THE CURIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOUIS LE PRINCE VIA THE FACTORY THEATER JUNE 6 - JULY 19, 2025

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

THE FACTORY THEATER ANNOUNCES

THE CURIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES OF 

LOUIS LE PRINCE

JUNE 6 - JULY 19

 WRITTEN BY CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER CHASE WHEATON-WERLE

AND DIRECTED BY BECCA HOLLOWAY

This Courtroom Drama Inspired by Real Events is the Final Production of 

The Factory’s 30th Season

The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St., is proud to announce the final production of their 30th season, The Curious Circumstances of Louis Le Prince, written by Factory Chief Operations Officer Chase Wheaton-Werle and directed by Becca Holloway, June 6 - July 19. Previews for The Curious Circumstances of Louis Le Prince are Friday, June 6, Saturday, June 7 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, June 8 at 3 p.m. The press opening is Friday, June 13 at 8 p.m. The regular performance schedule includes Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. There will be additional Thursday performances July 10 and 17 at 8 p.m. An accessibility performance is Sunday, June  29 at 3 p.m. and an understudy performance is Sunday, July 6 at 3 p.m. The Curious Circumstances of Louis Le Prince has an approximate runtime of one hour and thirty minutes. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased at the door or by visiting TheFactoryTheater.com.

On September 16, 1890, inventor Louis Le Prince boarded a train bound for Paris, in preparation for a visit to the United States to demonstrate his single-lens motion picture camera. He never reached his destination. Seven years later, it falls to his widow and son to investigate his disappearance and fight for his legacy in this amazing story based on true events.

Based on the true unsolved mystery of Louis Le Prince, this play follows Lizzie and Adolphe Le Prince as they track the inventor’s last known whereabouts and cross the Atlantic to a New York courtroom for a confrontation with legendary inventor Thomas Edison.

Half Victorian-era mystery, half courtroom drama, The Curious Circumstances of Louis Le Prince explores how we struggle with unresolved tragedies, and how we remember (or don’t remember) the people in our history.

Top Row (left to right): Ethan Smith (Adolphe), Aimee Kleiman (Lizzie), Patrick Blashill (Edison/Seward), Joe Sergio (Louis/Albert),

Middle Row (left to right): Joel Ottenheimer (John/Page), Ksa Curry (Dickson/Higginbotham/Longley), Andrew Bosworth (Mason/Dougan/Tate), Alex Albrecht (Richard/Dyer/Morgan),

Bottom Row (left to right) Joseph Antonio (Adolphe U/S), Jill Smethells Frederickson (Lizzie U/S), Anthony Augustine (Louis/Albert/Seward/Edison U/S), Natalie Opoku (Page/Mason/Tate/Wilson/Dyer U/S) 

The Curious Circumstances of Louis Le Prince cast includes Ethan Smith (Adolph Le Prince); Aimee Kleiman (Lizzie Le Prince); Patrick Blashill (Clarence Seward/Thomas Edison); Joe Sergio (Louis Le Prince/Albert Le Prince); Joel Ottenheimer (Parker Page track); Ksa Curry (William Dickson track); Andrew Bosworth (Fred Mason/Mr. Tate track); Alex Albrecht (Richard Wilson/Richard Dyer track); Joseph Antonio (US Adolphe); Jill Frederickson~ (US Lizzie and Dickson); Anthony Augustine (US Louis/Albert & Seward/Edison) and Natalie Opoku (US Page, Mason/Tate & Wilson/Dyer).

The Curious Circumstances of Louis Le Prince creative team includes Chase Wheaton-Werle~ (playwright); Becca Holloway (director); Christine Watt (assistant director); Miranda Hernandez (production manager); Aidan Leake (stage manager); Hayley Wallenfeldt (set designer/charge); Victoria Jablonski (costume designer); Rachel Livingston (props designer); Jack Goodman (lighting designer); Henry Bender* (master electrician); Sebby Woldt (sound designer); David Sajewich (projections designer) and Andersonville Scenic (technical director/master carpenter).

∽ denotes Factory Ensemble; * denotes Artistic Associate  

ABOUT CHASE WHEATON-WERLE, playwright

Chase Wheaton-Werle is a proud member of The Factory Theater ensemble as well as its Chief Operations Officer. His mainstage Factory credits include Prophet$, Last Night in Karaoke Town, The Kelly Girls and Die Hard 4 Your Luv.  Most recently you may have seen Wheaton-Werle’s writing with the Jeff-nominated Factory show Wise Guys: The First Christmas Story. He is represented by Big Mouth Talent Agency.

ABOUT BECCA HOLLOWAY, director

Becca Holloway is an emeritus member of the Factory ensemble and a director and casting director around the city. Previous Factory credits include Die Hard 4 Your Luv (2024; director), Wide Guys: The First Christmas Story (2023; director), Last Night in Karaoke Town (2020/2022; AD/music director/choreographer), The Hamilton Beach 420 Special (The 2021 Factory Holiday Show; director), The Factory Zone (2019; actor) and Prophet$! (2019; AD/choreographer). She is also a proud company member of Red Theater where she is also the resident casting director. Halloway has been lucky enough to work on the directing teams of companies including Hell in a Handbag, Broken Nose Theater, Oil Lamp Theater, Theatre Evolve, The Comrades, Refuge Theatre and many others. On a personal note, she and Chase Wheaton-Werle are married and partners in life and art.

ABOUT THE FACTORY THEATER

Since 1992, The Factory Theater has delivered unexpected, unapologetic theatrical experiences through original works, forged and assembled by our shameless ensemble.

The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St., is proud to announce the final production of their 30th season, The Curious Circumstances of Louis Le Prince, written by Factory Chief Operations Officer Chase Wheaton-Werle and directed by Becca Holloway, June 6 - July 19. Previews for The Curious Circumstances of Louis Le Prince are Friday, June 6, Saturday, June 7 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, June 8 at 3 p.m. The press opening is Friday, June 13 at 8 p.m. The regular performance schedule includes Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. There will be additional Thursday performances July 10 and 17 at 8 p.m. An accessibility performance is Sunday, June  29 at 3 p.m. and an understudy performance is Sunday, July 6 at 3 p.m. The Curious Circumstances of Louis Le Prince has an approximate runtime of one hour and thirty minutes. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased at the door or by visiting TheFactoryTheater.com.

REVIEW: Goodman's World Premiere of BUST Is a Boom; Now Playing Through May 18, 2025

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

World Premiere of 

BUST 

BY PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST ZORA HOWARD 

co-produced with Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre 

Now Playing Through May 18, 2025

(L-R) Renika Williams-Blutcher, Raymond Anthony Thomas, Ivan Cecil Walks, Caroline Clay, Bernard Gilbert and Victoria Omoregie. Credit HugoHentoff

REVIEW

By Bonnie Kenaz-Mara

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we were so excited to catch opening night of the world premiere production of BUST at Goodman Theatre. In our current real life dystopia, black and brown people are increasingly unjustly arrested, attacked, and literally disappeared. This visually stunning show flips the script and makes disappearing a superpower, not a victimization, but at what cost to friends and family? Now that racism in the US no longer hides beneath a hood, BUST is more than timely. 

(L-R) Cecil Blutcher, Victoria Omoregie, Bernard Gilbert and Ivan Cecil Walks. Credit: JustinBarbin

It's not what you think: 

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word bust? Boobs... a takedown by the cops... a downturn in the economy? This BUST is a boom... a sudden increase. An increase in frequency or popularity. Without giving too many spoilers, this BUST is about busting past rage to a safe alternate reality. It's about busting open the very fabric of reality. It's a movement that starts as an accident and accelerates to intention, involving escalating numbers of people.

In an era where our government is actively trying to disappear DEI, black history, thought provoking social commentary, and the work of smart women, this laugh-out-loud new drama is an endangered species. We're thrilled to see a show with a plethora of juicy parts for black men and women who aren't just criminals, victims, period piece slaves, or dealing exclusively with racist trauma. This production is both written and directed by black women. The mere existence of BUST is subversive as hell, and we're here for it. 

(L-R) Raymond Anthony Thomas, Caroline Clay and Cecil Blutcher. Credit: JustinBarbin 

The heavy subject matter, focusing on the experiences of African Americans in the United States, includes themes of rage, police brutality, and institutionalized racism, but there's plenty of humor and playful fun to provide levity. They don't call it comic relief for nothin', and Zora Howard gets the balance right. Her characters and scenes are both comedic and suspenseful, providing both a hilarious, highly entertaining show, and a piece that will get under your skin and make you think.

(L-R) Mark Bedard and Jorge Luna. Credit: HugoHentoff

Howard is not only an award winning writer, director, and actor. This Harlem born and raised powerhouse is birthing a whole new genre of work she calls "Afrocurrentist". This new form of theater is both African American and relevant to contemporary issues. 

(L-R) Cecil Blutcher and Keith Randolph Smith. Credit:JustinBarbin

Special shout out to the excellent set design, sound design, and lighting. They made the time/space travel and new world building a wonder, and a delight to experience. This world premiere production had a pre-Goodman run with the same cast at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre, which may seem like it would be a simple transition to a new space. However, the stage dimensions, sight lines, and mechanics between the locations were quite different, so all those elements had to be reworked and changed for the Goodman run. Actors had to relearn new lighting cues, and the technical elements of the complicated visuals and set changes had to be redesigned. I'm still in awe of all the people on and off stage who collaborate and bring their own areas of creative expertise into play, in the service of storytelling. 

Proud mom moment: My son’s on run crew, helping make the magic happen, as he was for Goodman's Christmas Carol this past season. Kudos to the entire cast and crew for bringing this thought provoking piece to life, and to Lileana Blain-Cruz for expert directing. BUST is excellent storytelling, perfect for turbulent times. Don't miss this! Recommended. ★★★ Three out of four stars.

Bonnie is a Chicago based writer, theatre critic, photographer, artist, and Mama to 2 amazing adults. She owns two websites where she publishes frequently: ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) & ChiILMama.com (family friendly).

**LILEANA BLAIN-CRUZ'S CAST FEATURES MARK BEDARD, CECIL BLUTCHER, CAROLINE CLAY, BERNARD GILBERT, CAITLIN HARGRAVES, JORGE LUNA, VICTORIA OMOREGIE, KEITH RANDOLPH SMITH, RAYMOND ANTHONY THOMAS, IVAN CECIL WALKS AND RENIKA WILLIAMS-BLUTCHER**

***THE WORLD-PREMIERE CO-PRODUCTION WITH ALLIANCE THEATRE IS PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH SONIA FRIEDMAN PRODUCTIONS, KHALIAH NEAL AND THOMAS SWAYNE*** 

Hell isn’t the only thing that breaks loose in BUST. A finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and co-produced with Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre and produced in association with Sonia Friedman Productions, Khaliah Neal and Thomas Swayne, the cast for the world-premiere production features Mark Bedard, Cecil Blutcher, Caroline Clay, Bernard Gilbert, Caitlin Hargraves, Jorge Luna, Victoria Omoregie, Keith Randolph Smith, Raymond Anthony Thomas, Ivan Cecil Walks and Renika Williams-Blutcher. 

JustinBarbin: (L-R) Cecil Blutcher and Ivan Cecil Walks

BUST appears April 19 – May 18 (opening night is April 28 at 7pm). Tickets ($25 - $85; subject to change) are available at GoodmanTheatre.org/Bust or by phone at 312.443.3800. Goodman Theatre is grateful for the support of Allstate (Major Corporate Sponsor), the BOLD Theater’s Women’s Leadership Circle, an initiative of the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation (BOLD Ventures Grant), Laurents/Hatcher Foundation (Theater Development Grant), WBEZ Chicago (Media Sponsor) and The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust (Lead Funder of IDEAA Programming).

“BUST is absolutely unlike anything I’ve ever seen on a stage before. In one sit-down at the theater, this thrilling new play ranges from high comedy to transcendent drama—beginning in ways that feel familiar and moving to whole new worlds. Zora Howard’s masterful writing is in gifted hands with Lileana Blain-Cruz, one of the most sought-after directors working today,” said Artistic Director Susan V. Booth.

In BUST, Retta and Reggie are enjoying their usual evening on the porch when a longtime neighbor is pulled over by the police just before turning into his driveway. Everything goes as expected—until the unexpected happens. Humor, suspense and surrealism converge in this gripping exploration of what it costs to be Black and free.

"At its core, BUST is a meditation on rage," said playwright Zora Howard. "It asks, 'What if Black people could use the rage that we carry, with which we are in such constant and intimate relationship, for our own constructive and collective gain?' It is an offering—an invitation for all of us to consider how we might harness our rage, what we can move with it.”

(L-R) Raymond Anthony Thomas and Caroline Clay. Credit: JustinBarbin

Added Director Lileana Blain-Cruz, “There’s a real invitation at the center of this play to experience something new, to be part of a radical act of imagination. In BUST, the audience has the opportunity to recognize themselves in these characters. We get to simultaneously live inside their humanity and the absurdity of what it means to be alive in the world today.” 

The BUST cast features Mark Bedard (TV/HBO Max: The Gilded Age) as Tomlin/Jack, Cecil Blutcher (TV/Paramount+: The Game, Signature Theatre Co.: The Hot Wing King) as Trent, Renika Williams-Blutcher (Starz: P-Valley) as Krystal, Caroline Stefanie Clay (Broadway: The Little Foxes and Doubt) as Retta, Bernard Gilbert (TV/Showtime: The Chi, Goodman Theatre: How to Catch Creation) as Zeke, Caitlin Hargraves (Alliance Theatre: A Christmas Carol, TV/HBO Max: Mi Casa) as Ms. Pinto, Jorge Luna (TV/Netflix: Zero Day) as Ramirez, Victoria Omoregie (Alliance Theatre: Fat Ham, The Huntington Theatre: John Proctor is the Villain) as Paige, Keith Randolph Smith (Film: Malcolm X, Alliance Theatre: God of Carnage, National Theatre, London: Jitney) as Mr. Woods, Ray Anthony Thomas (Film: American Fiction, The Harbinger and Pariah) as Reggie, and Ivan Cecil Walks (The Huntington Theatre: K-I-S-S-I-N-G) as Boobie. Understudies include Jodi Gage, Cory Hardin, Gabrielle Lott-Rogers, Vernon Mina, Patrick Newson, Jr., Joseph Primes and Jazzy Rush.

Zora Howard (Playwright) is a Harlem-bred writer and director. Plays include STEW (2021 Pulitzer Prize Finalist; P73 Productions), THE MASTER’S TOOLS (Wiener Festwochen; WTF), HANG TIME (The Flea), THE MOTIONS, and GOOD FAITH. Her work has been developed at Ojai Playwrights Conference, Stillwright, Mercury Store, and Cape Cod Theatre Project, among others. In 2020, her feature film Premature, which she co-wrote with director Rashaad Ernesto Green, opened in theaters following its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Howard is a Lilly Award and Helen Merrill Award recipient, a former MTC Judith Champion Fellow and Lark Van Lier New Voices Fellow and alumna of the P73 I-73 Writers Group. She is currently under commission from Seattle Rep and Chautauqua Theatre Company. zoramakes.com.

Lileana Blain-Cruz is a director from New York City and Miami. She is the recipient of the Drama League’s 2022 Founders Award for Excellence in Directing and is currently the resident director of Lincoln Center Theater. Blain-Cruz was named a 2021 Doris Duke Artist, a 2020 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist, and a 2018 United States Artists Fellow. Recent projects include: El Niño (Metropolitan Opera); The Skin of Our Teeth (Lincoln Center, Tony nomination); Stranger Love (LA Philharmonic); Flex (Lincoln Center, Audelco Award Nomination); Create Dangerously (Miami New Drama); White Girl in Danger (Vineyard / Second Stage); The Listeners (Opera Norway); Dreaming Zenzile (NYTW/National Black Theatre); Marys Seacole (LCT3, Obie Award); Wayne Shorter and esperanza spalding’s …(Iphigenia) (MASS MoCA, Arts Emerson, The Kennedy Center); Hansel and Gretel (a film for Houston Grand Opera); Afrofemononomy (PSNY); Anatomy of a Suicide (Atlantic Theater Company); Fefu and Her Friends (TFANA); Girls (Yale Rep.); Faust (Opera Omaha); Fabulation, Or the Reeducation of Undine (Signature Theatre); Thunderbodies and Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. (Soho Rep.); The House That Will Not Stand and Red Speedo (New York Theatre Workshop); Water by the Spoonful (Mark Taper Forum/CTG); Pipeline (Lincoln Center); The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA The Negro Book of the Dead (Signature Theatre, Obie Award); Henry IV, Part One and Much Ado About Nothing (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); The Bluest Eye (The Guthrie); War (LCT3/Lincoln Center Theater and Yale Rep.); Salome (JACK); Hollow Roots (Under the Radar Festival at The Public Theater). Upcoming: Purple Rain. 

Full Company of BUST (in alphabetical order)

By Zora Howard

Directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz

Mark Bedard…Tomlin/Jack

Cecil Butcher…Trent

Caroline Clay…Retta

Bernard Gilbert…Zeke

Caitlin Hargraves…Ms. Pinto/Newscaster

Jorge Luna…Ramirez

Victoria Omoregie…Paige

Keith Randolph Smith…Mr. Woods

Raymond Anthony Thomas…Reggie

Ivan Cecil Walks…Boobie

Renika Williams-Blutcher…Krystal

Understudies for this production include Jodi Gage, Cory Hardin, Gabrielle Lott-Rogers, Vernon Mina, Patrick Newson, Jr., Joseph Primes and Jazzy Rush.

Creative Team

Associate Director…Malkia Stampley|

Set Designer…Matthew Saunders

Costume Designer…Dominique Fawn Hill

Lighting Designer…Yi Zhao

Associate Lighting Designer…Jonah Bobilin

Sound Designer…Mikaal Sulaiman

Ethnomusicologist…DJ Reborn

Special Effects Designer...Jeremy Chernick

Fight Choreographer...Rocio Mendez

Casting is by Jody Feldman, CSA and Lauren Port, CSA. shiku thuo is the Production Stage Manager.

ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES AT GOODMAN THEATRE

ASL-Interpreted Performance: Friday, May 9 at 7:30pm – Professional ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played.

Touch Tour* and Audio-Described Performance: Saturday, May 10, 12:30pm Touch Tour; 2pm performance – The action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset.

Spanish-Subtitled Performance: Saturday, May 10 at 7:30pm – An LED sign presents Spanish-translated dialogue in sync with the performance.

Open-Captioned Performance: Sunday, May 11 at 2pm – An LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.

Visit Goodmantheatre.org/Access for more information about Goodman Theatre’s accessibility efforts.

ABOUT ALLIANCE THEATRE

Founded in 1968, Alliance Theatre is the leading producing theater in the Southeast, reaching more than 165,000 patrons annually. The Alliance is led by Jennings Hertz Artistic Directors Tinashe Kajese-Bolden and Christopher Moses and Managing Director Mike Schleifer. The Alliance is a recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award® for sustained excellence in programming, education, and community engagement. In January 2019, the Alliance opened its new, state-of-the-art performance space, The Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre. Known for its high artistic standards and national role in creating significant theatrical works, the Alliance has premiered more than 140 productions including eleven that have transferred to Broadway. The Alliance education department reaches more than 90,000 students annually through performances, classes, camps, and in-school initiatives designed to support teachers and enhance student learning. The Alliance Theatre values community, curiosity, collaboration, and excellence, and is dedicated to representing Atlanta's diverse community with the stories we tell, the artists, staff, and leadership we employ, and audiences we serve. www.alliancetheatre.org

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. Led by Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins, 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 earned 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 theatrical practice, the Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand and empathize with 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 for Chicago youth—85% of whom come from underserved communities—schools and life-long learners.

Goodman Theatre was built on the unceded homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi Nations. We recognize that many other Nations consider the area we now call Chicago as their traditional homeland—including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo and Mascouten and remains home to many Native peoples today. The Goodman is proud to have a relationship with Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum. Located in Evanston, the Museum honors the survival and perseverance of Indigenous communities and promotes a greater understanding of Indigenous peoples: gichigamiin-museum.org.

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.

Julie Danis is Chair of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Lorrayne Weiss is Women’s Board President and Kelli Garcia is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.

World Premiere of The Infinity Play Via Curious Theatre Branch Now Playing Through May 18th at Jarvis Square Theatre

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

CURIOUS THEATRE BRANCH CONTINUES ITS 36th SEASON WITH THE WORLD PREMIERE OF PAUL WILLIAM BRENNAN’S

THE INFINITY PLAY

NOW PLAYING THROUGH MAY 18, AT JARVIS SQUARE THEATER

This Play of Fables is Directed by Brennan and Maya Odim.

Curious Theatre Branch, is proud to present the world premiere of The Infinity Play, written by Paul William Brennan and directed by Brennan and Maya Odim, now playing through May 18, at Jarvis Square Theatre, 1439 W. Jarvis Ave. The performance schedule of Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m. The running time is 90 minutes with no intermission. Tickets for The Infinity Play are on sale at CuriousTheatreBranch.com. Tickets are priced on a “pay what you can” scale, with a suggested price of $20. 

In ten scenes of different times, places and proportions, a pair of players take turns to clean up the mess the preceding players made, but end up making a bigger mess for the players after them. 

The cast of The Infinity Play includes Curious Theatre ensemble members Julie Williams (she/her), Vicki Walden (she/her) and Leny Brün (he/they), as well as returning Curious players Kristin Garrison (she/her), Lola Zimmerman (she/her), Maya Odim (she/her), Shaun Rosten (he/him) and new Curious players Lynda Cortez (they/she), John Francis Klingle (he/they) and Douglas Levin (he/him).

The production team includes Paul William Brennan (he/him, director); Maya Odim (she/her, director); Charlotte Lastra (she/her, scenic designer and stage manager). Produced with Jenny Magnus (she/her), Stefan Brün (he/him), Chris Bower (he/him) and Beau O Reilly (he/him).

ABOUT PAUL WILLIAM BRENNAN, playwright/director

Paul William Brennan is a Chicago filmmaker, playwright, transgressor to the rule of three, and performer. Under Curious Theatre Branch's banner, he wrote and produced Daughter (2013), Subjective is Beauty (2018) and Beckett: a Show About Nothingness (2020), none of which you've heard of. Other theater companies for whom he's written, performed and/or produced include Prop Thtr, Silent Theatre Company, Labyrinth Arts Collective, Sweetback Productions, Hate/Lab, and The Meat Machine. His comedic endeavors include membership in the Uploose Odditorium troupe and one half of Chicago revisionist comedy duo John & Paul. His work consistently attempts to consolidate ties between the mediums of theatre and film. Due to the childhood experience of spending three years in a washing machine, almost everything he writes accidentally involves comically tragic and inevitable cycles.

ABOUT MAYA ODIM, director

Maya Odim has an interdisciplinary practice rooted in places where writing and dance meets. Odim anchors an artistic approach in spaces where phrases of language and phrases of movement can overlap (exploring how words move and what bodies they are a part of). She is a poet in residence with the Chicago Poetry Center and a lecturer in Theater and Performance Studies at the University of Chicago.

ABOUT CURIOUS THEATRE BRANCH

Curious Theatre Branch is dedicated to the creation of new plays and performances and to the production of the annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival. Curious aims to promote innovative works of the imagination in the performing arts from a broad and inclusive spectrum of artists and are also devoted to mentoring programs that engage emerging artists as a way to enrich and expand our artistic community.  We are committed to creating and producing new plays and performances in a collaborative manner, encouraging our members as artists to share decision making and responsibilities, while expanding their skills as writers, actors, designers, directors and arts administrators.  Curious also is committed to the idea that a pay what you can pricing policy is sustainable and will suffice over the long term as an economic model.

WORLD PREMIERE OF THE OSTRICH MAY 2 - 17, AT BERGER PARK’S NORTH MANSION

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

THE TERROR COTTAS AND CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT ANNOUNCE THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE OF

THE OSTRICH

MAY 2 - 17, AT BERGER PARK’S NORTH MANSION

 The Ostrich, a Site-Specific Piece Featuring the Wright Brothers 

Written by Wendy A. Schmidt and directed by Eileen Tull

This show looks like a ton of affordable fun... in a mansion no less! Sadly I'm booked solid and can't squeeze this one in. But here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows, we're huge fans of the Chicago Park District and adore Berger Park. So we're happy to spread the word. 

The Terror Cottas and Chicago Park District are pleased to announce the cast and creative team for the world premiere of The Ostrich, written by Wendy A. Schmidt and directed by Eileen Tull, May 2 - 17 at Berger Park’s North Mansion, 6205 N. Sheridan. Opening night is Friday, May 2 at 7 p.m. with the press opening Saturday, May 3 at 7 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays – Saturdays at 7 p.m. with an Industry performance on Monday, May 12 at 7 p.m. The runtime is 100 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are $5 - $10 and go on sale April 18 at  TheTerrorCottas.org.

Please Note: This venue is not handicap accessible, as the only entrance is via stairs. The audience will move six to ten times throughout the performance. Chairs will be provided in each setting, with the exception of two five-minute scenes. For any accommodations needed, please contact TheTerrorCottas@gmail.com.

Orville and Wilbur Wright, the Wright Brothers, have arrived in present-day Ostrich, Indiana, to build an airstrip. Chuck, a farmer, and his sister, the mayor and proprietor of a tacky bed and breakfast called The Ostrich Feather, must grapple with tradeoffs in the effort to do what’s best for the place they love. Can technological progress finally get Ostrich off the ground? The first floor of an old mansion is transformed into an ostrich-themed bed and breakfast for this site-specific dark comedy, about the human cost of invention in bed with capitalism, and the audience is seated in the middle of the action. Early reactions include “So timely,” “That is f’d up,” “The Cherry Orchard boiled down to five minutes” and “Oh noooo!”

The cast of The Ostrich includes Jorge Salas (he/him/el, Chuck); Shellie DiSalvo (they/sidhe); Pete Wood (he/him, Orville Wright); Donaldson Cardenas (he/they, Wilbur Wright); Ellen Adalaide (she/her, Gidgitomy/ensemble); Jonathan Crabtree (he/him, Hasty/ensemble); Paul Kaufmann (he/him, U/S Chuck and Orville); Debra FitzGerald (she/her, U/S Incandescence and Gidgitomy) and Ted Dayton (he/him, U/S Wilbur and Hasty).

The creative team of The Ostrich includes Eileen Tull (she/her, director); Wendy A. Schmidt (she/her, playwright); Sallie Anne Young (she/her, stage manager); Mary Aurora Moore (she/her, properties and set designer); Annie A. (she/they, costume designer); Daniel “Taz” Stahlnecker (he/him, assistant director) and Lou McNaughton (they/them, assistant stage manager).

ABOUT EILEEN TULL, DIRECTOR

Eileen Tull is a Chicago-based theatremaker, poet, educator, and one-woman-show person. Her work has been seen all over Chicago in bookstores, art galleries, bars, non-traditional spaces, and sometimes in theaters. Directing credits include Funny, Like An Abortion (Fat Theatre Project/Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble), Household Spirits (Theater Wit), STEPS (Improv Playhouse), and dozens of productions with the Chicago Park District including The Phantom Tollbooth, Cheerleaders VS. Aliens, Jason and the Argo-NOTS, Big Smoke, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and The Witches with elementary aged children and No Exit and Happy Days with adults. Eileen is the producer of both The Alice Gerstenberg Play Festival with the park district and The Gloria Bond Clunie New Playwrights Festival with Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre. She is a drama instructor with the Chicago Park District, where she has taught creative classes to folks of all ages for almost 10 years. Eileen founded Fat Theatre Project in 2024 where she teaches, produces, writes, and directs. She is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago and is currently working towards an MFA in Directing & Playwriting at Randolph College. www.eileentull.com

ABOUT WENDY A. SCHMIDT, PLAYWRIGHT

Wendy A. Schmidt is a playwright, theatre producer, and visual artist. Past lives as a devout Christian and as a painter inform her work today. She is fascinated with perception and how people construct worlds to live in together. She usually writes about how Capitalism directly conflicts with every Christian value she’s ever had. Productions include This Music Should Not Be at RhinoFest (2024), about the self-alienation of technology; her one-woman play Maker of Worlds starring Amy Gorelow at Theater for the New City’s Dream-Up Festival (NYC) (2019), about the toxic marriage of Capitalism and religion; and Marvelous Madeleines at Berger Park Coach House (2016), a rom-com about two companies who fall in love and get married now that Citizens United has made it legal. She once almost won an award, and was rejected for many other things. She formed The Terror Cottas in 2022 to build audience and create performance opportunities for the work of experimental playwrights. Educational highlights include a BFA in drawing from Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, philosophy classes at Marquette and DePaul, the La MaMa Umbria Playwrights Retreat x3, playwriting at Chicago Dramatists, and acting at Piven Theater Workshop, Green Shirt Studios, and TUTA.

ABOUT THE TERROR COTTAS

The Terror Cottas is an experimental playwright-driven theatre group based in Chicago. Its mission is to build audience and performance opportunities for experimental playwrights by sharing resources and networks among member playwrights and associate artists, applying for funding, and educating and welcoming audiences with radical hospitality.

Berger Park Cultural Center offers classes and cultural programming for kids, adults, and seniors all year round. The theatre for adults programs have presented original solo performances, as well as productions of Happy Days by Samuel Beckett and No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre. 

Pegasus Theatre Chicago Remounts Hit Production of “Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery” To Honor Late Playwright Shay Youngblood May 15 – June 15, 2025

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Pegasus Theatre Chicago announces cast for its revival of 

Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery

Pegasus Theatre Chicago revives its 2017 hit to honor the late playwright Shay Youngblood

Pegasus Theatre Chicago and Director ILesa Duncan proudly announce the casting for the revival of playwright Shay Youngblood’s Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery, which follows “Daughter”, who returns home to eulogize the last of the women who raised her in 1960s Georgia. Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery runs at the Chicago Dramatists’ Russ Tutterow Theatre, 798 N. Aberdeen, from May 15 through June 15, 2025. Tickets are $15-$35 and can be purchased at pegasustheatrechicago.org. Group sales may be arranged by contacting boxoffice@pegasustheatrechicago.org.

Audiences will engage with “Daughter” who, after losing her mother, is brought up by a community of women, some blood-related, some not. Her 'Big Mamas' prepare her for womanhood by sharing stories while the child re-lives vivid memories of growing up, recalling rituals, faith healings, and lessons she learned about survival, healing, deep faith, and mystery. 

Cast members include Caitlin Dobbins, Felisha McNeal, Africa Brown, Sharyon Culberson, Stacie Doublin, Justice Ford, Destynee McMichaels, and debrah neal. The creative team includes Harrison Ornelas (scenic), Josh Wroblewski (lights), Shawn Wallace (music direction), Steve Labedz (sound) Tanji Harper (choreographer), Marquecia Jordan (costumes), Sheryl Williams (TIE Consultant), Carrie Hardin (dialects), and Wendy Huber (props design). 

Photo Credits: L-R Row 1 Caitlin Dobbins, Felisha McNeal, debrah neal, Stacie Doublin

Row 2: Sharyon Culberson, Africa Brown, Justice Ford, Destynee McMichaels

To honor playwright Shay Youngblood, who passed away in June of 2024, Pegasus Theatre Chicago dedicates this production to her and offers upcoming community engagement activities around healing and self-care. Supported by a grant from Healing Illinois, engagement activities and events will include a series of community Healing Circles, performance, and post-performance events from April through June 2025.  

About ILesa Duncan, Director

ILesa Duncan is Pegasus Theatre’s Executive and Producing Artistic Director and the former Artistic Director and an Ensemble Member at Lifeline Theatre. At Pegasus, she has directed Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea, and Jeff Award-nominated productions of Eclipsed, Rutherford’s Travels (co-adaptor), The Green Book, For Her as a Piano, and Blacula: Young, Black & Undead. At Lifeline, she directed the Jeff-nominated, Native Son, and Neverwhere, as well as From the Mississippi Delta, and Blue Shadow (2010 KidSeries Premiere). A producer, director, writer, educator, and theater-maker, Duncan is an avid collaborator on new work. She has worked with The Goodman, Writers Theatre, Congo Square, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Stage Left and Chicago Dramatists, as well as Contemporary American Theatre Company (Ohio), The Alliance Theatre (Atlanta), Arena Stage (Washington D.C.) and Lincoln Center Theater (New York). As an educator, she has led youth development and arts education programs in Chicago for more than 13 years. She is a past awardee of an NEA/TCG Directing fellowship and a 3 Arts Ragdale’s Fellowship. She is a member of the Lincoln Center Theatre Director’s Lab and the Chicago Director’s Lab and is an associate artist with Chicago Dramatists (where she previously served as education and community engagement director).

About Shay Youngblood, Playwright 

Shay Youngblood penned novels, poetry, children’s books, and plays, creating powerful Southern Black women characters who were unapologetically self-possessed and free in ways not typically seen in women characters in general, and Black women in particular, in the U.S. In 1989, Youngblood published her first book, The Big Mama Stories, which she adapted into the seminal play Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery. Youngblood lived all over the world, joining the Peace Corps after graduating from Clark Atlanta University and serving in Dominica, working as an au pair and model in Paris, and living in Japan as a U.S.-Japan Creative Artist Fellow. Throughout her travels, Youngblood built strategic partnerships with theatres and created opportunities for women artists.

About Shawn Wallace, Music Director

Shawn Wallace studied Music Theory and Composition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and currently serves as Musical Director for two New Thought congregations: The Emmaus Center and the Namaste Center for Spiritual Living-Chicago. Shawn has worked for several years as a Teaching Artist throughout Chicago schools teaching record production and theatre tech.  Wallace’s work with Pegasus Theatre includes composition and music direction for Rutherford’s Travels, the 2017 production of Shakin’ The Mess Outta Misery and with Ilesa on Middle Passage at Lifeline Theatre. He has worked with luminary artists such as Common, Ice Cube, Bobby Brown, Dwele, Johnny Gill, Jon B., Bilal, Estelle, Julie Dexter, Rene Neufville, Rakim, Eric Roberson, Maggie Brown, Ugochi and Cherisse Scott. 

About Tanji Harper, Choreographer 

Tanji Harper is a choreographer and teaching artist from the South Side of Chicago. Harper was trained by the Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theater, Chicago Dance Medium, Homer Bryant, and Joel Hall, and is an alumna of The Chicago Academy of the Arts under the instruction of Anna Paskevska, Winifred Haun, Claire Bataille, Roger Turner, and Randy Duncan. After high school, she trained in both Los Angeles and New York, then started dancing for both R&B and Hip Hop mainstream music acts. Her resume includes R. Kelly, Sparkle, Do or Die, Avant, and Busta Rhymes from 1997 to 1999. After touring and performing all over the country. Harper came home and began teaching in Chicago. She landed a life-changing position that would grow her into the position of Artistic Director at The Happiness Club and began piloting dance programs that grew into apprenticeships through After School Matters for Chicago Public School teens aged 14-18.

SCHEDULE

Previews: May 15th through 18th at 7 p.m.

Opening: Monday, May 19th at 7 p.m.

Regular Run: May 19th – June 15th

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets are $35 for General Admission, $25 for seniors, and $15 for students ages 21 and under. Tickets to Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery  are on sale at https://ci.ovationtix.com/216/production/1225929 

About Pegasus Theatre Chicago

Pegasus Theatre Chicago is a professional, nonprofit theater that has been supporting Chicago’s diverse community for over forty years in the promotion and development of new artists for the stage. Pegasus Theatre Chicago is invested in theatre that provokes dialogue and inspires a shift in thinking. Pegasus Theatre Chicago produces theatre that examines social issues and engages in arts education programs that develop the next generation of writers, thinkers, and game changers.

Steppenwolf Announces LookOut's Summer 2025 Season

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Steppenwolf Theatre Company announces

LookOut's Summer 2025 Season

Tickets as low as $18 now on sale!

LookOut Summer 2025 Season highlights include (left to right) a solo show by Colette Gregory, an evening of close up magic with Paige Thompson, Bambi Banks Couleé’s campy take on a cult classic and live music and dancing from Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater.

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we're elated about Steppenwolf’s LookOut Series. It's a HOT one! We first caught Gender Play, or what you Will at About Face Theatre in 2023 and loved it. Can't wait to see Will Wilhelm's updates to the show, leading of the 2025 summer LookOut Series. We also adore Vanessa Valliere and Lindsey Noel Whiting and couldn't catch this one at their sold out run at the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. We're jazzed for another chance to see the aptly named Look! Look! at LookOut. We're also huge fans of the magical stylings of award winning, purple haired Paige Thompson. We'll be out of town for her LookOut set, but highly recommend you catch her show, before she disappears. Finally, we've covered Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater for years and can attest they're a must see. 

Steppenwolf’s LookOut Series is pleased to announce its action-packed summer lineup of comedy, magic, storytelling, drag and more! The Summer 2025 Season includes captivating solo works from some of Chicago’s most accomplished storytellers; showcases of comedy, theatre and puppetry artists; and a 50th year celebration from Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater.

The popular local talk show The Not That Late Show comes to Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater featuring comedy, music and interviews with a to-be announced notable Chicagoan. Soon after, puppet artist Vanessa Valliere shines in her show LOOK! LOOK!, a celebration of weirdos told in three vignettes. For cult film lovers, Mamma Mia! From Memory presented by Cold Shower Productions and Clue a Drag Parody hosted by Bambi Banks-Couleé are camping it up on stage to bring you hilarious takes on iconic movies.

And if that wasn’t enough, the season kicks off with the triumphant Chicago return of Gender Play, or what you Will starring Will Wilhelm. Touted as an “incredibly original theatrical production,” this two-week run re-claims the famous Bard’s plays by highlighting the importance of queer joy, laughter and self-discovery.

With 40 performances of 17 engagements featuring hundreds of local artists, this summer is jam packed with offerings for everyone!

All LookOut performances take place in Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater, an intimate and flexible venue nestled behind Front Bar, 1700 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Tickets, which range in price from $18 – $53*, are now on sale by visiting steppenwolf.org/lookout or by calling the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. *Pricing includes a $3 fee

The full Lookout Summer 2025 Season (in chronological order):

Gender Play, or what you Will

Co-Created by Will Wilhelm & Erin Murray

Performed by Will Wilhelm

Directed by Emily Tarquin & Produced by Brannon Bowers

Dates: Thursday, May 15 – Saturday, May 17 at 8 pm; Wednesday, May 21 – Saturday, May 24 at 8 pm

Sunday, May 18 at 3:30 pm

Ticket Price: $38

Description: Will invites you to an impromptu party to celebrate their new friendship with one of the oldest and queerest playwrights of the English language – William Shakespeare! Total besties Will & Will reclaim the Bard’s old plays in all their original homoerotic, cross-dressing, gender-fluid glory. Following a wildly successful run with About Face Theatre in 2023, Gender Play, or what you Will returns to Chicago for another mystical journey of queer joy, laughter, tarot and self-discovery.

Gender Fucked Productions Presents:

Trans Scribe: A New Works Festival

Dates: Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7 at 8 pm

Sunday, June 8 at 7 pm

Ticket Price: $28 – $43

Description: Trans Scribe is a new play festival like you've never seen before. This three-night event features 10-minute plays, new musical theatre songs, a new one act musical, a new one act play and a new full length play all written by Trans playwrights that call Chicago home.

Black Best Friend

By Colette Gregory

Dates: Thursday, June 12 – Saturday, June 14 at 8 pm

Ticket Price: $25

Description: This one-woman show hilariously dissects Black media tropes with satirical sketches, comedic songs and recognizable characters. Colette Gregory deconstructs sexuality, religion and everything from Black Conservatives to Love is Blind contestants.

Stir Friday Night Presents:

Rice to the Occasion

An AAPI Comedy Showcase

Dates: Friday, June 20 and Saturday, June 21 at 8 pm

Ticket Price: $28

Description: For 30 years Stir Friday Night, Chicago's longest-running AAPI comedy team, has been making people laugh. This show is no exception. As they gear up for their milestone 30th anniversary sketch revue in the fall, Stir Friday Night has roped some of their best and funniest ensemble members for Rice to the Occasion, an evening of sizzling, flavorful comedy. MSG included.

Betty Theft Presents:

CROOKED

Dates: Thursday, June 26 at 8 pm

Featuring: Betty Theft, Bambi Banks-Couleé, Irregular Girl, Ramona Slick, Celeste, Penis Envy, Lezbian Minnelli and Mister Mistress

Ticket Price: $23

Description: CROOKED is an alternative drag revue that celebrates the dark, bizarre and uncanny. Hosted by Betty Theft, CROOKED invites you to come take a peek at what lurks behind the curtain...

Paige Thompson Presents:

Magic Through the “Paige’s”

Dates: Saturday, June 28 at 8 pm

Sunday, June 29 at 7 pm

Ticket Price: $33

Description: Witness a one-of-a-kind magic show with award-winning magician Paige Thompson as she takes an audience through the chapters of her magical life. Each trick reveals a new "Paige" of her journey, from childhood performances to the moments that shaped her magical career.

80 Minutes Around the World: Immigration Stories

Produced and hosted by Nestor “THE BOSS” Gomez

Dates: Saturday, July 5 and Saturday, July 6 at 8 pm

Ticket Price: $28

Description: 80 Minutes Around the World: Immigration Stories showcases stories by immigrants, refugees and allies on their immigration experiences. Founded by 60+ time Moth Story Slam winner Nestor Gomez, each performance brings together a wide breadth of participants including storytellers, writers, comedians and other performers.

Sex, Race & Jesus

By R.C. Riley

Directed by Emmi Hilger Dates: Friday, July 11 and Saturday July 12 at 8 pm

Ticket Price: $23

Description: Sex, Race & Jesus is a story of trial and triumph. R.C. Riley takes a journey through three relationships: with their body, their soul and their higher power. This introspective and raw show is a depiction of intimacy intertwined with personal revelations and powerful convictions.

The Not That Late Show

Dates: Thursday, July 17 at 8 pm

Ticket Price: $23

Description: The Not That Late Show is a late night talk show for Chicago, by Chicago. For one night only The Not That Late Show staff creates comedic material inspired by local and national news, internet happenings and whatever else is on their mind!

Karaoke Storytellers

Dates: Saturday, July 19 at 8 pm

Ticket Price: $23

Description: Music affects each of us individually, and the emotions we associate with a song are determined by our specific history. Karaoke Storytellers lends a microphone to four Chicago entertainers who have a story to tell about a song that means something to them – and then they might just sing it, too.

LOOK! LOOK!

By Vanessa Valliere

Featuring Lindsey Noel Whiting Dates: Thursday, July 24 – Saturday, July 26 at 8 pm

Ticket Price: $28

Description: Three vignettes, two actors, one circus slug, a load of puppets, a bit of clown, a big dance number and a ukulele. Fresh off a sold out run at the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, LOOK! LOOK! is a celebration of the gross and beautiful, the sweet and creepy, the euphemistic and earnest and – most importantly – the weirdos.

Cold Shower Comedy Presents:

Mamma Mia! From Memory: If She's Mamma, and I'm Mia, Then Who's Flying The Plane?

Dates: Thursday, July 31 at 8 pm

Ticket Price: $23

Description: Cold Shower Comedy, once again, tasks itself with the challenge of recreating a movie with zero reference to the source material. Armed with some BFAs and childhood memories, they will retell the story of three dads, one diary and countless 1970's disco classics.

Rat Mass

Dates: Saturday, August 2 at 8 pm

Ticket Price: $18 – $28

Description: At Rat Mass, we worship rats. Through comedy, performance art and audience participation, you will become indoctrinated into a world of shadows and trash. Join the mass for music, rituals and games to rid yourself of your human woes and unleash your inner creature. *This show is for audiences 21 and over.

"Dear Steve...it’s Allie"

Featuring Allie N Steve Mullen Dates: Friday, August 8 and Saturday, August 9 at 8 pm

Ticket Price: $13 – $53

Description: “Dear Steve...it’s Allie” is a solo theatrical autobiography and narrative concert told with songs and stories and pictures. Allie plays the piano and mountain dulcimer while she talks to Steve about the heartland boy and devoted father she watched from a distance, and the life she now lives as a trans elder, composer and artist.

You're Being Ridiculous: GIRL, BYE

Dates: Thursday, August 14 – Saturday, August 16 at 8 pm

Saturday, August 16 at 3:30 pm

Ticket Price: $30

Description: At You're Being Ridiculous, real people tell true stories about their lives. Each performance is linked by rotating themes, and by the desire to make you laugh… and, once in a while, cry. This time we’re taking the garbage out and saying GIRL, BYE to all of life's annoyances. Join us as we take it to the curb.

Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater Presents:

Flamenco Tablao

Dates: Friday, August 22 and Saturday, August 23 at 8 pm

Ticket Price: $33 – $53

Description: Join Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater as they kick off their Golden 50th Anniversary Celebration as the premier company and center of Spanish dance and music in Chicago. In Flamenco Tablao, the Ensemble will present a suite of passionate and expressive Flamenco dances and music from the southern part of Spain with Andalusian Roma, Latin American and Caribbean influences. The program features dancers from the company with guest musicians.

Bambi Banks-Couleé Presents:

Clue a Drag Parody

Dates: Thursday, August 28 – Saturday, August 30 at 8 pm

Ticket Price: $28

Description: Clue a Drag Parody is a murder mystery farce starring some of Chicago's best and brightest queens. Whether it’s Mrs. White in the ballroom with the candlestick or Colonel Mustard in the library with the rope, come ready to solve the mystery of this whodunit!

Accessibility:

Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater is equipped with an induction hearing loop and assistive listening devices (ALDs) are available upon request. 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/plan-your-visit/accessibility or e-mail access@steppenwolf.org.

Sponsor Information: 

The LookOut Series is supported in part by the Walder Foundation. United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf salutes lead sponsors Allstate Insurance Company, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, Caroline and Keating Crown, Good Chaos, John Hart and Carol Prins, Joyce Foundation, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Northern Trust, Anne and Don Phillips, Pritzker Traubert Foundation, Shubert Foundation, Inc, Walder Foundation, and Zell Family Foundation. Steppenwolf also acknowledges generous support from premier sponsors ArentFox Schiff, Andrew and Amy Bluhm, Ann and Richard Carr, Chicago Community Trust, Conagra Brands Foundation, Steven and Nancy Crown,  CRC Group, Julius Frankel Foundation, FROST CHICAGO, Kirkland & Ellis, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, The Orlebeke Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Sacks Family Foundation, Smart Family Foundation of Illinois, Gary Sinise Foundation, and Vinci Restaurant. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council. This project is partially supported by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.

About Steppenwolf Theatre Company:

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation’s premier 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.

Citadel Theatre to Present Chicago Premiere of A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN, April 18 – May 18, 2025

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN

By Paul Stroili

Directed by Scott Westerman

April 18 – May 25, 2025 (Now extended due to popular demand)

"A GRAND COMEDIC ADVENTURE…that wittily navigates the highs and lows of aging with laughter, nostalgia and rebellion.“  Denver Gazette

Citadel Theatre will close its 2024-25 season with the Chicago premiere of A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN, by Chicago/Skokie-based actor and playwright Paul Stroili. Stroili’s comedy received its world premiere in 2023 at The Purple Rose Theatre, the Equity-affiliated theatre in Chelsea, Michigan founded by actor Jeff Daniels, that is dedicated to developing new American plays. 

A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN is set in the Placid Pines Senior Care Center. Some of the residents really want a jukebox for their recreation room, called The Algonquin. When the jukebox they have in mind – a vintage Wurlitzer, like the kind they remember from earlier years - costs more than the center can raise, a small band of residents hatch an unusual plot to come up with the money. 

Stroili’s comedy, which he describes as being “not a play about old people; it's a play about people who have just lived longer," was one of the most popular and successful plays at the Purple Rose Theatre. It recently concluded a successful engagement at Miner’s Alley Performing Arts Center in Denver and six more productions in addition to Citadel’s have been scheduled in theaters across the US. The DENVER GAZETTE called it “a deeply affecting comedy that reveals a major playwriting talent in Paul Stroili… A GRAND COMEDIC ADVENTURE…that wittily navigates the highs and lows of aging with laughter, nostalgia and rebellion.“ A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN will open on Friday, April 18, following previews on April 16 and 17, and play through May 25th, 2025. Tickets priced at $45 are now on sale at www.citadeltheatre.org.

A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN will be directed by Chicago actor and director Scott Westerman, who previously directed Citadel’s THE MOUSETRAP, THE CHRISTIANS, and SEX WITH STRANGERS. Westerman will direct an ensemble cast of seven. Johnnie, the longtime Placid Pines resident who is the primary instigator of the drive to buy the jukebox, will be played by Kenneth Johnson, whose credits include Sheldon in TROUBLE IN MIND with TimeLine Theatre and Pops Washington in BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY with Redtwist Theatre. His fellow resident Dennis, a gay man who uses a wheelchair, will be Bob Sanders, a veteran of several Citadel productions who is currently appearing as Arvide in GUYS AND DOLLS for Music Theatre Works.  Cast as Annie, a visually impaired resident who has taken on the responsibility of ensuring Placid Pines is a “bigot-free” zone, is Citadel co-founder Ellen Phelps. Phelps’ many credits at Citadel include Sharon in THE ROOMMATE and Miss Hannigan in ANNIE.

Peg, a recently divorced woman who has just moved into the independent living unit of Placid Pines and devises the scheme to raise the money to buy the juke box, will be Elizabeth Rude. Rude last appeared at Citadel in the company’s Jeff Award-winning THE EXPLORERS CLUB and later this year will reprise her role as Anne Smith in BILL W. AND DR. BOB with Theatre 68. Karla Corona, a member of The Artistic Home ensemble who had the title role in TAH’s production of EURYDICE, will play the no-nonsense Placid Pines manager Josefina. Patrick Thornton, an instructor with The Artistic Home’s Training Studio who appeared in that company’s DYING FOR IT, has been cast as Chuck, a maintenance worker with a troubled past. Chuck’s young co-worker Tyler will be Joshua Thomas, who understudied the leading role of Clayton Boone in GODS AND MONSTERS at Theatre Wit.  Understudies are Valerie Gorman (Annie), Adrian Campbell (Johnnie), Kim Buck (Peg), Gustavo Duran (Tyler), Laura Quinones. (Josefina), and Sean Harklerode (Dennis).

L-R, back: Elizabeth Rude, Ellen Phelps, Kenneth Johnson, Joshua Davis, Karla Corona.

Front: Bob Sanders. Photo by Ralph Durham. 

The production team includes Catalina Nino (Set Designer), Danielle Reinhardt (Costume Designer), Michael Trudeau (Lighting Designer), Hannah Kwak (Sound Designer), Ellen Markus (Properties Designer), Connor Windle (Stage Manager), Mitchell Pollitt (Master Carpenter), Alex Trinh (Stage Crew), and Scott and Ellen Phelps (Production Managers).

Citadel Theatre is in residence in the West Campus of the Lake Forest School District at 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. Further information and ticketing is available on the company’s website at www.citadeltheatre.org.

Friday April 18 - Sunday May 18, 2025

(Previews April 16-17 @ 7:30 pm)

Press Opening Friday, April 18 at 7:30 pm

Thursdays*, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sunday matinees at 3 pm. Wednesday matinees at 1 pm on April 23 and May 7. No performances on Thursdays, April 24 and May 8.

Preview ticket prices $20. Regular run prices $45.00. Discounts available for groups, seniors and students.

Citadel Theatre, located in the West Campus building of the Lake Forest School District 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, IL

Tickets available online at www.citadeltheatre.org. or by phone at 847-735-8554, ext. 1

The residents of Placid Pines Senior Care Center really want a jukebox for their recreation room, called The Algonquin. When the jukebox they have in mind – a vintage Wurlitzer like the kind they remember from earlier years -  costs more than the center can raise, a small band of residents hatch a plot to come up with the money.

 

BIOS

Scott Westerman (Director) makes, does, and teaches theatre and film in and around Chicago. At Citadel, he has directed THE MOUSETRAP, THE CHRISTIANS and SEX WITH STRANGERS. Scott is the founding Artistic Director of Go To Productions, a 501©3 nonprofit which develops projects that explore the nexus between theatre and film. He created and directed the web series HAMLET & OPHELIA which won Best Picture at the New York Film Awards, Best Web Series at the LA Film Awards, and Best Mobile Series at the 2022 New Media Film Festival. Scott has directed stage productions for The Artistic Home, ChiArts, City Lit Theatre, Chimera Theatre Company, Citadel Theatre, Beyond This Point, Barter Theatre, Stage Left Theatre, The Smithsonian Institution, American Theatre Company (Bridge), National High School Institute (Cherubs), and Reverie Theatre Company. Scott is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, an ensemble member with The Artistic Home, represented by Gray Talent Group, and a teaching artist with Writers Theatre and The Theatre School at DePaul University. He has an MFA from The Shakespeare Theatre Academy. As an actor, Scott has worked with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Lookingglass, Northlight, The Shakespeare Theatre and Ford’s Theatre in DC, Everyman Theatre in Baltimore, the Warehouse Theatre in South Carolina, and the Barter Theatre in Virginia to name a few. On Camera credits include MACHINE GUN PREACHER, PRISON BREAK, and HEIST 88 which will premiere in 2023. More about Scott can be perused at www.ScottWesterman.org.

Paul Stroili (Playwright).  A resident artist at The Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, Michigan, Paul Stroili’s writing includes the plays CHEESE LOUISE (with Maureen Morley), MY DINNER WITH ARLECCHINO, PLANE CRAZY (with Cissy Conner), A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN (which was a finalist in the Austin Film Festival Playwriting competition, and LAST CALL AT THE AARDVARK. A member of the original Chicago cast of TONY ‘N TINA’S WEDDING, Paul directed the critically acclaimed revival 25 years later. As an actor, his television credits include EMPIRE, CHICAGO P.D., and UNDERCOVER BRIDESMAID,  MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, BROTHER’S KEEPER, GETTING PERSONAL, CHANCE OF A LIFETIME, HELP ME and THE UNTOUCHABLES, His film credits include ONLY DANCE CAN SAVE US, THE BEATING, GRATITUDE, COLD JUSTICE, THE WRONG PROFILE and THE REAL WHATEVER. Paul was nominated for an Ovation Award for Best Solo Performance and an LA Weekly Award for PAUL STROILI’S STRAIGHT UP WITH A TWIST, which enjoyed over 1000 performances nationwide and culminated in a twice extended Off Broadway run.

Scott Phelps (Artistic Director) is in his 23rd year as the Artistic Director at Citadel. He’s acted in and directed dozens of Citadel productions over the nearly two and one-half decades since founding this North Shore theatre in 2002 with his friend and lifelong companion, Ellen. In 2023, he starred in the leading role of Pastor Paul in THE CHRISTIANS. He has acted/directed in NYC, and in his home state of California, trained as an actor at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Santa Maria, CA, received his BFA from the University of Utah, and did an apprenticeship at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in KY. For 18 years Scott worked for a promotional company and raised his three daughters and his son in Lake Forest. Recently he has been taking on the next chapter of his life — the role of “Beepa” to his grandchildren. Although he is unsure if he is old enough to play that part, he’s been enjoying the challenge.

Citadel Theatre is one of Chicagoland’s premier live theatres, producing hundreds of performances annually and inspiring audiences for nearly 23 years. Founded by Scott and Ellen Phelps in 2002, Citadel Theatre is comprised of its Main Stage performances and its theatre acting classes for children. A proud member of the League of Chicago Theatres and the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff ArtsLink, Citadel Theatre offers a unique intimate theatre experience that transports you to another setting and leaves you feeling exhilarated and wanting more. A recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Citadel can accept tax-deductible donations. 

For more information, ticketing, and to donate, please visit Citadel online at www.citadeltheatre.org. or call 847.735.8554.

The Story Theatre Presents At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen April 26 – May 25, 2025 at Raven Theatre

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

The Story Theatre Presents

At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen

By Governing Ensemble member Terry Guest

Directed by Mikael Burke

Pictured: Governing Ensemble member Terry Guest in a publicity image for The Story Theatre’s At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen. Photo by David Hagen.

Featuring Governing Ensemble members

Terry Guest and Paul Michael Thomson

Twice Extended Due to Popular Demand.Now Playing Through May 25th, 2025 

The Story Theatre is over the moon to kick off Season V with a reimagined production of At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen by Governing Ensemble member and Joseph Jefferson Award-winning playwright Terry Guest, directed by Joseph Jefferson Award-winning director Mikael Burke. This critically-acclaimed play about Black queer life, death and drag in the rural South will run April 26 – May 25, 2025 on Raven Theatre’s Schwartz Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago, with multiple possible extensions. Tickets are now on sale at thestorytheatre.org/tickets, ci.ovationtix.com/34415/production/1234667  or by calling (773) 338-2177. 

The production will feature Governing Ensemble members Terry Guest and Paul Michael Thomson reprising their roles from The Story’s world premiere production of At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen in Season II during the summer of 2019. In a moment when the art of drag has taken on increased political risk and resonance, when federal funding for HIV and AIDS resources hangs precariously in the balance and when the right to express oneself freely without fear of persecution is under attack, The Story is proud to reimagine this vital, deeply compassionate work.

About the Production:

Courtney Berringers would like to welcome you to her wake! But – make no mistake – this ain’t your grandma’s funeral. Loosely based on the life and death of playwright Terry Guest’s Uncle Anthony, At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen is a one-act, two-hander play set in 2004 that centers Blackness, southern queerness and the fine art of drag. From African gods and goddesses to Trina and Whitney Houston, At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen thoughtfully uses storytelling, drama and drag to explore identity, illness and the narratives we construct for ourselves. Come party at the wake. Bring your own heels!

Playwright and actor Terry Guest comments, "When I wrote this play at the start of the first Trump presidency, I hoped and assumed that it would be irrelevant by now. Drag was popular and mainstream, queer artists were becoming household names and it seemed like we were on the edge of curing HIV for good. Almost 10 years later, at the dawn of the second Trump presidency, the play is sadly more relevant than ever.”

Guest adds, “I had a lot to say when I first wrote this play, but I didn't always know how to say it. Now, I have the craft, tools, life experience and resources to create the production I always believed was possible. Finally, the community of theatregoers has shifted so dramatically since we first premiered this play in 2019. I am so excited to share this play with a cohort of audiences and artists who have heard rumblings about our past production, but who never got to see it for themselves. I can't wait for them to laugh, lean in and mourn with us at the wake."

The Story Theatre’s Governing Ensemble states, "When we first produced this play in Season II, it was Terry Guest's first professional production. But we knew then what the national theatre community has come to know now: Guest is a singular talent, a once-in-a-generation voice in the American theatre and a damn good performer to boot. At that time, as a grassroots nonprofit founded by working artists and not funded by generational wealth, we put on our smash hit world premiere with a couple thousand dollars, borrowed wigs and a fervent belief in this story. We still have that belief in this story. Now, we have the resources to share this reimagined production with more audiences than ever before. Under Mikael Burke's genius direction and this duo of talented actors, this reimagined production is, to quote protagonist Courtney Berringers, 'bigger than life, bigger than death,' but ultimately just about telling the truth.

Then and Now:

The Story Theatre’s critically-acclaimed Season II production of At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen put the young company, the production’s creative team and this magnificent play on the map. Since its world premiere production, At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen has been produced seven times across the U.S. to sold-out houses, stunning reviews and prestigious accolades. Playwright Terry Guest has gone on to receive productions and commissions from some of the biggest companies in Chicago and beyond, including: Nightbirds and The Madness of Mary Todd at Goodman Theatre; The Magnolia Ballet at About Face Theatre (Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Production); and Marie Antoinette & the Magical Negroes at The Story Theatre (Joseph Jefferson Awards for Best New Work, Best Director, and Best Ensemble). In 2022, Guest was awarded the David Goldamn Best New American Play Award from the National New Play Network for The Magnolia Ballet and was featured in the NPR article “Where Will the Next Hamilton Come From?”

Director Mikael Burke has also gone onto achieve critical acclaim and accolades after directing the 2019 production of At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen. His 2023 production of Tambo & Bones at Refracted Theatre Company garnered the Joseph Jefferson Awards for Best Production and Best Director. And The Story Theatre has since been named 2021’s “Best New Theatre Company” by Chicago Reader, as well as receiving the support of the Chicago Bulls Charities, DCASE CityArts and the Illinois Arts Council.

The production team for At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen includes Alyssa Mohn (Scenic Design), Racquel Postilgione (Costume Design), Brenden Marble (Lighting Design), Ethan Korvne (Sound Design, Original Composition), Danyelle Monson (Choreographer), Spencer Diaz Tootle (Prop Design), Victoria Nassif (Intimacy Direction), Stina Taylor (Technical Direction/Assistant Scenic Design), Olivia Sullam (Stage Manager), Tessa Huber (Assistant Stage Manager), Shelbi Weaver (Production Manager), David Hagen (Director of Design), Ayanna Bria Bakari* (Wig Design), Brenna DiStasio* (Associate Director) and Brenna DiStasio* and Ayanna Bria Bakari* (Producers).

*Denotes a member of The Story Theatre’s Governing Ensemble

Content Advisory: If you would like content details before purchasing your ticket, please feel free to email production@thestorytheatre.org. The Story recognizes that individual sensitivities are myriad, and we encourage you to reach out with any questions.

Production Details:

Cast (in alphabetical order): Terry Guest* (Courtney Berringers/Anthony Knighton) and Paul Michael Thomson* (Vickie Versailles/Hunter Grimes)

Understudies: Winter Olamina (Courtney/Anthony) and D. Shea Petersen (Vickie/Hunter)

Location: Raven Theatre Schwartz Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville), Chicago

Dates: Previews: Saturday, April 26 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, April 27 at 3 pm

Press Opening: Monday, April 28 at 7:30 pm

Regular run: Saturday, April 26 – Sunday, May 25, 2025 (with multiple possible extensions)

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm

Tickets: $10 – 40 (tiered options) Tickets are now on sale at thestorytheatre.org/tickets, ci.ovationtix.com/34415/production/1234667 or by calling (773) 338-2177

Group tickets: Special group grates are available. For more information, call (773) 338-2177 or email brenna@thestorytheatre.org

Plan Your Visit:

Free parking is provided in a lot adjacent to the theatre—additional street parking is available.

Nearest El station: Granville Red Line. Buses: #22 (Clark), #36 (Broadway), #151 (Sheridan), #155 (Devon), #84 (Peterson).

About the Artists:

Terry Guest (Director) is a three-time Jeff Award winning playwright, actor, director and teaching artist. His play The Magnolia Ballet had its National New Play Network (NNPN) rolling world premiere in 2022 and has since gone on to win two Jeff Awards, the NNPN Best New American Play Award and was featured on NPR. Terry went on to direct his play Marie Antionette and the Magical Negros at The Story theater which won three Jeff Awards (including Best Director and Best New Play for Terry). Other works include: Milo Imagines The World, At The Wake of a Dead Drag Queen, OAK, Nighbirds (Goodman New Stages Residency) and A Ghost in Satin (Williamstown Theatre Festival). As an actor, Terry has worked at regional theaters including Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, Alliance Theatre, About Face Theatre and Actors Express. He is a Governing Ensemble member at The Story Theatre, a Hermitage Fellow and a teaching artist at Jackalope, Goodman Theatre, Writers Theatre and Chicago Children’s Theatre.

Mikael Burke (Director, he/him) is a black queer director, deviser and educator based in Chicago. A Princess Grace Award recipient in Theatre (2017) and Joseph Jefferson Award-winning Director (2024), Mikael has also been recognized with a Black Theatre Alliance Award for Directing (2022), and as one of New City Magazine’s “50 Players of Chicago” in 2023 & 2025. Mikael is an Artistic Associate at Remy Bumppo Theatre Company in Chicago, as well as at About Face Theatre, where he also previously served as Associate Artistic Director. He’s is an adjunct faculty member at DePaul University and Roosevelt University, and is a proud member of SDC. He holds an MFA in Directing from The Theatre School at DePaul University, and you can learn more about him at mklburke.com.

Recent directing credits at the Story Theatre include: At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen by Terry Guest (World Premiere); Who’s Afraid of Deepak Chopra by Tyla Abercrumbie (The (W)rights of Summer). Additional credits include: Milo Imagines the World by Christian Magby, Christian Albright and Terry Guest (World Premiere, Chicago Children’s Theatre, Chicago); King James by Rajiv Joseph (Forward Theatre, Madison, WI); Oak by Terry Guest (World Premiere, Urbanite Theatre, Sarasota, FL); Othello by William Shakespeare (Theatreworks Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO); Short Shakes! Romeo & Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Chicago); Notes from the Field by Anna Deveare Smith (TimeLine Theatre, Chicago); The Salvagers by Harrison David Rivers (World Premiere, Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, CT); Tambo & Bones by Dave Harris (Refracted Theatre Company, Chicago, winner of 8 Jeff Awards); Blues for an Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, Chicago); Clyde’s by Lynn Nottage (Theaterworks Hartford, Hartford, CT, winner of 1 CCC Award); The Magnolia Ballet by Terry Guest (About Face Theatre, Chicago, IL, winner of 2 Jeff Awards).

About The Story Theatre:

Founded in 2018, The Story Theatre will pose questions rather than provide answers. We develop and produce new work that is whimsical, melancholic, mythic in vision, and intimate in scale. We are run by a Governing Artistic Ensemble, who ensures our work is actively dismantling racism and inequity, while cultivating community through activism and catharsis.

Our Emerging Playwright Residency Program fosters the growth of playwright at the beginnings of an exciting career. After an intensive application and interview process, the Governing Ensemble chooses one playwright-in-residence and offers them: a fully-produced run of a completed full-length play; the development of a new script through our unique inquiry-based workshop process; a free public staged reading of this new script; and our trusted advocacy with industry professionals every step of the way.

The Story Theatre is funded in part by The Michael and Mona Heath Fund, The Illinois Arts Council, and The Cecilia, Marcia, and Jay Iole Foundation.