Redtwist Theatre's TWISTED PLAYFEST 12/5-12/22 AND HEADLINING PRODUCTION TOTALITY OF ALL THINGS DECEMBER 5, 2024 - JANUARY 19, 2025

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REDTWIST THEATRE ANNOUNCES CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR ITS INAUGURAL 

TWISTED PLAYFEST 

AND HEADLINING PRODUCTION 

TOTALITY OF ALL THINGS

DECEMBER 5, 2024 - JANUARY 19, 2025 

AND PLAYS, PLAYWRIGHTS AND DIRECTORS FOR 

TWISTED PLAYFEST, DECEMBER 17 - DECEMBER 22

Erik Gernand’s Totality of All Things, directed by Enrico Spada, is the headliner 

and kicks off Twisted Playfest

Top: (L to R) Jacqueline Grandt, Kason Chesky, Philip C. Matthews

Bottom: (L to R) Suzy Krueckeberg, Aundria TraNay, Phil Aman

Award-winning Redtwist Theatre is proud to announce the roster of plays for its inaugural Twisted Playfest, December 17 - 22, and the cast and creative team for the headlining production in Twisted Playfest, The Totality of Things, written by Eric Gernand and directed by Enrico Spada, December 5, 2024 - January, 19, 2025, at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Complete schedule and additional details are below. The Totality of All Things single tickets and Twisted Playfest reservations will be available on Monday, Nov. 18 at RedtwistTheatre.org with discounts available for seniors, students and industry professionals and pay-what-you-can for all Friday performances of The Totality of All Things.

Redtwist's inaugural new work incubator, Twisted Playfest features six plays at various stages of development. The plays are presented as staged readings, stand readings and a main stage production of Eric Gernand's The Totality of All Things. In addition to inclusion in Twisted Playfest, Redtwist supports its festival playwrights throughout the new year with additional readings and workshops.

“We look forward to the launch of the first Twisted Playfest at our newly renovated Redtwist Theatre,” said Co-Artistic Director Dusty Brown. “This new festival - six plays, 10 days, 20 performances, all Chicago - will introduce plays from Chicago playwrights and offer audiences a rare opportunity to see these new works.”

“The Twisted Playfest is the first step in these new plays’ incubation,” said Co-Artistic Director Eileen Dixon. “From our headliner The Totality of All Things to the staged readings to the stand readings, the inaugural roster of plays represents a wide variety of styles, ideas and themes. Redtwist is introducing this new work so that the playwrights may hear from audiences and contemporaries to continue the works’ development.”

The 2024 Twisted Playfest includes:

TWISTED PLAYFEST HEADLINER 

The Totality of All Things

Headliner of the Twisted Playfest

December 5 - January 19, 2025

Written by Eric Gernand

Directed by Enrico Spada

Previews: Thursday, Dec.5 and Friday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Press Opening: Saturday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Performance Schedule:

Previews: Thursday, Dec.5 and Friday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Performances: Sunday, Dec. 8 at 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 12 - Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 15 at 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 19 and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 9 and Friday, Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 11 at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 12 at 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 16 and Friday, Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 18 at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 19 at 3:30 p.m.

Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.

RedtwistTheatre.org

Tickets: $35 with discounts available for seniors, students and industry professionals and pay-what-you-can for all Friday performances.

The centerpiece of Redtwist's inaugural Twisted Playfest is The Totality of All Things. The Totality of All Things introduces audiences to Judith Benson, “teacher-famous” for the award-winning student newspaper she proudly oversees at her small Indiana high school, a program that extols truth and integrity in journalism. At the start of a new school year, an anti-gay hate crime occurs calling everything Judith believes about inspiring the next generation of reporters and the definition of truth itself into question.

The cast of Totality of All Things is Redtwist Ensemble Member Jacqueline Grandt (she/her, Judith); Suzy Krueckeberg (she/her, DeeAnn); Philip Matthews (he/him, Gregg); Kason Chesky (he/him, Micah); Aundria TreNay (she/her, Ms. Carter); Phil Aman (he/him, Principal Benson); Hilary Sanzel (she/her, Judith understudy); Michelle Perry (she/her, DeeAnn understudy); Nate Brimner Smith (he/him, Gregg understudy); Zachary Cutter (he/him, Micah understudy); Andi Muriel (she/her, Ms. Carter understudy) and Hugo Balta (he/him, Principal Benson understudy).

The production team for Totality of All Things is Erik Gernand (he/him, playwright); Enrico Spada (he/him, director); Taylor Mercado Owen (he/him, stage manager); Emily Newmark (she/her, assistant director); Madeline Felauer (she/her, costume designer); Redtwist Ensemble Member Jeff Brain (he/him, props designer and technical director); Camille Pugliese (she/her, dramaturg); Nicholas Svoboda (he/him, sound designer); Brandii Champagne (they/them, scenic designer); Raine DeDominici (they/them/she/her, production manager) and Cat Davis (she/her/they/them, lighting designer).

TWISTED PLAYFEST STAGED READINGS

Fiona

Written by Zack Peercy

Directed by Jessica Love  

Performance schedule: Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 4 p.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

Fiona is the performance of a lifetime. What starts as an examination of 25 letters all addressed to an unknown "Fiona" rapidly evolves, expands, contracts and explodes into an exploration of belief, reality, presentation and legacy.

Man Cave

Written by Caroline Kidwell

Directed by Co-Artistic Director Eileen Dixon  

Performance schedule: Friday, Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 22 at 3 p.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

Guess what? The world ended. And Hannah, a lifestyle vlogger, has been living alone in a bunker for five years. She’s an influencer with no one to influence until Wanda, a survivor, knocks on her door.

Keep It Light

Written by Toby Inoue

Directed by LeKecia Harris

Performance schedule:

Tickets: Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 12 p.m.

Pay-What-You-Can 

To find their way back to each other, two mixed-race half-sisters are forced to grapple with the complicated ways in which their mother's racism broke them apart. Winnie, half African-American, is a famous but canceled celebrity stand-up comedian and Tomi, half Asian-American, is an elementary school art teacher who stayed in their hometown. Tomi calls Winnie home when their mother becomes seriously ill and the sisters sort their mother's house as they accommodate her last wishes, including a comeback show for Winnie and a hospital wedding for Tomi.

TWISTED PLAYFEST STAND READINGS

You Sit Down and You Cry

Written by Ruben Carrazana

Directed by Joshua Servantez

Performance schedule: Thursday, Dec. 19 at 10 p.m and Sunday, Dec. 22 at 1 p.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can 

The play is about a break-up. A really bad break-up. Like the worst. And about time. And how time heals. And how, sometimes, it doesn't. A play about moving on. And not moving on. An anti-romantic comedy about toxic masculinity and pain and suicide and pizza rolls and the United States Postal Service. A love letter to getting your heart crushed, because sometimes, you deserve it.

Murder in Residence

Written by MT Cozzola

Directed by Hannah Blau

Performance schedule: Friday, Dec. 20 at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 22 at 5 p.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

When a brilliant young poet disappears from an artist’s colony, her fellow writers weave alibis to shield their secrets from an unseen inspector who digs relentlessly for the truth. In a secluded mountain retreat, six ambitious women come together to write their masterpieces but switch to alibis when brilliant young Kenna meets a mysterious demise. As they struggle to shield their secrets, a relentless inspector digs for the truth. Everyone is lying - Kenna’s lover Mandy, rival Fern, would-be bestie Lynette…even the kindly cabbie who saw her last. In a race against time to unmask the killer, each must confront their deepest desires and wrestle with the bonds of love, art and community.

Deserted

Written by Melanie Coffey

Directed by Co-Artistic Director Dusty Brown

Performance schedule: Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

Jodie and Emma are the lucky winners of the Project's Soil competition, where they receive a truckload of soil and are to garden it with prairie grasses, native flowers and the vegetables of their choosing. But their well is drying up, the Neighbor keeps sneaking over and eating the soil and the couple is becoming less and less the good team they thought they were. Putting roots down in desertified land is never easy.

Following

Written by Ben F. Locke

Directed by Devin Christor

Performance schedule: Wednesday, Dec. 19 at 8 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 10 a.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

Darnell is an up and coming app designer. His popularity attracts a lot of fame and attention. It all seems great until he finds out that he's being stalked. Can Darnell solve the mystery before it's too late? Following explores what exactly it means to be an ally. Do we do what we do because it's the right thing to do or do we all have our own selfish motives that dictate what we deem as what's right and wrong?

Strange Fruit

Written by Brandon Wright

Directed by Rashaad A. Bond

Performance schedule: Friday, Dec. 20 at 10 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 22 at 11 a.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

In quiet suburbia, a group of five come across the body of a black boy hanging from a tree. They take it upon themselves to figure out whodunit, but as they explore the nature of this violent hate crime true secrets start to become uncovered within themselves.

Short Changed

Written by Jordan Gleaves

Directed by Aja Singetary

Performance schedule: Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 21 at 10 p.m.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Can

Stan is homeless in the West End neighborhood of Atlanta and estranged from his brother. To make matters worse, Stan is about to lose his beloved “Mother,” Friendship Baptist Church, which is to be demolished and replaced by a new football stadium for the Atlanta Falcons. In the midst of the neighborhood’s rapid gentrification, Richard returns into Stan’s life with hopes of helping his younger brother get a leg up out of homelessness and avoid displacement. First, however, they must work to amend their relationship and work past moral differences. Is reconciliation possible and how much will it matter when the community around the brothers is changing with or without their participation?

Stage managers for Twisted Playfest are Marisa Langston (she/her), Eliot Colin (they/them/he/him) and Charlie Levinson (they/them/she/her).

Productions, participants and dates are subject to change.

ABOUT REDTWIST THEATRE RENOVATIONS

Redtwist partnered with the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development to build back better following the COVID quarantine. Redtwist was selected as a finalist for a 3-to-1 matching grant from the City of Chicago, which provided up to $250,000 in funding to renovate its performance space, lobby and street frontage.

These renovations mean a fresh face for Redtwist’s corner of Bryn Mawr, drawing in audiences from across the city and bringing new life to a Historic District that has been devastated by COVID-19. On the Western side of the building, the lobby was reimagined; increasing accessibility and installing a new cafe to provide concessions for all Redtwist shows. Finally, it means a revived performance space with added production capabilities, which will allow the Company to continue creating thrilling performances in its intimate black box space.
 

ABOUT REDTWIST THEATRE

Redtwist, now celebrating its 20th anniversary, is an award-winning theatre company that stages up close and personal contemporary dramas annually in its intimate black box theatre housed proudly within the heart of Edgewater’s Bryn Mawr Historic District.

Intimate performances at Redtwist are designed to place the theatre patron in the midst of the stories being told, making them accessible and riveting. Redtwist strives for excellence with every project and endeavors to take risks while offering opportunities for up-and-coming actors, designers and directors to work with established talent. Redtwist provides the very best Chicago storefront theatre experience from excellence on stage, to warm hospitality in a clean, friendly environment.

Full Casting Announced for Steppenwolf Theatre's World Premiere of LEROY AND LUCY October 24 – December 15, 2024

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Full Casting Announced for

Steppenwolf Theatre's World Premiere of 

LEROY AND LUCY

By Ngozi Anyanwu

Directed by Awoye Timpo

Featuring ensemble member Jon Michael Hill with Brittany Bradford

October 24 – December 15, 2024

in Steppenwolf’s in-the-round Ensemble Theater 

The cast of Steppenwolf Theatre’s world premiere of "Leroy and Lucy" includes (l to r) ensemble member Jon Michael Hill with Brittany Bradford.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the nation’s premier ensemble theater company, is pleased to present the second production of its 49th season: Ngozi Anyanwu’s world premiere of Leroy and Lucy, a bluesy and seductive play with music, directed by Awoye Timpo, playing October 24 – December 15, 2024 in Steppenwolf’s in-the-round Ensemble Theater in Honor of Helen Zell, 1646 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Classic Memberships are on sale for Steppenwolf’s 2024/25 season at steppenwolf.org/myseason through September 30, 2024. Single tickets for Leroy and Lucy starting at $20 are now on sale at steppenwolf.org or the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. 

Tony Award-nominated ensemble member Jon Michael Hill (Elementary, Pass Over) returns following his critically acclaimed performance in Steppenwolf’s world premiere of Purpose, joined by Obie Award-winning stage actor Brittany Bradford, also known for her TV roles in Julia, The Watcher and Dead Ringers.

Two lost souls meet at a crossroads, in the dead of night, deep in the Mississippi of it all. With a yearning guitar between them, they tell secrets and conjure a sound once forgotten – a tune pitched with Leroy’s longing and the sweet purr of Lucy’s desires. In this sultry world premiere, the Delta Blues fill the air, the future lies just down the road and we are everywhere and nowhere all at once. 

The creative team includes Andrew Boyce (Scenic Design), Yvonne Miranda (Costume Design), Heather Gilbert (Lighting Design), Connor Wang (Sound Design), Jeremy Jones (Music Director & Composer), Adesola Osakalumi (Choreographer & Cultural Consultant), Arminda Thomas (Dramaturg), Patrick Zakem (Creative Producer), Elise Hausken (Production Manager), JC Clementz, CSA (Casting), Michelle Medvin (Production Stage Manager) and Jaclynn Joslin (Assistant Stage Manager). For full cast and creative team bios, click here.

Production Details:

Location: Steppenwolf’s Ensemble Theater in Honor of Helen Zell, 1646 N. Halsted St., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, October 24 – Saturday, November 2, 2024

Regular run: Tuesday, November 5 – Sunday, December 15, 2024

Curtain Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 3 pm & 7:30 pm; and Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not 7:30 pm performances on Tuesday, October 29, Wednesday, November 6, Tuesday, November 12, Wednesday, November 13, Thursday, November 14, Tuesday, November 19, Wednesday, November 20, Thursday, November 21, Thursday, November 28 and Tuesday, December 10; there will be an added 2 pm matinee on Wednesday, November 27.

Tickets: Classic Memberships are on sale for Steppenwolf’s 2024/25 season at steppenwolf.org/myseason through September 30, 2024. Single tickets for Leroy and Lucy ($20 - $92) are now on sale at steppenwolf.org and the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. Steppenwolf Flex Memberships are also currently on sale: Black Card Memberships with six tickets for use any time for any production and RED Card Memberships for theatergoers under 30.

Education and Engagement:

Throughout the 2024/25 season, Steppenwolf continues its commitment to the next generation of theatre learners, makers and appreciators with robust education and engagement programming. Programming includes dedicated student matinee performances during four of the five Membership Series productions including Noises Off, Leroy and Lucy, Fool for Love and The Book of Grace, in-school residencies in partnership with Chicago Public schools, workshops, panels and events specifically geared towards teens, as well as professional development trainings and resources for educators. Additionally, Steppenwolf is reimagining their community engagement and will pilot new public programming, continue accessibility programming and offer opportunities for deeper explorations for audiences throughout the season. For additional information about Steppenwolf’s Education and Engagement programming and to register your school for a field trip visit steppenwolf.org/education.

Accessible Performance Dates:

Audio-described and touch tour: Sunday, November 24 at 3 pm (1:30 pm Touch Tour)

Open-captioned: Saturday, November 23 at 3 pm & Thursday, December 5 at 7:30 pm

ASL-interpreted: public performance: Friday, December 6 at 7:30 pm

Artist Biographies:

Brittany Bradford (Lucy) Broadway: Bernhardt/Hamlet. Off-Broadway: The Comeuppance (Obie Award, Signature Theater), Wedding Band (Obie Award, TFANA), Fefu and Her Friends (TFANA), Mac Beth (Hunter Theatre Project), Merrily We Roll Along (Roundabout/Fiasco Theater), TV: Julia (HBO Max), The Watcher (Netflix), The Gilded Age (HBO Max), Dead Ringers (Amazon), Fire Country (CBS), Fear the Walking Dead (AMC), New Amsterdam (NBC). Film: The Same Storm (dir. Peter Hedges). Classix member and HomeBase Theater Collective co-founder. Training: Juilliard.

Jon Michael Hill (Leroy) joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 2007. Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Purpose, True West, Pass Over, Constellations, Head of Passes, The Hot L Baltimore, The Tempest, Kafka on the Shore, The Unmentionables. Broadway: Superior Donuts, Pass Over. Off-Broadway: The Refuge Plays (New York Theatre Workshop) Pass Over (Lincoln Center). Film: Pass Over, Widows, In the Radiant City, No Pay, Nudity. Television: Upcoming: A Man in Full (Netflix), Elementary (CBS), Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC), Eastbound & Down (HBO), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC) and Person of Interest (CBS).

Ngozi Anyanwu (Playwright) is a playwright, storyteller, and most recently a 2020 Steinberg Playwright Award winner. Her newest play, Last of the Love Letters, premiered at the Atlantic theater fall 2021. Previous productions include Good Grief (Vineyard Theatre in NYC / Center Theatre Group in LA) and The Homecoming Queen (sold-out world premiere run at the Atlantic Theatre). Good Grief was on the Kilroys List 2016 and a semi finalist for the Princess Grace Award, and won the Humanitas Award. The Homecoming Queen was on the Kilroys List 2017 and was a Leah Ryan Finalist. Her play Nike… (Kilroys List 2017) was workshopped at The New Black Fest in conjunction with The Lark and The Strand Festival in conjunction with A.C.T and Space on Ryder Farm. Ngozi also has commissions with NYU, The Old Globe, Two Rivers Theatre, The Atlantic Theatre and Steppenwolf. Anyanwu has also received residencies from LCT3, Space on Ryder Farm, the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, The New Harmony Project, New York Stage and Film and Page 73. She attended Point Park University (BA) and received her MFA in Acting from University of California, San Diego.

Awoye Timpo (Director) is a Brooklyn-based director and producer. Her recent New York credits include Elyria by Deepa Purohit (Atlantic Theater), Wedding Band by Alice Childress (Theatre for a New Audience), In Old Age by Mfoniso Udofia (New York Theatre Workshop), The Loophole by Jay Adana and Zeniba Britt (Public Theater), Carnaval by Nikkole Salter (National Black Theatre), Good Grief by Ngozi Anyanwu (Vineyard Theatre and Audible) and The Homecoming Queen by Ngozi Anyanwu (Atlantic Theater Company). Regionally she has directed The Bluest Eye (Huntington), Pipeline (Studio Theatre), Paradise Blue (Long Wharf), Everybody Black (Actors Theatre of Louisville), School Girls (Berkeley Rep), Jazz (Marin Theatre Company). Other projects include concert performances for independent artists as well as for the NBA, Ndebele Funeral (59E59, Edinburgh, South African Tour), “Black Picture Show” (Artists Space/Metrograph) and Bluebird Memories (Audible). Awoye is a Creative Arts Consultant for the African American Policy Forum and the Founding Producer of CLASSIX, theclassix.org.

Accessibility

As a commitment to make the Steppenwolf experience accessible to everyone, performances featuring American Sign Language Interpretation, Open Captioning and Audio Description are offered during the run of each STC production (see dates above). Assistive listening devices and large-print programs are available for every performance and all our spaces are equipped with an induction hearing loop. Our building features wheelchair accessible seating and restrooms, push-button entrances, a courtesy wheelchair and all-gender restrooms, with accessible counter and table spaces at our bars. For additional information regarding accessibility, visit steppenwolf.org/access or e-mail access@steppenwolf.org.

Sponsor Information

Leroy and Lucy is supported in part by Conagra Brands Foundation. United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf is also grateful for the significant season support from lead sponsors Allstate Insurance Company, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, Caroline and Keating Crown, Good Chaos, Joyce Foundation, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Ron and Paula Mallicoat, Northern Trust, Anne and Don Phillips, John Hart and Carol Prins, Robert Rivkin and Cindy Moelis, Shubert Foundation, Inc, Walder Foundation, and Zell Family Foundation. Steppenwolf also acknowledges generous support from premier sponsors Anonymous, ArentFox Schiff, Andrew and Amy Bluhm, Michael and Cathy Brennan, Ann and Richard Carr, Chicago Community Trust, Conagra Brands Foundation, Steven and Nancy Crown, CRC Group, Rich and Margery Feitler, Julius Frankel Foundation, FROST CHICAGO, Goldman Sachs, Shmaila Tahir and Asheesh Goel, Bob and Amy Greenebaum, Kirkland & Ellis, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Christopher and Eileen Murphy, The Orlebeke Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Bryan Traubert and Penny Pritzker, Sacks Family Foundation, Smart Family Foundation of Illinois, Gary Sinise Foundation, Elliot A. Stultz, and Vinci Restaurant. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. This project is partially supported by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.  

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation’s premiere Ensemble Theater with 49 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions — from Balm in Gilead and Grapes of Wrath to August: Osage County, Downstate and The Brother/Sister Plays — have made this theatre legendary. Founded in 1976, Steppenwolf started as a group of teens performing in the basement of a church. Today, the company's artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theatre, whose vitality is defined by its appetite for bold and innovative work. Every aspect of Steppenwolf is rooted in its Ensemble ethos, from the intergenerational artistic programming to the multi-genre performance series LookOut, to the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education and Engagement which serves nearly 15,000 teens annually. While grounded in the Chicago community, more than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Steppenwolf also holds accolades that include the National Medal of Arts, 12 Tony Awards, and more. Led by Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, Executive Director Brooke Flanagan and Board of Trustees Chair, Keating Crown — Steppenwolf continually redefines the landscape of acting and performance.

Steppenwolf’s Mission: Steppenwolf strives to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. We succeed when we disrupt your routine with experiences that spark curiosity, empathy and joy. We invite you to join our ensemble as we navigate, together, our complex world. steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

Lookingglass Theatre Company Announces Tickets on Sale Now for the World Premiere of VILLETTE February 8 – April 23, 2023

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Lookingglass Theatre Company Announces Tickets on Sale Now  

for the World Premiere of 

VILLETTE  

Written by Artistic Associate Sara Gmitter 

From the Book by Charlotte Brontë, 

Directed by Ensemble Member Tracy Walsh 

 

Lookingglass Theatre Company announces tickets are on sale now for the World Premiere of Villette by Sara Gmitter. Adapted from the Charlotte Brontë novel, Villette is a deeply surprising story featuring Brontë’s most modern of heroines: a love story, a ghost story, and an adventurous odyssey, revealing and unraveling life’s mysteries. Directed by Ensemble Member Tracy Walsh, Villette runs February 8 – April 23, 2023, at Lookingglass Theatre located in the Water Tower Water Works building, 821 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611. 

“This is a story about the triumph of spirit,” says writer and Lookingglass Artistic Associate Sara Gmitter. “Villette is a gift to everyone who has ever felt misunderstood.” Artistic Director and Ensemble Member Heidi Stillman conveys that Lookingglass has been eager to produce this World Premiere since 2020. “We know how much this funny, exciting, moving and complex journey will resonate with audiences,” she says. “The show is an indelible and thoroughly unusual heroine, and one we don’t often see in stories: a shy and ‘plain’ woman, overlooked by most, living in the shadows. Yet, her inner life is vibrant and full of fire. It will be impossible for the audience not to fall in love with the clear-eyed, wry and soulful Lucy Snow.” 

You’ve never met a heroine like Lucy Snow. Suddenly bereft of family, friends, and funds, young Lucy journeys unaccompanied to an unfamiliar land armed only with determination, a fiercely dry sense of humor, and her prodigious brain. She soon finds herself entangled in romance and intrigue, as a vain debutante, quarrelsome teacher, and mysterious ghost draw her into a complicated maze. Will tenacious Lucy, and her wry wit, emerge intact? 

Ensemble Member Tracy Walsh directs Artistic Associate Sara Gmitter’s riveting adaptation of this novel by the author of Jane Eyre.  

Get tickets 

Online: https://lookingglasstheatre.org/event/villette-2022/ 

Phone: (312) 337-0665 

In Person: 165 E Pearson, Chicago, IL 60611  

The box office is open (phone and in-person) Tuesday-Friday, 12PM-6PM. 

In Charlotte Brontë’s Villette, the determined Lucy Snow travels alone to an unfamiliar land, encountering one ambitious debutante, one very cranky teacher, and at least one mysterious ghost along the way – can her wry humor and generous soul remain intact? Ensemble Member Tracy Walsh directs Artistic Associate Sara Gmitter’s riveting adaptation of this novel by the author of Jane Eyre. 

Villette Performance Schedule 

Previews  

February 8 – 17, 2023 

Wednesdays – Saturdays 7:30PM 

Sunday 2PM 

 

Regular Run 

February 18 – April 23, 2023 

Tuesdays 7PM 

Wednesdays 7PM 

Thursdays 2PM & 7PM 

Fridays 7PM 

Saturdays 2PM & 7PM 

Sundays 2PM 

 

Please see the performance calendar on the website for full calendar and details. 

Get tickets: https://lookingglasstheatre.org/event/villette-2022/ 

About the Artists 

Sara Gmitter (she/her/hers) (Writer; Lookingglass Artistic Associate) is a longtime Artistic Associate with Lookingglass Theatre. She began her career at Lookingglass as an Assistant Stage Manager for The Idiot. She subsequently stage managed 42 productions and workshops for the company including multiple iterations of Lookingglass Alice. She counts 20 world premieres among the shows she helped to shepherd from first rehearsal to closing night. She has also served the company as a teaching artist, writer, and director for the Lookingglass Young Ensemble (Waging Peace, Mending the Peace). In 2014 she made her main stage debut as a playwright with In the Garden: A Darwinian Love Story (Jeff Award Nomination for Best New Work). Previous playwriting credits include: Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy (New Suit Theatre Company), co-written with Jason Burkett, adapted from the film by Dr. Randy Olson; and A Long Fatal Love Chase (Powerhouse Theatre Company) adapted from the novel by Louisa May Alcott. Her short story, Harold has been heard on WBEZ’s Stories On. 

She earned a B.A. in Theatre from the College of William and Mary and an M.A. in Peace Education from the UN mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica. She currently serves as Program Assistant for Girls Inc. of Santa Fe and is also the co-clerk of the American Friends Service Committee’s Nobel Peace Prize Nominating Task Group. Sara is the recipient of the Adrienne Shelly Foundation Inaugural Playwrights Award.  

Tracy Walsh (she/her/hers) (Director; Lookingglass Ensemble Member) is an Ensemble Member of Lookingglass Theatre Company where she has choreographed, appeared in and directed many productions including: The Old Curiosity Shop (Director), Acts of God, Blood Wedding, Around the World in 80 Days (Choreography), and The North China Lover (Actor/choreographer). Most recently, she choreographed dances for all productions of The Steadfast Tin Soldier and appeared in Her Honor Jane Byrne (Lookingglass). She was Movement Consultant for The Notebooks of Leonardo DaVinci (Goodman Theatre/Shakespeare Theatre Company) and was also an original cast member (Goodman Theatre/Seattle Repertory Theatre/Lincoln Center). She choreographed and appeared in Electra and Iphigenia in Aulis (Court Theatre/The Getty Villa) and choreographed Agamemnon (Court Theatre). She choreographed Don Giovanni and The Jewel Box (Chicago Opera Theatre) and directed, adapted & choreographed the recorded, live, original show All Wigged Out featuring musicians Marcy Marxer and Cathy Fink. 

Become A gglasspass Member 

See yourself here, Chicago. In the Lookingglass.  

A partnership with one of this city’s leading Black theatre companies. A homegrown holiday hearth warmer. Two original CHI-made works each featuring unconventional central characters. A twirl around five extraordinary homespun districts (from Englewood to Edgewater to Avalon Park and more). And a transcendent summer sunset ritual that draws us all back waterside.   

Distinct. Unique. Reflecting is our function.   

Become a member and come see yourself at Lookingglass. 

The 3-play package includes the beloved holiday tradition, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and two World Premiere productions, Villette and Lucy and Charlie’s Honeymoon. The 2-play package includes both World Premiere productions. Members also get the best seats at the best prices, and enjoy a bounty of benefits including priority seating, no ticket fees, unlimited ticket exchanges, savings when purchasing additional tickets for friends or family, a discount at our online store, and more!  

Visit lookingglasstheatre.org/flex-passes to learn how to book your 2022-23 membership! 

Thank You to Our Season Sponsors  

Allstate Insurance Company 

BMO  

Hearn  

HMS Media  

Shirley Ryan Ability Lab  

Waldorf Astoria Chicago  

 

Thank you to our Villette Sponsor 

The National Endowment for the Arts 

 

Become A Scene Maker 

Inside our 190-seat storycastle we work tirelessly to produce unique theatre that leaves YOU changed, charged, and empowered. Theatre making takes meticulous attention to detail and years of work, often unseen. We could not take that initial spark of an idea to the wonder we finally see on stage without you. While you might not be IN the room, you too are an artist and vital to the process. Through your support you play YOUR role in shaping a flourishing, arts-driven tomorrow. Become a Scene Maker, today. 

Become a Scene Maker and support Lookingglass at lookingglasstheatre.org/scene-maker 

 

About Health and Safety  

The health and safety of our audiences, artists, and staff are a top priority and we have invested our resources accordingly. As guidelines are constantly evolving, all policies are subject to change.  

As of September 1, 2022, Lookingglass Theatre Company will no longer require audiences to provide proof of vaccination.  

Facial coverings are currently recommended, but not required. 

We encourage you to confirm our current protocols prior to your visit to the theatre. Please refer to the health and safety page for more information about our current policies and safety measures regarding COVID-19. 

 

About Accessibility 

Lookingglass Theatre offers ground floor seats for all patrons who use a wheelchair or a scooter, or patrons who cannot walk stairs. Assisted listening devices are available at the patron's request. Dates for shows for hearing and visually impaired audiences to be announced. 

 

Groups of Ten or More 

Bring a group to Lookingglass and save up to 25% off regular ticket prices. 

A trip to Lookingglass is the perfect outing for your school group, office, in-town visit, retirement community, social group, book club, scout troop, religious group, or alumni organization! To book a group, email groups@lookingglasstheatre.org. 

For more information, visit lookingglasstheatre.org/groups. 

About Lookingglass Theatre Company   

Inventive. Collaborative. Transformative. Lookingglass Theatre Company, recipient of the 2011 Regional Theatre Tony Award, was founded in 1988 by eight Northwestern University students. Now in its 35th Season, Lookingglass is home to a multi-disciplined ensemble of artists who create story-centered theatrical work that is physical, aurally rich and visually metaphoric. The Company, located in Chicago’s landmark Water Tower Water Works, has staged 70 world premieres, received 161 Joseph Jefferson Award Nominations, and produced work all across the United States. In 2016, Lookingglass received the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions and in 2017, was the recipient of the League of Chicago Theatres’ Artistic Achievement Award.    

Lookingglass continues to expand its artistic, financial, and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Artistic Director Heidi Stillman, Executive Director Rachel L. Fink, a 29-member artistic ensemble, 22 artistic associates, an administrative staff, and a dedicated board of directors led by Chair Diane Whatton.   

For more information, visit lookingglasstheatre.org.     

Engage with us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. #LookingglassTheatre 

In Charlotte Brontë’s Villette, the determined Lucy Snow travels away from home to an unfamiliar land, her solitary journey full of romance and intrigue. Will her wry wit and generous spirit emerge intact? 

Previews  

February 8 – 17, 2023 

 

Regular Run 

February 19 – April 23, 2023 

Tuesdays 7PM 

Wednesdays 7PM 

Thursdays 1:30PM & 7PM 

Fridays 7PM 

Saturdays 2PM & 7PM 

Sundays 2PM 

Tickets start at $45. Please see the performance calendar on the website for full calendar and details. Get tickets: https://lookingglasstheatre.org/event/villette-2022/ 

FREE THEATRE: Goodman Theatre’s 18th annual New Stages Festival On Stage Now Through December 18, 2022

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

18TH ANNUAL NEW STAGES FESTIVAL 

IS UNDERWAY, CONTINUES THROUGH DECEMBER 18th  

FREE OF CHARGE WITH RSVP

Goodman Theatre’s 18th annual New Stages Festival, a celebration of innovative new work offered entirely free of charge and curated by Director of New Works Jonathan L. Green, is on stage now. Two fully staged developmental productions include This Happened Once at the Romance Depot off the I-87 in Westchester by Gina Femia, directed by Kimberly Senior and Rust by Nancy García Loza, directed by Laura Alcalá Baker.

In addition, four script-in-hand staged readings are presented during the last weekend of the festival, December 18-19: White Monkey by Charlie Oh, directed by Eric Ting (Saturday, December 17 at 10:30am); Fever Dreams (of Animals on the Verge of Extinction) by Jeffrey Lieber (co-creator of TV’s Lost), directed by Susan V. Booth (Saturday, December 17 at 2pm); Modern Women by Omer Abbas Salem, directed by Lavina Jadhwani (Sunday, December 18 at 10:30am); and What Will Happen to All That Beauty? by Donja R. Love, directed by Malika Oyetimein (Sunday, December 18 at 1:30pm). 

The New Stages Festival appears through December 18 in the 350-seat Owen Theatre; free tickets (reservations required) are available at GoodmanTheatre.org/NewStages or by phone at 312.443.3800 (12noon – 5pm, daily).

More than 100 plays have appeared in the New Stages Festival since its inception in 2004, the majority of which have gone on to premiere at the Goodman and its peer theaters across the country. Each year, the Festival’s final weekend draws national theater industry professionals to Chicago for the opportunity to view all of the plays.

The New Stages Festival is made possible by The Joyce Foundation, which provides Major Support for Diverse Artistic and Professional Development, and BMO is the Next Generation Artists Sponsor. The Goodman is grateful for the generosity of its New Work sponsors, including: Pritzker Pucker Family Foundation and the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Major Support of New Work; Ruth D. and Ken M. Davee New Works Fund, Major Support of New Play Development; The Glasser and Rosenthal Family, Mayer Brown LLP, and Shaw Family Supporting Organization, Support of New Work.

ABOUT ROMANCE DEPOT AND RUST

The cast for Gina Femia’s This Happened Once at the Romance Depot off the I-87 in Westchester, directed by Kimberly Senior, includes Satya Chávez (Janice/Amy), Sandra Delgado (Beth), Raymond Fox (Tom/Walt) and Eric Slater (Kevin). Kevin’s days are full of monotony, selling bondage gear and sex toys to ordinary customers.  But when schoolteacher Beth blows into Kevin's store in desperate search of a vibrator, it sparks an unlikely relationship that forces them both to confront what they think they know about love, romance and sex. Revealing that nothing, and no one, are what they seem, Gina Femia’s hilarious and intimate new play asks us to re-examine ourselves, our fears and our dreams. 

The cast for Nancy García Loza’s Rust, directed by Laura Alcalá Baker, includes Eduardo Xavier Curley-Carrillo (Fer), Arash Fakhrabadi (Papi), Molly Hernández (Yo), René L. Moreno (Abuelo), Daniella Pereira (Mami), Brandon Rivera (Pablo) and Jocelyn Zamudio (Güera). Güera, a young pocha, is trying very hard to be a perfect Mexican daughter and contain her glaring imperfections. The hot Chicago summer has her climbing trees, fighting with her brothers, and melting like a paleta under her parents’ searing gaze. Suddenly, when Abuelo moves in, Güera begins to wonder if she really has to be perfect at all. Why be perfect when you can be free? 

The design teams include Kevin Depinet (Original Set Design), Ryan Emens (Sets), Evelyn Danner (Costumes for Romance Depot) and Uriel Gomez (Costumes for Rust), Heather Gilbert (Lights), Stephanie Farina (Sound for Romance Depot and Co-Sound Design for Rust), Mike Przygoda (Composition for Rust) and Claudette Przygoda (Co-Sound Design for Rust).

ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE

Chicago’s theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit arts and community organization in the heart of the Loop, distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and community engagement. The theater’s artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics. Artists and productions have earner two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and more than 160 Jeff Awards, among other accolades. The Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” Its longtime annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, now in its fifth decade, has created a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production and program partner with national and international companies and Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters.

Using the tools of the theatrical profession, the Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand the cultures and stories of diverse voices. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of these programs, which are offered free of charge for Chicago youth—85% of whom come from underserved communities—schools and life-long learners.

As a cultural and community organization invested in quality, diversity and community, Goodman Theatre is committed to using the art of theater for a better Chicago. Goodman Theatre’s Action Plan for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism and Access (IDEAA) was born out of the belief that progress means action, which includes building on the decades-long commitment to using art, assets and resources to contribute to a more just, equitable and anti-racist society.

Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family’s legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth’s family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation on the new Goodman center in 2000.

Today, Goodman Theatre is led by Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director/CEO Roche Schulfer. Jeff Hesse is Chairman of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Fran Del Boca is Women’s Board President and Craig McCaw is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.