Cirque Shanghai Year of the Dragon Closing September 3rd #discount tickets

We're coming into the final days of Cirque Shanghai.    If you haven't seen it yet or want to squeeze in one more show, then go now.    The show must close September 3rd.

**Check out our show review and photo filled feature from opening day right here**

For the price and the frequency of shows, Cirque Shanghai is hard to beat.    They play Navy Pier all summer, making this an easy, entertaining option for visiting friends and relatives.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE AND TICKET INFORMATION

“Cirque Shanghai: Year of the Dragon” will perform May 24 – Sept. 3, with regular run performances as follows:

Wednesday at 2, 6 and 8 p.m. 
Thursday at 2 and 8 p.m. 
Friday at 2, 7 and 9 p.m. 
Saturday at 2, 6 and 8 p.m.

Sunday at 2 and 4 p.m. 

There will be additional performances Tuesday, July 3 at 2 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 2 at 8 p.m. and Monday, Sept. 3 (Labor Day) at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Tickets are $15.50 - $29.50 and are available by calling 800-745-3000 or visiting Ticket Master here. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more are available by calling GroupTix at 773.327.3778 or visiting GroupTixs website here.

Use code KIDS for $25 Adult Gold Circle tickets for Wed-Fri performances through the end of August.   Kids' regular tickets are just $15 all summer long!   Check out the special offers page here for more combo pack discounts.  Tickets now on sale through ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000.

Act Out: Save TheDate--Redmoon Boneshaker 2012

We're so lucky to share our city with the warped and brilliant creative minds behind Redmoon.  We've been digging their artistic vision for decades.   Be there. 

Full Moon Fire Jam Cancelled For August 30th

Here's our original footage from July's Jam 2012.   The music is Chi-Town's own punk rock marching band, Mucca Pazza, off their new release, Safety Fifth.    Check out our album review and Mucca Pazza show shots right here.

Dear Jammers:

Over the last several years, the Full Moon Jams have seen a significant increase in the amount of audience members. While we are thrilled to share the fire and music with so many people, unfortunately, there’s also been a noticeable escalation in open consumption of alcohol and marijuana during the jams, both of which are illegal activities on Chicago park district land and have resulted in people being ticketed or arrested. 

The amounts of trash and detritus left behind after each jam has also grown, despite repeated requests to respect the Leave No Trace principle (take back everything you bring to the park with you, including any and all trash). These behaviors are antithetical to the spirit of the jams and put both the well-being of the jam community and our ability to continue jams at risk.

The organizers have made multiple attempts to mitigate these problems at every jam, through education, countless reminders and additional volunteers. Unfortunately, there has been a continual and frustrating disregard for the jam principles, including disrespectful treatment of the Rangers and jam volunteers when they request that attendees please put away their alcohol or pick up trash. Given the frequency of these issues, the steady increase in jam attendance numbers and the fact that many of the core organizers and Ranger volunteers will be in the desert for the Big Burn, we are deeply concerned about our ability to operate the August 30th jam safely and responsibly for everyone. 

Therefore, the organizers regret to announce that we have decided to CANCEL the August 30th Full Moon Jam. We ask that you please respect this decision, the integrity of the jams and each other’s safety, by not gathering at the jam site, regardless of the August 30th jam’s cancellation. A few jam organizers will be at the jam site to spread the word of the jam’s cancellation as well. The police are aware the jam has been cancelled and will be at the park asking people to disperse at the jam site.

We would like to stress that this choice has come solely from the FMJ organizers and not from any pressure or statements made by the Chicago Police, the 48th Ward or the Chicago Park District. All of these entities have given the event countless hours of support over the years and we would not have come this far without their support and guidance.

This is not a decision the FMJ organizers made lightly. Our first and foremost responsibility is to maintain the safety of ALL who attend the jams, as well as the integrity of the jams and the community they’ve created. We would rather cancel or discontinue the jams than allow them to continue in a manner that puts this community at risk. 

We recognize that many of you have respected the jams over the years, and we are eternally grateful for your support. At its core, the Full Moon Jam is about building community bonds, and ultimately this decision is meant to protect this community. The FMJ’s greatest strength is the love and care of the people who come to the jams, so we now appeal to you, the FMJ community, for help.

Please spread the word and share with others the need for everyone to remember and abide by the jam principles: Leave No Trace, no drinking or illegal substances, and protecting the community. This is a volunteer-run event that has been kept free for everyone to participate in and attend, so please respect the hard work and devotion the jam organizers, Rangers and other volunteers give to the jams by lending them your support and speaking up to remind others of the jam principles. If you are interested in lending a helping hand to the jams, please contact us at info@fullmoonjam.org. We need everyone - whether you are a long-time attendee or still new to the jams - to step up and take responsibility for how the jams are treated because this is YOUR community, too.

The FMJ organizers will continue to do our best to maintain the jams as a safe, fun and respectful environment for everyone, but we can’t do this alone. We hope that with your help, the jams can continue with vitality and grace.

Updates regarding the jams will continue to be published at www.fullmoonjam.org, to this list and on the Facebook Chicago Full Moon Jam group page. Would you be interested in volunteering with the Rangers or joining the organizers? Would you like to contribute your time, talents and energy to the jams but aren’t sure how? Please email us at info@fullmoonjam.org. Your willingness to help us continue the jams is greatly appreciated.

We all look forward to seeing everyone on September 30th.
With love, fire and rhythm,
The Full Moon Jam Organizers

Liz Campanella

Pyrotechniq
Manager & Performer

www.pyrotechniq.org
www.facebook.com/pyrotechniq

www.youtube.com/pyrotechniq

We perform fire as an art form, with passion,
anytime, anywhere, for any reason, fully insured. 

**Check out ChiIL Mama's Photo Filled Fire Jam Footage Here**

Opening, Closing, Extended and Highly Recommended

Act Out:  

Opening Friday

 
PROFILES THEATRE
Sweet and Sad (Midwest Premiere)
by Richard Nelson
Directed by Joe Jahraus

 
Featuring Profiles ensemble members Darrell W. Cox and Eric Burgher with Robert Breuler, Kristin Ford, Harmony France and Kate Harris
August 17 – October 7, 2012

Location: Profiles Theatre, The Main Stage, 4139 N. Broadway
Tickets: $30 - $40
Box Office: www.profilestheatre.org or (773) 549-1815
 

With Sweet and Sad, Tony Award-winning playwright Richard Nelson continues his series of plays exploring the immediate present and the ever-changing state of the nation. Over Sunday brunch on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, the Apple Family finds themselves talking about loss, remembrance and the family struggle to maintain its moral equilibrium in a world that no longer reflects its values.

Profiles Theatre’s production follows the highly acclaimed world premiere at The Public Theater in New York last season. Named one of the top ten plays of the year by the New York Times, New York Magazine and Bloomberg News, Sweet and Sad is part of Richard Nelson’s planned series of four works charting the changes undergone by an extended family from the village of Rhinebeck, New York. Beginning with That Hopey Changey Thing in 2010 and the upcoming Sorry opening at The Public Theater in October 2012, the plays take place in real time and have their World premiere on the dates they are set.

Closing (family friendly)

PINKALICIOUS Must Close On September 2!

**Check out ChiIL Mama's review and photo filled Feature (Pinkalicious Turns Gender Stereotypes On Their Heads) by clicking here**

**Check out our exclusive interview with Pinkalicious and her little brother here**
Emerald City Theatre Company's hit production of PINKALICIOUS was tickled pink to have so many extensions and spend over one year at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place.   But the time has come to say goodbye.
 

Still didn't see it, or want one last chance to chuckle along?   Catch em while you can.   Use code SUMMER when ordering to get $18 tickets!*

"Can't I have just one more?" When Pinkalicious eats one too many pink cupcakes, she catches a case of Pinkititis and turns pink from head to toe! It'll take the wisdom of her broccoli-eating little brother to help her get out of this predicament. Don't miss Chicago's Emerald City Theatre production of this smash hit musical based on the popular book by Elizabeth and Victoria Kann.

Best suited for theatre lovers 3 and up.

 

* Valid on all performances through September 2. Offer ends September 1 at 11:59pm. Not valid with any other offer or on previously purchased tickets. Subject to availability. Normal ticketing fees apply. Other restrictions may apply.

Extended

The Glass Menagerie
by Tennessee Williams
directed by Josh Altman
is EXTENDING for 2 weeks through September 16
Thu, Fri, Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 3pm

 

Company member and Jeff Award-winner, Jacqueline Grandt, plays Amanda in Tennessee Williams' most intimate play, up close and personal at Redtwist

THE PLAY
In Williams' deeply personal-and autobiographical-memory play, Tom Wingfield reveals to us a critical moment in his family's life. Brimming with false hope and desperation, this vivid and penetrating drama explores the disguise of illusion and a family's struggle to survive. Redtwist approaches this American masterpiece from the unique perspective of its explosive storefront space to re-examine the dark secrets of a young man's family, the debris from which emerged the legendary American playwright.

CAST
Ryan Heindl as Tom Wingfield; Jacqueline Grandt as Amanda Wingfield; Sarah Mayhan as Laura Wingfield; Chris Daley as Jim O'Connor

STAFF
Josh Altman (Director); Allison Queen (Stage Manager); Olivia Baker (Assistant Stage Manager); Frank Sjodin (Tech Director); Henry Behel (Set Designer); Heather Gilbert (Lighting Designer); Christopher Kriz (Sound Designer); Kelsey Ettman (Costume Designer); Nick Heggestad (Prop Designer); Kevin McDonald (Dramaturg); Kathy Logelin (Dialect Coach); Garvin Jellison (Master Electrician); Mary Reynard Liss (Vocal Coach); Jan Ellen Graves (Graphic Design); Charles Bonilla (Box Office Manager); Justin Castellano (Production Manager); Brett Gould, Heather Brooke Scholten (Production Assistants); Michael Colucci & Jan Ellen Graves (Producers)

SCHEDULE
Runs: Thu, Fri, Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 3pm
Closes: Sun, Sep 16, 3pm
Running Time: Approx. 2:15 hours, includes one intermission
Tickets: Thu, $25; Fri & Sun, $27; Sat, $30 (seniors & students $5 off)

DETAILS
Call: 773-728-7529
Email: reserve@redtwist.org
Website/Tickets: www.redtwist.org

Redtwist is located at 1044 W Bryn Mawr, 2 blks W of LSD, 2 blks E of the Red Line El station. Street parking (paybox/meters until 9pm) is available on Bryn Mawr, side streets, and Broadway. Please reserve 48 hours in advance. Credit cards accepted by phone and via Paypal to guarantee seating.

Highly Recommended

BABES WITH BLADES KICKS OFF 15th ANNIVERSARY SEASON  WITH “SUSAN SWAYNE AND THE BEWILDERED BRIDE”

 WORLD PREMIERE OF REINA HARDY’S VICTORIAN DETECTIVE COMEDY

**Check out our prior coverage and show details here.**

Dig Sherlock in skirts, and cutthroat killers in corsettes?   Then you must see Susan Swayne and The Bewildered Bride.   There's plenty of Victorian murder, mayhem and mystery afoot in this detective drama.  And the gender bending, cross dressing is worthy of The Bard himself.

ChiIL Live Shows had the great privileged of checkin' out opening night and we were thoroughly entertained.   The stage combat and sword play is  exhilarating and intense while the characters are as amusing as they are confusing.   We enjoyed the well written script and quirky sleuthing.   From opium dens to underwear duels, this show is highly recommended!   There are some mature sexual themes and simulated violence but nothing too over the top for older kids.   If in doubt, come check it out first.

Babes With Blades Theatre Company (BWBTC), Chicago’s all-female stage combat ensemble, will open their 15th anniversary season with the world premiere of “Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride” by Reina Hardy, directed by Dan Foss.  

It’s 1888 in London, and the Society of Lady Detectives meets discreetly to indulge its members’  tastes for swordplay and sleuthing.  As the genteel club considers a disturbing series of murders in the Whitechapel district, a frantic heiress turns up with a startling accusation towards one of their own.  Society member Susan Swayne takes the case, defying societal norms and pursuing the truth through the Victorian streets.  

Combat sequences from violence designer/BWBTC ensemble member Libby Beyreis will feature smallsword and bartitsu (a Victorian mixed martial art influenced by jujitsu and savate).  

Tickets are $20 for regular performances, students and seniors $12.
 
Originally submitted to BWBTC’s inaugural Joining Sword & Pen Playwriting Competition in 2005, “Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride” began as a one-act play inspired by a print of Emile Bayard’s “An Affair of Honor.”  The script was selected for the company’s New Plays Development Program in 2009 and became a full-length play through a series of three readings and feedback sessions.  Director Foss describes the resulting script as “a quirky Victorian detective comedy.”
  
 
The cast includes BWBTC ensemble members Lisa Herceg, Kimberly Logan, and  Megan Schemmel, joined by guest artists Kathryn Acosta, Justine Serino, and Kelly Yacono.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW for Reina Hardy’s Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride: CLICK!

“Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride” opened on Saturday, August 18 at 8:00 p.m. at the Lincoln Square Theatre, 4754 N. Leavitt (inside Berry Memorial UMC, lower level).   The show runs Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m., August 23  to September 22.  In addition, there will be Saturday matinees on September 1, 8, and 15 at 2:00 p.m.

For tickets, call 773-904-0391 or to go http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/222921.

GWAR and The Casualties Comin' Our Way For Riot Fest 2012 #Riotfest

GWAR-B-Q IS HUGE SUCCESS,
 PROCLAIMS MOST DANGEROUS BAND ON EARTH
 
A part of the crowd, which was estimated to be almost 2000 people, enjoys a little "dust-up" during a killer set from The Casualties

"Beyond our wildest dreams, and they can get pretty kinky, we were almost completely 100 % satisfied with this years GWAR-B-Q", said lead singer Oderus Urungus, reached at his Antarctic bungalo. "Everything went well, except that hottie from Attack of the Show didn't show up...but I suppose that is understandable. We did feed her to a worm last year!"

From everything to the weather (which was an enjoyable 85 degrees), to the authorities (who seemed to be enjoying themselves), to the bands ( who all put on amazing sets), all conditions were in perfect alignment and the much-anticipated event went off without a hitch...well, almost.

Slave Pit spokesman Dave Brockie had this to say about the event-"The "Meat and Beat" went great, and Oderus stayed in the area an extra three hours to make sure everybody got to hang out with their Lord and Master. It was a great line-up of great bands, and we got to see both Sleazy P. AND The Sexecutioner! It was a huge improvement over last year (when we didn't even manage to have it outside) - we made big strides this year and I am sure next year we will get even bigger and better. Rest assured any hiccups we had have been noted and will be sorted out for next year's event...so see ya at GWAR-B-Q 2013!"

Perhaps the best way to judge the success of the event is to hear it from the fans themselves-

Worth the drive down from Delaware for sure!!! Always up for GWAR especially when they bring Sexy back!!! And Ghoul kicked ass too!!
-Tom Flynn

It was still worth every second, dying of thirst or not. I was there for GWAR and to have a good time which I did. And that's all that mattered.
-Kristen Maresca

I had the greatest weekend of my life. My son and I traveled from Florida and it was worth every penny we paid!
-Lonny Amendolea

Thanks to all of the people that made this awesome event happen. GWAR is currently working on a new album, the first since the passing of longtime guitarist Cory Smoot last year. Look for an announcement soon regarding GWAR's search for a new Scumdog as GWAR prepares to debut the newest member of the GWAR tribe on this fall's "Fate or Chaos" North American tour.

See GWAR Live:

With The Casualties
9/13: Cincinnati, OH @ Bogarts
9/14: Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
 
RIOT FEST
9/15: Chicago, IL @ Humboldt Park and Congress Theater

With The Casualties
9/16: Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues

With DevilDriver, Cancer Bats and Legacy of Disorder
10/12: Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
10/13: Worcester, MA @ The Palladium ("Rock and Shock")
10/14: Clifton Park, NY @ Upstate Concert Hall
10/15: New Haven, CT @ Toad's Place
10/16: Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
10/18: Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
10/19: Ybor City, FL @ The Ritz Ybor
10/20: Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution
10/22: Charlotte, NC @ Amos' Southend
10/24: New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
10/25: Austin, TX @ Emo's
10/26: Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
10/27: Houston, TX @ House of Blues
10/31: Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
11/1: Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
11/2: Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee
11/3: Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
11/4: West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues
11/5: Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
11/6: Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
11/8: Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
11/9: Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
11/10: Seattle, WA @ Showbox SODO
11/11: Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory
11/12: Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theater
11/14: Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Events Centre
11/15: Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall Ballroom
11/16: Saskatoon, SK @ Odeon Events Centre
11/17: Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick Center
11/18: Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
11/20: Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
11/21: Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
11/23: Detroit, MI @ Harpo's
11/24: Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy
11/26: Millvale, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theater

Make sure to keep up with Oderus' latest incoherent rants and raves on "The Mad Minute" with Full Metal Jackie. Listen to the latest installment and check out recent "Mad Minutes" at http://www.fullmetaljackieradio.com

CHECK OUT GWAR ON THE WEB
http://www.gwar.net    
http://www.gwarbq.com    
http://www.youtube.com/gwar     
http://www.metalblade.tv/tv   
http://www.facebook.com/gwar     
http://www.myspace.com/gwarofficial  
http://www.gwarjapan.net      

ODERUS: http://twitter.com/therealoderus   
BALSAC:   https://twitter.com/BalSacJoD

Act Out: After Opens at Profiles Theatre 8/31/12

Profiles Theatre continues 24th Season
with the Midwest premiere
of After by Chad Beckim,
directed by Matt Hawkins
 
Profiles Theatre announces the Midwest premiere of After by Chad Beckim, the second show of the company’s 2012-2013 season. After, directed by guest artist Matt Hawkins, runs August 31-October 14, 2012.  Performances are held at Profiles original venue, The Alley Stage, 4147 N. Broadway.
 
When a wrongfully imprisoned man is exonerated by DNA evidence after seventeen years in prison, he is forced to re-assimilate into a cold, foreign world of toothbrush shopping, doggy day care, and a friendship with an anxious young woman with secrets of her own. After is a compassionate portrait of a man struggling with the challenges of socializing and the anger he still feels for having his youth unjustly destroyed.

After, written by Chad Beckim, received its World premiere production in September 2011 by Partial Comfort Productions in New York where he is co-Founder and co-Artistic Director. His playwriting credits include …a matter of choice, `nami and Lights Rise on Grace which won Outstanding Play at the 2007 New York International Fringe Festival and finalist for the 2007 Princess Grace Award. Chad holds an MFA in Playwriting from Mac Wellman’s Brooklyn Colleges Program and in July 2007, he was named one of 50 Playwrights to Watch by the Dramatists Guild.

Matt Hawkins (director of Cabaret at The Hypocrites) directs for the first time at Profiles. The production features guest artists Alice da Cunha, Carlos Rogelio Diaz, J. Salome Martinez, Stephenie Park, Gabriel Ruiz and Foster Williams, Jr., all making their debut with Profiles Theatre.

“There’s a delicate balance to my work; a dark, often bare-knuckle aesthetic entwined with levity, heart and hope,” says playwright Chad Beckim. “This is particularly true in the slippery landscape of After which demands a bold production team. Like any playwright, I’ve longed to find a home in Chicago, and am thrilled that Profiles Theatre—a company with a rich history of staging similarly daring voices and intrepid worlds – has carved out space for my baby. I’m eager to see how audiences of such a theatrically savvy company in such a theatrically savvy town embrace this story.”

The designers are Dan Stratton (set), Bekki Lambrecht (lights), Jeffrey Levin (sound and original music), and Brittany Bodley (costumes). Krissy Larson is the stage manager and Elise Spoerlein serves as assistant director.

After is the second production of Profiles Theatre’s 24th season. The Midwest premiere of Sweet and Sad by Richard Nelson opens at Profiles Theatre’s Main Stage on August 24, 2012. The season also includes the 20th Anniversary production of Hellcab by Will Kern, and the Midwest premieres of The Dream of the Burning Boy by David West Read and The Break of Noon by Neil LaBute.

Tickets for After are $35 for Thursdays, $40 for Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are available by phone, (773) 549-1815, or online, www.profilestheatre.org. Performances are Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 5:00 and 8:00 pm, Sundays at 7:00 p.m.
 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

CHAD BECKIM (Playwright) is a New York City based playwright whose writing credits include …a matter of choice, `nami, Lights Rise on Grace (Winner, Outstanding Play, 2007 NY International Fringe Festival; Finalist for the 2007 Princess Grace Award; Finalist for Ojai Playwrights’ Conference), The Main(e) Play (Semi-Finalist, The O’Neill Festival, Optioned by Table Ten Films in 2010), That Men Do (Member of The Lark’s 2009 “Playwright’s Week” and Naked Angels “First Mondays” Series) and Mercy. He has also authored a number of shorts and one-acts, including The Fluffer and Marvel Super Hero Squad, both produced at Ars Nova, as well as Tha Bess Shit, Alexander Pays a Visit, Blac(c)ident, and Last First Kiss, which was adapted into a Columbia Grad film and produced in July, 2008. Chad holds an MFA in Playwrighting from Mac Wellman’s Brooklyn Colleges Program, and in July of 2007 was named one of “50 Playwrights to Watch” by the Dramatists Guild. His work has been published by Samuel French, Playscripts, Smith & Krauss, Autumn House Publications and in the Plays and Playwrights 2007 collection by NYTE. He is a former member of Ars Nova’s acclaimed “Play Group,” and is a co-Founder and co-Artistic Director of Partial Comfort Productions.

MATT HAWKINS (Director) has been a director/actor/fight choreographer in Chicago for the past eleven years. Favorite directing credits include Cabaret with The Hypocrites, Red Noses for Strawdog, On My Parents’ 100th Wedding Anniversary with Side Project, Alice, Fear for the Neo-Futurists, Cyrano and Hatfield and McCoy with The House Theatre. Other favorite projects include playing Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire at Writers’ Theatre and serving as the Movement Director for Peter Pan at Lookingglass. He has also worked with Steppenwolf, Court Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Kennedy Center, Chicago Shakespeare, Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Redmoon, American Theatre Company, Steep, Pine Box, City Lit, Signal Ensemble, Adventure Stage, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Chicago Children’s Theatre and Old Town School of Folk Music. Matt has been an Adjunct Professor of Theater at Loyola and on faculty at the Conservatory at Act One Studios. He has taught at the University of Chicago, Roosevelt University, the University of Iowa and was the Guest Artist in Residency for the American Music Theatre Project at Northwestern University in 2010. Matt is a Founding Member of The House Theatre, an Artistic Associate and Resident Director with Strawdog, an Artistic Associate with 500 Clown and the recipient of five Jeff Awards. Later in the year he will direct Big Love at Strawdog and he will serve as fight director for Bengal Tiger At The Baghdad Zoo at Lookingglass. He is married to Stacy Stoltz.

ALICE DA CUNHA (Liz) is making her Profiles Theatre debut. She was recently seen in Dal Vivo at the Den Theatre and O Telefone Substituto for the Todos Festival, Lisbon. Her UK credits include This Much is True with Theatre 503, El Desierto at the CASA Festival, Aaron and Esther with Etcetera Theatre, Closing Time with Assembly Rooms at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival & Soho Theatre, Chairmania at Battersea Arts Centre, Anna in the Tropics with Hampstead Theatre, Faust with Bridewell Theatre, and Romeo & Juliet with Hazlitt Theatre. Alice’s film credits include The Iron Lady and Outpost: The Black Sun. She is an ensemble member of Dal Vivo and Artistic Consultant for Theater Un-Speak-Able. 
 
CARLOS ROGELIO DIAZ (Eddie) is appearing with Profiles for the first time. He is a Chicago native and most recently worked with Halcyon Theater's production of Freud Skating On Thin Ice directed by Henry Godinez, Adventure Stage Chicago's The Giver and The Fine Print Theater's At Ease. Previous collaborators have included Cock & Bull Theater, Aguijon Theater and the Bailiwick among others. Carlos is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago, a member of SAG - AFTRA and represented by Paonessa Talent Agency.

J. SALOME MARTINEZ, JR. (Monty) is making his Profiles and Chicago debut with After having recently moved from Los Angeles. Some of his theatre credits include As You Like It, Man of La Mancha, The Seagull and A Christmas Carol. Salome has also appeared on several television shows and films including Law & Order, Castle, the Emmy award-winning HBO mini-series Generation Kill, New York, I Love You and the Oscar Nominated film The Messenger. He received his BA in theatre from Barat College and his MFA in acting from the University of Florida.

STEPHENIE PARK (Susie) is making her Profiles debut in After. Last season she was an understudy in the Silk Road Rising original production of Re-Spiced: A Silk Road Cabaret, and prior to that, she came in 4th place on competitive cooking show America's Next Great Restaurant. Other recent productions include Carousel and The Wild Party with Penn Players. Stephenie’s upcoming appearances include the television series Boss, the independent film It's a Terrible Week for Singing and a staged reading of Cowboy vs. Samurai. When she is not acting, Stephenie is a musician and practicing attorney.

GABRIEL RUIZ (Warren) is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University and a company member of Teatro Vista Theater Company. Gabriel was last seen in Blood and Gifts at The Lincoln Center Theater in New York. Chicago credits include Working at the Broadway Playhouse, Richard III and SS! A Midsummer Night's Dream at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Our Lady of the Underpass with Teatro Vista, Esperanza Rising for Chicago Children's Theater, and Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them with Forward Theater Company in Madison, WI. He can also be seen as Dilip Singh in both seasons of Boss on Starz.

FOSTER WILLIAMS, JR. (Chap) is making his Profiles Theatre debut with After. He has appeared in such productions as The Man Who Saved New Orleans, Bedtime Story, Lifetimes on the Streets and Woman From the Town with ETA Creative Arts Foundation, The Amen Corner with Ray of Hope Theatre, Jitney and Two Trains Runing with Pegasus Players, Sketch Book 2007 with Collaboraction Theatre, The Haunted L for Quest Theatre Ensemble and A Black Man Named Joe with Black Theater Ensemble. Foster’s independent film credits include Dark and Never Say Yes to a Stranger.



Schedule: Thurs., Fri.: 8:00 p.m.
Saturday: 5:00 p.m. and 8:00p.m. (no 5pm show September 1 and 8)
Sunday: 7:00 p.m.

Location: Profiles Theatre, The Alley Stage, 4147 N. Broadway
Parking is available for $10 - $12 at 4100 N. Clarendon
(One block east of the theatre at the corner of Clarendon and Belle Plaine)

Ticket prices: Previews: $20
Regular Run: Thursdays are $35, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are $40; Students and Senior Citizens receive a $5 discount on all performances; Group rates are available.
Box Office: Buy online at www.profilestheatre.org
or call (773) 549-1815


ABOUT PROFILES THEATRE

Profiles Theatre, founded in 1988 by Artistic Director Joe Jahraus, joined shortly thereafter by Artistic Director Darrell W. Cox, was formed as an actor-driven theatre ensemble dedicated to creating provocative and emotionally truthful productions. Passionate about shaping an original vision for new works, they focused on performing World, American and Midwest premieres as well as rarely performed plays. Critically acclaimed hits, such as Blackbird, Fat Pig and Graceland and the multiple Jeff Award-winning Killer Joe established Profiles as a destination for challenging and edgy theatre. Their unique collaboration with playwright Neil LaBute led the ensemble to perform an entire season of his plays in 2007-2008. Now a Resident Artist at Profiles, LaBute remains an unequivocal artistic influence on the ensemble.

After performing at 4147 North Broadway for more than two decades, Profiles acquired an adjacent theatre at 4139 North Broadway in 2012. Profiles’ new theatre, The Main Stage, with its larger seating capacity, increased performance space and higher ceilings, accommodates more ambitious and technically demanding productions. Their long-time venue, renamed The Alley Stage, continues as the home for plays strengthened by a more intimate staging. Driven by an undiminished appetite for creating honest and resonant theatre, Profiles still seeks to present work that illuminates the determination and resiliency of the human spirit.

Act Out: Victory Gardens presents Equivocation

by Bill Cain
Directed by Sean Graney
 
Big congrats to Victory Gardens for their nomination for 10 Jeff Awards for their work last season!   Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we can't wait to check out what Victory Gardens has in store for us this season.   Save the dates!  
 
Victory Gardens opens its 2012-13 season with Equivocation, written by Bill Cain and directed by Sean Graney. The production runs September 14 – October 14, 2012 at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park. 
 
In London in the year 1605, a down-and-out playwright called Shagspeare (yes, it’s him) receives a royal commission to write a play promoting the government’s version of Guy Fawkes’ treasonous Gunpowder Plot. As Shag navigates the dangerous course between writing a lie and losing his soul, or writing the truth and losing his head, his devoted theatre troupe helps him negotiate each step along the way. At once an explosive comedy of ideas and a high-stakes political thriller, Bill Cain’s award-winning Equivocation deftly reveals the cat-and-mouse games in politics and art, and the craft of learning how to speak the truth in difficult times.

"One of the most bracingly intelligent, sizzlingly theatrical American plays in a decade" – Variety

“A wonderful play of ideas, Equivocation is a witty, funny, poignant look at the complex relationship between art and politics. How do we tell the truth in difficult times? Are we ready to pay the real cost of telling the truth? Or do we lie and revise history?” comments Artistic Director Chay Yew. “I can't think of a more timely play to remind us of this, especially with all the political rhetoric swirling about in anticipation of the November elections.”

The cast of Equivocation includes Minita Gandhi (Judith), Marc Grapey (Shag), Matt Kahler (Armin), Mark Montgomery (Cecil), Arturo Soria (Sharpe), and Bruce A. Young (Richard).

The designers are William Boles (Set Designer), Heather Gilbert (Lighting Designer ),
Janice Pytel (Costume Designer) and Kevin O'Donnell (Sound Designer).


Regular run: September 25 – October 14, 2012
Schedule: Tuesdays: 7:30 pm
Wednesdays: 7:30 pm
Thursdays: 7:30 pm
Fridays: 7:30 pm
Saturdays: 4:00 pm
Sundays: 3:00 pm

Special 10:30am matinees are available for school groups and youth organizations on select weekdays. Contact Group Sales Manager Megan Campbell, 773-634-9874.

Location: Victory Gardens Biograph Theater is located at 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, in the heart of Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood
Tickets: Previews: $20 - $40
Regular run: $20 - $50
Box Office: The Box Office is located at 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago.
773.871.3000; victorygardens.org

Ask the Box Office about student tickets ($15), senior, Access, 20 for $20, and rush discounts. For group discounts, call 773.634.9874.

A full and updated schedule of special events, post show discussions and presentations centered around performances of Equivocation is available at www.victorygardens.org.



Notes of Interest:
    •    Equivocation received its world premiere at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It was the recipient of two Edgerton grants, an Ovation Award for Best Production of a Play ­ Large Theatre and Featured Actor in a Play, and the Steinberg New Play Award.
    •    Bill Cain is the founder of the Boston Shakespeare Company, where he was Artistic Director for seven seasons, directing most of the Shakespeare canon.
    •    Sean Graney is the Artistic Director and Founder of The Hypocrites. He won a Joseph Jefferson Citation and an After Dark Award as Director of Machinal by Sophie Treadwell. Graney was called Chicago’s Best Avant-Garde Director by Chicago Magazine and Chicagoan of the Year (Theater) by the Chicago Tribune.

About the Artists
Sean Graney (Director) is the founder of The Hypocrites, for which he has directed over 30 productions since 1997. He was a participant in the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors. He has won three Joseph Jefferson Citation awards for the Direction of Sophocles: Seven Sicknesses, Equus and Machinal. He has directed at Chicago Shakespeare, Milwaukee Rep, Court Theatre, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, Steppenwolf for Young Audiences, Chicago Childrens’ Theatre, among others. He currently teaches at Lake Forest College Chicago and University of Chicago. He is currently working on adapting the 32 surviving Greek Tragedies into one epic script called All Our Tragic. If interested, visit the blog: allourtragic.com, or email Sean at sean@seangraney.com.

Minita Gandhi (Judith) makes her Victory Gardens debut with Equivocation. Regional credits include Mary Zimmerman’s The Arabian Nights at Lookingglass Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theater, and The Arena Stage; Half-Life, A Christmas Carol, and The Voysey Inheritance at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre; Around the World in 80 Days, A Christmas Carol at Indiana Repertory Theater; Twelfth Night at First Folio Theater; Distracted at ATC, and Gilgamesh at the MCA with Silk Road Rising. Film/TV credits include Fox's “The Chicago Code” and Parvati's “Golden Skin.” Minita was born in Mumbai, India and specializes in East-Indian dance and movement. She travels and performs with the corporate comedy troupe Wavelength, teaches anti-bullying techniques and sexual abuse prevention for K-12 with Imagination Theater, is a graduate of the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, and is represented by The Gray Talent Group.

Arturo Soria (Sharpe) was most recently seen at Victory Gardens in the critically acclaimed production of Oedipus El Rey as Creon. Arturo recently originated the role of Tano in the World Premiere of Hit the Wall with The Inconvenience at Steppenwolf Garage Theatre. Recent credits: Santiago in A Few Good Men with Peninsula Players, The Fever Chart with Eclipse Theatre Company, Sonnets for an Old Century with Urban Theatre Company, Fucking Men with Bailiwick Chicago, The Chicago Landmark Project with Theatre Seven and Scorched with Silk Road Rising. He has worked with the Goodman Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, Chicago Playworks and other reputable theatre companies in Chicago. His solo show You Don't Know My Life, Ni Mi Madre has premiered at several solo performance festivals around Chicago. Arturo is a founding company member of Sankofa Theatre Company; an Artistic Associate of About Face Theatre; and a theatre teaching artist at Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos Puerto Rican High School.

Matt Kahler (Armin) graduated from Lindenwood University with a degree in acting. He is a company member of The Hypocrites, where he has appeared in The Pirates of Penzance and Frankenstein, and will be appearing in their upcoming productions of The Mikado and Coriolanus.  In Chicago, he has also appeared in Macbeth, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Much Ado About Nothing (Lakeside Shakespeare); Watership Down (Lifeline Theater); Kill Me (Wildclaw Theater); The Ghosts of Treasure Island (Adventure Stage Chicago); Ren-Faire! A Fistful of Ducats (Factory Theater). Matt is a songwriter, and is currently composing the original music for Promethean Theater's upcoming production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle.

Marc Grapey (Shag) made his Broadway debut in the 2005 revival of The Odd Couple opposite Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. Chicago Credits: Mizlansky/Zilinsky Or Schmucks, The Chosen, Antigone, Dead Man’s Cell Phone and Oblivion (Steppenwolf); I Sailed With Magellan (Victory Gardens); Race, Griller, Vigils (Goodman); and Early and Often and The Homecoming (Famous Door). Regionally, he has appeared at the Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville and the HBO Comedy and Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado. TV credits: Arrested Development, The West Wing, Law and Order: SVU, Conviction, The Comeback and Sex and the City. Film credits: Ali, While You Were Sleeping, The Company, The Daytrippers, Superbad, Adventureland and Chicago Overcoat.

Bruce A. Young (Richard) is a founding member of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where his credits include: Hamlet, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 (at CST and at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon); The Merchant of Venice, Rose Rage: Henry VI Parts 1, 2 and 3 (at CST and at The Duke Theatre on 42nd St., New York); Troilus and Cressida, Henry V and Antony and Cleopatra. Other Chicago credits include: Blue Door (Victory Gardens Theater); Galileo, The Tempest (Goodman Theatre); and Warp (Organic Theater Company). Broadway credits include Macbeth, directed by Terry Hands (Music Box Theatre). Off Broadway credits include Elliot Loves, directed by Mike Nichols (Promenade Theater). Regional credits include: Neighbors (Mixed Blood Theatre Company); Little Rock (TheatreWorks); and Othello (Philadelphia Drama Guild). Film and television credits include: Enough, The Sentinel, Risky Business, “Grey's Anatomy,” Phenomenon, “Cold Case,” Trespass, Basic Instinct, An Innocent Man and The Color of Money.

Mark L. Montgomery (Cecil) was last seen in Want at Steppenwolf and Camino Real at Goodman. His Chicago credits include over a dozen productions with Chicago Shakespeare Theater including Twelfth Night; Troilus and Cressida; Rose Rage: Henry VI Parts 1, 2 and 3; Stage Kiss and A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre); Fascination (About Face Theatre); The Time of Your Life (Steppenwolf Theatre); Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Apple Tree Theatre); and In the Belly of the Beast: Letters from Prison (The Journeymen Theater Company, After Dark Award); also Remy Bumppo, Northlight and others. New York credits: The Seagull and Mamma Mia! on Broadway; Macbeth (The Public); The Runner Stumbles (The Actors Company Theatre) and The Madras House (Mint Theater Company). Regional Credits: Julius Caesar (American Repertory Theater, and French tour) and Emma (Cleveland Playhouse). Television credits: Boss, Law & Order and Guiding Light.

ACCESS PERFORMANCES
Audio description and touch tours for patrons who are blind or have low vision
Friday, October 5 Touch Tour 6:00pm Performance 7:30pm
Sunday, October 14 Touch Tour 1:30pm Performance 3:00pm

Call 773.871.3000 for reservations.

Word for word captioning for patrons who are hearing impaired
Wednesday, October 3 at 2:00pm
Friday, October 12 at 7:30pm
Saturday, October 13 at 4:00pm 

Sign language interpretation for patrons who are deaf or hearing impaired
Friday, October 12 at 7:30pm

Victory Gardens is the winner, Best Accessible Theater, Deaf Illinois Awards 2009.
See www.victorygardens.org and click on “Enhance Your Visit” for information on other Access services including large print and Braille programs, assisted listening devices, and artist development workshops as well as a full schedule of special events, post-show discussions and presentations.

Logistics and Amenities
Parking
$11 valet parking is available for all performances except weekday matinees. Discounted parking is available one block south at Children's Memorial Hospital for all shows except weekday matinees (no overnights). Metered and street parking is available, but mind the neighborhood parking restrictions.

Public transit
By CTA train, take the Red, Purple or Brown lines to the Fullerton stop. Walk east on Fullerton to Lincoln, then north 1/2 block to the theater. The #8 Halsted, #11 Lincoln, #37 Sedgwick/Ogden, and #74 Fullerton CTA buses all stop at the corner of Fullerton and Halsted, 1/2 block south of the theater. See transitchicago.com for times and routes.

Pre- and post-show dining
See www.victorygardens.org for a list of Victory Gardens’ neighborhood dining partners. Each is within walking distance of the Biograph, and all offer a special discount to patrons who present a Victory Gardens ticket stub.

About Victory Gardens Theater
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Chay Yew and Executive Director Jan Kallish, Victory Gardens is dedicated to artistic excellence while creating a vital, contemporary American Theater that is accessible and relevant to all people through productions of challenging new plays and musicals. Victory Gardens Theater is a leader in developing and producing new theatre work and cultivating an inclusive theater community. Victory Gardens’ core strengths are nurturing and producing dynamic and inspiring new plays, reflecting the diversity of our city’s and nation’s culture through engaging diverse communities, and in partnership with Chicago Public Schools,  bringing art and culture to our city’s active student population.  

Since its founding in 1974, the company has produced more world premieres than any other Chicago theater, a commitment recognized nationally when Victory Gardens received the 2001 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Our commitment to developing, supporting and producing new theatre work makes Victory Gardens an American Center for New Plays.

In 2006, Victory Gardens successfully completed an $11.8 million renovation of Chicago’s famed Biograph Theater, and moved two blocks north from its longtime venue at 2257 N. Lincoln Avenue, to its beautiful new home in one of Chicago’s most celebrated historic landmarks. Renamed Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, the new venue is a state-of-the-art 299-seat mainstage which has greatly expanded the company’s artistic flexibility.

In 2009, Victory Gardens completed the second phase of renovation at the Biograph, building an intimate, new, 109-seat studio theater on the second floor. On March 1, 2010, at a special launch event for Victory Gardens $1 million Campaign for Growth, the theater’s new studio was officially named the Richard Christiansen Theater, in honor of the Chicago Tribune chief critic emeritus and longtime champion of Chicago’s live theater scene. Visit www.victorygardens.org for more details.

Victory Gardens Theater receives major funding from Alphawood Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Allstate Insurance, The Boeing Company, Crown Family Philanthropies, Leo S. Guthman Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, Polk Bros. Foundation, and REAM Foundation. Additional funding is provided by: Illinois Arts Council (a state agency), The Edgerton Foundation, The James S. Kemper Foundation, Charles & M.R. Shapiro Foundation, Sara Lee Foundation, Venturous Theater Fund, McVay Foundation, The Seabury Foundation, Wrightwood Neighbors Conservation Association, The Charles H. and Bertha L. Boothroyd Foundation, John R. Halligan Charitable Fund, Illinois Tool Works, Motorola Mobility Foundation, Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, a City Arts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, The Irving Harris Foundation, PNC Foundation, and The Saints.