OPENING: Million Dollar Quartet To Rock Paramount Theatre 9/13-10/29

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

GREAT BALLS OF FIRE! 

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET 

OPENS PARAMOUNT THEATRE’S 2017-18 SEASON, 

SEPT. 13–OCT. 29, 2017

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we're elated to hear that the Million Dollar Quartet will be rockin' the Paramount this fall! We reviewed this show in Chicago during their epic run of 2,500 performances, and loved it. This is a true multigenerational crowd pleaser full of instantly recognizable classics and larger than life personas. Don't miss this! 

Paramount Theatre is excited to tune up for its rollicking 2017-18 Broadway Series opener Million Dollar Quartet, the wildly popular rock and roll musical.
Travel back in time to Memphis’s Sun Records recording studio on December 4, 1956, when Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins played together their first and only time and created an explosive album that has yet to be matched. Million Dollar Quartet tells that story with all the raw energy and monumental talent everyone has come to expect from these music giants.

Paramount Artistic Director Jim Corti, the man responsible for the past two Jeff Award-winning Best Musicals (Large), Les Misérables and West Side Story, will stage Paramount’s rockin’ opener.

Playing the Quartet are Adam Wesley Brown as Carl Perkins, Kavan Hashemian as Elvis Presley, Gavin Rohrer as Jerry Lee Lewis and Bill Scott Sheets as Johnny Cash, with Nicholas Harazin as Sam Phillips, Zach Lentino as Brother Jay, Courtney Mack as Dyanne and Scott Simon as Fluke.

The production team is Kory Danielson, music director; Trent Stork, associate director; Ethan Deppe, associate music director; Kevin Depinet, scenic design; Sally Dolembo, costume design; Jesse Klug, lighting design; Adam Rosenthal, sound designer; Katie Cordts, wig, hair and makeup design; Amanda Relaford, properties design; Susan Gosdick, dialect coach; Maggie O’Donnell, stage manager; and Matthew McMullen, assistant stage manager. 

Don’t miss Paramount’s high-spirited, nostalgic new take on the three-time Tony Award nominated musical, featuring some of the biggest and best songs of all time like “Peace in the Valley,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “I Walk the Line,” “Hound Dog” and “Great Balls of Fire.”

Previews start September 13. Press opening is Saturday, September 16 at 8 p.m. Performances continue through October 29: Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Thursday at 7 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Single tickets are $36 to $64. Million Dollar Quartet is rated PG.

But hold on, there’s still time to include Million Dollar Quartet in Paramount’s “Buy Two Shows, Get Two Shows Free” 2017-18 Broadway subscription offer. For less than the cost of a ticket to one show downtown, patrons can see three more Broadway-quality musicals: Elf The Musical (November 22-January 7), Cabaret (February 7–March 18) and Once (April 25-June 3). Four-play packages start as low as $72. The rewards are ample – four amazing, Broadway-quality musicals, at one of the most majestic theaters in the Midwest. 

The Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora, is surrounded by affordable parking and a variety of restaurants for pre- or post-show dining. For subscriptions and single tickets, visit ParamountAurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount box office Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and two hours prior to evening performances. 


Behind the scenes: 
Paramount’s Million Dollar Quartet
There was no plan for Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins to record together on December 4, 1956. But as fate would have it, their impromptu jam session left behind a historic and mind-blowing album. The evening begins in the Sun Records recording studio in Memphis. Up and comer Jerry Lee Lewis is recording songs with rockabilly king Carl Perkins when the iconic Elvis Presley stops by with his girlfriend. The not-quite-yet-guitar-god Johnny Cash is there to pay a visit to music manager Sam Phillips. Throw them all together, and you have one of the most unexpected, unprecedented and unforgettable musical moments in history. It was the first and only time they played together and, through their musical genius, created an explosive album that has yet to be matched.   

Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux wrote the book for Million Dollar Quartet based on Mutrux’s original concept and direction. The Chicago production ran from 2008 to 2016 and became the third longest-running show in Chicago theater history. Critics called it “the most exuberant theatrical event,” “dazzling from first beat to last” and “the best live rock ‘n’ roll show I have ever seen.” 

Fast forward to the kick off of Chicago’s 2017-18 theater season, featuring Paramount’s talented lead cast for Million Dollar Quartet. Adam Wesley Brown (Jerry Lee Lewis) played Eamon in Once on Broadway, has numerous regional credits and has been seen on local stages including Lookingglass and Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Kavan Hashemian (Elvis Presley) began performing his Elvis tribute at age three. Today he performs all over the world, including in London where he won the title of "The World's #1 Rock N Roll Elvis” on BBC-TV. Gavin Rohrer (Jerry Lee Lewis) is fresh from playing the role at Lyric Theatre in Oklahoma City, where Broadwayworld.com raved “his piano skills are unrivaled, and his brash certainty provides some of the funniest moments of the night.” Bill Scott Sheets (Johnny Cash) just played the “Man in Black” at Berkshire Theatre Group in Massachusetts. Berkshire Fine Arts wrote “particularly strong was Bill Sheets, whose voice and delivery were sublime.” 

"Icons Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash were southern, rockabilly country boys before they were discovered by Sam Phillips, the young, upstart record producer and owner of Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Their purely by chance meeting for the first and only time on Dec. 4, 1956, is a seminal moment in the birth of Rock ‘N’ Roll,” said Paramount Artistic Director Jim Corti. 

“The show, exploring the connections of these four to their music and each other, is full of intriguing surprises and is not only a fascinating, short history but a full scale, no holds barred, in-your-face jam session of the kind of music that grabbed hold of our youth culture back then and hasn’t let go ever since,” Corti added. “From our Chicago and national talent pool, we’ve assembled a dynamite cast; you won’t believe your eyes and ears! There’ll be a whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on, all live, all on the Paramount stage, all made in Aurora!”

Jim Corti (director) was hired in 2011 to be the first-ever artistic director in the Paramount’s 80+ year history. He was instrumental in launching Paramount’s inaugural Broadway Series and directed and choreographed Paramount’s first self-produced Broadway Series show My Fair Lady, which played to rave reviews. Corti’s 2013 Paramount production of Fiddler on the Roof was a smash hit, and his Miss Saigon was the only musical to make the Chicago Tribune’s Top Ten Shows of 2013. Rent in 2014 was a critical and box office success, followed by consecutive productions of The Who’s Tommy and Les Misérables, which collectively garnered five Jeff Awards for Paramount in its first year of eligibility, including Best Production – Musical - Large for Les Misérables and Best Director - Musical for Corti. He also staged Paramount’s 2015-16 opener Oklahoma! and closer West Side Story, Paramount’s second-consecutive Jeff Award winning Best Musical. Last season, Corti directed memorable productions of Mamma Mia! and Sweeney Todd. Before Paramount, Corti was a seasoned Broadway veteran, appearing in the New York casts of Ragtime, A Chorus Line and Candide and national tours of Urinetown, Cabaret and Bob Fosse’s Dancin’. Career highlights over three decades include being the only director in Chicago to have two productions at the same time in the Chicago Tribune’s list of 10 Best Shows in 2009 – Drury Lane’s Cabaret and Writers Theatre’s Oh, Coward!. He remains the sole honoree to have garnered a Jeff Award as an actor (in Marriott’s Grand Hotel), a choreographer (Drury Lane’s Singin’ in the Rain) and director (Paramount’s Les Misérables, Drury Lane’s Sweet Charity and Northlight’s Blues in the Night).

Kory Danielson (music director) is coming back for his 11th consecutive musical at the Paramount, after serving as co-music director and associate conductor with Tom Vendafreddo on Jesus Christ Superstar, and assistant music director and associate conductor for Sweeney Todd-The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Mamma Mia!, West Side Story, Hairspray – The Broadway Musical, A Christmas Story - The Musical, Oklahoma!, Les Misérables and The Who's Tommy. Other Chicago credits include Assassins, The Full Monty, Loving Repeating, Heathers, Tomorrow Morning (Kokandy Productions); Passion (2014 Jeff Award for Outstanding Music Direction), Smokey Joe's Cafe (Theo Ubique); How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Porchlight Music Theatre); Hedwig, Wedding Singer (Haven Theatre); and Zanna, Don't!, Lucky Stiff, Triumph of Love (The Music Theatre Company). Danielson has also worked with Drury Lane, Broadway in Chicago, Chicago Children's Theatre, Bailiwick and Hell in a Handbag.

Paramount’s 2017-18 Broadway Series is sponsored by BMO Harris Bank and The Dunham Fund. Broadway Series Orchestra Sponsor is Rush-Copley Medical Center. Broadway Series Lighting Sponsor is ComEd. Broadway Series Costume Sponsor is Gerald Kia. Million Dollar Quartet is also sponsored by Asbury Gardens.


More about Paramount Theatre’s 2017-18 Season
In addition to Paramount’s Broadway Series, Paramount’s 2017-18 season also includes Tim Allen (August 18), 60s music favorite The Happy Together Tour (August 25), Unforgettable: Falling in Love with Nat King Cole (November 5) featuring Evan Tyrone Martin (Jesus in Paramount’s 2017 smash hit Jesus Christ Superstar), comedian and impersonator Frank Caliendo (November 10), The Second City’s Non-Denominational Christmas Show (December 1-23 in the Copley Theatre), Las Vegas’s #1 ventriloquist Terry Fator (January 20), the incredible magic of Penn & Teller (March 23), Chicago’s own Jersey boys Under the Streetlamp (March 24), country star and American Idol winner Scotty McCreery (March 25), late night comedy legend Jay Leno (April 13), Judy Garland: Come Rain or Come Shine featuring Angela Ingersoll (June 10) and the world’s #1 Bee Gees tribute band Stayin’ Alive (June 15).

For subscriptions, single tickets or more information, go to ParamountAurora.com, call
(630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in Aurora.



About the Paramount Theatre
The Paramount Theatre (ParamountAurora.com) is the center for performing arts, entertainment and arts education in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. Named "One of Chicago's Top 10 Attended Theatres" by the League of Chicago Theatres, the 1,888-seat Paramount, located in downtown Aurora at 23 E. Galena Blvd., is nationally renowned for the quality and caliber of its presentations, superb acoustics and historic beauty.

The Paramount opened on September 3, 1931. Designed by renowned theater architects C.W. and George L. Rapp, the theater captures a unique Venetian setting with a 1930s art deco influence. The first air-conditioned building outside of Chicago, the Paramount offered a variety of entertainment, including "talking pictures," vaudeville, concerts and circus performances for over 40 years. In 1976, the Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA) purchased the Paramount, closed the theater for restoration and returned the Paramount to its original grandeur. The Paramount Arts Centre reopened in 1978, offering a variety of theatrical, musical, comedy, dance and family programming. In 2006, a 12,000-square-foot, two-story Grand Gallery lobby was added, with a new, state-of-the-art box office, café and art gallery.

Today, the Paramount self-produces its own Broadway Series, presents an eclectic array of comedy, music, dance and family shows, and on most Mondays, screens a classic movie. 

The Paramount Theatre is one of three live performance venues programmed and managed by the ACCA, which also oversees the Paramount’s “sister” stage, the intimate, 173-seat Copley Theatre located directly across the street from the Paramount at 8 E. Galena Blvd., as well as RiverEdge Park, downtown Aurora’s summer outdoor concert venue. 
                                                                             
The Paramount Theatre continues to expand its artistic and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Tim Rater, President and CEO, Aurora Civic Center Authority; Jim Corti, Artistic Director, Paramount Theatre; a dedicated Board of Trustees and a devoted staff of live theatre and music professionals. For tickets and information, go to ParamountAurora.com or call (630) 896-6666.

HELP OUT: Tonight Disney's Aladdin Cast Members Hold Side Track Benefit For Broadway Cares

CAST MEMBERS FROM DISNEY’S ALADDIN NORTH AMERICAN TOUR PRESENT

CLUB AGRABAH: A CABARET EVENT

MONDAY, JULY 31, 7PM – 9PM

AT SIDETRACK

ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT BROADWAY CARES/EQUITY FIGHTS AIDS

Cast members from Disney’s Aladdin will present CLUB AGRABAH: A CABARET EVENT, a live cabaret-style concert, on Monday, July 31, 2017 from 7-9PM at Sidetrack Video Bar (3349 N. Halsted St., Chicago).

Aladdin cast members will perform a selection of their favorite songs, and the concert will be followed by Sidetrack’s signature ‘Musical Monday’ which features show-tune videos that play throughout the bar until 2AM.

There is a $20 suggested donation at the door for CLUB AGRABAH: A CABARET EVENT. To learn more about Sidetrack Video Bar, visit www.sidetrackchicago.com.

All donations and money raised go to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community since 1988, BC/EFA has raised more than $225 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States. To learn more, visit www.broadwaycares.org.

Disney’s ALADDIN is currently playing Broadway In Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre through September 10, 2017.

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO 
Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 17 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining well up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including The PrivateBank Theatre, Oriental Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and presenting Broadway shows at The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University.

For more information, visit www.broadwayinchicago.com.

Facebook @BroadwayInChicago ● Twitter @broadwaychicago ● Instagram @broadwayinchicago ● #broadwayinchicago

HELP OUT: PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE BENEFIT 8/28 AT UP COMEDY CLUB

COME FLY WITH PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE AS IT LAUNCHES ITS 23rd SEASON WITH 

CHICAGO SINGS: 

SINATRA AND THE RAT PACK, 

MONDAY, AUG. 28 AT UP COMEDY CLUB

The Annual Benefit Concert, this Year Devised and Directed by Artistic Director Michael Weber and Keely Vasquez with Music Director David Fiorello, Features Top Theatre Talents from Sinatra’s ‘Kind of Town” Performing the Hits of Ol’ Blue Eyes and the Rat Pack

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce the 12th Annual Chicago Sings concert; Chicago Sings: Sinatra and the Rat Pack, Monday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m., at Second City’s UP Comedy Club, 230 W. North Ave, devised and directed by Artistic Director Michael Weber and Keely Vasquez and music directed by David Fiorello. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the annual benefit concert that includes performances, a paddle raiser and table side food and drink service at an additional charge. 



Chicago Sings: Sinatra and the Rat Pack from Porchlight Music Theatre on Vimeo.

General admission tickets are $75 and are on sale now at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling 773.777.9884. Sales from this one-night-only performance benefit Porchlight Music Theatre’s youth education programming.

Luck is your lady at Chicago Sings, a one-night-only fund raising celebration kicking off Porchlight’s 2017 – 2018 season. For more than ten years, Chicago Sings honors artists and organizations that have made music that changed the world and this year’s Chicago Sings Sinatra and the Rat Pack pays homage to the coolest guys and gals from Broadway to Hollywood to the nightclub stages of Las Vegas, Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack. The venue also has ties to the Rat Pack, as UP Comedy Club houses Sinatra’s original Booth Number One from the historic Pump Room where a few lucky Chicago Sings guests may enjoy the performance with the first round of drinks included (see inset below.)  The iconic booth was the place to be seen and to watch the crowds at the legendary nightclub for more than five decades. Diners of Booth One included Paul Newman, Humphrey Bogart, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joan Crawford, Audrey Hepburn, Liza Minnelli, John Belushi, Mick Jagger and, many more, most notably, “The Chairman of the Board,” himself. 

Audiences will have the world on a string and fly to the moon at the jazziest swingest party in this toddlin’ town. The music of Frank, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., is reimagined for one night only in Sinatra’s “kind of town” at Chicago Sings Sinatra and the Rat Pack. 

More than a dozen leading Chicago talents perform new and traditional versions of the Rat Pack’s hits, performers currently include Stephen Allen, Lucy Godinez, Mark David Kaplan, Heidi Kettenring, Eric Lewis, Rob Lindley, Yando Lopez, Christine Mild, Hollis Resnik, Peggy Roeder and Stephen Schellhardt with others to be announced.*

WIN SEATS IN BOOTH ONE AND PARTY LIKE THE RAT PACK
Chicago Sings guests when purchasing tickets at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org may additionally order raffle tickets for $25 per ticket to win a chance for them, and up to five friends, to sit in the world famous BOOTH ONE for Chicago Sings: Sinatra and the Rat Pack with the first round of drinks picked up by Porchlight Music Theatre! Seating limited to six people, all of whom must have purchased general admission tickets to the event.

Porchlight will announce the winner on its page via Facebook LIVE Monday, Aug, 28 at 11 a.m. - Facebook.com/PorchlightMusicTheatre/.

*Songs performed and artists may change without notice.

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
Porchlight Music Theatre, now in its 23rd season, is nationally recognized for developing innovative new works, reimagining classic productions and showcasing musical theatre’s noted veterans and rising stars. Porchlight elevates the genre in Chicago by providing intimate and powerful theatrical experiences for its growing and diverse audiences. With the vision of Artistic Director Michael Weber, Porchlight builds on its role as Chicago’s only Equity not-for-profit company exclusively specializing in music theatre. Porchlight’s rich history includes the staging of more than 60 productions with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. Through Porchlight’s “Off the Porch” new works program, the musicals of the next generation are developed and given a first audience. The School at Porchlight is Chicago’s center for music theatre training in the areas of performance, writing and appreciation for adults and youth. The company’s many accolades include 17 Black Theatre Alliance nominations and three awards, as well as a total of 126 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations resulting in 39 Jeff Awards including four consecutive Best Production awards for Dreamgirls (2016), Sondheim on Sondheim (2015), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (2014) and A Class Act (2013).


Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from the Actors’ Equity Foundation, the Arts Work Fund at the Chicago Community Trust, the Bloomberg Philanthropies, Chapman | Spingola, Attorneys at Law, the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, , the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Prince Foundation, The Saints, Service Club of Chicago, and the Topfer Family Foundation. The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency and by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.

ON SALE NOW: “BECKY SHAW” AT WINDY CITY PLAYHOUSE 9/21-11/12

Casting Announced:

SCOTT WEINSTEIN DIRECTS GINA GIONFRIDDO’S 

“BECKY SHAW” 

AT WINDY CITY PLAYHOUSE, 

PLAYING SEPTEMBER 21 THROUGH NOVEMBER 12

 The Cast of “Becky Shaw” Includes Theo Allyn, Michael Doonan, Suzanne Petri, Amy Rubenstein and Joseph Sultani  

Windy City Playhouse (3014 W. Irving Park Road) announces the complete casting for Gina Gionfriddo’s “Becky Shaw,” the dark, “ferociously funny” (The New York Times) comedy. Jeff Award winner Scott Weinstein directs the final production in Windy City Playhouse’s third season, starring Theo Allyn (“The Matchmaker” at Goodman Theatre) in the title role as Becky Shaw. Together with Allyn, “Becky Shaw” features an ensemble of Chicago-based talent including Michael Doonan (“Long Day’s Journey Into Night” at Court Theatre), Suzanne Petri (“Waiting for Lefty” at American Blues Theatre), Artistic Director Amy Rubenstein (“This” at Windy City Playhouse) and Joseph Sultani (“Hamlet” at Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C.). 

Previews for “Becky Shaw” begin September 21 and the production runs through November 12. Press Night is Thursday, September 28 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets ($15-$55) can be purchased at the Windy City Playhouse Box Office online or by calling the Box Office at (773) 891-8985.



“I am thrilled to dive into my first production with Windy City Playhouse,” said director Scott Weinstein. “Gionfriddo has written a piece exploring the reality of finding love while navigating the often rocky-road of getting to know someone new, and we’ve put together a talented cast of actors who will undoubtedly rise to the challenge of bringing these nuanced characters, penned expertly by Gionfriddo, to life each night.”

“Becky Shaw” is an explosive tale following Suzanna, a woman who has set up her best friend with her husband’s co-worker, thinking she’s helping them find love; however, what she doesn’t anticipate is the chaos that ensues from bringing together a brutally honest businessman and an emotionally-fragile college dropout. “Becky Shaw” received its world premiere at the Humana Festival for New Plays in 2008 and went on to have its off-Broadway premiere at Second Stage Theatre. Hailed as a “savvy and smart—and defiantly unsentimental” (Chicago Tribune) play, “Becky Shaw” “exerts a hypnotic pull, thanks in large part to the wonderfully witty dialogue and complex characterizations” (New York Post). The creative team for “Becky Shaw” includes Jeff Kmiec (Scenic Design), Rachel Sypniewski (Costume Design), Eric Backus (Sound Design), Brandon Wardell (Lighting Design) and Jamie Karas (Properties Design).

The performance schedule for “Becky Shaw” is as follows: Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. For a detailed performance schedule visit WindyCityPlayhouse.com/Becky-Shaw.

About the Artists of “Becky Shaw”

Scott Weinstein (Director) is a Jeff Award winning director currently based in Chicago. Notable directing credits include “Rent” (Theo Ubique, Jeff Award – Best Director, Best Musical), “Titanic” (Jeff Nominated – Best Director, Best Musical), “Bat Boy” and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (Griffin Theatre), “She Kills Monsters” (Steppenwolf Theatre), “Seussical” (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), “Princess & the Pea” and the world premiere of “Cinderella…After the Ball” (Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre), “Charlotte’s Web” (Drury Lane Theatre), the world premieres of “Baristas” (New York International Fringe Festival), and “Ampersand” (Bloomington Playwrights Project), as well as the first full productions of “Murder for Two” (Adirondack Theatre Festival, Hangar Theatre, 42nd Street Moon). Weinstein is the recipient of a Berkshire Theatre Festival Directing Fellowship and a Stage Directors and Choreographers Observership. He is the Associate Director for the National Tour, Las Vegas, Chicago and Norwegian Cruise Line productions of “Million Dollar Quartet” and directed the first regional production currently running at the Lawrence Welk Theatre. He has assistant or associate directed at Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, Cleveland Playhouse and many more. Weinstein is a proud graduate of Northwestern University.

Gina Gionfriddo (Playwright) has received the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the Helen Merill Award for Emerging Playwrights, a Lucille Lortel Fellowship and a Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Fellowship. Her work includes “After Ashley” (published by U.S. Dramatists Play Service Inc.) “Safe,” “Trepidation Nation,” U.S. Drag” (published by U.S. Dramatists Play Service Inc.; published in “Women Playwrights: the Best Playhouse of 2002”) and “Guinevere.”

Theo Allyn (Becky Shaw) is an actor, writer and improviser. In Chicago, her work has been seen most recently at Second City and Goodman Theatre. Regionally, Allyn has worked with City Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Pittsburgh Irish and Classical, Pittsburgh Civic Lights Opera and Bricolage. As a teaching artist-in-residence at the University of Pittsburgh, she toured with “Lovers and Fighters” (Shakespeare in the Schools). Recent film credits include “Progression,” written and directed by Sam Turich and Gab Cody. Recent television appearances include “Chicago Fire.”

Michael Doonan (Max Garrett) is an actor whose Off-Broadway credits include “Music Hall” (59E59) and “On the Rocks” (Symphony Space). Regional credits include “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (Court Theatre), “Cyrano de Bergerac” (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), “Celebration” (A Red Orchid Theatre), “Metamorphoses” and “36 Views”(Alys Stephens Center), “Macbeth” (Fugitive Kind Theatre), the world premiere of Charles Mee’s “Café Le Monde” (ARK Theatre, LA), “Heralds” (world premiere at Theatre Tribe, LA), “The Arsonists” (Eisenring) and the U.S. premiere of “The Unveiling/Dozens of Cousins” (Trap Door Theatre, Chicago). Film and television credits include “1000 ways to Die,” “Screwed,” “Help Is On The Way,” “Brighter Palette,” “Mammon,” “Sirk,” “Catch-22,” “Same Same V.C.,” “Falling Girl,” “Yellow,” “The Takedown,” “Lab Rats” and “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” He has attended the Stanislavski School at Harvard University (A.R.T./ MXAT, 2006), and participated in Atelier at The Grotowski Institute (Poland, 2008). He holds a Master's Degree in Fine Arts from the University of California at Irvine in acting (2009). He has taught acting and movement at The University of California, Irvine and The University of Illinois, Chicago.

Suzanne Petri (Susan Slater) is a Jeff nominated actor who has performed, produced and directed on dozens of Chicago stages including Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Apple Tree Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Next, Northlight, The Poetry Foundation and the Chicago Humanities Festival. She is a proud ensemble member of American Blues Theater (ABT) since 1998.  She recently played the Stenographer in the acclaimed production of “Waiting for Lefty,” played Grandma in the Jeff-nominated “Tobacco Road” with ABT at Victory Gardens Theater, Aunt Rose in “American Blues” by Tennessee Williams. She was seen as Aunt Eller in the highly acclaimed “Oklahoma!”, in the Midwest premiere of “Kid-Simple” as well as “Zorba,” “Twelfth Night,” “Book of Mercy,” “Follies,” “The Hairy Ape,” “Two Rooms,” “A Lie of the Mind,” “The Threepenny Opera,” “The People’s Temple” and has appeared in many Bernie Sahlins productions for the Poetry Foundation including “Lysistrata” as Lysistrata, “Meet Mr. Yeats,” “The Cure at Troy,” “The Waste Land,” and “Under Milkwood.” Her film and television work includes “Wednesday’s Child,” “Lac du Flambeau,” “Just Visiting” with Jean Reano, “Milwaukee, Minnesota” with Bruce Dern and Randy Quaid, “Early Edition” and “Evil Has A Face” with Sean Young.

Amy Rubenstein (Suzanna Slater) is originally from Chicago and graduated from Brandeis University’s Department of Theater, Magna Cum Laude. Upon graduation, she worked as an actress in Chicago, Los Angeles, and regional markets, earning her Actors Equity Association membership at the Human Race Theater Company in Dayton, Ohio. She has been working in real estate for the past thirteen years specializing in development, adaptive reuse and financial and legal structuring of assets. Rubenstein was thrilled to have the opportunity to combine her business and artistic skills together to form Windy City Playhouse, which has produced nine shows prior to Becky Shaw, six of which were Jeff Recommended.

Joseph Sultani (Andrew Porter) was born and raised in Northern Virginia. He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a BFA in Performance. While in school, Sultani performed in “Titus Andronica,” “La Bete” and “Dracula.” He also performed in Richmond Shakespeare Festival at Agecroft Hall in “Henry V” and also the Richmond's main stage production of “Amadeus.” His favorite role so far was performing as "Hamlet" at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in D.C. Sultaini was selected and given a scholarship for the American Theatre Wing's Springboard NYC program and had the privilege of learning from John Rando, David Capparelliotis, Randy Lutterman, Peter Francis James, Neil Patrick Harris, Martha Plimpton and Leah Gardiner. Sultani moved to Chicago along with a group of his fellow graduates and started a theatre group called the ALLUVIUM GROUP.



About Windy City Playhouse
Windy City Playhouse, Chicago's most sophisticated not-for-profit Equity Theater, aims to expand beyond the traditional theatergoing experience by offering audience members a night of high-quality entertainment with a full-service bar, in a lounge-like atmosphere. Windy City Playhouse premiered in March of 2015, with the inaugural production End Days. Lauded by audiences and critics alike, Windy City Playhouse promises to rock Chicago's theater scene.

For more information, visit WindyCityPlayhouse.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  

OPENING: CHICAGO PREMIERE OF BARBECUE BY ROBERT O’HARA VIA STRAWDOG THEATRE AT STEPPENWOLF’S 1700 THEATRE

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

STRAWDOG THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF 

BARBECUE 

BY ROBERT O’HARA, 

AUGUST 17 – SEPTEMBER 30, DIRECTED BY DAMON KIELY

A LOOKOUT VISITING COMPANY PRESENTED AT STEPPENWOLF’S 1700 THEATRE

What better way to bring summer to a close than with an emotional bomb shell of a BBQ/family intervention?! We're elated that one of our favorite storefront companies, Strawdog Theatre Company, will be playing one of our fav new cabaret spaces, Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s 1700 Theatre. Not to mention, the author is the acclaimed and multi award winning Robert O’Hara. We adored his hilarious play, BootyCandy, that just ran for months at Windy City Playhouse. This one's sure to be hot! The intimate 1700 space fills fast so don't miss out. 

Strawdog Theatre Company and Artistic Directors Michael Dailey, Heath Hays and Anderson Lawfer are proud to announce the first production in their 2017 – 2018 season, Barbecue by Robert O’Hara, August 17 – September 30, with direction by Damon Kiely at Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted Street as a LookOut Visiting Company.  

Opening night performance is Monday Aug. 28 at 8 p.m. Previews are Thursday, Aug. 17 and Aug. 24, Friday, Aug. 18 and Aug. 25, Saturday, Aug. 19 and Aug. 26 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, August 27 at 3:30 p.m. 

Regular run performances are Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3:30 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. Preview tickets are $35, regular run tickets are $45. Strawdog subscribers enjoy 25% off all ticket prices. 

This production is also available to Steppenwolf’s Red and Black Card holders. Group, senior, student, industry, and rush discounts are also available. To purchase subscriptions to Strawdog’s 2017-18 Season, visit www.strawdog.org. 

To purchase single tickets to Barbecue, please visit HERE.

A modern American family uses a summer barbecue as a pretext to ambush sister Barbara with an intervention.  If you think “all families are crazy” is just a cliché, you’ve not spent time under the influence of the O'Mallerys.  An afternoon in the park with these raucous siblings and you'll be challenging your own assumptions about family, race, and reality. The Chicago premiere of Barbecue by Obie and Helen Hayes Award winner Robert O’Hara will have you laughing out loud and questioning how it’s true that in America, you sometimes taze the ones you love.

Since its world premiere, Barbecue has received critically acclaim. The Los Angeles Times said,  “Ferociously funny! Barbecue raucously sends up the sociological pantomime — life as an award-seeking existential burlesque,” and “Wickedly delightful!” by TheaterMania.com. Variety’s review included, “Barbecue, shrewdly turns the formula for the American domestic comedy on its head.”

The Barbecue cast includes Strawdog Ensemble Members John Henry Roberts and Kamille Dawkins with guest artists Kristin Collins, Celeste Cooper, Anita Deely, Barbara Figgins, Deanna Reed Foster, Abby Pierce, Terence Simms and Ginneh Thomas.

The Barbecue design team includes Strawdog Ensemble Members Costume Designer Aly Greaves Amidei and Sound Designer Heath Hayes with guest artists: Director Damon Kiely, Assistant Director Michael Burke, Set Designer Joanna Iwanicka, Lighting Designer Jared Gooding, Props Designer Leah Hummel and Dramaturg Taylor Barfield. 

ABOUT DAMON KIELY, DIRECTOR
Damon Kiely is chair of Performance at DePaul’s Theatre School and the author of the book How to Read a Play (Routledge) and the plays Thieves Like Us and The Revel. His production of Hank Williams: Lost Highway won the Jeff Award for Best Musical Midsized. He has directed for American Theatre Company, TimeLine, Route 66, A Red Orchid and many others. He lives in Edgewater with his wife Jennifer and their children, Bella and Finn.

ABOUT ROBERT O’HARA. PLAYWRIGHT
Robert O’Hara has received the NAACP Best Director Award, the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play, two OBIEs and the Oppenheimer Award. He directed the world premieres of Nikkole Salter and Dania Guiria’s In the Continuum, Tarell McCraney’s The Brother/Sister Plays (Part 2), Colman Domingo’s Wild with Happy as well as his own plays, BootyCandy and Insurrection: Holding History. His new plays Zombie: The American and Barbecue, world premiered at Woolly Mammoth Theater and New York Shakespeare Festival, respectively. He is currently directing a new musical, Uni/son inspired from the poetry of August Wilson at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and a new musical, Bella by Kirsten Childs at Playwrights Horizons. He will direct the world premiere of his play, Mankind, at Playwrights Horizons this fall.

ABOUT STRAWDOG THEATRE COMPANY
Since its founding in 1988, Strawdog Theatre Company has offered Chicagoland the premiere storefront theatre experience and garnered numerous Non-Equity Jeff Awards with its commitment to ensemble acting and an immersive design approach. The celebrated Company develops new work, re-imagines the classics, melds music with theatre, asks provocative questions and delivers their audience the unexpected.

Strawdog Theatre Company is supported in part by The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Alphawood Foundation, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and the annual support of businesses and individuals.

ON SALE NOW: The Second City & Gilda’s Club Chicago Present: "I Can’t Believe They Wendt There: The Roast of George Wendt"

GEORGE WENDT, JASON SUDEIKIS, BOB ODENKIRK, BETTY THOMAS, 

DAVID KOECHNER AND MORE TEAM UP FOR GILDA’S CLUB CHICAGO

AND THE SECOND CITY ALUMNI FUND

The Second City & Gilda’s Club Chicago Present:

"I Can’t Believe They Wendt There: 

The Roast of George Wendt"

With Roastmaster Jason Sudeikis

The Second City is excited to announce “I Can’t Believe They Wendt There: The Roast of George Wendt” a night guaranteed to destroy one of the world’s most beloved comedy legends, George Wendt--all in the name of charity.

Roastmaster Jason Sudeikis, along with Roasters Bob Odenkirk, Betty Thomas, David Koechner, and a growing list of the biggest and brightest names in comedy will gather for this once-in-a-lifetime evening of comedy and camaraderie to benefit Gilda’s Club Chicago and The Second City Alumni Fund, hosted at Chicago’s iconic Mainstage at The Second City.

The one-night-only performance will take place on Saturday, September 9th, 2017 in the Second City Mainstage Theater (1616 N. Wells, Chicago, IL 60614) The show will begin at 7:00pm.

“The Second City has been a phenomenal friend of Gilda’s Club Chicago since we opened in 1998, and we are grateful for the opportunity to partner with them on this exciting event,” stated LauraJane Hyde, CEO of Gilda’s Club Chicago. “Support like this helps us continue to ensure that anyone impacted by cancer is empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action and sustained by community.”

“We’re looking forward to an incredibly special evening that brings back the long-lost art of the Dean Martin-era celebrity roast. It’s been a few years since George has returned to his old stomping grounds here at Second City, and he’s saint of a guy for letting us put him in the hot seat for two incredible causes. We are thrilled to be able to partner with Gilda’s Club Chicago again for this tremendous opportunity to impact the lives of those who are battling cancer, their support circles, and also the members of our own Second City family who are up against the most challenging of circumstances.” Andrew Alexander, CEO/Executive Producer of The Second City.

Tax-deductible tickets for the “I Can’t Believe They Wendt There: The Roast of George Wendt” are on sale now and are organized into three ticketing tiers.

Top-Shelf VIP Tickets ($3,000 each) include a pre-show VIP reception inside Second City’s historic complex at 1959 Kitchen & Bar. Includes a photo opportunity with George & Jason. Appetizers and top shelf open bar service provided.

The 1959 Package ($1,959 each) features a backstage experience led by Second City’s Behind the Bentwood tour guides including special surprise guests. Open bar & dinner in Mainstage Theater provided by the best of Chicago's classic cuisine is also included.

General Admission is also available ($1,000 each) and includes open bar & dinner in Mainstage Theater provided by the best of Chicago's classic cuisine.

Tickets are tax-deductible and can be purchased online at www.secondcity.com or by phone at 312-664-4032.




About Gilda’s Club
Gilda’s Club Chicago supports anyone living with cancer – men, women, teens and children – along with their families and friends, as well as those who have lost someone to cancer. Their innovative program, including more than 300 free activities each month, is an essential complement to medical care and offers support groups, educational lectures, healthy lifestyle workshops, resource referrals, and social opportunities. Their mission is to ensure that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action and sustained by community. Visit www.gildasclubchicago.org or call (312) 464-9900 to learn how to join, volunteer or donate.

About The Second City Alumni Fund
Originally established by Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara and Andrew Alexander, The Second City Alumni Fund is a resource for performers, technicians, support staff, and other members of the creative and production teams associated with The Second City theaters and SCTV. The Fund has raised over $500,000 and counting to provide financial assistance to alums with critical health and financial challenges.

REVIEW: Marriott's The Bridges of Madison County Enthralls and Delights Through August 13th

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

 Marriott Theatre

PRESENTS

THE BREATHTAKING TONY AWARD-WINNING BROADWAY MUSICAL 

Terry James, Executive Producer

Andy Hite, Lead Artistic Director

Aaron Thielen, Artistic Director

REVIEW: 

Marriott Theatre has done it again, with world class casting, ingenious set design, and stellar storytelling. We were particularly impressed by the complex set which rises into the sizable skeleton of a covered bridge, and compacts into a rural home, complete with a full bed that rises from the floor. As always, they've risen to the challenges of designing for and blocking in their unique theatre in the round space. Creative use of screen projections behind the audience open the space out and add a sense of place.

All Production Images Courtesy of Marriott Theatre 

Jeff Award Winner Kathy Voytko steals the show as “Francesca”, bringing the audience along for the ride with her soaring vocals. The chemistry is palpable and intoxicating, with Jeff Award Winner Nathaniel Stampley as “Robert”. Wydetta Carter is another absolute stand out as nosey neighbor, “Marge”. We love her powerful solo that cleverly doubles as a radio backdrop for illicit romance.

The tale of The Bridges of Madison County is passionate and heartbreaking, as love of family and longing for romance, travel and excitement clash. This is a classic tale of what ifs and roads not chosen. We were also left musing about what a different outcome would have likely resulted if the busybody neighbors had been more self righteous and vindictive, or if Francesca spilled her secrets.

 

This is a delightfully entertaining and thought provoking musical with unexpected depth. This exciting exploration of human nature pits the irresistible tug of intense attractions versus the bond of parenthood. Obsession, destiny, decisions, morality, secrets, and lies make for a memorable storyline and a must see production this summer. Highly recommended.

 “GORGEOUS, POWERFUL & RAPTUROUS! ‘BRIDGES’ is one of the few recent Broadway musicals to take up the challenges laid down by the great works of Rodgers and Hammerstein – to tell important stories and somehow make them sing.”

–New York Magazine

From the picturesque covered bridges of 1965 Winterset, Iowa, comes the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, continuing Marriott Theatre’s spectacular 2017 Season, running June 21 through August 13, 2017 with a press opening on Wednesday, June 28 at 8 p.m. at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. Featuring one of Broadway’s most accomplished creative teams with music and lyrics by three-time Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown and book by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Marsha Norman, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY first captured the nation’s heart as a best-selling novel by Robert James Waller and remains one of the most romantic stories ever written. Seven-time Jeff Award Winner Nick Bowling (Man of La Mancha, The King and I) returns to The Marriott Theatre to direct, with musical direction by Jeff Award Winner Ryan T. Nelson.

“When I first came across this piece, I was immediately drawn to the spectacular score. It’s the kind of music you fall in love with the first time you hear it, which can’t be said for all musicals,” says Director Nick Bowling. “I feel a strong personal connection to the story having grown up in a small town in Iowa similar to Winterset. Seeing my mother face the same challenges Francesca is going through in terms of navigating a world that is foreign to her, my focus is to keep the story as true to Iowa as can be. Every detail from the set design to the costumes will be inspired by Madison County’s beauty to capture the true essence of the story’s setting.”

A true sweeping romance, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY is the heartbreaking and touching story of two people caught between duty and desire. A beautiful Italian war-bride who longs for the dreams of travel and excitement she once had as a girl, Francesca Johnson is a dedicated Iowa housewife living a simple, yet dispassionate life. When her family goes on a trip to the 1965 State Fair and leaves her behind to take care of the house, Francesca’s world is shattered as a ruggedly handsome National Geographic photographer, Robert Kincaid, pulls into her driveway seeking directions. A quick ride to photograph one of the famed covered bridges of Madison County sparks a soul-stirring, passionate affair for the couple, whose lives are forever altered by this chance encounter. Audiences will be swept away by Jason Robert Brown’s soulful score, drawing upon the rich textures of Americana and folk.  

THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY stars Jeff Award Winner Kathy Voytko as “Francesca” (The Marriott Theatre: Les Misérables; Chicago Shakespeare Theatre: Passion; Broadway: Oklahoma!, Nine, The Frogs, The Pirate Queen and Next to Normal); Jeff Award Winner Nathaniel Stampley as “Robert” (The Marriott Theatre: Man of La Mancha; Broadway/National Tour: The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess; Broadway: The Color Purple and The Lion King; London: The Lion King; Apple Tree Theatre: Big River; Milwaukee Rep: Dreamgirls and Man of La Mancha); Bart Shatto as “Bud” (Broadway: Les Misérables, The Civil War, Dracula, Hands on a Hardbody; National Tours: Cats, The Civil War, Les Misérables); Wydetta Carter as “Marge” (The Marriott Theatre: Little Shop of Horrors); Terry Hamilton as “Charlie” (The Marriott Theatre: She Loves Me, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, October Sky); Tanner Hake as “Michael”; Brooke MacDougal as “Carolyn”; and Emily Berman as “Marian” (World Premiere: Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley at Northlight Theatre; Chicago Shakespeare Theatre: Sense and Sensibility). Also starring in THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY are Shea Coffman, Nick Cosgrove, Phoebe González, Allyson Graves, Johanna McKenzie Miller, Danni Smith and Brandon Springman.

The production will feature set design by Jeff Kmiec, costume design by Sally Dolembo, lighting design by Jesse Klug, sound design by Bob Gilmartin, projections design by Anthony Churchill, properties design by Sally Weiss, and musical supervision and orchestra conducted by Patti Garwood.

The performance schedule for THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY is Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., with select Thursday 1:00 p.m. shows. Ticket prices range from $50 to $60, including tax and handling fees. 

Call for student, senior and military discounts. On Wednesday and Thursday evenings there are a limited number of FREE dinners available with the purchase of a full-priced theatre ticket, which can only be purchased through the Marriott Theatre Box Office. To make a restaurant reservation, please call 847.634.0100. Free parking is available at all performances. 

To reserve tickets, please call The Marriott Theatre Box Office at 847.634.0200 or go to www.ticketmaster.com. Visit www.MarriottTheatre.com for more information.

SAVE THE DATES: THE GIFT THEATRE ANNOUNCES 2018 SEASON

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

THE GIFT THEATRE ANNOUNCES 

HAMLET, 

PREMIERES BY STACY AMMA OSEI-KUFFOUR

AND TONY AWARD-WINNING PLAYWRIGHT DAVID RABE FOR 2018 SEASON

PLUS ADDITION OF FIVE NEW ENSEMBLE MEMBERS

Artistic director and co-founder Michael Patrick Thornton proudly announces The Gift Theatre's 2018 season will include: Stacy Amma Osei-Kuffour’s world premiere of Hang Man, directed by ensemble member Erica Weiss (February 9–April 8); Shakespeare’s Hamlet, directed by Monty Cole (June 1–July 29); and the Midwest premiere of Tony Award-winning playwright and ensemble member David Rabe’s Cosmologies, directed by Thornton (October 12–December 9).

The Gift Theatre also announces the addition of five artists to their ensemble: Evan Michael Lee, Chika Ike, Martel Manning, Gregory Fenner, and Hannah Toriumi. The ensemble is composed of actors, directors, writers and improvisers. For 16 years, The Gift Theatre has earned and deepened its reputation as an ensemble dedicated to acting of the highest caliber and a welcome home for new plays.

“Who are we? From the individual level to the national, we are in the midst of a vital articulation of Identity,” Thornton said. “We believe theatre can help orient and navigate people through a life which often contains multitudes of pain and struggle. And yet, the resolve to continue to struggle can define us; giving us, even, perhaps, in the act, a kind of grace. The 2018 Season lives under the aesthetical canopy of Absurdism, wherein characters who struggle to find meaning in life nevertheless continue to pursue meaning. Today, we are also deeply honored and excited to announce an enrichment of our ensemble. Evan, Chika, Martel, Gregory, and Hannah are artists of virtuosic talents with whom we have collaborated over the years in joy and awe. In short, we love them. They have each played a defining role in The Gift’s history and now, as ensemble members, our future.”

The now 37-member ensemble also includes: Danny Ahlfeld, Maggie Andersen, Cyd Blakewell, Brittany Burch, Hillary Clemens Harbor, John Kelly Connolly, Paul D’Addario, Jenny Connell Davis, Brendan Donaldson, Will Eno, James D. Farruggio, Ed Flynn, Gabriel Franken, John Gawlik, Andrew Hinderaker, Marti Lyons, Alexandra Main, Laura Marks, Kenny Mihlfried, Benjamin Montague, Darci Nalepa, Keith Neagle, William Nedved, Lynda Newton, Sheldon Patinkin (in loving memory), Maureen Payne-Hahner, David Rabe, Mary Ann Thebus, Michael Patrick Thornton, Erica Weiss, Jay Worthington and Kyle Zornes.

As usual, The Gift's year begins in January with TEN (January 5-14), the theater's annual celebration of world premiere ten-minute pieces by The Gift and guests, sponsored by Revolution Brewing.

THE GIFT THEATRE’S 2018 SEASON:

February 9–April 8, 2018
HANG MAN (world premiere)
by Stacy Amma Osei-Kuffour, directed by ensemble member Erica Weiss
The community of a backwoods Southern town grapples with the murder of a Black man who is found hanging in a tree. As events unfold, the hanging mystifies the people of the community, forcing them to confront their complicity in this man’s horrific demise. Osei-Kuffour’s darkly comical, heartbreaking play, which recently made the prestigious 2017 Kilroy’s List, uses absurdity to explore racism, sexuality, and the parts of American history we would all like to forget.

June 1–July 29, 2018
HAMLET, by William Shakespeare, directed by Monty Cole
After the death of his dad, a young black man named Hamlet returns home to grieve and seek revenge. Fighting against the injustice of his father's murder and the powers that want him out of the picture, Hamlet quickly loses power and sanity. Directed by guest artist Monty Cole, The Gift's retelling of Shakespeare's great tragedy will crack open the mind of one of western drama's most fascinating and entertaining characters.

October 12–December 9, 2018
COSMOLOGIES (Midwest premiere)
by ensemble member David Rabe, directed by artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton
Put the whimsical humor of the Keystone Cops and Bugs Bunny into a particle collider with the philosophy of Soren Kierkegaard  and George Berkeley and you’re getting close to the style of this existential absurdist comedy from David Rabe. When a young man’s negotiation for a date goes very wrong, we are transported through kaleidoscopic worlds of possibilities, identities, and loves. 

The Gift Theatre’s Annual Gala will take place on December 1, 2017 at The Copernicus Center; 4802, the new play development engine of The Gift, will present works in progress August 24, 25, and 26 of 2018.  

About The Gift Theatre
The Gift’s 16th season consists of three world premieres and kicked off in February with Mona Mansour’s war-torn drama Unseen, directed by ensemble member Maureen Payne-Hahner, followed by Claire Kiechel’s Pilgrims, co-directed by ensemble member Michael Patrick Thornton and guest artist Jessica Thebus (June 2-July 30). The season closes with Janine Nabers’ time-hopping love story A Swell in the Ground, directed by guest artist Chika Ike (October 13-December 10). 

Season subscriptions are available for as little as $75. The Gift subscribers ("Gifters") receive admission to three shows, free parking at Gale Street Inn, free admission to all Wednesday night “Natural Gas” improv shows and invitations to special subscriber-only special events. Subscribe at http://thegifttheatre.org/ or call 773-283-7071.

OPENING: HAIR: THE AMERICAN TRIBAL LOVE-ROCK MUSICAL at Mercury Theater Chicago 7/27-9/17

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Mercury Theater Chicago Casting Announcement 

HAIR: THE AMERICAN 

TRIBAL LOVE-ROCK MUSICAL

July 27 – September 17, 2017

**Note: The production contains scenes that briefly depict 

profanity, nudity and simulated drug use.** 

Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N. Southport Avenue – is pleased to announce the cast of HAIR: THE AMERICAN TRIBAL LOVE-ROCK MUSICAL, playing from July 27 through September 17. Press opening is Thursday, August 3rd at 8:00pm. 

A celebration of 50 years since the 1967 “Summer of Love”, HAIR will inspire audiences to “let the sun shine in” and stand up for what they believe in. This rousing rock musical will be led by Jeff Award Winners Brenda Didier (Director) and Eugene Dizon (Musical Director) with choreography by Christopher Carter.  A talented cast of Chicago artists featuring Matt Keffer and Liam Quealy will take the stage in this celebration of love, life, and freedom. 



In the year 1967, a group of young hippies in Greenwich Village explore sex, love, and rock ‘n’ roll while fighting for civil rights and the end of the Vietnam War. A passionate cry for hope and change, HAIR defined one generation and continues to inspire today. To an infectiously energetic rock beat, the show wows audiences with songs like "Aquarius," "Good Morning Starshine," "Hair," "I Got Life," and "Let The Sun Shine In." Exploring ideas of identity, community, global responsibility and peace, HAIR remains relevant as ever as it examines what it means to be a young person in a changing world.

HAIR brought the passion and revolution of the late 1960s to audiences around the world. After an off-Broadway debut in October 1967, the show opened on Broadway in April 1968 and ran for 1,750 performances. Since then, numerous productions have been staged around the world. Some of the songs from its score became Top 10 hits, and a feature film adaptation was released in 1979. A Broadway revival opened in 2009, earning rave reviews and winning the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for 2009 Best Revival of a Musical. In 2008, Time magazine wrote, "Today HAIR seems, if anything, more daring than ever."

HAIR was written by James Rado and Gerome Ragni, with music by Galt MacDermot. The scenic design is by Jeffry Kmiec with costume design by Robert Kuhn, lighting design by Nick Belley, sound design by Carl Wahlstrom and properties design by Mealah Heidenreich. The production stage manager is Kristi J. Martens with assistance by Hannah Wichmann.

HAIR will feature video projections designed by Peter Guither, Artistic Director of The Living Canvas, which will tell compelling stories with performers’ bodies clothed with the textures of projected images. The Living Canvas celebrates the beauty and expressive power of the human form through performance art and photography, nurturing a sense of body acceptance for performer and audience. It is spectacle and storytelling, utilizing creative lighting, sound, and multi-media imagery that interact with the human canvas. 

After an extensive casting process, Mercury Theater Chicago is pleased to introduce a talented cast of Chicago artists featuring 
Matt Keffer as “Berger” 



and Liam Quealy as “Claude.” 



The tribe will also include Caleb Baze, Chuckie Benson, Aaron Davidson, Candace C. Edwards, Lucy Godinez, Michelle Lauto, Miciah Long, Andrew Lund, Mallory Maedke, Evan Tyrone Martin, Cherise Thomas, Leryn Turlington, Marco Tzunux and Craig Underwood.


Michelle Lauto

The beautifully renovated Mercury Theater Chicago is an intimate jewel box of a theater in the heart of the Southport Corridor, a sophisticated neighborhood of restaurants and boutiques just steps from Wrigley Field. A delightful theater destination, Mercury Theater Chicago takes care of its guests from the moment they arrive with valet service and dining at its adjoining restaurant, Grassroots. 

The performance schedule for HAIR is Wednesdays at 8pm, Thursdays at 8pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm and Sundays at 3pm. 

HAIR runs approximately 2 hours, 10 minutes. We recommend this production for theatergoers over the age of 12. The production contains scenes that briefly depict profanity, nudity and simulated drug use. 

Individual tickets range from $30-$65, and are available online at www.MercuryTheaterChicago.com, over the phone at 773.325.1700, or in person at 3745 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago. 

OPENING: WORLD PREMIERE MUSICAL LAST DANCER STANDING (MORE THAN HIP HOP) at BLACK ENSEMBLE THEATER

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

BLACK ENSEMBLE THEATER CONTINUES 2017 SEASON WITH THE WORLD PREMIERE MUSICAL

LAST DANCER STANDING 

(MORE THAN HIP HOP)

WRITTEN, DIRECTED AND CHOREOGRAPHED BY 

RUEBEN D. ECHOLES 

July 22 – September 3, 2017

Black Ensemble Theater Founder and CEO Jackie Taylor continue the 2017 Season (The Dance Theater Season) with the world premiere musical Last Dancer Standing (More Than Hip Hop), written, directed, and choreographed by Black Ensemble Theater Associate Director Rueben Echoles. Last Dancer Standing (More than Hip Hop) will be performed at the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark Street in Chicago, July 22 – September 3, 2017. The official press opening is Sunday, July 30, 2017 at 3:00pm.

From Black Ensemble Theater’s Associate Director Rueben Echoles comes a world premiere musical that speaks to audiences of all ages.  Last Dancer Standing (More Than Hip Hop) gives us a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes world of the newest (fictional) reality dance competition. Ten of the finest dancers from all across the country—and all different walks of life—battle it out for a chance to win $10,000 and an opportunity to tour with R&B singing sensation Justin Paul. Like most reality shows “Last Dancer Standing” has its full share of humor, tension, drama and conflict. It’s reality TV live on the stage.  At the core of the show are ten dancer/actors challenged with all types of routines from hip hop to ballet and everything in between. Who will survive and win? That’s up to our live studio audience. Last Dancer Standing (More Than Hip Hop) is a journey where we learn that no matter what our circumstances are in life, we have much more in common than we think we do.

The cast of Last Dancer Standing (More Than Hip Hop) includes Shari Addison, Deverin Deonte, Lemond Hayes, Renelle Nicole, Linnea Norwood, Alexis J. Roston, Joan Ruffin, Jessica Seals, Andre Teamer, Taylah Thomas, and Kylah Williams. Additional cast to be announced at a later date.

Tickets are available at the Black Ensemble Box Office located at 4450 N. Clark St in Chicago, or online at www.blackensemble.org, or by phone at (773) 769-4451. Tickets are $45 for previews (May 6, 7, 12 and 13, 2017); $55 (Thursdays and Saturday matinees) and $65 (Fridays, Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees).  There is a 10% discount for students, seniors and groups.

Dates:July 22 - September 3, 2017
Previews: July 22, 23, 28 and 29
Press Performance: Sunday, July 30, 2017 at 3:00 p.m.

Schedule: Thursday: 7:30 p.m.
Friday: 8:00 p.m.
Saturday: 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Sunday: 3:00 p.m.

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

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

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

On November 18, 2011, The Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center opened and is able to accommodate larger-scale productions, bigger audiences and a wider range of educational programming. The new facility includes amenities such as a 299-seat main stage theater (double the capacity of the original venue); 14 offices, classroom space, rehearsal hall, dance studio, scene shop, costume shop, and wardrobe rooms; seven dressing rooms; rehearsal room for musicians; front lobby space with concession areas; and an indoor parking garage.  The completion of a 150-seat theater, which will serve as an experimental stage for the work of the Black Playwright Initiative (BPI), with construction by General Contractor Norcon Inc., is expected in 2017.

The mission of the Black Ensemble Theater Company is to eradicate racism and its devastating effects upon society through the theater arts.  For more information on the Black Ensemble Theater Company, please visit www.BlackEnsembleTheater.org or call 773-769-4451.