ChiIL Live Shows
RED TAPE THEATRE is proud to present…
THE SHIPMENT
Written by: Young Jean Lee
Directed by: Wardell Julius Clark
Associate Director / Music Director: Sydney Charles
Cast: Sheldon Brown, Hunter Bryant, Eric Gerard, Marcus D. Moore, Kiayla Ryann
Producer: Kyle Land*
Line Producer / Production Manager: Jenn Thompson*
Artistic Director: Max Truax*
Stage Manager: Michelle Altman
Assistant Stage Manager: Chris Lyons
Choreographer: Breon Arzell
Scenic Designr: Joy Ahn
Lighting Designer: Daniel Friedman
Properties Designer: Jennifer Wernau
Costume Design: Rachel Sypniewski
Sound Design: John Nichols III
Poster Design: Bridget Schultz*
Still Photos: Austin Oie*
* indicates Red Tape Theatre Company member
When:
Opens: Friday, September 7th, 2018 at 8PM
Closes: Saturday, October 13th, 2018 at 8PM
Runs: Fridays, Saturdays at 8PM / Sundays at 7PM / Mondays (Industry Night) at 8PM
Admission: FREE ADMISSION thanks to our donors to the FREE THEATRE MOVEMENT
Where: THE READY, 4546 N Western Ave
For Information/Reservations: Reserve free tickets via: www.redtapetheatre.org.
What: In THE SHIPMENT, Young Jean Lee uses her razor-sharp and unsettling humor to upend the surface stereotypes and tropes of African Americans that permeate our media, entertainment industry, and the dominant culture (aka white perceived) narrative. Audiences are confronted with clichés, distortions, and brilliant sleights of hand that force us to go beyond the lampoon and shift the lens through which we perceive race in order to confront our own bias.
Who:
Wardell Julius Clark (DIRECTOR) hails from Fairfield, Alabama. Wardell is a actor, director, producer and social justice activist. He is also an Associate Artist with TimeLine Theatre Company, and serves as a teaching artist in the Living History Program, as well as a teaching artist for Victory Gardens Theatre. Chicago Directing credits include Insurrection: Holding History (Stage Left Theatre), Surely Goodness and Mercy (Redtwist Theatre) , Associate Director for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (Court Theatre), The One Minute Play Festival, Shola's Game (National Black Theatre), Assistant Director for The Scottsboro Boys (Porchlight Music Theatre); Satchmo At The Waldorf and Gem Of The Ocean (Court Theatre). Select Acting Credits include Suddenly Last Summer (Raven Theatre); Silent Sky (First Folio Theatre); Apartment 3a (Windy City Playhouse); Gem Of The Ocean (Court Theatre); A Raisin In The Sun (TimeLine Theatre); The Whipping Man (Northlight Theatre); We Are Proud To Present... and The Gospel According To James (Victory Gardens Theatre); Invisible Man (Court Theatre); The Beats (16th Street Theater); Ghosts Of Atwood (MPAACT); and Topdog/Underdog (American Theater Company/Congo Square Theater). Regional credits include Othello, Macbeth, The Learned Ladies (Theater at Monmouth); The Whipping Man (Cardinal Stage); Cymbeline (Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival); Fences (Carver Theatre). Wardell has appeared on TV in Chicago Fire Seasons 1 and 4, as well as Shamless on Showtime. He holds a BFA in Acting from The Theatre School, at DePaul University. He is also an Associate Artist with the Black Lives, Black Words theatre collective. Represented by Gray Talent Group.
Sydney Charles (ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR) is an award-winning actress that hails from Chicago, IL. Selected theatre credits include: Father Comes Home From the Wars(Goodman Theatre), Guess Who's Coming to Dinner(Court Theatre), Lottery Day (Goodman Theatre - New Stages), The Fly Honey Show, Spamilton Chicago (Royal George Theatre), An Octoroon(Definition Theatre Company), Dorothy in The Wiz at (Kokandy Productions), Zora in the world premiere of Prowess (Jackalope Theatre), and the title role in Dessa Rose (Bailiwick Chicago). Her directing debut was with Wildclaw Theatre with their yearly Deathscribe Festival of Horror Plays. Sydney can also be seen in episodes of The Haven web series, The T web series, and has appeared on Showtime's Shameless. She is also an artistic associate with Firebrand Theater--the newly formed feminist musical theater company. Sydney thanks God for every opportunity she is given and her circle for supporting her every step of the way. Represented by Stewart Talent.
Young Jean Lee (PLAYWRITE) is a Korean-American playwright, director, and filmmaker. She is the Artistic Director of Young Jean Lee's Theater Company, a not-for-profit theater company dedicated to producing her work. She has written and directed ten shows for Young Jean Lee's Theater Company and toured her work to over thirty cities around the world. Lee was called "the most adventurous downtown playwright of her generation" by Charles Isherwood in The New York Times and "one of the best experimental playwrights in America" by David Cote in Time Out New York. With the 2018 production of Straight White Men at the Hayes Theater, Lee became the first Asian American woman to have a play produced on Broadway.
Sheldon Brown (ENSEMBLE) is a 2014 graduate of Acting at Emerson College in Boston. His recent credits include Time Is On Our Side (understudy performed) at About Face Theatre, 1980 or Why I Voted for John Anderson at Jackalope Theatre, A Wonder In My Soul at Victory Gardens (understudy performed). Man In The Ring at Court Theatre, Feral with MPAACT Theatre Company and more. He also has numerous credits in Boston including The Grand Inquisitor directed by Peter Brook, and The Shakespearean Jazz Show, a collaborative new work that turns Shakespeare into New Orleans street jazz at the New York Musical Festival.
Hunter Bryant (ENSEMBLE) is a New Jersey native actor/ writer and graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul. Recent Chicago credits include The Aristophanesathon (Hypocrites), Dontrell Who Kissed the Sea (First Floor Theatre) and Our Town (Redtwist Theatre.) Be on the lookout for his upcoming films How Is This The World (directed by Sadie Rogers) and First Dance (directed by Megan Artes.) Follow his work on instagram: @Behunting
Eric Gerard (ENSEMBLE) is honored to be working on this show, with such a talented team. Other Chicago credits include: TO CATCH A FISH (Timeline Theatre); AKEELAH AND THE BEE (Adventure Stage Chicago); KING LIZ (Windy City Playhouse); OCTAGON (Jackalope theatre); MY MANANA COMES (Teatro Vista); ANNAKARENINA (Lifeline Theatre); THE ROYALE (American Theatre Co.) Eric is an Instructor, and proud graduate of THE ACADEMY, at BlackBox Acting. He is represented by Hayes Talent.
Marcus D. Moore (ENSEMBLE) is thrilled to be working with Red Tape Theatre for the first time! His theatre credits include Drury Lane Theatre (Cat On A Hot Tin Roof u/s), Jackalope Theatre (Franklinland and 1980 Or Why I'm Voting For John Anderson (u/s)), Stage Left Theatre (Insurrection: Holding History u/s), Haven Theatre and Collaboraction Theatre. Tv credits include co-starring roles on NBCs Chicago Fire and Fox Networks' APB. Much love to my agents at Gray Talent Group!
Kiayla Ryann (ENSEMBLE) makes her debut at Red Tape Theatre with The Shipment. Chicago credits include: Lexi, Hookman (Steep Theatre), Miriamne, Winterset (Griffin Theatre) and Trisha, Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (Loop Players) as well as understudying The Crucible at Steppenwolf. Kiayla received her BA from Bradley University and is a School at Steppenwolf 2016 Album. She is grateful to God for her amazing supportive family, friend, and team. Represented by Stewart Talent.
RED TAPE THEATER / THE FREE THEATRE MOVEMENT
“The public interest is best served by the free exchange of ideas.” – John Kane
Red Tape believes that access to the arts is essential for our community’s ability to engage in a free exchange of ideas. As an art form, the immediacy of theatre provides a powerful platform for this exchange. We strive to remove the barriers that exist between our community and an increasingly commodified culture. Starting in January of 2018, we will offer all of our quality theatrical productions to the public free of charge.
Red Tape will be able to offer our work free of charge thanks to the generous support of our Members, each of whom make an automated monthly donation in an amount of their choose (or a onetime donation). Each donation enables Red Tape to share our work with more people and to engage a growing community in discourse through the arts.
Simply put, we believe everyone should be able to see theatre without the financial stress of ticket price. We are a theatre of free ideas. We are a theatre of free access. We are a free theatre.
