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Thursday, September 5, 2013
Gramatik FREE Mixtape Download or Stream #NCMF #FreeDownload
ACT OUT OPENING: Death Boogie at Auditorium Theatre Katten/Landau Studio Sept 5-7th
AN EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL WINNER FOR BEST NEW MUSIC, “DEATH BOOGIE,” COMES TO THE AUDITORIUM THEATRE SEPT. 5 – 7, 2013
The Auditorium Theatre’s Katten/Landau Studio Hosts Hip Hop Poetry Musical Written and Performed by Actor/Poet Darian Dauchan
The winner of two Musical Theatre Matters Awards including Best New Music and Best Innovation in Musical Theatre at the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, “Death Boogie ,” comes to the Auditorium Theatre’s Katten Landau Studio, September 5 – 7, 2013. Written and performed by actor/poet Darian Dauchan accompanied by local Chicago musicians, and directed by Jennifer McGrath, the “New York Times” hails this innovative, modern hip hop musical as “a polished, invigorating spoken-word performance.” Tickets ($12 – $20) are available online at AuditoriumTheatre.org , by calling (800) 982-ARTS (2787) or at the Auditorium Theatre Box Office (50 E Congress Pkwy).
With the addition of ‘Death Boogie’ to the Auditorium’s 2013 – 14 Season, we continue the Auditorium’s mission to offer pioneering, diverse entertainment never before seen in Chicago,” said Executive Director of the Auditorium Theatre Brett Batterson. “The Katten/Landau space provides the perfect setting for this intimate, powerful demonstration of inventive musical theatre that speaks to audiences through multiple media platforms.”
Both a concept album and a theatrical production, “Death Boogie” follows the fictional story of Victor Spartan, a blue collar worker turned revolutionist. Spartan may lead a comatose lifestyle by day but at night, he hears the poetic sounds of revolution. A political romp that uses a combination of music (violin, bass and beat-boxing) and comic book illustrations to convey the deeply rooted call to action, Dauchan embodies Spartan along with various characters including a Greek Titan, a soldier, a prisoner of war and a child to examine the notion of martyrdom, altruism, and courage in this high energy whimsical narrative.
About Darian Dauchan
An award-winning solo performer, actor and poet, Darian Dauchan, has brought his talents to both stage and screen. In the past six years, Dauchan has embraced the art of Spoken Word/Performance Poetry touring throughout the country at poetry venues including the Green Mill in Chicago. Founder of “The Spoken Word Almanac Project,” a poetry collective committed to writing poems on current world events, he conceived the spoken word show “Slam 101” for Lincoln Center’s Meet the Artists Series. Performance credits include: “Twentieth Century” with Alec Baldwin on Broadway, “Law and Order” (NBC) and “Bet the House” (Nickelodeon). His solo work includes “Fallen Patriots” (NYC Fringe), “Texaco's Last Stand” (Ohio Theatre/IGNITE Festival), “Media Madness” (Kitchen Theatre, Ithaca, NY), “Entertainer's Eulogy” (Memphis, TN), “Kitchen Theatre” (Ithaca, New York), “Whitefire Solo Theatre Festival” (Los Angeles, CA), “Theatre ROW” (United Solo Festival) and most recently, “Obamatry: A Spoken Word Remix on the 44th President of the United States of America” (Under St. Marks Theater). He has won numerous awards for both his poetry as well as his performance work.
About Director Jennifer McGrath
Director Jennifer McGrath has always lived and worked by the strong belief in the power of the arts to educate, inspire and rehabilitate. She has been dedicated to encouraging other to find their artistic voices and works in various fields of entertainment as a choreographer, stage manager, teacher and event planner. McGrath has also collaborated with Dauchan on the critically acclaimed “Obamatry: A Spoken Word Remix on the 44th President of the United States of America.” Other directorial credits include “Citizen Girl,” “The Burning Cities Project” (Fringe Festival, NY) and an arts education outreach tour of the South African play “Woza Albert!”
Performance Schedule and Ticket Information
Death Boogie” at the Auditorium Theatre:
Thursday, September 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, September 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 7 at 8 p.m.
Tickets ($15, $12 for students on Thursday; $20, $15 for students on Friday and Saturday) are available online at AuditoriumTheatre.org , by calling (800) 982-ARTS (2787) or in-person at Auditorium Theatre’s Box Office (50 E Congress Pkwy). Discounted tickets for groups of 6 or more are available by calling (312) 341-2357.
Auditorium Theatre’s 2013 - 14 Season:
The full Auditorium Theatre 2013 – 14 season includes Ballet West’s “The Sleeping Beauty” and a Mixed Rep that includes “Diamonds (Pas de Deux),” “Rubies” and “The Lottery” (October 4 – 6); Hungarian State Folk Ensemble (November 22); “Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah” (January 18 - 19); Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (February 28 – March 9); Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan with “Songs of the Wanderers” (March 14 and 16); Houston Ballet’s “Aladdin” (March 22 – 23); Chick Corea and Béla Fleck (April 5); River North Dance Chicago (April 12); “The Idan Raichel Project” (May 15); and Paul Taylor Dance Company (May 17–18).
About the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University
The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, located at 50 E Congress Pkwy, is an Illinois, not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community and educational programming to Chicago, and to the continued restoration and preservation of the National Historic Landmark Auditorium Theatre. The Auditorium Theatre is generously supported by the Illinois Arts Council and the Palmer House Hilton. For more information about programming, volunteer and donor opportunities or theater tours, call (312) 341-2310 or visit AuditoriumTheatre.org.
Worlds Collide Alert: PigPen Theatre Co. In Residence at Schubas AND Opening The Season at Writers Theatre
These little piggies are all over Chi-town. Go hog wild and check 'em out at Writers Theatre AND as artists in residence at one of our favorite little venues for live tunes, Schubas. They'll be rockin' the joint every Monday in October & November. We'll be there for the press opening of the Writers Theatre's season opener on 9/12 and we'll have a review up shortly.
PigPen Theatre Co. will be in residence at Schubas in Chicago, Monday nights in October & November:
Just announced: in celebration of their upcoming EP release (The Way I'm Running, out October 8)
The guys are in Chicago performing their full-length production, The Old Man and the Old Moon, at Writers' Theatre through November 10, after which they'll embark on a U.S. concert tour.
AWARD-WINNING INDIE-FOLK BAND PIGPEN THEATRE CO. TO RELEASE NEW EP, THE WAY I’M RUNNING, OCTOBER 8
NEW PRODUCTION OF THE OLD MAN AND THE OLD MOON RUNS SEPTEMBER 3–NOVEMBER 10 AT WRITERS’ THEATRE IN CHICAGO
“PigPen Theatre Co. is the best kept secret around but that’s not going to last for much longer…”—The Huffington Post
“Like watching child geniuses at play.”—The New Yorker
On October 8 award-winning, seven-member indie-folk band/theater troupe PigPen Theatre Co. releases The Way I’m Running, a five-song EP of all new material. Recorded in New York City with producer Ron Robinson Jr., the songs were conceived and arranged on the road as the band toured in support of their critically acclaimed debut album, Bremen, named one of the top 10 albums of 2012 by The Huffington Post.
In addition to touring the U.S. this summer, PigPen spent two weeks in residence at the Williamstown Theatre Festival workshopping the new Chicago production of their Off-Broadway hit The Old Man and The Old Moon. The show, which played more than 100 performances in NYC last fall, will have its Chicago debut in a new production at Writers’ Theatre running September 3–November 10.
The guys of PigPen began creating their unique brand of music, film and theater as students at Carnegie Mellon University in 2008. They went on to become the first group to win top honors at the New York International Fringe Festival two years in a row (2010 and 2011), and their first commercial Off-Broadway production The Old Man and The Old Moon received critical raves, running from September 2012–January 2013 at The Gym at Judson (located in the iconic Judson Memorial Church).
PigPen Theatre Co. has performed at New York’s famous Barrow Street Theatre, Bowery Ballroom, Joe’s Pub, Mercury Lounge, The Irondale Center, The Gym at Judson, the Boston Center for the Arts, and has sold out theaters nationwide with its shows The Nightmare Story, The Mountain Song and The Old Man and the Old Moon. Their work has earned them critics’ picks from The New York Times, Time Out New York, New York Magazine and The Huffington Post, among others, with reviewers ranking their productions among the top ten theatrical events of both 2011 and 2012. The group recently gave a TEDx Talk on storytelling.
THE WAY I’M RUNNING TRACKLIST
1. Sailor
2. Song from the Stone
3. The Way I’m Running
4. Giant
5. I Crash
Twitter: @PigPenTheatreCo
Writers Theatre opens its 2013-14 season
with PigPen Theatre Co.’s
The Old Man and The Old Moon
A new play with music
September 3-November 10, 2013
Something old... something new... The Old Man and The Old Moon is a NEW play that starts the NEW season of Writer's Theatre. This one's high on our must see list. Book your tickets in advance for the best seats. Previews are currently running. We'll be there to review for the press opening night 9/12.
Click here for our prior coverage and the full scoop on The Old Man and The Old Moon.
Title: The Old Man and The Old Moon
By: PigPen Theatre Co.
Directed by: Associate Artistic Director Stuart Carden and PigPen Theatre Co.
Cast: PigPen Theatre Co.
Alex Falberg, Ben Ferguson, Curtis Gillen, Ryan Melia, Matt Nuernberger, Arya Shahi and Dan Weschler.
Designers: Lydia Fine and Bart Cortright; Mikhail Fiksel (sound); Meredith Miller (props master)
Dates: First performance: September 3, 2013
Closing performance: November 10, 2013
Schedule: Tuesdays: 7:30pm
Wednesdays: 7:30pm (with select 2:00pm matinees)
Thursdays & Fridays: 8:00pm
Saturdays: 4:00pm and 8:00pm
Sundays: 2:00pm and 6:00pm
Location: Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe
Prices: Prices for all performances range from $35 - $70
Purchase early for best prices
Box Office: The Box Office is located at 376 Park Avenue, Glencoe;
847-242-6000; www.writerstheatre.org
Find Writers Theatre on Facebook at Facebook.com/WritersTheatre or follow Writers Theatre on Twitter at Twitter.com/WritersTheatre. For more information, visit www.writerstheatre.org.
ACT OUT OPENING: 4000 Miles at Northlight Theatre 9/14
Northlight Theatre presents the Chicago Premiere of
Amy Herzog’s 4000 Miles
Directed by Artistic Associate Kimberly Senior
September 14-October 20, 2013
Josh Salt/Mary Ann Thebus Production Photo
ChiIL Live Shows will be there to review opening night. Tickets are currently on sale for this award winning Chicago premier. It's sure to be a stunning season opener.
ChiIL Live Shows will be there to review opening night. Tickets are currently on sale for this award winning Chicago premier. It's sure to be a stunning season opener.
Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, opens its 2013-2014 season with the Chicago Premiere of 4000 Miles, the acclaimed play by Amy Herzog, directed by Northlight Artistic Associate Kimberly Senior. The production will run at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie, from September 14-October 20, 2013.
At the end of an arduous cross-country bike trip, a rudderless 21 year-old seeks refuge in his elderly grandmother’s West Village apartment. Though they face ideological differences, these two outsiders ultimately find their way together to build a cross-generational relationship.
4000 Miles was a Pulitzer Prize Finalist; Time Magazine's #1 Play of 2012; the winner of the Obie Award, Best New Play (2012); and received The New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award (2012).
BJ Jones comments, “Amy Herzog, one of America's most insightful and sensitive writers has given us, in 4000 Miles, a meditation on mortality and intergenerational connection. Kimberly Senior, Northlight's new Artistic Associate, directs this Pulitzer Prize nominated play with the grace and intelligence she brought to last season’s The Whipping Man. With humor and bittersweet sensibility, Amy Herzog brings two disparate generations together in an enlightening and thoughtful evening.”
The cast of 4000 Miles includes Emjoy Gavino (Amanda/Lily), Caroline Neff (Bec), Josh Salt (Leo Joseph-Connell) and Mary Ann Thebus (Vera Joseph).
The creative team includes Jack Magaw (Set Design), Rachel Laritz (Costume Design), Christine A. Binder (Lighting Design) and Christopher Kriz (Sound Design).
About the Artists
Amy Herzog (Playwright) This is the first of Amy’s plays to be produced at Northlight Theatre. Her works include: After the Revolution (Williamstown Theater Festival; Playwrights Horizons; Lilly Award), 4000 Miles (Lincoln Center; Obie Award for the Best New American Play, Pulitzer Prize Finalist), The Great God Pan (Playwrights Horizons), and Belleville (Yale Rep; New York Theatre Workshop; Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Finalist; Drama Desk Nomination). Amy is a recipient of the Whiting Writers Award, the Benjamin H. Danks Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Helen Merrill, the Joan and Joseph Cullman Award for Extraordinary Creativity, and the New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award. She is a Usual Suspect at NYTW and an alumna of Youngblood, Play Group at Ars Nova, and the SoHo Rep Writer/Director Lab. She has taught playwriting at Bryn Mawr and Yale. MFA, Yale School of Drama.
Kimberly Senior (Director) returns to Northlight where she previously directed The Whipping Man. Other Chicago credits include The Letters (Writers Theatre); Want, The North Plan (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); After the Revolution, Madagascar, The Overwhelming (Next Theatre Company); Cripple of Inishmaan, Bug, The Pillowman (Redtwist Theatre); Disgraced (American Theater Company); Waiting for Lefty (American Blues Theater); Old Times, Uncle Vanya, Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters (Strawdog Theatre Company); Thieves Like Us (The House Theatre of Chicago); All My Sons, Dolly West's Kitchen (TimeLine Theatre Company). Regional: Disgraced (Lincoln Center Theater); The Game's Afoot, Murder on the Nile, A Few Good Men (Peninsula Players Theatre); Mauritius (TheatreSquared). Founder: Collaboraction Theatre Company. Artistic Associate: Northlight Theatre, Next Theatre Company, Strawdog Theatre Company, Chicago Dramatists. Kimberly lives in Evanston with her husband, scenic designer Jack Magaw and her two children, Noah and Delaney.
Emjoy Gavino (Amanda) makes her Northlight Theatre debut. Recent Chicago credits include The Drunken City (The Garage at Steppenwolf Theatre Company), Failure: A Love Story (Victory Gardens Theater), Seascape (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company), Hair (Paramount Theatre), Wait Until Dark (Court Theatre), Working (Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place), Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre), Wilson Wants it All (The House Theatre of Chicago), Cooperstown (Theatre Seven of Chicago), Arabian Nights (Lookingglass Theatre Company), Neo-Futurist Christmas Carol (The Neo-Futurists), and is a proud company member and teaching artist with Barrel of Monkeys. Regional credits: The Violet Hour (Repertory Actors Theatre), Miss Saigon (5th Avenue Theatre), and Searching 4 Y (Village Theatre). Film/TV: Chicago Fire, Mob Doctor, Boss, and Freudian Slip. Emjoy is a graduate of the School at Steppenwolf, WP10.
Caroline Neff (Bec) makes her debut at Northlight Theatre. Other select Chicago credits include: Three Sisters (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Annie Bosh is Missing, Where We’re Born (The Garage at Steppenwolf); The Knowledge, The Receptionist, Under the Blue Sky, Pornography, A Brief History of Helen of Troy, Harper Regan, In Arabia We'd All Be Kings (Steep Theatre Company); Port, Stage Door, Be More Chill (Griffin Theatre); The Petrified Forest, St. Crispin's Day (Strawdog Theatre Company); Cherrywood, Saved (Mary-Arrchie Theatre Company); 25 Saints (Pine Box Theater Company); The Metal Children (Next Theatre Company); Moonshiner (Jackalope Theatre Company). Film/TV credits: Older Children, Open Tables, and Chicago Fire. She is an ensemble member at Steep Theatre Company and holds her BA from Columbia College.
Josh Salt (Leo Joseph-Connell) makes his first appearance at Northlight Theatre. He recently played Stag Lee in Yellow Moon at Writers Theatre directed by Stuart Carden, and Tim in Teddy Ferrara at Goodman Theatre directed by Evan Cabnet. This is his second time working with Kimberly Senior; the first was when he played Cripple Billy in The Cripple of Inishmaan at Redtwist Theatre. Other credits include Eric in Making Noise Quietly at Steep Theatre Company directed by Erica Weiss, and Melchior Gabor in Spring Awakening at Griffin Theatre directed by Jonathan Berry. He is a co-founder of a long-form dramatic improvisation ensemble called The Character Project.
Mary Ann Thebus (Vera Joseph) returns to Northlight Theatre where she was previously seen in Inherit the Wind and Cat Feet. She is a longtime Chicago actor first seen in 1981 in Close Ties (Victory Gardens Theater). In the ensuing years she has frequently been seen on Chicago stages, most recently in Elizabeth Rex (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), After the Revolution (Next Theatre Company), and The Three Sisters (Steppenwolf Theatre Company). Last spring she codirected the critically acclaimed Collected Stories at American Blues Theater with her daughter Jessica. She is a frequent Joseph Jefferson Award nominee, received the 2002 After Dark Award for Painting Churches (Organic Theater Company), and has been active in film and television shot locally such as Rudy, Cupid, and The Untouchables. She conducts a master class at The Artistic Home and coaches privately.
The Box Office is located at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Boulevard, in Skokie. Box Office hours are Monday-Friday 10:00am-5:00pm, and Saturdays 12:00pm-5:00pm. On performance days, the box office hours are extended through showtime. The Box Office is closed on Sundays, except on performance days when it is open two hours prior to showtime.
Curtain times are: Tuesdays: 7:30pm; Wednesdays: 1:00pm and 7:30pm; Thursdays: 7:30pm; Fridays: 8:00pm; Saturdays: 2:30pm and 8:00pm; Sundays: 2:30pm and 7:00pm.
Northlight is continuing its popular special event series in conjunction with each production. All events are free for subscribers and ticket holders.
Community Conversations is a series of post-show discussions. Local experts join a Northlight facilitator, engaging audiences in a dialogue about the play's themes and the creative process behind live theatre! The post-show discussions for 4000 Miles will be held on Sundays, September 15 and 29 after the 2:30 pm performances; Tuesday, September 17 after the 7:30 pm performance; Wednesday, September 18 after the 7:30 pm performance; and Wednesdays, September 25 and October 9 after the 1:00 pm performances.
Backstage with BJ is a mid-day discussion with Artistic Director BJ Jones, featuring special guest artists, actors, directors and designers, offering behind-the-scenes insight into each production while it is still in rehearsal. Backstage with BJ for 4000 Miles will be held on September 6 at 12:00pm and will last approximately one hour. Reservations are required, 847.679.9501 x3555 or specialevents@northlight.org.
Public Library Appearances will feature scene selections and conversation with the director and cast members of 4000 Miles. Events will take place on Tuesday, September 24 at Skokie Public Library, 5215 W Oakton, at 3pm; Tuesday, September 24 at Highland Park Public Library, 494 Laurel Ave, at 7:00pm; and Tuesday, October 1 at Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington, at 7:00pm.
Salon Series is a pre-show panel discussion series that delves into the deeper context surrounding each production. Panels are led by Northlight artistic staff and feature local experts and academics. The 4000 Miles Salon will be held Wednesday, September 25 at 6:15pm (preceding 7:30pm performance; tickets to the performance are not required to attend the Salon). Panelists are to be announced.
Title: 4000 Miles
Written by: Amy Herzog
Directed by: Artistic Associate Kimberly Senior
Featuring: Emjoy Gavino, Caroline Neff, Josh Salt and
Mary Ann Thebus
Dates: Previews September 14-19, 2013
Regular run: September 21-October 20, 2013
Schedule: Tuesdays: 7:30pm (Sept. 17 and Oct. 8 only)
Wednesdays: 1:00pm (except Oct. 2) and 7:30pm (except Oct. 9)
Thursdays: 7:30pm
Fridays: 8:00pm (except Opening on Sept. 20 at 7:30pm)
Saturdays: 2:30pm (except Sept. 14) and 8:00pm
Sundays: 2:30pm, and 7:00pm (except Sept. 22, Oct. 6 & 20)
Location: Northlight Theatre is located at the North Shore
Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd,
Skokie
Tickets: Previews: $25-$54
Regular run: $25-$75
Student tickets are $15, any performance,
(subject to availability)
Box Office: The Box Office is located at 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie.
847.673.6300; northlight.org
Northlight Theatre aspires to promote change of perspective and encourage compassion by exploring the depth of our humanity across a bold spectrum of theatrical experiences, reflecting our community to the world and the world to our community.
Now in its 39th season, the organization has mounted nearly 200 productions, including over 40 world premieres. Northlight has earned 151 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and 28 Awards. As one of the area’s premier theatre companies, Northlight is a regional magnet for critical and professional acclaim, as well as talent of the highest quality.
This production is sponsored in part by Wheel & Sprocket.
Northlight is supported in part by generous contributions from The Allyn Foundation; Arts Midwest; Blackman Kallick Bartelstein, LLP; BMO Harris Bank; Draft FCB; the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; ComEd, An Exelon Company; Edgerton Foundation for New American Plays Award; Ernst & Young; Evanston Community Foundation; Gand Music & Sound; The Homestead Hotel; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; The Irving Harris Foundation; Kirkland & Ellis Foundation; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Madison Dearborn Partners; Melvoin Award for Playwriting; Modestus Bauer Foundation; North Shore Center for the Performing Arts Foundation; The Offield Family Foundation; The Pauls Foundation; Pioneer Press; Quince at the Homestead; Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation; Room & Board; Sanborn Family Foundation; Shubert Foundation; Skokie Fine Arts Council; Sullivan Family Foundation; Target; and Tom Stringer Design Partners.
Notes of Interest:
· Kimberly Senior joined Northlight’s staff last season as Artistic Associate. She has a long relationship with the theater as a teaching artist and directed last season’s The Whipping Man.
· In addition to 4000 Miles, this season Kimberly will be directing Hedda Gabler at Writers; The Who and The What, a new play by Ayad Akhtar, at La Jolla Playhouse and Lincoln Center 3; and Great God Pan by Amy Herzog at Next.
· Evanston couple Kimberly Senior and Jack Magaw frequently work together as a director/designer team. They previously worked together at Northlight for The Whipping Man.
· The character of Vera Joseph is based on the playwright’s own grandmother. The character also appears in After the Revolution, Herzog's first full-length Off Broadway work, which was also directed by Kimberly Senior at Next Theatre with Mary Ann Thebus in the role of Vera.
· This season, Northlight is working with a number of early-career playwrights, including Amy Herzog, Dominique Morisseau and Christian O’Reilly. The season opens with Herzog’s Pulitzer Prize Finalist and closes with Neil Simon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
ACT OUT: Save The Dates--Fall Theatre On Our Radar
Mark your calendars and hang on for the ride. Chi-town is theatre town and this fall is full of great season openers. Here are just a few productions of note, that are high on our must see list. Check back with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often, for the heads up on great upcoming theatre, music and more.
ChiIL Live Shows Phone Photo Theatre Montage 2012/13
Here's just a smattering of what we saw and reviewed this past season:
AMERICAN THEATER COMPANY
It’s a Wonderful Life: The Radio Play
Adapted from the Frank Capra film
Directed by ATC Artistic Director PJ Paparelli
Dates: November 22-December 29, 2013
Location: American Theater Company, 1909 W Byron St., Chicago
Box Office: 1909 W Byron St., Chicago; 773.409.4125; www.atcweb.org
Bedford Falls, 1948. After ten years, American Theater Company will revise its annual holiday production of Frank Capra’s beloved story of one man’s affect on his community. This year’s production-- directed for the first time by ATC’s Artistic Director PJ Paparelli-- will include new Foley sound effects and commercial breaks in the style of a traditional 1940’s radio play.
Subscriber Only Event
The Wizard of Oz: The Radio Play
By L. Frank Baum
Adapted by Frank Gabrielson
With Music and Lyrics of the MGM score by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg
Directed by ATC Artistic Director PJ Paparelli
Dates: November 8-10, 2013
Location: American Theater Company, 1909 W Byron St., Chicago
Box Office: 1909 W Byron St., Chicago; 773.409.4125; www.atcweb.org
Kansas. 1939. L. Frank Baum’s unforgettable story of a little girl’s journey over the rainbow to discover the true meaning of home is told for the first time in over 60 years as a radio play. This unique telling of America’s most beloved movie includes a tour-de-force of live Foley sound effects and powerful ensemble acting that celebrates this heartwarming tale of the life lessons learned over the rainbow. Note: This limited engagement is for ATC subscribers only and not open to the general public.
We'll be reviewing all of Broadway in Chicago's offerings again this season, at The Oriental, Cadillac Palace, Broadway Playhouse, Auditorium Theater and more.
BLACK ENSEMBLE THEATER
It’s All-Right To Have A Good Time (The Story of Curtis Mayfield)
Produced, written and directed by Jackie Taylor
Directed by Jackie Taylor
September 14 – October 20, 2013
Previews begin September 14, 2013
Opening: Sunday, September 22, 2013 at 3:00 p.m.
Opening: Sunday, September 22, 2013 at 3:00 p.m.
Location: Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark Street. Valet parking available.
Tickets: $55 on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturday matinees;
$65 on Fridays, Saturday evenings, and Sunday matinees.
A 10% discount is available for students, seniors, veterans and groups.
Box Office: Buy online at www.ticketmaster.com or call (773) 769-4451
Black Ensemble’s tribute to Chicago’s own music legend Curtis Mayfield is the story of a musical giant who is equally celebrated as a singer, song writer and record producer. From the anthemic music of The Impressions like “Gypsy Woman,” “I’m So Proud,” “Choice of Colors” to movie hits like “Super Fly,” The Curtis Mayfield Story will bring to vibrant life the rare musical genius that was Curtis Mayfield. Mayfield’s timeless music is known and celebrated all over the world, and he is the winner of the Grammy Legend Award (1994), the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1995) and a double inductee into both The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1991, 1999) and the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Chicago’s Golden Soul
Written and Directed by Black Ensemble Theater Founder and CEO Jackie Taylor
November 16, 2013 – January 5, 2014
Previews: November 16, 17, 22, 23
Opening: Sunday, November 24, 2013 at 3:00 p.m.
Location: Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark Street. Valet parking available.
Tickets: $55 on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturday matinees;
$65 on Fridays, Saturday evenings, and Sunday matinees.
A 10% discount is available for students, seniors, veterans and groups.
Box Office: Buy online at www.ticketmaster.com or call (773) 769-4451
First produced in 1998, this wonderful treasure of a production is a tribute to the music that put Chicago on the map as a national musical force. This Chicago celebration brings back the music of Jerry Butler, the Chi-Lites, Gene Chandler, Barbara Acklin and many, many more in this rollicking tribute to the music that made Chicago famous.
CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER
Cyrano de Bergerac
By Edmond Rostand
Translated and Adapted for the stage by Anthony Burgess
Directed by Penny Metropulos
September 24 – November 10, 2013
Location: Chicago Shakespeare's Courtyard Theater, 800 East Grand Avenue, Chicago
Tickets: $48-$78
Box Office: 312.595.5600 or www.chicagoshakes.com
The stars have aligned to reunite the actor-director team behind our wildly popular production of The Madness of George III. The illustrious Harry Groener, who took home the Best Actor Jeff Award for his turn as King George, will play the nobleman whose gift for romance is shadowed by his all-too-prominent nose. Director Penny Metropulos takes the helm of this enduring masterwork that speaks as directly to the heart today as it did more than 100 years ago. Featuring some of the most clever, touching lines ever written, this homage to poetry, love and panache reminds us that sometimes what you seek is right under your, well…nose.
The Table
October 16-27
World’s Stage Upstairs Theatre
In Blind Summit Theatre’s The Table, a cantankerous puppet with a cardboard head is having an existential crisis—on a table. Blind Summit Theatre, founded by Mark Down and Nick Barnes, is reinventing puppetry for modern adult audiences and pioneering new methods of performing with puppets. Pushing the boundaries of puppetry in their own productions and in international collaborations, they have created puppetry for Anthony Minghella, Complicite, and Danny Boyle’s Olympic Opening Ceremony. Their work is inspired by Bunraku puppetry in which three puppeteers combine to operate one beautifully crafted puppet, communicating through finely detailed movement and gesture. The Table will be performed in the Upstairs Theater at Chicago Shakespeare from October 16-27th, 2013.
COURT THEATRE
The Chicago premiere
The Mountaintop
By Katori Hall
Directed by Ron OJ Parson
Featuring David Alan Anderson (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) and Lisa Beasley (Camae)
September 5 - October 6, 2013
Location: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. in Chicago
Tickets: $35-$45 previews, $45-$65 regular run
Box Office: 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472 or online www.CourtTheatre.org
Winner of the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play
On the eve of his assassination, a weary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. returns to his lonely hotel room in Memphis. Restless, he begins to work on his next speech when he’s suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a young hotel maid named Camae. The two strike up an unlikely conversation and as the hour grows late and Dr. King’s fate presses closer, Camae reveals that she is more than she appears. The Mountaintop offers a beautiful and powerful meditation on mortality, destiny, and the liminal space where the material meets the divine. Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson will direct this revelatory new portrayal of Dr. King.
An Iliad
By Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare
Directed by Charles Newell
November 13 - December 8, 2013
Featuring Timothy Edward Kane
Location: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. in Chicago
Tickets: $35-$45 previews, $45-$65 regular run
Box Office: 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472 or online www.CourtTheatre.org
Winner of an OBIE Award and the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Solo Performance
Timothy Edward Kane returns to reprise his jaw-dropping, award-winning performance in this highly anticipated revival of Artistic Director Charles Newell’s critically acclaimed 2011 production. A one-man adaptation of Homer’s Iliad created by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare (TV’s True Blood), An Iliad returns Homer’s epic poem to the voice of the lone poet as he recounts a story of human loss and folly that echoes across three millennia of war and bloodshed. An Iliad will once again illuminate this ancient classic by taking a harrowing look at the human cost of war.
LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE
World Premiere
The North China Lover
Adapted and Directed by Ensemble Member Heidi Stillman
Based on the novel by Marguerite Duras
Featuring Ensemble member Tracy Walsh, Walter Owen Briggs, Amy J. Carle, Tim Chiou, Deanna Dunagan, Rae Gray, JJ Phillips and Allison Torem
October 6 – November 10, 2013
Previews: September 25 – October 4, 2013
Location: Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic
Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson.
Prices: $28-$70
Box Office: located at Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave.
(312) 337-0665, www.lookingglasstheatre.org
You never forget your first lover. The affair plays like a moving picture over and over in your mind: passionate, consuming, secret, taboo.
Fade in: the seamy French Quarter of Southern Indochina in the 1930s where the 14-year-old impoverished schoolgirl who will someday be French novelist Marguerite Duras is about to meet and captivate a wealthy 27-year-old Chinese aristocrat.
With the older Duras as our guide, The North China Lover transports us on a provocative and haunting journey of awakening and sacrifice, revealing the delicate and indelible effect of life on art.
Fade in: the seamy French Quarter of Southern Indochina in the 1930s where the 14-year-old impoverished schoolgirl who will someday be French novelist Marguerite Duras is about to meet and captivate a wealthy 27-year-old Chinese aristocrat.
With the older Duras as our guide, The North China Lover transports us on a provocative and haunting journey of awakening and sacrifice, revealing the delicate and indelible effect of life on art.
MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET
Book by Floyd Mutrux and Colin Escott
Directed by Eric Schaeffer and Floyd Mutrux
Location: Apollo Theater, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave in Chicago
Tickets: $25 - $85
via the Apollo Theater box office, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave in Chicago,
by calling (773) 935-6100 or through Ticketmaster
Website: Milliondollarquartetlive.com
Tickets on sale through January 5, 2014
On December 4, 1956, an auspicious twist of fate brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley together. The place was Sun Records’ storefront studio in Memphis. The man who made it happen was Sam Phillips, the “Father of Rock ’n’ Roll,” who discovered them all. The four legends-to-be united for the only time in their careers for an impromptu recording that has come to be known as one of the greatest rock jam sessions of all time.
Featuring a treasure trove of the greatest rock ’n’ roll, gospel, R&B and country hits from these music legends, including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Fever,” “Sixteen Tons,” “Who Do You Love?,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Ghost Riders,” and “Whole Lotta’ Shakin’ Goin’ On,” Million Dollar Quartet captures the infectious spirit, freewheeling excitement and thrilling sounds of a singular moment when four of the music industry’s most extraordinary talents, all in their creative prime, came together for one of the most memorable nights in music history.
NORTHLIGHT THEATRE
4000 Miles
By Amy Herzog
Directed by Kimberly Senior
Featuring Emjoy Gavino (Amanda/Lily), Caroline Neff (Bec), Josh Salt (Leo Joseph-Connell) and Mary Ann Thebus (Vera Joseph)
September 13 – October 20, 2013
Location: Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie
Tickets: $25-$72
Tickets for those 25 and under are $15, any performance, (subject to availability)
Box Office: 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie; 847.673.6300; northlight.org
At the end of an arduous cross-country bike trip, a rudderless 21 year-old seeks refuge in his elderly grandmother’s West Village apartment. These two outsiders face ideological differences, but ultimately find their way together in “a beautifully rendered portrait” (The New York Times) of a cross-generational relationship.
4000 Miles was a Pulitzer Prize Finalist; Time Magazine's #1 Play of 2012; the winner of the Obie Award, Best New Play (2012); and received The New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award (2012).
Detroit '67
By Dominique Morisseau
Directed by Ron OJ Parson
By Dominique Morisseau
Directed by Ron OJ Parson
Featuring Tyla Abercrumbie (Chelle), Cassandra Bissell (Caroline), Kamal Angelo Bolden (Lank), Coco Elysses (Bunny) and Kelvin Roston, Jr. (Sly)
November 8 – December 15, 2013
November 8 – December 15, 2013
Location: Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie
Tickets: $25-$72
Tickets for those 25 and under are $15, any performance, (subject to availability)
Box Office: 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie; 847.673.6300; northlight.org
It’s 1967 and the world is changing around Chelle and Lank, who run an after-hours club in the basement of their late parents’ house. Tensions mount when the siblings discover that their dreams have diverged, their tight-knit community is threatened by the arrival of an outsider, and the city around them erupts in violence. The music of Motown fuels this riveting new play set in America’s Motor City.
The Northlight production marks the Midwest premiere of Detroit ’67, which recently completed an acclaimed run in New York with the Public Theatre in conjunction with the Classical Theatre of Harlem and the National Black Theatre. Ron OJ Parson will make his Northlight directing debut with this powerful and Motown-infused production.
PROFILES THEATRE
Midwest Premiere
In God’s Hat
By Rhett Rossi
Directed by Artistic Director Joe Jahraus
Featuring Co-Artistic Director Darrell W. Cox as Roy, Larry Neumann, Jr. as Mitch with John Victor Allen and Bruce Cronander.
August 29 - October 13, 2013
Previews: August 23 - 28, 2013
Location: Profiles Theatre, The Main Stage, 4139 N. Broadway
Tickets: $20 previews, $30 - $40 regular run
Box Office: www.profilestheatre.org or (773) 549-1815
In God's Hat examines the extremes of humanity and the love of family as well the contempt for it. For nearly a decade, estranged brothers Roy and Mitch found themselves kept apart by prison bars and a nefarious history. On the day of Mitch's release, he is shocked to see Roy waiting for him, unsure of his intentions. Together they travel down a desolate road stopping at the only lodging around - a fleabag motel where confrontation and tension manifest themselves through darkly comical situations. In the end, the brothers must confront both the past and present as some secrets are revealed and new ones must be kept.
Produced off-Broadway by the Apothecary Theatre Company, Rhett Rossi’s critically acclaimed play In God’s Hat premiere in July 2010. His other plays include the one-man show Burnt, first performed by the Present Company Theatorium and From Red to Black, runner up for the Laurents/Hatcher Prize, which received a reading at South Coast Rep. Rossi currently lives in Brooklyn and recently developed a pilot for HBO about minor league hockey.
Midwest Premiere
Wrecks
By Resident Artist Neil LaBute
Directed by Guest Artist Jason Gerace
September 26 – November 17, 2013
Previews: September 27 – October 2, 2013
Location: Profiles Theatre, The Alley Stage, 4147 N. Broadway
Tickets: $20 previews, $30 - $40 regular run
Box Office: www.profilestheatre.org or (773) 549-1815
Edward Carr, an ordinary man, an adoring father of four and a successful business owner, sees his world shattered by the death of his beloved wife JoJo. Through his grief, he picks through his past, piecing together the story of his life, like the wrecks of the cars he so lovingly restores. In this fiercely passionate, unflinching and concise powerhouse of a play, LaBute explores the boundaries of love, and the extent of what society accepts as opposed to what the heart desires.
Commissioned and produced by the Everyman Palace Theatre in Cork, Ireland as part of the city's Capital of Culture program, Wrecks premiered in 2005. In 2006, it received its American debut at the Public Theatre in New York, followed by an extended run. Both productions, directed by Neil LaBute, starred Ed Harris as Edward Carr.
Return of the Seasonal Favorite
Hellcab
By Will Kern
Directed by Artistic Director Darrell W. Cox
November 14 – January 12, 2014
Previews: November 8 - 13, 2013
Location: Profiles Theatre, The Main Stage, 4139 N. Broadway
Tickets: $20 previews, $30 - $40 regular run
Box Office: www.profilestheatre.org or (773) 549-1815
Presented last season for its 20th Anniversary, Profiles remounts their acclaimed production for the holidays. Hellcab portrays the story of a cab driver during the longest night of his life as he transports a bizarre and mysterious array of customers through the gritty streets of Chicago. Playwright Will Kern draws from personal experience as a former cab driver to create this alternately frightening, hilarious and poignant journey. Throughout his long shift, the eclectic collection of passengers includes a trio of drug-addicts, a born-again couple, a smug lawyer, and a randy duo on their way to a motel. Set during a bitter cold Christmas Eve, Hellcab presents a rear-view image mirroring the passing parade of humanity.
First produced as a late-night show by Famous Door Theatre in 1992, the play, originally scheduled for twelve performances, ended up running for over nine years, becoming one of the longest running shows in Chicago theatre history. Hellcab, performed all over the U.S. and abroad, including Scotland, Israel, Singapore, and Ireland, won numerous awards, including a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival and later adapted for the screen by Kern in 1998.
VICTORY GARDENS THEATER
The Co-World Premiere of
Appropriate
By Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by Gary Griffin
In association with Actors Theater of Louisville
Featuring Cheryl Graeff, Leah Karpel, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Keith Kupferer and Stef Tovar
November 8-December 8, 2013
Opening: Friday, November 15, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.
Location: 2433 N Lincoln Avenue, in the heart of Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood
Tickets: $20 - $40 previews, $20 - $50 regular run
Box Office: 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, 773.871.3000, victorygardens.org
When the Lafayettes descend upon a crumbling Arkansan plantation to liquidate their dead patriarch's estate, his three adult children collide over clutter, debt, and a contentious family history. But after a disturbing discovery surfaces among their father's possessions, the reunion takes a turn for the explosive, unleashing a series of crackling surprises and confrontations. Acclaimed director Gary Griffin (Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Sunday in the Park with George and Follies) directs a potent and exciting play about the trouble with inheritance, memory loss, and the art of repression. Appropriate was developed and workshopped through Victory Gardens' IGNITION New Play Festival in 2012.
Appropriate was developed, in part, at Vineyard Arts Project, Ashley Melone, Founder and Artistic Director; the 2012 Sundance Institute Theatre LAB at the Sundance Resort; and Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago, Illinois, Chay Yew, Artistic Director, as part of IGNITION 2012.
WRITERS THEATRE
The Midwest Premiere of
THE OLD MAN AND THE OLD MOON
A New Play with Music
By PigPen Theatre Co.
Directed by Associate Artistic Director Stuart Carden and PigPen Theatre Co.
Featuring PigPen Theatre Co. - Alex Falberg, Ben Ferguson, Curtis Gillen, Ryan Melia, Matt Nuernberger, Arya Shahi and Dan Weschler.
September 3 – November 10, 2013
Location: Writers’ Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe
Tickets: $35 - $75
Box Office: 376 Park Avenue, Glencoe; 847-242-6000 or online at www.writerstheatre.org.
The Old Man and the Old Moon creates an epic new mythology, centered on a man whose job is to collect spilled light to refill the leaking moon. When his wife unexpectedly leaves home in pursuit of much-needed adventure, he abandons his post to follow her, throwing the world into chaos as he searches for his lost love, his fading memory and, ultimately, himself.
A blend of resonant storytelling, spirited indie-folk music and inventive puppetry creates a theatrical experience that will win audiences over with its wit, style and depth of emotion.
Writers’ Theatre is thrilled to collaborate with the young men of PigPen Theatre Co., who bring the story of The Old Man and the Old Moon to such brilliant, vibrant life that its New York production earned a coveted spot on multiple “Best of the Year” lists.
The Old Man and The Old Moon premiered in New York City, at the Gym at Judson and was produced by: Britt Lafield/BKL Productions, SoHo Playhouse, Inc., Aaron Glick, Ronnie Planalp/Deborah Taylor, and The PigPen Company.
The Midwest Premiere of
PORT AUTHORITY
By Conor McPherson
Directed by William Brown
Featuring Patrick Clear (Joe), Rob Fenton (Kevin) and John Hoogenakker (Dermot)
October 29, 2013 – February 16, 2014
Location: Books on Vernon, 664 Vernon Avenue, Glencoe
Tickets: $35 - $70
Box Office: 376 Park Avenue, Glencoe; 847-242-6000 or online at www.writerstheatre.org.
Featuring Patrick Clear (Joe), Rob Fenton (Kevin) and John Hoogenakker (Dermot)
Acclaimed playwright Conor McPherson (The Seafarer, Shining City, Dublin Carol) crafts a series of interconnected monologues that explore the heart and soul of three generations of Irishmen.
A young man escapes his parents’ house to share digs with two alcohol-soaked friends and a mesmerizing young woman; a middle-aged laborer lands a dream job that he’s not remotely qualified for; and a widower receives a mysterious package that touches a hidden part of his memory.
The lightly interlocking stories of these three men at three different stages of life weave together a tale that is both spirited and moving in its portrait of ordinary lives.
Directed by Writers’ Theatre favorite William Brown (The Liar, A Little Night Music, Heartbreak House), Port Authority revels in the rough lyricism of McPherson’s language and the poignancy of these stories of lost love, big dreams and the consequences of even our smallest choices.
Check back early and often for the latest on our favs at The House Theatre and Hypocrites.
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