Germany's Figurentheater Wilde & Vogel Bring Baudelaire to The 21st Century With Surreal "Spleen"

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Spleen 

by Figurentheater Wilde & Vogel From Germany

 at The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival 

Ages: 16+ 

REVIEW:

By Bonnie Kenaz-Mara

If dissonant, amplified violin, brutally loud electric guitar, creepy puppets, and esoteric 19th century poetry recorded by children is your jam, you have found your happy place! Figurentheater Wilde & Vogel's Spleen is wonderfully weird. This dynamic duo melds puppetry and an original score to breath new life into text well over a century old, and completely relevant today. Spleen is inspired by Charles Baudelaire’s collection of poems “Le Spleen de Paris,” published posthumously in 1869. 

Baudelaire's words, paired with an eerie assortment of puppets, is the show you never knew you needed to see. Charlotte Wilde arranges, composes and plays the music (violin, guitar and keyboard instruments) and brings compelling emotion and punctuation to the performance.  

We couldn't look away from the demonic, little creature that seemed self propelled, and others that moved unaided. We also adored the puppets animated by the shockingly limber and talented puppeteer and puppet maker, Michael Vogel. The craft and design of these puppets is fabulous and leaves a lasting impression. The plot may be too baffling and esoteric to ever be mainstream, but we enjoyed it immensely. Recommended.

We'll be back out to catch opening night of Krabat, featuring Wilde & Vogel once again, with Grupa Coincidentia.

Full Puppet Fest Schedule, including video clips of the productions HERE. 

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). 

Spleen

The Biograph's Richard Christiansen Theatre, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Lincoln Park

January 19-21

Four shows: Friday, January 19 at 9 p.m., Saturday, January 20 at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.; Sunday, January 21 at 5 p.m.

70 minutes

16 and up

Tickets: $20-$30

Spleen is a kaleidoscope of pictures, songs and miniatures, inspired by Charles Baudelaire’s collection of poems “Le Spleen de Paris,” published posthumously in 1869. Mankind on the threshold to modernity is described in scenes played out between thirst for life and longing for death, between a romantic search for infinity and a brutal triviality. The performers are on the stage with puppets and musical instruments, while Baudelaire’s texts are spoken by children recorded on tape. The magic of this kaleidoscope develops in the imagination between actors, material and audience - a sequence of pictures and live music that wants to counterpoint Baudelaire’s vision of the world and open it for a new understanding for the present.

Figurentheater Wilde & Vogel was founded in 1997 by musician Charlotte Wilde and puppeteer and puppet maker Michael Vogel, first in Stuttgart, from 2003 in Leipzig, where Wilde and Vogel are co-founders of the International Centre for Animated Theatre Westflügel. Wilde, who studied music, English and history in Karlsruhe, arranges, composes and plays the music (violin, guitar and keyboard instruments). Vogel studied in Prague with Milos Kirschner and the Spejbl & Hurvinek Theatre, and studied puppet theater in Stuttgart at the University of Music and Performing Arts. Today, puppetry and live music are the artistic means of Wilde & Vogel’s theater, with a repertoire including classical drama, adaptations of novels, poetry and original works. Themes and dramatic material for the productions are manifold, and are always reduced to the essence, to open space for imagination beyond the visible for the audience. figurentheater-wildevogel.de

More Fabulous Puppet Fun From Figurentheater Wilde & Vogel 

and Grupa Coincidentia from Germany/Poland:

Krabat

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Krabat

Figurentheater Wilde & Vogel and Grupa Coincidentia

Germany/Poland

The Biograph Theater's Začek-McVay Mainstage, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Lincoln Park

January 25-28

Four shows: Thursday, January 25 at 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, January 26 and 27 at 9 p.m.; Sunday, January 28 at 3 p.m.

70 minutes

13 and up

Tickets: $35-$45

Based on the classic German children's book “Krabat and the Sorcerer's Mill,” a stray war orphan finds shelter with eleven millers and their Master. Strict rules, dark practices, black magic…anything can be endured as long as the bowl is full and the bed is dry. Krabat grows closer and closer to the Master. Finally, it is not heroism, but disobedience - the motive of gaining a friend and a girl who loves him - that breaks the power of the spell. A play about hard times, human falls and the power of first love, Krabat goes straight to the heart with penetrating clarity, power of image, stage humor and a minimum of words. Dark, bold and at the same time incredibly light, it’s a carousel of feelings spinning among great musical landscapes.

Figurentheater Wilde & Vogel was founded in 1997 by musician Charlotte Wilde and puppeteer and puppet maker Michael Vogel, first in Stuttgart, from 2003 in Leipzig, where Wilde and Vogel are co-founders of the International Centre for Animated Theatre Westflügel. Their repertoire includes classical drama, adaptations of novels, poetry and original works. Figurentheater-wildevogel.de 

Grupa Coincidentia was founded in 2009 by Dagmara Sowa and Pawel Chomczyk, graduates of the Bialystok Puppet Art Department of the Theater Academy. Coincidentia has produced over a dozen performances in collaboration with artists such as Michael Vogel, Lukasz Kos, Christiane Zanger, Pawel Aigner, Michal Walczak, Robert Jarosz, Christoph Bochdansky, Pawel Passini, Robert Drobniuch and Konrad Dworakowski. Coincidentia's shows have been presented at numerous festivals in Europe, Asia and North America and have been honored with many awards (including The Bank of Scotland Herald Angel, Total Theater Award Edinburgh, Grand Prix of the Konteksty Festival, the Grand Prix of the MFTL in Torun). Coincidentia collaborates on a permanent basis with the German independent scene Lindenfels Westfluegel in Leipzig and the Figurentheater Wilde & Vogel. In 2016, Grupa Coincidentia established Siedlisko Kultury Solniki 44 - an independent cultural center located in the forest in Podlasie region, which has hosted dozens of theatrical performances, artistic and educational workshops, works in progress, concerts and panel discussions. In 2018, the center initiated LasFest - International Theater Festival in the Forest, and in 2020, LasKids - a festival addressed to children's audiences. Both include independent theaters, laboratory works, concerts, student shows, meetings with artists, film screenings and unconventional events combining art with nature. grupacoincidentia.pl

Everything you need to know about the 6th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival January 18-28, 2024

January in Chicago isn't all dreary, cold, and grey. Puppet fest is back to put some color and joy into your January. Here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows, we've covered the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival every year since it's inception. We're elated that they're now an annual fest instead of every other year, and we'll be out to review as much of the fest as possible once again in 2024. Check out the schedule below to save the dates. There'll be plentiful family friendly and adult puppet fun and we'll have the scoop right here. 

Tickets are now on sale for the 6th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, the largest of its kind in North America, returning January 18-28, 2024, at venues large and small throughout the city. 

The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival is the largest event dedicated to the art form in North America. In the heart of winter, the Festival spans 11 days and dozens of Chicago venues, sharing 100+ puppetry activities with 14,000+ guests. The festival includes performances, the Free Neighborhood Tour, a Puppet Hub open throughout the festival on the fourth floor of the Fine Arts Building, a symposium, the Catapult Artist Intensive, workshops, and more. 

Visit chicagopuppetfest.org for tickets and information about the 6th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, and sign up for the festival’s e-news.

Follow the festival on Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, hashtag #ChiPuppetFest.

Electrifying Immortal Jellyfish Girl A Must-See at The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

Suggested for Ages 10+ 

There's something compelling in puppetry. Instead of actors pontificating front and center, people on stage hide in plain sight, while inanimate objects drive the action. What other form of theatre so skillfully and gorgeously melds light and shadows, artistry and craftsmanship, spoken word, multimedia elements, and object manipulation, all in the service of storytelling. 

For the 2024 fest, Wakka Wakka, based in Oslo, Norway and NYC, claim the coveted opening night spot, and bring not one but 3 very different, yet interrelated shows, to Chicago's Steppenwolf and Biograph Theatres January 18-23rd. 

The Immortal Jellyfish Girl is epic story telling for our time. This dystopian yet hopeful love story is a visual and auditory delight. We were awestruck at the world class artistry, design work, puppeteering, multimedia, and the original score. Wakka Wakka sounds the alarm on our global doomsday clock, offering a much needed eco-friendly reminder in a way that's not heavy handed. 

Do note, some of the storyline and characters may be frightening and too intense for young children. This show is recommended for ages 10+ and is truly more of an adult offering. The Immortal Jellyfish Girl engaged all our senses and left us wanting more. I'll be out to review Wakka Wakka's other 2 puppet fest offerings, Dead as a Dodo on January 20th and Animal R.I.O.T. on January 22nd, so check out my further coverage at ChiILMama.com. After catching this insanely talented troupe, we'll be on the lookout for more from Wakka Wakka in the future. Highly recommended!

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). 

Wakka Wakka's Animalia Trilogy

Wakka Wakka

U.S./Norway

The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

Steppenwolf's Downstairs Mainstage Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Lincoln Park

January 18-21

Four shows: Thursday, January 18 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday January 19 at 1:30 p.m.; Saturday, January 20 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, January 21 at 1:30 p.m. 

80 minutes

Ages: 10 and up

Tickets: $40-$45

Free events: Come make your own masks at free Wakka Wakka drop-in mask making workshops, Saturday and Sunday, January 20 and 21 at 2:45 p.m.

A gripping tale of humanity on the brink of annihilation and the unlikely hero who might just save them all. The year is 2555. Large swaths of earth’s surface are considered dead zones, and mass extinction has begun. There is a war (there is always a war). As both sides grow desperate, their thirst for destruction becomes more and more volatile. An improbable meeting between an orphan and a jellyfish girl threatens to tip the balance forever, but in whose favor, and at what cost? A mysterious man in a homemade fox costume has seen this all before, has lived this tragedy too many times, but he is determined it will end differently. Hilarious, ridiculous and virtuosic, this puppet show blends innovative projection, original music and puppetry that soars through dimensions, unconfined by time, gravity or biology. 

The New York Times called it "A 26th-century love story." 

The New Yorker called it "stunning."

More Fabulous Puppet Fun From Wakka Wakka:

World Premiere

Dead as a Dodo 

The Biograph Theater’s Začek-McVay Mainstage, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Lincoln Park

January 19-21

Three shows: Friday, January 19 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, January 20 at 1:30 p.m.; Sunday, January 21 at 7 p.m.

75 minutes

Ages: 8 and up

Tickets: $40-$45

Deep within the underworld, a skeleton Dodo and a skeleton Neanderthal are tirelessly digging for fresh bones; their ancient skeletal forms are quickly deteriorating and they are afraid of disappearing completely. One day, a peculiar occurrence disrupts their routine...without warning, the Dodo miraculously sprouts a new bone! A maelstrom of transformation begins to unravel within the realm of bones, shattering the established order. The great reversal has begun. Infused with a blend of puppetry, projections, and humor, Dead as a Dodo offers a fantastical glimpse into a future that harkens back to the distant past.



Animal R.I.O.T.

Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St., Lincoln Park

January 19-23

Five shows: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, January 19-21 at 9:30 p.m.; 

Monday and Tuesday, January 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. 

75 minutes

Ages: 13 and up

Tickets: $30-$40

Animal R.I.O.T (Animal Resurgence In Our Time) is an anonymous anthropomorphic organization, founded by the Fantastic Mr. Fox (the non-fictional one). Can you believe it? The human species will come together and save all animals from extinction (including ourselves)! Become a real life masked avenger answering the CALL of the WILD and join the BIO-ECCENTRIC PACIFIST FIGHT CLUB! Join us or die out! animalriot.org 

Wakka Wakka Productions, Inc. is a non-profit visual theater company based in New York City and Oslo. Its mission is to push the boundaries of the imagination by creating works that are bold, unique and unpredictable. The company is led by Gabrielle Brechner, Kirjan Waage and Gwendolyn Warnock and supported by company members Andrew Manjuck and Peter Russo.

Since 2001 Wakka Wakka has created and produced 11 original works which have toured extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad. All of Wakka Wakka’s productions have been highly physical, overlapping in a wide range of styles and incorporating elements such as puppetry, object manipulation, masks and original music. Wakka Wakka has been honored with a Drama Desk Award, an Obie Award and two UNIMA Citations of Excellence, and nominated for four Drama Desk Awards, a Helen Hayes Award and a Hawes Design Award. wakkawakka.org

Everything you need to know about the 6th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival January 18-28, 2024

January in Chicago isn't all dreary, cold, and grey. Puppet fest is back to put some color and joy into your January. Here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows, we've covered the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival every year since it's inception. We're elated that they're now an annual fest instead of every other year, and we'll be out to review as much of the fest as possible once again in 2024. Check out the schedule below to save the dates. There'll be plentiful family friendly and adult puppet fun and we'll have the scoop right here. 

Check back with us at ChiILMama.com and ChiILLiveShows.com like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often. Full Puppet Fest Schedule, including video clips of the productions HERE: https://www.chiilmama.com/2023/11/save-dates-6th-chicago-international.html

Tickets are now on sale for the 6th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, the largest of its kind in North America, returning January 18-28, 2024, at venues large and small throughout the city. 

The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival is the largest event dedicated to the art form in North America. In the heart of winter, the Festival spans 11 days and dozens of Chicago venues, sharing 100+ puppetry activities with 14,000+ guests. The festival includes performances, the Free Neighborhood Tour, a Puppet Hub open throughout the festival on the fourth floor of the Fine Arts Building, a symposium, the Catapult Artist Intensive, workshops, and more. 

Visit chicagopuppetfest.org for tickets and information about the 6th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, and sign up for the festival’s e-news.

Follow the festival on Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, hashtag #ChiPuppetFest.

Cast Announced for Open Space Arts' SUNSETS: TWO ACTS ON A BEACH, Opening February 2, 2024

Cast announced for Open Space Arts production of the classic gay play 

SUNSETS: TWO ACTS ON A BEACH

opening February 2nd

Open Space Arts will additionally screen the Greek feature film 

THE SUMMER WITH CARMEN

at Facets on January 31st

Open Space Arts has announced its cast for SUNSETS: TWO ACTS ON A BEACH by Cal Yeomans, a long-lost drama by an early pioneer of gay theater. Kevin Wood will direct this evening of two one-act plays, which was last performed at the 1982 American Gay Arts Festival in Chicago and offers an intimate exploration of human sexuality and relationships from an era before AIDS era and before online hookups. Both plays are set next to a men’s room on a Florida gulf coast beach – the sort of place where seaside frolics take a different turn when the sun goes down.

John Cardone will appear in Act One: “The Line Forms to the Rear,” as Henry, a former drag performer who finds a new life purpose in a most unusual type of social service. This one-act play is a monologue that delves into the complexities of gay life with heavy yet authentic language. Christopher Sylvie and Aaron Cappello will perform in Act Two: “At the End of the Road,” which explores the developing relationship – physical and emotional - between Dan (Cappello), a young, bi-curious, and married construction worker; and John (Sylvie), a forty-something realtor who is a regular visitor to this particular stretch of beach. Cardone also appear in Act Two as Henry’s drag persona Henrietta. Curen Feliciana is the understudy for all three roles. The production team includes Rick Paul (Set Design), Zahrah Aga (Costume Design), Justin Walker (Lighting Design), Zach Stinnet (Sound Design), and Greta Zanstra (Intimacy Design). The production contains nudity. Opening night is Friday, February 2 at 7:30 pm and the play will run through Sunday, February 19, 2024.  All performances will be in the intimate 20-seat theatre at Open Space Arts, 1411 W. Wilson Ave., Chicago.

L-R: John Cardone, Aaron Cappello, Christopher Sylvie. 

Cal Yeomans was an award-winning trailblazer in post-Stonewall gay theater, who had critically acclaimed plays produced on both coasts and in Chicago in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He burst the boundaries of what was considered acceptable in legitimate theater. A native of Crystal River, Florida, a small Gulf Coast town, Yeomans attended Florida State University, designed sets and acted in summer stock before moving to New York, where he studied acting under William Hickey at the famed HB Studio and enrolled in a fashion course at the Parsons School of Design. In 1981, Yeoman's SUNSETS was produced by both the Stonewall Repertory Theater in New York and the 544 Natoma Performance Gallery in San Francisco. The New York production was selected to play at the Third National Gay Arts Festival in Chicago in 1982.

Performances are at Open Space Arts, 1411 W Wilson, in Chicago. Opening night is February 2, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. to Feb 18. Tickets are $25 for general admission, $20 for students or seniors, and $15 for OSA Members.

Film screening at Facets on January 31.

Open Space Arts is also presenting a screening of THE SUMMER WITH CARMEN, is a 2023 film from Greece, directed by Zacharias Mavroeidis. The film has been described as “a reconfiguration of the traditional romantic comedy through a proudly queer lens.” While having a day-long swim at Athens' queer beach, best friends Demos and Nikitas recall the events of a recent summer in the prospect of turning them into a screenplay for Nikitas' feature debut. This frank portrayal of friendships, hookups, and breakups was a stand-out hit at Venice Film Festival this past September, earning several nominations for their Queer Lion Award.

THE SUMMER WITH CARMEN screens on Wednesday, January 31 at 7:00 at Facets, 1517 W Fullerton. Tickets are $15, or $10 for OSA Members.

Find information on all Open Space Arts events at https://openspacearts.com, and Pride Film Fest events at https://openspacearts.com/category/film-fest/ . Tickets for all events can be purchased at https://www.goelevent.com/OpenSpaceArts/e/Search.

OPEN SPACE ARTS, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is dedicated to combating homophobia and antisemitism through the transformative power of creativity and cultural expression. Our mission is to foster inclusivity, promote understanding, and empower marginalized communities by utilizing various artistic mediums to challenge discriminatory beliefs and attitudes. OSA has produced ROSENBERG, MASSAGE THERAPY, and THE KRAMER PROJECT in live performances, and produces the Pride Film Fest, a hybrid fest of streaming and in-person events, which runs from November 1 to July 1 annually. Open Space Arts is led by Directors Elayne LeTraunik and David Zak.

February 2-18, 2024

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays 2 pm

Press opening Friday, February 2, 2024, at 7:30 pm

Open Space Arts

1411 W. Wilson Ave.,

Tickets $25.00 ($20 for seniors and students, $15 for OSA members),

Tickets available at https://www.goelevent.com/OpenSpaceArts/e/Search

Website: www.openspacearts.com

 

SUNSETS: Two Acts On A Beach by Cal Yeomans, a long-lost drama by an early pioneer, was last performed at the 1982 American Gay Arts Festival in Chicago and offers an intimate exploration of human sexuality and relationships from the pre-AIDS era. The plays are funny and touching and a great reminder of how life has changed - or not - in the last 40 years!

Act One is a monologue featuring Henry, a man whose life has been turbulent. Act Two explores the relationship between Dan, a married construction worker on a quest for self-discovery, and John, who prefers anonymous hookups.

THE SUMMER WITH CARMEN (Greece, 2023, 1:46)

Directed by Zacharias Mavroeidis

Wednesday, January 31 at 7:00 pm

Facets, 1517 W Fullerton.

Tickets are $15, or $10 for OSA Members

A new film from Greece, directed by Zacharias Mavroeidis. While having a day-long swim at Athens' queer beach, best friends Demos and Nikitas recall the events of a recent summer in the prospect of turning them into a screenplay for Nikitas' feature debut. This frank portrayal of friendships, hookups, and breakups was a stand-out hit at Venice Film Festival, earning several nominations for their Queer Lion Award.

BIOS

Cal Yeomans (Playwright) was an award-winning playwright, poet, actor, artist, educator, lecturer, photographer, real estate investor, land developer, and philanthropist who is considered a key contributor to the gay theater movement of the 1970s and 1980s 12. He was born on June 13, 1938, in Crystal River, Florida, and passed away on October 31, 2001. His critically acclaimed plays were produced on both coasts and in Chicago in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Robert Schanke’s book, QUEER THEATRE AND THE LEGACY OF CAL YEOMANS, explores his life and legacy, allowing a rare exploration into this pivotal moment of gay American history.

David Zak (Director) has won seven Jeff Awards in Chicago, including four for Directing (ANIMAL FARM, DR. SEX, PARADE, POPE JOAN), two for writing (THE HIROSHIMA PROJECT, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO) and a special Jeff for “Fostering Diversity in Chicago Theater.” In his 27-year stint as Artistic Director of Bailiwick Repertory, he directed the world premiere production of THE CHRISTMAS SCHOONER, the US premieres of Sir Peter Hall’s ANIMAL FARM and JERRY SPRINGER – THE OPERA, and many original works including the political dramas THE HIROSHIMA PROJECT and SIN: A CARDINAL DEPOSED. He has directed in London (THE IRISH CURSE), Seoul (DOLLHOUSE, FANTA STICK, THE GHOST’S COOKBOOK), Dublin (OH, HOLY ALLEN GINSBERG, AT THE FLASH), Boston (SIN: A CARDINAL DEPOSED), Los Angeles (DR. SEX, AT THE FLASH) and New York (MARLOWE and POSEIDON: AN UPSIDE-DOWN MUSICAL). His productions of the American Premieres of JERRY SPRINGER – THE OPERA, Sir Peter Hall’s ANIMAL FARM, PARADE, POPE JOAN, and Dennis DeYoung’s HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME all won the Jeff Award for best musical. His most recent Chicago productions have included: THE BOY FROM OZ, Terrence McNally’s SOME MEN, AFTERGLOW, PRISCILLA: QUEEN OF THE DESERT, THE BOOK OF MERMAN, HIS GREATNESS, and UNDER THE RAINBOW FLAG. He was inducted into Chicago’s Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 2013

Zacharias Mavroeidis (Director, THE SUMMER WITH CARMEN). Born in Athens, Greece, Zacharias Mavroeidis studied architecture and theater before turning to filmmaking. His debut feature, the comedy THE GUIDE (2011) screened in more than twenty film festivals around the world. In 2014 he had his first novel, NINE LIVES LEFT, published in Greece. In 2018 he completed ACROSS HER BODY, a highly acclaimed documentary that follows a fading religious tradition on the island of Thirassia. His sophomore feature, Defunct premiered at the International Competition of the 60th Thessaloniki International Film Festival.

About Open Space Arts 

OPEN SPACE ARTS, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is dedicated to combating homophobia and antisemitism through the transformative power of creativity and cultural expression. Our mission is to foster inclusivity, promote understanding, and empower marginalized communities by utilizing various artistic mediums to challenge discriminatory beliefs and attitudes.

Open Space Arts illuminates contemporary and historical issues through film and live performances. OSA will perform where the arts can have the most impact. With the freedom to perform anywhere, from libraries, theaters, empty storefronts, and online, OSA can respond quickly to bring important issues to life. www.openspacearts.com

Citadel Theatre's SILENT SKY February 16 Through March 17, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Citadel Theatre’Announces Cast and Creative Team for 

Lauren Gunderson’s Drama of the First Female Astronomers

Full cast and crew have been announced for Citadel Theatre’s upcoming production of SILENT SKY by Lauren Gunderson, one of the most produced playwrights in the U.S. Beth Wolf, nominated in the 2022 Jeff Awards – Equity wing for her direction of Citadel’s OUTSIDE MULLINGAR (nominated for Best Production of a Play – Midsize) returns to direct this drama celebrating the contributions of Henrietta Leavitt and other 19th century female astronomers employed at the Harvard Observatory who, because of their gender, were not recognized at the time for their work. SILENT SKY will open on Friday, February 16 (following previews on February 14 and 15) and play through Sunday, March 17, 2024.

Leading Wolf’s cast as Henrietta Leavitt will be Melissa Harlow, a member of Actors Equity Association who just completed a run as Mary Bailey in IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY with The Repertory Company of St. Louis. Playing Williamina Fleming and Annie Cannon, Henrietta’s fellow “human computers” at the Harvard Observatory, are Cameron Feagin and Anne Lentino of Promethean Theatre Ensemble. Feagin recently appeared with Promethean in the title role of RICHARD III as well as in A TOWN CALLED PROGRESS. Lentino and Feagin both appeared in that company’s highly regarded BLUE STOCKINGS in 2019. Adam Thatcher, of Citadel’s 2023 holiday hit SHE LOVES ME, will play Henrietta’s love interest Peter Shaw. Laura Michele Erle, who co-wrote and recently appeared in THREE SISTERS, FOUR WOMEN with SoHo Repertory Theatre in New York City, will play Henrietta’s sister Margaret Leavitt.  Understudies are Paige Klopfenstein (Henrietta Leavitt), Kelly Levander (Williamina), Tina Shelley  (Annie Cannon), Josh Bernaski (Peter Shaw), and Emily Turner (Margaret Leavitt). 

Top row L-R: Laura Michele Erle, Cameron Feagin, Melissa Harlow, Anne Lentino

Middle row L-R: Adam Thatcher, Josh Bernaski, Paige Klopfenstein, Kelly Levander

Lower row L-R: Tina Shelley, Emily Turner

The creative and production team for SILENT SKY, in addition to Wolf as stage director, are Trevor Dotson (Set Designer), Rachel Sypniewski (Costume Designer), Joel Zishuk (Lighting Designer), Stefanie Senior (Sound Designer), Patrick McGuire (Properties Designer), Cate Gillespie (Dialect Coach), Chris Owens (Projection Designer), and Sheryl Williams (Intimacy Designer). Rounding out the production team are Brian Wasserman (Master Carpenter), Alex Trinh (Stage Crew), Erin Galvin (Stage Manager), and Scott Phelps 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 or by phone at 847-735-8554, ext. 1.

Friday, February 16 - Sunday, March 17, 2024

(Previews February 14 and 15 @ 7:30 pm)

Press Opening Friday, February 16 at 7:30 pm

Thursdays*, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sunday matinees at 3 pm. Wednesday matinees at 1 pm on February 21 and March 6.

*No performances on Thursdays February 22 and March 7.

Preview ticket prices $20. Regular run prices Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays $40; Saturdays and Sundays $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

 

When 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt began work at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she wasn’t allowed to touch a telescope or express an original idea. Instead, she joins a group of women “computers,” charting the stars for a renowned astronomer who has no time for the women’s probing theories. As Henrietta, in her free time, attempts to measure the light and distance of stars, she must also take measure of her life on Earth, trying to balance her dedication to science with family obligations and the possibility of love. SILENT SKY explores a woman’s place in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries, when women’s ideas were dismissed until men claimed credit for them.

BIOS

Beth Wolf (Director) is the founder and Producing Artistic Director of Midsommer Flight, where she has directed eleven Shakespeare plays in Chicago parks since the company's founding in 2012, including critically acclaimed productions of CYMBELINE, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, THE TEMPEST, TWELFTH NIGHT, and HAMLET, among others. Her production of OUTSIDE MULLINGAR at Citadel was nominated for Best Production and Best Direction of Play (Midsize) in the 2022 Jeff Awards. Other recent credits include THE SUFFRAGE PLAYS at Artemisia, THE ROOMMATE at Citadel Theatre (Equity Jeff Recommended), AND NON-PLAYER CHARACTER at Red Theater (2020 Non-Equity Jeff nomination for Projection Design). Other Chicago credits include LIAR!, which won first place in the City Lit Art of Adaptation Festival; ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD, BLACK MAGIC: AN EVENING OF SHAKESPEARE, BURY THE DEAD, and THE FANTASTICKS (Promethean Theatre Ensemble, where she was formerly the Artistic Director and co-founder); and various staged readings and assistant directing credits with Remy Bumppo, Idle Muse, City Lit Theater, and more. Beth is a proud Northwestern University graduate with a double major in Theatre and Gender Studies. She lives in Chicago with her husband and their two young children.

Lauren Gunderson (Playwright) has been one of the most produced playwrights in America since 2015, topping the list thrice including 2022/23. She is a two-time winner of the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award for I AND YOU and THE BOOK OF WILL, the winner of the Lanford Wilson Award and a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. She is a playwright, screenwriter, musical book writer and children's author who lives in San Francisco. She graduated from NYU Tisch as a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. LaurenGunderson.com 

Scott Phelps (Artistic Director) is in his 22nd year as the Artistic Director at Citadel. He’s acted in and directed dozens of Citadel productions over the two decades since founding this North Shore theatre in 2002 with his friend and lifelong companion, Ellen. Earlier 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 22 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.

Paramount’s BOLD Series Presents A Streetcar Named Desire March 13-April 21, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar Paramount’s BOLD Series revival of  A Streetcar Named Desire  March 13-April 21, 2024

Paramount’s BOLD Series production of A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by (top,  from left) Jim Corti and Elizabeth Swanson, features (bottom, from left) Amanda Drinkall as Blanche DuBois, Casey Hoekstra as Stanley Kowalski and Alina Taber as Stella Kowalski. New Orleans. The heat is sweltering, the liquor flows, and the secrets are thick as humidity. To your left is Stanley, hard drinking, hard playing, and hard fists that get used a lot. On your right is Stella, who would do anything for her husband. And there, right in front of you, is Blanche, vulnerable, alone and ready to break.  Tennessee Williams’s 1947 drama A Streetcar Named Desire is forever seared into the collective memory of American society. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, A Streetcar Named Desire is one of the most critically acclaimed plays of the 20th century and Williams's most popular work. This spring, jump aboard Paramount’s Streetcar, the finale of the theater’s second BOLD Series for audiences who crave intimate, honest, fervent and emotionally intoxicating theater experiences.  Artistic Director Jim Corti and Elizabeth Swanson are teaming up to direct Paramount’s revival, with a cast led by Chicago A-listers Amanda Drinkall as Blanche, Casey Hoekstra as Stanley and Alina Taber as Stella. With a set by Angela Weber Miller and costumes by Mara Blumenfeld, just two members of a stellar design team, Paramount’s Copley stage will be transformed into a shabby New Orleans apartment, hot and sticky with desire, where morality melts away. A Streetcar Named Desire pulls into Paramount’s Copley Theatre, 8 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora, March 13-April 21, 2024. Press openings are Wednesday and Thursday, March 20 and 21 at 7 p.m. Single tickets, $40-$55, are on sale now.  Visit paramountaurora.com for tickets and information, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount box office, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Monday–Saturday,  10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and until show time on show days.

Paramount’s A Streetcar Named Desire: A look under the hood A Streetcar Named Desire famously recounts how the faded and promiscuous Blanche DuBois is pushed over the edge by her handsome, toxic brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski. This classic American drama confronts audiences with the tenuous relationship between reality and illusion, hope and despair and the brutal battle for beauty and tenderness when the world feels like it’s conspiring against you. A Streetcar Named Desire is Tennessee Williams's most popular work and one of the most critically acclaimed plays of the 20th century. It was first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947, produced by Irene Mayer Selznick and directed by Elia Kazan. Selznick originally wanted to cast Margaret Sullavan and John Garfield, but settled on the less well-known Jessica Tandy as Blanche and a virtual unknown at the time, Marlon Brando, as Stanley. The opening night cast also included Kim Hunter as Stella and Karl Malden as Mitch. Immortalized on film in 1951, Streetcar launched Marlon Brando’s film career, and remains one of Vivien Leigh’s most indelible performances, as Blanche. It also solidified the position of Tennessee Williams as one of the most important young writers of his generation, as well as that of Elia Kazan as the greatest American directors of the 1940s and ’50s.

Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando in a press photo for the 1951 film, A Streetcar Named Desire.  Paramount’s cast for A Streetcar Named Desire (at press time) includes Amanda Drinkall as Blanche DuBois, Casey Hoekstra as Stanley Kowalski, Alina Taber as Stella Kowalski, Ben Page as Mitch Mitchell, Joshua L. Green as Steve Hubbell, Andrea Uppling as Eunice Hubbell, Roberto Antonio Mantica as Pablo Gonzales and Desiree Gonzalez as Nurse. External understudy is Gabriel Fries. All three leads are making their Paramount debuts: Amanda Drinkall (Blanche) is truly one of Chicago’s leading ladies, with credits including Venus in Furand A Cherry Orchard at Goodman, Mary Page Marlowe at Steppenwolf, King Charles III at Chicago Shakespeare and Last Train to Nibroc at Haven (Jeff Award, Best Actress). Casey Hoekstra (Stanley) has credits at Chicago Shakespeare, Guthrie Theater, Northlight Theatre, Writers Theatre, American Players Theater, and recently appeared in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Milwaukee’s Chamber Theater. Alina Taber (Stella), best known as Lexi Olinsky for four seasons on NBC’s Chicago P.D., played Rizzo in Grease at Drury Lane Theatre and performed in Marriott’s Beautiful: The Carol King Musical.

Amanda Drinkall (from left) plays Stella, Casey Hoekstra is Stanley, and Alina Taber plays Stella in Paramount's BOLD Series production, A Streetcar Named Desire. Paramount’s design team includes Jim Corti and Elizabeth Swanson, directors; Angela Weber Miller, scenic designer; Mara Blumenfeld, costume designer; Cat Wilson, lighting designer; Forrest Gregor, sound designer; Kevin O’Donnell, composer and audio associate; Aimee Plant, properties designer; Susan Gosdick, dialect coach; Erin Nicole Eggers, stage manager; and Emma Franklin, assistant stage manager. 

Jim Corti (Paramount Artistic Director, director) inaugurated Paramount’s Broadway Series with President and CEO Tim Rater in fall 2011 with the critically acclaimed My Fair Lady and a subscriber base of 12,500 patrons. In 2015, Paramount’s Broadway Series became Jeff Award eligible. Since then, Paramount has garnered 115 nominations with 29 wins, including three consecutive Best Large Musical awards for Les Misérables, West Side Storyand Sweeney Todd. Corti helmed all three, and won Best Director for two of them, Les Misérables and Sweeney Todd. Corti also directed Paramount’s Fiddler on the Roof, Miss Saigon, RENT, The Who’s Tommy, Oklahoma!, Mamma Mia!, Million Dollar Quartet, Once, The Producers, Newsies, Groundhog Day: The Musical, Next to Normal, and co-directed Into the Woods and Fun Home. A Broadway veteran, he appeared in the original New York casts of Ragtime and Candide, joined the long running A Chorus Line, and toured nationally in Urinetown, Cabaret and Bob Fosse’s Dancin’. Other highlights include being the only director to have two productions in the same year in the Chicago Tribune’s 2009 list of 10 Best Shows for Drury Lane’s Cabaret and Writers Theatre’s Oh, Coward! He remains the sole honoree to have won Jeff Awards as an actor (Marriott’s Grand Hotel), choreographer (Drury Lane’s Singin’ in the Rain) and director (Paramount’s Sweeney Toddand Les Misérables, Drury Lane’s Sweet Charity and Northlight’s Blues in the Night). 

Elizabeth Swanson (director) is a Chicago-based director dedicated to complicating, questioning and celebrating new and classic works. Recent projects include: Emma Donoghue’s I Know My Own Heart (North American premiere, Pride Arts Center), Cabaret (Columbia College Chicago) and the sold-out, critically acclaimed Head Over Heels (Kokandy Productions, Jeff directing nomination). Swanson recently served as Artistic Director of BoHo Theatre, programming and producing the company’s 19th successful season, including tick, tick…BOOM! (dir. Bo Frazier), REMOTE (dir. Ruben Carrazana), and the world premiere of Valen-Marie Santos’s National Merit (dir. Enrico Spada). Swanson currently teaches at Columbia College Chicago, and is developing Saint Hildegard, a new musical. Previous credits include Where All the White Sneakers At? (Second City, director), Fun Home (Victory Gardens, assistant director, dir. Gary Griffin) and Love’s Labor’s Lost (Chicago Shakespeare Theater, assistant director, dir. Marti Maraden). Swanson studied history and theater at Princeton University and received their MFA in directing from the Lir National Academy of Dramatic Art at Trinity College, Dublin. 

Tennessee Williams was one of the preeminent American dramatists of the 20th century. His major plays include The Glass Menagerie (New York Drama Critics' Circle Award), A Streetcar Named Desire (Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Critics' Circle Award), Summer and Smoke, The Rose Tattoo(Tony Award), Camino Real, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award), Orpheus Descending, Suddenly, Last Summer, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Night of the Iguana (Tony Award), The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore and Vieux Carre. Born Thomas Lanier Williams in 1911 to a shoe salesman and a southern belle, Williams grew up in Mississippi and later St. Louis, Missouri. He attended university in Missouri and became interested in theater, adopting the name Tennessee. Williams died in 1983 at the age of 71. 

Performance schedule A Streetcar Named Desire starts previews on Wednesday, March 13, with two Pay-What-You-Can Previews, Thursday, March 14 at 7 p.m., and Saturday, March 16 at 2 p.m. Opening Nights are Wednesday and Thursday, March 20 and 21 at 7 p.m. Performances run through April 21: Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. and  8 p.m.; Sundays at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Note: A Streetcar Named Desireincludes mature language, domestic violence, alcohol abuse and mental health topics. Access Services Paramount will offer an American Sign Language interpreted performance on Friday, April 19 at 8 p.m.  Paramount offers assistive listening devices free of charge at all performances. Check in at the box office before the show to borrow a listening device. If you require wheelchair or special seating or other assistance, please contact the box office at (630) 896-6666 or boxoffice@paramountarts.com in advance. Sponsor Paramount’s 2023-24 BOLD Series is sponsored by Old National Bank.

Also playing at Paramount: Billy Elliot and Beautiful

Right across the street from the Copley, Paramount Theatre’s 12th Broadway Series continues this spring with: Billy Elliot: The Musical February 7-March 24, 2024 Opening Night: Friday, February 16, at 8 p.m. Directed by Trent Stork Book and Lyrics by Lee Hall Music by Elton John Originally directed by Stephen Daldry Orchestrations by Martin Koch Nominated for 15 Tony Awards with 10 wins, including Best Musical The music of Elton John brings to life the story of Billy Elliot, an 11-year-old English boy who stumbles upon a ballet class during his weekly boxing lesson. His surprise love for dance must be hidden at all costs, especially from his coal miner father. With help from his sharp-tongued teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson, Billygets the chance to attend a prestigious ballet school and must decide what is most important: doing what he loves or doing what other people want.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical April 24-June 16, 2024 Opening Night: Friday, May 3, at 8 p.m.  Directed by Jim Corti and Johanna McKenzie Miller Book by Douglas McGrath Words and Music by Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil Orchestrations, vocal and incidental music arrangements by Steve Sidewall Nominated for seven Tony Awards, with two wins, plus a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album Carole King made more than beautiful music. She wrote the soundtrack to a generation with songs including “You’ve Got a Friend,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “It’s Too Late,” “I Feel the Earth Move,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” and “So Far Away.”   Before she was the Carole King we know today, she was a young songwriter from Brooklyn trying to make a name for herself. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical tells the inspiring true story of her remarkable rise to stardom with her husband and songwriting partner, Gerry Goffin, and how she went on to become one of the most successful singers, songwriters and musicians in contemporary music history.  For tickets and information, visit paramountaurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount Theatre box office, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and until show time on show days.

About Paramount Theatre 

Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., is the center for performing arts in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. The beautiful, 1,843-seat theater, graced with a strong 1930s Art Deco influence and original Venetian décor, nationally known for its high-quality productions, superb acoustics and historic grandeur, has been downtown Aurora’s anchor attraction since 1931. Since launching its own Broadway Series in 2011, Paramount has amassed more than 37,000 subscribers, making it the largest subscription house in the U.S.  For over 50 years, the Joseph Jefferson Awards has recognized excellence in Chicago area theater. Paramount has been honored to earn 115 Jeff nominations and 29 wins over the last 12 years, including six Jeff Awards in 2022 for Kinky Boots, including Best Musical-Large, Paramount’s fourth win in that category following Sweeney Todd (2017), West Side Story (2016) and Les Misérables (2015).  Paramount Theatre is one of four live performance venues programmed and managed by the Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA). Paramount’s “sister stage” is the newly renovated, 165-seat Copley Theatre, home to Paramount’s BOLD Series, across the street in North Island Center. ACCA also programs and manages RiverEdge Park, a 6,000-seat outdoor summer concert venue in downtown Aurora, Stolp Island Theatre, an immersive space opening on the Fox River riverwalk in 2024, and the Paramount School of the Arts. Paramount Theatre continues to expand its artistic and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Tim Rater, President and CEO, Aurora Civic Center Authority; Jim Corti, Artistic Director, Paramount Theatre; a dedicated Board of Trustees and a devoted staff of live theater and music professionals. For the latest updates, visit paramountaurora.com or follow @paramountaurora on Facebook and Instagram, and Paramount Theatre on LinkedIn.