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Friday, September 27, 2024

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 Now Extended at Writers Theatre Through November 3, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Due to critical acclaim and ticket demand, the 12-time Tony nominated musical

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 

Extends at Writers Theatre

Now playing through November 3, 2024

Writers Theatre, under the leadership of Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma and Artistic Director Braden Abraham, is extending its hit production of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, written by Dave Malloy and directed and choreographed by Katie Spelman with music direction by Matt Deitchman. Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 has added an additional week of performnaces and will now play throughNovember 3, 2024, in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe.

The Writers production received unanimous raves, including 4-star reviews 

from both Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times.

Tickets are now on sale at Writers Theatre at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe; 847-242-6000; www.writerstheatre.org.  

“There’s a war going on somewhere out there, and Andrey isn’t here.” Young and impulsive, Natasha Rostova arrives in Moscow to await the return of her fiancée from the front lines. But when she falls under the spell of the roguish Anatole, family friend Pierre must push through his existential crisis to help Natasha pick up the pieces of her shattered reputation. 

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 is based on 70 pages of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, the section that focuses on Natasha’s romance with Anatole and Pierre’s search for meaning.

Based on a scandalous slice of Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel War and Peace, this innovative musical spectacle took Broadway by storm with its “electropop opera” score, earning two Tony Awards and 12 Tony nominations. Katie Spelman and Matt Deitchman, the inspired creative team behind WT’s hit production of Once, reunite to bring this modern spin on a literary classic to Chicago for the first time. 

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 received two Tony Awards and 12 nominations in 2017.

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com 

“We are opening our season with the first Chicago production of one of the most thrilling original musicals of the last twenty years. Its engine is the timeless humanity of Tolstoy, and the contemporary genius of Dave Malloy is the rocket fuel that makes it go. This will be a high-octane experience for our audiences in the uniquely immersive environment at Writers, where they will be up close with some of Chicago’s finest actors,” comments Artistic Director Braden Abraham. “The real power of Great Comet for me is in what it says about love. At the heart of the show, love is the force that wakes us up to our own life. We are awake when our attention goes outward towards another. Love can be creative, or destructive and then creative again. It’s a play set in the past with an acute awareness that we are always in the present moment. It’s an invitation to a party, and a toast to the vibrancy of life.”

The cast includes Joseph Anthony Byrd (Anatole), Sophie Grimm (Ensemble, Hélène US/Dance Captain) Rob Lindley (Bolkonsky), Julia Wheeler Lennon (Mary, Sonya US), Will Lidke (Ensemble, Dolokhov US), Evan Tyrone Martin (Pierre), Andrew Mueller (Dolokhov), Aurora Penepacker(Natasha), Maya Rowe (Sonya), Bri Sudia (Hélène), Bethany Thomas (Marya), Jonah D. Winston (Balaga) and Matthew C. Yee (Andrey). The understudies are: Bridget Adams-King, Vasily Deris, Isabel Kaegi, Darryl D’Angelo Jones, Teressa LaGamba, and Shagra D. Wasserman.

The creative team includes: Katie Spelman (Director and Choreographer), Matt Deitchman (Music Director), Courtney O’Neill (Scenic Designer), Raquel Adorno (Costume Designer), Yael Lubetzky (Lighting Designer), Eric Backus (Sound Designer), Rae Watson (Properties Designer), Charlotte River-Hoster (Conductor/Piano/Associate Music Director), Amber Wuttke (Violence Director), Melissa Foster (Vocal Coach), and Roger Ellis (Associate Director). The stage manager is Miranda Anderson and the assistant stage managers are Natalie Cohen and Lexie Wiley.

Performance Schedule

Dates: First performance: September 5, 2024 

Press opening:  Friday, September 13, 2024 at 7:30pm 

Closing performance: November 3, 2024 


Regular run through October 27, 2024

Wednesdays: 3:00pm (October 2 only) and 7:30pm 

Thursdays: 7:30pm

Fridays: 7:30pm 

Saturdays: 3:00pm and 7:30pm 

Sundays: 2:00pm and 6:00pm (except October 6) 

 

Extension week, October 30-November 3, 2024

Wednesday-Friday: 7:30pm

Saturday: 3:00pm and 7:30pm

Sunday: 2:00pm and 6:00pm

 

Location: Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre; 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe 

Prices: $40-$115

Purchase early for best prices.                    

Box Office: The Box Office is located at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe;  847-242-6000; www.writerstheatre.org 


Events: 

The Great War & Peace Read-Aloud of 2024 

*well, ok, not all of War & Peace 

Saturday, October 5 from 10am-2:30pm 

WT, the Glencoe Public Library, and the Woman’s Library Club of Glencoe team up for a marathon community read-aloud of the 70 pages of the classic novel that inspired Great Comet. Featuring special guest readers and community members, attendees are welcome to participate as a reader and/or listener and to come and go over the course of the event. 

 

The Final Word Audience Discussion 

Sunday, October 27 at 12pm 

Connect with fellow audience members about the themes, characters, and production elements of the show at this conversation facilitated by WT Artistic staff. 


ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Katie Spelman (Director/Choreographer) is a Chicago born, Brooklyn based choreographer and director. Recent credits include The Notebook (Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Connecticut Critics Nomination for Best Choreography) Cabaret (Olney Theater Company, Helen Hayes Nomination for Best Choreography; Paramount Theater, Joseph Jefferson Nomination for Best Musical) and the first live-streamed musical on TikTok, For You, Paige. She has also collaborated with Lookingglass Theatre Company, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Camerata Bern, Court Theatre, The Hypocrites, Asolo Repertory, Ensemble Studio Theatre, TimeLine Theatre, Sideshow Theatre Company, The New Colony, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Northwestern University, and The Inconvenience. Broadway Associate: Once, American Psycho, and Amelie.

This production reunites director/choreographer Katie Spelman and music director Matt Deitchman after their previous collaboration on WT’s twice extended sold out run of Once.

Matt Deitchman (Music Director) returns to Writers Theatre, where his previous credits include: Once (Jeff Nom., Music Direction/Ensemble), Into The Woods (Jeff Nom., Music Direction), Trevor, Parade, and The Hunter And The Bear. Matt is a NYC based music director, actor, composer, orchestrator/arranger, and multi-instrumentalist whose credits include: Broadway — The Heart Of Rock And Roll, Parade, A Strange Loop, Almost Famous. Off-Broadway — Trevor (Disney+ and Original Cast Recording). Chicago — Marriott Theatre (recently, Jeff Nom., Music Direction for Buddy), Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Paramount Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, Chicago Children’s Theatre, Mercury Theatre, Griffin Theatre, and many others. Add'l select regional: Arena Stage (DC), Shakespeare Theatre Company (DC), Asolo Repertory Theatre (FL), American Stage Theatre (FL), South Coast Repertory (CA), Ogunquit Playhouse (ME), Norwegian Cruise Lines. Northwestern University Grad.

Joseph Anthony Byrd (Anatole) is excited to be returning to Writers Theatre where he was just seen as Isom in The Hot Wing King. Some of his Chicago credits include The Play That Goes Wrong at Broadway Playhouse, And The World Goes Round (Jeff Nomination) at Marriott Theatre and Cabaret at Paramount Theatre. Broadway/Touring credits include Kinky Boots, The Play That Goes Wrong, and The Lion King. Joseph has also appeared on TV inJustified: City Primeval, Chicago Med, 4400 and Proven Innocent.  

Sophie Grimm (Ensemble, Helene US/Dance Captain) a lifelong performer in theatre and music. Theatre credits include Writers Theatre’s world premiere of Trevor: The Musical, Paramount Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Marriott Lincolnshire, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Stages St. Louis, Rocky Mountain Rep, Wagon Wheel, Little Theatre on the Square, About Face, Chicago Shakespeare Theater/Globe, as well as singing, producing, & directing across the country with family, friends, & Hasbro’s CLUE: A Walking Mystery.

Rob Lindley (Bolkonsky): Oh, Coward! (Jeff Award Best Actor Revue), Bach at Leipzig (Writers); M. Andre in Phantom of the Opera (National Tour);Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, Secret Garden, Angels in America, Caroline or Change, Carousel (Court Theatre); Andy Warhol in Iran, Funnyman(Northlight); Candide (Goodman); Sound of Music (Marriott); Fun Home (Victory Gardens). Directing credits include; 50 Shades! (Off-Broadway); 2 Pianos 4 Hands, Songs for Nobodies (Northlight); many productions at Porchlight; and gala concerts for Ravinia, Chicago Humanities Festival, and several area theaters. 

Julia Wheeler Lennon (Mary/Sonya US) is making her Writers Theatre debut. NYC: Smith Street Stage (Enemy). TOUR: TheaterWorks USA (Rosie Revere,Engineer and Friends). REGIONAL: Signature Theatre D.C. (Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, The Bridges of Madison County); Lyric Stage Company of Boston (The Wolves); Adventure Theatre (You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown); Legacy Theatre (The Great American Mousical); Valley Shakespeare Festival (The Winter's Tale, Henry VIII, The Taming of the Shrew); Downtown Cabaret Theatre (Mamma Mia, Sister Act); Madison Lyric Stage (Into the Woods, Agnes of God). UPCOMING: Ford's Theatre (A Christmas Carol).

Will Lidke (Ensemble/Dolokhov US) is making his Writers Theatre debut. Other Chicago credits include: Alice By Heart, American Psycho (Kokandy Productions); Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Theo Ubique, Jeff Award: Principal Performer in a Musical); Little Shop of Horrors, A Christmas Carol, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Saturday Night Fever (Drury Lane); Violet (Griffin Theatre); as well as work with Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Mercury Theater and Rhino Fest. TV: Chicago Justice, Chicago PD (NBC). Will holds a BFA in Acting from the Chicago College of Performing Arts. He also creates music, available on all streaming platforms under the name Leo Rising.

Evan Tyrone Martin (Pierre) Recent credits: Dreamgirls (Curtis Taylor, Jr) at Goodspeed/McCarter Theatre, RENT! (Tom Collins) and The Color Purple(Mister) at The MUNY, Next to Normal (Dan) at Greenbrier Valley Theatre, Grease (Teen Angel) at Drury Lane, Blues In The Night (Man in Saloon, Black Theatre Alliance Award Winner) at Porchlight Music Theatre, Into The Woods (Baker) at Opera Montana, Queer Eye: The Musical Parody (Karamo) at The Second City, The Black Clown (Ensemble) at American Repertory Theatre/Lincoln Center's 2019 Mostly Mozart Festival, Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus, BTAA Nomination) at Paramount Theatre, Far From Heaven (Raymond, Jeff Award Nomination) at Porchlight. He also toured with the hit one-man revueAn Unforgettable Nat King Cole Christmas, and stars in his one man show Lets Fall In Love – celebrating the music of Nat and other iconic performers of his time. Next, Evan will return to Opera Montana to play the iconic role of Sweeney in Sweeney Todd.

Andrew Mueller (Dolokhov) is making his Writers Theatre debut. Chicago credits include: Gerry Goffin in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Marriott), Ernest Shackleton & Others in Ernest Shakleton Loves Me (Porchlight; Jeff Award nomination), Peter in Jesus Christ Superstar (Lyric Opera Chicago), Mark in RENT (Paramount), Shakespeare In Love (Chicago Shakespeare), Wonderland: Alice's Rock & Roll Adventure (Chicago Children's Theater), A Christmas Carol (Drury Lane Oakbrook), Merrily We Roll Along (Music Theatre Co). Off-Broadway: Prentiss in Peter And The Starcatcher, Alice By Heart. 

Aurora Penepacker (Natasha) is making her Writers Theatre debut! Rory is a mixed Filipina-American actor, singer, and songwriter. After growing up in Glenview, she earned her B.F.A. in Musical Theatre at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and is represented by Stewart Talent. Notable credits include The King and I (u/s Tuptim) at Drury Lane, Seagulls (Nina) at Oak Park Festival Theatre, The Fantasticks (Luisa) at Citadel Theatre, and Oklahoma! (Laurey) at the Encore Musical Theatre Company.

Maya Rowe (Sonya) is making her Writers Theatre debut! Favorite regional credits include: Sally Bowles in Cabaret (The Studio Theatre TDS), Babette in Beauty and the Beast (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Gingy in Shrek (Drury Lane), Clara in The Light in the Piazza (AGPA Festival), Sibella in A Gentleman’s Guide…(Rocky Mountain Rep), Marilyn Wald & u/s Cynthia/Carole in Beautiful! (Marriott Theatre), Ursula & u/s Frau Schmidt/Maria in The Sound of Music (Paramount Theatre), and Charlotte in A Little Night Music (Theo). You can also catch her in ‘Tankhouse’ on AppleTV+.

Bri Sudia (Helene) Broadway: A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical (Ellie Greenwich, Original Broadway Cast) Chicago: Wonderful Town (Jeff Award nomination; Goodman Theatre), Sweeney Todd (Jeff Award nomination; Paramount Theatre) Oslo (Jeff Award nomination; TimeLine Theatre), Beauty and the Beast (Drury Lane) The Music Man, Ah, Wilderness! (Goodman Theatre), Road Show, Emma, Red Velvet (Chicago Shakespeare Theater) MFA Acting, University of Illinois and a degree in Sign Language Interpreting. 

Bethany Thomas (Marya) is thrilled to join the big show after appearing at Writers Theatre in Once, Into the Woods, A Moon for the Misbegotten, and She Loves Me. Other credits include A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre); Marie and Rosetta, Songs For Nobodies (Northlight Theatre); Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Ragtime, The Color Purple (Milwaukee Rep); The Tempest (Chicago Shakespeare); Porgy and Bess (Court Theatre); Iphigenia In Aulis (Getty Villa); Moby Dick (Rep of St. Louis). Jeff Award Winner, 3Arts Awardee, Lunt-Fontanne Fellow. Fun with Teatro ZinZanni, Grelley Duvall, Jon Langford, Tawny Newsome, The Fly Honeys; original music on Apple, and Spotify.

Jonah D. Winston (Balaga) - CHICAGO: Parade (Writers Theatre) Romeo and Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Big Fish The Musical, Damn Yankees(Marriott Theater); Avenue Q, Little Shop of Horrors, Clue, Young Frankenstein, Spamalot (The Mercury Theater Chicago); A Christmas Carol (The Goodman Theater). TOURING: The Play That Goes Wrong, Saint-George's Sword and Bow. REGIONAL: The MUNY, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, The Cleveland Playhouse, Beef and Boards Dinner Theater. OPERA: The Merry Widow, Jesus Christ Superstar (The Lyric Opera of Chicago). FILM: Lacy's Christmas Do-Over, Evil Lurks, The Resentful Angel. TELEVISION: “Chicago Fire” (NBC), “Chicago PD” (NBC), Discover Indie Film “(Amazon Prime). EDUCATION: BA in Theatre and Vocal Music, Butler University. Master of Letters in Acting, Flinders University.

Matthew C. Yee (Audrey) most recently appeared in The Lord of the Rings at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Other credits include: Vietgone (Writers Theatre); Antigone (Court Theatre); Cambodian Rock Band (Victory Gardens Theatre); Lucy and Charlie’s Honeymoon (Lookingglass Theatre Company) for which he also wrote the book and score. BROADWAY: Almost Famous The Musical. REGIONAL: The Old Globe, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Alliance Theatre. FILM: Ghostlight (2024); Consumed (2015). TELEVISION: “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago PD,” “Chicago Justice” (NBC); “61st Street” (AMC); “Empire” (FOX); “The Bear” (FX). From 2023-24 he was a writer in residence at the Goodman Theatre creating a new musical. Yee is an ensemble member at Lookingglass Theatre Company.


 

WRITERS THEATRE 2024/25 SEASON 

The 2024-25 season launches with the Chicago premiere of the acclaimed musical Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, recipient of two Tony Awards and nominated for 12 Tony Awards, which reunites director/choreographer Katie Spelman and music director Matt Deitchman after their previous collaboration on WT’s twice extended sold out run of Once. Kimberly Senior returns to Writers to direct the hilarious and compassionate one-person play Every Brilliant Thing. Acclaimed writer and performer Vanessa Severo will star as both herself and legendary Mexican painter Frida Kahlo in her searing new play Frida...A Self Portrait, directed by Joanie Schultz. Next spring, Braden Abraham brings Brian Friel’s touching Irish dramaTranslations to the Writers stage before the season concludes with the World Premiere of Dhaba on Devon Avenue, directed by Chay Yew, co-produced with TimeLine Theatre Company. 

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, Frida...A Self Portrait, Translations, and Dhaba on Devon Avenue will be presented in the 255-seat Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre. Every Brilliant Thing will be in the intimate Gillian Theatre. Both spaces are in Writers Theatre’s award-winning building at 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe, designed by Studio Gang Architects. 

This season, Writers Theatre is offering five subscriptions with an option for every theatregoer. Each subscription includes a deeply discounted ticket price for one ticket to the five-play series, Flex subscriptions, with options for either four, five or six tickets, are available. 

Subscriptions are now available for the 5-show season and range from $240 - $325. Flex subscriptions are $260 (4-pack), $325 (5-pack) or $360 (6-pack). Season package subscribers receive exclusive benefits including complimentary ticket exchanges by phone and mail (upgrade fees may apply), access to special play readings and lectures, special “subscriber-rate” prices on additional tickets, discounts at the bar, on Writers Theatre merchandise, event rentals, and more. For a complete list of benefits visit writerstheatre.org. 

Season Packages are available online at www.writerstheatre.org, and at the Box Office by calling 847-242-6000. 

Single tickets for Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 are on-sale now and begin at $40.

Single tickets are on-sale now for Every Brilliant Thing and begin at $70 and are General Admission. Tickets for Frida…A Self Portrait, Translations and Dhaba on Devon Avenue begin at $35 and will go on sale at a later time.

 

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES: 

WT offers Open Captioning on select dates for each production. Please visit writerstheatre.org/accessibility for more information.

Throughout the season, Writers Theatre offers a variety of audience enrichment and special programming. This includes regularly occurring offerings like the Family Matinee Series, The Green Room artist interview series and podcast, and The Final Word Audience Discussion Series. Please visit writerstheatre.org/events for a full listing of upcoming offerings. 


ABOUT WRITERS THEATRE 

Writers Theatre boldly looks to the future as it begins its 33rd season. Having captivated audiences for years with its dedication to creating the most intimate theatrical experience possible, the theatre is now a major Chicagoland cultural destination with a national reputation for excellence, being called “America’s finest regional theater company” by The Wall Street Journal. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Braden Abraham and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma, the company is charting a path forward for the next 30 years. 

Since its founding in 1992, Writers Theatre has stayed true to its core values: valuing the power of the written word and uplifting the artists who bring that word to life. The company has produced over 140 productions—everything from inventive interpretations of classics to groundbreaking new work. In 2016, Writers Theatre opened a new, state-of-the-art facility designed by the internationally renowned Studio Gang Architects. The new facility has allowed the Theatre to accommodate its growing audience, while maintaining its trademark intimacy. 

Writers Theatre now welcomes more than 60,000 patrons each season and has helped establish the North Shore of Chicago as a premier cultural destination. Through its Literary Development Initiative, which has been responsible for the nurturing and premiering of over 30 world premieres, the theatre has established itself as a major originator of new theatrical works. Serving as an extension of the Writers Theatre mission, WT Education programs engage an average 10,000 students each year with active learning opportunities centered around the written word. 

Friday, April 26, 2024

First Look: Production Photos for Judgment Day World Premiere Starring Tony and Emmy winner Jason Alexander April 23–May 26, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Chicago Shakespeare Theater Presents 

Judgment Day

Starring Tony and Emmy winner Jason Alexander

Written by Golden Globe winner Rob Ulin and directed by Tony nominee Moritz von Stuelpnagel

April 23–May 26, 2024


Jason Alexander (at right) stars as a corrupt lawyer visited by a terrifying angel, played by Candy Buckley, after a near death experience. Photo by Liz Lauren.

It's about to be Wednesday in the park with George (Costanza), AKA: Jason Alexander, for opening night of Judgment Day, May 1, at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and we're here for it! You can also call him Sammy Campo. I'll be out reviewing this world premiere for ChiIL Live Shows and ChiIL Mama. It's  Jason Alexander's Chicago stage debut, in a production laden with a multi award winning cast and creatives, and we can't wait. Don't miss this!


Jason Alexander makes his Chicago stage debut in the world premiere comedy Judgment Day at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel. In The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare through May 26, 2024. Photo by Liz Lauren.

ChiIL Mama’s ChiIL Picks List: 

Adult Shows With Family Themes On Our Radar

Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents Judgment Day, a hilariously irreverent world premiere comedy starring Tony and Emmy Award winner Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) in his Chicago stage debut. Alexander leads a cast that features Tony Award nominee Daniel Breaker as Father Michael and Candy Buckley as the Angel, along with Maggie Bofill, Olivia Denise Dawson, Joe Dempsey, Michael Kostroff, Ellis Myers, and Meg Thalken. 

Jason Alexander and Ellis Myers. Photo by Liz Lauren. 

Judgment Day unites the powerhouse comedic talents of Alexander with director Moritz von Stuelpnagel, a Tony Award nominee and leading director of stage comedy, and playwright Rob Ulin, a Golden Globe and Peabody Award-winning television writer. Judgment Day debuts April 23–May 26, 2024, in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare.

Jason Alexander stars as a corrupt lawyer attempting to make amends with the help of a conflicted priest, played by Daniel Breaker. Photo by Liz Lauren.

Judgment Day tells the story of Sammy Campo, a staggeringly corrupt, morally bankrupt lawyer who's threatened with eternal damnation by a terrifying angel after a near-death experience. In a desperate attempt to redeem himself, Sammy forms an unlikely bond with a Catholic priest who is having his own crisis of faith. Filled with razor-sharp wit, this deliciously devious comedy rollicks through the timeless questions of Western philosophy—“morality,” “faith,” and “Are people any damn good?”

Jason Alexander and Maggie Bofill in the world premiere comedy Judgment Day. In The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare through May 26, 2024. Photo by Liz Lauren.

Jason Alexander, who stars as Sammy, is best known for his role as George Costanza on the long-running hit TV series Seinfeld, for which he was nominated for seven consecutive Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. Alexander began his career in the original Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along. He won the 1989 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in Jerome Robbins’ Broadway and performed as Max Bialystock in the Los Angeles production of The Producers. Alexander made his Broadway directorial debut last year with The Cottage. His many film and television credits include Pretty Woman, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Daniel Breaker in the world premiere comedy Judgment Day. In The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare through May 26, 2024. Photo by Liz Lauren.

Daniel Breaker plays the conflicted Catholic priest Father Michael. Breaker was last seen in Chicago as Aaron Burr in Hamilton, a role he subsequently performed on Broadway. He also performed in the original Broadway cast of Shrek The Musical, originating the role of Donkey, and received a Tony nomination and an Obie Award for his leading performance in Passing Strange. Other theater credits include The Book of Mormon and The Performers on Broadway and the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park musical production of Love’s Labor’s Lost. Breaker has been a series regular on Showtime’s Billions and the Peacock series Girls5Eva.

Daniel Breaker and Michael Kostroff in the world premiere comedy Judgment Day. In The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare through May 26, 2024. Photo by Liz Lauren.

Candy Buckley appears as the Angel. Buckley has performed on Broadway in Cabaret, After the Fall, Scandalous, and Thoroughly Modern Millie; her many additional stage credits include Lincoln Center Theater’s Becky Nurse of Salem, the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park production of The Taming of the Shrew, American Repertory Theatre’s Hedda Gabler, and The Old Globe’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Buckley’s film and television credits include The Kill Room, Rare Objects, and WeCrashed.

In the role of Sammy’s wife Tracy is Maggie Bofill. Bofill’s prolific acting credits include Nora in A Doll’s House Part Two at Long Wharf Theater, Between Riverside and Crazy at Second Stage, and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at the Public Theater. A writer in addition to her work as an actor, Bofill wrote and starred in Devil of Choice, which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and is a member of LAByrinth Theater Company and Ensemble Studio Theatre. Michael Kostroff plays the Monsignor. Kostroff is best known as Maury Levy on HBO’s The Wire, in addition to recurring roles on The Blacklist, Billions, The Good Wife, and Law and Order: SVU. He performed in The Nance on Broadway, the first national tour of The Producers, and as Thénardier in the touring company of Les Misérables. Ellis Myers plays Sammy and Tracy’s young son Casper. Myers’ credits include the film Perpetrator, in addition to voiceover and commercial work. 

Olivia Denise Dawson and Jason Alexander in the world premiere comedy Judgment Day. In The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare through May 26, 2024. Photo by Liz Lauren.

Olivia Denise Dawson plays Della, Sammy’s faithful, world-weary secretary. Dawson performed in The Comedy of Errors, The Book of Will, and The Tempest with the Illinois Shakespeare Festival’s 2023 season and has also worked at Steppenwolf Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, and many more. In the role of Jackson, a cranky and crooked insurance adjuster, is Joe Dempsey. Dempsey returns to Chicago Shakespeare after appearing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Short Shakespeare! The Taming of the Shrew. Other credits include work with American Blues Theater, Lookingglass Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Goodman Theatre, and many more. Meg Thalken plays Edna, a widow whom Sammy must help in his quest to become a better person. Thalken’s Chicago credits include work at Rivendell Theatre, Steep Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Goodman Theatre, and more. She was most recently seen in Becky Nurse of Salem at Trinity Repertory Theatre.

Understudies include Jodi Gage, Tasha Anne James, Steve McDonagh, Reginald Robinson Jr., and Gabriel Solis.

One of the most in-demand directors nationwide, Moritz von Stuelpnagel’s credits include the Broadway productions Bernhardt/Hamlet, Present Laughter, Hand to God, for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Director, and most recently, I Need That starring Danny DeVito. Off-Broadway credits include Seared, The Thanksgiving Play, Teenage Dick, Important Hats of the 20th Century, and Verité. Rob Ulin, a Golden Globe and Peabody Award winner who got his start as a professional comedy writer with the legendary Norman Lear, has written and produced acclaimed sitcoms such as Ramy, Young Sheldon, Malcolm in the Middle, Roseanne, and Dinosaurs.

In addition to Ulin and von Stuelpnagel, the creative team includes Scenic Designer Beowulf Boritt, Costume Designer Tilly Grimes, Lighting Designer Amith Chandrashaker, Sound Designer Mikaal Sulaiman, Hair and Make-up Designer Tommy Kurzman, Fight and Intimacy Director Max Fabian, Dialect Coach Eva Breneman, Wing Design and Fabrication by Mio Design Studio, Chicago Casting Director Bob Mason, New York Casting Director Laura Stanczyk, C.S.A., Assistant Director Mallory Metoxen, Assistant Scenic Designer Alexis Distler, Assistant Costume Designer Caity Mulkearns, Assistant Lighting Designer Max Grano De Oro, Young Performer Supervisor Gabe Anderle, Production Stage Manager Jinni Pike, Assistant Stage Manager Mary Zanger, and Production Assistant Jojo Wallenberg.

Judgment Day is the latest opportunity for Chicago Shakespeare audiences to be the first to experience thrilling new theatrical events. A celebrated incubator for new work development, CST has commissioned more than 30 world premieres that have gone on to productions on hundreds of stages around the world. Chicago Shakespeare’s artistic team nurtures and empowers theatermakers in crafting new plays, musicals, and adaptations through readings, workshops, and direct support. There are currently three Chicago Shakespeare productions on Broadway: Illinoise, which had its sold-out press premiere at CST in February; CST’s world premiere musical The Notebook; and CST’s North American premiere of SIX. Also on tour across the US and Canada, SIX garnered the Tony Award for Best Original Score, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, and a Grammy Award nomination.

Accessible and enhanced performances for Judgment Day include:

ASL-interpretation – Friday, May 10, 2024, 7:30

All dialogue and lyrics are translated into American Sign Language by two certified interpreters.

Open-captioning – Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 1:00 & 7:30

A text display of the words and sounds heard during a play, synced live with the action onstage.

Projected Spanish Translation – Thursday, May 16, 2024, 7:30

A text display of the words and sounds heard during a play, synced live with the action onstage.

Audio-description with optional touch tour –

Sunday, May 19, 2024, 2:00

A program that provides spoken narration of a play’s key visual elements for patrons who are blind or have low vision. Touch Tours provide patrons the opportunity to experience, firsthand, a production’s design elements.

More information at www.chicagoshakes.com/judgment or social media at @chicagoshakes and @judgmentdaybroadway.

Judgment Day will be presented April 23–May 26, 2024, in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Single tickets starting at $45 are on sale now. Special discounts are available for audience members under the age of 35 and for groups of 10 or more. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit www.chicagoshakes.com.

ABOUT CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER

Regional Tony Award-recipient Chicago Shakespeare Theater produces a bold and innovative year-round season—plays, musicals, world premieres, family productions, and theatrical presentations from around the globe—alongside nationally recognized education programming serving tens of thousands of students, teachers, and lifelong learners each year. Founded in 1986, Chicago Shakespeare’s onstage work has expanded to as many as twenty productions and 650 performances annually. CST is dedicated to welcoming the next generation of theatergoers; one in four of its audience members is under the age of eighteen. As a nonprofit organization, Chicago Shakespeare works to embrace diversity, prioritize inclusion, provide equitable opportunities, and offer an accessible experience for all. On CST’s three stages at its home on Navy Pier, in classrooms and neighborhoods across the city, and in venues around the world, Chicago Shakespeare Theater is a multifaceted cultural hub—inviting audiences, artists, and community members to share powerful stories that connect and inspire www.chicagoshakes.com.

Behind The Scenes: Rehearsal Photos

Jason Alexander makes his Chicago stage debut in the world premiere comedy Judgment Day at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel. Performances begin April 23, 2024. Photo by Liz Lauren.

Director Moritz von Stuelpnagel in rehearsal for Judgment Day. Photo by Liz Lauren.

Jason Alexander, Olivia Denise Dawson, and Daniel Breaker in rehearsal for Judgment Day. Photo by Liz Lauren.

The company of Judgment Day in rehearsal, including Candy Buckley (far left) and Jason Alexander (far right). Photo by Liz Lauren.

Ellis Myers and Jason Alexander in rehearsal for Judgment Day. Photo by Liz Lauren.

Daniel Breaker and Jason Alexander in rehearsal for Judgment Day. Photo by Liz Lauren.

Ellis Myers and Jason Alexander receive notes from playwright Rob Ulin and director Moritz von Stuelpnagel in rehearsal for Judgment Day. Photo by Liz Lauren.

Maggie Bofill and Jason Alexander in rehearsal for Judgment Day. Photo by Liz Lauren.

The cast of Judgment Day features, from left to right seated, Meg Thalken, Gabriel Solis, Ellis Myers, and Daniel Breaker, from left to right standing, Steve McDonagh, Joe Dempsey, Olivia Denise Dawson, Jason Alexander, Maggie Bofill, Michael Kostroff, and Candy Buckley. Photo by Liz Lauren.



Judgment Day, a world premiere comedy starring Jason Alexander in his Chicago stage debut, runs April 23–May 26 in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare. Photo by Vito Palmisano.

Friday, April 5, 2024

Babes With Blades Theatre Company Presents World Premiere of The S Paradox April 7th Through May 18th, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

BABES WITH BLADES THEATRE COMPANY’S WORLD PREMIERE OF 

THE S PARADOX

WINNER OF INTERNATIONAL PLAYWRITING COMPETITION


Please note: masks are required for all performances. 

The running time is 95 minutes with no intermission. 

True to Chicago Being a Hub for New Work, Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s 10th Winner Of The International Playwriting Competition Joining Sword & Pen and The Margaret W. Martin Award Opens this Sunday, April 7

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU FIGHT FOR

Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s (BWBTC) 2024 season opens this Sunday, April 7 with The S Paradox, written by Joining Sword & Pen International Playwright Competition (JS&P) and Margaret W. Martin Award Winner Jillian Leff, directed by Morgan Manasa with fight direction by Samantha Kaufman at The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St. The S Paradox runs through May 18 with preview performances Sunday, April 7 at 3 p.m.; Thursday, April 11 at 8 p.m. and Friday, April 12 at 8 p.m. The press opening is Saturday, April 13 at 8 p.m. with a performance schedule of Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. The streaming dates are Saturday May 11  at 8 p.m.; Sunday, May 12 at 3 p.m.; Thursday, May 16 and Friday, May 17 at 8 p.m. available via Vimeo.com.  Open Caption performances are available Saturday, May 4 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, May 5 at 3 p.m., and Thursday and Friday, May 9 and 10 at 8 p.m. with sensory-friendly performances Sundays, April 21 and 28 at 3 p.m. Tickets for the live and the streaming productions are $28 - $35 and available at BabesWithBlades.org.

Taking place in a distant future where the United States has undergone sweeping reform, The S Paradox is a world where guns are banned, healthcare is free,and numerous tax and economic bills have helped lessen the division of classes and pulled millions out of poverty. Sloane (first name Bridget, but don’t call her that) is a young woman who has been tapped by a watchdog intelligence agency called the CRC, led by the odd, yet domineering William Hale. As Sloane triumphantly (and a little drunkenly) leaves a warehouse after signing her contract, she is stopped by a mysterious woman who says she has come back in time to stop Sloane from making the biggest mistake of her life. 

“Chicago’s storefront theatre scene as a whole is very passionate about creating something that makes a lasting impact and is new and fresh and bold,” states winning Playwright Jillian Leff*. “Most of the time, you're going to find that in a new play.” 

“The S Paradox is an “Alias” meets “Looper” type tale, a sci-fi adventure that is an addition to the canon of new plays cultivated by BWBTC. The ensemble, originally founded as a company for women trained in stage combat, found few scripts outside of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew that called for femme actors to fight,” said Artistic Director Hayley Rice*. “Scripts that did “benefit” from having a woman trained in stage combat typically involved scenarios where female characters were the victims of the violence happening in a play.”

Now in its 19th year, Joining Sword & Pen International Playwright “continues to give space and a voice for stories from marginalized voices in theater,”added Rice. “With the total prize and award being a combination of developing the new script that leads to a full production and a cash prize, this is rare in the theater industry and we want to continue this as an opportunity for the development of new work in the industry.

Chicago playwright Jillian Leff talks about her experience through the development process with BWBTC: “I've done mostly one-off workshops for my other plays, which are definitely helpful, but I enjoy BWBTC’s Fighting Words program because it's working with your script over the better part of a year, with mainly the same people. I've felt it's helped The S Paradox grow exponentially.”

The S Paradox’s ensemble cast of 12 artists includes Elisabeth Del Toro (she/her, Dez); Luz Espinoza (she/her, Dez U/S and Older Dez); Cat Evans (any with respect, Ava); Kayla Marie Klammer (she/her, Sloane); Sonja Lynn Mata (she/her, Older Dez); Deanna Palmer (she/her, Nameless, Sloane U/S); Steve Peebles (he/him, William); Jessica Pennachio (she/her, Nameless, S U/S); Thomas Russell (he/they, Nameless, William U/S); Emily Sturges (she/they, Nameless U/S); Tina-Kim Nyguen (she/her, Nameless, Ava U/S) and Maureen Yasko* (she/her, S).

The production team includes BWBTC Ensemble Members Line Bower* (they/them, technical director), Jillian Leff* (she/her, playwright) and Morgan Manasa* (she/her, director) as well as Evy Burch (they/her, props designer), Rose Hamill (she/her, production manager), Rose Johnson (they/them, scenic designer); Samantha Kaufman (she/her, fight director), L.J. Luthringer (he/him, sound designer); Payton Shearn (she/they, production assistant), Taylor Stageberg (she/they, stage manager); Rachel M. Sypniewski (she/her, costume designer); Laura J. Wiley (she/her, lighting designer) and Theo Yaeck (they/them, assistant stage manager). 

*Denotes BWBTC ensemble member


ABOUT JILLIAN LEFF, PLAYWRIGHT OF THE S PARADOX

Jillian Leff (she/her/hers) is a Chicago based playwright and actor, whose work has been

produced in Chicago, Los Angeles, Florida and Indiana. The world premiere of Small

World (co-written with Joe Lino) was a Jeff Award nominee for New Work. She is an

ensemble member with Babes With Blades Theatre Company, where she has appeared in Richard III (Buckingham), Women of 4G (Pierce) and The Good Fight (Cicely) and is excited to work with BWBTC as a playwright again after workshopping her play The Mark through Fighting Words. She has a BFA in acting from Ball State University and is an advanced actor combatant with The Society of American Fight Directors. 

ABOUT MORGAN MANASA, DIRECTOR OF THE S PARADOX

Morgan Manasa (she/her/hers), a graduate of the Chicago College of Performing Arts and Theatre Conservatory at Roosevelt University, has been a theatremaker in Chicago for the past 20 years. Manasa is an ensemble member of Babes With Blades Theatre Company where she’s been seen in their production of Henry V (Fluellen) and Witch Slap! (Goody Blunt). She has directed a handful of one-acts and 10-minute play festivals but made her mainstage directorial debut with Arthur M. Jolly’s The Lady Demands Satisfaction (Jeff Recommended) with BWBTC. Most recently she directed JANE: The Abortion Underground with Idle Muse Theatre Company where she also directed In The Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 

ABOUT JOINING SWORD & PEN INTERNATIONAL PLAYWRITING COMPETITION AND THE MARGARET W. MARTIN AWARD

The Joining Sword & Pen international playwriting competition launched in 2005 to generate more scripts that featured women in roles involving stage combat.  Created in collaboration with Artistic Advisor and Fight Master in the Society of American Fight Directors David Woolley who sponsors the competition, scripts inspired by a specific image are submitted and go through a blind judging process.  The winning script goes through BWBTC’s new play development program, but also receives a full production, cash prize and the Margaret W. Martin Award.

Margaret W. Martin was ahead of her time. In the 1960s and 70s, she maintained her full time job, taught piano, and raised a family of 6 children (4 girls, two boys) all while she traveled the globe from the States to Saudi Arabia, across Europe and Vientiane Laos during the height of the Vietnam war. She founded the American International School – Riyadh (K-12) in Saudi Arabia in 1963, and it has flourished as an institution since then. The Margaret W. Martin Award is in honor of Artistic Advisor and SAFD Fight Master David Woolley’s mother. 


ABOUT BABES WITH BLADES THEATRE COMPANY

Babes With Blades Theatre Company – for over the past 20 years, and moving into the future – strives to develop and present scripts focused on complex, dynamic (often combative) characters who continue to be underrepresented on theatre stages based on gender. Babes With Blades Theatre Company uses (and will continue to use) stage combat to tell stories that elevate the voices of underrepresented communities and dismantle the patriarchy.

In each element of their programming, they embrace two key concepts:

1) Folks of marginalized genders and underrepresented communities are central to the story, driving the action rather than responding or submitting to it.

2) Everyone is capable of a full emotional and physical range, up to and including violence and its consequences.

The company offers participants and patrons alike an unparalleled opportunity to experience every person as heroes and villains; rescuers and rescues; right, wrong and everywhere in between: exciting, vivid, dynamic PEOPLE. It’s as simple and as subversive as that. 

BWBTC’s 2024 programming is partially made possible by the kind support of The Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, a grant from The Illinois Arts Council Agency, a CityArts Grant from the the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events (DCASE), and the support of the Small Business Alliance Shuttered Venue Operators (SVOG) grant program.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT STATEMENT:

Babes With Blades Theatre Company produces theatre in venues located on the traditional homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations. Many other tribes such as the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac, and Fox also called this area home. This region that we now commonly refer to as “The Chicagoland Area”, has long been a center for Indigenous people to gather, trade, and maintain kinship ties. Today, one of the largest urban Native American communities in the United States resides in Chicago. Members of this community continue to contribute to the life of this city and to celebrate their heritage, practice traditions and care for the land and waterways.


Friday, February 23, 2024

World Premiere Comedy Judgment Day Starring Jason Alexander To Play Chicago Shakespeare Theater April 23–May 26, 2024

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Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces

the full cast and creative team of the world premiere comedy

Judgment Day


Tony and Emmy Award winner Jason Alexander makes his Chicago stage debut in the hilariously irreverent world premiere Judgment Day, April 23–May 26 in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare. 
Photo by Rebecca J. Michelson.

Starring Tony and Emmy winner Jason Alexander

Written by Golden Globe winner Rob Ulin and directed by Tony nominee Moritz von Stuelpnagel

April 23–May 26, 2024

Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces today the full company of Judgment Day, a hilariously irreverent world premiere comedy starring Tony and Emmy Award winner Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) in his Chicago stage debut. Alexander leads a cast that features Daniel Breaker as Father Michael and Candy Buckley as the Angel, along with Maggie Bofill, Olivia Denise Dawson, Joe Dempsey, Michael Kostroff, Ellis Myers, and Meg Thalken. Judgment Day unites the powerhouse comedic talents of Alexander with director Moritz von Stuelpnagel, a Tony Award nominee and leading director of stage comedy, and playwright Rob Ulin, a Golden Globe and Peabody Award-winning television writer. Judgment Day debuts April 23–May 26, 2024, in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare.

Judgment Day tells the story of Sammy Campo, a staggeringly corrupt, morally bankrupt lawyer who's threatened with eternal damnation by a terrifying angel after a near-death experience. In a desperate attempt to redeem himself, Sammy forms an unlikely bond with a Catholic priest who is having his own crisis of faith. Filled with razor-sharp wit, this deliciously devious comedy rollicks through the timeless questions of Western philosophy—“morality,” “faith,” and “Are people any damn good?”

Jason Alexander, who stars as Sammy, is best known for his role as George Costanza on the long-running hit TV series Seinfeld, for which he was nominated for seven consecutive Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. Alexander began his career in the original Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along. He won the 1989 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in Jerome Robbins’ Broadway and performed as Max Bialystock in the Los Angeles production of The Producers. Alexander made his Broadway directorial debut last year with The Cottage. His many film and television credits include Pretty Woman, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Daniel Breaker plays the conflicted Catholic priest Father Michael. Breaker was last seen in Chicago as Aaron Burr in Hamilton, a role he subsequently performed on Broadway. He also performed in the original Broadway cast of Shrek The Musical, originating the role of Donkey, and won an Obie Award for his leading performance in the Off-Broadway premiere of Passing Strange. Other theater credits include The Book of Mormon and The Performers on Broadway and the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park musical production of Love’s Labor’s Lost. Breaker’s television credits include Billions and the Peacock series Girls5Eva.

Candy Buckley appears as the Angel. Buckley has performed on Broadway in Cabaret, After the Fall, Scandalous, and Thoroughly Modern Millie; her many additional stage credits include Lincoln Center Theater’s Becky Nurse of Salem, the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park production of The Taming of the Shrew, American Repertory Theatre’s Hedda Gabler, and The Old Globe’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Buckley’s film and television credits include The Kill Room, Rare Objects, and WeCrashed.

In the role of Sammy’s wife Tracy is Maggie Bofill. Bofill’s prolific acting credits include Nora in A Doll’s House Part Two at Long Wharf Theater, Between Riverside and Crazy at Second Stage, and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at the Public Theater. A writer in addition to her work as an actor, Bofill wrote and starred in Devil of Choice, which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and is a member of LAByrinth Theater Company and Ensemble Studio Theatre. Michael Kostroff plays the Monsignor. Kostroff is best known as Maury Levy on HBO’s The Wire, in addition to recurring roles on The Blacklist, Billions, The Good Wife, and Law and Order: SVU. He performed in The Nance on Broadway, the first national tour of The Producers, and as Thénardier in the touring company of Les Misérables. Ellis Myers plays Sammy and Tracy’s young son Casper. Myers’ credits include the film Perpetrator, in addition to voiceover and commercial work. 

Olivia Denise Dawson plays Della, Sammy’s faithful, world-weary secretary. Dawson performed in The Comedy of Errors, The Book of Will, and The Tempest with the Illinois Shakespeare Festival’s 2023 season and has also worked at Steppenwolf Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, and many more. In the role of Jackson, a cranky and crooked insurance adjuster, is Joe Dempsey. Dempsey returns to Chicago Shakespeare after appearing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Short Shakespeare! The Taming of the Shrew. Other credits include work with American Blues Theater, Lookingglass Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Goodman Theatre, and many more. Meg Thalken plays Edna, a widow whom Sammy must help in his quest to become a better person. Thalken’s Chicago credits include work at Rivendell Theatre, Steep Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Goodman Theatre, and more. She was most recently seen in Becky Nurse of Salem at Trinity Repertory Theatre.

One of the most in-demand directors nationwide, Moritz von Stuelpnagel’s credits include the Broadway productions Bernhardt/Hamlet, Present Laughter, Hand to God, for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Director, and most recently, I Need That starring Danny DeVito. Off-Broadway credits include Seared, The Thanksgiving Play, Teenage Dick, Important Hats of the 20th Century, and Verité. Rob Ulin, a Golden Globe and Peabody Award winner who got his start as a professional comedy writer with the legendary Norman Lear, has written and produced acclaimed sitcoms such as Ramy, Young Sheldon, Malcolm in the Middle, Roseanne, and Dinosaurs.

In addition to Ulin and von Stuelpnagel, the creative team includes Scenic Designer Beowulf Boritt, Costume Designer Tilly Grimes, Lighting Designer Amith Chandrashaker, Sound Designer Mikaal Sulaiman, Hair and Make-up Designer Tommy Kurzman, Fight and Intimacy Director Max Fabian, Chicago Casting Director Bob Mason, New York Casting Director Laura Stanczyk, C.S.A., Assistant Director Mallory Metoxen, Assistant Scenic Designer Alexis Distler, Assistant Costume Designer Caity Mulkearns, Assistant Lighting Designer Max Grano De Oro, Production Stage Manager Jinni Pike, and Assistant Stage Manager Mary Zanger.

Judgment Day is the latest opportunity for Chicago Shakespeare audiences to be the first to experience thrilling new theatrical events. A celebrated incubator for new work development, CST has commissioned more than 30 world premieres that have gone on to productions on hundreds of stages around the world. Chicago Shakespeare’s artistic team nurtures and empowers theatermakers in crafting new plays, musicals, and adaptations through readings, workshops, and direct support. CST most recently celebrated the sold-out press premiere of Illinoise, which next transfers to Park Avenue Armory beginning March 2. On March 14, Chicago Shakespeare’s world premiere musical The Notebook opens at the Schoenfeld Theatre on Broadway, joining CST’s North American premiere of SIX, now playing at the Lena Horne Theatre. Also on tour across the US and Canada, SIX garnered the Tony Award for Best Original Score, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, and a Grammy Award nomination.


Accessible and enhanced performances for Judgment Day include:

ASL-interpretation – Friday, May 10, 2024, 7:30

All dialogue and lyrics are translated into American Sign Language by two certified interpreters.

Open-captioning – Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 1:00 & 7:30

A text display of the words and sounds heard during a play, synced live with the action onstage.

Projected Spanish Translation – Thursday, May 16, 2024, 7:30

A text display of the words and sounds heard during a play, synced live with the action onstage.

Audio-description with optional touch tour –

Sunday, May 19, 2024, 2:00

A program that provides spoken narration of a play’s key visual elements for patrons who are blind or have low vision. Touch Tours provide patrons the opportunity to experience, firsthand, a production’s design elements.

More information at www.chicagoshakes.com/judgment or social media at @chicagoshakes and @judgmentdaybroadway.

Judgment Day will be presented April 23–May 26, 2024, in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Single tickets starting at $45 are on sale now. Special discounts are available for audience members under the age of 35 and for groups of 10 or more. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit www.chicagoshakes.com.

ABOUT CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER

Regional Tony Award-recipient Chicago Shakespeare Theater produces a bold and innovative year-round season—plays, musicals, world premieres, family productions, and theatrical presentations from around the globe—alongside nationally recognized education programming serving tens of thousands of students, teachers, and lifelong learners each year. Founded in 1986, Chicago Shakespeare’s onstage work has expanded to as many as twenty productions and 650 performances annually. CST is dedicated to welcoming the next generation of theatergoers; one in four of its audience members is under the age of eighteen. As a nonprofit organization, Chicago Shakespeare works to embrace diversity, prioritize inclusion, provide equitable opportunities, and offer an accessible experience for all. On CST’s three stages at its home on Navy Pier, in classrooms and neighborhoods across the city, and in venues around the world, Chicago Shakespeare Theater is a multifaceted cultural hub—inviting audiences, artists, and community members to share powerful stories that connect and inspire www.chicagoshakes.com.

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

World Premiere of WIPEOUT Via Rivendell Theatre Ensemble February 23 – April 6, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble announces the World Premiere of

WIPEOUT

by Aurora Real de Asua


Directed by Rivendell Artistic Director Tara Mallen

Movement Direction by Ensemble Member Devon de Mayo

February 23 – April 6, 2024

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble (RTE), Chicago’s only Equity theatre dedicated to advancing the lives of women through the power of theatre, announces the world premiere of WIPEOUT by Aurora Real de Asua, directed by Rivendell Artistic Director Tara Mallen with movement direction by Ensemble Member Devon de Mayo. WIPEOUT runs February 23 – April 6, 2024. Tickets are now available at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, 5779 N. Ridge Avenue in Chicago, (773) 334-7728 or www.RivendellTheatre.org.

Three retired best friends. One hotrod surf instructor. The currents of the Pacific Ocean. What could possibly go wrong? Set on surfboards, WIPEOUT is a poignant comedy about friendship, grief, and the unpredictable tides of life.

WIPEOUT tells the story of three women staring down the mouth of 70, friends for decades, who throw themselves into their first-ever surfing lesson with the help of a young instructor. As the women learn how to paddle and navigate the currents of the Pacific Ocean, they also learn how to navigate their friendships, their fears, and just how hard it can be to let it all go.

The cast of WIPEOUT includes RTE members Glenn Obrero and Meg Thalken, with Cindy Gold and Celeste Williams. 

The creative team includes RTE Members Regina Garcia (Scenic Design), Victoria DeIorio (Sound Design), Devon de Mayo± (Movement Director), with Evelyn Danner (Costume Design), Michael Mahlum (Lighting Design) Angie Tillges (Surfboard Design), Andres Fiz (Projection Design), Tanya Palmer (Dramaturgy), Shannon Golden-Starr (Production Manager), Deya Friedman (Production Stage Manager) and Mia Maccarella (Assistant Stage Manager).

“As a young surfer, I'd be paddling hard, getting ready to catch my wave, only to find a blissed-out grandmother already hanging ten. That's what I love most about surfing. Anybody - any body - can do it. The ocean is our great equalizer,” comments playwright Aurora Real de Asua. “It has a way of revealing the truth, of disintegrating the boundaries we place around ourselves and each other. This play is my love letter to the joys of surfing, the power of the ocean, and the tenacity of female friendship. I am so thrilled to premiere this play with Rivendell and honored to be working with their fabulous, fearless artists.”

“In 2019, when Aurora first brought us WIPEOUT, we were immediately taken by the audaciousness of this young writer having so confidently penned a moving, thoughtful, and hilarious drama about a trio of first-time women surfers some forty years her senior,” comments Artistic Director Tara Mallen. “This production features the formidable talents of three powerhouse Chicago actors I have long admired. Bringing these dynamic actors together with our young and inspired playwright sets Aurora’s play on firm footing from the start as we launch this first stop on WIPEOUT's three-part Rolling World Premiere. I am deeply grateful to be in the room with this collective of absurdly talented artists, to have this wonderful opportunity to stretch, flex our creative muscles and grow as theater artists as we tackle the unique challenges this play brings.” 

WIPEOUT is produced at Rivendell as part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. Other Partner Theaters are B Street Theatre, Sacramento, CA and The Gloucester Stage Company, Gloucester, MA. For more information, please visit nnpn.org

About the Artists

Aurora Real de Asua (playwright) is a playwright, filmmaker, and actor. Her plays have been workshopped at Williamstown Theatre Festival, the New Harmony Project, the Old Globe, the Playwright's Realm, Rivendell, the Chicago Children's Theatre, and Sideshow. She is currently working on a commission for South Coast Repertory Theatre. Her short film Heartsong debuted on Shorts of the Week and can be streamed at Mítu.tv. Acting credits include shows at Rivendell, Goodman, Court, Northlight, Victory Gardens, and American Players Theatre. She is also an ensemble member at Remy Bumppo. She holds a BA in theatre from Northwestern University and an MFA in film from Columbia University. In her spare time, you can find her surfing a longboard in Santa Cruz, California.

Tara Mallen (director) is an actor, director, producer and the founding Artistic Director at Rivendell. Most recently she was on stage as part of Rivendell’s Jeff Award-Winning Ensemble in Motherhouse. Other recent projects include Raven Theatre’s The Luckiest (Jeff nomination - supporting actor); RTE’s premiere productions of Spay, Laura and the Sea, The Cake (Jeff Award - Actor) Look, we are breathing, The Firebird’s Take the Field, Rasheeda Speaking, Crooked, Self Defense, and The Walls. Other credits include Sweat (Arena Stage), The Cake (Renaissance Theatreworks), and How Long Will I Cry (Steppenwolf), among others. She is the proud recipient of a 2017 3Arts Award for her work as a Chicago theatre artist. Screen credits include the upcoming feature film Ghostlight, premiering at Sundance Film Festival in January 2024; Dark Matter (Apple TV); Empire (Fox); Contagion (Warner Bros.); The Last Shift (Sony Pictures); Boss (Starz); Chicago Fire (NBC); Doubt (CBS/Sony Pictures); Chicago P.D. (NBC); and Sense8 (Netflix). For Rivendell, Tara co-conceived and directed the critically acclaimed World Premiere of Women At War, the Jeff-nominated Midwest premieres of The Electric Baby, 26 Miles (in co-production with Teatro Vista); Fighting Words by Sunil Kuruvilla; Psalms of a Questionable Nature ; the co-production of Elliot, a Soldier’s Fugue with Stageworks/Hudson; and the brief and brilliant Shady Meadows by Lisa Dillman as part of the 2007 Chicago Humanities Festival. 

Cindy Gold (Gary) Recent Chicago area appearances include The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington (Steppenwolf Theatre), Christmas Carol (Goodman), Household Spirits (Theatre Wit), Indecent (Victory Gardens), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Drury Lane), Measure for Measure (Goodman), Awake and Sing (Northlight), Taming of the Shrew (Chicago Shakespeare), and at The Lyric Opera in Showboat and My Fair Lady. Regionally, Cindy performed at Asolo Theatre in The Cake, The Kennedy Center in Showboat and Daughter of the Regiment (where she shared a role with RBG!), in The Music Man with Glimmerglass Opera, both in New York and at the Royal Opera House in Muscat. Cindy won a Jeff award for playing Gertrude Stein in Frank Galati and Stephen Flaherty’s Loving Repeating. Recent TV and film: Ghostlight, I Used to Go Here, Work in Progress, Empire, Chicago Fire, and the pilot episode of TNT's Leverage. Cindy is a Professor of Theatre at Northwestern University. 

Glenn Obrero (Blaze) was last seen in Scientific Method at Rivendell Theatre and is stoked to back as an Ensemble Member. Select theatre credits include: The Great Leap (Steppenwolf and Asolo Repertory Theatre), The Chinese Lady (Timeline Theatre), 20K Leagues Under the Sea (Lookingglass), Edith Can Shoot Things And Hit Them (Kitchen Theatre) and Letters Home (Griffin Theatre). Television credits include Chicago Fire (NBC) and Next (FOX). Glenn is a graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Acting and represented by Gray Talent Group.

Meg Thalken (Wynn) is thrilled to be a recent new member of Rivendell! Upcoming credits: Judgement Day at Chicago Shakespeare Theater Spring 2024. Regional Credits include Becky Nurse of Salem at Trinity Rep, Steel Magnolias at Milwaukee Rep, Ripcord at Peninsula Players, Tribes at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Chicago credits include: Steep Theatre: Mosquitoes, The Den Theatre: Four Places* (Jeff nomination), Steppenwolf: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Domesticated, Goodman: Soups, Stews, and Casseroles, Route 66: A Funny Thing Happened at the Gynecological Oncology Unit, Victory Gardens: A View of the Dome, Guide for the Perplexed, Symmetry, The Long Awaited, Next Theatre: The Metal Children, Chicago Dramatists: I Am Going to Change the World, Travel Light: Laundry & Bourbon, Wisdom Bridge: Bagtime, TV Credits: Chicago PD, Chicago Med, Chicago Justice, Chicago Fire, Paper Girls, 61st Street, Shameless, Empire, Easy Abby, Detroit 187, ER, The Joan Cusack Show, Turks, Chicago Hope, Early Edition, EZ Streets, The Untouchables, Chicago Story, Jack & Mike, The Richard Speck Case and Through Naked Eyes. Film: Christmas Again, This Day Forward, Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, Bad Johnson, Hannah Free, Check Please, The Company, U.S. Marshals, Poltergeist III, A Family Thing, The Babe, Class. 

Celeste Williams (Claudia)  most recently performed in Court Theatre’s production of Arsenic and Old Lace. Some of her work includes performances at: Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Victory Gardens Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Next Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Writers Theatre, New American Theatre, Seattle Group Theatre, Onyx Theatre Ensemble, and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. Celeste is a 4-time Jeff Award nominee; a 3-time Black Theatre Alliance Award winner; and received a 2023 Black Excellence nomination for Outstanding Theatre Artist from the Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago for her performance as Martha in Arsenic and Old Lace. Celeste was co-founder of Onyx Theatre Ensemble. 

Featuring: RTE Members Glenn Obrero+ and Meg Thalken*+, with Cindy Gold* and Celeste Williams*.

Creative Team: Regina Garcia± (Scenic Design), Evelyn Danner (Costume Design), Michael Mahlum (Lighting Design), Victoria DeIorio± (Sound Design), Devon de Mayo± (Movement Director), with Angie Tillges (Surfboard Design), Andres Fiz (Projection Design), Tanya Palmer (Dramaturgy), Shannon Golden-Starr (Production Manager), Deya Friedman* (Stage Manager) and Mia Maccarella (Assistant Stage Manager)

*= Member of Actors Equity Association

± = RTE Member

           

Schedule:

Thursdays at 8:00pm

Fridays at 8:00pm

Saturdays at 4:00pm and 8:00pm

Special added performances include Sunday, March 10 at 3:00pm; Monday, March 25 at 8:00pm (Industry Night)

Tickets:

$39 General Admission

$17 Student, Educators, Military/Veterans, Industry (Limited quantity, first-come, first-served)

$28 Seniors

$49 Sponsor Admission (to help us pay artists fair wages by covering the full cost of a seat at the performance)

$94 Angel Admission (1 Basic Admission, plus helping to cover discounted or free tickets to people who need them)

Membership / Subscription

RIV Pass: $95 (see Rivendell productions and other events as often as desired)

Box Office: (773) 334-7728 or www.RivendellTheatre.org

Parking and Transportation: There is limited paid and free street parking in the area. The theatre is easily accessible via the Clark (#22) or Broadway (#36) bus and is a short walk from the Bryn Mawr Red Line L station. 

About Rivendell Theatre Ensemble

Founded in 1994, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble advances the lives of women through theatre. Rivendell cultivates the talents of women artists—writers, actors, directors, designers and technicians—by seeking out innovative plays that explore unique female experiences and producing them in an intimate salon environment.

Rivendell employs women theatre artists, offers mind-expanding experiences with new voices and perspectives, and sparks dialogue and action on critical issues in the lives of women and their communities.

In our 25+ year history, Rivendell has earned 12 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nearly four dozen nominations. We are recognized as a national force in new play development and a home for women theatre artists. We engage about 200 artists and 3,000+ audience members each year through our mainstage season and new work development.

For more information about Rivendell Theater Ensemble, visit www.RivendellTheatre.org. Follow Rivendell on Facebook at Facebook.com/rivendelltheatre, on Twitter @RivendellThtr, and on Instagram at @rivendelltheatre.

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble is supported by generous grants from: SIF Fund at The Chicago Community Trust; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events; The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust; Shubert Foundation; Illinois Arts Council Agency; The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; The Field Foundation of Illinois; League of Chicago Theatres; Sarah and the 2 C Dogs; Amazing Edibles; Actor’s Equity Association.


Friday, April 21, 2023

Chicago Premiere of ANTONIO’S SONG/I WAS DREAMING OF A SON at Goodman's Owen Stage April 28 – May 28, 2023

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

ANTONIO EDWARDS SUAREZ STARS IN 

ANTONIO’S SONG/

I WAS DREAMING OF A SON

HIS TOUR-DE-FORCE SOLO WORK, CO-WRITTEN WITH PULTIZER PRIZE FINALIST DAEL ORLANDERSMITH

***MARK CLEMENTS DIRECTS THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF THIS “DEEP AND PERSONAL DIVE INTO THE FORMATION OF A MAN” (MILKWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL) IN THE OWEN THEATRE, APRIL 28 – MAY 28***

Poetry, music and movement unite on the Owen Stage to bring an “honest and empathetic look at fatherhood” amidst the implications of identity, art and culture in Dael Orlandersmith and Antonio Edwards Suarez’s Antonio’s Song/I Was Dreaming of a Son, directed by Mark Clements. Following an accomplished run at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, the acclaimed solo piece makes its Chicago debut and features Antonio Edwards Suarez as he considers—using his own lived experiences—the immense weight of raising a son in a world rife with ethnic and gender stereotypes. Antonio’s Song/I Was Dreaming of a Son appears April 28 – May 28, 2023 in the 350-seat flexible Owen Theatre.

I'll be out for opening night, Monday, May 8th, so check back shortly after for my full review. Tickets ($15 –$50, subject to change) are available at GoodmanTheatre.org/Antonio or by phone at 312-443-3800. The Goodman is grateful for the support of The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust (Lead Funder of IDEAA Programming).

“Having my son, I thought to myself, 'this is going to be tough, raising a boy in today’s world'," said Antonio Edwards Suarez.  “So much of what is shown on television and the news are boys and men struggling and acting out many of those struggles in destructive ways. My son’s birth also made me start to reflect and examine how I was raised, my mother and father’s hopes and dreams, how were they raised, the boys, girls, men and women who influenced me and the generations of neighborhoods we all grew up in. Am I going to pass some of the destructive behaviors I experienced on to my son? Will he, my son, go through what I went through?”

Dael Orlandersmith, Goodman Artistic Associate and Alice Center Resident Artist who co-wrote the piece with Suarez, said, “We rarely see men portrayed vulnerably. We rarely see men question themselves and grapple with parenting the way this character does—recognizing how he must break the chains of the past.”

From Brooklyn to Massachusetts to Russia, Antonio struggles to reconcile multiple ethnic identities. He wrestles with the legacy of stereotypes of masculinity while discovering there is beauty in manhood and becoming a father. Powerful poetry intermixed with original movement, music and projected imagery creates an evocative, wholly unique performance. The creative team includes Luciana Stecconi (Set Design); Peggy McKowen (Costume Design); John Ambrosone (Lighting Design); Andre Pluess (Sound Design); Jared Mazzocchi (Projection Design); Alexandra Beller (Movement Direction). Malkia Stampley is the Line Producer and Patrick Fries is the Production Stage Manager.

Dael Orlandersmith’s plays include Stoop Stories, Black n’ Blue Boys/Broken Men, Horsedreams, Bones, The Blue Album, Yellowman, The Gimmick, Monster and Forever. Orlandersmith was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Drama Desk Award nominee for Yellowman and the winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for The Gimmick. Dael is the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts grant, The Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights, a Guggenheim, along with several other awards and honors. Her play, FOREVER, was commissioned and performed at the Mark Taper Forum/Kirk Douglas Theatre in Fall 2014, followed by performances at the Long Wharf Theatre in Winter 2014/15, New York Theatre Workshop in Spring 2015 and at Portland Center Stage in Winter 2016. Her play Until the Flood appeared at St Louis Repertory in Fall 2016, Rattlestick Theatre in 2018, Milwaukee Rep in 2019, Portland Center Stage, ACT Seattle, the Arcola Theatre in London, the Galway Arts Festival at the Druid Theatre and the Traverse at Edinburgh Festival. The play was performed in Berlin at the Schaubuhne Theatre in April 2022 and at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC in June 2022. Ms. Orlandersmith is working on a commission for Rattlestick Theatre called Watching the Watcher and had two plays opening at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre in 2022: New Age directed by Jade King Carroll and Antonio’s Song/I Was Dreaming of a Son, directed by Mark Clements. Orlandersmith‘s new play Spiritus/Virgin’s Dance, commissioned by Merrimack Theater in Massachusetts will be appear at CATF Theatre in West Virginia in Summer 2023 and Rattlestick and Merrimack Theaters in 2024. Orlandersmith is currently working with writer/performer David Cale and director Robert Falls on a play called You Don’t Know the Lonely One. Ms. Orlandersmith received a Doris Duke Award in 2020. She is currently working on two commissions for Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre.

Antonio Edwards Suarez’ Broadway credits include American Buffalo, directed by Robert Falls. New York credits include Chaucer in Rome (Lincoln Center Theater), directed by Nicholas Martin; Entertaining Mr. Sloane; The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui; Dogg’s Hamlet, Cahoot’s Macbeth; The Trial (Phoenix Theatre Ensemble); This One Girl’s Story (New York Musical Theatre Festival, Award for Best Ensemble); Points of Departure (INTAR) and Richard III (National Black Theatre). Other credits include Food Acts (Lions Theatre); The Hamlet Project (Mac Wellman Theater); Trespass (Producers Club II); Fuente (Cherry Lane Alternative); Waiting for Godot (Chashama) and Mother (La MaMa E.T.C.). International and regional credits include Antonio’s Song/I Was Dreaming of a Son (Milwaukee Repertory Theater and Contemporary American Theater Festival); Leandro in the international tour of The King Stag (directed by Andrei Serban, choreographed by Julie Taymor); The Night is a Child (Milwaukee Rep); A Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Taming of the Shrew; The Tempest; Julius Caesar (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company); Havana is Waiting (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); Spinning into Butter (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis) and Idiots Karamazov (American Repertory Theater). Film and television credits include The EndGame; The Tested; Elementary; several episodes of Law & Order; The Good Wife; Rookie Blue; Person of Interest; One Life to Live; As the World Turns; Flight of the Conchords (HBO); Curb Your Enthusiasm and Stan the Orderly (recurring) on Royal Pains (USA Network).

Mark Clements is a multi-award-winning international theater director whose work has appeared in over 100 major theaters throughout Europe and the United States. He began his tenure as artistic director of Milwaukee Rep, with the 2010/11 season, by bringing musicals to the mainstage and introducing the John Jack D. Lewis New Play Development Program, a vibrant and eclectic new works initiative that seeks to produce one new work in each of the Rep’s three performance spaces per season. This includes Antonio’s Song, which he developed in collaboration with Contemporary American Theatre Festival. Milwaukee Rep directing credits include the world premieres of One House Over; his own adaptation of the current A Christmas Carol in the Pabst Theatre; Five Presidents and American Song; Things I Know To Be True; Junk; The Glass Menagerie; Of Mice and Men; Othello; Death of a Salesman; The History of Invulnerability; End of the Rainbow; Clybourne Park and Bombshells. Select New York and international work includes Speaking in Tongues for Roundabout Theatre Company and Hampstead Theatre in London; The Milliner; Blunt Speaking; Obie Award winning musical The Thing About Men, in addition to creating and directing the West End and UK National Tours of Soul Train. Prior to joining Milwaukee Rep, Mark served as an associate artistic director for several UK theater companies, but most notably, as artistic director for the award-winning Derby Playhouse in the UK from 1992-2002, where he directed over 40 productions. He has been nominated for an Olivier Award and several UK Theater Awards, and has won three Barrymore Awards from his time at Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. Mark is currently working with Ayad Akhtar on adapting his critically acclaimed novel American Dervish for the stage to make its world premiere at Milwaukee Rep in an upcoming season, along with Run Bambi Run, an original new rock musical penned by Eric Simonson and Gordon Gano from the Violent Femmes.


THE COMPANY OF Antonio’s Song/I Was Dreaming of a Son 

Antonio ……Antonio Edwards Suarez

Set Design by Luciana Stecconi

Costume Design by Peggy McKowen

Lighting Design by John Ambrosone

Sound Design by Andre Pluess

Projection Design by Jared Mazzocchi

Movement Direction by Alexandra Beller

Line Production by Malkia Stampley

Patrick Fries is the Production Stage Manager.


ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES

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

Touch Tour and Audio-Described Performance: Sunday, May 21, 12:30pm Touch Tour; 2pm performance – The action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset. NOTE: Touch Tours for the 2022/2023 Season will not have access to the stage due to current health and safety protocols, but will feature alternate pre-show sensory introductions.

ASL-Interpreted: Saturday, May 27 at 2pm – An American Sign Language interpreter signs the action/text as played.

Spanish Subtitles: Saturday May 27 at 8pm.

Open-Captioned: Sunday, May 28 at 2pm – An LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.


ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE

Chicago’s theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit arts and community organization in the heart of the Loop, distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and community engagement. The theater’s artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics. Artists and productions have earner two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and more than 160 Jeff Awards, among other accolades. The Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” Its longtime annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, now in its fifth decade, has created a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production and program partner with national and international companies and Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters.

Using the tools of the theatrical profession, the Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand the cultures and stories of diverse voices. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of these programs, which are offered free of charge for Chicago youth—85% of whom come from underserved communities—schools and life-long learners.

Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family’s legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth’s family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation on the new Goodman center in 2000.

Today, Goodman Theatre is led by Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director/CEO Roche Schulfer. Theater leadership also includes the distinguished members of the Artistic Collective: Rebecca Gilman, Dael Orlandersmith, Henry Godinez, Steve Scott, Kimberly Senior, Chuck Smith and Mary Zimmerman. Jeff Hesse is Chairman of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Fran Del Boca is Women’s Board President and Craig McCaw is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.

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