson Lawfer (Co-Director) is a Co-Artistic Director of Strawdog. He was the previous Artistic Director of Strawdog's Hugen Hall and focused on new works, adapting and directing Pontypool, Fail/Safe and Kill Shakespeare. He is the creator and host of many Strawdog late night shows including Theatre Wars!, The Direct Off! and The Game Show Show and Stuff! He will also be directing a new musical in the spring written by Mark Guarino and Jon Langford called Take Me.

Eli Newell (Co-Director) Eli Newell is thrilled to return to Strawdog after having previously assistant directed Damascus. He is a Chicago-based director from the Twin Cities, Minnesota. In Chicago, Eli has assisted at Goodman Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Raven Theatre, Strawdog Theatre Company, Haven Theatre and Windy City Playhouse. In the Twin Cities, he has worked with Guthrie Theater, Children’s Theatre Company, Ordway Center and the Playwrights’ Center. Eli is a graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Communication.

Crystal Head Vodka is the official vodka of MASQUE MACABRE.

About Strawdog Theatre Company
Since its founding in 1988, Strawdog Theatre Company has offered Chicagoland the premiere storefront theatre experience and garnered numerous Non-Equity Jeff Awards with its commitment to ensemble acting and an immersive design approach. The celebrated Company develops new work, re-imagines the classics, melds music with theatre, asks provocative questions and delivers their audience the unexpected.

Strawdog Theatre Company is supported in part by The Macarthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Alphawood Foundation, The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, and the Illinois Arts Council Agency. 

45th Annual Non-Equity Jeff Awards June 11th at The Athenaeum Theatre Chicago

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we'd like to congratulate all the nominees. There is so much world class theatre in Chicago the competition is steep and we had the pleasure of seeing many phenomenal productions this year. We'll be back with a recap after Monday's award night. Kudos also to one of our long time favorites, Strawdog Theatre. They've been chosen to receive a 2018 Non-Equity Special Award, and it's not even a leg lamp! They are being honored for 30 years of collaboration as an innovative and provocative Ensemble. Strawdog has been dedicated to its mission of bringing audiences “the whole wide world in a little black box,” and is known for its enduring theatrical history. As described by the Ensemble itself, “When the Earth is destroyed by plague, war and famine there will still be cockroaches, Twinkies and Strawdog Theatre Company.”  Read more details on Strawdog below.

The 45th Annual Non–Equity Jeff Awards will be hosted by Veronica Garza and held on Monday, June 11, 2018, at the Athenaeum Theatre. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with several cash bars available, and the awards will start at 7:30 p.m. Following the show, cash bars will remain open and complimentary light bites will be available. Tickets are $45 in advance and $50 on June 11. To purchase tickets, visit the Athenaeum website (http://athenaeumtheatre.org) or TodayTix app. A group rate of $40 is available for parties of 10 or more by calling the Athenaeum box office. 

Festive cocktail attire is suggested, and the public is cordially invited. TodayTix is an official sponsor of the 45th Annual Non–Equity Jeff Awards. 

For more information, contact Drew Blau, Non–Equity Wing Chair, at nonequitywing@jeffawards.org. Follow live tweets from the ceremony and behind the scenes at #jeffawards. 

The Jeff Awards has been honoring outstanding theatre artists annually since it was established in 1968. With up to 55 members representing a wide variety of backgrounds in theatre (including producers, directors, actors, playwrights, designers, professors of theatre, entertainment lawyers and agents, and theatre lovers), the Jeff Awards is committed to celebrating the vitality of Chicago area theatre by recognizing excellence through its recommendations, awards, and honors. Opening night judges include not only the members but also Artistic & Technical theatre volunteers (the “A/T Team”), including Artistic Directors, producers, directors and artists from Chicago theatres.

The Jeff Awards fosters the artistic growth of area theatres and theatre artists and promotes educational opportunities, audience appreciation, and civic pride in the achievements of the theatre community. Each year, the Jeff Awards judges over 300 theatrical productions and host two awards ceremonies. Originally chartered to recognize only Equity productions, the Jeff Awards established the Non–Equity Wing in 1973 to celebrate outstanding achievement in non–union theatre. The next Equity Awards will be held on Monday, October 22, 2018, at Drury Lane Oakbrook.

2018 NON-EQUITY JEFF AWARD 

NOMINEES AND RECIPIENTS

The nominated productions that I caught personally, and covered at ChiILLiveShows.com are in bold below. 

Production - Play
Foxfinder - Interrobang Theatre Project
Ideation - Jackalope Theatre Company
Lela & Co. - Steep Theatre Company
The invisible Hand - Steep Theatre Company
The Light - The New Colony

Production - Musical
Bonnie & Clyde - Kokandy Productions 
Marie Christine - BoHo Theatre
Ragtime - Griffin Theatre Company
Sweeney Todd - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre
Violet - Griffin Theatre Company

Director - Play
Audrey Francis - The invisible Hand - Steep Theatre Company
Gus Menary - Ideation - Jackalope Theatre Company
Margaret Knapp - Foxfinder - Interrobang Theatre Project
Robin Witt - Lela & Co. - Steep Theatre Company
Toma Langston - The Light - The New Colony

Director - Musical
Fred Anzevino - Sweeney Todd - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre
Lili-Anne Brown - Marie Christine - BoHo Theatre
Scott Weinstein - Ragtime - Griffin Theatre Company
Scott Weinstein - Violet - Griffin Theatre Company
Spencer Neiman - Bonnie & Clyde - Kokandy Productions

Ensemble
Ideation - Jackalope Theatre Company
Insurrection: Holding History - Stage Left Theatre
Into the Empty Sky - Trap Door Theatre
Mother of the Dark Water - Ma'at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theater
Ragtime - Griffin Theatre Company
Shakin' the Mess Outta Misery - Pegasus Theatre Chicago

Performer in a Principal Role - Musical
Dani Shay - The Civility of Albert Cashier - Permoveo Productions i/a/w Pride Films and Plays 
Denzel Tsopnang - Ragtime - Griffin Theatre Company
Desiree Gonzalez - Bonnie & Clyde - Kokandy Productions 
Jacquelyne Jones - Sweeney Todd - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre
Jason Richards - Ragtime - Griffin Theatre Company
Kyrie Courter - Marie Christine - BoHo Theatre 
Laura McClain - Ragtime - Griffin Theatre Company
Matthew Huston - Yank: A World War II Love Story - Pride Films and Plays
Max DeTogne - Bonnie & Clyde - Kokandy Productions
Nicole Laurenzi - Violet - Griffin Theatre Company 
Philip Torre - Sweeney Todd - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Performer in a Principal Role - Play
Alejandro Tey - The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity - Red Theater Chicago
Alexandra Fisher - Foxfinder - Interrobang Theatre Project
Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel - Lela & Co. - Steep Theatre Company
Jeffery Owen Freelon Jr - The Light - The New Colony 
Joel Reitsma - The invisible Hand - Steep Theatre Company
John Mossman - How I Learned To Drive - The Artistic Home
Lucy Carapetyan - Nice Girl - Raven Theatre 
Michael B. Woods - Cyrano - BoHo Theatre
Sara Pavlak McGuire - Time Stands Still - AstonRep Theatre Company
Tiffany Oglesby - The Light - The New Colony 
Vince Kracht - The Nance - Pride Films and Plays

Performer in Supporting Role - Play
Andrew Neftali Perez - Water & Power - UrbanTheater Company
Bryce Gangel - 1980 (Or Why I'm Voting for John Anderson) - Jackalope Theatre Company
Chris Chmelik - Lela & Co. - Steep Theatre Company
Gregory Fenner - Megastasis - Eclipse Theatre Company
Kathleen Ruhl - I Saw My Neighbor on the Train and I Didn't Even Smile - Redtwist Theatre 
Kelli Harrington - Perfect Arrangement - Pride Films and Plays
Owais Ahmed - The invisible Hand - Steep Theatre Company
Renee Lockett - Surely Goodness and Mercy - Redtwist Theatre
RjW Mays - Kingdom - Broken Nose Theatre
Stella Martin - Nice Girl - Raven Theatre

Performer in a Supporting Role - Musical
Billy Rude - The Civility of Albert Cashier - Permoveo Productions i/a/w Pride Films and Plays 
Emily Goldberg - The Spitfire Grill - Refuge Theatre Project
Gina Francesca - Lysistrata Jones - Refuge Theatre Project
John Marshall Jr. - Yank: A World War II Love Story - Pride Films and Plays
Katherine Thomas - Ragtime - Griffin Theatre Company
Missy Wise - Bonnie & Clyde - Kokandy Productions 
Molly LeCaptain - Yank: A World War II Love Story - Pride Films and Plays
Nicole Michelle Haskins - The Spitfire Grill - Refuge Theatre Project
Stephen Allen - Violet - Griffin Theatre Company 
Veronica Garza - A New Brain - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

New Musical
David Cerda - Lady X - The Musical - Hell in a Handbag Productions
Jay Paul Deratany, Joe Stevens, Keaton Wooden - The Civility of Albert Cashier - Permoveo Productions i/a/w Pride Films and Plays
Preston Max Allen - Carrie 2: The Rage (An Unauthorized Musical Parody) - Underscore Theatre Company

New Play
Douglas Post - Forty-Two Stories - City Lit Theater Company
Lloyd Suh - Franklinland - Jackalope Theatre Company
Loy A. Webb - The Light - The New Colony
Michael Allen Harris - Kingdom - Broken Nose Theatre 
Patricia Cotter - 1980 (Or Why I'm Voting for John Anderson) - Jackalope Theatre Company
Shepsu Aakhu - Never the Milk and Honey - Ma'at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theater

Choreography
Breon Arzell - Marie Christine - BoHo Theatre 
Jenna Schoppe - Yank: A World War II Love Story - Pride Films and Plays
Kevin Bellie and Kara Schoenhofer - Bullets Over Broadway The Musical - NightBlue Performing Arts
Shanna VanDerwerker - Lysistrata Jones - Refuge Theatre Project
William Carlos Angulo - Ragtime - Griffin Theatre Company

Fight Choreography
David Blixt - Her Majesty's Will - Lifeline Theatre 
Jon Beal - Cyrano - BoHo Theatre
Kyle Encinas - The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity - Red Theater Chicago

Music Direction
Jeremy Ramey - Sweeney Todd - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre
Jermaine Hill and Ellen Morris - Ragtime - Griffin Theatre Company
John Cockerill - Bonnie & Clyde - Kokandy Productions 
Jon Schneidman - The Spitfire Grill - Refuge Theatre Project
Robert Ollis - Yank: A World War II Love Story - Pride Films and Plays

Original Music in a Play
Jeffrey Levin - Her Majesty's Will - Lifeline Theatre 
Jesse Case - Foxfinder - Interrobang Theatre Project
Mike Mazzocca - Into the Empty Sky - Trap Door Theatre
Nicholas Tonozzi - Round Heads and Pointed Heads - Red Tape Theatre
Red Clay and Desta Sound - Never the Milk and Honey - Ma'at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theater

Scenic Design
Eric Luchen - Foxfinder - Interrobang Theatre Project
Jeffrey D. Kmiec - American Hero - First Floor Theater
Joe Schermoly - Lela & Co. - Steep Theatre Company
John Wilson - The Light - The New Colony 
Ray Toler - Choir Boy - Raven Theatre

Lighting Design
Brandon Wardell - Lela & Co. - Steep Theatre Company
G. "Max" Maxin IV - Cyrano - BoHo Theatre
Heather Gilbert - Marie Christine - BoHo Theatre 
James Kolditz - Sweeney Todd - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre
John Kelly - Foxfinder - Interrobang Theatre Project

Costume Design
Beth Laske-Miller - Shockheaded Peter - Black Button Eyes Productions 
Bill Morey - Sweeney Todd - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre
John Nasca - The Nance - Pride Films and Plays
Rachel Sypniewski - Ragtime - Griffin Theatre Company
Zachery Wagner - The School for Lies - The Artistic Home

Sound Design
Jesse Case - Foxfinder - Interrobang Theatre Project
Justin Glombicki - In the Soundless Awe - Saltbox Theatre Collective
Michael J. Patrick - Bonnie & Clyde - Kokandy Productions 
Morgan Lake - Pillars of the Community - Strawdog Theatre Company
Thomas Dixon - The invisible Hand - Steep Theatre Company

Strawdog Theatre Company to Receive 2018 Non-Equity Special Award 

Top row, left to right: Paul Fagen, Shannon Hoag, Nicole Bloomsmith, Anderson Lawfer, Becca Levy, Terry Bell, Scott Danielson, Sarah Goeden, Sam Hubbard, Second row, left to right: Mike Dailey, Kamille Dawkins, *Aly Greaves Amidei, Michaela Petro, John Henry Roberts, John Ferrick, Jamie Vann, Heath Hays, Hank Boland, Bottom row, left to right: Carmine Grisolia, Claire Chrzan, Elly Green, Gage Wallace, *Daniella Pereira, John Kelly, Kat McDonnell, *Justine C. Turner, Michael Reyes Not pictured: Kyle Hammon, Janice O'Neill (Photos by Jon Cole Media unless noted with *) 

The Jeff Awards announced today that Strawdog Theatre, Known for its massive ensemble (over 140 members throughout its 30 years), Strawdog has constantly worked to feature exciting new works, reimagined classics and modern favorites that speak to our American lives. Strawdog presented their first production, Five of Us, in 1988 while working out of the Shakespeare Street Theater. The Ensemble went on to produce many other memorable and award-winning productions, including Burn This (1996), Hurlyburly (1999), Detective Story (2004), Marathon '33 (2007), Red Noses (2010), Great Expectations (2014) and Barbecue (as a LookOut Visiting Company at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre) (2017). The final production of Strawdog’s current 2018 season is Damascus, a world premiere by local playwright, Bennett Fisher, and directed by Raven Theatre’s Artistic Director, Cody Estle, which runs through June 23, 2018. Strawdog has explored theatre in many exciting and challenging ways, including 31 world premieres, 8 fully produced radio plays, 7 Shakespeare plays, and 3 Chekhov classics. Strawdog’s longtime venue was located atop a steep staircase at 3829 N Broadway where, in addition to the Mainstage, they created an additional 50-seat theatre known as Hugen Hall (after the late Ashley Hugen, a beloved Strawdog friend). Hugen Hall served as a home for new work and adaptations, as well as Chicago Theatre's Community Center where late night audiences enjoyed original programming including BYO, The Hit Factory, Theatre Wars!, The Game Show Show and Stuff, The Direct Off!, Nikki and the City and J&M Comedy Hour. 

After Strawdog’s home of 26 years was demolished for redevelopment in 2016, the Ensemble spent a year at The Factory Theater in Rogers Park, mounted a production at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre and eventually found a new home at 1802 W Berenice (previously occupied by Signal Ensemble Theatre and most recently Oracle Productions). 

Strawdog has been nominated for 61 Jeff Awards and received 24 Awards that span every category across the ballot, which is testimony to Strawdog’s excellent and comprehensive theatrical vision. 

OPENING: WORLD PREMIERE OF BENNETT FISHER’S DAMASCUS at STRAWDOG THEATRE COMPANY Through June 23rd, 2018

STRAWDOG THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES WORLD PREMIERE OF BENNETT FISHER’S 

DAMASCUS, 

MAY 11 – JUNE 23

Cody Estle Directs this New Thriller about Privilege and Paranoia 

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we love to see so many world premieres happening right her in Chi, IL and we're eager to catch Strawdog's latest. I'll be out for  opening night Monday, May 21st, so check back soon for my full review. 

Strawdog Theatre Company is proud to announce the cast and creative team for the final production in the 2017 – 2018 season, Bennett Fisher’s Damascus directed by Cody Estle, May 11 – June 23, at Strawdog Theatre, 1802 W. Berenice Ave. Previews are Friday, May 11 and 18, Saturday, May 12 and 19 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 13 and 20 at 4 p.m. The Board of Directors’ preview, including hosted food and beverage is Saturday, May 19 at 8 p.m. 

The Access Performance, featuring audio description, open captioning and a Touch Tour is Sunday, June 3 at 4 p.m., with Industry Night Monday, June 4 at 8 p.m. Regular run performances are Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. Preview tickets are $18 and regular run tickets are $35-$40. Single tickets go on sale Sunday, April 1 at 10 a.m. and are available at www.strawdog.org. 

Bennet Fisher’s is a claustrophobic thriller about privilege, paranoia and the assumptions we make about one another. This moving play centers on Hassan, a Somali-American airport shuttle driver, in Minneapolis, struggling to make ends meet as more and more of his customers switch to Uber and Lyft. When a stranded teenager at the airport pays Hassan to take him to Chicago, it seems on the surface like it is worth the risk and the fare. 

The Damascus cast includes Strawdog ensemble member Sam Hubbard, “Lloyd;” Eleni Pappageorge, “Diaz/ Whitacker/ Maynard/ Conklin” and Terence Sims, “Hassan.”

The Damascus creative team includes Strawdog ensemble member John Kelly, lighting designer, with guest artists Bennett Fisher, playwright; Cody Estle, director; Eli Newell, assistant director; Olivia Wallace, stage manager; Lauren Brady, assistant stage manager; R&D Choreography (Rick Gilbert and Victor Bayona), violence design; Regina Fields, dramaturg; Jeff Kmiec, set designer; Izumi Inaba, costume designer; Sarah Espinoza, sound designer; Lacie Hexon, props designer; Becca Venable, technical director and Andy Kloubec, master electrician.

ABOUT BENNETT FISHER, PLAYWRIGHT 
Bennett Fisher is an artistic associate and former Shank Fellowship Playwright in Residence at Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago and a company member of Campo Santo, People of Interest, and the Cutting Ball Theater. His plays include Damascus (Samuel Goldwyn Award, O'Neill Conference finalist), Borealis (Alliance/Kendeda Prize finalist), Don't Be Evil, Candlestick, Campo Maldito and the dialogue for the immersive theater experience The Speakeasy, in San Francisco. His work has been presented and produced by the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Strawdog Theater Company, La Jolla Playhouse's WOW Festival, the Alliance Theater, the Kennedy Center MFA Playwrights Workshop, Florida Repertory Theater, the Martin E. Segel Center, Burbage Theater Company, People of Interest, Ubuntu Theater Project, Theater Emory, the Unicorn Theater, Sleepwalkers Theater, New Conservatory, the Cutting Ball Theater, Custom Made Theatre Company, and others. Fisher has been commissioned by The House Theater of Chicago, Theater Emory, Campo Santo and others. His screenplay version of Damascus was optioned by Bill Mechanic and Pandemonium, and he is currently developing work with e1 based on the experience of the former CIA officer-turned-whistleblower John Kiriakou. As an actor, dramaturg and director, he has collaborated with California Shakespeare Theatre, Stanford Summer Theatre, Just Theater, Crowded Fire, Pear Ave Theatre, Adirondack Shakespeare Company, Marin Shakespeare Company and many others. He received his MFA from UC San Diego in 2016.

ABOUT CODY ESTLE, DIRECTOR
Cody Estle is making his Strawdog debut directing Damascus. He is the newly appointed artistic director of Raven Theatre. His directing credits include The Assembled Parties, A Loss of Roses (named by Chicago Tribune honorable mention as one of the Year’s Best in 2016), Dividing the Estate, Vieux Carre (named by Chicago Tribune as one of the Year’s Best in 2014), Good Boys and True, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Boy Gets Girl and Dating Walter Dante at Raven Theatre; Five Mile Lake at Shattered Globe Theatre; By The Water (named by Chicago Sun-Times honorable mention as one of the Top Theatre Productions of 2017) at Northlight Theatre; American Hero at First Floor Theatre; Scarcity at Redtwist Theatre; The Seagull and Watch on the Rhine at The Artistic Home; Don’t Go Gentle at Haven Theatre; Uncle Bob at Mary-Arrchie Theatre and Hospitality Suite at Citadel Theatre. He’s had the pleasure of assistant directing at Steppenwolf Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Marriot Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, Court Theatre, Writers Theatre, Next Theatre and Strawdog Theatre. Estle is an associate member of SDC and a graduate of Columbia College Chicago.



ABOUT STRAWDOG THEATRE COMPANY
Since its founding in 1988, Strawdog Theatre Company has offered Chicagoland the premiere storefront theatre experience and garnered numerous Non-Equity Jeff Awards with its commitment to ensemble acting and an immersive design approach. The celebrated Company develops new work, re-imagines the classics, melds music with theatre, asks provocative questions and delivers their audience the unexpected.

Strawdog Theatre Company is supported in part by The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Alphawood Foundation, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and the annual support of businesses and individuals.

OPENING: Rare IBSEN Thriller PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY Via Strawdog Theatre Through 3/3/18

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

STRAWDOG THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS 

HENRIK IBSEN’S 

PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY, 

ADAPTED BY SAMUEL ADAMSON AND 

DIRECTED BY ENSEMBLE MEMBER ELLY GREEN

Photo by Jon Cole Media

JANUARY 19 - MARCH 3, 2018

The Rarely Performed Ibsen Thriller is the First Strawdog Production in its new home at 1802 W. Berenice 

Strawdog Theatre Company and Artistic Directors Michael Dailey, Heath Hays and Anderson Lawfer are proud to announce the cast and creative team for the second production in the 2017 – 2018 season, Henrik Ibsen’s Pillars of the Community by Samuel Adamson, January 19 - March 3, 2018 with direction by Strawdog ensemble member Elly Green. 

Previews are Friday Jan. 19 and 25, Saturday, Jan. 20 and 27, Thursday,  Jan. 25  at 8 p.m. and Sunday January 21 and 28 at 4 p.m. Opening Night is Monday, Jan. 29 at 8 p.m. The Access Performance, featuring audio description and open captioning is Sunday, Feb. 4 at 4 p.m., with a pre-show Touch Tour at 2:45 p.m. Industry Night is Monday, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. 

Regular run performances are Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. Preview tickets are $18 and regular run tickets are $35-$40. Tickets to performances of Pillars of the Community are currently available at www.strawdog.org.

Adamson’s acclaimed adaptation of the 1877 Ibsen play tells the story of the return of a fugitive brother  that puts the future of wealthy businessman Karsten Bernick in peril. Details of a long-buried sex scandal and embezzlement come to the surface and force Bernick to face his family, his community and his demons. Adamson's version was first produced at the National Theatre and starred Damien Lewis. Strawdog’s 2018 version is the inaugural production in its new home on Berenice and includes the return of Elly Green who previously directed After Miss Julie and The Night Season at Strawdog.

The Pillars of the Community cast includes Strawdog Ensemble Members Nicole Bloomsmith, Kamille Dawkins, Carmine Grisolia, Michaela Petro, and John Henry Roberts with guest artists Kroydell Galima, Michael Kingston, Asia Jackson, Patrick TJ Kelly, Robert Koon, Allison Latta, Dan McGeehan, Priya Mohanty, Morayo Orija, Londen Shannon, Gage Wallaceand Schanora Wimpie.

The Pillars of the Community design team includes Strawdog Ensemble Members Elly Green, director and John Kelly, lighting designerwith guest artists Arianna Soloway, assistant director; John Wilson, set designer; Uriel Gomez, costumer designer; Morgan Lake, sound designer and Leah Hummel, props designer.

ABOUT ELLY GREEN, DIRECTOR
Elly Green previously directed The Night Season and After Miss Julie for Strawdog, and recently joined the company as an ensemble member. In 2018, she will also be directing You for Me for You by Mia Chung, for Sideshow Theatre.  Other directing credits include: The Woman in Black (Wildclaw), The Distance (Haven), No More Sad Things (Sideshow), The Woman Before (Trap Door), Rabbit (Stage Left), Happy (Redtwist), Unwilling and Hostile Instruments (Theatre Seven) and The Tomkat Project (Playground & NY Fringe).  Green trained in London and her United Kingdom credits include: Our Country’s Good, My Balloon Beats Your Astronaut, Beyond Therapy, About Tommy, Copenhagen, Skylight, The Beach and The Zoo Story. She is also an artistic associate with Stage Left and Sideshow Theatre.

ABOUT SAMUEL ADAMSON, PLAYWRIGHT
Samuel Adamson’s work in theatre includes book and lyrics for The Light Princess (music by Tori Amos), Southwark Fair, a new version of Ibsen’s Pillars of the Community and Mrs Affleck (from Ibsen’s Little Eyolf) all at the National Theatre, as well as Frank & Ferdinand for NT Connections. He is artistic associate on the Tony award-winning stage adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse (Lincoln Center Theater, New York; Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto; US tour; Australian tour; United Kingdom tour). Other plays and adaptations include: Gabriel (Shakespeare’s Globe), Fish and Company (Soho Theatre/National Youth Theatre), Clocks and Whistles (Bush Theatre and New York, Time Out award), Drink, Dance, Laugh and Lie (Bush/Channel 4), Grace Note (Peter Hall Company/Old Vic), Some Kind of Bliss (Trafalgar Studios and Brits Off Broadway, New York), Tomorrow Week (BBC Radio 3), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (from Truman Capote’s novella; Theatre Royal, Haymarket), Running Wild (Chichester Festival Theatre); as well as original contributions to Hoard Festival (New Vic, Stoke), 24 Hour Plays (Old Vic), A Chain Play (Almeida), Urban Scrawl (Theatre 503/TheatreVoice) and Decade (Headlong). His play of All About My Mother (from Pedro Almodóvar’s film; Old Vic Theatre; 2008 Whatsonstage Theatregoers’ Choice Best New Play) has been translated into many languages and is performed regularly around the world. Versions include: Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya (West Yorkshire Playhouse), The Cherry Orchard (Oxford Stage Company/Riverside Studios), Three Sisters (OSC tour and West End), Ibsen’s A Doll’s House (Southwark Playhouse, Northcott Theatre Exeter and Dundee Rep), Schnitzler’s Professor Bernhardi (Dumbfounded/Arcola Theatre; also adapted for BBC Radio 3), Bernhard Studlar’s Transdanubia Dreaming (National Theatre Studio) and Ostrovsky’s Larisa and the Merchants (InSite Performance/Arcola Theatre). As textual advisor/dramaturg, productions include The Alchemist, Saint Joan and All’s Well That Ends Well at the National Theatre, Heartbreak House at Watford Palace Theatre and The Taming of the Shrew at Shakespeare’s Globe. Current work includes book and lyrics for a new musical with music by Adrian Sutton. Film includes “Running for River”(Directional Studios/Krug), and, currently, the screenplay of “The Light Princess.” Faber and Faber publish his plays. He was writer in residence at the Bush Theatre in 1997-8.

SEASON 30: IDENTITY
Who are you to you? And how far are you willing to go to edit yourself into what you want people to see? For our 30th season, we introduce Chicago to three bold works that delve deep into what it means to determine one's own identity.

ABOUT STRAWDOG THEATRE COMPANY
Since its founding in 1988, Strawdog Theatre Company has offered Chicagoland the premiere storefront theatre experience and garnered numerous Non-Equity Jeff Awards with its commitment to ensemble acting and an immersive design approach. The celebrated Company develops new work, re-imagines the classics, melds music with theatre, asks provocative questions and delivers their audience the unexpected. 

Pillars of the Community was made possible in part by Executive Producer Daniel Cyganowski, in memory of Carol K. Cyganowski, and by the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation.

Strawdog Theatre Company is supported in part by The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Alphawood Foundation, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and the annual support of businesses and individuals.

REVIEW: Strawdog's Scorching Barbecue Heats Up Steppenwolf's 1700 Space

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

CHICAGO PREMIERE OF 

BARBECUE 

BY ROBERT O’HARA, 

AUGUST 17 – SEPTEMBER 30, DIRECTED BY DAMON KIELY

"In America, you sometimes taze the ones you love."

Review:
There are few things as all American as a barbecue in the park, dysfunctional families, lying addicts, and dark comedies. Barbecue packs 'em all into a two hour ride that will have your ribs aching. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, the house goes dark, and the game changes. 


All photos by Heath Hays
(L to R) Abigail Pierce, Barbara Figgins, Anita Deely, John Henry Roberts and Kristin Collins

Don't get too comfortable in your seat. Once you're sure you fully grok where this show's going, your grasp on the play's reality is actually hanging by a thread, and ready to snap. I won't give many spoilers to this plot twist laden picnic, as it's better as a full on surprise. I will say it was laugh out loud funny, utterly unpredictable, and a thoroughly entertaining evening. 


(L to R) Abigail Pierce and Ginneh Thomas

Robert O’Hara's witty script is a delicious blend of deep truths wrapped in lies and an expertly funny exploration into family dynamics, deceptions, fictional memoirs, prejudices, our cultural celebrity fixation, and so much more. The comedic timing, body language and talent of this cast is superb as well. Celeste M. Cooper (Marie) was a particular standout. Even her facial expressions had us in hysterics. We're also enamored with Steppenwolf's newest space, the flexible, 80 seat 1700 stage, and this show fit the intimate space exceptionally well. Don't miss this!


Celeste M. Cooper, Deanna Reed-Foster and Kamille Dawkins



Celeste M. Cooper, Terence Sims, Deanna Reed-Foster and Kamille Dawkins

Barbecue by Robert O’Hara runs through September 30, with direction by Damon Kiely at Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted Street as a LookOut Visiting Company.  

Click here for ticket specifics, and more in depth show info.

A LOOKOUT VISITING COMPANY PRESENTED AT STEPPENWOLF’S 1700 THEATRE

What better way to bring summer to a close than with an emotional bomb shell of a BBQ/family intervention?! We're elated that one of our favorite storefront companies, Strawdog Theatre Company, will be playing one of our fav new cabaret spaces, Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s 1700 Theatre. Not to mention, the author is the acclaimed and multi award winning Robert O’Hara. We adored his hilarious play, BootyCandy, that just ran for months at Windy City Playhouse. This one's sure to be hot! The intimate 1700 space fills fast so don't miss out. 

Regular run performances are Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3:30 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. Preview tickets are $35, regular run tickets are $45. Strawdog subscribers enjoy 25% off all ticket prices. 

This production is also available to Steppenwolf’s Red and Black Card holders. Group, senior, student, industry, and rush discounts are also available. To purchase subscriptions to Strawdog’s 2017-18 Season, visit www.strawdog.org. 

To purchase single tickets to Barbecue, please visit HERE.

A modern American family uses a summer barbecue as a pretext to ambush sister Barbara with an intervention.  If you think “all families are crazy” is just a cliché, you’ve not spent time under the influence of the O'Mallerys.  An afternoon in the park with these raucous siblings and you'll be challenging your own assumptions about family, race, and reality. The Chicago premiere of Barbecue by Obie and Helen Hayes Award winner Robert O’Hara will have you laughing out loud and questioning how it’s true that in America, you sometimes taze the ones you love.

Since its world premiere, Barbecue has received critically acclaim. The Los Angeles Times said,  “Ferociously funny! Barbecue raucously sends up the sociological pantomime — life as an award-seeking existential burlesque,” and “Wickedly delightful!” by TheaterMania.com. Variety’s review included, “Barbecue, shrewdly turns the formula for the American domestic comedy on its head.”

The Barbecue cast includes Strawdog Ensemble Members John Henry Roberts and Kamille Dawkins with guest artists Kristin Collins, Celeste Cooper, Anita Deely, Barbara Figgins, Deanna Reed Foster, Abby Pierce, Terence Simms and Ginneh Thomas.

The Barbecue design team includes Strawdog Ensemble Members Costume Designer Aly Greaves Amidei and Sound Designer Heath Hayes with guest artists: Director Damon Kiely, Assistant Director Michael Burke, Set Designer Joanna Iwanicka, Lighting Designer Jared Gooding, Props Designer Leah Hummel and Dramaturg Taylor Barfield. 

ABOUT DAMON KIELY, DIRECTOR
Damon Kiely is chair of Performance at DePaul’s Theatre School and the author of the book How to Read a Play (Routledge) and the plays Thieves Like Us and The Revel. His production of Hank Williams: Lost Highway won the Jeff Award for Best Musical Midsized. He has directed for American Theatre Company, TimeLine, Route 66, A Red Orchid and many others. He lives in Edgewater with his wife Jennifer and their children, Bella and Finn.

ABOUT ROBERT O’HARA. PLAYWRIGHT
Robert O’Hara has received the NAACP Best Director Award, the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play, two OBIEs and the Oppenheimer Award. He directed the world premieres of Nikkole Salter and Dania Guiria’s In the Continuum, Tarell McCraney’s The Brother/Sister Plays (Part 2), Colman Domingo’s Wild with Happy as well as his own plays, BootyCandy and Insurrection: Holding History. His new plays Zombie: The American and Barbecue, world premiered at Woolly Mammoth Theater and New York Shakespeare Festival, respectively. He is currently directing a new musical, Uni/son inspired from the poetry of August Wilson at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and a new musical, Bella by Kirsten Childs at Playwrights Horizons. He will direct the world premiere of his play, Mankind, at Playwrights Horizons this fall.



John Henry Roberts, Anita Deely, Barbara Figgins and Kristin Collins

ABOUT STRAWDOG THEATRE COMPANY
Since its founding in 1988, Strawdog Theatre Company has offered Chicagoland the premiere storefront theatre experience and garnered numerous Non-Equity Jeff Awards with its commitment to ensemble acting and an immersive design approach. The celebrated Company develops new work, re-imagines the classics, melds music with theatre, asks provocative questions and delivers their audience the unexpected.

Strawdog Theatre Company is supported in part by The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Alphawood Foundation, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and the annual support of businesses and individuals.

OPENING: CHICAGO PREMIERE OF BARBECUE BY ROBERT O’HARA VIA STRAWDOG THEATRE AT STEPPENWOLF’S 1700 THEATRE

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

STRAWDOG THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF 

BARBECUE 

BY ROBERT O’HARA, 

AUGUST 17 – SEPTEMBER 30, DIRECTED BY DAMON KIELY

A LOOKOUT VISITING COMPANY PRESENTED AT STEPPENWOLF’S 1700 THEATRE

What better way to bring summer to a close than with an emotional bomb shell of a BBQ/family intervention?! We're elated that one of our favorite storefront companies, Strawdog Theatre Company, will be playing one of our fav new cabaret spaces, Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s 1700 Theatre. Not to mention, the author is the acclaimed and multi award winning Robert O’Hara. We adored his hilarious play, BootyCandy, that just ran for months at Windy City Playhouse. This one's sure to be hot! The intimate 1700 space fills fast so don't miss out. 

Strawdog Theatre Company and Artistic Directors Michael Dailey, Heath Hays and Anderson Lawfer are proud to announce the first production in their 2017 – 2018 season, Barbecue by Robert O’Hara, August 17 – September 30, with direction by Damon Kiely at Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted Street as a LookOut Visiting Company.  

Opening night performance is Monday Aug. 28 at 8 p.m. Previews are Thursday, Aug. 17 and Aug. 24, Friday, Aug. 18 and Aug. 25, Saturday, Aug. 19 and Aug. 26 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, August 27 at 3:30 p.m. 

Regular run performances are Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3:30 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. Preview tickets are $35, regular run tickets are $45. Strawdog subscribers enjoy 25% off all ticket prices. 

This production is also available to Steppenwolf’s Red and Black Card holders. Group, senior, student, industry, and rush discounts are also available. To purchase subscriptions to Strawdog’s 2017-18 Season, visit www.strawdog.org. 

To purchase single tickets to Barbecue, please visit HERE.

A modern American family uses a summer barbecue as a pretext to ambush sister Barbara with an intervention.  If you think “all families are crazy” is just a cliché, you’ve not spent time under the influence of the O'Mallerys.  An afternoon in the park with these raucous siblings and you'll be challenging your own assumptions about family, race, and reality. The Chicago premiere of Barbecue by Obie and Helen Hayes Award winner Robert O’Hara will have you laughing out loud and questioning how it’s true that in America, you sometimes taze the ones you love.

Since its world premiere, Barbecue has received critically acclaim. The Los Angeles Times said,  “Ferociously funny! Barbecue raucously sends up the sociological pantomime — life as an award-seeking existential burlesque,” and “Wickedly delightful!” by TheaterMania.com. Variety’s review included, “Barbecue, shrewdly turns the formula for the American domestic comedy on its head.”

The Barbecue cast includes Strawdog Ensemble Members John Henry Roberts and Kamille Dawkins with guest artists Kristin Collins, Celeste Cooper, Anita Deely, Barbara Figgins, Deanna Reed Foster, Abby Pierce, Terence Simms and Ginneh Thomas.

The Barbecue design team includes Strawdog Ensemble Members Costume Designer Aly Greaves Amidei and Sound Designer Heath Hayes with guest artists: Director Damon Kiely, Assistant Director Michael Burke, Set Designer Joanna Iwanicka, Lighting Designer Jared Gooding, Props Designer Leah Hummel and Dramaturg Taylor Barfield. 

ABOUT DAMON KIELY, DIRECTOR
Damon Kiely is chair of Performance at DePaul’s Theatre School and the author of the book How to Read a Play (Routledge) and the plays Thieves Like Us and The Revel. His production of Hank Williams: Lost Highway won the Jeff Award for Best Musical Midsized. He has directed for American Theatre Company, TimeLine, Route 66, A Red Orchid and many others. He lives in Edgewater with his wife Jennifer and their children, Bella and Finn.

ABOUT ROBERT O’HARA. PLAYWRIGHT
Robert O’Hara has received the NAACP Best Director Award, the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play, two OBIEs and the Oppenheimer Award. He directed the world premieres of Nikkole Salter and Dania Guiria’s In the Continuum, Tarell McCraney’s The Brother/Sister Plays (Part 2), Colman Domingo’s Wild with Happy as well as his own plays, BootyCandy and Insurrection: Holding History. His new plays Zombie: The American and Barbecue, world premiered at Woolly Mammoth Theater and New York Shakespeare Festival, respectively. He is currently directing a new musical, Uni/son inspired from the poetry of August Wilson at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and a new musical, Bella by Kirsten Childs at Playwrights Horizons. He will direct the world premiere of his play, Mankind, at Playwrights Horizons this fall.

ABOUT STRAWDOG THEATRE COMPANY
Since its founding in 1988, Strawdog Theatre Company has offered Chicagoland the premiere storefront theatre experience and garnered numerous Non-Equity Jeff Awards with its commitment to ensemble acting and an immersive design approach. The celebrated Company develops new work, re-imagines the classics, melds music with theatre, asks provocative questions and delivers their audience the unexpected.

Strawdog Theatre Company is supported in part by The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Alphawood Foundation, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and the annual support of businesses and individuals.

OPENING: The Night Season at Strawdog Theatre Through 6/24

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

STRAWDOG THEATRE COMPANY 

PRESENTS 

REBECCA LENKIEWICZ’S 

THE NIGHT SEASON 

THROUGH JUNE 24 AT THE FACTORY THEATER 

**Note: Adult themes and partial nudity. Recommended for 18+**

We're elated to see Strawdog Theatre presenting an acclaimed female playwright and female director for their closing production for this season which has explored the theme of Lives in Exile. In an era where the theatre industry is still male dominated in areas from scripts to stage, kudos to Strawdog for tipping the scales toward more inclusion and gender balance. We can't wait to catch this production.

THE NIGHT SEASON was made by women. This show was written by a woman, directed and assistant directed by women, features a women-driven storyline and stars some of our favorite women. Women designed the lights, props & costumes and coached the dialects. Women production managed and stage & assistant stage managed this show. And even more women and their allies onstage & behind-the-scenes made it all possible.

Strawdog Theatre Company is proud to announce the third and final production in its 2016 - 2017 season, 

Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s The Night Season, Now – June 24, 

directed by Elly Green, 

at The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard. 

The performance schedule is Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m.

  
All performances have ground level access and are wheelchair accessible, with a special Access Project performance Sunday, June 4 at 4 p.m. with a touch tour at 2:45 p.m.* An industry performance is on Monday, June 5 at 8 p.m for $18. Preview tickets are $15 with regular run tickets $30, they may be ordered online at strawdog.org or by calling OvationTix toll-free: 866-811-4111. Subscriptions, group, rush, senior and student discounts are also available.

When the tiny, seaside hometown of W.B. Yeats gets occupied by an English film crew making his biopic, the Kennedys figure giving lodging to the lead actor will put a few extra coins in their pockets. They do get plenty of change, and not just Euros, as the family’s three sisters and their delusional grandmother all decide it’s time to stop letting life pass them by. The mother who ran away, the father who can barely leave the house, a big pile of pent-up desire, it all gets confronted in this skewed romantic comedy helmed by the director of Sideshow Theatre’s No More Sad Things, Stage Left’s Rabbit and Strawdog’s Season 28 smash After Miss Julie.

Cast includes ensemble members Janice O’Neill, Michaela Petro, Michael Reyes, John Henry Roberts, Justine C. Turner, Jamie Vann and guest artist Stella Martin.

The Night Season production team also includes Strawdog Company Ensemble Members Brittany Dee Bodley, costume designer, Heath Hays, sound designer and Mike Mroch, set designer with guest artists Ben Chang, dramaturg; 

*ACCESS PROJECT
All productions in Strawdog’s 2016-2017 season are wheelchair and ADA compliant. In addition, Strawdog Theatre’s Access Project performance Sunday, June 4 at 4 p.m., includes open captioning, audio description and touch tour services. A touch tour begins at 2:30 p.m. on the day of the Access Project performance.

ABOUT REBECCA LENKIEWICZ, PLAYWRIGHT
Rebecca Lenkiewicz is an acclaimed playwright whose work has been performed all over the world. She was the first living female playwright to have an original play - the celebrated Her Naked Skin, which explored the suffragette movement - performed on the National Theatre’s Olivier stage. Other plays include: Soho – A Tale Of Table Dancers, The Night Season, Shoreditch Madonna, The Painter, The Typist, The Invisible and Jane Wenham. Adaptations include An Enemy Of The People, Ghosts, The Soldier's Tale, The Turn Of The Screw, Miss Julie and The Tempest.

Lenkiewicz also writes for radio, film and television. She co-wrote the film Ida with director Pawel Pawlikowski which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2015, the BAFTA and the SPIRIT awards for the same category and the Best Film awards at both the London Film Festival and the Warsaw Film Festival in 2013.  She has recently written a screenplay for Kristin Scott Thomas to direct, The Sea Change, and collaborated on The Sweet Life with Russian director Alexander Zeldovich. She has co-written Disobedience with Sebastian Lelio, a feature for Film 4 to which Rachel Weisz is attached.  Currently, she is adapting a book for Scott Free/BBC TV for Kevin MacDonald. Lenkiewicz is presently working with Steve McQueen and Rainmark films on a seven-hour drama for the BBC and is writing a two-hour drama Mystery in White for Origin Pictures/ BBC.

ABOUT ELLY GREEN, DIRECTOR
Elly Green is a freelance director who previously worked with Strawdog on After Miss Julie by Patrick Marber. She also recently directed the US premiere of The Distance by Deborah Bruce for Haven Theatre and the co-world premiere of Hansol Jung’s No More Sad Things for Sideshow Theatre. Other credits include: The Woman Before (Trap Door), Rabbit (Stage Left – Jeff Nominated), Happy (Redtwist), Unwilling and Hostile Instruments (Theatre Seven) and The Tomkat Project (Playground Theatre & NY Fringe). Elly was assistant-director on Henry V (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre) and Proof (Court Theatre). She is an artistic associate with Sideshow Theatre and Stage Left Theatre. Elly originally trained in London on the MFA in Theatre Directing from Birkbeck College. Her UK directing credits include: Our Country’s Good, My Balloon Beats Your Astronaut, Beyond Therapy, About Tommy, Copenhagen, Skylight, The Beach, & The Zoo Story.

ABOUT STRAWDOG THEATRE COMPANY
Since its founding in 1988, Strawdog Theatre Company has offered Chicagoland the premiere storefront theatre experience and garnered numerous Non-Equity Jeff Awards with its commitment to ensemble acting and an immersive design approach. The celebrated Company develops new work, re-imagines the classics, melds music with theatre, asks provocative questions and delivers their audience the unexpected.

Strawdog recently announced that it has taken residence at 1802 West Berenice in North Center. Its next season will take place here and is currently available for rental by other theatre companies.

Strawdog Theatre Company is proud to announce the third and final production in its 2016 - 2017 season, Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s The Night Season, May 12, 2017 – June 24, 2017, directed by Elly Green, performed at The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard. The performance schedule is Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. All performances have ground level access and are wheelchair accessible, with a special Access Project performance Sunday, June 4 at 4 p.m.* Preview tickets are $15 with regular run tickets $30, they may be ordered online at strawdog.org or by calling OvationTix toll-free: 866-811-4111. Subscriptions, group, rush, senior and student discounts are also available.

RUSH TICKETS 
Strawdog Theatre Company offers six tickets at a 50% discount one hour before every production. The rush ticket must be purchased in person, exclusively at the Strawdog Box Office. Limit of two tickets per person, not applicable with other discounts, offers or on previously purchased tickets, first come, first served. 

Season Theme: Lives in Exile
How much of who we are is where we are? For twenty five seasons, Strawdog had a home of our own. Now we move forward as an an itinerant company. We're looking our new reality straight in the eye, and taking on a season of beautiful plays all about losing one's place.

1 world premiere, 1 Chicago premiere, 1 bold new take on a classic. 0 shows you want to miss. 

Strawdog Theatre Company is supported in part by The Alphawood Foundation, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and through the generous contributions of businesses and individuals.