World Premiere of the love object Via The Story Theatre October 10 – November 3, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

World Premiere!

The Story Theatre Presents

the love object

Pictured (left to right) Mollyanne Nunn, Emily Holland, Spencer Diaz Tootle and Cat Christmas

The Story Theatre’s world premiere of the love object. Photo by David Hagen.

By Justine Gelfman

Directed by Jasmine B. Gunter

October 10 – November 3, 2024

The Story Theatre is pleased to welcome back audiences with its world premiere of the love object by Emerging Playwright-in-Residence Justine Gelfman, directed by Northwestern MFA Directing alum Jasmine B. Gunter. This new play, which explores agency, betrayal and power through the bubblegum veneer of the early 2000s pop music industry, will take place October 10 - November 3, 2024 on Raven Theatre’s Schwartz Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at thestorytheatre.org/tickets or by calling (773) 338-2177. I'll be out for the press opening, October 13th so check back soon after for my full review. 

The production will feature Cat Christmas, Kaylah Marie Crosby, Spencer Díaz Tootle, Emily Holland, Mollyanne Nunn and William Anthony Sebastian Rose II. Understudies include Jordan Marie Ford, Freddy Mauricio Jr., Mollyanne Nunn and Jacinda Ratcliffe.

On the eve of Ramona’s sold-out stadium tour, her best friend and trusted assistant Paula announces she is leaving to pursue her own artistry. Fearing the loss of her closest confidante, Ramona reveals that a sex tape she made is about to be released, tainting her image (and ticket sales) forever. Will Paula stay and clean up Ramona’s mess one more time or finally escape the oppressive celebrity machine for good? A contemporary adaptation of Euripides’ Hippolytus, the love object examines the hyper-sexualization of women celebrities, the power struggles of interracial friendship and the tragedies of late-stage capitalism, all through the bubblegum veneer of an early 2000s pop superstar.

The production team includes Tianxuan Chen (Scenic Design), Ben Argenta Kress (Costume Design), Seojung Jang (Lighting Design), Newt Schottelkotte (Sound Design, Original Composition), Angelíca Grace (Choreographer), Racquel Postiglione (Prop Design), Courtney Abbott (Violence & Intimacy Design), Stina Taylor (Technical Direction), Ruby Lowe (Master Electrician), Ariel Beller (Stage Manager), Emma Johnson (Assistant Stage Manager), Lucy Whipp* (Production Manager), Brenna DiStasio*, Paul Michael Thomson*, Terry Guest* (Producers) and Ayanna Bria Bakari* (Associate Producer)

*denotes a member of The Story Theatre’s Governing Ensemble

Content Advisory: This production features strobe light effects and a confetti cannon. This play explores the hyper-sexualization of women and features designed intimacy. If you would like more details before purchasing your ticket, please feel free to email production@thestorytheatre.org. The Story recognizes that individual sensitivities are myriad, and we encourage you to reach out with any questions.

 Production Details:

Title: the love object

Playwright: Emerging Playwright-in-Residence Justine Gelfman

Director: Jasmine B. Gunter

Cast (in alphabetical order): Cat Christmas (Tish), Kaylah Marie Crosby (Paula), Spencer Díaz Tootle (Randy), Emily Holland (Ramona), Mollyanne Nunn (Kylie) and William Anthony Sebastian Rose II (Simon).

Understudies: Jordan Marie Ford, Freddy Mauricio Jr., Mollyanne Nunn and Jacinda Ratcliffe.

Location: Raven Theatre Schwartz Stage, 6157 N. Clark St (at Granville), Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, October 10 at 7:30 pm and Friday, October 11 at 7:30 pm

Friends and Family Opening: Saturday, October 12 at 7:30 pm

Press Opening: Sunday, October 13 at 3 pm

Regular run: Thursday, October 10 – Sunday, November 3, 2024

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm

Tickets: Previews $15, Regular run $20, Students/active military and veterans $10

Tickets are available at thestorytheatre.org/tickets or by calling (773) 338-2177

Group tickets: Special group grates are available. For more information, call (773) 338-2177 or email paulmichael@thestorytheatre.org.  

Plan Your Visit:

 Free parking is provided in a lot adjacent to the theatre—additional street parking is available.

Nearest El station: Granville Red Line. Buses: #22 (Clark), #36 (Broadway), #151 (Sheridan), #155 (Devon), #84 (Peterson). 

About the Artists:

Justine Gelfman (Playwright) is a Brooklyn-based playwright and the Season IV Emerging Playwright-in-Residence at The Story Theatre. Her work has been developed or produced at Ars Nova, Williamstown Theatre Festival, IRT Theater, Theater Masters’ Take Ten, ESPA/Primary Stages, Dixon Place, The Story, Crashbox, Pete's Candy Store, New Women Space, New York Fringe Festival, UT Austin, Northwestern University and Kenyon College. She has been a resident at Yaddo, Colt Coeur, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Sewanee Writers' Conference, Vineyard Arts Project and Kenyon Playwrights Conference. Her writing has been published by Concord Theatricals. Her plays include the love object (The Story Theatre, 2024 Eugene O'Neill Theater Center semi-finalist), In Sisters We Trust, or My F**ked Up American Girl Doll Play (2019/20 DVRF Playwrights Program Winner, 2023 Kennedy Center NAPAT Award finalist, 2024 Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival finalist, 2020 Leah Ryan’s FEWW Prize finalist, 2020 New Harmony Project finalist, Playwrights Realm's 2020 Scratchpad Series semi-finalist, 2021 Eugene O'Neill Theater Center semi-finalist), The Galas (Ars Nova), The Technicians (2019 Seven Devils Playwrights Conference finalist, 2019 Blue Ink Playwriting Award finalist, 2019 Bay Area Playwrights Festival semi-finalist, 2019 Eugene O'Neill Theater Center semi-finalist), Doormat (2021 Theater Masters’ Take Ten MFA Festival) and The Thing That Never Happened (FringeFAVE at the New York Fringe Festival). Justine was the assistant to writer/director Annie Baker on her A24 film, Janet Planet. MFA: The University of Texas at Austin. BA: Northwestern University.

Jasmine B. Gunter (Director) is the current Resident Director/Associate Producer at Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, NY. In the spring of 2024, Jasmine finished her studies as an MFA directing candidate at Northwestern University. She was the 2021 recipient of the Hangar Directing Drama League fellowship, the 2020 recipient of the Leighton M. Ballew Directing Scholarship and a proud SDC associate member. Recent directing credits include Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really (Northwestern University), The Revolutionists (Northwestern University), jump (Northwestern University) Lost Girl (Hangar Theatre), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Hangar Theatre), Hedda Gabler (Northwestern University) Wine in the Wilderness (Northwestern University), Intimate Apparel (SUNY Brockport), Ghost Story (Kane Repertory Theatre), Lines in the Dust (Geva Theatre Center), Reroute (24 Hour Plays: Nationals). Associate/Assistant Credit: Blues for an Alabama Sky (Remy Bumppo), Nina Simone: Four Women (Arena Stage), In the Heights (Seattle Rep), Quixote Nuevo (Hartford Stage/Huntington Theatre Company) and The Luckiest People (Actors Theatre of Charlotte/NNPN). Jasmine has also taught as a teaching artist at the Berkshire Theatre Group and the Redhouse Arts Center in Syracuse, NY.

About The Story Theatre:

Founded in 2018, The Story Theatre will pose questions rather than provide answers. We develop and produce new work that is whimsical, melancholic, mythic in vision and intimate in scale. We are run by a Governing Artistic Ensemble, who ensures our work is actively dismantling racism and inequity, while cultivating community through activism and catharsis. 

Our Emerging Playwright Residency Program fosters the growth of a playwright at the beginnings of an exciting career. After an intensive application and interview process, the Governing Ensemble chooses one playwright-in-residence and offers them: a fully-produced run of a completed full-length play; the development of a new script through our unique inquiry-based workshop process; a free public staged reading of this new script; and our trusted advocacy with industry professionals every step of the way. 

The Story Theatre is funded in part by The Michael and Mona Heath Fund, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, The Saints of Chicago, The Iole Foundation, and the CrossRoads Seed Fund.

The League of Chicago Theatres Announces Marissa Lynn Ford as the Organization’s New Executive Director

The League of Chicago Theatres Announces 

Marissa Lynn Ford as the Organization’s New Executive Director

The League of Chicago Theatres Board of Directors announces the selection of Marissa Lynn Ford as the organization’s new Executive Director. Ford comes to the League of Chicago Theatres from Goodman Theatre where she was Associate Managing Director. Among her accomplishments are spearheading IDEAA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, Anti-Racism) initiatives, contract negotiations, and overseeing Chicago’s first Covid-19 Equity approved production. Ford will begin at the League in October 2022. 

Ford succeeds Deb Clapp who stepped down from her position on June 30, 2022, after leading the service organization for 14 years. Clapp will continue to consult with the League through the leadership transition. 

The national search for the Executive Director began in March 2022 with a Search Committee of League Board members representative of the vast and diverse membership. The Committee worked in partnership with Arts Consulting Group to lead a thoughtful, diligent search, including input from League staff and key community stakeholders.  

“The committee unanimously recommended Marissa Lynn Ford to the position based on her proven leadership, vision, and care for community that will serve the organization, the membership, and the field at-large. Marissa’s deep experience in Chicago theatre, her distinguished work at the Goodman for the past eight years and her passion for Chicago theatre made her the top choice from a field of excellent and well-qualified candidates,” stated search committee co-chairs Charlique C. Rolle, League secretary and Executive Director of Congo Square Theatre and John Collins, immediate past chair of the League board and Managing Director of the Goodman Theatre. “We are grateful to the members of the Search Committee: Stan Brown, Director of Graduate Studies of the MFA in Acting program at Northwestern University, Eileen LaCario, past League board chair and Vice-President at Broadway In Chicago, Kate Lipuma, past League board chair and Executive Director at Writers Theatre, Marcela Muñoz, Co-Artistic and Managing Director at Aguijón Theater, Tyrone Phillips, Artistic Director at Definition Theatre, Heidi Thompson Saunders, current League board chair and Managing Director at Court Theatre, and Ivan Vega, Co-founder and Executive Director at UrbanTheater Company.

League of Chicago Theatres Board Chair Heidi Thompson Saunders adds, “On behalf of the League’s Board of Directors, I am thrilled to welcome Marissa Lynn Ford as Executive Director. Marissa’s commitment to Chicago and Chicago theatre make her an ideal choice to step into this role. We are lucky that Deb Clapp served the League so effectively for so long, and I look forward to partnering with Marissa as she works to help Chicago theaters continue to emerge from the pandemic.”

Marisa Lynn Ford comments. “What excites me about working with the League of Chicago Theatres is the opportunity to help share the stories of many voices across the Chicago community. The opportunity to develop the strategic plan, create new relationships and call-in community members and artists is exciting work. By building off the current framework and programs with the League’s amazing team of board and staff, I am confident that we will uplift Chicago theatre in a new way.”

Marissa Lynn Ford comes to the League of Chicago Theatres after 8 years at Goodman Theatre, working for the past 4 as the company’s Associate Managing Director. In that leadership position, she was responsible for IDEAA programs, negotiating contacts, supervising and maintaining a $5 million budget for artistic expenses and special projects for the 9-production season and securing production licensing, playwright contracts, commissions, and royalties. She oversaw Chicago’s first Covid-19 Equity approved production, including the Health and Safety and supervised a staff committee, company manager and accessibility coordinator.

Prior to that, she was the Special Projects Associate at Goodman Theatre. Her accomplishments include producing Goodman’s first Sensory Friendly Performance, curating the Black Words Matter Celebration, coordinating the League of Resident Theaters 2016 Fall Conference in Las Vegas, NV, and producing the Leonard Bernstein, Latino and Lorraine Hansberry Celebrations. She served on the Goodman Strategic Pricing Team to research and develop a new subscription model. Ford managed the 2015 Chicago accessibility summit in partnership with Chicago Community Trust and developed the Touch Tour Accessibility program.

She began at Goodman as Apprentice Producer to Roche Schulfer in 2014. Prior to that she spent time at Collaboraction Theatre Company as a marketing intern, American Theater Company as a development and events apprentice, and Broadway In Chicago as an operations intern.

A Chicago native, Ford graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, IA, with a B.S in Business Administration, International Business and a B.F.A. in Theatre Acting. She has served on the League of Resident Theaters Equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee and Mentorship Committee, the Theatre Communications Group Programming Council, the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival ASPIRE program and the Woodlawn AME Church Daniel H. Guy Scholarship Committee.

The League of Chicago Theatre’s Board of Directors is: Heidi Thompson Saunders, Managing Director, Court Theatre (Chair); Doreen Sayegh, Producer/General Manager, Pemberley Productions (Vice-Chair); Kate Piatt-Eckert, Executive Director, Steep Theatre Company (Treasurer); Charlique C. Rolle, Executive Director, Congo Square Theatre (Secretary); Stan Brown, Director of Graduate Studies, Northwestern University; Karen Cardarelli, Executive Director, Facets Multi-Media; Elaine Cohen, John Collins, Managing Director, Goodman Theatre; Alice da Cunha, Co-Artistic Director, Physical Theater Festival Chicago; Cody Estle, Artistic Director, Raven Theatre; Rachel Fink, Executive Director, Lookingglass Theatre;; Kirsten Fitzgerald, Artistic Director, A Red Orchid Theatre; Lisa Naparstek Green, Iceberg Enterprises; Ashlee Harris, Executive Director of Marketing, Broadway In Chicago; Jen Hoyt, Director of Special Projects, Steppenwolf Theatre; Emily Jelsomeno; Rachel Kraft; Eileen LaCario, Vice-President, Broadway In Chicago; Kate Lipuma, Executive Director, Writers Theatre; Marcela Muñoz, Managing and Co-Artistic Director, Aguijón Theater; Susan Padveen, Associate Professor, Associate Chair, Columbia College Chicago; Tyrone Phillips, Artistic Director, Definition Theatre; Dr. Marcus Robinson, Enrich Chicago; Roche Schulfer, Executive Director, Goodman Theatre; Michael Patrick Thornton, Founder, The Gift Theatre; and Ivan Vega, Executive Director, UrbanTheater Company.

About Chicago theatre

Chicago theatre is the leader in the U.S. with more than 250 theatres throughout Chicagoland, comprising a rich and varied community ranging from storefront, non-union theatres to the most renowned resident theatres in the country, including 5 which have been honored with Regional Tony Awards, and the largest touring Broadway organization in the nation. Chicago’s theatres serve 5 million audience members annually and have a combined budget of more than $250 million. Chicago typically produces and/or presents more world premieres annually than any other city in the nation. Each year Chicago theatres send new work to resident theatres across the country, to Broadway, and around the world. 

League of Chicago Theatres’ Mission Statement

Theatre is essential to the life of a great city and to its citizens. The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theatres which leverages its collective strength to support, promote, and advocate for Chicago’s theatre industry. Through our work, we ensure that theatre continues to thrive in our city. 

 

Drury Lane 2025/26 Season to Include Chicago Premiere of The Da Vinci Code and More

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar 

Drury Lane announces the 2025/26 Season 

featuring a lineup of shows that invite audiences to escape the ordinary 

including the Chicago premiere of The Da Vinci Code, Always…Patsy Cline, Dial M For Murder, Sister Act, and the Chicago regional premiere of On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan

Drury Lane Theatre invites audiences to escape the ordinary with an enticing lineup of productions in its 2025/2026 season, including a gripping Chicago premiere, a tale of envy and murder, and a trio of beloved female-driven musicals sure to have you singing along. The new season is packed with shows audiences have been clamoring for, and Drury Lane is proud to present them as only it can, with unparalleled theatrical artistry.

Drury Lane kicks off the 2025/26 season with the action-packed Chicago premiere of The Da Vinci Code, adapted from the best-selling novel by Dan Brown; a tale of friendship and heartache based on a true story in Always…Patsy Cline; a new adaptation of the beloved thriller of jealousy and deception, Dial M For Murder, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the original by Frederick Knott; the heavenly musical comedy Sister Act, based on the hit 1992 film; and the Chicago regional premiere of the unstoppable rhythm of the Miami Sound Machine in On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan.

Drury Lane’s new season runs from April 1, 2025 – March 22, 2026, at 100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace. For more information, visit www.drurylanetheatre.com.

“For me, announcing the 2025-2026 season is a thrilling experience. Drury Lane has crafted a groundbreaking series of productions with titles you will recognize, music you can start singing now, and surprises that I hope will bring thrills and chills,” comments Drury Lane Managing Director Wendy Stark Prey.

The performance schedule for Drury Lane’s 2025/2026 Season is Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m., Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Excellence isn’t limited to the stage at Drury Lane! Before or after the show, theatergoers can indulge in delicious onsite dining at Lucille Restaurant, which features seasonal pre-fixe menus and an elevated atmosphere to complete their experience. Boasting over a century of collective expertise in hospitality, the dedicated team ensures that you will be cared for with freshly prepared meals, handcrafted cocktails, and exceptional service. At Drury Lane, everything is in one place, so you will never be late for your performance. 

Drury Lane Theatre Membership Program

Lock in your seats for a season of spectacular theatre with Drury Lane’s new Membership Program! Members have exclusive access to uniquely tailored benefits designed to enrich their Drury Lane experience, all at a cost savings of more than 50% off single ticket prices. Membership includes Tier One seating for all five Drury Lane Theatre productions, free ticket exchanges, dedicated dining credits at Lucille Restaurant, exclusive event invitations, Member pre-sales and unlimited single ticket discounts. Membership prices range from $229.25 - $260.75. For more information, visit www.drurylanetheatre.com.

Group tickets start at $45 and Student group tickets start at just $35. To book a group of 10 people or more, call Group Services at 630-570-7272 or email Groups@DruryLane.com.

The Drury Lane Theatre 2024/2025 Mainstage Season is as follows:

Chicago Premiere

The Da Vinci Code

Adapted by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel

Based on the novel by Dan Brown

April 9 – June 1, 2025

Press Opening: Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 7pm

 

Witness the action-packed novel live on stage as Professor Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu race against the clock to unlock the secrets of Da Vinci in this Chicago regional premiere.

 

Based on a True Story

Always…Patsy Cline

Created and originally directed by Ted Swindley

June 11 - August 3, 2025

Press Opening: Thursday, June 19, 2025 at 7pm

Featuring 27 of Patsy Cline’s biggest hits, this is the ultimate love letter to one of the most celebrated and influential performers of the 20th century.

 

New Adaptation

Dial M For Murder

Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher

From the original by Frederick Knott

September 3 - October 26, 2025

Press Opening: Thursday, September 11, 2025 at 7pm

An affair, a fortune on the line, and the perfect murder…But what happens when it all goes wrong? Find out in this riveting new adaptation.

 

Sister Act

Music by Alan Menken

Lyrics by Glenn Slater

Book by Cheri Steinkellner & Bill Steinkellner

Additional Book Material by Douglas Carter Beane

November 12, 2025 - January 11, 2026

Press Opening: Thursday, November 20, 2025 at 7pm

Based on the hit 1992 film, this divine, feel-good comedy will have you rejoicing with your group this holiday season.

 

Chicago Regional Premiere

On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan

Book by Alexander Dinelaris

Featuring Music Produced and Recorded by Emilio & Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine

January 28 - March 22, 2026

Press Opening: Thursday, February 5, 2026 at 7pm

Filled with the exhilarating music of the Miami Sound Machine, this celebration of Gloria Estefan’s greatest hits will have you dancing in the aisles.

 

Theatre for Young Audiences 2025 

A Christmas Carol

By Charles Dickens

November 28 – December 27, 2025

Single Tickets: $30-$40, Group Tickets: $17.50 (10 or more)

Continue your tradition or start a new one by gathering the whole family for Drury Lane Theatre's heartwarming production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Set in Victorian-era London, A Christmas Carol tells the classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts that visit him one fateful Christmas Eve hoping to change his miserly ways. Complete with falling snow and magical illusions, the play is a visually stunning experience and, at one hour long, perfect for children of all ages.

 

About Drury Lane Theatre  

Built from scratch. Built in Oakbrook. Built for you.

Founded by Anthony DeSantis over 60 years ago, Drury Lane remains a family-run organization under the leadership of President Kyle DeSantis. Drury Lane Theatre continues as a major force in the Chicagoland theatre scene, producing world-class theatre in collaboration with some of the nation’s leading actors, directors, and creative minds. Drury Lane Theatre produces the highest quality theatrical experience that immerses and supports our artists and audiences in the exploration of what it means to be human and to experience the transcending power of the performing and visual arts. Drury Lane strives to create an environment in which every individual or group is welcomed, respected, supported, valued and able to fully experience and participate in this transformative art form.

The theatre has staged more than 2,000 productions and has been nominated for over 360 Joseph Jefferson Awards. Drury Lane proudly employs thousands of professional actors, musicians, designers, and crew members to entertain upwards of nine million audience members and counting

 

About Face Theatre Announces Local and National Partnerships for 30th Anniversary Season

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

About Face Theatre Announces Local and National Partnerships for 30th Anniversary Season

Plans include a new “choose your own adventure” play ready to tour the region

About Face Theatre begins its 30th season with programming to advance LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance. The company’s upcoming programs feature local and national partnerships to expand its impact and elevate LGBTQ+ voices. A new touring show about gender, consent, and healthy relationships, a 30th Anniversary Party, and a national partnership elevating Black Trans Women playwrights kick off the year.

About Face’s 2024-2025 season will kick off with a special engagement two-weekend run of its next touring show, We Could Be in association with Rivendell Theatre. Building on the company’s 29 year history of touring new plays and education programs to schools, community organizations, conferences, and workplaces, We Could Be is currently available for bookings in 2025. Next, the company is thrilled to celebrate its 30th Anniversary Season with a party that includes the presentation of Leppen Leadership Awards and introduces a new award in honor of one of the founding company members, Brian Goodman. To wrap up the fall, About Face is partnering with Long Wharf Theatre of New Haven CT, for the 5th year of Black Trans Women at the Center, a new work development program and virtual play festival.

“We are proud to enter our 30th anniversary season with partnerships and vibrant community events that serve our mission,” states Megan Carney, About Face Theatre’s Artistic Director. “We designed the season to expand our reach and offer different and meaningful ways to connect, grow, and create change together. We’re excited to be out and about during this landmark year.”

ABOUT FACE THEATRE’S 2024-2025 SEASON

We Could Be

in association with Rivendell Theatre

Conceived by & Creative Producer by About Face Theatre Education Manager Dionne Addai Written by Kirsten Baity and Teddy Thomas

Directed by Alyssa Vera Ramos

October 16-27, 2024 | Opening: Friday, October 18

Showtimes: Mon (10/21 only), Thurs & Fri @ 8:00pm, Sat @ 4:00pm & 8:00pm, Sun @ 6:00pm at Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N Ridge Ave, Chicago

Pay-what-you-can tickets ($5 – $35) on sale September 20, 2024, through the About Face Theatre website: aboutfacetheatre.com and the Rivendell Theatre website and box office.

The short run will be followed by a tour. About Face Theatre began touring interactive theatre productions to schools in 1997 to open up dialogue about sexuality and gender with young people and their allies. We Could Be is the latest offering available for bookings by contacting About Face Theatre.

What if building your identity, seeking out knowledge, and facing conflict felt more like... a video game? Join two siblings as they navigate their curiosities and needs around crushes, gender, and feeling safe and confident in their bodies. Though they’ll meet shame – and their own anxieties – along the way, a solid support system keeps them resourced on their journey ... and that includes YOU! Incorporating true stories from Illinoisians of all ages, mindfulness practices for everyday life, and honest conversation, We Could Be is an interactive new play that asks: In a world where societal expectations lay out your path, do you dare to choose your own adventure?

30th Anniversary Party

Thursday, November 7, 2024

6:00pm Cocktails, Cocktails and Supper

7:00pm Entertainment and Presentation of Awards Venue West, 221 N Paulina St, Chicago, IL 60612

The Board, staff, and major donors of About Face are hosting a special festive event to celebrate the company’s 30th Anniversary Season. The event promises to bring together multiple generations of the company’s supporters, artists, and staff with performances, presentation of Leppen Leadership Awards, and the introduction of the Brian Goodman Shooting Stars Awards. Tickets are on sale now at aboutfacetheatre.com.

Black Trans Women at the Center: A Virtual New Play Festival Co-produced by Long Wharf Theatre, The Theater Offensive, and Breaking the Binary Theatre, in partnership with About Face Theatre, National Queer Theater, and Portland Center Stage

Curated by Long Wharf Theatre Artistic Ensemble member Lady Dane Figueroa

Black Trans Women at the Center Chicago watch party: Wednesday, November 20, 2024 5:00pm-7:00pm at Brave Space Alliance, 1515 E 52nd Pl, 3rd Floor, Chicago Admission is free and open to the public; food will be provided.

Experience the electrifying creativity and visionary talent of Black trans women playwrights as they take center stage in a captivating digital showcase of new plays. Black Trans Women at the Center is part of Long Wharf Theatre’s 60th Anniversary Season. To honor this fifth round of new work, Long Wharf Theatre Artistic Ensemble member Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi and team established partnerships with other theatres to expand the reach of the festival and introduce new audiences to the power and artistry of these plays. In Chicago, About Face Theatre Artistic Director Megan Carney and Education Manager Dionne Addai participated in planning meetings with the Long Wharf team. They also read through four years of plays from the project along with this year’s new work. After that, they collaborated with Lady Dane to select two of the plays for production through About Face.

The festival will premiere on November 18 and be available to stream for free for three days. About Face Theatre, in partnership with Brave Space Alliance, will present a watch party of select works on Wednesday, November 20. This watch party will be free and open to the public.

The season continues in 2025

More information on the rest of About Face Theatre’s 30th anniversary season, including its third Re/Generation Studio and productions will be announced this fall.

ABOUT FACE THEATRE’S 30-YEAR HISTORY

About Face Theatre was founded in 1995 to address the lack of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and queer (LGBTQ+) voices in the American theatrical canon. The company has evolved and adapted in many ways while staying true to the core principles of producing remarkable new plays, offering groundbreaking educational and leadership programs for and with queer young people, and demonstrating an unwavering commitment to advancing LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance.

In 1998, the company launched About Face Youth Theatre and other education programs to provide arts-based community building and resources for LGBTQ+ youth. The programs became nationally recognized and continue to build community and opportunities across generations. Education programs at About Face include original play development, onsite workshops and skill building, employment and leadership development, and touring shows. About Face has continued to adapt its educational programming over the years to meet the evolving needs of LGBTQ+ youth and their allies.

The company started the Leppen Leadership Awards in 2001. Named in honor of founding supporter and consultant Michael Leppen, award recipients are people and organizations that lead with creativity and purpose to advance LGBTQ+ equity. Over the years, Leppen Leadership Award recipients have included Affinity Community Services, Emmanuel Garcia, Precious Brady Davis, Jane M. Saks, Windy City Media Group, Art Johnston and Pepe Peña, Victor Salvo of the Legacy Project, and Gloria “Mama Gloria” Allen, among others.

The company works with nationally recognized and emerging artists. About Face has a strong track record of launching world premiere plays that have big impact and go on to successful productions around the country. The company’s inaugural season opened with an adaptation of the Jim Grimsley novel DREAM BOY, written by AFT founder Eric Rosen, that went on to enjoy productions in Atlanta, Chapel Hill, and San Francisco. In 2002, the company produced I AM MY OWN WIFE with Moises Kaufman and Doug Wright which became a Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning production and went on to international acclaim. Following its 2003 premiere with

About Face, Patricia Kane’s lesbian musical PULP has been produced in San Diego, Boston, Madison, Cleveland, and Los Angeles. In 2004, Tectonic Theater Project and Steppenwolf Theatre Company formed a collaborative partnership with AFT to produce an adaptation of Tennessee Williams’s ONE ARM, which advanced to an Off-Broadway run. AFT’s 2011 world premiere production of Philip Dawkins’s THE HOMOSEXUALS enjoyed great box office success in Chicago prior to full productions in Detroit, Raleigh-Durham, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Buffalo. In 2012, AFT premiered the holiday musical WE 3 LIZAS, which has since been seen in Richmond and Des Moines. In the same season, the company co-produced Paul Oakley Stovall’s IMMEDIATE FAMILY which then had a run in Houston as well as at Los Angeles’ Mark Taper Forum in 2015. AFT’s 2016 world premiere of Philip Dawkins’s LE SWITCH was subsequently produced in Minneapolis and San Francisco. In the 2021-2022 season, AFT workshopped and produced THE MAGNOLIA BALLET, written by Terry Guest which enjoyed a year-long rolling world premiere through the National New Play Network. Through the years, multiple new plays created by ensembles in the About Face Youth Theatre have been adapted and toured throughout the region accounting for 50% of the company’s reach in audiences. 

As of the completion of the 2023-24 season, AFT has achieved 94 productions

including 52 world premieres

About Face has been recognized with numerous industry awards including Jeff Awards, After Dark Awards, and recognitions from the Black Theater Alliance and the American Theatre Wing. The company has also received the Esteem Award for Artistic Expression from PrideIndex.com, Special Recognition Award from PFLAG National (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays National), the Illinois Theatre Association Award of Excellence in Professional Theatre, the Human Rights Campaign Community Equality Award, a Human First Award from Horizons Community Services, a Champions Award from Gay Games – Chicago, and Induction into City of Chicago’s LGBT Hall of Fame.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Dionne Addai (they/she): We Could Be Creative Producer

Dionne Addai is a performer, writer, director, and teaching artist local to Chicago. They’re a passionate advocate for reproductive rights, racial justice, and free comprehensive sex education. Their artistic practice centers on educating in order to encourage sociopolitical action and mutual aid. As a performer, Dionne has multiple on-camera credits and has worked with over 20 renowned theatre companies in the U.S. (Merrimack Repertory, Raven Theatre, Filament Theatre; etc). Prior to joining About Face Theatre as Education Manager, she worked with AFT as an actor, director, and writer (Kickback Festival, Power in Pride, Re/Generation Studio). Dionne is represented by Actors Talent Group

Megan Carney (she/her): AFT Artistic Director

Megan’s work thrives at the intersection of making theatre and building community. As the Artistic Director for About Face Theatre she combines her love for directing, producing, and teaching. Prior to working with About Face in this role, Megan served as the Director of the Gender and Sexuality Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago and was one of the founders of About Face Youth Theatre. She is a certified mediator with the Center for Conflict Resolution, earned an MFA in Theatre with a focus on Directing and Public Dialogue from Virginia Tech, and a BA from Kalamazoo College, where her ideas about art and activism began to take shape. Recent Chicago directing credits include The Gulf, 20/20, and Time Is On Our Side (About Face), Winter, Grizzly Mama, Danielle Pinnock’s Body/Courage, American Wee Pie, and The Walls (Rivendell). Plays based on extended oral history projects including Women At War (Rivendell); Open Systems (Goodman Theatre); and Let Them Eat Cake (Dixon Place, NYC). Megan designed and teaches a Queer Theatre class for Columbia College Chicago and has been an adjunct instructor at DePaul University. Her work has been recognized with multiple After Dark Awards, the GLSEN Pathfinder Award, an APA Presidential Citation, induction into Chicago’s LGBT Hall of Fame, and a Rockefeller Foundation MAP Grant, among others.

Alyssa Vera Ramos (she/her/ella): We Could Be Director

Alyssa is a theatre director, devising artist, cultural strategist, and blossoming intimacy director dedicated to dreaming—and living into—a liberated world. Her always-collaborative artistic work explores themes of bodily autonomy and delight, racial justice and decolonization, collective learning, and her Boricua heritage. Directing and lead developer credits include: Epic Tales From the Land of Melanin (FEMelanin at Latinx Theatre Commons’ International TYA Festival and Free Street Theater), Expectation (For Youth Inquiry), Meeting Our Desires (Night Out In the Parks – also a podcast!), and You Can’t Cover the Sky With Your Hand (Pivot Arts’ The Memory Place), in-development with her mother, novelist Marisel Vera. For many years, she served as the Artistic Director of For Youth Inquiry Performance Company at the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health (ICAH), where she also co-facilitated the youth organizing cohort and helped win major legislation for abortion access. Alyssa is a practitioner of Theatre of the Oppressed, Creative Drama, and Participatory Theatre. She co-authored The Sex Ed Playbook: Participatory Theatre for Health Education and is a contributor to the upcoming volumes Applied Theatre and Gender Justice and Into Abolitionist Theatre: A Guidebook for Liberatory Theatre-making. She is also a proud curator of Swarm Artist Residency and a dedicated student at La Escuelita Bombera de Corazón — two of her cultural homes.

About Brave Space Alliance

Brave Space Alliance is the first Black-led, trans-led LGBTQ+ Center located on the South Side of Chicago, dedicated to creating and providing affirming, culturally competent, for-us by-us resources, programming, and services for LGBTQ+ individuals on the South and West sides of the city. They strive to empower, embolden, and educate each other through mutual aid, knowledge-sharing, and the creation of community-sourced resources as we build toward the liberation of all oppressed peoples.

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

About Long Wharf Theatre

Founded in 1965, Long Wharf Theatre (Jacob G. Padrón, Artistic Director; Kit Ingui, Managing Director) is a Tony Award-winning company of international renown. It was founded on the notion that New Haven deserves an active culture that is locally created, supported by community leaders and patrons of the arts. It is recognized for a historic commitment to commissioning, developing, and producing new plays and musicals that have become a part of the modern American canon. More than 30 of its productions have transferred to Broadway or Off-Broadway runs, three of which—Wit, The Shadow Box, and The Gin Game—won Pulitzer Prizes for Drama. It was among the earliest recipients of the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre (1978) and its productions have won numerous accolades, including Tony, New York Drama Critics' Circle, and Obie Awards; a Margo Jones Award; and nominations and Connecticut Critics Circle Awards in nearly every category.

ABOUT FACE THEATRE advances LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance. Learn more at aboutfacetheatre.com

Steep Theatre Presents The World Premiere of Happy Days Are Here (Again) September 13 - October 27, 2024

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Steep Theatre Presents The World Premiere of

Happy Days Are Here (Again)

By Omer Abbas Salem Directed by Azar Kazemi 

September 13 - October 27, 2024

A World Premiere commission by Steep ensemble member Omer Abbas Salem, examines man-made "divine" power, who wields it, and if they should be trusted.

This September, Steep Theatre will present the World Premiere of ensemble member Omer Abbas Salem’s Happy Days Are Here (Again) directed by Azar Kazemi. Preview performances begin Friday, September 13th, at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater as renovations progress on Steep’s recently acquired home, and the production officially opens on Friday, September 20th. The show will run through October 27th. This world premiere is Steep’s follow-up to the sold-out run of Samuel D. Hunter’s A Case for the Existence of God, which closes on September 7, 2024.

An unanswered question rings through the halls of St. Boniface High School: "Who will help me?" This large ensemble piece explores how people in power abuse their systems and the resilience that fighting them requires. The thirteen-person cast features Steep ensemble members Patricia Donegan (Earthquakes in London, Love and Money) and Alex Gillmor (Paris, First Love is the Revolution); previous Steep collaborators Ashlyn Lozano (Light Falls, Pomona) and Maya Hlava (Zurich); and a collection of first-time Steep artists, including John Zhou Duncan, Katie Incardona, Rich Adrian Lazatin, Eric Lindahl, Oliver Maalouf, Carter Shimp, Yourtana Sulaiman, Gage Wallace, and Jocelyn Zamudio.

Commissioned and workshopped by Steep over the last year, Happy Days Are Here (Again) is Salem’s first collaboration as a playwright with the theater company. He has been produced by the Actors Theatre of Louisville, The New Colony, Jackalope Theatre, Theatre Viscera, Means of Production, Definition Theatre, and Steppenwolf Theatre. His play Mosque4Mosque was developed with Steppenwolf Theatre’s SCOUT program. This production will mark director Azar Kazemi’s debut with Steep Theatre. Kazemi recently directed Rivendell Theatre’s smash-hit, world premiere production of Tuckie White’s Motherhouse, which won Jeff Awards for both Best New Work and Best Ensemble.

Tickets are available on Steppenwolf’s website (www.steppenwolf.org) and prices range from $10 - $40 with performances Thursday - Sunday throughout the production run.

Artists

Omer Abbas Salem (Playwright; Happy Days are Here (Again); he/they) is an actor and playwright. As an actor, they've worked at Roundabout Theatre, Atlantic Theatre, St. Louis Repertory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Goodman, Steep Theatre, Jackalope Theatre, Silk Road Rising, First Floor Theatre, The New Coordinates, About Face Theatre, Griffin Theatre, and The Second City. As a playwright, their work has been produced at The Goodman, Steppenwolf Theatre, About Face Theatre, Steep Theatre, First Floor Theatre, Jackalope Theatre, The New Coordinates, The Story Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, National Queer Theatre, Definition Theatre, and The Theatre School of DePaul. They are a member of the 2021/22 Goodman Playwrights Unit and had a play developed in The Goodman’s New Stages Festival in 2022. They are the winner of the 2022 Blueprint Commission winner from First Floor and recipient of the 2021 Cunningham Commission from DePaul University. They were given an Emerging Playwright commission from Audible Theater and are also the most recent recipient of the Edgerton Commission at Steppenwolf Theater. They also won the 2022 3Arts Award in Theater. They are an ensemble member of Steep Theatre, First Floor Theater, and The New Coordinates. They graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and the University of Chicago. They are represented by Gray Talent and the Gersh Agency. Find out more at www.omerabbassalem.com

Azar Kazemi (Director, Happy Days Are Here (Again) is first-generation Persian American and a freelance director and educator based in Chicago. She directs socially-charged plays where the political and personal collide, most recently directing the Jeff Award winning world premiere of Motherhouse by Tuckie White at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. Some of Azar’s other Chicago directing credits include: the U.S. premiere of debbie tucker green’s dirty butterfly, the Midwest premiere of Samuel D. Hunter’s Jack’s Precious Moment, and Sarah Kane’s Crave. Azar received her MFA from The Theatre School at DePaul University, where she is also on faculty and received the 2020-21 Excellence in Teaching Award. Azar has worked at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Jackalope Theatre, Victory Gardens, American Theatre Company, Chicago Dramatists, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. In New York City Azar worked at The New Group where she assistant directed three Off-Broadway productions, two under the direction of her mentor Ethan Hawke. Azar is a proud member of SDC. To learn more please visit: azarkazemi.com

CAST

Patricia Donegan^ John Zhou Duncan Alex Gillmor^ Maya Hlava

Katie Incardona Rich Adrian Lazatin Eric Lindahl

Ashlyn Lozano Oliver Maalouf Carter Shimp Yourtana Sulaiman Gage Wallace* Jocelyn Zamudio

CREATIVE TEAM

Director – Azar Kazemi

Stage Manager – Olivia Sullam

Scenic Designer - Lauren Nichols

Lighting Designer - Conchita Avitia

Costume Designer - Emily McConnellˆ

Sound Designer - Thomas Dixonˆ

Props Designer - Saskia Bakker

Intimacy and Violence Consultant - Gloria Imseih Petrelli Dramaturg - Caroline Uy

Production Electrician - Baylee Speer

Assistant Director - Jordan Kost

Intimacy & Violence Consultant - Gloria Imseih Petrelli Technical Director - Emmanuel Jimenez

Photographer - Joseph Chretien-Golden

Graphic Designer - Stu Kiesow

ˆSteep Company Member

ˆˆ Steep Artistic Associate

* Appearing through an Agreement between Steep Theatre and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

About Steep Theatre

Founded in 2000 by three actors, Steep has grown into a dynamic ensemble of forty-five theatre artists, supported by a dedicated and inspired team of arts administrators and community members.  Described by Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune as "the most fearless theater in town", Steep creates powerful productions of plays by today's most exciting writers and features the work of Chicago's hottest theatre artists in an intimate, accessible space. Steep is known as a home for hard-hitting, finely-tuned ensemble work. With each production, the company has shepherded a growing community of audiences and artists into bold new territories of story and performance. Steep Theatre is committed to creating an inclusive and anti-racist environment for making and watching theatre. To learn more, please visit https://steeptheatre.com/antiracism.

Steep is in the midst of its Lights Up Edgewater Capital Campaign to support the creation of Steep’s new theater and artistic home and to fund robust and equitable compensation for artists and staff. To learn more about this campaign, please visit www.steeptheatre.com/lightsup.

Production Information

WHERE:

Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater 1700 N Halsted

Chicago, Illinois 60614 www.steppenwolf.org

WHEN:

September 20 - October 27, 2024

Previews: September 13 - September 19, 2024

Press Opening: Friday, September 20, 2024 at 8:00pm

Schedule: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8:00pm | Sunday matinees at 3:30pm

Accessible Performances:

-Audio Description: Sunday, October 6, 2024 at 3:30pm

-Open Captioning: Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 8:00pm and Sunday, October 13, 2024 at 3:30pm

Contact us at info@steeptheatre.com or 773-649-3186 for more information.

 Social: Twitter: @SteepTheatre Facebook: SteepTheatre Instagram: @steeptheatre

Steppenwolf Theatre Company Presents Noises Off September 12 – October 27, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Steppenwolf Theatre Opens 49th Season with

NOISES OFF

By Michael Frayn 

Directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro

A co-production with Geffen Playhouse

Featuring ensemble members Audrey Francis, Francis Guinan, Ora Jones and James Vincent Meredith with Vaneh Assadourian, Amanda Fink, Rick Holmes, Andrew Leeds and Max Stewart

September 12 – October 27, 2024 

in Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theater

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the nation’s premier ensemble theater company, is pleased open its 49th season with a revival of Michael Frayn’s classic comedy Noises Off, directed by Tony Award-winning ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro (August: Osage County, The Minutes), presented in a co-production with Geffen Playhouse. Steppenwolf’s take on the funniest farce ever written will play September 12 – October 27, 2024 in Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Classic Memberships are now on sale for Steppenwolf’s 2024/25 season at steppenwolf.org/myseason. Single tickets for Noises Off starting at $20 are now on sale at steppenwolf.org or the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. 

Noises Off features ensemble members Audrey Francis (The Thanksgiving Play, The Doppelgänger), Francis Guinan (Downstate, August: Osage County), Ora Jones (The Doppelgänger, The Brother/Sister Plays) and James Vincent Meredith (The Minutes, The Doppelgänger) with Vaneh Assadourian (Steppenwolf debut, Wish You Were Here), Amanda Fink (Pro-Am, POTUS u/s), Rick Holmes (Steppenwolf debut, Spamalot, Peter and the Starcatcher), Andrew Leeds (Steppenwolf debut, Bones, The Patient) and Max Stewart (Steppenwolf debut, Chicago Fire, Southern Gothic).

About the Production:

The cast and crew of Nothing On are scrambling to prepare for opening night, but despite their earnest efforts, the production is an absolute mess. Line flubs and lost props and missed cues, oh my! Can this beleaguered ensemble overcome egos and jealousies to pull the show together in time? 

Onstage antics collide with offstage foibles in Steppenwolf’s production of Noises Off, the classic comedy that writes an ingenious, slapstick and zany tribute to “theatre people” everywhere. By the end of this dizzying play-within-a-play, you won’t know stage right from left.

Steppenwolf Theatre Artistic Director Glenn Davis comments, “Is there any better way to begin our season than by welcoming the visionary Anna D. Shapiro – one of the finest directors working today – back to her home theater? It’s a gift to have Anna back in the building, directing this unruly and demanding farce; I can’t wait to see what she creates with her remarkable cast. And we’re incredibly excited to be producing this in partnership with my dear friend and Steppenwolf ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney, Artistic Director at the Geffen Playhouse. Seeing Steppenwolf’s work onstage across the country, stewarded by fellow ensemble members, is a humbling reminder of the vital contributions Steppenwolf has made to the American theatre for 49 years and counting.”

The creative team includes Todd Rosenthal (Scenic Design), Izumi Inaba (Costume Design), Josh Epstein (Lighting Design), Cricket Myers (Sound Design), Kate DeVore (Dialect and Voice Coach), R&D Choreography (Violence Design), Kristina Fluty (Intimacy Consultant), Patrick Zakem (Creative Producer), Tom Pearl (Producing Director), JC Clementz, CSA and Phyllis Schuringa, CSA (Casting), Laura D. Glenn (Production Stage Manager) and Kathleen Barrett (Assistant Stage Manager). 

Location: Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, September 12 - Saturday, September 21, 2024

Press performance/Opening: Sunday, September 22, 2024 at 6 pm

Regular run: Tuesday, September 24 – Sunday, October 27, 2024

Curtain Times: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursdays and Friday at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 3 pm & 7:30 pm; and Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be 7:30 pm performances on Tuesday, September 17, Tuesday, October 1, Thursday, October 3, Wednesday, October 9, Thursday, October 10, Wednesday, October 16 and Tuesday, October 22; there will be a 2 pm matinee performance on Wednesday, October 16.

Tickets: Classic Memberships are now on sale for Steppenwolf’s 2024/25 season at steppenwolf.org/myseason through September 30, 2024. Single tickets for Noises Off ($20 - $128) are now on sale at  steppenwolf.org and the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. Steppenwolf Flex Memberships are also currently on sale: Black Card Memberships with six tickets for use any time for any production and RED Card Memberships for theatergoers under 30.

Education and Engagement:

Throughout the 2024/25 season, Steppenwolf continues its commitment to the next generation of theatre learners, makers and appreciators with robust education and engagement programming. Programming includes dedicated student matinee performances during four of the five Membership Series productions including Noises Off, Leroy and Lucy, Fool for Love and The Book of Grace (including ASL and Spanish Language Captioned performances), in-school residencies in partnership with Chicago Public schools, workshops, panels and events specifically geared towards teens, as well as professional development trainings and resources for educators. Additionally, Steppenwolf is reimagining their community engagement and will pilot new public programming, continue accessibility programming and offer opportunities for deeper explorations for audiences throughout the season. For additional information about Steppenwolf’s Education and Engagement programming and to register your school for a field trip visit steppenwolf.org/education.

Accessible Performance Dates:

Audio-Described and Touch Tour: Sunday, October 13 at 3 pm (1:30 pm touch tour)

Open-Captioned: Saturday, October 12 at 3 pm & Thursday, October 17 at 7:30 pm

ASL-Interpreted: Friday, October 18 at 7:30 pm

Relaxed/Sensory-Friendly: Saturday, October 19 at 3 pm

Artist Biographies:

Vaneh Assadourian (Poppy Norton-Taylor) is thrilled to be making her Steppenwolf Theatre Company debut. Regional: Wish You Were Here (Yale Repertory Theatre - Connecticut Critics Circle Award Outstanding Ensemble nomination); A Distinct Society (Co-Production with Pioneer Theater Company and TheatreWorks Silicon Valley); Happiest Song Plays Last (LATC); Hostage (Skylight Theatre Company). Education: BA, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Assadourian is an award winning audiobook narrator, voice actor and dialect coach and is fluent in Farsi and Armenian, and conversational in German. Represented by Stewart Talent Chicago and Sandy Joseph , SLJ Management. @vaneh_33 (IG)

Amanda Fink (Brooke Ashton/Vicki) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: POTUS (u/s Stephanie/Dusty performed). Chicago: Pro-Am, Plano, I’m Gonna Pray For You So Hard, peerless (First Floor Theater, selected); Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Court Theatre, u/s); Tilikum, Give It All Back (Sideshow Theatre Company, u/s). Education: The ACADEMY at Black Box Acting; University of Chicago. She is a proud company member of First Floor Theater, a co-owner of Black Box Acting and is represented by Grossman & Jack Talent.

Audrey Francis (Belinda Blair/Flavia Brent) currently serves as Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre, alongside Glenn Davis, where she has been an Ensemble member since 2017. She is an actor, director, educator and coach. Audrey directed POTUS in Steppenwolf's 23/24 season. Steppenwolf performing credits include The Thanksgiving Play, The Herd, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Fundamentals, The Doppelgänger (an international farce) and Dance Nation. TV credits include Justified: City Primeval, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Empire. Film credits include Perpetrator, Knives and Skin, Later Days and Distant Learners. She has taught acting in New York, LA, Toronto, Sydney and Melbourne, as well as at The University of Chicago and The Theatre School at DePaul. Audrey is a professional acting coach for Showtime, NBC, Fox and Amazon, and is the co-founder of Black Box Acting.

Francis Guinan (Selsdon Mowbray/Burglar) has been a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble since 1979. He has appeared in more than 30 Steppenwolf productions including Downstate, The Rembrandt, The Herd, The Night Alive, Tribes, The Birthday Party, The Book Thief, Time Stands Still, Endgame, American Buffalo, Fake, The Seafarer, Balm In Gilead and August: Osage County. He has also appeared in productions for Northlight Theatre, Goodman Theatre (appearing in Chekhov’s Seagull and The Cherry Orchard), Writers Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, TimeLine Theatre Company and American Blues Theater. Television appearances include The Exorcist, Boss, Mike and Molly, Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Frasier and several Star Trek episodes. Film work includes roles in The Last Airbender, Typing, Low Tide, Ghostlight and Constantine. For Kate.

Rick Holmes (Lloyd Dallas) Broadway: Junk: The Golden Age Of Debt, The Visit, Matilda, Peter and the Starcatcher, Spamalot, The Pillowman, Cabaret, Major Barbara, The Deep Blue Sea, The Government Inspector, Timon of Athens, Saint Joan. Off-Broadway: Dan Cody’s Yacht (Manhattan Theater Club); Lives of the Saints (Primary Stages); The Threepenny Opera (Atlantic Theater Company); Stop Kiss, Dog Opera, Richard III, Othello (The Public Theater). Chicago: National Tours of Spamalot and Cabaret. Other National Tours: Angels in America. Film: The Post, The Stepford Wives, Melinda and Melinda, etc. Television: Atlanta “Juneteenth”, Modern Family, Dead To Me, Fosse/Verdon, The Punisher, Fantasy Island, The Politician, Tommy, The Resident, Law and Order. Upcoming: Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, No Good Deed. MFA in Acting from New York University.

Ora Jones (Dotty Otley/Mrs. Clackett) was most recently seen at Steppenwolf as Rose in The Children. She also appeared as the mother in Steppenwolf’s production of True West at the Galway Arts Festival in Ireland. Other Steppenwolf shows include Familiar, The Roommate and The Doppelgänger (an international farce) in the past few seasons there. Other Steppenwolf productions include The Wheel, Middletown, The Brother/Sister Plays, Three Sisters, The Unmentionables, The Violet Hour, Carter’s Way and Morning Star. Chicago roles include Catherine Adams Green in The Nacirema Society, Essie Miller in Ah, Wilderness!, Mrs. Rittenhouse in Animal Crackers, Claire in Proof, C Ana in Seeking the Genesis and Elizabeth I in The Beard of Avon for the Goodman Theatre; the Abbess in The Comedy of Errors, the Countess in All's Well that Ends Well, Katherine of Aragon in Henry VIII, Queen Charlotte in The Madness of George III, Maria in Twelfth Night, Lucienne in A Flea in Her Ear and the Nurse in Sunday in the Park with George for Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Jaclyn in Rasheeda Speaking for Rivendell Theatre; Rita Jeffries in My Kind of Town for Timeline Theatre; the Stage Manager in Our Town for Writers Theatre; and Gwen in Execution of Justice for About Face Theatre. Her Broadway roles include Madame de Volanges in Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Booth and Mrs. Phelps in Matilda the Musical, both at the Shubert and in the first national tour. Regional and other New York credits include Dr. Therese Stockmann in The Messenger for Pioneer Theater, and performances at Long Wharf Theatre, Yale Repertory, Manhattan Theatre Club, Public Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory, Next Act, and a particular favorite, the role of Mrs. Muller in Doubt for The Weston Playhouse in Weston, VT, directed by Malcolm Ewen. Television: Emperor of Ocean Park, Somebody Somewhere, 61st Street, Betrayal, Chicago Fire. Film: Stronghold, Consumed, Were the World Mine, Stranger than Fiction, The Weatherman. Awards: Chicago Magazine 2011, Best Actress; Black Theatre Alliance Award, Seeking the Genesis; After Dark Award, A Flea in Her Ear, Our Town.

Andrew Leeds (Garry Lejeune/Roger Tramplemain) Broadway:Teddy & Alice; Falsettos. Touring: Les Miserables (National Tour). Television: The Patient (FX/Hulu); The Dropout (Hulu); Barry, Veep, Silicon Valley (HBO); Ghosts (CBS); Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (NBC); Bones (Fox); Cristela, A Million Little Things, The Conners, Modern Family (ABC); Get Shorty (MGM+); The Morning Show (Apple TV+); Shameless (Showtime); It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX). Education: Stanford University, degree in Computer Science. He is a member of the Main Company at The Groundlings Theatre in Los Angeles. As a writer, he has written pilots for various networks including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, USA and Showtime.

James Vincent Meredith (Frederick Fellowes/Philip Brent) received critical acclaim as John Proctor in The Crucible, his first role as a Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble member. James has appeared at Steppenwolf in 16 productions over the years, most recently in: Describe the Night. Broadway credits include: The Book of Mormon (Eugene O’Neill-also national tour), The Minutes (Steppenwolf and also Studio 54) Skin of Our Teeth (LCT) and Superior Donuts (Music Box). Other Chicago theatre credits include work at Goodman, Lookingglass, Writers, Victory Gardens, Court and Chicago Shakespeare. Recent TV: Chicago Med (NBC), Your Honor (Showtime) FBI (CBS) and Fargo (FX).

Max Stewart (Tim Allgood) Chicago: Fairview (Definition Theatre); Southern Gothic, Sons of Hollywood (Windy City Playhouse); Walk on the Wild side (Pale Horse Playhouse); Romeo and Juliet (Kane Repertory Theatre); Letters Home (Griffin Theatre). Television: Chicago Fire, Soundtrack. Awards: NFAA Young Arts. Education: Theatre School at DePaul University (BFA Acting), British American Dramatic Academy, Groundlings. @maxflash4

Michael Frayn (Playwright) was born in London in 1933. He began his career as a reporter for the Guardian and later the Observer. After leaving the Observer he continued to write as a columnist as well as publishing novels and plays for television and stage. His plays for stage include: Copenhagen, After Life, The Two of Us, Alphabetical Order, Donkeys’ Years, Clouds, Balmoral (Liberty Hall), Make and Break, Noises Off, Benefactors, Alarms and Excursions, Look Look, Here and Make and Break. Other translations include: four full-length Chekhov plays – The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters, The Seagull and Uncle Vanya and four one-act plays – The Evils of Tobacco, Swan Song, The Bear and The Proposal. Mr. Frayn is married to the biographer and critic Claire Tomalin.

Anna D. Shapiro (Director) is a Tony Award-winning director and served as Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre Company from 2015 to 2021, where she remains an ensemble member. She joined the Steppenwolf ensemble in 2005 and was awarded the 2008 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for August: Osage County (Steppenwolf, Broadway, London). She was nominated in 2011 in the same category for The Motherf**ker with the Hat (Public Theater, Labyrinth Theater). Other Steppenwolf directing credits include the world premiere production of The Minutes (also on Broadway); Mary Page Marlowe, Visiting Edna, Three Sisters, A Parallelogram, Up, The Crucible, The Unmentionables (also at Yale Repertory Theatre), The Pain and the Itch (also in New York), I Never Sang for My Father, Man from Nebraska, Purple Heart (also in Galway, Ireland), The Drawer Boy, Side Man (also in Ireland, Australia and Vail, Colorado), Three Days of Rain, The Infidel and This Is Our Youth (which transferred to Broadway). Additional Broadway credits include Of Mice and Men (with James Franco) and Fish in the Dark (with Larry David), and Off Broadway Domesticated (Lincoln Center Theater). She directed the premiere of the Broadway musical The Devil Wears Prada with music by Sir Elton John, lyrics by Shaina Taub and book by Kate Wetherhead. Shapiro is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and Columbia. She is a professor in Northwestern University’s Department of Theatre.

Accessibilty:

As a commitment to make the Steppenwolf experience accessible to everyone, performances featuring American Sign Language Interpretation, Open Captioning and Audio Description are offered during the run of each STC production (see dates above). Assistive listening devices and large-print programs are available for every performance and all our spaces are equipped with an induction hearing loop. Our building features wheelchair accessible seating and restrooms, push-button entrances, a courtesy wheelchair and all-gender restrooms, with accessible counter and table spaces at our bars. For additional information regarding accessibility, visit steppenwolf.org/access. If you have questions or would like to make a specific request, e-mail access@steppenwolf.org or call our box office at (312) 335-1650.

Sponsor Information:

Noises Off is sponsored in part by Northern Trust. United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf is also grateful for the significant season support from lead sponsors Allstate Insurance Company, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, Caroline and Keating Crown, Good Chaos, Joyce Foundation, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Ron and Paula Mallicoat, Northern Trust, Anne and Don Phillips, John Hart and Carol Prins, Robert Rivkin and Cindy Moelis, Shubert Foundation, Inc, Walder Foundation, and Zell Family Foundation. Steppenwolf also acknowledges generous support from premier sponsors Anonymous, ArentFox Schiff, Andrew and Amy Bluhm, Michael and Cathy Brennan, Ann and Richard Carr, Chicago Community Trust, Conagra Brands Foundation, Steven and Nancy Crown, CRC Group, Rich and Margery Feitler, Julius Frankel Foundation, FROST CHICAGO, Goldman Sachs, Shmaila Tahir and Asheesh Goel, Bob and Amy Greenebaum, Kirkland & Ellis, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Christopher and Eileen Murphy, The Orlebeke Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Bryan Traubert and Penny Pritzker, Sacks Family Foundation, Smart Family Foundation of Illinois, Gary Sinise Foundation, Elliot A. Stultz, and Vinci Restaurant. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. This project is partially supported 

About the Companies:

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation’s premiere Ensemble Theater with 49 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions – from Balm in Gilead and Grapes of Wrath to August: Osage County, Downstate and The Brother/Sister Plays – have made this theatre legendary. Founded in 1976, Steppenwolf started as a group of teens performing in the basement of a church. Today, the company's artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theatre, whose vitality is defined by its appetite for bold and innovative work. Every aspect of Steppenwolf is rooted in its Ensemble ethos, from the intergenerational artistic programming to the multi-genre performance series LookOut, to the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education and Engagement which serves nearly 15,000 teens annually. While grounded in the Chicago community, more than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Steppenwolf also holds accolades that include the National Medal of Arts, 12 Tony Awards, and more. Led by Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, Executive Director Brooke Flanagan and Board of Trustees Chair, Keating Crown – Steppenwolf continually redefines the landscape of acting and performance.

Steppenwolf’s Mission: Steppenwolf strives to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. We succeed when we disrupt your routine with experiences that spark curiosity, empathy and joy. We invite you to join our ensemble as we navigate, together, our complex world.  steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

Geffen Playhouse has been a hub of the Los Angeles theater scene since opening its doors in 1995. Noted for its intimacy and celebrated for its world-renowned mix of classic and contemporary plays, provocative new works and productions, the not-for-profit organization continues to present a body of work that has garnered national recognition. Named in honor of entertainment mogul and philanthropist David Geffen, who made the initial donation to the theater, the company was founded by Gilbert Cates and is currently helmed by Executive Director/CEO Gil Cates, Jr., Artistic Director Tarell Alvin McCraney and Board Chair Adi Greenberg. Proudly associated with UCLA, the Geffen welcomes an audience of more than 130,000 each year, and maintains extensive education and community engagement programs, designed to involve underserved young people and the community at large in the arts. geffenplayhouse.org

PrideArts to open 2024-25 season with the musical [title of show] August 23 – September 22, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

[title of show] 

Cast and production team announced, Jay Españo to direct, 

Robert Ollis providing music direction

PrideArts will present the off-Broadway and Broadway hit musical [title of show] to open its fall 2024-25 season. This musical about the writing of a musical was conceived by friends Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell during the spring of 2004 after Bell received an announcement for the inaugural New York Musical Theatre Festival. With the deadline just three weeks away, Bell began drafting the script with Bowen writing the lyrics and music. Bowen and Bell, determined to write an original musical rather than adapt an existing play or movie, discovered almost immediately that their conversations about what to write were more interesting than what they were actually writing, and decided their musical would document the creation of the show itself - a musical about two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical.

The production will be directed by PrideArts’ Artistic Director Jay Españo, with music direction by Robert Ollis and choreography by Britta Schlicht. [title of show] will be performed at Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway, from August 23 through September 22, 2024. I'll be out for the press opening August 26th, so check back soon for our full review.

Casey Coppess and Jonah Cochin will appear as the show’s writers Hunter and Jeff, respectively. Coppess returns to PrideArts, where they appeared in CASA VALENTINA in 2019. More recently, Coppess has been seen in THE GOLDEN GIRLS LOST EPISODES  for Hell in a Handbag Productions. Cochin’s past credits include THE APPLE TREE, NEW FACES SING BROADWAY 1947 for Porchlight Music Theatre,  SHE LOVES ME with Blank Theatre Company, and Matt in THE FANTASTICKS for Citadel Theatre Company. Hunter and Jeff’s friends Heidi and Susan will be played by Shannon McEldowney and Lexi Alioto. McEldowney recently toured North America in DIRTY DANCING IN CONCERT and THE BRITISH INVASION. Other credits include ALMOST HEAVEN (Theatre at the Center), MAMMA MIA (Drury Lane Oakbrook), and TRU (Stage 773). Alioto has previously worked with Theater Wit, The Second City, The Black Ensemble, First Folio, Lifeline Theater, The Annoyance, and more. She has notably toured with Second City’s hit show, SHE THE PEOPLE, at both San Diego Repertory Theater and Boston’s Huntington Theatre Company. Understudies are Chad Gearig (u/s Hunter), Jared Ritter (u/s Jeff), Sarah Obert (u/s Heidi), and Caitlin Preuss (u/s Susan).

PrideArts’ [title of show] production team includes Anshika Pathak (Scenic Designer), Ashley Benson (Costume Designer), Aidan Smith (Lighting Designer), Izadorius Tortuga (Props Designer), Val Gardner (Sound Designer), James Stone (Intimacy Director), Julia Witty (Stage Manager), Kate Schnetzer (Assistant Stage Manager), and Taylor Pasche (Assistant Director).

[title of show] premiered at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2004. A commercial production ran for nearly six months in 2006 at the off-Broadway Vineyard Theatre, and in 2008 a production was mounted on Broadway, where it earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Book of a Musical. It has additionally been produced in numerous countries around the world.

Performances will be at Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago. Tickets are $35 for regular performances, and $25 for previews. Seniors and students receive a $5 discount off all performance prices. Tickets and more information at www.pridearts.org. 

Show Details:

August 23 – September 22, 2024

Previews Friday, August 23 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, August 25 at 3 pm

Press Opening Monday, August 26, 2024, at 7:30 pm

Regular run August 26 – September 22, 2024

Curtain times Thursdays–Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3 pm, plus Industry Night Wednesday, September 18 @ 7:30 pm

Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago

Tickets $35 for regular performances, $25 for previews. Seniors and students receive a $5 discount off all performance prices. Tickets and more information at www.pridearts.org. 773-857-0222

Jeff and Hunter, two gay writers struggling to make it in New York, hear about a new musical theatre festival. However, the deadline for submissions is a mere three weeks away. With nothing to lose, the pair decides to try to create something new with the help of their friends Susan and Heidi; and Larry on the eighty-eights. With the cast in place, they make a pact to write up until the festival's deadline and dream about the show changing their lives. [title of show] -- taken from the space on the festival's application form which asks for the "[title of show]" -- follows Hunter, Jeff, Heidi, and Susan on their journey through the gauntlet of creative self-expression. In the span of 90 minutes, they write and perform their show at the festival and learn lessons about themselves as people, friends and artists. In this intelligent, playful, lovable musical, the audience is treated to an inside look at the tough work of being a creative artist. Frequently hilarious, occasionally heartbreaking, and thoroughly inspiring, [title of show] is a love letter to musical theatre, celebrating individuality and creativity and the joy of collaboration.



BIOS

Jay Españo (PrideArts Artistic Director) Born in Manila, The Philippines, he joined the prestigious Tanghalang Pilipino’s Actors Company in 1998, where he trained with acclaimed Filipino director Nonon Padilla. He acted in several commercials, television series and films. Notably, he was a regular cast member of Koko KwikKwak - a spin-off of Batibot (Philippine SESAME STREET). He toured The Philippines with that show’s mascots, performing for kids throughout the country. In 2000, Jay was one of many Filipino actors who were cast in the Action Theater Singapore’s hit musical CHANG AND ENG, which toured Asia for several years. 

Since moving to the Chicago area, Jay has worked with storefront theater companies such as Silk Road Rising, Prologue, Ghostlight, Halcyon, City Lit, and PrideArts. Most recently, he directed the musical GAY CARD for PrideArts, and City Lit Theater’s world premiere musical AZTEC HUMAN SACRIFICE. He has played the role of the King in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s THE KING AND I with various theater companies in the US and in Canada.

Robert Ollis (Music Direction) most recently music directed THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA at Palm Canyon Theatre in Palm Springs. Robert served as Music Director for PrideArts’ productions of GAY CARD, GIRLFRIEND, THE THINGS I COULD NEVER TELL STEVEN, A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE, SOUTHERN COMFORT, YANK!: A WW II LOVE STORY, THE NANCE, PRISCILLA: QUEEN OF THE DESERT, THE BOY FROM OZ, SONGS FROM AN UNMADE BED, A HISTORY OF SUMMER, THE BOOK OF MERMAN, and  UNDER A RAINBOW FLAG. He served as Music Director for Underscore Theatre’s HAYMARKET: A NEW FOLK MUSICAL. Robert received a Jeff Award for musical direction of KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, in addition to his nominations for seven other shows.  Robert is the music director and co-creator of JUDY AND LIZA: THE LONDON PALLADIUM CONCERT — A TRIBUTE and accompanies other notable cabaret performers in New York City, Palm Springs, CA, and Chicago venues.

Britta Schlicht (Choreographer) is elated to return to PrideArts, where she choreographed GAY CARD in 2023. Other Chicago choreographic credentials include SPRING AWAKENING, THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD, NINE (Blank Theatre); AZTEC HUMAN SACRIFICE (City Lit); THE LITTLE MERMAID, GYPSY, PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT, NEVERMORE (Jedlicka); and BEERS (Prop Thtr).

Jeff Bowen (Music and Lyrics) wrote the music and lyrics for and starred in the Broadway musical [TITLE OF SHOW] (Obie Award). Additionally, he has written music and lyrics for NOW. HERE. THIS. (Vineyard Theatre), VILLAINS TONIGHT! (Walt Disney Company), and the theme songs for the web series THE [TITLE OF SHOW] SHOW and SQUAD '85. His songs can be heard on the original cast albums of [TITLE OF SHOW] and NOW. HERE. THIS., as well as BROADWAY BARES OPENINGS AND OVER THE MOON: THE BROADWAY LULLABY PROJECT. He is a proud member of ASCAP, AEA, the Writers Guild, the Dramatists Guild and the National Audubon Society. He serves as a faculty member of the National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center.

Hunter Bell (Book) earned an Obie Award, a Drama League nomination, and a Tony nomination for Best Book of a Musical for the Broadway musical [TITLE OF SHOW]. Other credits include books for NOW. HERE. THIS., FOUND (Drama Desk Nomination, Outstanding Book of a Musical), SILENCE! THE MUSICAL (Lucille Lortel Nomination, Outstanding Musical), BELLOBRATION! (Ringling Bros. Circus), VILLAINS TONIGHT! (Disney Cruise Lines), OTHER WORLD, and Julie Andrews' THE GREAT AMERICAN MOUSICAL. He is a co-creator of the web series "THE [TITLE OF SHOW] SHOW" and has developed television with ABC Studios. Hunter is a proud graduate and distinguished alumnus of Webster University's Conservatory of Theatre Arts, a member of the Dramatists Guild, Writers Guild, and a MacDowell Fellow. @huntbellABOUT PRIDEARTS

PrideArts tells queer stories on a variety of platforms, including both live and virtual performances. Since its founding in 2010, PrideArts has had several chapters, including operating as an itinerant theater for their first six seasons, and as the developer and primary tenant in the Pride Arts Center from 2016 to the present. 

The company produces full seasons of plays and musicals, as well as events including cabaret, and more. The company has earned 39 Jeff Awards and nominations, and six nominations in the 2019 ALTA Awards from the Alliance of Latinx Theater Artists of Chicago. Programming has reflected the diversity of queer communities by including work made by and illuminating the experiences of women, gay men, transgender people, and BIPOC.

PrideArts is supported by Illinois Arts Council, a State Agency; City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), Alphawood Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Arts Work Fund, Driehaus Foundation, The Saints.

PrideArts is a member of Buena Park Neighborhood Association, Uptown United, League of Chicago Theaters, Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce of Illinois.

For more information and to donate, visit www.pridearts.org. or call 1.773 857 0222.