OPENING: Wild Boar Via Silk Road Rising 11/9-12/17/17

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Silk Road Rising Presents

Wild Boar

The U.S. Premiere

Written by Candace Chong

Translated by Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith

Adapted by David Henry Hwang

Directed by Helen Young

November 9th - December 17th, 2017

Silk Road Rising (Chief Programming Officer and Mission Trustee, Jamil Khoury and Founding Executive Director, Malik Gillani) is proud to announce the U.S. Premiere of Wild Boar, written by Candace Chong, translated from Chinese to English by Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith, adapted by Tony Award winner David Henry Hwang, and directed by Helen Young.  The production will run November 9th to December 17th, 2017 at Silk Road Rising located at 77 W. Washington St., Lower Level, Chicago, IL, 60602. 


Synopsis

A gripping investigation of journalistic integrity, city planning, and social conscience, Wild Boar is a new play from one of Hong Kong’s most acclaimed playwrights. When a controversial professor goes missing, an editor and his student band together to publicize the truth. Old flames spark and friendships are tested in the U.S. premiere of this turbulent thriller about media manipulation, fake news, and who gets to speak for the poor.


Artistic Statements 

“We love Wild Boar not only because it’s smart, sexy, and topical, but because, in a rare combination, it exudes both confidence and self-doubt simultaneously. It builds and unpacks all at once, seemingly unable to differentiate right from wrong without flip-flopping, which is part of the play’s inherent strength. At a time when journalism, governance, nation-states, and citizenship all feel in flux, Wild Boar probes those feelings with an air of mystery, flirtatiousness, and whodunit intrigue. “  - Chief Programming Officer and Mission Trustee, Jamil Khoury

“As a fable, Wild Boar is a cautionary tale. It sounds an alarm. Today, this call has crossed the oceans, traversing 12,518 kilometers to Chicago. I believe the power of art will shorten the physical distance between us. Watching the fire from the other shore, will you feel the pain less acutely? I hope not. If this fable hasn’t provided a proper warning for my own city, let its ending be a mirror for audiences elsewhere.” - Playwright of Wild Boar, Candace Chong

“In giving this play its American premiere, Silk Road Rising builds a road connecting Candace’s community with our own. In our current national moment, Wild Boar has also become an American story.”- Adapter of Wild Boar, David Henry Hwang

“We make choices to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. Some of those choices touch on self-censorship or the censorship of others. Wild Boar’s challenge is this: we must not forget to examine and reflect on those choices. We may be giving up a deeply held long-term gain for a short-term smaller good. And in the case of an ideal, once it’s given up, it takes a fight to get it back.” - Director of Wild Boar, Helen Young


Cast/Crew

The creative team for Wild Boar includes Candace Chong (Playwright), Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith (Translators), David Henry Hwang (adapter), Helen Young (Director), Corey Pond (Production Manager), Joshua Baggett (Stage Manager), Yeaji Kim (Set/Projections Designer), Tony Churchill (Projections Designer),  Melissa Ng (Costume Designer), Lindsey Lyddan (Lighting Designer), Thomas Dixon (Sound Design and Original Music), Katy Vest (Props Master), Jason Pikscher (Tech Director), Carol Ann Tan (Dramaturg), Brent Ervin-Eickhoff (Assistant Director), and Bailey Howard (Assistant Stage Manager). 

The cast includes Christine Bunuan* as Tricia, F. Karmann Bajuyo as Ruan, Fin Coe as Yam, Emily Marso as Karrie, and Scott Shimizu as Johnny. Understudies include Zhanna Albertini, Harrison Hapin, Dwight Sora, Marie Tredway, Ian Michael Smith, and Marie Tredway.  

* Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.


About the Artists

Candace Chong (Playwright) is a recipient of the Best Artist Award (Drama) by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, and the winner of four Hong Kong Drama Awards (Best Script) for Alive in the Mortuary (2003), Shall We Go to Mars (2004), The French Kiss (2006) and Murder in San Jose (2009). Her plays have been translated and presented in Seoul, Tokyo, Macao, Singapore, and Shanghai, and her first commission as librettist, for the opera Dr. Sun Yat-sen, was selected as part of New York City Opera’s VOX: Contemporary American Opera Lab in May and will receive its world premiere this fall in Beijing and Hong Kong. Ms. Chong is a prolific translator of stage work, and her translations include Titus Andronicus, Betrayal and The Shape of Things, among many others. Her play, Wild Boar, premiered at the 2012 Hong Kong Arts Festival.

Helen Young (Director) is grateful and excited for another opportunity to work with the good people at Silk Road Rising! Recent work at SRR includes Great Expectations, The Hundred Flowers Project (as assistant director), and Red Flamboyant (as reading director). Other Chicago credits include the Jeff Recommended American Hwangap with A-Squared and Halcyon Theatres (director), and Tea—also Jeff Recommended—at Prologue Theatre. Helen also has several credits with TimeLine Theatre: Tiny Dynamite(director), The Audience (associate director), The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin (reading director), and Chimerica (assistant dramaturg). Other directing credits include work with Indie Boots, Polarity Ensemble, Artemisia, Broken Nose, and Artistic Home. 


Performance Schedule

Wild Boar will run from November 9th to December 17th, 2017. Performances will occur Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 4:00pm, and Sundays at 4:00pm. 
Added performance: Tuesday, 11/21 at 7:30pm.

Previews:  November 9 - November 17, 2017
Press Opening: November 18, 2017 at 4:00pm
Regular Run: November 19 - December 17, 2017


Tickets

Preview Performances: $25 for adults, $12.50 for students 
Regular Performances: $35 for adults, $17.50 for students 
Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased at www.wildboarplay.org or by calling the Silk Road Rising Box Office at 312.857.1234 x201. 

Steppenwolf LookOut Series Winter 2017-18 Lineup to Include Chita Rivera in Concert with Seth Rudetsky

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Additional Winter Highlights Include a One-Woman Show Written and Performed by Ensemble Member Molly Regan, an Evening of Improv with Michael Patrick Thornton and Performances by Returning LookOut Guests Jessie Fisher & Erik Hellman, Growing Concerns, and You’re Being Ridiculousplus Chicago musical theatre & storefront stars

Steppenwolf’s LookOut Series is pleased to announce their exciting Winter 2017-18 Lineup, which will feature two-time Tony Award winner Chita Rivera in Concert with Seth Rudetsky as pianist and host. The one-night-only event will be on Monday, December 11 at 6:30pm in Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted). Public tickets go on sale Friday, November 3 at 11am. Member Pre-Sale for the Chita Rivera concert starts Wednesday, November 1 at 11am.

Two-time Tony Award winner Chita Rivera performs alongside Sirius XM Radio host and creator/star of Broadway's Disaster! Seth Rudetsky as pianist and host. This unscripted evening will feature Rivera performing the greatest hits of her vast musical theater repertoire, including songs from her now legendary roles of Anita in West Side Story, Rose in Bye Bye Birdie and Velma in Chicago. Produced with Mark Cortale, the evening will be a seamless mixture of intimate, behind-the-scenes stories of her career through insightful, funny and revealing questions posed by Rudetsky. An acclaimed actress, singer and dancer, Rivera has earned 10 Tony nominations for her beloved Broadway roles. This spontaneous evening of hilarity and show-stopping songs is not to be missed. 

Additional winter highlights include a one-woman show written and performed by ensemble member Molly Regan, an evening of improv with Michael Patrick Thornton and performances by Returning LookOut Guests Growing Concerns Poetry Collective and Po’Chop, plus new music, comedy, theatre, storytelling and more. Full lineup below.

Tickets to most Winter LookOut programming go on sale Friday, November 3 at 11am through Audiences Services (1650 N Halsted), 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org. Steppenwolf Red and Black Card Members may use credits towards shows in the 1700 Theatre. Lineup below; prices vary. For information, visit steppenwolf.org/lookout.

Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre is an 80-seat cabaret-style space connected to Steppenwolf’s own Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks at 1700 N Halsted St., an inviting space to grab a drink, have a bite, or meet up with friends and collaborators, day or night. Guests can take drinks into the theater.

LookOut Winter 2017-18 Lineup
Listed in date order. All artists, dates and prices subject to change
*Doors open 30 minutes before performance time

She's Folks' Holiday Hootenanny
Thursday, December 7 & Friday, December 8 
8pm
$18
The Folks are hitchin' up the sleigh to bring you their signature Story, Song and Sass - with a seasonal twist. Join Betsy Morgan and the Boys as they celebrate the holidays with charming tales, Yuletide classics and a medley of holiday hymns, as well as original tunes.

Erik and Jessie and Everyone You Know Variety Show: Holiday Edition 
Monday, December 11
8pm
$15
Local actor/musicians Erik Hellman and Jessie Fisher present a Holiday edition of their variety hour: Original music, special guests, comedy, magic, improv, and ephemera along with the tightest country/soul band in the land. Fast-paced, fun, funky and fresh.

Bette Midler: Xmas at the Baths
Tuesday, December 12 & Wednesday, December 13
8pm
$25
Hell in a Handbag presents Caitlin Jackson as Bette Midler in the return of their steamy cabaret sensation - with a holiday twist! A live tribute to the legendary shows at New York's infamous Continental Bath House with Jeremy Ramey on piano and a slew of special guest stars to help ring in the holidays - Handbag style! 

Chita Rivera in Concert with Seth Rudetsky 
Monday, December 11 
6:30pm
$79-$150
Two-time Tony Award winner Chita Rivera performs at Steppenwolf for one-night-only alongside Sirius XM Radio host and creator/star of Broadway's Disaster! Seth Rudetsky as pianist and host. This unscripted evening will feature Rivera performing the greatest hits of her vast musical theater repertoire, including songs from her now legendary roles of Anita in West Side Story, Rose in Bye Bye Birdie and Velma in Chicago.

Steppenwolf Member Pre-Sale for this performance starts November 1 at 11am.

Youth in a Roman Field
Saturday, January 6
8pm
$12
Youth in a Roman Field wants to help you break the rules. The bastardized string quartet-meets-jazz-combo-meets-folk-band led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Claire Wellin incorporates sounds of "Appalachia, cayenne pepper, & ghosts.”

The Accidental Curator
By Molly Regan
Directed by Mary B. Robinson
Friday, January 12 – Sunday, January 14
Friday and Saturday 8pm
Sunday Matinee 2pm
$40
With equal amounts of wry humor and warm wisdom, Steppenwolf ensemble member Molly Regan takes on one of life's most challenging-but-under-appreciated rites of passage in this solo show: becoming the keeper of the keepsakes, repository of family memory, appraiser and disseminator of the valueless and the invaluable.

Sand & Friends
Friday, January 19 & Saturday, January 20 
8pm
$20
Sand is an improv ensemble made up of Thomas Kelly, Scott Nelson and Mike Brunlieb, accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Tim Joyce. Gentle, sweet little misfits and power-mad demonic rage-machines and kinda vacant functionaries and righteous Christian punk guitarists are some of Sand's favorite people.

Poems for the People: Growing Concerns Poetry Collective Book Release + Concert
Friday, January 26 & Saturday, January 27
8pm
$15
With this evening of music and performance, Growing Concerns Poetry Collective celebrates the release of its first book, a collection of the poetry of McKenzie Chinn and Mykele Deville, published by Candor Arts. 

The Przmatics: Chicago Songs
Tuesday, January 30
8pm
$10
Join The Przmatics for an evening of quirky power-pop with jazz harmonies filtered through garage band mentalities. This performance features songs written in and about the city of Chicago and will showcase special guests from the local scene performing new collaborations.

You’re Being Ridiculous: I LOVE…
Friday, February 2 & Saturday, February 3
Friday, February 9 & Saturday, February 10
8pm
$20
At You're Being Ridiculous, real people tell true stories about their lives. Each performer is linked by rotating themes, and by the desire to make you laugh—and, once in a while, cry. This month’s theme: I LOVE…

YOU & ME
Thursday, February 8
8pm
$20
YOU & ME is a two-person, entirely improvised, no suggestion set with Michael Patrick Thornton and a guest artist. Hilarious, horrifying, and human.

Sinfolk / Sound + Fury
Monday, February 12
$15
7pm
Featuring Gabriel Ruiz, Marvin Quijada and Jess Godwin, Sinfolk and Sound + Fury come together for a theatrically augmented concert experience benefitting Puerto Rico relief efforts. The split bill will host Sinfolk, an intimate acoustic duo, and Sound + Fury's electronic bombast, to create a unique evening of diverse music and theatrical experiments.

WildClaw Theatre Company Presents
Open Heart Surgery 2: Invasive Procedures
A Salon of Medical Horrors
Wednesday, February 14
8pm
$25
WildClaw Theatre Company is proud to present Open Heart Surgery 2, the sequel to 2014’s Horrific Valentine’s Day Salon. Join WildClaw as they explore matters of the heart… and lungs… and liver…

Thank the Lorde!
By Po’Chop
Friday, February 16 - Sunday, February 18
Friday and Saturday 8pm
Sunday Matinee 2pm
$20
The spirit moves in Po'Chop’s Thank the Lorde! This tribute to the revolutionary women who work together as friends and lovers is church service as performance. Filled with secular interpretations of all your favorite sacraments. Only this time, the object of worship is a Black Lesbian Feminist doing her work. Have you done yours? 

A Concert Presentation of:
East’o, West’o!
Music and Lyrics by Michelle J. Rodriguez
Friday, February 23 & Saturday, February 24
8pm
$20
Weaving together Appalachian harmonies, bluegrass and contemporary folk, a Norwegian tale becomes an American myth in this joyful musical, celebrating a big-hearted heroine navigating the spaces between womanhood, belonging and home. Starring the composer/lyricist, Michelle J. Rodriguez, the first Chicago presentation of East’o, West’o! promises to be an experience of powerful, cleansing, revitalizing joy.

We Three: Loud Her. Fast Her. Funny Her. 
Monday, February 26 & Tuesday, February 27 
8pm
$25
Meghan Murphy, Danni Smith, & Cassie Slater are three giants (literally they're all 5'10+) in the musical theatre world. Here, they join forces to sing about the sweet release of a well-timed belly laugh and the life affirming power of a new found friendship.

LookOut is Steppenwolf’s performance series that presents the work of artists and companies across genre and form, emerging artists and performance legends, quintessential Chicago companies and young aspiring ensembles, familiar Steppenwolf faces and new friends. Tickets to all LookOut programming are available through Audience Services (1650 N Halsted), steppenwolf.org or 312-335-1650. Prices vary for each show. Steppenwolf Red Card and Black Card Members may use credits towards any LookOut programming. The LookOut Series is presented year-round and announced on an ongoing basis. John Zinn, Greta Honold and Patrick Zakem are the producers for LookOut. For more information, visit steppenwolf.org/lookout.

Located in front of the 1700 Theatre is Steppenwolf’s café & bar, Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks, offering a warm, creative space to grab a drink, have a bite, or meet up with friends and collaborators, day or night. Open Tuesdays – Sundays from 8am to midnight, Front Bar serves artisanal coffee and espresso is provided by La Colombe and food prepared by Goddess and Grocer. The menu focuses on fresh, accessible fare, featuring grab-and-go salads and sandwiches for lunch and adding shareable small plates and desserts for evening and post show service. www.front-bar.com.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation’s premier ensemble theater. Formed by a collective of actors in 1976, the ensemble today features 47 members who represent a remarkable cross-section of actors, directors and playwrights. Thrilling and powerful productions from Balm in Gilead to August: Osage County—and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony Awards—have made the theater legendary. Steppenwolf produces hundreds of performances and events annually in its three spaces: the 515-seat Downstairs Theatre, the 299-seat Upstairs Theatre and the 80-seat 1700 Theatre. Artistic programing includes a seven-play season; a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season; Visiting Company engagements; and LookOut, a multi-genre performances series. Education initiatives include the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf for Young Adults, which engages 15,000 participants annually from Chicago’s diverse communities; the esteemed School at Steppenwolf; and Professional Leadership Programs for arts administration training. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, nearly 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director and David Schmitz is the Executive Director. Eric Lefkofsky is Chair of Steppenwolf’s Board of Trustees. For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

Public Mariann Mayberry Memorial Celebration Slated for 11/6/17

Steppenwolf Theatre Hosts Public Memorial Celebration for

Longtime Ensemble Member

    Mariann Mayberry

     Monday, November 6 at 1pm CST 

     
Steppenwolf Theatre Company will host a public memorial celebrating ensemble member of 24 years Mariann Mayberry. The memorial will take place Monday, November 6 at 1pm in Steppenwolf’s Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N Halsted St. To RSVP, email MariannMayberryMemorial@steppenwolf.org or call 312.654.5657. Following the event, all are welcome to gather in Front Bar.

Mariann Mayberry passed away on August 1, 2017 after a long, private battle with cancer. She left the world peacefully in the company of family and friends who love her deeply.

The November 6 event will celebrate the powerful presence Mariann brought to our lives and the stage. Her remarkable talent, humor, strength and bravery were a gift to all those who knew her or saw her on stage. We are so lucky to have had her in our Steppenwolf family. She is greatly loved.

The Barrow Street Theatre in New York, 27 Barrow Street, will also host a gathering to honor and celebrate Mariann Mayberry’s life on Monday, November 13 from 6-8pm. Light refreshments served; all are welcome.

Mariann Mayberry became an ensemble member in 1993 and most recently appeared in Grand Concourse (2015). The Chicago Tribune hailed her performance as one of the ‘Top 10 performances of 2015.’ Previous Steppenwolf credits include Russian Transport, Good People, for which she won the 2013 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Actress; August: Osage County (Chicago, Broadway, London and Sydney), Love Song, Last of the Boys, and many others. Broadway credits also include One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and Metamorphoses. Off-Broadway credits include Go Back To Where You Are (Playwright's Horizon) and The Notebooks Of Leonardo Da Vinci (Second Stage).  Some other favorites include Argonautika (Lookingglass), The Odyssey (Goodman), Hamlet (Chicago Shakespeare) and How I Learned to Drive (Northlight/Alliance).  Television credits include Person Of Interest, Are We There Yet, Law & Order (C.I., Trial By Jury, SVU), Mercy, The Dave Chappelle Show, The Pennsylvania Miner’s Story. Film credits include Dogman, The Company, War of the Worlds and Since You’ve Been Gone.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation’s premier ensemble theater. Formed by a collective of actors in 1976, the ensemble today features 47 members who represent a remarkable cross- section of actors, directors and playwrights. Thrilling and powerful productions from Balm in Gilead to August: Osage County—and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony Awards—have made the theater legendary. Steppenwolf produces hundreds of performances and events annually in its three spaces: the 515-seat Downstairs Theatre, the 299-seat Upstairs Theatre and the 80-seat 1700 Theatre. Artistic programming includes a seven-play season; a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season; Visiting Company engagements; and LookOut, a multi-genre performances series. Education initiatives include the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education, which engages 15,000 participants annually from Chicago’s diverse communities; the School at Steppenwolf; and Professional Leadership Programs. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, nearly 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director and David Schmitz is the Executive Director. Eric Lefkofsky is Chair of Steppenwolf’s Board of Trustees. For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

REVIEW: Underscore Theatre Scores With Campy Carrie 2: The Rage (An Unauthorized Musical Parody) World Premiere

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Underscore Theatre Company Presents the World Premiere of

CARRIE 2: THE RAGE

(AN UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL PARODY)

Book, Music and Lyrics by Preston Max Allen

Co-Directed by Isaac Loomer and Rachel Elise Johnson

Music Direction by T.J. Anderson 

October 13 – November 19, 2017 at The Arkham

(left to right) Michael Idalski, Britain Gebhardt, Annie Pfohl, Taylor Snooks, Alex Newkirk, Amanda Giles, Carissa Gonzalez, Joe Wesolowski, David Kaplinsky and Sam Button-Harrison in Underscore Theatre Company’s world premiere musical CARRIE 2: THE RAGE (An Unauthorized Musical Parody). All Photos by Evan Hanover.

Review:
Halloween season is ripe for gory stories, and Underscore delivers, in a hidden little storefront, Arkham theatre in Uptown, named specifically for this production. Note: The Arkham was the asylum in the Carrie-verse, which is in turn named for H.P. Lovecrafts' fictional town. Don't forget to "check in" to the asylum on social media! 

Underscore Theatre's macabre musical parody takes place 10+ years after the fateful, pig blood infused prom night, when bullied Carrie White went homicidal. What this low budget production lacks in stage blood it more than makes up for with laugh inducing melodrama, soaring songs, and copious use of the word telekinesis. Underscore Theatre scores again with a creative, over the top parody that makes poking fun at it's subpar namesake far more fun than the original. With plenty of catchy tunes, dramatic gestures, and larger than life characters, Carrie 2: The Rage (An Unauthorized Musical Parody) makes for a fun night out. 

(front, l to r) Taylor Snooks and Demi Zaino with (back l to r) Alex Newkirk, Sam Button-Harrison, Michael Idalski, Joe Wesolowski and Amanda Giles

We were already booked on the press preview, so we ducked in last night for their packed house, Monday show. We caught two understudies, Miki Byrne as Amy and Taylor Snooks as Lisa/Monica. The whole cast was tight and a delight to see, particularly the women. The boy band moves of the football team are a hoot, too, even as they sing about threatening with physical violence. 

(left to right) Amanda Giles, Carissa Gonzalez and Britain Gebhardt

(left to right) Annie Pfohl, Taylor Snooks and Sam Button-Harrison

Standouts were the traumatized guidance counselor, Sue Snell (Britain Gebhardt), the religious nut mother, Barbara (Annie Pfohl), with a tiny but mighty role and fierce vocals, mean girl supreme, Tracy (Amanda Giles), and scary Carrie's little half sister, Rachel (Demi Zaino).


(left to right) Demi Zaino and Michael Idalski with the cast of Underscore Theatre Company’s world premiere musical CARRIE 2: THE RAGE (An Unauthorized Musical Parody). 

Until human beings learn to quit being so awful to each other, mean girls, rapey jocks, adults with mental issues, and vengeful teens with preternatural powers are always in season. Catch this wacky world premiere while you can. Rachel (AKA: Carrie 2) will be raging through November 19th. 

**Note: If your weekends are crazy busy, this show runs 

Monday nights too!**

Back in the mid 90's, I played Carrie in a haunted house for two seasons, moving kitchen drawers and banging cupboards with my mental powers (and a little help from backstage). It was huge fun donning my deliciously bloody prom dress and air brushed makeup and scaring full grown adults into screaming idiots. I'd never made anyone pee themselves before, run shrieking into walls, or completely lose their minds. So, I'll always have a soft spot for the Carrie character.

Just in time for Halloween, Underscore Theatre Company is pleased to launch its 2017-18 Season with the world premiere of 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 Max Allen. Co-directed by Isaac Loomer and Rachel Elise Johnson, with music direction by T.J. Anderson, CARRIE 2: THE RAGE will play through November 19, 2017 at The Arkham, 4609 N. Clark St. in Chicago. Tickets on sale at underscoretheatre.org.

CARRIE 2: THE RAGE (An Unauthorized Musical Parody) will feature Demi Zaino as Rachel, Alex Newkirk as Jesse, Britain Gebhardt as Sue Snell and David Kaplinsky as Producer/Arnie with Sam Button-Harrison, Amanda Giles, Carissa Gonzalez, Michael Idalski, Annie Pfohl, Taylor Snooks and Joe Wesolowski.

(left to right) Joe Wesolowski, Taylor Snooks, Sam Button-Harrison, Demi Zaino, Michael Idalski and Carissa Gonzalez 

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.

The production team for CARRIE 2: THE RAGE (An Unauthorized Musical Parody) includes: Eric Luchen (scenic design), Rachel Johnson and Isaac Loomer (costume design), Erik Barry (lighting design), Timothy McNulty (sound design), Mealah Heidenreich (props design), Andrew Lynn (production manager), Karla Meyer (sound engineer), Elias Nelson (stage manager) and Josh Prisching (technical director, master electrician).

Location: The Arkham, 4609 N. Clark St., Chicago

Regular run: Friday, October 20 – Sunday, November 19, 2017

Curtain Times: Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 4 pm. Please note: there will be an added Halloween performance on Tuesday, October 31 at 7:30 pm.

Tickets: $20 Sundays & Mondays; $25 Fridays & Saturdays. Tickets on sale at underscoretheatre.org.

Artist Biographies
Preston Max Allen (Book, Music and Lyrics) 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) 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) 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) 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.

OPENING: Dark Holiday Cheer Returns With THIS WAY OUTTA SANTALAND at Theater Wit

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

MITCHELL FAIN’S HOLIDAY TELL-ALL 

THIS WAY OUTTA SANTALAND

IS BACK AT THEATER WIT WITH A FULL PRODUCTION,

NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 30

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we've enjoyed Mitchell J. Fain's annual holiday snark in The Santaland Diaries for years. I worked two seasons as an actor in a "santaland" set up in Ohio, with a trail of full blown improv fairy tale scenes leading up to Santa. We lost one alcoholic Santa after payday when he was a no show. The next, much more animated elf, was fired after the director and I walked in on him in an elevator actually smoking a crack pipe! As much as I empathize, and as funny as the Sedaris classic is, we're truly looking forward to the next iteration, as Fain returns as creator and performer of his own Very Special Xmas Special(tm), playing his own funny self in Chicago’s frothiest holiday show.

After an amazing workshop last year, Chicago's favorite holiday performer, Mitchell J. Fain, returns to Theater Wit with a full-blown, mainstage production of his hilarious and touching tell-all, This Way Outta Santaland (and other Xmas miracles). Press opening is Friday, November 24 at 7:30 p.m. Performances run through December 30.

For eight seasons as the star of Theater Wit’s The Santaland Diaries, Fain was forced to restrain his most anarchic, improvisatory impulses while constrained in stripey tights and a silly elf costume.

A tour-de-force blend of storytelling, improvisation, cabaret and cocktails, This Way Outta Santaland is a sweet, sentimental evening of hard truths that change night to night. Fain squeezes holiday tales from his audience, then swirls them with his own personal war stories about family, drunks, jewelry, funerals, the holiday spirits and more than 250 performances as Crumpet the Elf.

Cameos by a rotisserie of Chicago cabaret powerhouses like Meghan Murphy, Vanessa Dunleavy and Amy Lewis Montgomery and madcap pianist Julie B. Nichols are also on tap.

Chicago Theater Review hailed last season’s workshop production "Highly recommended. A brand new, indispensable tradition, at once hilarious, tragic, moving and profane."

Don’t miss This Way Outta Santaland, conceived and performed by Fain, in this new, fully decked-out production directed by Jeremy Wechsler, and designed by Julie B. Nichols (music), Courtney O’Neill (set), Mike Durst (lights) and Jeffrey Levin (sound).

Performances are November 24-December 30: Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m., with two added holiday week performances, Wednesday, December 20 and 27, at 7:30 p.m.

Theater Wit is located at 1229 N. Belmont, in the heart of the new Belmont Theatre District in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood.

The best way to secure seats to This Way Outta Santaland is to sign up for a Theater Wit Membership. Wit’s “all the theater you can eat” deal comes with special perks and lets members see as many plays at they want in any of Wit’s three spaces for one low monthly fee of $29/$22 for students. This includes shows presented at Wit by 2017-18 resident companies About Face, Kokandy Productions and Shattered Globe, and other top storefront and visiting companies.

Single tickets to This Way Outta Santaland are $28-$40.

To purchase tickets, a Membership, or to inquire about Flex Pass options, visit TheaterWit.org or call the Theater Wit box office, (773) 975-8150.

Behind-the-scenes of This Way Outta Santaland

In addition to eight years in Theater Wit’s perennial holiday hit The Santaland Diaries, Mitchell J. Fain has also been seen in This at Theater Wit, Le Switch at About Face, at UP Comedy Club at The Second City as host of Best Musical, at La Jolla Playhouse with The Second City and at Actors Theatre of Louisville in Lookingglass Theatre’s Lookingglass Alice. Fain is an Artistic Associate of The Midnight Circus and About Face Theatre and former co-host of The Windy City Queercast. Other credits include Stilettos, Circus and Soul, Hamlet-The Musical, Henry VI, Hamlet, Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As Bees in Honey Drown, Bitches, Hay Fever, The Mystery of Edwin Drood and The Lynching of Leo Frank. He also performed improv and sketch comedy on The Norwegian Star as a part of a Second City touring company.

Jeremy Wechsler (director) most recently staged Theater Wit’s Midwest premiere of Anne Washburn’s 10 Out of 12, last season’s holiday workshop of Mitchell Fain’s This Way Outta Santaland and the extended Midwest premiere of Mat Smart’s Naperville. Other directing credits at Wit include the company’s election night reading of The Trump Card by Mike Daisey, The New Sincerity by Alena Smith, The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence by Madeleine George, Bad Jews by Joshua Harmon, Mr. Burns, a post-electric play by Anne Washburn, Madeline George’s Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England, and that show’s summer remount at Art Square Theatre in Las Vegas. Wechsler also staged Wit’s acclaimed Completeness and The Four of Us (Itamar Moses), Tigers Be Still (Kim Rosenstock), This (Melissa James Gibson), Spin (Penny Penniston), Feydeau-Si-Deau (Georges Feydeau), Men of Steel (Qui Nguyen), Thom Pain (Based on Nothing) (Will Eno), Two for the Show (James Fitzpatrick and Will Clinger) and The Santaland Diaries. A veteran director in Chicago with over 50 productions, his work has been nominated for and won multiple awards for design, performance, adaptation and best new plays. 

About Theater Wit

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.

In addition to This Way Out of Santaland, Theater Wit’s 2017-18 season opens with Significant Other by Joshua Harmon, author of Wit’s 2015 smash hit Bad Jews, about a gay man in New York whose girlfriends are all getting married, co-produced with About Face Theatre (November 2–December 10, 2017). Wit also presents America’s premiere monologist, Mike Daisey, three nights only, in three different shows commenting on the current state of the U.S.A.: This is Not Normal, The End of Journalism and The White Man’s Burden, November 16, 17 and 18.

2018 opens with Wit’s world premiere of The Antelope Party, Eric John Meyer’s comedy about adult fans of My Little Pony (January 5-February 24, 2018). Spring sees the Chicago debut of Women Laughing Alone with Salad, Sheila Callaghan’s meta-feminist satirical comedy about friendship, salad, sex, bodies, yoga, salad, men, envy, diets, salad, uppers and salad (March 9-April 29, 2018).

“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. 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.

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.

To receive an “artisanal selection of consonants and vowels from Theater Wit,” sign up at TheaterWit.org/mailing for exclusive updates, flash deals and behind-the-scenes production scoop every few weeks.

World Premiere of A SWELL IN THE GROUND at The Gift Theatre Through 12/10/17

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

The Gift Theatre Presents the World Premiere of

A SWELL IN THE GROUND

By Janine Nabers

Directed by Ensemble Member Chika Ike

October 13 – December 10, 2017

The Gift Theatre concludes its 2017 season with the world premiere of Janine Nabers’ time-hopping love story A SWELL IN THE GROUND directed by ensemble member Chika Ike, playing October 13 – December 10, 2017 at 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available by calling the Gift’s box office at 773-283-7071 or visiting thegifttheatre.org. 

In intimate rooms throughout New York and Michigan, four friends from college fight through 17 years of love affairs, shattered dreams and compromised lives. Flipping back and forth through time like a photobook, this play – whose title is from a line of Emily Dickinson poetry – is equally breathtaking and heartbreakingly spare as Olivia, Nate, Abigail and Charles try to reconcile the lives they imagined with the lives they live.

A SWELL IN THE GROUND will feature ensemble members Keith Neagle as Nate and Darci Nalepa as Abigail with guest artists Sydney Charles as Olivia and Andrew Muwonge as Charles.

The production team for A SWELL IN THE GROUND includes: Eleanor Kahn (scenic design), Rachel Lambert (costume design), Eric Watkins (lighting design), Christopher Kriz (sound design), Ellie Terrell (props design), Gaby Labotka (violence/intimacy design), Smooch Medina (video/projections design) and Corine James (stage manager).

(left to right)  Sydney Charles and Keith Neagle in The Gift Theatre’s world premiere of A SWELL IN THE GROUND by Janine Nabers, directed by ensemble member Chika Ike. Photo by Claire Demos.

PRODUCTION DETAILS:



Regular run: Friday, October 20 – Sunday, December 10, 2017
Curtain Times: Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 3:30 pm & 7:30 pm; Sundays at 2:30 pm. Please note: there will not be a performance on Saturday, October 21 at 3:30 pm or Thursday, November 23 (Thanksgiving) or Friday, December 1.

Tickets: $30 – $40 Tickets are currently available at thegifttheatre.org or by calling the box office at (773) 283-7071.


About the Artists

Janine Nabers (Playwright) is a native of Houston, Texas and a 2013 graduate of the Lila Acheson Wallace Playwriting Fellowship at Juilliard and winner of the 2014 Yale Drama Series Prize for her play Serial Black Face. She currently writes for Lifetime’s Unreal and Bravo’s Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce under Marti Noxon. Her play Annie Bosh is Missing premiered in August 2013 at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Janine won the 2013 NYFA Playwriting fellowship and was the 2013-2014 AETNA Playwriting Fellow at Hartford Stage, a 2012-2013 New York Theatre Workshop Playwriting Fellow, and Page 73’s 2011 Playwriting Fellow. Janine is working on commissions from Primary Stages, the Alley Theatre, and Hartford Stage. Her new musical Mrs. Hughes was developed as the 2012 Williamstown Theatre Festival fellowship musical and was part of the 2013 Yale Institute for Musical Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club’s 7@7 series, and the Theatreworks New Works Now Festival.

Chika Ike (Director) is a Gift ensemble member, where she also served as the​ assistant director of The Royal Society of Antarctica. Ike has worked artistically with many Chicago and regional theatre companies, including Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Victory Gardens, American Blues Theatre Company, Eclipse Theatre, and Prologue Theatre Company. Upcoming directing projects include Lloyd Suh’s Franklinland for Jackalope Theatre Company and Dontrell who Kissed the Sea by Nathan Alan Davis for First Floor Theatre Company, as well as reading of Tori Sampson’s This Land was Made for Victory Garden’s Ignition Festival of New Plays. She is a former SDCF Gielgud Fellow, a member of the inaugural Victory Garden’s Directors Inclusion Initiative class, and the 2016-2017 Berkeley Repertory Theatre Bret C. Harte Directing Fellow.

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. The season closes with Janine Nabers’ time-hopping love story A Swell in the Ground, directed by ensemble member Chika Ike. 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 thegifttheatre.org or by calling (773) 283-7071. 

REVIEW: Immigration Integration at Pivot Arts' Don't Look Back/Must Look Back

Pivot Arts Presents the World Premiere of

DON’T LOOK BACK/MUST LOOK BACK

Directed by Devon de Mayo and Devised with the Ensemble 

Written by Tanya Palmer

Conceived by Julieanne Ehre

(front, l to r) Ashlyn Lozano, Sarah Lo and Christopher Acevedo 

All Photos by Michael Brosilow.

October 20 – November 19, 2017

A Site-Specific Performance Experience 

(left to right) Jin Park, Christopher Acevedo, Samantha Beach, Sarah Lo, Phyllis Liu and Lucy Carapetyan

REVIEW: 

Endless forms, queues, words and stairs. Information, education, investigation... In Pivot Arts' newest site specific work, the intimate audience of 16 experiences immigration integration. The journey encompasses pre-entry classes on how to request food and water, and find the bathroom if you've never seen the inside of an airplane, to ESL classes, to a barrage of questions in the citizenship application process, five years down the road. It was especially effective to be separated from the friend I came with, and herded around, not knowing where we were headed, why, and when I might see her again. The cast facilitates the process as other immigrants and immigration officials, interspersing bureaucratic instruction with poetic, frenetic synchronized motions and screen imagery.  

 (front, l to r) Ashlyn Lozano and Edward Mawere with the cast of Pivot Arts’ world premiere of DON’T LOOK BACK/MUST LOOK BACK. 

(front) Christopher Acevedo with the cast of Pivot Arts’ world premiere of DON’T LOOK BACK/MUST LOOK BACK. 

This production intrigued me, since my Swedish immigrant great grandparents first settled in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood 3 generations ago. Uptown was also my neighborhood for 4 years, when I first moved to Chicago in the early 90's. Although I was only coming from the suburbs of Ohio, there was still a bit of a learning curve as I acclimated to skyscrapers, urban crime, public transportation, and the best and worst our city has to offer. One of my vivid, early Uptown memories is of people in Asian conical hats, working the urban gardens next to utilitarian high rise apartments. It was such an unexpected juxtaposition to me. 

My mother was an ESL teacher for years, and we were frequent hosts to visitors from all over the world. So, I've heard many first hand adventures and adjustment stories. Still, I can only imagine the culture shock, moving to a giant city like Chicago, from another continent, speaking a different language, and scrambling to learn new customs.

(left to right) Christopher Acevedo and Ashlyn Lozano 

The Chinese Mutual Aid Association serves as an appropriate venue, that adds much to the production, via the wall art and institutional vibe. There are only two main locations in the show, with a short walk across the street, though there is much movement within the first building. If you have mobility issues, expect frequent trips up and down the stairs, and small desk seating. The closing ceremony has straw mat floor seating and only a couple chairs. I'm still recovering from major knee surgery in August, so it was a bit of a challenge for me, but I made it, albeit slowly and with painkillers in advance.

The ultimate takeaway is immigrant and refugee empathy, in a closing ceremony complete with written, folded origami promises placed in sand and a communion of unusual fruit. There are some interwoven stories gleaned from interviews with Uptown immigrants, though I was hoping for more first hand accounts of the experience. A series of personal stories would have been more interesting, though the premise of making the audience immigrants is effective. 

(left to right) Edward Mawere and Jin Park with a projected photo from James A. Bowey’s exhibit “When Home Won’t Let You Stay”

Pivot Arts is pleased to present the world premiere of DON’T LOOK BACK/MUST LOOK BACK, a site-specific performance experience in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, directed by Devon de Mayo and devised by an ensemble of actors and designers, written by Tanya Palmer and conceived by Julieanne Ehre. Audience members are taken on an immersive journey inspired by the stories and experiences of Uptown residents, many of whom came to Uptown as refugees. 

DON’T LOOK BACK/MUST LOOK BACK will play October 20 – November 19, 2017 in various Uptown locations starting at the Chinese Mutual Aid Association, 1016 W. Argyle St. The intimate performance experience is limited to 16 audience members per show. Tickets, priced at $35, are currently on sale at pivotarts.org/events/. 

DON’T LOOK BACK/MUST LOOK BACK will feature Christopher Acevedo, Samantha Beach, Lucy Carapetyan, Phyllis Liu, Sarah Lo, Ashlyn Lozano, Edward Mawere and Jin Park.

The performance is inspired by stories of escape and loss from local residents who fled their countries and arrived here to make Uptown their home – and the systems and people that they’ve encountered along the way. Blending movement, images and storytelling, Don't Look Back/Must Look Back brings audiences into the experience of making a home in a place where everything is unfamiliar and the sands are constantly shifting beneath your feet. 

(pictured) Sarah Lo with a projected photo from James A. Bowey’s exhibit “When Home Won’t Let You Stay”

The performance also features images from documentary artist James Bowey’s exhibit “When Home Won’t Let You Stay,” a portrait of refugees in America and their stories of hope and perseverance in the face of violence and loss. For additional information, visit https://jamesbowey.atavist.com/home. 

“Don’t Look Back/Must Look Back continues Pivot Arts’ initiative to create site-specific performances where audiences participate in unique experiences,” comments Pivot Arts Director Julieanne Ehre. “Last year’s The Memory Tour took audiences on a journey through memory and Don’t Look Back/Must Look Back uses a similar format. Audiences will have the opportunity to experience the lives of local residents and refugees while moving through various locations.” 

The production team includes Patricia Nguyen (associate director), John Blick (production manager), James Bowey (video and photographs), Connor Ciesil (sound designer), kClare McKellaston (costume designer), Justine B. Palmisano (stage manager), Giau Truong (lighting and installation designer), Sammy Ziesel (assistant director) and Adrian Shelton (production assistant).

PRODUCTION DETAILS:
Location: Begins at Chinese Mutual Aid Association, 1016 W. Argyle St.
Regular run: Friday, October 27 – Sunday, November 19, 2017
Curtain Times: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 7:30 pm.
Tickets: $35.Tickets are currently available at pivotarts.org/events/.

A FREE pre-show event will be held on Sunday, October 29 at 5:30 pm at 1016 W. Argyle St. Artist and performance scholar Patricia Nyugen will moderate a discussion with her father, Vietnamese Activist, Tam Nyugen, artists from the Pivot Arts production and clients and staff from Chinese Mutual Aid Association. For additional information, visit pivotarts.org/events/.  

DON’T LOOK BACK/ MUST LOOK BACK is funded in part by an Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts with major in-kind support from Chinese Mutual Aid Association.

About the Artists
Devon de Mayo is a director, devisor and teacher. Most recently, she directed Harvey at Court Theatre. Other directing credits include: You on the Moors Now (The Hypocrites), Sycamore (Raven Theatre), Animals Out of Paper (Shattered Globe Theatre), You Can't Take it With You at (Northlight Theatre), Jet Black Chevrolet (side project), Lost in Yonkers (Northlight Theatre), Compulsion and Everything is Illuminated (Next Theatre); An Actor Prepares (University of Chicago); and Roadkill Confidential, The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler and Clouds (Dog & Pony). Directing and devising credits include: Guerra: A Clown Play, a collaboration with Mexico City based artists La Piara (performances in Mexico City, Chicago, New York, Bogota, Albuquerque and Madrid); The Whole World is Watching (Dog & Pony Theatre Co. with Chicago Park District), Infiltrating Bounce (San Antonio Luminaria Festival), The Twins Would Like To Say (Dog & Pony at Steppenwolf Theatre), As Told by the Vivian Girls (Dog & Pony). In 2015, she served as Resident Director under Stephen Daldry for The Audience on Broadway. Devon also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern University, Loyola University and the University of Chicago. She received her MFA in Theatre Directing from Middlesex University in London.

Tanya Palmer is a dramaturg and playwright. Her plays include Body Talk, Fatherland, Barbra Live at Canyon Ranch, Spring and Trash and The Memory Tour, and have been developed or produced at Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Hangar Theatre, Solar Stage, the Montreal Fringe Festival, The Harbourfront Centre, HERE and Pivot Arts, where she is an Artistic Associate. She is a member of MC-10, a newly formed Playwrights Collective in residence at the Greenhouse Theater Center. Her work has been published by Smith & Kraus, Samuel French and Playscripts, Inc. She is the Director of New Play Development at Goodman Theatre, where she coordinates New Stages, the theater’s new play program, and has served as the production dramaturg on a number of plays including the world premieres of 2666 by Roberto Bolaño, adapted and directed by Seth Bockley and Robert Falls; Smokefall by Noah Haidle, The Happiest Song Plays Last by Quiara Hudes and the Pulitzer Prize–winning Ruined by Lynn Nottage. Prior to her arrival in Chicago, she served as the director of new play development at Actors Theatre of Louisville, where she led the reading and selection process for the Humana Festival of New American Plays. She is the co-editor, with Amy Wegener and Adrien-Alice Hansel, of four collections of Humana Festival plays, published by Smith & Kraus, as well as two collections of 10-minute plays published by Samuel French. Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, she holds an MFA in playwriting from York University in Toronto.

Julieanne Ehre is the founder and the director of Pivot Arts. She both leads the organization and curates performances including the Pivot Arts Festival, Live Talk series and conceived/directed The Memory Tour. She was the NEA/TCG New Generations “Future Leaders” Fellow at the Goodman Theatre, where she served as producer on Latino Festival, New Stages Series and conceived of and produced the Goodman’s Artists Talk series. Julieanne served as a delegate to the Santiago a Mil Festival in Chile and the ITI World Theater Congress in Xiamen, China through Theater Communications Group and was the co-chair of the Arts and Culture Committee for Chicago’s 48th Ward. As the Artistic Director of Greasy Joan & Co. for five years, she directed and produced critically acclaimed and premiere adaptations of classic plays and worked as a freelance theater director. Ehre holds an MFA in Directing from Northwestern University.

About Pivot Arts

Pivot Arts produces and presents contemporary and multi-disciplinary performance. They develop new work and present performances throughout the year culminating in a multi-arts festival. Their vision is that of a vibrant community where unique collaborations between artists, businesses and organizations lead to the support and creation of innovative performance events.

 (front, l to r) Sarah Lo and Lucy Carapetyan with the cast of Pivot Arts’ world premiere of 

DON’T LOOK BACK/MUST LOOK BACK. Photo by Michael Brosilow.