FREE With RSVP: Jeff Award Winning Chad Deity Returns to Theater on the Lake August 7-10th, 2018!

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Red Theater Chicago's Award Winning Production

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity

I missed Red Theater's run last year, as I had just had surgery. I'm elated to have another chance to catch this Jeff Award-winning production. I'll be reviewing opening night, but highly suggest booking your tickets ASAP, since they're free and will go fast. 

Red Theater Chicago announces that its Jeff Award-winning production of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity will receive a limited remount next month as part of the 2018 Theater on the Lake Summer Theater Festival. Written by Kristoffer Diaz and directed by company member Jeremy Aluma, performances will take place August 7-10, 2018 at The South Shore Cultural Center.

What people are saying about The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity: 

* 2017 Top 10 Best Off-Loop Productions – Chicago Tribune

* 3.5 STARS “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity shows exquisite staying power.” – Chicago Tribune 

* “Aluma’s production is, quite simply, all-inclusive & terrifically breathtaking.” – Chicago Theatre Review 

* “Aluma’s direction sizzles and his cast of actor/wrestlers are all outstanding.” – Third Coast Review

* 2017 Best Revival of a Play Nomination – Broadway World

Kyle Encinas won the 2018 Jeff Award for Fight Choreography for his work with The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, and Alejandro Tey (Mace) was nominated for Performer in a Principle Role. Don't miss this rare opportunity to check out the show that the Tribune said delivers a power slam!

Tickets for this return engagement are FREE and can be reserved through the Chicago Park District!

THE PLAY: 
How does one pursue the "American Dream" in a country that refuses to offer opportunity indiscriminately? That is the question at the heart of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, an American satire set in the professional entertainment wrestling world. We follow Macedonio Guerra, an excellent Puerto Rican wrestler, as he rises from the bottom of the pecking order. In this interactive physical comedy, Mace talks directly to the audience as fans in his arena. The play dissects race, xenophobia, ego, and our moral compass - topics even more relevant now than when it premiered nine years ago.

THE CAST: 
Alejandro Tey as MACE, Harsh Gagoomal as VP, Breon Arzell as CHAD DEITY, Frank Stasio as EKO, Will Snyder as THE BAD GUY, and Dave Honigman as REFEREE.

PRODUCTION TEAM: 
Stage Manager: Jamie Crothers 
Costume Designer: Hailey Rakowiecki 
Lighting Designer: Charles Blunt 
Sound Designer: Sarah D. Espinoza 
Technical Director & Set Designer: Becca Venable 
Projection Designer: Alberto Mendoza and Matt Hooks 
Fight Choreographer: Kyle Encinas 
Props Designer: Kat Moraros 
Assistant Director: Nathan Speckman 
Dramaturg: Joseph Galizia 
Associate Producer: Rory Jobst

DATES: 
Tuesday, August 7 at 7pm 
Wednesday, August 8 at 7pm 
Thursday, August 9 at 2pm 
Thursday, August 9 at 7pm 
Friday, August 10 at 7pm
South Shore Center

LOCATION: 
Robeson Theater, South Shore Cultural Center 
7059 S. South Shore Dr. 
Chicago, IL 60649

RSVP
Tickets are FREE. Secure yours now!
Click here or call 312.742.7994


ABOUT RED THEATER: Red Theater is a Jeff Award-winning company that asks dangerous questions, striving to deliver productions that go beyond entertainment, challenging an audience to interpret the themes and ideas presented on a personal level. Since 2008, our commitment to accessibility through every stage of the creative process also lowers the barriers of access, allowing all audiences to see new and reimagined works that broaden perspectives and inspire dialogue.

64th Season of Theater on the Lake: The Chicago Summer Theater Festival

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Theater on the Lake: The Chicago Summer Theater Festival, may be "Theater off the Lake" for 2016, while the historic lakefront venue is being prepared for renovation. Still, they're off to a strong start with one show down and one currently running. Their whole summer lineup looks amazing! Prices vary but are generally quite reasonable, ranging from free to $10.

This summer, performances will hit the road again, featuring shows at Berger Park Cultural Center, Washington Park, and Smith Park.

Five encore presentations from artistically diverse Chicago theater companies will be staged across the city for eight weeks. Performances at Berger Park Cultural Center will be held Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Performances at Washington Park and Smith Park will be held Wednesdays through Fridays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 2:30 p.m.

Each production will have a two-week run. Performance locations help introduce the Festival to new neighborhoods citywide. In keeping with Theater on the Lake’s 63-year tradition of producing plays lakeside, the Festival will once again be anchored at Berger Park Cultural Center, 6205 N. Sheridan, in the Edgewater community.

Now Playing:

• Oracle Productions presents THE HAIRY APE 
• July 6-10 & July 13-17 
• Wednesdays - Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. & Sundays at 2:30 p.m. 
• Berger Park Cultural Center, 6205 N. Sheridan Rd. 
• Admission is FREE [Advance reservations are strongly encouraged.] 
• Written by Eugene O’Neill and Directed by Monty Cole 

• Six African-American actors portray multiple roles in O’Neill’s harrowing critique of class stratification. Yank is the master of his world, shoveling coal on an ocean liner. But when a wealthy woman descends to see life on the lower decks, their encounter propels Yank onto the streets of New York City, where he seeks validation, belonging and revenge. Monty Cole’s charged staging captures the caged mind of a young black man yearning to belong. Oracle’s production of The Hairy Ape examines O’Neill’s work through the lens of America’s ugly legacy of racism and oppression.

The Complete Theater on the Lake 2016 Schedule can be found here