OPENING: World Premiere of REFRIGERATOR Via First Floor Theater at The Den 5/13-6/9/18

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

World Premiere!

First Floor Theater Presents 

REFRIGERATOR

By Lucas Baisch

Directed by Artistic Director Hutch Pimentel

May 13 – June 9, 2018 at The Den Theatre

I'll be ChiILin' with Chi, IL's First Floor Theater at The Den, on May 20th, so check back soon for my full review. Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we were impressed with the passion and creativity of their last production, Dontrell Who Kissed The Sea. We're eager to see their latest, the world premiere of Refrigerator, developed in Goodman's 2016-17 Playwrights Unit. 

First Floor Theater is thrilled to continue their sixth season with the world premiere of Lucas Baisch’s poetic and poignant drama REFRIGERATOR, directed by artistic director Hutch Pimentel. REFRIGERATOR will play May 13 – June 9, 2018 at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are on sale now at firstfloortheater.com. 

Pictured (top, l to r): Shariba Rivers and Avi Roque (bottom, l to r) Nathaniel Andrew, Kevin Stangler and Andrew Cutler. 

REFRIGERATOR features First Floor company members Andrew Cutler, Shariba Rivers and Avi Roque, with Nathaniel Andrew and Kevin Stangler. 

Eighty-two percent of the planet's people have dispensed with their physical bodies and uploaded their consciousnesses to IceBox in hopes of reaching a digital paradise. Some of the last employees of IceBox and Co. continue to provide transitional services for clients making the ascent. Benjamin has won the lottery, and as he spends his last day in the office, his coworkers battle with their own moral and socioeconomic inability to abandon their individual visions of reality. REFRIGERATOR asks what it is and what it should be.

This play was commissioned by The Goodman Theatre as a part of the 2016-17 Playwrights Unit.

The production team for REFRIGERATOR includes William Boles (scenic design), Uriel Gomez (costume design), Jared Gooding (lighting design), Thomas Dixon (sound design), Amanda Cantlin (props design), Sid Branca (video design), Charlie Baker (fight and intimacy choreographer), Morgan McNaught (dramaturg), Katrina Dion (dramaturg), Bobby Huggins (technical director), Caitlin McCarthy (production manager) and Aaryanna Renee (stage manager).

Location: The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago
Dates: Previews: Sunday, May 13 at 3 pm and Tuesday, May 15 at 7:30 pm
Press Performance: Wednesday, May 16 at 7:30 pm
Regular Run: Friday, May 18 – Saturday, June 9, 2018
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm.
Tickets: Previews: $5. Regular Run: $10 - $20. Tickets are on sale now at firstfloortheater.com.



About the Creative Team
Lucas Baisch (Playwright) is a playwright and visual artist, originally from San Francisco, based in both Chicago and Providence. Most recently, he has been commissioned as a member of The Goodman Theatre's 2016-17 Playwrights Unit. His work has been read and developed at Chicago Dramatists, InFusion Theatre Company, Salonathon, Victory Gardens Theater, Links Hall, Gloucester Stage, American Theatre Company, The Neo-Futurists, The Wulfden, The DeYoung Museum, SF Playground, etc. Productions include: Refrigerator (First Floor Theatre), The Scavengers (The Healy Theater at DePaul University) and A Measure of Normalcy (Gloucester Stage Company). Next, his artwork will be shown at the RISD Museum as part of “From the Loom of a Goddess: Reverberations of Guatemalan Maya Weaving” opened in February. Baisch is currently pursuing his MFA in Playwriting at Brown University. Education: BFA Playwriting, DePaul University.

Hutch Pimentel (Director) is a director and producer in Chicago. He is the Artistic Director of First Floor Theater where he's directed Polaroid Stories, Edith Can Shoot Things & Hit Them and Animals Commit Suicide, peerless, Two Mile Hollow and produced numerous other shows. During his time in Chicago, he's had the pleasure of working at About Face Theatre, American Theater Company, Polarity Ensemble, Redmoon, The Gift Theatre, The Goodman and Victory Gardens. He's worked outside of Chicago at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and The Vineyard Theatre. He is an Associate Member of SDC and graduated from Kalamazoo College in Michigan.



About First Floor Theater
First Floor Theater stages stories of individuals facing moments of radical change. Through a process of collaborative dramaturgy, FFT expands these stories to ask urgent social questions. FFT was named the "Best New Theater Company" in the Chicago Reader's Best of 2013 Reader's Pick edition. First Floor Theater is a Resident Company at The Den Theatre.

For more information on First Floor Theater, visit firstfloortheater.com.

OPENING: Forever Plaid at Theatre at the Center In Munster, Indiana 5/6-6/3/18

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Theatre at the Center To Open 

Forever Plaid 

on May 6

Yando Lopez, Adam LaSalle, Christopher Ratliff and Matt Edmonds.  Photo by Guy Rhodes.

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we're looking forward to catching TATC's production of perennial favorite, Forever Plaid, this spring. We thoroughly enjoyed Yando Lopez (Jinx and Dance Captain) in his Jeff-nominated role as Lin-Manuel Miranda in Spamilton at the Royal George Theatre, In the Heights at Porchlight Music Theatre and Little Shop of Horrors with American Blues Theatre. We also adored Christopher Ratliff (Smudge) in his TATC debut as part of the ensemble in A Wonderful Life - The Musical and in Chicago as Jon Snow/Jaime/Ramsay in Thrones! The Musical Parody at the Apollo Theatre. We can't wait to catch them again.

Matt Edmonds, in the role of Sparky, Adam LaSalle as Francis, Yando Lopez as Jinx and Christopher Ratliff as Smudge star in Theatre at the Center’s spring musical Forever Plaid.  Previews begin May 3 with Opening Night May 6 and performances continuing through June 3.

Performances are 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 7:30 p.m. Fridays; 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays; and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays, with select Thursday and Sunday night performances. Individual ticket prices range from $42 - $46.  To purchase individual tickets, call the Box Office at 219-836-3255 or Tickets.com at 800-511-1532. Group discounts are available for groups of 11 or more, Student tickets are $20 and gift certificates are also available.  For more information on Theatre at the Center, visit www.TheatreAtTheCenter.com.  

Forever Plaid, written by Stuart Ross, is a musical revue that follows a quirky quartet of high school chums who dream of becoming like their singing idols, including the Four Aces, the Four Lads, the Four Freshmen and the Crew Cuts, as they rehearse for the biggest performance of their lives.   Their spirited antics and comic banter weave together such hits as “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Heart and Soul” and “Love is a Many Splendored Thing,” in a playful tribute to the close harmony “guy groups” of the 1950’s. 

Adam LaSalle, Matt Edmonds, Yando Lopez, and Christopher Ratliff. Photo by Guy Rhodes

Matt Edmonds (Sparky) was last seen at TATC as L.M. in Pump Boys and Dinettes and in multiple roles in Big River. Recent work includes Ragtime at Griffin Theatre, James and the Giant Peach at Drury Lane Oakbrook and Death of a Salesman at Redtwist Theatre which earned him a Jeff Nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Play.   

Adam LaSalle (Francis) is making his TATC debut. He recently appeared Off-Broadway and in the Chicago premiere of Forbidden Broadway’s Spamilton playing King George and served as the show’s pianist and music director. 

Yando Lopez (Jinx and Dance Captain) also makes his TATC debut with Forever Plaid. He was Jeff-nominated for his role as Lin-Manuel Miranda in Spamilton at the Royal George Theatre. Other credits include The Christians at Steppenwolf, In the Heights at Porchlight Music Theatre and Paramount Theatre and Little Shop of Horrors with American Blues Theatre. 

Christopher Ratliff (Smudge) made his TATC debut as part of the ensemble in A Wonderful Life - The Musical. He has also appeared as Jon Snow/Jaime/Ramsay in Thrones! The Musical Parody at the Apollo Theatre, as Jason in Bare: A Pop Opera at Refuge Theatre, as Freddy in Pygmalion at the Rogue Theatre and as Laurie in Little Women at 20% Theatre.

Brenda Didier is Director and Choreographer of Forever Plaid.  Didier made her directorial and choreographic debut at TATC in 2017 with the stage hit My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra. Her work has been seen at Mercury Theater Chicago, Bailiwick Chicago, BoHo, Theo Ubique Cabaret and Porchlight Music Theatre. Didier has received Jeff Awards for both direction and choreography.

The creative team for Forever Plaid includes Scenic Designer Jessie Howe, Lighting Designer G. “Max” Maxin, Sound Designer Michael J. Patrick, Costume Designer Brenda Winstead, Wig Design by Kevin Barthel and Prop Design by Frank Roberts, who also serves as Assistant Director. Stage Manager is Jessica Banaszak. William Underwood is Music Director.

Linda Fortunato, as TATC’s Artistic Director, is teamed with Richard Friedman as General Manager and Ann Davis as Head of Production.



Founded in 1991, the 410 seat Theatre at the Center is a year-round professional theater at its home: The Center for Visual and Performing Arts, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, Indiana.  Theater at the Center is the only professional theater company in Northwest Indiana, offering downtown caliber performances in an accessible venue with plenty of free parking.   Theater at the Center is located off I-90/94, just 35 minute from downtown Chicago.

OPENING: A NEW ATTITUDE: IN TRIBUTE TO PATTI LABELLE Via BLACK ENSEMBLE THEATER 5/5-6/17/18

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

BLACK ENSEMBLE THEATER CONTINUES 2018 SEASON WITH

A NEW ATTITUDE: IN TRIBUTE TO 

PATTI LABELLE

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY RUEBEN D. ECHOLES

May 5-June 17, 2018

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we've been lifelong fans of Patti LaBelle's music. We're looking forward to seeing Black Ensemble Theater's tribute. 

Black Ensemble Theater continues its 2018 Season (Movers and Shakers) with A New Attitude: In Tribute to Patti LaBelle, written and directed by Black Ensemble Theater Associate Director Rueben D. Echoles. A New Attitude: In Tribute to Patti LaBelle will be performed at the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark Street in Chicago, May 5 – June 17, 2018. 

A New Attitude is a fun-filled tribute to the ultimate diva—Patti LaBelle. This night of singing is sure to have you “Over the Rainbow.” Celebrate the life of Patti LaBelle from a shy little girl from Philly to the Superstar singing sensation that she is today.

The cast includes Dawn Bless as older Patti and Cherise Thomas as young Patti. Jessica Seals, Kylah, Williams, and Renelle Nicole are the Blue Belles. Ensemble members include Trequon Tate and Isaac Roseborough. Additional cast members are yet to be announced.

The creative team includes Bekki Lambrecht (set design and stage manager), Denise Karczewski (lighting), David Samba (sound) and Rueben D. Echoles (costumes).

As with all Black Ensemble Theater productions, A New Attitude: In Tribute to Patti LaBelle features live musicians led by musical director/arranger Robert Reddrick (drums). Musicians include Adam Sherod (keys), Gary Baker (guitar) and Mark Miller (bass).

Tickets are available at the Black Ensemble Box Office located at 4450 N. Clark St in Chicago, or online at www.blackensemble.org, or by phone at (773) 769-4451. Tickets are $45 for previews (May 5, 6, 11 and 12); $55 (Thursdays and Saturday matinees) and $65 (Fridays, Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees). A 10% discount is available for students, seniors, and groups.

The Black Ensemble Theater is also selling the Five Play Card which allows the holder to see all 5 plays of the 2018 Season or bring five friends to one play or any combination of 5. The Five Play Card is a great deal at $225 which represents a significant savings of $20.00 per full price ticket. For more details or to purchase a Five Play Card contact the box office at 773-769-4451. 




Dates: 
May 5 – June 17, 2018
Previews: May 5, 6, 11 and 12, 2018
Press Performance: Sunday, May 13 at 3pm

Schedule:

Thursdays: 7:30 pm
Fridays: 8:00 pm
Saturdays: 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm
Sundays: 3:00 pm

Location:
Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark Street, Chicago
Valet parking is available.

Ticket prices:
$45 Previews
$55 on Thursdays and Saturday matinees;
$65 on Fridays, Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees
A 10% discount is available for students, seniors, and groups.
Box Office: Buy online at www.blackensemble.org or call (773) 769-4451





The Black Ensemble Theater
Founded in 1976, by the phenomenal producer, playwright and actress Jackie Taylor, Black Ensemble Theater is the only African American theater located in the culturally, racially and ethnically diverse north side Uptown community. Through its Five Play Season of Excellence, The Black Ensemble Theater dazzles audiences locally, nationally and internationally with outstanding original musicals that are entertaining, educational and uplifting. The Black Ensemble Theater has produced more than 100 productions and employed over 5,000 artists.

The mission of the Black Ensemble Theater Company is to eradicate racism and its devastating effects upon society through the theater arts.  For more information on the Black Ensemble Theater Company, visit www.blackensemble.org

2-Night Existential Cabaret to Open Brown Paper Box Co. 2018/2019 Season at Mary’s Attic above Hamburger Mary’s in Andersonville

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Brown Paper Box Co.

Opens Their 2018/2019 Season With

“An Existential Cabaret”

May 4 and 5, 2018

at Mary’s Attic above Hamburger Mary’s

in Andersonville

Inspired by life’s great mysteries presented in the regional premiere of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Pulitzer Prize finalist EVERYBODY, “An Existential Cabaret” continues Brown Paper Box Co.’s relationship with original cabaret series at Mary’s Attic in Andersonville. As we begin to explore life, love, and death through Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ modern morality play, guests at Mary’s Attic can expect to hear musical stylings inspired by EVERYBODY’s characters & themes including Love, Death, Stuff, Friendship, Family, Understanding, and even “God.” For only $10 in advance and $15 at the door, join the existential journey with the Brown Paper Box Co. family - and a few special guests - May 4th and 5th at Mary’s Attic. This 2-night cabaret has a little something for everyone and everybody.

Additional information and ticketing information can be found by visiting www.BrownPaperBox.org.

With performances by: Erin Shea Brady*, Ben Kaye, Alex Madda, Greg Mills, Emilie Modaff, Nire Nah, Nicole Nola, Rachel Relman, Anna Schutz*, Hannah Starr, Kristi Szczepanek*, and Peter Wilde.

With poster design by Charlie Sheets*, technical support from M. William Panek* & Gin To*, with Emilie Modaff on keyboard, produced by Erin Shea Brady*, and hosted by BPBCo. Artistic Director Kristi Szczepanek*

* denotes Brown Paper Box Co. members

About Brown Paper Box Co.
Brown Paper Box Co. creates challenging and inspiring theatre that focuses on the text. By employing a smart, simple aesthetic in intimate spaces, we connect audiences directly to the heart of the story. For more information, please visit www.BrownPaperBox.org.
                                                               

OPENING: CHICAGO PREMIERE OF THE DAYS ARE SHORTER Via Pride Films and Plays 5/8-6/3/18

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

CHICAGO PREMIERE OF

THE DAYS ARE SHORTER 

By Corinne J. Kawecki

Directed by Iris Sowlat

The Buena, Pride Arts Center, 4147 N. Broadway

Magical play exploring life’s joys and challenges at different ages will open May 10 in The Buena, Pride Arts Center

I'll be ChiILin' with Chi, IL's Pride Films and Plays for the press opening of The Days are Shorter on May 10th, so check back soon for my full review.

In THE DAYS ARE SHORTER, by Evanston resident Corinne J. Kawecki,  53-year-old Julia is afraid of getting older. Despite attempts to recapture her youth, her body keeps reminding her of her advancing years. With the help of her younger female lover’s magic act, Julia creates a new, magical life to help her accept the inevitability of aging by finding out who is she is and who really needs her love.  The play was a finalist in Pride Films and Plays’ annual “LezPlay” competition in 2016 and was produced by Queer Theatre Kalamazoo this past January.

Pride Films and Plays company member Iris Sowlat will direct a cast including Gay Glenn, Joan McGrath, Pat Parks and Kendra Verhage. Amy J. Johnson, Jean Marie Koon, and Ren Harris will understudy. The design team will be Chas Mathieu (scenic designer), Sanja Manakoski (costume designer), Liz Cooper (lighting designer), John S. Nichols III (sound designer), Danielle Myerscough (properties designer) and Neil Tobin (magic consultant). Jessie Cole will be stage manager and Deb Kemp will be assistant stage manager and production intern.

Pride Films and Plays Artistic Director Nelson Rodriguez explains why THE DAYS ARE SHORTER was selected for a spot in the company’s subscription season. “We love the inter-generational connections between women in this piece as well as the magical elements which build tension and offer surprises. Mostly, I love that it's about a person coming to terms with aging and embracing all the different stages that life offers us: from free-spirited and hopeful youth to the stability and settled-ness of middle-age to the freedom experienced in old age when reflecting on and continuing to pursue a life well-lived. People of all genders and ages will recognize themselves in Julia's touching, hilarious, and misguided attempts to love herself.”

Tickets are $15 for previews, $25 for regular run ($5 discounts for students, seniors, vets for regular performances, excluding Saturdays) Tickets available now at www.pridefilmsandplays.com or by phone at 866-811-4111 or 773-857-0222.

BIOS
Corinne J. Kawecki (playwright). Corinne J. Kawecki’s full-length play THE DAYS ARE SHORTER, was produced by Queer Theatre Kalamazoo in January 2018. Her other productions include the following one acts: CAPE COD MOURNING, A BRIDGE TO SOMETHING, THE MOON, THE LAKE AND FIRE, DEMONS AND MONSTERS, LESBIAN NIGHTMARE, THE INTERVIEW, and SERIOUS. THE WHOLE SHEBANG was selected for the Concurrent Play Lab at the Great Plains Theatre Conference.  Her play SHORT EXPANSE, full-length, was a Finalist in Pride Films and Plays’ Great Gay Play Contest (Chicago) in 2011.  Her full-length plays THE DAYS ARE SHORTER, FREE RADICALS and CIVIL WARS were semi-finalists for the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference in 2012, 2013 and 2017 respectively.  THE DAYS ARE SHORTER was a Finalist in the LezPlay Festival at Pride Films and Plays, Chicago, in 2016.  Corinne was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 1997 for her work on behalf of the LGBT community. Corinne is currently developing her newest full-length play, TIES THAT BIND. She is a member of the Writers Network at Pride Films and Plays, Chicago and a member of the Dramatists Guild. 

Iris Sowlat (Director) is thrilled to direct THE DAYS ARE SHORTER at Pride Films & Plays! A proud Company Member at PFP, Iris has previously directed two LezPlay readings, directed the short play VIRGINIA & ORLANDO & VITA FOR HISTORY LEZONS, and produced AFTER ORLANDO, WEFEST, and SHEFEST. Recent directing credits include JOAN OF ARC (RhinoFest), NARRATIVES OF ACHROMATOPSIA (Chicago Fringe Festival), and THAT LAST LIGHT (Chicago Theatre Marathon). Iris is an Artistic Associate at Stage Left, and has also worked with Broken Nose, Collaboraction, 20% Theatre, Global Hive Labs, and NoPassport. Thanks always to my family for their love and support!
 The Days Are Shorter
LISTING INFORMATION

THE DAYS ARE SHORTER
By Corinne J. Kawecki
May 8 – June 3, 2018
Previews Tuesday May 8 and Wednesday, May 9 at 7:30 pm

Regular performances Wednesdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sunday at 3pm (Except no performance Weds., May 16)
The Buena, Pride Arts Center
4147 N. Broadway

Tickets are $15 for previews, $25 for regular run ($5 discounts for students, seniors, vets for regular performances, excluding Saturdays) Tickets available at www.pridefilmsandplays.com or by phone at 866-811-4111 or 773-857-0222.
Julia believes that the answer to all of her problems is youth.  She's tried various ways to recapture her youth but her 53 years continue to dog her steps.  After many sleepless days and nights, she feels herself being slowly consumed by age and madness. Magic is inherent in THE DAYS ARE SHORTER, from Julia’s young lover's magic act to Julia's creation of a magical life in order to find out who really needs her love.





Monday, May 21st at 7:30 PM at Pride Arts Center

Pride Films and Plays brings you an exciting evening showcasing musical performances from the Best Performers, and Best Supporting Performers nominated for the 2017/18 Non-Equity Joseph Jefferson (“Jeff”) Awards.

All proceeds from the evening benefit the New Musical Initiative at Pride Films and Plays.

General Admission tickets are $20. VIP tickets are available for $30 and include reserved seating and program recognition.




ABOUT PRIDE FILMS AND PLAYS
Pride Films and Plays creates diverse new work (or work that is new to Chicago) with LGBTQ+ characters or themes that is essential viewing for all audiences. We accomplish this mission through fully-staged productions, writing contests and staged readings, and filming one short film each season.

PFP is the primary tenant in the Pride Arts Center (PAC), which connects and promotes other artists who share our values, creating a safe environment for all. PAC books one-night events or limited runs, cabaret, film, dance, comedy, and other events. PAC opened in 2016 and consists of two performance spaces: The Buena at 4147 N. Broadway which has 50 seats and The Broadway at 4139 N. Broadway which has 85 seats.
                                                                                                  
Pride Films and Plays is supported by The MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at The Richard Driehaus Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council, City of Chicago’s City Arts Fund, the Elliott Fredland Charitable Trust, Proud to Run, the AmazonSmile Foundation, Arts and Business Foundation, Tap Root Foundation and Alphawood Foundation. 

PFP is a member of the Smart Growth Program of the Chicago Community Trust. Pride Films and Plays is a member of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois and The League of Chicago Theatres.

For more information, visit www.pridefilmsandplays.com or call 1.773.857.0222 or 1.800.737.0984.




ABOUT PRIDE ARTS CENTER
PRIDE ARTS CENTER has become an important part of the arts environment in the Buena Park neighborhood and beyond. In addition to performances by PFP, (www.pridefilmsandplays.com), PAC hosts monthly events including play readings, film screenings, cabaret nights, and variety shows (PAC the House).

Guest productions are also included in the PAC schedule. Find a full calendar of everything happening at PAC here. 

OPENING: KANEZA SCHAAL: JACK &, A Genre-Bending Comedy of Errors at The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

KANEZA SCHAAL: JACK &

May 24 - 26, 2018

Image credit: Kaneza Schaal: JACK &. Image by Amani Ragland.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago presents JACK &, a genre-bending comedy of errors directed by Kaneza Schaal and starring Cornell Alston that considers the unmeasurable damage of incarceration on one's dreams and aspirations. Through the lens of rituals for entering society, such as prison re-entry programs and debutante balls, this three-part performance explores the lived experience of rebuilding one's life after prison and the transitions and transformations that bridge society's disparate worlds. Whereas the state sees in black and white -- who is innocent and who is guilty -- JACK & focuses on the internal lives of the incarcerated, exposing the complexities and downfalls of how society trains humans to live. With design and text by Christopher Myers and live music by Rucyl Mills, JACK & takes place at the MCA Stage May 24-26, 2018 and is organized by MCA Associate Curator of Performance Tara Aisha Willis.

Building a portrait of a dream interrupted and resumed, Cornell Alston as 'Jack' comes home from working the night shift at a bakery to make a cake for his wife 'Jill.' Marking the return to his own, internal life, Jack whirls through a dance that is part-dream, part-transformation ritual. The play is enacted through familiar forms of expression adapted from stand-up comedy, soul music, recipes, sitcoms, and social dance, with a set that serves as a comedy club, a 1950s kitchen, and a ballroom.

As social rituals both real and imagined play out in these spaces, JACK & resists a linear narrative, offering entry points to broader conversations. Encouraging civic dialogue outside of the performance itself, Schaal, Alston, and Myers led an engagement residency at the MCA earlier this year, sharing the themes of the performance with high school students, educators, and organizers in Chicago, and building audiences with support from Jane M. Saks and Project&.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Kaneza Schaal is a New York City-based theater artist. Her recent work GO FORTH premiered at Performance Space 122, then was shown at the Genocide Memorial Amphitheater in Kigali, Rwanda; the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's River-to-River Festival; the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans; Cairo International Contemporary Theater Festival in Egypt; and Wesleyan University. Schaal received a 2017 MAP Fund award, a 2016 Creative Capital Award, and is the current Aetna New Voices Fellow at Hartford Stage.

JACK & was co-commissioned by Walker Arts Center, REDCAT, On The Boards, PICA, and Center for Contemporary Art Cincinnati with support from the National Performance Network and NEFA National Theater Project. This spring her new work CARTOGRAPHY, a collaboration with artist/writer Christopher Myers, is being workshopped through New Victory Theater Lab, NYU Abu Dhabi, and will show at the Kennedy Center's New Vision New Voices. Her work with The Wooster Group, Elevator Repair Service, Richard Maxwell/New York City Players, Claude Wampler, Jim Findlay, and Dean Moss has brought her to various venues globally, including Centre Pompidou, Royal Lyceum Theater Edinburgh, Whitney Museum, MoMA, and Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Cornell Alston (Jack) is a long-time member of Rehabilitation Through the Arts, a non-profit that uses the arts as a springboard to teach life skills to individuals both inside and outside of state correctional facilities. He initiated the Youth Empowerment Through the Arts initiative that launched in Queens, New York, and he continues to work as an arts-in-education advocate. Alston performed and collaborated with Kaneza Schaal on PLEASE, BURY ME at Baryshnikov Arts Center and GO FORTH during a Performance Space 122, RAMP residency. Other performance highlights include One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, 12 Angry Men, and the title role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

TICKET INFORMATION
JACK & runs 75 minutes and takes place at 7:30 pm on Thursday-Saturday, May 24-26, with an additional 2 pm show on Saturday, May 26. Tickets for the performances are $30 and are available at the MCA Box Office at 312.397.4010 or www.mcachicago.org.

The MCA gratefully acknowledges Creative Engagement and Presenting Collaborator Jane M. Saks and Project&.

Lead support for the 2017-18 season of MCA Stage is provided by Elizabeth A. Liebman. Generous support is provided by Lois and Steve Eisen and The Eisen Family Foundation, Ginger Farley and Bob Shapiro, the Martha Struthers Farley and Donald C. Farley Jr. Family Foundation, Sharon and Lee Oberlander, Maya Polsky, Carol Prins and John Hart/The Jessica Fund, Susan Manning and Doug Doetsch, D. Elizabeth Price and Lou Yecies, and Ms. Shawn M. Donnelley and Dr. Christopher M. Kelly. Additional generous support for MCA Stage is provided by Enact, the MCA's performance affinity group. The MCA is a proud member of the Museums in the Park and receives major support from the Chicago Park District. Season support is provided by Alphawood Foundation. Hotel sponsorship provided by Residence Inn Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile.

OPENING: BUDDY – The Buddy Holly Story Via American Blues Theater at Stage 773 Through May 26th, 2018

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

American Blues Theater Presents

BUDDY – The Buddy Holly Story

By Alan Janes

Directed by Lili-Anne Brown

Musical Direction by Ensemble Member Michael Mahler

April 27 – May 26, 2018

American Blues Theater concludes its 2017-2018 Season with BUDDY – The Buddy Holly Story, written by Alan Janes, directed by Lily-Anne Brown, with musical direction by Ensemble Member Michael Mahler. BUDDY – The Buddy Holly Story runs April 27 – May 26, 2018 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago.

Before the Beatles or the Rolling Stones ever played a note, rock & roll was forever changed by the bespectacled kid from Texas. BUDDY tells the true story of Buddy Holly through his short yet spectacular career and features the classic songs "That’ll be the Day," "Peggy Sue," The Big Bopper’s "Chantilly Lace," Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba," plus many more.

“Buddy Holly is an American music icon. He’s regarded as one of the most significant figures in the birth of rock music and is often cited as the innovator of the traditional rock lineup of instruments – two guitars, bass, and drums. Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and Elton John all name Buddy Holly as a major inspiration in their respective careers,” notes Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside. “Lost too soon, we’re fortunate to have his vast songbook and recordings.  American Blues is thrilled to share his legacy with the next generation.” 

The cast of BUDDY includes Angela Alise (Apollo Performer), Chuckie Benson (Apollo Performer), Liz Chidester (Vi Petty), Ian Paul Custer (Hi Pockets), Ann Delaney (Company), Vasily Deris (Big Bopper), Jennifer Dymit (Company), Alex Goodrich (Clearlake Announcer), Derek Hasenstab (Norman Petty), Molly Hernández (Maria Elena), Cisco Lopez (Ritchie Valens), Michael Mahler* (Tommy / Cricket; music director), Kieran McCabe (Jerry / Cricket), Daniel Riley (Apollo Performer), Zachary Stevenson (Buddy Holly) and Shaun Whitley (Joe / Cricket).

The creative team includes Sarah E. Ross* (scenic design), Samantha C. Jones* (costume design), Jared Gooding* (lighting design), Rick Sims* (sound design), Kevin Rolfs (properties), Malcolm Ruhl (music consultant) and John Martinez (assistant director and choreographer). The Production Stage Manager is Cara Parrish*.
*American Blues Theater Ensemble and Artistic Affiliates.

About the Artists
ALAN JAMES (Playwright) is an English writer and producer who has worked in TV, film, radio, and theatre. His best-known work is the musical Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story which ran for over 14 years and almost 6,000 performances in London’s West End and has been on tour in the UK for 17 years. Buddy has also played Broadway, 5 U.S. National Tours, 8 years in Germany, 3 years in Australia and New Zealand, and countless other productions around the world. Janes was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Musical for Buddy. He also co-wrote and produced the musicals 125th Street and Jailhouse Rock, which both premiered on London’s West End.

LILI-ANNE BROWN (Director) A native Chicagoan, Brown works as a director, actor and educator, both locally and regionally.  She is the former Artistic Director of Bailiwick Chicago, where she directed Dessa Rose (Jeff Award), Passing Strange (BTA Award and Jeff nomination for Best Director of a Musical), See What I Wanna See (Steppenwolf Theatre Garage Rep), and the world premiere of Princess Mary Demands Your Attention by Aaron Holland. Other directing credits include The Wolf at the End of the Block (16th Street Theater); Marie Christine (BoHo Theatre); Peter and the Starcatcher (Metropolis Performing Arts); The Wiz (Kokandy Productions, BroadwayWorld Award); Xanadu (American Theater Company); Jabari Dreams of Freedom by Nambi E. Kelley (world premiere, Chicago Children’s Theatre); American Idiot (Northwestern University); the national tour of Jesus Snatched My Edges; Little Shop of Horrors, Hairspray, Unnecessary Farce, Cabaret, Sweet Charity, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story (Timber Lake Playhouse). She is a member of SDC, AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and a graduate of Northwestern University.

MICHAEL MAHLER (Tommy / Cricket; Music Director) is an Ensemble member of American Blues Theater. His Blues appearances include It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!, “Seymour” in Little Shop of Horrors, “Clifford” in Side Man, and “Jimmy” in Hank Williams: Lost Highway. Other Chicagoland credits include Honeymoon in Vegas (Marriott Theatre); The March (Steppenwolf Theatre); Working (Broadway Playhouse); The Illusion (Court Theatre); The Fox on the Fairway, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Jeff nomination), and The Producers (Theatre at the Center). Recent music directing credits include Parade (Writers Theatre) and Road Show (Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Jeff nomination). Michael is a composer/lyricist who contributed additional lyrics to the new Broadway production of Miss Saigon. Other works include Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Man who Murdered Sherlock Holmes (Jeff Award), October Sky (San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award), and Hero (Jeff Award).

ANGELA ALISE (Apollo Performer) returns to American Blues Theater, where she was last seen in Little Shop of Horrors. Some of her favorite Chicago credits include The Wolves (Goodman Theatre), The House That Will Not Stand (Victory Gardens Theater), Saturday Night/Sunday Morning (Prologue Theatre at Steppenwolf Garage Rep), Hairspray (Drury Lane Oakbrook), How We Got On (Haven Theatre), The Wiz (Kokandy Productions), Parade (BoHo Theatre), and Coming Home (Erasing the Distance, where she is an Ensemble member). Regional credits include Black Side of the Moon and Nothing to Lose but Our Chains (The Second City at Woolly Mammoth Theatre) and Almost Accurate Guide to America (The Second City at The Kennedy Center). Angela holds a BA in Theatre from Loyola University Chicago and is represented by Gray Talent Group.

CHUCKIE BENSON (Apollo Performer) recently originated “Truman Hayes” in the world premiere musical, TRU, at the Chicago Music Theatre Festival. He received a Jeff nomination for his performance as the “Lion” in Kokandy’s production of The Wiz. Chuckie was also a part of the Chicago cast of Spamilton. He has played some of his favorite roles at Wagon Wheel Center of the Arts including “Coalhouse Walker Jr.” in Ragtime, “Curtis” in Sister Act, and “Teen Angel” in Grease!  Regional credits include: Hair (Mercury Theater Chicago), “Tom Collins” in Rent (Theo Ubique), Woman of the Year (Porchlight Music Theatre), and “Jim” in Big River (Timber Lake Playhouse). Chuckie received his BFA in Music Theatre Performance from Western Michigan University, and is a native to Lansing, MI.

LIZ CHIDESTER (Vi Petty) is a singer/songwriter, actor, and teaching artist from Virginia. Her Chicago theatre credits include: Lizzie (Firebrand Theatre), High Fidelity (Refuge Theatre Project, Jeff Award - Best Musical), Billy the Kid (Cabinet of Curiosity Events), Big River and Pump Boys and the Dinettes (Theatre at the Center), Ring of Fire (Mercury Theater Chicago), and Stupid F**ing Bird (Sideshow Theatre Company). Her original albums with her band LIZ AND THE LOVELIES include Progress into Simplicity (2017 - Best Roots EP, Independent Music Awards 2018), Otter Hill (2015), and People Pumping Pedals (2014). She teaches group and private lessons at Old Town School of Folk Music.

IAN PAUL CUSTER (Hi Pockets) is an Ensemble member at American Blues Theater. Recent American Blues credits: “David Halberstam” in The Columnist (Jeff nomination - Best Production, Midsize), It’s A Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago! (Jeff nominations - Best Ensemble and Best Production, Midsize), “Orin Skrivello” in Little Shop of Horrors (Jeff nomination - Best Production of a Musical, Midsize), and “Adam” in Yankee Tavern. Recent Chicago credits: Bad Jews (Theater Wit, North Shore Center, Royal George), 33 Variations (TimeLine Theatre, Jeff Award - Best Production, Midsize), Annie Bosh is Missing (Steppenwolf Theatre), High Holidays (Goodman Theatre), To Master the Art (Broadway Playhouse/TimeLine Theatre), Strangers, Babies (Steep Theatre), and Fiddler on the Roof (Paramount Theatre).  Regional credits: Hero: The Musical (Asolo Rep Theatre), Cymbeline (Notre Dame Shakespeare), Romeo and Juliet (Cardinal Stage), and Peter Pan (360 Entertainment - London, England).  Television credits: APB, Empire, Chicago Fire, and Chicago PD.  

ANN DELANEY (Company) is making her American Blues Theater debut. Her recent Chicago theatre credits include Hatfield and McCoy (The House Theatre of Chicago); It’s a Wonderful Life, Cabaret, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Spamalot, and Big Fish (Theatre At The Center); All Our Tragic and Gilbert and Sullivan Rep (The Hypocrites); Hobo King (Congo Square Theatre); and Mr. Burns (Theater Wit).

VASILY DERIS (Big Bopper) Chicago credits: the Jeff Award-winning Smokey Joe's Café (Theo Ubique), “Barry” in the Jeff Award-winning High Fidelity (Refuge Theatre Project), “Eric” in Creatives (Chicago Theatre Workshop), “Shawn Eckhardt” in Tonya and Nancy: The Rock Opera (Underscore Theatre), and “Pharaoh” in Joseph (Paramount Theatre).

JENNIFER DYMIT (Company) is making her American Blues Theater debut. Chicago credits include Chicago Dramatists, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, First Folio Theatre, The Hypocrites, Raven Theatre and Remy Bumppo Theatre Company.  She was also seen in Tracy Letts’s world premiere adaptation of Three Sisters at Steppenwolf Theatre.  In addition to her work on stage, Jennifer is a voiceover artist whose work can be heard in numerous television and radio commercials as well as the animated series Stray Cat Smut. Film credits: Distortion. Jennifer is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, The School at Steppenwolf, and is a member of SAG-AFTRA. 

ALEX GOODRICH (Clearlake Announcer) makes his American Blues Theater debut. Credits include Hero: The Musical (Jeff Award - Best Supporting Actor in a Musical); Honeymoon in Vegas; She Loves Me; How To Succeed in Business..; Elf the Musical; On The Town; I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; and For The Boys (Marriott Theatre); The Importance of Being Earnest (Writers Theatre); Love's Labor’s Lost; The Emperor’s New Clothes; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Seussical; Taming of the Shrew; Aladdin; and How Can You Run... (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Miss Bennet; Shining Lives; Civil War Christmas; and She Stoops to Conquer (Northlight Theatre); Old Jews Telling Jokes (Royal George); The Comedy of Errors and One Man Two Guvnors (Court Theatre); Everything Is Illuminated (Next Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Indiana Repertory); and Goodnight Moon and Harold and the Purple Crayon (Chicago Children’s Theatre).

DEREK HASENSTAB (Norman Petty) makes his American Blues Theater debut. Chicago theatre credits include shows with Lookingglass Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Writers Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, About Face Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, Court Theatre, Marriott Theatre, and Drury Lane Oakbrook, among others. Regional credits include: “Doc” in Come Back, Little Sheba (IRNE and Elliot Norton Nominations, Huntington Theatre Company), “Hermes” in Metamorphoses (Arena Stage, Mark Taper Forum), and “Tom” in The Glass Menagerie (Kansas City Repertory Theatre). National Tour: “Zazu” in The Lion King.

MOLLY HERNÁNDEZ (Maria Elena) makes her debut at American Blues Theater. Favorite credits include “Rosabella” in The Most Happy Fella (Theo Ubique); “Julie Jordan” in Carousel, Mary Poppins, Evita, and Scapino (Timber Lake Playhouse); Crime Scene: Breath Life and Forgotten Future: Education Project (Collaboraction). Last year she was given the Award of Excellence in Professional Theatre from the Illinois Theatre Association and was nominated for a Jeff Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her work in The Most Happy Fella. Molly can be seen on Chicago PD ep. 105 as “Elisa Rodríguez” and APB ep. 105 as “Maya Ruiz”.

CISCO LOPEZ (Ritchie Valens) makes his American Blues Theater debut. Chicago credits include Merrily We Roll Along, Woman of the Year, New Faces Sing Broadway 2001, and In the Heights (Porchlight Music Theatre); Bonnie & Clyde (Kokandy Productions); In To America and Letters Home (Griffin Theatre); Planted (Rogue Elephant Productions); Dead Man Walking (Piven Theatre); Mutt (Stage Left and Red Tape Theatre); Macbeth (Midsommer Flight); Take Me Out (Eclectic Theatre); and Fiddler on the Roof and Damn Yankees (Light Opera Works). Film credits: Boystown and Closet Memories. He holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Baylor University and is represented by Shirley Hamilton.

KIERAN MCCABE (Jerry / Cricket) This Philadelphia native is making his American Blues Theater debut. Kieran’s favorite credits include “Fluke Holland” in Million Dollar Quartet, “Scapino” in Scapino, “Orin Scrivello” in Little Shop of Horrors, “Agustin Migaldi” in Evita, “Mr. Manningham” in Gaslight, “Stacee Jaxx” in Rock of Ages, Carousel, Mary Poppins, Titanic, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Timber Lake Playhouse), and “Freak” in columbinus (Loyola Chicago). Kieran drums and writes for the Indie Rock trio Day Off (@dayofftheband). Kieran puts his English Creative Writing degree to good use as a Head Writer for Kettle Camp Studios, a Chicago based production company.

DANIEL RILEY (Apollo Performer) is a Chicago-based performer who studied at Harold Washington College and Roosevelt University.  He has worked in theatre and cabaret with numerous groups in and around Chicago, most recently Paramount Theatre, Davenport’s Piano Bar, The Inconvenience, and the Ravinia Festival. Dan also coaches and accompanies soloists and choirs of all ages in many styles of music. He regularly sings with Holy Name Cathedral and the Lakeside Singers, and can be seen Sunday mornings on WGN-TV singing for Mercy Home for Boys and Girls. Dan is also featured (along with Michael Mahler) on Dark Side of the Moon A Cappella (VOCOMOTION Productions).

ZACHARY STEVENSON (Buddy Holly) makes his American Blues Theater debut. Originally from Vancouver Island, Canada, Zach recently relocated to Chicago after spending the last few years being based in Kansas City, MO. Select credits include: Million Dollar Quartet (Paramount Theatre – “Carl” U/S), Hair (CanStage), Ring of Fire (Chemainus Theatre Festival / Western Canada Theatre), Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave (Blue Bridge Repertory), Urinetown (Belfry Theatre), Red Rock Diner (Arts Club Theatre), Assassins (Quintessence), and more than ten productions of Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story throughout the US and Canada, for which he’s been nominated for a Jessie Richardson Award and Ovation Award. Zachary has also had the pleasure of music directing several productions, including Million Dollar Quartet (Arts Club), and Ring of Fire (Chemainus Theatre Festival), as well as performing in countless headlining concerts across North America. Off stage, Zach is busy writing a one-man show about the 1960s folksinger and activist, Phil Ochs.

SHAUN WHITLEY (Joe / Cricket) returns to American Blues Theater. He is a multi-instrumentalist, actor, composer, and Jeff-nominated music director. He performed nearly 1800 times as “Carl Perkins” in the longest running Broadway musical in Chicago history, Million Dollar Quartet. Other Chicago credits include: Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Drury Lane Oakbrook, The Second City, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, Strawdog Theatre, TUTA, Redmoon Theater, Blindfaith Theatre, and Provision Theater. He studied Shakespeare at RADA in London. He teaches at the Old Town School of Folk Music.

Community Service
For this production, American Blues Theater will offer complimentary tickets to students of Chicago Public Schools and Guitars Over Guns. In addition, artists will visit assisted-living facilities to give mini-concerts. American Blues also continues its “Pink Previews” to donate proceeds from all preview performances to The Lynn Sage Foundation for breast cancer research.



Dates: April 27 – May 26, 2018
Previews: April 27 – May 2, 2018
Press Opening: Friday, May 4, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.
Regular Run:May 5 – 26, 2018

Schedule: Thursdays:  7:30pm
Fridays: 7:30pm
Saturdays: 3:00pm (except May 5 & 19) & 7:30pm
Sundays:  2:30pm
Free post-show discussions on Sundays
Additional Industry Night performance Monday, May 14 at 7:30pm
Additional Matinee performance Thursday, May 24 at 2:30pm

Location:
Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago

Ticket prices: $19 - $49
Box Office: Buy online at AmericanBluesTheater.com or by calling 773.327.5252.

About American Blues Theater
Winner of the American Theatre Wing’s prestigious 2016 National Theatre Company Award, American Blues Theater is a premier arts organization with an intimate environment that patrons, artists, and all Chicagoans call home.  American Blues Theater explores the American identity through the plays it produces and communities it serves.

The diverse and multi-generational artists have established the second-oldest professional Equity Ensemble theater in Chicago.  The 34-member Ensemble has 600+ combined years of collaboration on stage. As of 2018, the theater and artists received 195 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nominations that celebrate excellence in Chicago theater and over 35 Black Theatre Alliance Awards. The artists are honored with Pulitzer Prize nominations, Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards and numerous other accolades.  

American Blues Theater programs and activities are made possible, in part by funding by The MacArthur Funds for Arts & Culture at Prince, the Shubert Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, SMART Growth Grant, Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Anixter Foundation, Actors’ Equity Foundation, and the Chip Pringle Fund. ComEd is the Season Lighting Sponsor.