SAVE THE DATES: Underscore Theatre Company's 2017-18 Season To Include a World Premiere, an Acclaimed Return and a 4th Festival

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

CARRIE 2: THE RAGE, HAYMARKET: THE ANARCHIST’S SONGBOOK, and THE 4th annual

CHICAGO MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL

(left to right) Victoria Olivier, Khaki Pixley, Royen Kent (center) Summer Hofford, David Kaplinsky, Tyler Merle Thompson and Mike Mazzocca in Underscore Theatre Company’s 2016 world premiere of HAYMARKET: THE ANARCHIST’S SONGBOOK. Photo by Evan Hanover.

(from Underscore’s original production of HAYMARKET)

Mark your calendars now. Underscore Theatre Company is at again, exploring stories of power and resonance through a musical lens. Here at ChiIL Live Shows we're eager to catch their campy CARRIE 2: THE RAGE world premiere, their remount of acclaimed HAYMARKET: THE ANARCHIST’S SONGBOOK, and their 4th CHICAGO MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL. Check out the details below. Since its creation, Underscore has produced 46 new musicals in Chicago! 

Underscore Theatre Company is pleased to announce its full 2017-18 Season, kicking off this fall with CARRIE 2: THE RAGE (An Unauthorized Musical Parody), an irreverent, rock-infused send-up of Stephen King’s iconic horror film Carrie and its subsequent spin-off The Rage: Carrie 2, featuring a book, music and lyrics by Preston M. Allen. Co-directed by Isaac Loomer and Rachel Elise Johnson, with music direction by T.J. Anderson, CARRIE 2: THE RAGE will play October 13 – November 19, 2017 at The Arkham, 4609 N Clark St. in Chicago. Tickets on sale now at underscoretheatre.org.

This winter, Underscore is pleased to present its 4th annual CHICAGO MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL, created to showcase and support the growing field of musical theatre creators from Chicago and beyond. After receiving more than 50 submissions, Underscore has chosen eight new musicals for this year’s Festival to be presented in full productions (full line-up below), plus several additional workshop productions. For 2018, the Festival moves to the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago.


(front, center) LaKecia Harris with (left to right) Tyler Merle Thompson, David Kaplinsky, Victoria Olivier, Khaki Pixley and Summer Hofford in Underscore Theatre Company’s 2016 world premiere of HAYMARKET: THE ANARCHIST’S SONGBOOK. Photo by Evan Hanover.

Underscore’s 2017-18 Season will conclude next spring with a revival of its Jeff Award-nominated Best New Musical HAYMARKET: THE ANARCHIST’S SONGBOOK, the true story of Chicago’s infamous Haymarket massacre. With a book and lyrics by Alex Higgin-Houser and music by David Kornfeld, the actors accompany themselves to the stirring folk-infused score. Following a series of workshops in New York and Chicago, HAYMARKET will return with an updated book, new music and songs. Venue to be announced.


(front, center) LaKecia Harris with (left to right) Khaki Pixley, Mike Mazzocca, Victoria Olivier, David Kaplinsky, Summer Hofford and James Smart in Underscore Theatre Company’s 2016 world premiere of HAYMARKET: THE ANARCHIST’S SONGBOOK. Photo by Evan Hanover.

"As Chicago's only company dedicated exclusively to developing new musicals and to growing the Chicago new musicals community, we're thrilled to enter a phase where we're able to announce a full season, especially a season that covers such a wide range of what new musicals can be," remarked Underscore Artistic Director Alex Higgin-Houser. "With a musical parody in Carrie 2, a new genre for us, the revival of our biggest hit to-date in Haymarket, and eight exciting new works with this year's Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, we're doing our level best to broaden the playing field for new musicals in the city. It's incredibly exciting."

Underscore Theatre Company’s 2017-18 Season Includes:

October 13 – November 19, 2017 
CARRIE 2: THE RAGE (An Unauthorized Musical Parody)
Book, Musics and Lyrics by Preston M. Allen
Co-Directed by Isaac Loomer and Rachel Elise Johnson
Music Direction by T.J. Anderson
at The Arkham, 4609 N Clark St., Chicago



More than a decade after Carrie White burned her high school to the ground with her mind, goth teenager Rachel Lang has her own issues to deal with, and Sue Snell, Carrie’s former classmate and Rachel’s guidance counselor, must grapple with surprising similarities between the two outcasts before history repeats itself. Framed as a backer’s auction for a ridiculously ambitious Broadway production, this irreverent meta-musical pokes fun at the entire “Carrie” canon through a punchy, rock-infused score.




February 2018
The 4th annual CHICAGO MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL
at Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago

The full line-up includes:

THE BUTCHER'S SON
Book, Music & Lyrics by Vi Nhan H. Tran

Born in Vietnam and raised in southwestern Kansas, Vi Nhan H. Tran is torn between the mysterious secrets of his heritage and the waving wheat fields of his adopted home. A poignant and humorous folk musical memoir, The Butcher’s Son chronicles the Tran family’s escape from Vietnam, imprisonment by the Khmer Rouge and resettlement in the cattle country of America. Tran weaves a thrilling refugee story and All-American tale of how family stories become family lore and where one family's search for a home ends.

GRINDR The Opera
Book, Music and Lyrics by Erik Ransom

Four gay men, seeking different types of connection, intersect to hilarious and calamitous results in this sung-through musical parody that puts the notorious gay hook-up app into the exaggerated world of opera. With musical styles ranging from contemporary pop to baroque, GRINDR The Opera is a daring, humorous look at the changing landscape of gay relationships, and the greatest catalyst for the shift: GRINDR.

PERFECTLY VICTORIAN
Book and Lyrics by Bryan Adam and Matthew Kelly, Music by Bryan Adam

When submissive Lady Sterling encounters one of her sexologist husband Dr. Wood Sterling’s newest patients, a demur man who wishes more than anything else to be a woman, she finds herself actively challenging the rigid roles prescribed by Victorian virtue. Within time, she meets all of Sterling’s patients and encourages them to pursue their diverse sexual identities. What follows is a heartfelt and hilarious challenge to Victorian principles, with Lady impersonating an esteemed French doctor and organizing a bordello pairing patients with the wives of her husband’s cheating colleagues, all in an effort to challenge the painful double standards of the time. 

IRON IRENE: A MUSICAL FABLE
Book by Liz Falstreau, Lyrics by Liz Falstreau and Ashley Flanagan, Music by Ashley Flanagan

Set during the years following the American Civil War, Iron Irene tells the story of two sisters and their fight for family, equality and a better world. Upon the death of their parents, Cassie DeLanie is sent from her home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to live in southwestern Wyoming with her sister, Irene. Together, the sisters must learn to adjust to this new world while still attempting to maintain the beliefs and identities of their childhood. Their adventures will lead them to Wyoming’s shining moment: being the first U.S. territory to grant women’s suffrage.

LIBERATORS: AN AMERICAN MUSICAL
Book and Lyrics by Eric C. Jones, Music by Alex Winkler and Bradley Dean Whyte

A powerful rock musical about forgiveness, restoration, the power of friendship and what it means to be a family. This moving tale intersects and moves back and forth throughout 70 years and tells the story through the viewpoints of three unlikely men from different religious and ethnic backgrounds who are connected through a priceless family heirloom: a gold pocket watch. From the start of WWII to post-911 America, the lives of these characters will forever be changed during the historic liberation of Buchenwald and Dachau. Liberators: An American Musical encourages you to believe that even the most unlikely person can make a difference.

MUSICAL THERAPY
Music and Lyrics by Joey Katsiroubas, Book by Dan Hass

Theresa is a young, single couples’ counselor in Chicago. While she’s great (well, okay) at keeping couples together, she can’t seem to lock down a guy for herself. And the fact that she tends to get attached (well, neurotic) after just one date doesn’t help either. Cut to Mr. Wonderful moving into the office next door: beautiful, bulgy-biceped Will. It’s obsession at first sight, and no obstacle or girlfriend is going to keep Theresa from being with him. She’ll ruin relationships, sabotage dates, push people out of the closet – mixing and matching her clients until it’s just Wonderful and her. Forever. And ever. 

THE BALLAD OF LEFTY & CRABBE
Book by Brian Huther, Ben Auxier and Seth Macchi, Music and Lyrics by Ben Auxier and Brian Huther, Arrangements by Ryan McCall

Set in the 1920s during the decline of Vaudeville and the rise of Hollywood, The Ballad of Lefty & Crabbe tracks the journey of an ultra-sharp but down-on-their-luck comedy duo as they navigate the rapidly changing world of entertainment. With a cast of eight portraying nearly fifty characters, audiences will quickly lose themselves in this absurd and delightful comic world and leave with smiles on their faces.

“TRU” 
Book, Music, and Lyrics by David Gosz and Leo Fotos

Through intricate characters and intimate music, “TRU” paints a picture of how hauntingly beautiful life can be. “TRU” explores the joys and challenges of the many relationships that are formed throughout one’s life, testing the various forms of love – between a man and his father, between a granddaughter and her grandmother, between a woman and her art, between a student and his teacher, between a man and himself. Walking hand in hand with reality, “TRU” toes the line between what is unbelievable and what is true.

May 2018
HAYMARKET: THE ANARCHIST’S SONGBOOK
Book and Lyrics by Alex Higgin-Houser 
Music by David Kornfeld
Venue to be announced.

Underscore brings back its highly acclaimed Jeff Award-nominated “Best New Musical.” HAYMARKET: THE ANARCHIST’S SONGBOOK tells the Chicago story of the nation’s first Red Scare through the eyes of Lucy Parsons, daughter of a slave and widow of anarchist martyr Albert Parsons. On the last day of her life, and accompanied by the folk-music-playing ghosts of her past, Lucy revisits the Haymarket Affair and the unjust trial that followed it in an attempt to make peace with history. 

About the Artists

Preston M. Allen: Book, Music and Lyrics, CARRIE 2: THE RAGE (An Unauthorized Musical Parody) is a writer, composer, lyricist and bizarrely avid Carrie fan based in New York City. Their work has been featured at the New York Musical Festival, Musical Theatre Factory, Feinstein's/54 Below, Joe's Pub, Laurie Beechman Theatre, Signature Theatre, York Theatre ("Tune In Time" winner), Gallery Players and Second City Chicago. Preston conceived and wrote book, music and lyrics for We Are The Tigers, A New Musical (Hudson Backstage Theatre, L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation winner for Best Lyrics/Composition, nominee for Best Production and Music Direction), Remission (NYMF Developmental Reading Series), CARRIE  2: THE RAGE (An Unauthorized Musical Parody) (Feinstein's/54 Below) and My Gay Killer Husband: A Lifetime Original Musical (Boo Festival Award Winner). Additional projects include book/lyrics for Franklin Pierce: Dragon Slayer (composer Will Buck, Sound Bites 4.0 Selection), music/lyrics for Bradical and the Pink Socks (Diverging Elements), music/lyrics for The Hunted: Encore (LA Webfest Outstanding Score), book/music/lyrics for The Untitled Agent 355 Project with collaborator Jessica Kahkoska (Marion International Fellowship Recipient) and a collaboration with composer/lyricist Rob Rokicki. Preston is a graduate of the Second City Chicago Comedy Studies Program and alum of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop.

Isaac Loomer: Co-Director, CARRIE 2: THE RAGE (An Unauthorized Musical Parody) Originally from MN, he is excited to be putting on his director hat with long time friend Rachel Johnson for the first time since moving to Chicago. He has been obsessed with musical theatre for as far back as he can remember and is thrilled to be working on the world premiere of The Rage: Carrie 2. One of the the things that drew him to the project is a love of the famously flopped musical version of Carrie, and after reading the script to The Rage knew that it would succeed where it's predecessor had failed. It's a show that relishes in the Carrie-verse's successes and flops while still maintaining a clear relevant message for any era.

Rachel Elise Johnson: Co-Director, CARRIE 2: THE RAGE (An Unauthorized Musical Parody) – most recently assistant directed Underscore’s world premiere of My Name is Annie King. She also serves as Underscore’s Company Manager and has been performing in the Chicago theatre community since moving here from California.

T.J. Anderson: Music Director, CARRIE 2: THE RAGE (An Unauthorized Musical Parody) Recent music direction credits include Shockheaded Peter (Black Button Eyes Productions), Now. Here. This., [title of show], A New Brain (Brown Paper Box Co.) and Borderlands (Underscore Theatre Company). He has also recently been seen onstage as an actor in productions with Brown Paper Box Co., City Lit Theater Company and 20% Theater Company. T.J. is an artistic associate with Brown Paper Box Co. and a trumpet player throughout the city.

Alex Higgin-Houser: Book and Lyrics, Haymarket: The Anarchist’s Songbook – is a director, librettist and arts administrator based out of Chicago. As Artistic Director and founding ensemble member of Underscore Theatre Company, Alex has most recently produced My Name is Annie King (2017, Director) Tonya and Nancy: The Rock Opera (2016, Producer), Haymarket: The Anarchist's Songbook (Jeff Nominee, Best New Musical; 2016, Creator, Book/Lyrics) The Story of a Story: The Untold Story (Jeff Nominee, Best New Work; 2015, Producer), Borderlands (2015, Director) and the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival (2014 - 2016, Festival Director). Altogether, with Underscore Theatre Company, Alex has produced or co-produced nearly 50 musicals in the Chicago storefront arena. Alongside regular collaborators Laura Stratford, David Kornfeld and Brendan Siegfried, Alex has authored or co-authored six world-premiere musicals, most recently Numbers Nerds at the New York Musicals Festival (2017, Lyrics).

David Kornfeld: Music, Haymarket: The Anarchist’s Songbook – received his BA in composition from Carleton College and is currently pursuing his MFA in Musical Theatre Writing at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. His musicals include Haymarket: the Anarchist’s Songbook (Jeff Nominated: Best New Work), Liberal Arts: the Musical!, Grounds: a Fresh-Brewed Musical, Pr0ne: a Hardcore, Amateur Musical, and Numbers Nerds, which premiered this summer at NYMF. His Chicago collaborations include Loyola University, Open Door Rep, Li'l Buds Theatre Company, Theatre-Hikes, The Cabaret Project, Stone Soup, Chicago Mammals, CPA Theatricals, Whiskey Wry, weAre Productions, comedienne Brittny Congleton, the Hip Young Gunslingers Big Band, and many more. He is a co-founder of Underscore Theatre. www.davidkornfeld.com

About Underscore Theatre Company 
Founded in 2011, Underscore Theatre Company is a team of producing artists dedicated to exploring stories of power and resonance through a musical lens; fostering the development of new musicals; and bolstering Chicago’s role as a national leader in musical theatre. Since its creation, Underscore has produced 46 new musicals in Chicago. Underscore is proud to be Chicago's home for new musicals.

New Name, Same Hamilton: Introducing Broadway In Chicago’s newly named CIBC Theatre

Where the heck is Chicago's CIBC Theatre? Never heard of it? We're here to help. One of the joys of corporate naming, especially theaters named for banks, is that we never have time to tire of an old moniker, before a merger or acquisition changes things up. Yes, Hamilton continues, and the songs remain the same. Only the theatre's changed names. Don't freak out if your tickets say The PrivateBank Theatre either. They're perfectly valid for the newly named CIBC Theatre.



Broadway In Chicago announced that The PrivateBank Theatre at 18 W. Monroe will have a new name and Marquee as the CIBC Theatre. This represents The PrivateBank name change to CIBC under a unified brand globally following their June acquisition.

Lou Raizin, President of Broadway In Chicago said, “We are happy that CIBC will continue to support Broadway In Chicago's mission to attract the best shows like HAMILTON.  Their sponsorship of the CIBC Theatre represents a commitment to Chicago and its vibrant theatre community."

“We are proud to show our commitment to a strong and vibrant Chicago with our continued sponsorship of Broadway In Chicago and the CIBC Theatre.  We also are excited that, through this partnership, we are able to continue to provide arts education opportunities for students throughout Chicagoland," said Larry D. Richman, Senior Executive Vice-President and Group Head, CIBC U.S. Region and President and CEO, CIBC Bank USA.

ABOUT CIBC
CIBC is a leading Canadian-based global financial institution with 11 million personal banking, business, public sector and institutional clients. Across Personal and Small Business Banking, Commercial Banking and Wealth Management, and Capital Markets businesses, CIBC offers a full range of advice, solutions and services through its leading digital banking network, and locations across Canada, in the United States and around the world.  Ongoing news releases and more information about CIBC can be found at www.cibc.com/ca/media-centre.

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 Theatre District entertaining 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 Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, Oriental Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place as well as presenting Broadway shows at The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University.  For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

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

Midwest Premiere of FOXFINDER Via Interrobang Theatre Project At The Athenaeum Theatre Through 11/5

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Midwest Premiere!

Interrobang Theatre Project Presents

FOXFINDER

By Dawn King

Directed by Margaret Knapp

September 28 – November 5, 2017 at The Athenaeum Theatre

(left to right) Jack Olin, Alexandra Fisher and David Anthony Marshall in Interrobang Theatre Project's Midwest premiere of FOXFINDER. Photo by Emily Schwartz.

Interrobang Theatre Project launches its 2017-18 Season, exploring the urgent question “What is Truth?,” with the Midwest premiere of Dawn King's darkly comic and politically relevant British drama FOXFINDER, directed by Literary Manager Margaret Knapp. FOXFINDER will play September 28 – November 5, 2017 at The Athenaeum Theatre (Studio 2), 2936 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.interrobangtheatre.org, by calling (773) 935-6875 or in person at The Athenaeum Theatre Box Office. 

FOXFINDER features Alexandra Fisher, David Anthony Marshall, Jack Olin and Alanna Rogers.

In the not so distant future, the economy is failing, food is scarce and paranoia is in the air. Samuel and Judith Covey live in rural England, maintaining their government-controlled farm – in constant fear of losing it all. After an anonymous tip, William Bloor, a "Foxfinder," arrives to investigate a suspected contamination, threatening to uncover secrets of desire and regret that will change all of their lives forever. 

Comments Director Margaret Knapp, "Although it flirts with thematic elements like the examination of a police state in today's society, the effects of global warming, and religious zealotism, at it's core Foxfinder is about the battle against the forces of nature, both external and internal, and how when these forces threaten to overwhelm us, we look for someone, or something, to blame."

The production team for FOXFINDER includes: Eric Luchen (scenic design), Melissa Perkins (costume design), John Kelly (lighting design), Jesse Case (sound design), Pauline Oleksy (properties design) Georgette Verdin* (asst. director), Claire Yearman* (fight choreographer), Lindsay Bartlett (dialect coach) and Victoria Bustoz (stage manager).

*Denotes Interrobang Theatre Project Company Member. 

(left to right) Jack Olin, David Anthony Marshall and Alexandra Fisher 
Photo by Emily Schwartz.

Location: The Athenaeum Theatre (Studio 2), 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago

Regular run: Thursday, October 5 – Sunday, November 5, 2017
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 2 pm. 

Tickets: Previews: September 28: pay-what-you can, October 1: $17. Regular run: $32; Students $17 (with ID), Seniors $17. (Ticket prices include $2 Athenaeum Theatre restoration fee). 


Tickets are currently available at www.interrobangtheatre.org, by calling (773) 935-6875 or in person at The Athenaeum Theatre Box Office.

About the Creative Team

Dawn King (Playwright) is an award-winning writer working in theatre, film, TV and radio. Currently, Dawn is working on two plays; The Light and Salt, which is a commission from the National Theatre and will be performed by youth theatre groups around the country in 2018. She is also adapting her stage play Ciphers into a screenplay for Cowboy Films. Ciphers made the Brit List of the best ‘yet to shoot’ screenplays as selected by the UK film industry in 2016. Dawn is also redrafting the blacklisted screenplay Randle is Benign for Echo Lake Productions in the U.S. Dawn’s previous work for the stage includes; an adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World, a co-production between the Royal and Derngate, Northampton and the Touring Consortium which toured the UK in 2014; Ciphers, a co-production between Out of Joint, Exeter Nothcott and The Bush Theatre which toured the UK in 2013/2014; and Foxfinder, produced by Papatango Theatre Company at The Finborough in 2011. Foxfinder won the Royal National Theatre Foundation Playwright Award 2013, the Papatango New Writing Competition 2011 and Most Promising Playwright, Off West End awards 2012. Dawn’s short film The Kármán Line won 17 awards including the BIFA for Best Short and was BAFTA nominated in 2014.

Margaret Knapp (Director) is new to the Interrobang Theatre Project family and is happy to be working as the Literary Manager for the company, as well as directing her first ITP production. A proud Equity actor since 1992, Margaret has acted at various theaters in the Midwest such as the Apollo here in Chicago, Drury Lane-Oakbrook, The Unicorn Theater and Kansas City Rep in Kansas City, MO and The Human Race Theater in Dayton, OH. Her directing credits include: Uncle Vanya, Honey Brown Eyes, The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow, Rhinoceros, Museum by Tina Howe and The Eight: Reindeer Monologues starring TV and film actor Richard Kind. A graduate of UW-Madison (BA in Communications) and UMKC (MFA in Acting/Directing), Margaret also teaches Speech, Acting and Comparative Literature at various colleges in Illinois.

(left to right) Jack Olin and Alexandra Fisher in Interrobang Theatre Project's Midwest premiere of FOXFINDER. Photo by Emily Schwartz.

About Interrobang Theatre Project

Now in its eighth season, Interrobang Theatre Project, under the artistic leadership of Georgette Verdin and James Yost, has been hailed by the Chicago Tribune as a “company to watch” and by Time Out Chicago as “one of Chicago’s most promising young theatre companies.” Season seven earned seven non-Equity Jeff Nominations, including Best Director, Production of a Play, Solo Performance and acting nominations for Lead Actor, Actress and Actor in a Supporting Role. Productions have included the world premiere of Calamity West’s Ibsen is Dead (Jeff Recommended), and the Jeff Recommended The Pitchfork Disney, Orange Flower Water, Recent Tragic Events, The Amish Project, The North Pool, and Falling. Director James Yost’s critically-acclaimed Really Really was one of six shows chosen for Chicago Tribune’s list "Best of 2015 in Chicago Fringe Theater.”

What’s an interrobang?
An interrobang is the combination of a question mark and an exclamation point, joining the Latin for “question” (interro) with a proofreading term for “exclamation” (bang). Through the plays we produce, Interrobang Theatre Project aims to pose worthwhile and exciting questions which challenge our understanding and assumptions of who we are and the world in which we live. 

For more information, please visit www.interrobangtheatreproject.org.

OPENING: 106th Mainstage Revue at The Second City This Month

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

The Second City Announces Casting For 

The 106th Mainstage Revue

The all-new show will be written and performed by second-time cast member Kelsey Kinney and new cast members Ryan Asher, Tyler Davis, Jeffrey Murdoch, Tien Tran, and Nate Varrone, Jeff Award winner Ryan Bernier returns to direct his sixth resident show.

ChiIL Live Shows will be out for the press opening October 26th, so check back soon for our full review. I fell in love with Chicago style improv in high school, when I first took a class through my school. I went on to found, perform with, and direct Tower Players Improv Troupe at Miami University in Oxford, OH during 3 of my undergrad years. The troupe went on to last over 20 years. Now I'm on the audience side of the stage, and love reviewing shows of every conceivable genre, all over town, but it's fun to come back to those improv and comedy roots. 

In one of the comedy industry’s most anticipated traditions, iconic Chicago comedy institution The Second City is proud to announce the cast of their upcoming 106th Mainstage revue, set to open in October, 2017.

The all-new show will be written and performed by second-time cast member Kelsey Kinney and new cast members Ryan Asher, Tyler Davis, Jeffrey Murdoch, Tien Tran, and Nate Varrone, Jeff Award winner Ryan Bernier returns to direct his sixth resident show. Vinnie Pillarella will follow up his turn as music director for the current Mainstage production, as will longtime stage manager Craig Taylor, who has been at the technical helm of shows featuring legendary alumni including Chris Farley, Tina Fey, and Stephen Colbert over the course of his storied career at The Second City.

The title of the 106th Mainstage revue will be announced at a later date. The producing team includes Andrew Alexander (CEO & Executive Producer), Steve Johnston (President), D'Arcy Stuart (Chief Operations Officer), Brian Loevner (Managing Producer), Alison Riley (Producer), Jeremy Smith (Line Producer), and Lesley Stone (Associate Producer).

Tickets for The Second City’s 106th Mainstage Revue start at $19.00 and are available by phone at 312-337-3992 or online at www.SecondCity.com.

The show schedule is as follows:
Tuesday - Thursday @ 8:00 p.m.
Friday - Saturday @ 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.
Sunday @ 7:00 p.m.

The Second City is located at 1616 N. Wells Street, Chicago.

About the Artists
RYAN ASHER (Ensemble) is from Charlottesville VA, and received her BFA in theater performance at Virginia Commonwealth University. Ryan was a member of The Second City Touring Company and appears this summer in The Second City's Almost Accurate Guide to America: Divided We Stand at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She also performs with improv groups around Chicago, including Trigger Happy and SHEBEAST.

TYLER DAVIS (Ensemble) is a Columbus, Ohio, native and has performed with The Second City Touring Company, as well in in The Second City's Almost Accurate Guide to America: Divided We Stand at the Kennedy Center. He also performs with improv groups around Chicago, including Devil’s Daughter and Trigger Happy.

KELSEY KINNEY (Ensemble) is a Cleveland native and current cast member in The Second City’s 105th Mainstage revue, The Winner…of Our Discontent. She is a former member of The Second City Touring Company and appeared in The Second City’s Summer Blockbuster: Now in 4-D! at UP Comedy Club.

JEFFREY MURDOCH (Ensemble) was born and raised in the Metro Detroit area and attended the University of Michigan. Over the last eight years, he has performed at the Upstairs Gallery, iO, The Annoyance, and was a member of The Second City Touring Company.

TIEN TRAN (Ensemble) is graduate of Boston College, a 2016 Second City Bob Curry Fellow, and has most recently been performing in The Second City’s 41st e.t.c. revue, Fantastic Super Great Nation Numero Uno. Prior to her time on Second City’s resident stage, she toured with The Second City and Slate’s Unelectable You. As a stand-up, she’s performed throughout the city and was featured at the 2016 Second City NBCUniversal Break Out Comedy Festival and SCOUT Festival.

NATE VARRONE (Ensemble) is from Columbus, Ohio, and attended The Ohio State University. He has performed with The Second City Touring Company, at iO, with Crab Atlanta, and is a cast member of Holy F*** Comedy Hour at The Annoyance.

RYAN BERNIER (Director)’s recent directing credits at The Second City include Fantastic Super Great Nation Numero Un, Jeff Award-nominated revues Panic on Cloud 9 and A Clown Car Named Desire (Best Revue, Best Director), the Jeff Award-winning We’re All in This Room Together (Best Revue, Best Director), and Second City: America All Better!! at Woolly Mammoth Theatre (Helen Hayes Award-nominated). He was recently awarded Suffolk University’s 10 Under 10 honor. Ryan directs at the Improv Asylum in Boston and teaches at Columbia College Chicago.

VINNIE PILLARELLA (Musical Direction, Original Music, Sound Design) is a Chicago native and is the current musical force behind The Second City’s 105th Mainstage revue, The Winner…of Our Discontent. A veteran of The Second City Touring Company, Vinnie has also created music in theaters around the city, including The Annoyance, iO, Public House, and Silk Road Rising.

CRAIG TAYLOR (Stage Manager) has stage managed more than 35 revues for The Second City and has been asked to provide the impossible for numerous Second City directors.

OPENING: Chicago Premiere of CHOIR BOY Via Raven Theatre

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Raven Theatre Presents the Chicago Premiere of

CHOIR BOY

By Tarell Alvin McCraney

Directed by Artistic Director Michael Menendian

September 27 – November 12, 2017

Raven Theatre Company is pleased to launch its 35th anniversary season with the Chicago premiere of CHOIR BOY, by recent Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney who, together with writer-director Barry Jenkins, won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for the Academy’s Best Picture winner, Moonlight.  Directed by Artistic Director Michael Menendian, CHOIR BOY will play September 27 – November 12, 2017 in Raven’s 120-seat East Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.raventheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177. 

CHOIR BOY features Patrick Agada, Robert D. Hardaway, Tamarus Harvell, Christopher W. Jones, Julian Terrell Otis, Darren Patin and Don Tieri.

CHOIR BOY, which was first produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York during the summer of 2013, concerns a gay teenage boy in an all African-American prep school. The Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys is dedicated to the development of strong, ethical black men. Pharus wants nothing more than to take his rightful place as leader of the school's legendary choir. Can he find his way inside the hallowed halls of this institution if he sings in his own key?

The production team for CHOIR BOY includes: Ray Toler (scenic design) JoAnn Montemurro (costume design), Diane D. Fairchild (lighting design), Sebby Woldt (sound design), Mary O’Dowd (properties design and set dressing), Kathryn McNall (stage manager), Destiney Higgins (assistant director), Frederick Harris (music director), Breon Arzell (choreographer) and Dan Laushman (technical director).

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

Dates: Previews: Wednesday, September 27 at 7:30 pm, Thursday, September 28 at 7:30 pm, Friday, September 29 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, September 30 at 7:30 pm, Sunday, October 1 at 3 pm and Monday, October 2 at 7:30 pm.

Regular run: Friday, October 6 – Sunday, November 12, 2017
Curtain Times: Thursday, Fridays and Saturday at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be a performance on Thursday, October 5.

Tickets: $46 ($43 if purchased online). Seniors/teachers $41 ($38 if purchased online). Students/active military and veterans $15. Every Thursday is “Under 30 Thursday,” when patrons under age 30 can purchase tickets for $15. Single tickets and season subscriptions for the 2017-18 Season are currently available at www.raventheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177.

Group tickets: Groups of 10 or more are $30 per person for Thursday and Friday performances and $35 per person for Saturday and Sunday performances. Student groups are $15 per person.

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

Tarell Alvin McCraney (Playwright) is well-known to Chicago audiences for his acclaimed trilogy, The Brother/Sister Plays: The Brothers Size, In the Red and Brown Water, and Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet, which were performed at Steppenwolf Theatre in 2010. He was named a Steppenwolf ensemble member that year, and his play Head of Passes received its world premiere there in 2013, the year he received a MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant.” On February 26 of this year, he shared an Academy Award with Barry Jenkins for “Best Adapted Screenplay” of Moonlight, which was also named “Best Picture” of 2016 by the Academy.

Michael Menendian (Director) is co-founder and co-artistic director of Raven Theatre through the current season, where he has directed over 50 productions in the past 35 years.  Some favorites include The Last Meeting of the Knights of the White Magnolia, Cobb, A View from the Bridge, You Can’t Take It With You, Glengarry Glen Ross, Marvin’s Room, Golden Boy, A Streetcar Named Desire, Death of a Salesman, Beast on the Moon, and Direct from Death Row The Scottsboro Boys.  He is the recipient of nine Joseph Jefferson, and multiple After Dark awards.  Mr. Menendian has also directed for such companies as The Meetinghouse Theatre (Boston), Victory Gardens Theatre, The New Haven Playhouse, Oak Park Village Players, Chicago Dramatists, and The Agency Theatre Collective.

About Raven Theatre Company

Raven Theatre tells stories of today and the past that connect us to our cultural landscape. Through its plays as well as its educational programming, Raven is committed to serving our communities’ needs through the arts.

Raven Theatre Company is funded in part by the Alphawood Foundation, Dramatists Guild Fund, Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, Polk Bros. Foundation, The Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development, Yates Feldman Foundation, S&C Electric, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

TICKETS ON SALE 10/18: The Cher Show Pre-Broadway World Premiere in Chicago

BROADWAY IN CHICAGO’S ORIENTAL THEATRE TO HOST

PRE-BROADWAY WORLD PREMIERE OF

THE CHER SHOW

Performances Begin at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago on June 12

Producers Flody Suarez and Jeffrey Seller and Broadway In Chicago announced today that The Cher Show, the new musical based on the life and six-decade career of the iconic singer and actress, will have its pre-Broadway world premiere in Chicago with previews beginning on June 12, 2018 at the Oriental Theatre before making its Broadway debut at the Neil Simon Theatre in Fall 2018.

The Cher Show will begin performances at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph) on June 12, 2018 for a limited engagement through July 15, 2018. The Cher Show will be part of the next Broadway In Chicago Season Subscription Series, which will go on sale to the public on October 18, 2017. 

Recognized for her influential contributions to music, film, television, fashion, and popular culture, the Grammy, Oscar, Golden Globe, and Emmy award-winning entertainer’s life story will be brought to stage in this new musical featuring her beloved chart-topping hits. 

“My life as a musical on Broadway. It seems crazy, exciting and bizarre - but that's probably how my life seems to most people,” said Cher.

The new bio-musical will feature a book by Rick Elice (Tony Award-winning best musical Jersey Boys), direction by Jason Moore (Tony Award-winning best musical Avenue Q), choreography by Tony Award-winner Christopher Gattelli (Newsies), and orchestrations, arrangements and musical supervision by Tony Award-winner Daryl Waters (Memphis).

The Cher Show is based on the life of Cherilyn Sarkisian La Piere Bono Allman or as her friends call her, Cher! The kid on a tricycle, vowing to be famous. The teenage phenom who crashes by twenty.  The glam TV star who quits at the top. The would-be actress with an Oscar. The rock goddess with a hundred million records sold. The legend who’s done it all, still scared to walk on stage. The wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend. The woman, looking for love. The ultimate survivor, chasing her dream. They’re all here, dressed to kill, singing their asses off, telling it like it is.  And they're all the star of The Cher Show.

The new musical is produced by Flody Suarez (What’s New Pussycat) and four-time Tony Award-winner Jeffrey Seller (Hamilton).

Additional information, including casting, will be announced at a later date. For more information, please visit TheCherShowBroadway.com.

Group tickets for 10 or more for The Cher Show at the Oriental Theatre are on sale now by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710.  Individual tickets for The Cher Show will go on sale at a later date to be announced.  For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

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 Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, Oriental 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
 

OPENING: DIRECTORS HAVEN 2017 10/16-11/1 at The Den Theatre

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Casting Announced!

Haven Theatre Presents

DIRECTORS HAVEN 2017

Showcasing Three Plays Directed by 

Kristen Johnson, Ian Martin & Lexi Saunders

October 16 – November 1, 2017 at The Den Theatre

Directors Haven 2017 (left to right) Directors Kristen Johnson, Ian Martin and Lexi Saunders helm Haven Theatre’s DIRECTORS HAVEN 2017

Haven Theatre is pleased to present its third DIRECTORS HAVEN, the company’s ever-growing initiative showcasing the talents of three early career directors. This season, Kristen Johnson directs Vaclav Havel’s riveting political satire THE PROTEST, Ian Martin helms Amiri Baraka’s THE TOILET, a powerful look at love and empathy, and Lexi Saunders directs Rachel Dubose’s sharply funny and biting new play THE DEPARTURE. The three fully-produced productions will run back-to-back in one program. DIRECTOR’S HAVEN 2017 will play October 16 – November 1, 2017 at Haven Theatre’s resident home, The Den Theatre (2A), 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. All performances are pay-what-you-can. Tickets are currently available at haventheatrechicago.com.

Location: The Den Theatre (2A), 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago
Previews: Monday, October 16 at 7:30 pm and Tuesday, October 17 at 6 pm
Regular Run: Wednesday, October 18 – Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Curtain Times: Sundays at 6 pm, Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesday at 7:30 pm 

Tickets: Pay-what-you-can. Tickets are currently available at haventheatrechicago.com. 

DIRECTORS HAVEN 2017 will feature Nic Bell, Tara Bouldry, Brianna Buckley, Nate Buursma, Byron Coolie, Kamille Dawkins, Leon J. Evans, Barry Irving, Julian Larach, Freedom Martin, Priya Mohanty, Marcus D. Moore, Victor Musoni, Selene Perez, Noah Robinson, Jo Schaffer and Kendra Thulin

Comments Artistic Director Josh Sobel, "The continued growth of the Director's Haven program is a fulfillment of one of my greatest hopes – to provide institutional support and hands-on production opportunity for directors at the very earliest stages of their professional journeys. The past two years have been a testament to the talent and imagination of the newest generation of professional theatermakers, and this season's cohort of artists will only build upon and continue this momentum. These directors have selected pieces that are truly uniquely personal to each of them, and share an immediacy, a relevancy and a consciousness that serves to reinforce my faith in the next wave of artistic leaders."

DIRECTORS HAVEN 2017 includes:

THE PROTEST
By Vaclav Havel
Directed by Kristen Johnson
Featuring Kamille Dawkins (Vanek) and Kendra Thulin (Stanek). 

Renowned activist Vaněk pays a visit to the lavish home of a former colleague, Staněk, who has invited Vaněk to help secure the release of a jailed radical musician, fiancée to Staněk’s daughter. Vaněk also has a favor to request: getting the Staněk’s signature in a far-reaching protest.

THE TOILET
By Amiri Baraka
Directed by Ian Martin
Featuring Nic Bell (Skippy), Nate Buursma (Donald), Byron Coolie (Ora), Leon J. Evans (Foot), Barry Irving (Knowles), Julian Larach (Karolis), Freedom Martin (Willie Love), Marcus D. Moore (Hines), Victor Musoni (Johnny Boy Holmes), Noah Robinson (George) and Jo Schaffer (Perry).

Set in a high school lavatory in the early 1960’s, LeRoi Jones’ The Toilet is an exploration of love, race and masculinity. The play is one of several known colloquially as Revolutionary theatre, which aimed to force change in the social order by exposing, accusing, and attacking. The Toilet exposes love, accuses race, and attacks masculinity, in hopes that we can imagine a new social order; One in which a boy could love another, despite their colors.

THE DEPARTURE
By Rachel Dubose
Directed by Lexi Saunders
Featuring Tara Bouldry (Trish), Brianna Buckley (Karyn), Priya Mohanty (Aleesia) and Selene Perez (Micah).

Friendships are tested when a group of women reunites for an Escape Room themed Bachelorette Party. Loosely based on Sartre's No Exit and developed collaboratively, what was supposed to bring the women together actually begins to tear them apart. As the clock winds down, tensions build and old secrets are revealed.

The production team for DIRECTOR’S HAVEN 2017 includes Rachel Rauscher (scenic design), Sara Torres (lighting design), Antonio Gracias (sound design), Amy Williams (costume design), Corbin Paulino, Cedar Larson and Merle Palmer (stage managers) and Marika Mashburn (casting director).

Artist Biographies
Kristen Johnson (Director – The Protest) is honored to be a part of the 2017 Directors' Haven. Most recently she directed new plays Options at Broken Nose Theatre and Clearing at Commission Theatre. Previously, she assisted Josh Sobel in Steep Theatre's Bobbie Clearly, assisted Erica Weiss in Gift Theatre's Grapes of Wrath, directed A Long Arduous Journey for Gift's TEN Festival, assisted Anna Bahow for Rasaka Theatre's A Nice Indian Boy, directed Christmas Armaments for Step Up Productions’ Holidaze Festival, assisted Erica Weiss on The Downpour for Route 66 Theatre and Jonathan Berry on Look Back in Anger at Redtwist Theatre. She has also directed readings of Dana Formby’s American Beauty Shop and David Auburn’s Fifth Planet for Sankofa Theatre and Caridad Svich’s Archipelago for No Passport’s 30/30 Festival.  Kristen is a graduate of Carleton College, School at Steppenwolf, NTI, and BADA. When she is not directing, Kristen is working as an actor in Chicago. 

Václav Havel (Playwright – The Protest) is a playwright who in 1989 became the president of Czechoslovakia, continuing on after the country became the Czech Republic until 2003. Havel was a prominent participant in the liberal reforms of 1968, and, after the Soviet clampdown on Czechoslovakia, his plays, which explore the self-delusions and moral compromises that characterize life under a totalitarian system, were banned. Havel was elected president of Czechoslovakia in July 1990, becoming the country's first noncommunist leader since 1948.

Ian Martin (Director – The Toilet) is an upcoming creative: writer, director, producer. He is a recent transplant to the city of Chicago and currently serving as the Artistic Producing Apprentice at Goodman Theatre. He graduated with a B.A. in Theatre from Indiana University, but has studied in the arts from a young age, attending the Cincinnati School for the Creative and Performing Arts during his formative years. Ian is glad to make his Chicago directorial debut with Director's Haven 2017. Recent directing credits include an independent production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest and assisting on an academic production of The Colored Museum. He is originally from Cincinnati, OH.

Amiri Baraka (Playwright – The Toilet) was born LeRoi Jones in Newark, New Jersey, on October 7, 1934. After three years in the U.S. Air Force, Jones joined the Beat movement in Greenwich Village. After the assassination of Malcolm X, he took the name Amiri Baraka and became involved in the Black Nationalist poetry and literature movements, with his work focusing on confronting racial politics. He later identified himself as a Marxist. Some of his notable plays and poems include Dutchman, Slave Ship and The Baptism. A prolific writer over his nearly 50 year career, Baraka penned more than 50 books, including fiction, music criticism, essays, short stories, poetry and plays. Baraka died on January 9, 2014 at the age of 79.

Lexi Saunders (Director – The Departure) is a director, performer and teaching artist originally from Los Angeles with her BA in Theatre and Psychology from UC San Diego. Her Chicago directing credits include Grounded with Theater of Thought, the youth devised SUPER at Mudlark, Bye, Chuck at The Gift, in your own backyard by Kristiana Rae Colón at Victory Gardens, I Have It by Bekah Brunstetter with Madkap, LezFest and Missed Connections at Pride Films and Plays. She has assistant directed The Burials at Steppenwolf, The Few at Steep, The Snare at Jackalope, good friday at Oracle and Cocked at Victory Gardens, where she was in the 2016 Directors Inclusion Initiative. Lexi is also a recurring director for the One Minute Play Festival and 2nd Story’s storytelling series.

Rachel DuBose (Playwright – The Departure) is a Chicago-based playwright. She holds an MFA from Northwestern University Writing for the Screen + Stage and her B.A. from Spelman College. Her plays have been staged at Unbound, the  Fade to Black Festival, Pegasus Theatre Chicago, Living Room Playmakers, Mercy Street Theatre Company, Black Lives Black Words, The Future is Female and Jadesmash. Rachel is an associate artist at Pegasus Theatre Chicago, a Black Lives Black Words Associate Artist, a resident playwright at Mercy Street Theatre, a guest contributor at Black Girl Fly Magazine and is one of the inaugural Russ Tutterow Fellows at Chicago Dramatists.

About Haven Theatre:

NEXT GENERATION. NEW CANON. SOCIAL PROFIT.

We exist to be a Haven for The Future. We achieve this through championing the next generation of playwrights, directors and actors by producing and promoting plays and performances that are staking their claim as the immediate future of this art form, and by investing in those at the very beginning of their professional journeys. Through this inspiration, we seek to ignite in each audience member a hope for the Future - the Future of theatre and performance, the Future of each other, the Future of our community.

OPENING: About Face Theatre and Theater Wit Present The Midwest Premiere of SIGNIFICANT OTHER 11/3-12/9

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Midwest Premiere!

About Face Theatre and Theater Wit Present

SIGNIFICANT OTHER

By Joshua Harmon

Directed by AFT Artistic Associate Keira Fromm

November 3 – December 9, 2017 at Theater Wit

The cast of About Face Theatre and Theater Wit’s Chicago premiere of SIGNIFICANT OTHER (top, l to r) AFT Artistic Associates Benjamin Sprunger and Alex Weisman with Ninos Baba (bottom, l to r) Amanda Drinkall, Tiffany Oglesby, Cassidy Slaughter-Mason and Ann Whitney.

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we can't wait to catch Significant Other. It's the last chance for Chicago audiences to see Alex Weisman as a local, albeit playing a New Yorker, before he actually heads out to New York and dons Hogwarts Robes for his new gig on Broadway! We also enjoyed playwright Joshua Harmon's acclaimed comedy, Bad Jews, and caught it several times, so we're interested to see more of his work hit the Theater Wit stage. Save the dates and get your tickets early. Previews start November 3rd. 

About Face Theatre and Theater Wit are pleased to present the Midwest premiere of the romantic comedy SIGNIFICANT OTHER by Joshua Harmon, playwright of the hit comedy Bad Jews. Directed by AFT Artistic Associate Keira Fromm, SIGNIFICANT OTHER will play November 3 – December 9, 2017 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently on sale at aboutfacetheatre.com or theaterwit.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office. 

SIGNIFICANT OTHER will feature AFT Artistic Associates Benjamin Sprunger and Alex Weisman with Ninos Baba, Amanda Drinkall, Tiffany Oglesby, Cassidy Slaughter-Mason and Ann Whitney.

Jordan Berman is a single gay man in New York City. Mr. Right is nowhere on his horizons. As he's nearing his 30s, his close group of girlfriends begin getting married en masse. What happens when you feel like life is leaving you behind but you're still expected to be at the forefront cheering on your friends on their perfect wedding day? Significant Other is a bittersweet comedy about friendship, single-hood and hoping you're not the one choking on car exhaust as the "Just Married" sign disappears from view. 

In 2015, Joshua Harmon's play Bad Jews hit Theater Wit and performed to capacity crowds for eight months. A breakaway playwright of his generation, Harmon's work offered a unique and searingly funny look at a new generation of American Jews. Now, with Significant Other he turns his compassion and considerable wit to marriage.

"This feels like the perfect moment to be bringing Significant Other to the stage," comments Director Keira Fromm. "On the surface, Significant Other is a very funny play about single-hood and friendship. On a deeper level, our protagonist, Jordan, is enduring an existential crisis. On the brink of turning 30 and recognizing that being gay today no longer means you're immune to expectations of marriage, Jordan is failing at the task of finding his soulmate. He begins to feel that life is passing him by and finding his way in the world starts to feel like a gargantuan undertaking. In our increasingly alienating world, I find that quest intensely moving and relatable.” 

"I am very excited to join About Face Theatre in presenting the Midwest premiere of Joshua Harmon’s newest work,” comments Theater Wit Artistic Director Jeremy Wechsler. “I think Josh is a remarkably original writer with a gift for showing us the utterly real and utterly unexpected. His plays are always about deeply human characters with a writerly perspective we've not seen previously dramatized, and Significant Other is no exception. Bad Jews was a legitimate theatrical event of 2015 – and Significant Other promises, in its writing and casting, to be another for 2017."

The production team for SIGNIFICANT OTHER includes Jeff Kmiec (scenic design), Noël Huntzinger (costume design), John Kelly (lighting design), Christopher Kriz (sound design), Pauline Oleksy (props design), Catherine Allen (production manager) and Helen Lattyak (stage manager).

Location: Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago
Dates: Previews: Friday, November 3 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, November 4 at 7:30 pm, Sunday, November 5 at 7 pm and Tuesday, November 7 at 7 pm.
Press opening: Wednesday, November at 8 at 7 pm
Regular run: Friday, November 10 – Saturday, December 9, 2017
Curtain Times: Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be a performance on Thursday, November 9 or Thursday, November 23 (Thanksgiving); there are added performances on Wednesday, November 15 at 7:30 pm, Sunday, Saturday, November 25 at 3 pm and Sunday, November 26 at 7 pm and Saturday, December 9 at 3 pm.

Tickets: Previews: $15. Regular run: $20-$38. Discounts available for groups of 10 or more. Tickets are currently on sale at aboutfacetheatre.com or theaterwit.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at Theater Wit Box Office.

Artist Biographies
Joshua Harmon’s (Playwright) play Bad Jews received its world premiere at Roundabout Underground and was the first production to transfer to the Roundabout's Laura Pels Theatre (Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Award nominations, Best Play). It became the third most-produced play in the U.S. during the 2014-15 season and transferred to London’s West End after sell-out runs at Theatre Royal Bath and the St. James Theatre. His newest play, Significant Other, opened at Roundabout this summer. His work has been produced and developed by Manhattan Theatre Club, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Hangar Theatre, Ars Nova, and Actor's Express, where he was the 2010-2011 National New Play Network Playwright-in-Residence. He has received fellowships from MacDowell, Atlantic Center for the Arts, SPACE at Ryder Farm, and the Eudora Welty Foundation. Joshua is a recent graduate of Juilliard and at work on commissions for Roundabout Theatre Company and Lincoln Center Theater.

Keira Fromm (Director) is a Jeff Award nominated director, a casting director and a teacher based out of Chicago. Favorite recent directing credits include: Bright Half Life (About Face Theatre), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Hospital of New York City (Route 66 Theatre Company) The Columnist (American Blues Theater), How the World Began (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble), A Kid Like Jake (About Face Theatre), Luce (Next Theatre), Charles Ives Take Me Home (Strawdog), The How and the Why (TimeLine Theatre), Broadsword (Gift Theatre) and Fallow (Steep Theatre). Keira is a proud Artistic Associate with About Face Theatre. She received her MFA from DePaul University and her BFA from Boston University. She is a member of SDC, as well as the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab. Keira is a frequent guest director at DePaul, as well as Roosevelt University. 

SIGNIFICANT OTHER was developed during a residency the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference in 2013. Preston Whiteway, Executive Director; Wendy C. Goldberg, Artistic Director.

About The Theatres 
About Face Theatre creates exceptional, innovative, and adventurous theatre and educational programming that advances the national dialogue on sexual and gender identity, and challenges and entertains audiences in Chicago and beyond.

Theater Wit, Chicago’s “smart art” theater, is a major hub of the Chicago neighborhood theater scene, where audiences enjoy a smorgasbord of excellent productions in three, 99-seat spaces, see a parade of talented artists and mingle with audiences from all over Chicago. 

“A thrilling addition to Chicago’s roster of theaters” (Chicago Tribune) and “a terrific place to see a show” (New City), Theater Wit is now in its seventh season at its home at 1229 N. Belmont, in the heart of the new Belmont Theatre District in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. The company’s most recent hits include 10 Out of 12 and Mr. Burns, a post-electric play by Anne Washburn, Naperville by Mat Smart, The New Sincerity by Alena Smith, Bad Jews by Joshua Harmon, The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence and Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England by Madeleine George, and Completeness and The Four of Us by Itamar Moses. 

In 2014, Theater Wit was awarded the National Theatre Award by the American Theatre Wing for strengthening the quality, diversity and dynamism of American theater. Theater Wit also brings together Chicago’s best storefront companies at its Lakeview home, including 2017-18 resident companies About Face, Kokandy Productions and Shattered Globe. 

REVIEW: Adventures Abound at Big River Now Playing at Theatre at the Center in Munster, Indiana Through October 15th

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

"Go to Heaven for the climate; go to Hell for the company." --Mark Twain 

Catherine Hellmann 
Guest Review of Big River at Theatre at the Center in Munster, Indiana 

There are many references to Hell in this period piece with its God-fearing ways, based on the classic novel, Huckleberry Finn. But you will find a little slice of Heaven on Earth in this delightful musical currently running South of the Border (Illinois-Indiana border, that is) in Munster, Indiana. 

Early in the play, Tom Sawyer and his pal Huck Finn are comparing their lives. Tom, played with the proper mischievous intent by Kyle Quinlivan, describes his life with Aunt Polly as "dismal." Huck does not care for being behaved and civilized with Widow Douglas. Both agree they won't end up in "the good place" as these proper women will in eternity. (Or as a friend of mine likes to say: "Heaven will have the boring people. Hell will be like Club Med!") Eventually, running away from society norms is what leads Huck on his big adventure with Jim, the runaway slave. 

The initial impression upon walking into the Theatre at the Center is, "Wow. Cool set!" I wondered how the great Misssissippi River would be portrayed onstage as Huck and Jim navigate the mighty river. One level of the multi-tiered stage served as their raft, as they "steered" with oars.
  
The band assembled onstage one at a time, in period costumes, which is where they remained the entire show. That is, unless a musician was performing double duty as an actor/singer as well in the show. This multi-talented cast alternated from actor to musician continuously throughout the show.   
The two leads are standouts in this production. Jonathan Butler-Duplessis has a gorgeous voice as Jim; James Romney in the title role is charming and a triple threat of acting, singing, and dancing. Jason Richards as the Duke is also worth noting in his hilarious portrayal of an actor imitating Shakespeare plays in a very exaggerated manner.   



There is a poignant scene where Jim's search for freedom leads him to confide his big goals to Huck: to be reunited with his wife and children. He describes how he plans to "work hard and save enough money to buy" his wife. Then they will save enough money together to buy their two children. If their owner won't sell them, Jim is determined to locate an abolitionist to help steal them back.  

Twain was a helluva writer but a terrible businessman. He invested in outlandish ideas hoping to make a fortune. He went into incredible debt. He always dreamed of having a play run on stage for the royalties or "free money" a successful show could generate. Too bad he never saw that dream fulfilled because Big River would have made him very proud. 

Click HERE for further show details and ticket purchasing information.

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Theatre at the Center Announces Cast for 

Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Actors James Romney and Jonathan Butler-Duplessis, all photos by Guy Rhodes

Actors James Romney in the role of Huck and Jonathan Butler-Duplessis in the role of Jim lead the cast of Theatre at the Center’s Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through Oct. 15.  

Performances are 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 7:30 p.m. Fridays; 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays; and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays, and select Thursday and Sunday evenings.   Individual ticket prices range from $40 - $44. To purchase individual tickets, call the Box Office at 219-836-3255 or Tickets.com at 800-511-1552. Group discounts are available for groups of 11 or more and gift certificates are also available. For more information on Theatre at the Center, visit www.TheatreAtTheCenter.com.   

Winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score, this musical telling of Mark Twain’s treasured tale features songs and music by Roger Miller, who created such hits as “King of the Road” and “Dang Me.” Led by melodies of country, bluegrass and gospel, the musical production follows the humorous and harrowing river journey of Huck and his friend Jim as they meet up with con-artists, reunite with Tom Sawyer and encounter a collection of characters as only imagined by one of America’s greatest writers.

Based on Mark Twain’s 1884 novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the stage musical Big River opened on Broadway on April 25, 1985 at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre. It ran for 1,005 performances and was considered one of the most successful musicals of the mid 1980s.  

Founded in 1991, the 410-seat Theatre at the Center is a year round professional theater at its home: The Center for Visual and Performing Arts, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, Indiana.   Theatre at the Center is the only professional theater company in Northwest Indiana, offering downtown caliber performances in an accessible venue with plenty of free parking.   Theater at the Center is located off I-80/94, just 35 minutes from downtown Chicago.

Broken Nose Theatre Welcomes Four New Company Members and Eight New Artistic Associates For Sixth Season

Broken Nose Theatre Announces 

New Company Members & Artistic Associates

PHOTO CREDIT:  Broken Nose Theatre’s new Company Members (top, l to r) Echaka Agba, Rose Hamill, Martin Hanna and Johnard Washington new Artistic Associates (2nd row, l to r) Kim Boler, JD Caudill, Devon Green, Ada Grey (3rd row, l to r) Robert Koon, Adam Soule, Regina Whitehead Mays and Watson Swift.

As it embarks on its sixth season, Broken Nose Theatre is pleased to announce a major expansion of the company by welcoming four new Company Members and eight new Artistic Associates.

Broken Nose’s new Company Members include: Echaka Agba, Rose Hamill, Martin Hanna and Johnard Washington. The company’s new Artistic Associates include: Kim Boler, JD Caudill, Devon Green, Ada Grey, Robert Koon, Adam Soule, Regina Whitehead Mays and Watson Swift.

“We couldn’t be happier with this incredible roster of talent joining the Broken Nose artistic family,” comments Broken Nose Artistic Director Benjamin Brownson. “Collectively they have been a part if nearly every project BNT has produced over our five year history, and I can’t think of a better group of collaborators to continue building on our recent success with At The Table and help us thrive as we enter the next phase of BNT’s growth and institutional development. We’re excited to be able to work with so many of them in our upcoming season, which we’ll be announcing in the coming weeks.” 

These new faces join current Broken Nose Theatre Company Members Benjamin Brownson (Founding Artistic Director), Spenser Davis, Jen Poulin, Elise Spoerlein and David Weiss, and current Artistic Associates Caitlin Boylan, Samuel Brownson, Teresa Kuruvilla, Aria Szalai-Raymond and Ivy Reid. The BNT Board of Directors consists of Benjamin Brownson, Laura Burgos, and Tim Wolfe.

About the New Company Members
 Echaka Agba is thrilled to be calling Broken Nose Theatre her artistic home. She was last seen in BNT's Bechdel Fest 5. Other Chicago theatre credits include: At the Table (Jeff Award – Best Ensemble, Best Supporting Actress) Broken Nose; The Crucible, Between Riverside and Crazy (Steppenwolf); Short Shakes! Romeo and Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare); A Comedical Tragedy for Mister Punch, United Flight 232 (Jeff Award – Best Ensemble) The House Theatre of Chicago; Don't Go Gentle (Haven Theatre); Balm In Gilead (Griffin Theatre). She is a graduate of The School at Steppenwolf and a lover of Black Box Acting. She is represented by Grossman & Jack Talent. 

Rose Hamill is a freelance stage and production manager around Chicago. She is absolutely thrilled to be a member of Broken Nose Theatre, and especially excited to be serving as Company Manager. A graduate of Columbia College Chicago's Technical Theatre program her credits there include Spring Awakening the Musical, The Tempest and Blues for an Alabama Sky. She has also worked with Windy City Playhouse (This), Cock & Bull Theatre (Lecherous Honey) and The New Colony (PUNK).

Martin Hanna is a graduate of the Arts University Bournemouth (England), and is proud to be joining Broken Nose Theatre. Born in Baghdad, Iraq, Martin has called Chicago his home for the past fifteen years. Outside of Broken Nose, a few of Martin's credits include The Hard Problem at Court Theatre; The Invisible Hand, A Christmas Carol, Dreamgirls at Milwaukee Rep; Macbeth, A Comedy of Errors, Failure: A Love Story and The Magical Mind of Billy Shakespeare at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. He is eager to collaborate with his new BNT family.

Johnard Washington recently appeared in Broken Nose Theatre’s At The Table. He is also a proud member of Red Tape Theatre and has most recently been seen in their production of A Hedda Gabler. Other credits: Elephant's Graveyard, The Skriker and Lear. He performed with Akvavit Theatre's Hand in Hand. Johnard also has worked very closely with Oracle Productions on two Jeff nominated productions: This House Believes the American Dream is at the Expense of the American Negro and The Hairy Ape. Johnard has also worked with Steppenwolf Theatre, Red Theatre Chicago, First Floor Theatre and Od Theatre. He is excited to join the Broken Nose family!

About the New Artistic Associates
Kim Boler hails from Clinton, MS with a BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi. After graduating, she earned her splinters with regional theatre for almost eight years working with such companies as Roxy Regional Theatre (TN), Georgia Ensemble Theatre (GA), Merry-go-round Playhouse (NY) and Busch Gardens Williamsburg (VA). She first worked with Broken Nose in 2016 with their production of Human Terrain and was nominated for a Jeff Award for Principal Actress in that production, and is excited to be a new Artistic Associate for this remarkable company. She is also a proud Ensemble Member of the Factory Theater as well as Bruised Orange Theatre. Other Chicago credits include Lifeline Theatre, Akvavit Theatre and Abraham Werewolf. 

JD Caudill is a director, music director, Hell in a Handbag company member and Associate Marketing Director and company member at Haven Theatre, as well as a 2x New Colony Associate Company Member. BGSU Theatre and Psychology graduate. Queer. They/them. Directed for Broken Nose Theatre, The New Colony, Haven Theatre, 16th Street Theatre, Red Theatre, Arc Theatre, Hobo Junction, The Runaways Lab Theatre, New American Folk Theatre and 20% Theatre. Assistant directed for Broken Nose on At The Table, as well as at The Metropolis (Josh Sobel), 16th Street Theatre (Ann Filmer; Megan Shuchman) and The New Colony (Evan Linder; Sean Kelly).

Devon Green is finishing up her senior year at Columbia College Chicago, earning her BA in Theatre Design. She is passionate about props design and loved being able to work on Human Terrain and At The Table with Broken Nose. Other productions include Light Up The Sky (Citadel Theater), Bonnie & Clyde (Kokandy Productions), King Liz (Windy City Playhouse), Dance For Beginners (Piven Theatre), The Snare (Jackalope Theatre) Bugsy Malone Jr. (Rotolo Middle School), The Feast (Red Theatre) and The Portrait (The Neapolitans). Her passion for props extends even further to her prop rental company Green Prop Rental which launches in November of 2018. 

Ada Grey is so excited to join the Broken Nose Theatre family as an artistic associate. She is an actor and theater critic in Chicago. She began writing reviews of plays at age four at adagrey.blogspot.com.  She’s gotten to interview some really cool people on her blog and has been interviewed on television, radio and featured in Chicago Reader’s 2016 people issue. Theater credits include Our Town (Redtwist), The Haven Place (A Red Orchid Youth), Scarcity (Redtwist, Broadway World Chicago Nomination Best Actress), The Awake (First Floor), Bechdel Fest 3 (Broken Nose), The Hammer Trinity (The House), To Kill a Mockingbird (Oak Park Festival Theatre), Jane Eyre (Lifeline), Men Should Weep (Griffin, Jeff Award Best Production), and 6 Characters in Search of an Author (The Hypocrites). She loves acting in webseries (Under Covers, Jacketman, Funny) and on television in Shrink (Seeso), Sirens (USA) and Chicago Fire (NBC). Ada is represented by Paonessa Talent.

Robert Koon is a Chicago playwright and actor. Recent credits include Seminar for Spartan Theatre Company, The Woman in Black for WildClaw Theatre, Chagrin Falls for The Agency Theatre Collective (Joseph Jefferson Award Nomination, Supporting Actor), The Taming of the Shrew at Oak Park Festival Theatre and Human Terrain for Broken Nose Theatre. Robert is a Resident Playwright alumnus at Chicago Dramatists, where his plays Homecoming 1972 and St. Colm’s Inch were produced; and he is an Associate Artist at 16th Street Theatre, which produced his play Menorca. He is a former Playwright Resident at the William Inge Center for the Arts, and teaches regularly for The Playwright’s Studio at Chicago Dramatists. His work includes the Jeff-nominated Odin’s Horse and Vintage Red and the Dust of the Road (Joseph Jefferson Award for New Work). Robert is a member of the Dramatists Guild.

Regina Whitehead Mays (RjW) is elated to part of the Broken Nose team. RjW graduated from Columbia College Chicago and is represented by the amazing Stewart Talent Agency. She has worked with several theatres in Chicago including ETA Good Black (nominated for a BTAA award), FJT, Halcyon, Profiles, Broken Nose, Interrobang and others. She was part of the inaugural Bechdel Fest and performed in the second and third one as well. Last summer, she portrayed Mama Beas in Polarity Theatre's Dionysos Cup winning play Leavings. She performed her first solo performance to a sold out house at Three Cat Productions The Fat Black Sanctified Girl, and will be seen next in Eden in Silence and her next Solo performance this winter at Three Cat. RjW was the face of Trident 2014. 

Adam Soule is thrilled to be joining the team of Broken Nose Theatre as an Artistic Associate. Adam has worked with BNT since their inaugural production of My First Time, then again in From White Plains, and most recently in the award winning production of At the Table. Active in the Chicago theatre scene since 2008, Adam is extremely happy to have this great city as his artistic home.

Watson Swift holds a MPH from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a BA in Mass Communication from Wayne State University. He also graduated from Second City’s Improv Conservatory, Acting and Writing programs and Annoyance Theatre's Advanced Improv program. Watson's credits include The Dictionary Project Vol. IV (Broken Nose Theatre), At Mister Kelly’s (Jeff Recommended), Death in a Beulah Box (Three Cat Productions), Among the Quick and the Dead (Prologue Theatre), Scenes from an Execution (Runcible Theatre), Stoop Time (You and Me Productions), Freedom Summer, Civil Rights Art Project and Out Loud (eta Creative Arts Foundation – nominated Best Actor by African American Arts Alliance and Best Ensemble by Black Theatre Alliance), Leg Up (Revolution Theatre), EL Stories XII (Waltzing Mechanics) and A Long Walk for Water (City Lit Theatre). He has also appeared in the film shorts The Woman Who Loved Weirdo Goon and Six Hour Pass.


BROKEN NOSE THEATRE is Chicago’s premiere Pay-What-You-Can theatre company. 
We develop and produce new work and strive to cultivate empathy, spark conversation and amplify underrepresented voices.

For more information, please visit brokennosetheatre.com.