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TIMELINE THEATRE TO PRODUCE A SITE-SPECIFIC
CHICAGO PREMIERE OF
the american vicarious’
DEBATE: BALDWIN VS. BUCKLEY
ADAPTED AND DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER MCELROEN AND PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE THEATRE SCHOOL AT DEPAUL UNIVERSITY
This imagining of the historic debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr., on the occasion of the event’s 60th anniversary, will run January 29 - March 2, 2025
at DePaul University’s Cortelyou Commons
Run time is approximately 90 minutes. There is no late seating.
TimeLine Theatre’s Chicago premiere of the american vicarious’ Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley will run January 29-March 2, 2025 at DePaul University’s Cortelyou Commons, in partnership with The Theatre School at DePaul University. TimeLine Theatre has long been a favorite of ours and I'll be out to review for ChiIL Live Shows on February 1st.
The production features Teagle F. Bougere (left) as Baldwin and Eric T. Miller as Buckley. Credit: Christopher McElroen
“Is the American Dream at the expense of the American Negro?”
This was the topic on February 18, 1965, when an overflow crowd packed the Cambridge Union in Cambridge, England, to witness a historic televised debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley, Jr. Baldwin was the leading literary voice of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, while Buckley Jr., was a fierce critic and America’s most influential conservative intellectual. Their historic clash revealed the deep roots and lasting legacy of racial conflict that continue to haunt America.
This winter, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of their legendary duel, TimeLine Theatre Company will present the Chicago premiere of the american vicarious’ Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley, adapted and directed by Christopher McElroen, January 29 - March 2, 2025.
Thanks to a unique partnership between TimeLine Theatre and The Theatre School at DePaul University, the Midwest’s leading theatre conservatory and the alma mater of TimeLine’s founders, the internationally acclaimed the american vicarious’ Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley will be uniquely staged, not in a traditional theater, but in an immersive, site-specific production, tailor-made for Chicago and replicating the feeling of being in the Cambridge Union.
Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley features Teagle F. Bougere as Baldwin.
Credits: left: Ellie Kurttz; right: Valya Korabelnikova
Eric T. Miller plays Buckley in Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley. Credit (both photos): Ellie Kurttz
Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley will be presented at Cortelyou Commons, built in 1929, remodeled in 2006, located at 2324 N. Fremont St. on the DePaul campus in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Credit: DePaul University
The entire five-week run of Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley will be presented inside Cortelyou Commons, a historic student gathering space built in 1929 on DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus, an academic setting with a beautiful Gothic Collegiate design that replicates Cambridge Union, where the original debate was held.
Once inside Cortelyou Commons, audiences will witness an epic confrontation that pitted Baldwin’s call for a moral revolution in race relations against Buckley’s unabashed elitism and implicit commitment to the status quo.
“TimeLine is thrilled to produce this powerful theatrical experience in the immersive setting of the Cortelyou Commons. Partnering with the internationally acclaimed company, the american vicarious, and The Theatre School at DePaul University—alma mater to me and my fellow TimeLine co-founders—is an honor, as TimeLine continues a season of curated collaborations across Chicago while our new home in Uptown is under construction,” said TimeLine Artistic Director PJ Powers. “Following heralded productions in New York and London, we’re creating a unique, Chicago version of Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley that will invite the audience into a space resembling the one in Cambridge where Baldwin and Buckley’s legendary clash of ideas occurred. Presenting this on the 60th anniversary of their debate will illuminate what progress has occurred in our country and what troubling comparisons still can be made with arguments from 1965.”
“The objective of the american vicarious in restaging this historic debate is not to inhabit such monumental figures as James Baldwin or William F. Buckley, their shoes are too large to fill,” said Christopher McElroen, Founding Artistic Director of the american vicarious. “Rather, our objective is to simply place their words, which still resonate 60 years later, within the voice of contemporary artists.”
“With Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley, TimeLine will transform DePaul’s Cortelyou Commons into a unique and immersive space where powerful public discourse can take place,” said Mica Cole, Executive Director of TimeLine Theatre. “Scholars, activists and audiences will be able to experience a historic moment in race relations, then engage in a critical conversation about our present and future.”
Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley features (from left) Teagle F. Bougere as Baldwin, Eric T. Miller as Buckley, with DePaul Theatre BFA students Jack Baust and Quintin Craig alternating as Mr. Jeremy Burford, and Alexander Perez and Aspen Schucker rotating as Mr. David Heycock.
Underscoring TimeLine’s connection with The Theatre School, the cast also showcases four student performers, all in their final year in DePaul’s BFA Acting program. Alexander Perez and Aspen Schucker will rotate performances as Mr. David Heycock of Pembroke College, the Cambridge University student who introduced Baldwin at the 1965 debate. Jack Baust and Quintin Craig will rotate as Mr. Jeremy Burford of Emmanuel College, who championed Buckley.
The production team includes Sally Dolembo (Co-Costume Designer), TimeLine Company Member Maren Robinson (Dramaturg) and Katrina Herrmann (Stage Manager). Understudies are Kevin Aoussou (Baldwin) and Joseff Stevenson (Buckley).
Not only will this unique, immersive Chicago theater experience honor the 60th anniversary of the historic Baldwin vs. Buckley debate, 2025 also marks the 100th anniversary of The Theatre School at DePaul University.
How fitting is it that, to kick off the school’s centennial, a team of DePaul theatre students will gain real-world professional experience as part of the Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley production team, including Zachary Grasee (Co-Costume Designer), Bruno Díaz Miranda (Assistant Stage Manager), Edward Ambrose (Wardrobe Supervisor), and Ashly Demay, Katherine Schuert and Omari Sloan (Dramaturgs).
“We are so happy to have our current students and faculty work with our alumni on a production that ushers in the beginning of our centennial year of existence and also speaks to the importance of debate in an educational backdrop,” said Martine Kei Green-Rogers, Dean of The Theatre School at DePaul University.
DEBATE: BALDWIN VS. BUCKLEY PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley will be presented at DePaul University’s Cortelyou Commons, located at 2324 N. Fremont St., in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.
Previews are Wednesday and Thursday, January 29 and 30 at 7:30 p.m. Press Opening is Friday, January 31 at 7:30 p.m. Regular performances continue through March 2: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 2 p.m. Exceptions: There is an added performance on Tuesday, February 18 at 7:30 p.m. No show Wednesday, February 19.
For details regarding free street parking, paid parking, convenient drop off, public transit and accessibility, visit timelinetheatre.com/venues/cortelyou-commons.
BUYING TICKETS
Single tickets to Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley are on sale now, priced $40 - $75. For tickets and information, visit timelinetheatre.com or call the TimeLine Box Office at (773) 281-8463 x6.
Preview tickets are $40. Single tickets to regular performances are $62 (all evening performances) and $75 (all matinee performances). Student discount is 35% off regular price with valid ID. TimeLine is also a member of TCG’s Blue Star Theatre Program and is offering $25 tickets to U.S. military personnel, veterans, first responders, and their spouses and family.
Ticket buyers ages 18-35 may join TimeLine’s free MyLine program to obtain access to discounted tickets, special events and more. Discounted rates for groups of 10 or more are also available. Visit timelinetheatre.com/discounts for more about available discounts.
Cortelyou Commons is accessible. Although seating for performances is general admission, accessible seats may be requested for patrons who need specific seating due to disability. If you require accessible seating, please let TimeLine know when placing your reservation how we may assist in finding the best seats to fit your needs.
SAVE WITH A TIMELINE THEATRE 2024-25 FLEXPASS
TimeLine Theatre's 2024-25 three-play season launched this fall with Falsettos, music and lyrics by William Finn, book by William Finn and James Lapine, produced in partnership with Court Theatre and directed by TimeLine Associate Artistic Director Nick Bowling. The production was a smash hit critically and at the box office, earned a one-week extension and was named to the Chicago Tribune's list of Top 10 Plays of 2024.
Following Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley, TimeLine’s 2024-25 season concludes with the world premiere of Dhaba on Devon Avenue, a searing Chicago-set story of family, legacy, and survival at all costs by Madhuri Shekar, directed by Chay Yew, produced in partnership with Writers Theatre. Performances are June 19 - July 27 at Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe.
This remarkable season marks the launch of TimeLine’s next era. The company departed its longtime home on Wellington Avenue in Lakeview East this past summer and has moved to temporary administrative offices closer to Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood as it continues the process toward establishing its future home at 5035 N. Broadway Avenue.
Multiple 3-Admission and 2-Admission TimeLine FlexPass options, priced from $64 to $232, are now on sale. For more information and to purchase, call (773) 281-8463 x6 or visit timelinetheatre.com.
ACCESS PERFORMANCES
CAPTIONED PERFORMANCES: Open-captioned performances with a text display of words and sounds heard during performances are Friday, February 21 at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, February 22 at 4 p.m.
AUDIO-DESCRIBED PERFORMANCE: On Saturday, March 1, the 4 p.m. performance will feature narration about visual elements of the production around the dialogue, available for individual patrons via headphones.
DIRECTIONS AND PARKING
STREET PARKING: Limited street parking is free south of Cortelyou Commons on West Belden Avenue. Since Cortelyou Commons is on a college campus, there may be other events and traffic around the venue. Make sure to plan ahead if you intend on finding free street parking.
PARKING GARAGE: The nearest parking garage is the Sheffield Lot, 2331 N. Sheffield Avenue. The garage is open 24/7 and always has a cashier available to assist patrons as they exit. TimeLine staff will be able to provide a validation voucher to patrons. Please see TimeLine staff at the Cortelyou Commons for a voucher, which you will need to present to the garage’s cashier upon exit.
DROP OFF: If you are driving to Cortelyou Commons and dropping off a passenger, please note that the venue is not accessible from Fullerton Avenue. Instead, drive east along Belden Avenue from Sheffield. Turn left onto North Chalmers Place. Follows signage/one ways to the west to Fremont Street. You should be able to exit on Chalmers Place after drop-off.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Cortelyou Commons is accessible via CTA Red, Brown, and Purple lines via the Fullerton stop. The #74 Fullerton bus is nearby, as well as the #8 Halsted. The #22 Clark bus stops at Clark and Fullerton, about a 15 minute walk away. For more public transit options, please visit TransitChicago.com.
BIOGRAPHIES
Christopher McElroen (Adapter and Director) is the Founding Artistic Director of the american vicarious. Previously, he co-founded the Classical Theatre of Harlem, where from 1999 to 2009, he oversaw 41 productions yielding 18 AUDELCO Awards, six OBIE Awards, two Lucille Lortel Awards, and a Drama Desk Award. McElroen’s recent projects Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley (2022) and Static Apnea (2020) were both listed as “Highbrow and Brilliant” in New York magazine’s Approval Matrix, and Broadwayworld said “the american vicarious is on my list of must-see theatre companies.” In collaboration with six-time Grammy Award nominee Gerald Clayton, McElroen developed and directed Piedmont Blues: A Search for Salvation, which was presented at Harlem Stage in June 2022. McElroen received a 2013 Helen Hayes Award for his direction of the world premiere stage adaptation of Ralph Ellison’s iconic novel Invisible Man. McElroen had the honor of directing 51st (dream) State, the final work of poet, musician, and activist Sekou Sundiata, which premiered at BAM’s Next Wave Festival. Alongside visual artist Paul Chan, actor Wendell Pierce, and Creative Time, he co-produced and directed Waiting for Godot in New Orleans, a year-long community development through the arts initiative in post-Katrina New Orleans. The archives from the production were acquired into the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA).
Teagle F. Bougere (James Baldwin) Broadway appearances include The Tempest (Caliban) with Patrick Stewart, directed by George C. Wolfe; A Raisin in the Sun (Asagai) with Phylicia Rashad and The Crucible (Judge Hawthorne), directed by Ivo van Hove. Selected television and film include Law and Order S.V.U. a.d.a. Phillip Baptiste (recurring); Queen America (series regular) with Catherine Zeta-Jones; The Blacklist; Bull; The Mist; The Path; Cosby; The Big C; The Job; A Gifted Man; Conviction, What The Deaf Man Heard; eight episodes for the various Law and Order franchises; A Night At The Museum; The Pelican Brief; Two Weeks Notice; and The Imposters. Selected Off-Broadway includes The New Englanders, Manhattan Theater Club (Audelco Award-Outstanding Lead Actor); Beast In The Jungle, Vineyard Theater, directed by Susan Stroman; Is God Is, Soho Rep; A Last Dance For Sybil by Ossie Davis, starring Ruby Dee, and Coriolanus at The New York Shakespeare Festival. Coriolanus was Bougere’s thirteenth appearance with the New York Shakespeare Festival Public Theater. Past turns at the festival include Plato in Socrates (with Michael Stuhlbarg); Caska in Julius Caesar; Eros in Antony and Cleopatra, directed by and starring Vanessa Redgrave; and Cymbeline, directed by Daniel Sullivan. Regionally Mr. Bougere created the title role in the world premiere stage adaptation of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. The production was directed by Christopher McElroen and played Court Theater in Chicago, Studio Theater in Washington D.C., and Boston’s Huntington Theater.
Eric T. Miller (William F. Buckley Jr.) Theater credits include Mope (Ensemble Studio Theatre), rogerandtom (HERE), Sweet Storm (LAByrinth), (A)Loft Modulation (the american vicarious), Awake and Sing! and Ripcord (Huntington Theatre), Wink (TerraNova), Luft Gangster (Sheen Center), Safe Home (Royal Family Productions), Betrayed (Culture Project) as well as work at the Syracuse Stage, Bard Summerscape, New York Stage and Film, Rattlestick, PS 122, Workshop, and the Flea. Film and Television credits include Mare of Easttown, Separation, Jules, FBI: Most Wanted, Halston, The Good Fight, Blue Bloods, Chicago PD, Blacklist, Person of Interest, Elementary, The Unusuals, Kings, Law & Order, Shame, Reaching Home, The Waiting Room, Home, Tom’s Dilemma, AdFirm, Redemption in Cherry Springs, Josie & Jack, and the Oscar-nominated film Nyad. erictroymiller.com
TimeLine Theatre Company, recipient of the prestigious 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, was founded in April 1997 with a mission to present stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. Currently celebrating its 28th season, TimeLine has presented 92 productions, including 14 world premieres and 42 Chicago premieres, and launched the Living History Education Program and TimeLine South summer arts program, which bring the company's mission to life for students in Chicago Public Schools and beyond. Recipient of the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence and the Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award from the Association for Strategic Planning, TimeLine has received 62 Jeff Awards, including an award for Outstanding Production 11 times.
The company recently departed its longtime home on Wellington Avenue and moved into new administrative offices at 5539 N. Broadway, Ste. B, a few blocks north of the site of its future new home, located at 5035 N. Broadway in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. Construction has begun on that site, where plans feature an intimate black box theater seating up to 250 audience members, expanded area for the immersive lobby experiences that are a TimeLine hallmark, new opportunities for education and engagement, room to allow audience members to arrive early and stay late for theatergoing experiences that extend far beyond the stage, and more.
TimeLine is led by Artistic Director PJ Powers, Executive Director Mica Cole, and Board President Thaddeus J. Malik. TimeLine Company members are Tyla Abercrumbie, Will Allan, Nick Bowling, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Behzad Dabu, Charles Andrew Gardner, Lara Goetsch, Juliet Hart, Anish Jethmalani, Mildred Marie Langford, Mechelle Moe, David Parkes, Ron OJ Parson, PJ Powers, and Maren Robinson.
Major corporate, government and foundation donors providing season support via TimeLine’s Annual Fund include Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation, Bayless Family Foundation, CIBC U.S., Crown Family Philanthropies, Joseph & Bessie Feinberg Foundation, Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and Van Dam Charitable Foundation. TimeLine also acknowledges the support of a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
For more information, visit timelinetheatre.com or Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (@TimeLineTheatre on all platforms).
ABOUT THE THEATRE SCHOOL AT DEPAUL UNIVERSITY
The Theatre School at DePaul University, founded in 1925 as the Goodman School of Drama, is one of the nation’s oldest conservatory training institutions. With more than 15 undergraduate degree programs across three departments (design/technology, performance, and theatre studies), and two master’s degrees offered in acting and arts leadership, students combine rigorous coursework with continuous production practice to hone their skills. This hands-on approach develops students with practical problem-solving experience, not just in theatre, but in a variety of artistic and business pursuits. 100% of students receive a scholarship to help support artists from a variety of backgrounds and to encourage quality and accessible education to all.
For more information, to donate, or to join The Theatre School’s mailing list, please visit theatre.depaul.edu or follow @theatreschooldepaul on Instagram.
ABOUT the american vicarious
the american vicarious is a New York City-based nonprofit producing company committed to generating creative content that crosses disciplinary boundaries and reflects on America’s ideals, realities, and the forces that unite and divide its people. Since its founding in 2018, the company has produced a wide variety of critically acclaimed, interdisciplinary works of art, including Fight for America!, a participatory gaming installation exploring the fragility of American democracy (New York City and London, 2025); the stage adaptation Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley, premiering in New York City (2020, 2022) and subsequently in London, Cambridge, and Bristol (2023); two world premiere plays, Shooting Celebrities (2022) and (A)loft Modulation - a play with jazz (2019); the mixed-media jazz concert Piedmont Blues: A Search for Salvation (2020-22); two performance installations, Negative Liberty / Positive Liberty (2021) and Static Apnea (2020, The New York Times Critics Pick); and the documentary feature film Far From the Nile (2022, Best Non-Fiction Film Award, Cairo Film Festival). The programs of the american vicarious are supported by the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and generous individual donors.
For more, visit theamericanvicarious.org.
