OPENING: Having Our Say at Goodman Theatre Through June 10th, 2018

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar:

EXPERIENCE A CENTURY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY ON STAGE IN 

HAVING OUR SAY: THE DELANY SISTERS’ FIRST 100 YEARS, 

FEATURING ELLA JOYCE AS BESSIE AND MARIE THOMAS AS SADIE

 

***SPECIAL EVENTS INCLUDE MAY 10 “SORORITY SISTERS NIGHT,” MAY 13 “ARTIST ENCOUNTER,” MAY 23 “HAVING YOUR SAY” ESTATE PLANNING SEMINAR AND MORE***

As a long time admirer of director Chuck Smith’s work, I'm very much looking forward to catching Goodman's latest. We'll be out for the press opening May 14th. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Delany centenarians' New York Times bestselling memoir. We're eager to hear a century of wisdom and history from the immortalized experiences of Bessie (1891 – 1995) and Sadie (1889 –1999). 

Goodman Theatre celebrates the lives of “two strong, vibrant women dispensing joy and wisdom” (Chicago Tribune) in a major revival of Emily Mann’s Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years. Directed by the Goodman’s longtime Resident Director Chuck Smith, the production features Ella Joyce and Marie Thomas as the Delany centenarians, Bessie (1891 – 1995) and Sadie (1889 –1999), respectively. 

The sisters were discovered in 1991 when Amy Hill Hearth interviewed them for The New York Times. Following the article, the trio co-authored the book, Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years—a New York Times bestseller and heartfelt reflection of their family history and triumphs over prejudices in times of social unrest. Mann adapted it for the stage, first at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey and then to Broadway, where it ran for 317 performances. 

Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years appears May 5 – June 10, 2018 in the Albert Theatre (opening night is Monday, May 14). Tickets ($20 - $75; subject to change) are now on sale at GoodmanTheatre.org/HavingOurSay, by phone at 312.443. 3800 or at the box office (170 North Dearborn). ComEd is the Major Corporate Sponsor, Conagra Brands Foundation is the Major Production Sponsor and ITW and PwC are the Corporate Sponsor Partners. 

“While many plays deal with a particular moment in time, Having Our Say encapsulates more than a century of America, introducing us to two women who serve as discerning, loving narrators of both their personal story and of our nation’s history,” said Artistic Director Robert Falls. “For 25 years, Chuck Smith’s work has given audiences the unparalleled opportunity to explore the 19th and 20th centuries through the lens of the African American experience—and I’m thrilled to present his interpretation of this deeply moving and vital play.”

This year marks the 25th anniversary of their New York Times bestselling memoir, which serves as a narrative of a century-long swath of triumphs, stagnations and progress in 20th century America. Born in 1889 and 1891 in North Carolina, Sarah “Sadie” L. Delany and A. Elizabeth “Bessie” Delany lived together for more than 100 years and were two of 10 children born to Henry and Nanny Delany. Their father was born a slave in 1858, and later became the country’s first African American Episcopal bishop and vice principal of St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, North Carolina. Their mother also worked at St. Augustine’s as a matron, and the sisters spent their childhood on the campus before moving to New York City to pursue educations and careers. Sadie was a schoolteacher---the first African American permitted to teach high school-level domestic science in New York City—until her retirement in 1960. She passed away at the age of 109 in 1999. In 1923, Bessie became the second African American woman to work as a dentist in New York City. Throughout her tenure, she never once raised her prices from $2 for a cleaning and $5 for a silver filling. She retired in 1950 and later passed away at the age of 104 in 1995.

“I think the sisters’ stories and points of view have become even more important over time, we need to listen to one another, and especially to our wise elders, now more than ever”, said Hearth, who recently published her 10th book, Streetcar to Justice: How Elizabeth Jennings Won the Right to Ride in New York, which is dedicated in part to the sisters. “The sisters had an enormous impact on my life. I don’t take on any new writing projects unless I think Sadie and Bessie would approve.”

The production design element features Linda Buchanan’s turntable set that alternates between the Delany kitchen and living room, which houses more than 70 photo frames—some of which illuminate with historical images using projections designed by Mike Tutaj. The design team also includes Birgit Rattenborg Wise (costumes), John Culbert (lights) and Ray Nardelli (sound). Kimberly Ann McCann is the production stage manager.

TICKETS, DISCOUNTS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

Tickets ($20-$75) – GoodmanTheatre.org/HavingOurSay; 312.443.3800; Fax: 312.443.3825; TTY/TDD: 312.443.3829
Box Office Hours –12noon - 5pm; on performance days, the box office remains open until 30 minutes past curtain
MezzTix – Half-price day-of-performance mezzanine tickets available at 10am online (promo code MEZZTIX) 
$10Tix – Student $10 day-of-performance tickets; limit four, with valid student ID (promo code 10TIX)
Group Sales are available for parties 10 ; 312.443.3820
Gift Certificates – Available in any amount; GoodmanTheatre.org/GiftCertificates

PROJECT CONECT BENEFIT – May 5 at 5pm | Petterino’s (150 North Dearborn)
Tickets are $45-50. Project CoNect hosts “theater night” surrounding the major revival of Having Our Say. Join members of Project CoNect and director Chuck Smith for a pre-show reception, followed by the 8pm performance. Project CoNect is a community-based non-profit organization dedicated to empowering individuals through educational programming. Tickets can be found at Projectconect.org

SORORITY SISTERS NIGHT – May 10 at 6pm | The Alice Center
Tickets are $25. The Delany sisters were devoted members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. Celebrate sisterhood with complimentary drinks and hors d'oeuvres, followed by the 7:30pm performance and post-show discussion.

ARTIST ENCOUNTER – May 13 at 2pm | The Alice Center
Tickets are free for members; $10 for general public. Artist Encounters bring together audiences and Goodman artists in an intimate environment for a behind-the-scenes look at the plays and the playmaking process. Join director Chuck Smith as he discusses the process of bringing Having Our Say to life.

HAVING YOUR SAY ESTATE PLANNING SEMINAR – May 23 at 11:30am | The Alice Center
Tickets are free. Join Goodman Theatre for an afternoon of insights, artistic conversation and lunch. Learn from estate planning professions and a moderated discussion with artists from Having Our Say. 

ACCESSIBILITY AT THE GOODMAN

Touch Tour,  June 2 at 12:30pm – A presentation detailing the set, costume and character elements
Audio Described Performance, June 2 at 2pm – The action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset
ASL Interpreted Performance, June 6 at 7:30pm – Professional ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played 
Open Captioned Performance,  June 9 at 2pm – An LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance
Visit Goodman Theatre.org/Access for more information about Goodman Theatre’s accessibility efforts.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Emily Mann (Playwright) most recently collaborated with the Goodman on The Convert  during the 2011/2012 Season. She is a multi-award-winning director and playwright in her 28th season as artistic director and resident playwright of McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey. Under Mann’s leadership, McCarter was honored with the 1994 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater. Her nearly 50 McCarter directing credits include productions by Shakespeare, Chekhov, Ibsen and Williams and the recent world premieres of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express; Baby Doll; Five Mile Lake; The Convert; The How and the Why; Miss Witherspoon and Me, Myself & I. This spring, Mann will direct the McCarter-commissioned world premiere of Christopher Durang’s Turning Off the Morning News. Broadway credits include A Streetcar Named Desire, Anna in the Tropics, Execution of Justice and Having Our Say. Her plays include Having Our Say, adapted from the book by Sarah L. Delany and A. Elizabeth Delany with Amy Hill Hearth; Execution of Justice; Still Life; Annulla, An Autobiography; Greensboro (A Requiem); Meshugah; Mrs. Packard and Hoodwinked (a Primer on Radical Islamism). She is currently writing a play with Gloria Steinem and the stage adaptation of The Pianist.  Adaptations include Baby Doll, Scenes from a Marriage, Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard, A Seagull in the Hamptons, The House of Bernarda Alba,  Antigone. Awards and honors received include Peabody, Hull Warriner, NAACP, Obie's, Guggenheim; Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle nominations, a Princeton University Honorary Doctorate of Arts, a Helen Merrill Distinguished Playwrights' Award, and the Margo Jones Award given to a "citizen-of-the-theater who has demonstrated a lifetime commitment to the encouragement of the living theatre everywhere.”

Chuck Smith (Director) is a member of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees and is Goodman Theatre’s Resident Director. He is also a resident director at the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe in Sarasota, Florida. Goodman credits include the Chicago premieres of Objects in the Mirror; Pullman Porter Blues; By the Way, Meet Vera Stark; Race; The Good Negro; Proof and The Story; the world premieres of By the Music of the Spheres and The Gift Horse; James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner, which transferred to Boston’s Huntington Theatre Company, where it won the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Award for Best Direction; A Raisin in the Sun; Blues for an Alabama Sky; August Wilson’s Two Trains Running and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; Ain’t Misbehavin’; the 1993 to 1995 productions of A Christmas Carol; Crumbs From the Table of Joy; Vivisections from a Blown Mind and The Meeting. He served as dramaturg for the Goodman’s world-premiere production of August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean. He directed the New York premiere of Knock Me a Kiss and The Hooch for the New Federal Theatre and the world premiere of Knock Me a Kiss at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theater, where his other directing credits include Master Harold... and the Boys, Home, Dame Lorraine and Eden, for which he received a Jeff Award nomination. Regionally, Smith directed Death and the King’s Horseman (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Birdie Blue (Seattle Repertory Theatre), The Story (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Blues for an Alabama Sky (Alabama Shakespeare Festival) and The Last Season (Robey Theatre Company). At Columbia College he was facilitator of the Theodore Ward Prize playwriting contest for 20 years and editor of the contest anthologies Seven Black Plays and Best Black Plays. He won a Chicago Emmy Award as associate producer/theatrical director for the NBC teleplay Crime of Innocence and was theatrical director for the Emmy-winning Fast Break to Glory and the Emmy-nominated The Martin Luther King Suite. He was a founding member of the Chicago Theatre Company, where he served as artistic director for four seasons and directed the Jeff-nominated Suspenders and the Jeff-winning musical Po’. His directing credits include productions at Fisk University, Roosevelt University, Eclipse Theatre, ETA, Black Ensemble Theater, Northlight Theatre, MPAACT, Congo Square Theatre Company, The New Regal Theater, Kuumba Theatre Company, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre, Pegasus Players, the Timber Lake Playhouse in Mt. Carroll, Illinois and the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He is a 2003 inductee into the Chicago State University Gwendolyn Brooks Center’s Literary Hall of Fame and a 2001 Chicago Tribune Chicagoan of the Year. He is the proud recipient of the 1982 Paul Robeson Award and the 1997 Award of Merit presented by the Black Theater Alliance of Chicago.

Amy Hill Hearth is a New York Times  Bestselling Author, and an American Library Association “Notable Book” and Peabody Award Winner. She is also a Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, USA Today and Publisher's Weekly Bestselling Author. Hearth's most recent book, Streetcar to Justice: How Elizabeth Jennings Won the Right to Ride in New York, was published Jan. 2, 2018. Written for middle-grade to adult readers, the book tells the all-but-forgotten story of Elizabeth Jennings, a black schoolteacher who refused to leave a segregated streetcar in Manhattan in 1854, setting into motion a historic court case and the first major step in ending segregation in public transportation in New York.  She is the author of two novels, Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Women’s Literary Society and Miss Dreamsville and the Lost Heiress of Collier County,  both published by Simon & Schuster's Atria Books imprint, as well as seven nonfiction books including Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years, a blockbuster bestseller which spawned a Broadway play and television film. She is the co-author of Know Your Power: A Message to America’s Daughters by the first female speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Nancy Pelosi.  Having Our Say, called a "classic oral history" by Newsweek magazine, remains a staple in American classrooms. The book is the story of two very wise and candid centenarian sisters, Sarah L. and A. Elizabeth Delany, whose father was born into slavery in the American South. The book was a New York Times Bestseller for 113 weeks. Hearth was an advisor on the Broadway play adaptation of Having Our Say, which earned three Tony Award nominations including Best Play. Hearth served again as advisor when the book was adapted for a CBS Sunday Night Movie in 1999. Directed by Academy Award winner Lynne Littman, the film starred Ruby Dee, Diahann Carroll, and Amy Madigan. Hearth's real-life role was portrayed by Madigan. Hearth began her career in the newspaper business. Having Our Say, in fact, began as a story she wrote about the then-unknown Delany Sisters for The New York Times. As a reporter who had always been interested in telling the stories of older people, she eagerly followed up on several leads about the mysterious and reclusive pair. When she finally met them, her hopes of an interview almost didn't work out, as she later told The New York Times  in a story published on April 2, 1995: "They didn't think they were important enough. I had to convince them and gave this little impromptu speech - that I thought it was very important that people from their generation be represented, especially black women who hadn't had much opportunity. I guess my enthusiasm rubbed off." Hearth attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, majoring in Sociology, then transferred to the University of Tampa, Fla., where she earned a B.A. in Writing and was editor of the college newspaper. Her first newspaper job was assistant arts and entertainment editor at The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass. She was, also, an intern in investigative journalism at Tampa Magazine in spring 1982. Her first fulltime reporting job was in Florida at the Daytona Beach News-Journal  (where she met her future husband when she interviewed him for a story). After relocating to the New York area, she wrote 88 bylined news and feature stories for The New York Times including her article on the Delany Sisters. Amyhillhearth.com

ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE
AMERICA’S “BEST REGIONAL THEATRE” (Time magazine), Goodman Theatre is a premier not-for-profit organization distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and civic engagement. Led by Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, the theater’s artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics (celebrated revivals include Falls’ productions of Death of a Salesman and The Iceman Cometh). Goodman Theatre artists and productions have earned two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards, over 160 Jeff Awards and many more accolades. In addition, the Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle” and its annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this season, has created a new generation of theatergoers. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production partner with local off-Loop theaters and national and international companies by providing financial support or physical space for a variety of artistic endeavors.

Committed to three core values of Quality, Diversity and Community, the Goodman proactively makes inclusion the fabric of the institution and develops education and community engagement programs that support arts as education. This practice uses the process of artistic creation to inspire and empower youth, lifelong learners and audiences to find and/or enhance their voices, stories and abilities. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of such programming, most offered free of charge, and has vastly expanded the theater’s ability to touch the lives of Chicagoland citizens (with 85% of youth participants coming from underserved communities) since its 2016 opening.

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

Today, Goodman Theatre leadership also includes the distinguished members of the Artistic Collective: Brian Dennehy, Rebecca Gilman, Henry Godinez, Dael Orlandersmith, Steve Scott, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor, Henry Wishcamper and Mary Zimmerman. David W. Fox, Jr. is Chair of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Cynthia K. Scholl is Women’s Board President and Justin A. Kulovsek is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.

OPENING: HAMLET Via The Gift Theatre 6/1-7/29/18

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

The Gift Theatre 

HAMLET

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Guest Artist Monty Cole

June 1 – July 29, 2018

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we've long been big fans of Gift Theatre's little space. They're outliers from all the cities various theatre districts, but well worth the trek to Jefferson Park on Chicago's northwest side. They've made a go of it for 17 seasons, with intimate, excellent, and award winning productions. Gift often likes to play vertically with multilayered shows, physically and mentally. We're eager to catch their take on Hamlet.

The Gift Theatre is pleased to announce casting for William Shakespeare’s HAMLET, directed by guest artist Monty Cole. The Gift’s production of the Bard’s great tragedy will crack open the mind of one of western drama's most fascinating and complex characters. 

The cast of The Gift Theatre’s HAMLET includes (top, l to r) John Kelly Connolly, Robert Cornelius, Shanésia Davis, Gregory Fenner and Daniel Kyri (bottom, l to r) Martel Manning, Casey Morris, Jake Szczepaniak, Hannah Toriumi and Netta Walker.

HAMLET will feature Daniel Kyri as Hamlet with Gift ensemble members John Kelly Connolly* as Claudius, Gregory Fenner* as Laertes, Martel Manning* as Guildenstern and Hannah Toriumi* as Rosencrantz, and guest artists Robert Cornelius as Ghost/Polonius, Shanésia Davis as Gertrude, Casey Morris as Horatio, Jake Szczepaniak as Fortinbras/Marcellus/Gravedigger and Netta Walker as Ophelia.

HAMLET will play June 1 – July 29, 2018 at 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood. Single tickets and season subscriptions are currently available by calling the Gift’s box office at 773-283-7071 or visiting thegifttheatre.org. The press opening is Thursday, June 7 at 7:30 pm

After the death of his dad, a young black man named Hamlet returns home to grieve and seek revenge. Fighting against the injustice of his father's murder and the powers that want him out of the picture, Hamlet quickly loses power and sanity. 

Director Monty Cole comments, “Over the last year, this script has only become more personal to me and my production team. What makes this Hamlet unique isn’t necessarily “a new spin” from me but rather a process of personalization from incredibly respected Chicago artists working to make this 400 year old story feel prescient.”

Artistic Director Michael Patrick Thornton adds, “Experiencing Shakespeare at The Gift is electrifying. In our intimate space, we can deliver performances that mirror Hamlet’s advice to the players: stripped-down, clear, lyrical, and conversational. To be mere feet away from Hamlet’s heartache and blazing mind would be gift enough; with the colossal talents of these artists, our HAMLET will be one for the ages.”

The production team for HAMLET includes: William Boles (scenic design), Samantha Jones (costume design) Claire Chrzan and Michelle Benda (lighting design) Jeffery Levin (sound design) and Michael Petersen, Ph.D. (dramaturg).  

Location: The Gift Theatre, 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago
Dates: Previews: Friday, June 1 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, June 2 at 7:30 pm, Sunday, June 3 at 2:30 pm and Wednesday, June 6 at 7:30 pm
Press openings: Thursday, June 7 at 7:30 pm
Regular run: Friday, June 8 – Sunday, July 29, 2018
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 3:30 pm performance on Saturday, June 9.

Tickets: Previews $25. Regular run $35 – $40. Single and season subscriptions are currently available by calling the Gift’s box office at 773-283-7071 or visiting thegifttheatre.org.

*Denotes Gift Theatre ensemble member

About the Director
Monty Cole is a director based in Chicago and Los Angeles. Cole has directed for The Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, American Theatre Company, Definition Theater Company/ALTA, The House Theatre of Chicago, the Chicago Theater Marathon, California Institute of the Arts and others. Cole directed the critically acclaimed and Jeff Award winning production of The Hairy Ape for Oracle Productions. Monty is working with collaborator and choreographer Breon Arzell on revitalizing In Dahomey, the first black written and performed Broadway musical from 1903 for the Center for New Performance. Recently, he directed Kiss by Guillermo Calderon at the California Institute of the Arts where he is currently an MFA2 Directing candidate.

About The Gift Theatre
The Gift’s 17th season consists of Stacy Osei-Kuffour’s world premiere of Hang Man, directed by Jess McLeod (March 2 – April 29, 2018); Shakespeare’s Hamlet, directed by Monty Cole (June 1 – July 29, 2018); and the Midwest premiere of Tony Award-winning playwright and ensemble member David Rabe’s Cosmologies, directed by Artistic Director Michael Patrick Thornton (October 12 –December 9, 2018). 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. 

OPENING: World Premiere of REFRIGERATOR Via First Floor Theater at The Den 5/13-6/9/18

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

World Premiere!

First Floor Theater Presents 

REFRIGERATOR

By Lucas Baisch

Directed by Artistic Director Hutch Pimentel

May 13 – June 9, 2018 at The Den Theatre

I'll be ChiILin' with Chi, IL's First Floor Theater at The Den, on May 20th, so check back soon for my full review. Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we were impressed with the passion and creativity of their last production, Dontrell Who Kissed The Sea. We're eager to see their latest, the world premiere of Refrigerator, developed in Goodman's 2016-17 Playwrights Unit. 

First Floor Theater is thrilled to continue their sixth season with the world premiere of Lucas Baisch’s poetic and poignant drama REFRIGERATOR, directed by artistic director Hutch Pimentel. REFRIGERATOR will play May 13 – June 9, 2018 at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are on sale now at firstfloortheater.com. 

Pictured (top, l to r): Shariba Rivers and Avi Roque (bottom, l to r) Nathaniel Andrew, Kevin Stangler and Andrew Cutler. 

REFRIGERATOR features First Floor company members Andrew Cutler, Shariba Rivers and Avi Roque, with Nathaniel Andrew and Kevin Stangler. 

Eighty-two percent of the planet's people have dispensed with their physical bodies and uploaded their consciousnesses to IceBox in hopes of reaching a digital paradise. Some of the last employees of IceBox and Co. continue to provide transitional services for clients making the ascent. Benjamin has won the lottery, and as he spends his last day in the office, his coworkers battle with their own moral and socioeconomic inability to abandon their individual visions of reality. REFRIGERATOR asks what it is and what it should be.

This play was commissioned by The Goodman Theatre as a part of the 2016-17 Playwrights Unit.

The production team for REFRIGERATOR includes William Boles (scenic design), Uriel Gomez (costume design), Jared Gooding (lighting design), Thomas Dixon (sound design), Amanda Cantlin (props design), Sid Branca (video design), Charlie Baker (fight and intimacy choreographer), Morgan McNaught (dramaturg), Katrina Dion (dramaturg), Bobby Huggins (technical director), Caitlin McCarthy (production manager) and Aaryanna Renee (stage manager).

Location: The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago
Dates: Previews: Sunday, May 13 at 3 pm and Tuesday, May 15 at 7:30 pm
Press Performance: Wednesday, May 16 at 7:30 pm
Regular Run: Friday, May 18 – Saturday, June 9, 2018
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm.
Tickets: Previews: $5. Regular Run: $10 - $20. Tickets are on sale now at firstfloortheater.com.



About the Creative Team
Lucas Baisch (Playwright) is a playwright and visual artist, originally from San Francisco, based in both Chicago and Providence. Most recently, he has been commissioned as a member of The Goodman Theatre's 2016-17 Playwrights Unit. His work has been read and developed at Chicago Dramatists, InFusion Theatre Company, Salonathon, Victory Gardens Theater, Links Hall, Gloucester Stage, American Theatre Company, The Neo-Futurists, The Wulfden, The DeYoung Museum, SF Playground, etc. Productions include: Refrigerator (First Floor Theatre), The Scavengers (The Healy Theater at DePaul University) and A Measure of Normalcy (Gloucester Stage Company). Next, his artwork will be shown at the RISD Museum as part of “From the Loom of a Goddess: Reverberations of Guatemalan Maya Weaving” opened in February. Baisch is currently pursuing his MFA in Playwriting at Brown University. Education: BFA Playwriting, DePaul University.

Hutch Pimentel (Director) is a director and producer in Chicago. He is the Artistic Director of First Floor Theater where he's directed Polaroid Stories, Edith Can Shoot Things & Hit Them and Animals Commit Suicide, peerless, Two Mile Hollow and produced numerous other shows. During his time in Chicago, he's had the pleasure of working at About Face Theatre, American Theater Company, Polarity Ensemble, Redmoon, The Gift Theatre, The Goodman and Victory Gardens. He's worked outside of Chicago at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and The Vineyard Theatre. He is an Associate Member of SDC and graduated from Kalamazoo College in Michigan.



About First Floor Theater
First Floor Theater stages stories of individuals facing moments of radical change. Through a process of collaborative dramaturgy, FFT expands these stories to ask urgent social questions. FFT was named the "Best New Theater Company" in the Chicago Reader's Best of 2013 Reader's Pick edition. First Floor Theater is a Resident Company at The Den Theatre.

For more information on First Floor Theater, visit firstfloortheater.com.

OPENING: Forever Plaid at Theatre at the Center In Munster, Indiana 5/6-6/3/18

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Theatre at the Center To Open 

Forever Plaid 

on May 6

Yando Lopez, Adam LaSalle, Christopher Ratliff and Matt Edmonds.  Photo by Guy Rhodes.

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we're looking forward to catching TATC's production of perennial favorite, Forever Plaid, this spring. We thoroughly enjoyed Yando Lopez (Jinx and Dance Captain) in his Jeff-nominated role as Lin-Manuel Miranda in Spamilton at the Royal George Theatre, In the Heights at Porchlight Music Theatre and Little Shop of Horrors with American Blues Theatre. We also adored Christopher Ratliff (Smudge) in his TATC debut as part of the ensemble in A Wonderful Life - The Musical and in Chicago as Jon Snow/Jaime/Ramsay in Thrones! The Musical Parody at the Apollo Theatre. We can't wait to catch them again.

Matt Edmonds, in the role of Sparky, Adam LaSalle as Francis, Yando Lopez as Jinx and Christopher Ratliff as Smudge star in Theatre at the Center’s spring musical Forever Plaid.  Previews begin May 3 with Opening Night May 6 and performances continuing through June 3.

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, with select Thursday and Sunday night performances. Individual ticket prices range from $42 - $46.  To purchase individual tickets, call the Box Office at 219-836-3255 or Tickets.com at 800-511-1532. Group discounts are available for groups of 11 or more, Student tickets are $20 and gift certificates are also available.  For more information on Theatre at the Center, visit www.TheatreAtTheCenter.com.  

Forever Plaid, written by Stuart Ross, is a musical revue that follows a quirky quartet of high school chums who dream of becoming like their singing idols, including the Four Aces, the Four Lads, the Four Freshmen and the Crew Cuts, as they rehearse for the biggest performance of their lives.   Their spirited antics and comic banter weave together such hits as “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Heart and Soul” and “Love is a Many Splendored Thing,” in a playful tribute to the close harmony “guy groups” of the 1950’s. 

Adam LaSalle, Matt Edmonds, Yando Lopez, and Christopher Ratliff. Photo by Guy Rhodes

Matt Edmonds (Sparky) was last seen at TATC as L.M. in Pump Boys and Dinettes and in multiple roles in Big River. Recent work includes Ragtime at Griffin Theatre, James and the Giant Peach at Drury Lane Oakbrook and Death of a Salesman at Redtwist Theatre which earned him a Jeff Nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Play.   

Adam LaSalle (Francis) is making his TATC debut. He recently appeared Off-Broadway and in the Chicago premiere of Forbidden Broadway’s Spamilton playing King George and served as the show’s pianist and music director. 

Yando Lopez (Jinx and Dance Captain) also makes his TATC debut with Forever Plaid. He was Jeff-nominated for his role as Lin-Manuel Miranda in Spamilton at the Royal George Theatre. Other credits include The Christians at Steppenwolf, In the Heights at Porchlight Music Theatre and Paramount Theatre and Little Shop of Horrors with American Blues Theatre. 

Christopher Ratliff (Smudge) made his TATC debut as part of the ensemble in A Wonderful Life - The Musical. He has also appeared as Jon Snow/Jaime/Ramsay in Thrones! The Musical Parody at the Apollo Theatre, as Jason in Bare: A Pop Opera at Refuge Theatre, as Freddy in Pygmalion at the Rogue Theatre and as Laurie in Little Women at 20% Theatre.

Brenda Didier is Director and Choreographer of Forever Plaid.  Didier made her directorial and choreographic debut at TATC in 2017 with the stage hit My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra. Her work has been seen at Mercury Theater Chicago, Bailiwick Chicago, BoHo, Theo Ubique Cabaret and Porchlight Music Theatre. Didier has received Jeff Awards for both direction and choreography.

The creative team for Forever Plaid includes Scenic Designer Jessie Howe, Lighting Designer G. “Max” Maxin, Sound Designer Michael J. Patrick, Costume Designer Brenda Winstead, Wig Design by Kevin Barthel and Prop Design by Frank Roberts, who also serves as Assistant Director. Stage Manager is Jessica Banaszak. William Underwood is Music Director.

Linda Fortunato, as TATC’s Artistic Director, is teamed with Richard Friedman as General Manager and Ann Davis as Head of Production.



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.  Theater 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-90/94, just 35 minute from downtown Chicago.

OPENING: A NEW ATTITUDE: IN TRIBUTE TO PATTI LABELLE Via BLACK ENSEMBLE THEATER 5/5-6/17/18

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

BLACK ENSEMBLE THEATER CONTINUES 2018 SEASON WITH

A NEW ATTITUDE: IN TRIBUTE TO 

PATTI LABELLE

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY RUEBEN D. ECHOLES

May 5-June 17, 2018

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we've been lifelong fans of Patti LaBelle's music. We're looking forward to seeing Black Ensemble Theater's tribute. 

Black Ensemble Theater continues its 2018 Season (Movers and Shakers) with A New Attitude: In Tribute to Patti LaBelle, written and directed by Black Ensemble Theater Associate Director Rueben D. Echoles. A New Attitude: In Tribute to Patti LaBelle will be performed at the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark Street in Chicago, May 5 – June 17, 2018. 

A New Attitude is a fun-filled tribute to the ultimate diva—Patti LaBelle. This night of singing is sure to have you “Over the Rainbow.” Celebrate the life of Patti LaBelle from a shy little girl from Philly to the Superstar singing sensation that she is today.

The cast includes Dawn Bless as older Patti and Cherise Thomas as young Patti. Jessica Seals, Kylah, Williams, and Renelle Nicole are the Blue Belles. Ensemble members include Trequon Tate and Isaac Roseborough. Additional cast members are yet to be announced.

The creative team includes Bekki Lambrecht (set design and stage manager), Denise Karczewski (lighting), David Samba (sound) and Rueben D. Echoles (costumes).

As with all Black Ensemble Theater productions, A New Attitude: In Tribute to Patti LaBelle features live musicians led by musical director/arranger Robert Reddrick (drums). Musicians include Adam Sherod (keys), Gary Baker (guitar) and Mark Miller (bass).

Tickets are available at the Black Ensemble Box Office located at 4450 N. Clark St in Chicago, or online at www.blackensemble.org, or by phone at (773) 769-4451. Tickets are $45 for previews (May 5, 6, 11 and 12); $55 (Thursdays and Saturday matinees) and $65 (Fridays, Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees). A 10% discount is available for students, seniors, and groups.

The Black Ensemble Theater is also selling the Five Play Card which allows the holder to see all 5 plays of the 2018 Season or bring five friends to one play or any combination of 5. The Five Play Card is a great deal at $225 which represents a significant savings of $20.00 per full price ticket. For more details or to purchase a Five Play Card contact the box office at 773-769-4451. 




Dates: 
May 5 – June 17, 2018
Previews: May 5, 6, 11 and 12, 2018
Press Performance: Sunday, May 13 at 3pm

Schedule:

Thursdays: 7:30 pm
Fridays: 8:00 pm
Saturdays: 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm
Sundays: 3:00 pm

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

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





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

The mission of the Black Ensemble Theater Company is to eradicate racism and its devastating effects upon society through the theater arts.  For more information on the Black Ensemble Theater Company, visit www.blackensemble.org

2-Night Existential Cabaret to Open Brown Paper Box Co. 2018/2019 Season at Mary’s Attic above Hamburger Mary’s in Andersonville

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Brown Paper Box Co.

Opens Their 2018/2019 Season With

“An Existential Cabaret”

May 4 and 5, 2018

at Mary’s Attic above Hamburger Mary’s

in Andersonville

Inspired by life’s great mysteries presented in the regional premiere of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Pulitzer Prize finalist EVERYBODY, “An Existential Cabaret” continues Brown Paper Box Co.’s relationship with original cabaret series at Mary’s Attic in Andersonville. As we begin to explore life, love, and death through Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ modern morality play, guests at Mary’s Attic can expect to hear musical stylings inspired by EVERYBODY’s characters & themes including Love, Death, Stuff, Friendship, Family, Understanding, and even “God.” For only $10 in advance and $15 at the door, join the existential journey with the Brown Paper Box Co. family - and a few special guests - May 4th and 5th at Mary’s Attic. This 2-night cabaret has a little something for everyone and everybody.

Additional information and ticketing information can be found by visiting www.BrownPaperBox.org.

With performances by: Erin Shea Brady*, Ben Kaye, Alex Madda, Greg Mills, Emilie Modaff, Nire Nah, Nicole Nola, Rachel Relman, Anna Schutz*, Hannah Starr, Kristi Szczepanek*, and Peter Wilde.

With poster design by Charlie Sheets*, technical support from M. William Panek* & Gin To*, with Emilie Modaff on keyboard, produced by Erin Shea Brady*, and hosted by BPBCo. Artistic Director Kristi Szczepanek*

* denotes Brown Paper Box Co. members

About Brown Paper Box Co.
Brown Paper Box Co. creates challenging and inspiring theatre that focuses on the text. By employing a smart, simple aesthetic in intimate spaces, we connect audiences directly to the heart of the story. For more information, please visit www.BrownPaperBox.org.
                                                               

OPENING: CHICAGO PREMIERE OF THE DAYS ARE SHORTER Via Pride Films and Plays 5/8-6/3/18

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

CHICAGO PREMIERE OF

THE DAYS ARE SHORTER 

By Corinne J. Kawecki

Directed by Iris Sowlat

The Buena, Pride Arts Center, 4147 N. Broadway

Magical play exploring life’s joys and challenges at different ages will open May 10 in The Buena, Pride Arts Center

I'll be ChiILin' with Chi, IL's Pride Films and Plays for the press opening of The Days are Shorter on May 10th, so check back soon for my full review.

In THE DAYS ARE SHORTER, by Evanston resident Corinne J. Kawecki,  53-year-old Julia is afraid of getting older. Despite attempts to recapture her youth, her body keeps reminding her of her advancing years. With the help of her younger female lover’s magic act, Julia creates a new, magical life to help her accept the inevitability of aging by finding out who is she is and who really needs her love.  The play was a finalist in Pride Films and Plays’ annual “LezPlay” competition in 2016 and was produced by Queer Theatre Kalamazoo this past January.

Pride Films and Plays company member Iris Sowlat will direct a cast including Gay Glenn, Joan McGrath, Pat Parks and Kendra Verhage. Amy J. Johnson, Jean Marie Koon, and Ren Harris will understudy. The design team will be Chas Mathieu (scenic designer), Sanja Manakoski (costume designer), Liz Cooper (lighting designer), John S. Nichols III (sound designer), Danielle Myerscough (properties designer) and Neil Tobin (magic consultant). Jessie Cole will be stage manager and Deb Kemp will be assistant stage manager and production intern.

Pride Films and Plays Artistic Director Nelson Rodriguez explains why THE DAYS ARE SHORTER was selected for a spot in the company’s subscription season. “We love the inter-generational connections between women in this piece as well as the magical elements which build tension and offer surprises. Mostly, I love that it's about a person coming to terms with aging and embracing all the different stages that life offers us: from free-spirited and hopeful youth to the stability and settled-ness of middle-age to the freedom experienced in old age when reflecting on and continuing to pursue a life well-lived. People of all genders and ages will recognize themselves in Julia's touching, hilarious, and misguided attempts to love herself.”

Tickets are $15 for previews, $25 for regular run ($5 discounts for students, seniors, vets for regular performances, excluding Saturdays) Tickets available now at www.pridefilmsandplays.com or by phone at 866-811-4111 or 773-857-0222.

BIOS
Corinne J. Kawecki (playwright). Corinne J. Kawecki’s full-length play THE DAYS ARE SHORTER, was produced by Queer Theatre Kalamazoo in January 2018. Her other productions include the following one acts: CAPE COD MOURNING, A BRIDGE TO SOMETHING, THE MOON, THE LAKE AND FIRE, DEMONS AND MONSTERS, LESBIAN NIGHTMARE, THE INTERVIEW, and SERIOUS. THE WHOLE SHEBANG was selected for the Concurrent Play Lab at the Great Plains Theatre Conference.  Her play SHORT EXPANSE, full-length, was a Finalist in Pride Films and Plays’ Great Gay Play Contest (Chicago) in 2011.  Her full-length plays THE DAYS ARE SHORTER, FREE RADICALS and CIVIL WARS were semi-finalists for the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference in 2012, 2013 and 2017 respectively.  THE DAYS ARE SHORTER was a Finalist in the LezPlay Festival at Pride Films and Plays, Chicago, in 2016.  Corinne was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 1997 for her work on behalf of the LGBT community. Corinne is currently developing her newest full-length play, TIES THAT BIND. She is a member of the Writers Network at Pride Films and Plays, Chicago and a member of the Dramatists Guild. 

Iris Sowlat (Director) is thrilled to direct THE DAYS ARE SHORTER at Pride Films & Plays! A proud Company Member at PFP, Iris has previously directed two LezPlay readings, directed the short play VIRGINIA & ORLANDO & VITA FOR HISTORY LEZONS, and produced AFTER ORLANDO, WEFEST, and SHEFEST. Recent directing credits include JOAN OF ARC (RhinoFest), NARRATIVES OF ACHROMATOPSIA (Chicago Fringe Festival), and THAT LAST LIGHT (Chicago Theatre Marathon). Iris is an Artistic Associate at Stage Left, and has also worked with Broken Nose, Collaboraction, 20% Theatre, Global Hive Labs, and NoPassport. Thanks always to my family for their love and support!
 The Days Are Shorter
LISTING INFORMATION

THE DAYS ARE SHORTER
By Corinne J. Kawecki
May 8 – June 3, 2018
Previews Tuesday May 8 and Wednesday, May 9 at 7:30 pm

Regular performances Wednesdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sunday at 3pm (Except no performance Weds., May 16)
The Buena, Pride Arts Center
4147 N. Broadway

Tickets are $15 for previews, $25 for regular run ($5 discounts for students, seniors, vets for regular performances, excluding Saturdays) Tickets available at www.pridefilmsandplays.com or by phone at 866-811-4111 or 773-857-0222.
Julia believes that the answer to all of her problems is youth.  She's tried various ways to recapture her youth but her 53 years continue to dog her steps.  After many sleepless days and nights, she feels herself being slowly consumed by age and madness. Magic is inherent in THE DAYS ARE SHORTER, from Julia’s young lover's magic act to Julia's creation of a magical life in order to find out who really needs her love.





Monday, May 21st at 7:30 PM at Pride Arts Center

Pride Films and Plays brings you an exciting evening showcasing musical performances from the Best Performers, and Best Supporting Performers nominated for the 2017/18 Non-Equity Joseph Jefferson (“Jeff”) Awards.

All proceeds from the evening benefit the New Musical Initiative at Pride Films and Plays.

General Admission tickets are $20. VIP tickets are available for $30 and include reserved seating and program recognition.




ABOUT PRIDE FILMS AND PLAYS
Pride Films and Plays creates diverse new work (or work that is new to Chicago) with LGBTQ+ characters or themes that is essential viewing for all audiences. We accomplish this mission through fully-staged productions, writing contests and staged readings, and filming one short film each season.

PFP is the primary tenant in the Pride Arts Center (PAC), which connects and promotes other artists who share our values, creating a safe environment for all. PAC books one-night events or limited runs, cabaret, film, dance, comedy, and other events. PAC opened in 2016 and consists of two performance spaces: The Buena at 4147 N. Broadway which has 50 seats and The Broadway at 4139 N. Broadway which has 85 seats.
                                                                                                  
Pride Films and Plays is supported by The MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at The Richard Driehaus Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council, City of Chicago’s City Arts Fund, the Elliott Fredland Charitable Trust, Proud to Run, the AmazonSmile Foundation, Arts and Business Foundation, Tap Root Foundation and Alphawood Foundation. 

PFP is a member of the Smart Growth Program of the Chicago Community Trust. Pride Films and Plays is a member of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois and The League of Chicago Theatres.

For more information, visit www.pridefilmsandplays.com or call 1.773.857.0222 or 1.800.737.0984.




ABOUT PRIDE ARTS CENTER
PRIDE ARTS CENTER has become an important part of the arts environment in the Buena Park neighborhood and beyond. In addition to performances by PFP, (www.pridefilmsandplays.com), PAC hosts monthly events including play readings, film screenings, cabaret nights, and variety shows (PAC the House).

Guest productions are also included in the PAC schedule. Find a full calendar of everything happening at PAC here. 

OPENING: KANEZA SCHAAL: JACK &, A Genre-Bending Comedy of Errors at The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

KANEZA SCHAAL: JACK &

May 24 - 26, 2018

Image credit: Kaneza Schaal: JACK &. Image by Amani Ragland.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago presents JACK &, a genre-bending comedy of errors directed by Kaneza Schaal and starring Cornell Alston that considers the unmeasurable damage of incarceration on one's dreams and aspirations. Through the lens of rituals for entering society, such as prison re-entry programs and debutante balls, this three-part performance explores the lived experience of rebuilding one's life after prison and the transitions and transformations that bridge society's disparate worlds. Whereas the state sees in black and white -- who is innocent and who is guilty -- JACK & focuses on the internal lives of the incarcerated, exposing the complexities and downfalls of how society trains humans to live. With design and text by Christopher Myers and live music by Rucyl Mills, JACK & takes place at the MCA Stage May 24-26, 2018 and is organized by MCA Associate Curator of Performance Tara Aisha Willis.

Building a portrait of a dream interrupted and resumed, Cornell Alston as 'Jack' comes home from working the night shift at a bakery to make a cake for his wife 'Jill.' Marking the return to his own, internal life, Jack whirls through a dance that is part-dream, part-transformation ritual. The play is enacted through familiar forms of expression adapted from stand-up comedy, soul music, recipes, sitcoms, and social dance, with a set that serves as a comedy club, a 1950s kitchen, and a ballroom.

As social rituals both real and imagined play out in these spaces, JACK & resists a linear narrative, offering entry points to broader conversations. Encouraging civic dialogue outside of the performance itself, Schaal, Alston, and Myers led an engagement residency at the MCA earlier this year, sharing the themes of the performance with high school students, educators, and organizers in Chicago, and building audiences with support from Jane M. Saks and Project&.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Kaneza Schaal is a New York City-based theater artist. Her recent work GO FORTH premiered at Performance Space 122, then was shown at the Genocide Memorial Amphitheater in Kigali, Rwanda; the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's River-to-River Festival; the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans; Cairo International Contemporary Theater Festival in Egypt; and Wesleyan University. Schaal received a 2017 MAP Fund award, a 2016 Creative Capital Award, and is the current Aetna New Voices Fellow at Hartford Stage.

JACK & was co-commissioned by Walker Arts Center, REDCAT, On The Boards, PICA, and Center for Contemporary Art Cincinnati with support from the National Performance Network and NEFA National Theater Project. This spring her new work CARTOGRAPHY, a collaboration with artist/writer Christopher Myers, is being workshopped through New Victory Theater Lab, NYU Abu Dhabi, and will show at the Kennedy Center's New Vision New Voices. Her work with The Wooster Group, Elevator Repair Service, Richard Maxwell/New York City Players, Claude Wampler, Jim Findlay, and Dean Moss has brought her to various venues globally, including Centre Pompidou, Royal Lyceum Theater Edinburgh, Whitney Museum, MoMA, and Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Cornell Alston (Jack) is a long-time member of Rehabilitation Through the Arts, a non-profit that uses the arts as a springboard to teach life skills to individuals both inside and outside of state correctional facilities. He initiated the Youth Empowerment Through the Arts initiative that launched in Queens, New York, and he continues to work as an arts-in-education advocate. Alston performed and collaborated with Kaneza Schaal on PLEASE, BURY ME at Baryshnikov Arts Center and GO FORTH during a Performance Space 122, RAMP residency. Other performance highlights include One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, 12 Angry Men, and the title role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

TICKET INFORMATION
JACK & runs 75 minutes and takes place at 7:30 pm on Thursday-Saturday, May 24-26, with an additional 2 pm show on Saturday, May 26. Tickets for the performances are $30 and are available at the MCA Box Office at 312.397.4010 or www.mcachicago.org.

The MCA gratefully acknowledges Creative Engagement and Presenting Collaborator Jane M. Saks and Project&.

Lead support for the 2017-18 season of MCA Stage is provided by Elizabeth A. Liebman. Generous support is provided by Lois and Steve Eisen and The Eisen Family Foundation, Ginger Farley and Bob Shapiro, the Martha Struthers Farley and Donald C. Farley Jr. Family Foundation, Sharon and Lee Oberlander, Maya Polsky, Carol Prins and John Hart/The Jessica Fund, Susan Manning and Doug Doetsch, D. Elizabeth Price and Lou Yecies, and Ms. Shawn M. Donnelley and Dr. Christopher M. Kelly. Additional generous support for MCA Stage is provided by Enact, the MCA's performance affinity group. The MCA is a proud member of the Museums in the Park and receives major support from the Chicago Park District. Season support is provided by Alphawood Foundation. Hotel sponsorship provided by Residence Inn Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile.

OPENING: BUDDY – The Buddy Holly Story Via American Blues Theater at Stage 773 Through May 26th, 2018

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

American Blues Theater Presents

BUDDY – The Buddy Holly Story

By Alan Janes

Directed by Lili-Anne Brown

Musical Direction by Ensemble Member Michael Mahler

April 27 – May 26, 2018

American Blues Theater concludes its 2017-2018 Season with BUDDY – The Buddy Holly Story, written by Alan Janes, directed by Lily-Anne Brown, with musical direction by Ensemble Member Michael Mahler. BUDDY – The Buddy Holly Story runs April 27 – May 26, 2018 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago.

Before the Beatles or the Rolling Stones ever played a note, rock & roll was forever changed by the bespectacled kid from Texas. BUDDY tells the true story of Buddy Holly through his short yet spectacular career and features the classic songs "That’ll be the Day," "Peggy Sue," The Big Bopper’s "Chantilly Lace," Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba," plus many more.

“Buddy Holly is an American music icon. He’s regarded as one of the most significant figures in the birth of rock music and is often cited as the innovator of the traditional rock lineup of instruments – two guitars, bass, and drums. Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and Elton John all name Buddy Holly as a major inspiration in their respective careers,” notes Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside. “Lost too soon, we’re fortunate to have his vast songbook and recordings.  American Blues is thrilled to share his legacy with the next generation.” 

The cast of BUDDY includes Angela Alise (Apollo Performer), Chuckie Benson (Apollo Performer), Liz Chidester (Vi Petty), Ian Paul Custer (Hi Pockets), Ann Delaney (Company), Vasily Deris (Big Bopper), Jennifer Dymit (Company), Alex Goodrich (Clearlake Announcer), Derek Hasenstab (Norman Petty), Molly Hernández (Maria Elena), Cisco Lopez (Ritchie Valens), Michael Mahler* (Tommy / Cricket; music director), Kieran McCabe (Jerry / Cricket), Daniel Riley (Apollo Performer), Zachary Stevenson (Buddy Holly) and Shaun Whitley (Joe / Cricket).

The creative team includes Sarah E. Ross* (scenic design), Samantha C. Jones* (costume design), Jared Gooding* (lighting design), Rick Sims* (sound design), Kevin Rolfs (properties), Malcolm Ruhl (music consultant) and John Martinez (assistant director and choreographer). The Production Stage Manager is Cara Parrish*.
*American Blues Theater Ensemble and Artistic Affiliates.

About the Artists
ALAN JAMES (Playwright) is an English writer and producer who has worked in TV, film, radio, and theatre. His best-known work is the musical Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story which ran for over 14 years and almost 6,000 performances in London’s West End and has been on tour in the UK for 17 years. Buddy has also played Broadway, 5 U.S. National Tours, 8 years in Germany, 3 years in Australia and New Zealand, and countless other productions around the world. Janes was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Musical for Buddy. He also co-wrote and produced the musicals 125th Street and Jailhouse Rock, which both premiered on London’s West End.

LILI-ANNE BROWN (Director) A native Chicagoan, Brown works as a director, actor and educator, both locally and regionally.  She is the former Artistic Director of Bailiwick Chicago, where she directed Dessa Rose (Jeff Award), Passing Strange (BTA Award and Jeff nomination for Best Director of a Musical), See What I Wanna See (Steppenwolf Theatre Garage Rep), and the world premiere of Princess Mary Demands Your Attention by Aaron Holland. Other directing credits include The Wolf at the End of the Block (16th Street Theater); Marie Christine (BoHo Theatre); Peter and the Starcatcher (Metropolis Performing Arts); The Wiz (Kokandy Productions, BroadwayWorld Award); Xanadu (American Theater Company); Jabari Dreams of Freedom by Nambi E. Kelley (world premiere, Chicago Children’s Theatre); American Idiot (Northwestern University); the national tour of Jesus Snatched My Edges; Little Shop of Horrors, Hairspray, Unnecessary Farce, Cabaret, Sweet Charity, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story (Timber Lake Playhouse). She is a member of SDC, AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and a graduate of Northwestern University.

MICHAEL MAHLER (Tommy / Cricket; Music Director) is an Ensemble member of American Blues Theater. His Blues appearances include It’s a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!, “Seymour” in Little Shop of Horrors, “Clifford” in Side Man, and “Jimmy” in Hank Williams: Lost Highway. Other Chicagoland credits include Honeymoon in Vegas (Marriott Theatre); The March (Steppenwolf Theatre); Working (Broadway Playhouse); The Illusion (Court Theatre); The Fox on the Fairway, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Jeff nomination), and The Producers (Theatre at the Center). Recent music directing credits include Parade (Writers Theatre) and Road Show (Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Jeff nomination). Michael is a composer/lyricist who contributed additional lyrics to the new Broadway production of Miss Saigon. Other works include Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Man who Murdered Sherlock Holmes (Jeff Award), October Sky (San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award), and Hero (Jeff Award).

ANGELA ALISE (Apollo Performer) returns to American Blues Theater, where she was last seen in Little Shop of Horrors. Some of her favorite Chicago credits include The Wolves (Goodman Theatre), The House That Will Not Stand (Victory Gardens Theater), Saturday Night/Sunday Morning (Prologue Theatre at Steppenwolf Garage Rep), Hairspray (Drury Lane Oakbrook), How We Got On (Haven Theatre), The Wiz (Kokandy Productions), Parade (BoHo Theatre), and Coming Home (Erasing the Distance, where she is an Ensemble member). Regional credits include Black Side of the Moon and Nothing to Lose but Our Chains (The Second City at Woolly Mammoth Theatre) and Almost Accurate Guide to America (The Second City at The Kennedy Center). Angela holds a BA in Theatre from Loyola University Chicago and is represented by Gray Talent Group.

CHUCKIE BENSON (Apollo Performer) recently originated “Truman Hayes” in the world premiere musical, TRU, at the Chicago Music Theatre Festival. He received a Jeff nomination for his performance as the “Lion” in Kokandy’s production of The Wiz. Chuckie was also a part of the Chicago cast of Spamilton. He has played some of his favorite roles at Wagon Wheel Center of the Arts including “Coalhouse Walker Jr.” in Ragtime, “Curtis” in Sister Act, and “Teen Angel” in Grease!  Regional credits include: Hair (Mercury Theater Chicago), “Tom Collins” in Rent (Theo Ubique), Woman of the Year (Porchlight Music Theatre), and “Jim” in Big River (Timber Lake Playhouse). Chuckie received his BFA in Music Theatre Performance from Western Michigan University, and is a native to Lansing, MI.

LIZ CHIDESTER (Vi Petty) is a singer/songwriter, actor, and teaching artist from Virginia. Her Chicago theatre credits include: Lizzie (Firebrand Theatre), High Fidelity (Refuge Theatre Project, Jeff Award - Best Musical), Billy the Kid (Cabinet of Curiosity Events), Big River and Pump Boys and the Dinettes (Theatre at the Center), Ring of Fire (Mercury Theater Chicago), and Stupid F**ing Bird (Sideshow Theatre Company). Her original albums with her band LIZ AND THE LOVELIES include Progress into Simplicity (2017 - Best Roots EP, Independent Music Awards 2018), Otter Hill (2015), and People Pumping Pedals (2014). She teaches group and private lessons at Old Town School of Folk Music.

IAN PAUL CUSTER (Hi Pockets) is an Ensemble member at American Blues Theater. Recent American Blues credits: “David Halberstam” in The Columnist (Jeff nomination - Best Production, Midsize), It’s A Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago! (Jeff nominations - Best Ensemble and Best Production, Midsize), “Orin Skrivello” in Little Shop of Horrors (Jeff nomination - Best Production of a Musical, Midsize), and “Adam” in Yankee Tavern. Recent Chicago credits: Bad Jews (Theater Wit, North Shore Center, Royal George), 33 Variations (TimeLine Theatre, Jeff Award - Best Production, Midsize), Annie Bosh is Missing (Steppenwolf Theatre), High Holidays (Goodman Theatre), To Master the Art (Broadway Playhouse/TimeLine Theatre), Strangers, Babies (Steep Theatre), and Fiddler on the Roof (Paramount Theatre).  Regional credits: Hero: The Musical (Asolo Rep Theatre), Cymbeline (Notre Dame Shakespeare), Romeo and Juliet (Cardinal Stage), and Peter Pan (360 Entertainment - London, England).  Television credits: APB, Empire, Chicago Fire, and Chicago PD.  

ANN DELANEY (Company) is making her American Blues Theater debut. Her recent Chicago theatre credits include Hatfield and McCoy (The House Theatre of Chicago); It’s a Wonderful Life, Cabaret, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Spamalot, and Big Fish (Theatre At The Center); All Our Tragic and Gilbert and Sullivan Rep (The Hypocrites); Hobo King (Congo Square Theatre); and Mr. Burns (Theater Wit).

VASILY DERIS (Big Bopper) Chicago credits: the Jeff Award-winning Smokey Joe's Café (Theo Ubique), “Barry” in the Jeff Award-winning High Fidelity (Refuge Theatre Project), “Eric” in Creatives (Chicago Theatre Workshop), “Shawn Eckhardt” in Tonya and Nancy: The Rock Opera (Underscore Theatre), and “Pharaoh” in Joseph (Paramount Theatre).

JENNIFER DYMIT (Company) is making her American Blues Theater debut. Chicago credits include Chicago Dramatists, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, First Folio Theatre, The Hypocrites, Raven Theatre and Remy Bumppo Theatre Company.  She was also seen in Tracy Letts’s world premiere adaptation of Three Sisters at Steppenwolf Theatre.  In addition to her work on stage, Jennifer is a voiceover artist whose work can be heard in numerous television and radio commercials as well as the animated series Stray Cat Smut. Film credits: Distortion. Jennifer is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, The School at Steppenwolf, and is a member of SAG-AFTRA. 

ALEX GOODRICH (Clearlake Announcer) makes his American Blues Theater debut. Credits include Hero: The Musical (Jeff Award - Best Supporting Actor in a Musical); Honeymoon in Vegas; She Loves Me; How To Succeed in Business..; Elf the Musical; On The Town; I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; and For The Boys (Marriott Theatre); The Importance of Being Earnest (Writers Theatre); Love's Labor’s Lost; The Emperor’s New Clothes; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Seussical; Taming of the Shrew; Aladdin; and How Can You Run... (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Miss Bennet; Shining Lives; Civil War Christmas; and She Stoops to Conquer (Northlight Theatre); Old Jews Telling Jokes (Royal George); The Comedy of Errors and One Man Two Guvnors (Court Theatre); Everything Is Illuminated (Next Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Indiana Repertory); and Goodnight Moon and Harold and the Purple Crayon (Chicago Children’s Theatre).

DEREK HASENSTAB (Norman Petty) makes his American Blues Theater debut. Chicago theatre credits include shows with Lookingglass Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Writers Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, About Face Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, Court Theatre, Marriott Theatre, and Drury Lane Oakbrook, among others. Regional credits include: “Doc” in Come Back, Little Sheba (IRNE and Elliot Norton Nominations, Huntington Theatre Company), “Hermes” in Metamorphoses (Arena Stage, Mark Taper Forum), and “Tom” in The Glass Menagerie (Kansas City Repertory Theatre). National Tour: “Zazu” in The Lion King.

MOLLY HERNÁNDEZ (Maria Elena) makes her debut at American Blues Theater. Favorite credits include “Rosabella” in The Most Happy Fella (Theo Ubique); “Julie Jordan” in Carousel, Mary Poppins, Evita, and Scapino (Timber Lake Playhouse); Crime Scene: Breath Life and Forgotten Future: Education Project (Collaboraction). Last year she was given the Award of Excellence in Professional Theatre from the Illinois Theatre Association and was nominated for a Jeff Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her work in The Most Happy Fella. Molly can be seen on Chicago PD ep. 105 as “Elisa Rodríguez” and APB ep. 105 as “Maya Ruiz”.

CISCO LOPEZ (Ritchie Valens) makes his American Blues Theater debut. Chicago credits include Merrily We Roll Along, Woman of the Year, New Faces Sing Broadway 2001, and In the Heights (Porchlight Music Theatre); Bonnie & Clyde (Kokandy Productions); In To America and Letters Home (Griffin Theatre); Planted (Rogue Elephant Productions); Dead Man Walking (Piven Theatre); Mutt (Stage Left and Red Tape Theatre); Macbeth (Midsommer Flight); Take Me Out (Eclectic Theatre); and Fiddler on the Roof and Damn Yankees (Light Opera Works). Film credits: Boystown and Closet Memories. He holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Baylor University and is represented by Shirley Hamilton.

KIERAN MCCABE (Jerry / Cricket) This Philadelphia native is making his American Blues Theater debut. Kieran’s favorite credits include “Fluke Holland” in Million Dollar Quartet, “Scapino” in Scapino, “Orin Scrivello” in Little Shop of Horrors, “Agustin Migaldi” in Evita, “Mr. Manningham” in Gaslight, “Stacee Jaxx” in Rock of Ages, Carousel, Mary Poppins, Titanic, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Timber Lake Playhouse), and “Freak” in columbinus (Loyola Chicago). Kieran drums and writes for the Indie Rock trio Day Off (@dayofftheband). Kieran puts his English Creative Writing degree to good use as a Head Writer for Kettle Camp Studios, a Chicago based production company.

DANIEL RILEY (Apollo Performer) is a Chicago-based performer who studied at Harold Washington College and Roosevelt University.  He has worked in theatre and cabaret with numerous groups in and around Chicago, most recently Paramount Theatre, Davenport’s Piano Bar, The Inconvenience, and the Ravinia Festival. Dan also coaches and accompanies soloists and choirs of all ages in many styles of music. He regularly sings with Holy Name Cathedral and the Lakeside Singers, and can be seen Sunday mornings on WGN-TV singing for Mercy Home for Boys and Girls. Dan is also featured (along with Michael Mahler) on Dark Side of the Moon A Cappella (VOCOMOTION Productions).

ZACHARY STEVENSON (Buddy Holly) makes his American Blues Theater debut. Originally from Vancouver Island, Canada, Zach recently relocated to Chicago after spending the last few years being based in Kansas City, MO. Select credits include: Million Dollar Quartet (Paramount Theatre – “Carl” U/S), Hair (CanStage), Ring of Fire (Chemainus Theatre Festival / Western Canada Theatre), Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave (Blue Bridge Repertory), Urinetown (Belfry Theatre), Red Rock Diner (Arts Club Theatre), Assassins (Quintessence), and more than ten productions of Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story throughout the US and Canada, for which he’s been nominated for a Jessie Richardson Award and Ovation Award. Zachary has also had the pleasure of music directing several productions, including Million Dollar Quartet (Arts Club), and Ring of Fire (Chemainus Theatre Festival), as well as performing in countless headlining concerts across North America. Off stage, Zach is busy writing a one-man show about the 1960s folksinger and activist, Phil Ochs.

SHAUN WHITLEY (Joe / Cricket) returns to American Blues Theater. He is a multi-instrumentalist, actor, composer, and Jeff-nominated music director. He performed nearly 1800 times as “Carl Perkins” in the longest running Broadway musical in Chicago history, Million Dollar Quartet. Other Chicago credits include: Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Drury Lane Oakbrook, The Second City, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, Strawdog Theatre, TUTA, Redmoon Theater, Blindfaith Theatre, and Provision Theater. He studied Shakespeare at RADA in London. He teaches at the Old Town School of Folk Music.

Community Service
For this production, American Blues Theater will offer complimentary tickets to students of Chicago Public Schools and Guitars Over Guns. In addition, artists will visit assisted-living facilities to give mini-concerts. American Blues also continues its “Pink Previews” to donate proceeds from all preview performances to The Lynn Sage Foundation for breast cancer research.



Dates: April 27 – May 26, 2018
Previews: April 27 – May 2, 2018
Press Opening: Friday, May 4, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.
Regular Run:May 5 – 26, 2018

Schedule: Thursdays:  7:30pm
Fridays: 7:30pm
Saturdays: 3:00pm (except May 5 & 19) & 7:30pm
Sundays:  2:30pm
Free post-show discussions on Sundays
Additional Industry Night performance Monday, May 14 at 7:30pm
Additional Matinee performance Thursday, May 24 at 2:30pm

Location:
Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago

Ticket prices: $19 - $49
Box Office: Buy online at AmericanBluesTheater.com or by calling 773.327.5252.

About American Blues Theater
Winner of the American Theatre Wing’s prestigious 2016 National Theatre Company Award, American Blues Theater is a premier arts organization with an intimate environment that patrons, artists, and all Chicagoans call home.  American Blues Theater explores the American identity through the plays it produces and communities it serves.

The diverse and multi-generational artists have established the second-oldest professional Equity Ensemble theater in Chicago.  The 34-member Ensemble has 600+ combined years of collaboration on stage. As of 2018, the theater and artists received 195 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nominations that celebrate excellence in Chicago theater and over 35 Black Theatre Alliance Awards. The artists are honored with Pulitzer Prize nominations, Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards and numerous other accolades.  

American Blues Theater programs and activities are made possible, in part by funding by The MacArthur Funds for Arts & Culture at Prince, the Shubert Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, SMART Growth Grant, Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Anixter Foundation, Actors’ Equity Foundation, and the Chip Pringle Fund. ComEd is the Season Lighting Sponsor.

OPENING: THE EXPLORERS CLUB Via Citadel Theatre in Lake Forest 4/27-5/27/18

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

The Explorers Club

by Nell Benjamin

Directed by Robert D. Estrin

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we haven't had a chance to check out Citadel's take on the multi award winning play, THE EXPLORERS CLUB, but we caught Windy City's production in 2016 and adored it. The show is a hoot! If you can make it to Lake Forest, catch it if you can. 

Nell Benjamin’s comedy THE EXPLORERS CLUB is a spoof of all those bold Victorian adventurers who ravaged foreign lands and annihilated indigenous cultures in the name of science. It’s London 1879 and the prestigious Explorers Club is in crisis: a brilliant, beautiful woman who has discovered a legendary Lost City wants to join, but letting her in might shake the very foundations of the British Empire! THE EXPLORERS CLUB, which enjoyed a successful run off-Broadway in 2013, was honored with awards including the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play, the Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award, and an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant.

THE EXPLORERS CLUB, which will conclude Citadel's 2017-18 season, will be directed by Robert D. Estrin, whose previous directing credits at Citadel include OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY, LEND ME A TENOR, DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER, CABARET, and A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL.  Additionally, he was scenic designer for Citadel’s productions of A CHIRSTMAS CAROL, SOMETHING’S AFOOT and LITTLE WOMEN.

Estrin’s cast will include Jacob Fjare (Professor Cope), Frank Gasparro (Luigi), Edward Kuffert (Sir Bernard Humphries), Erik Pearson (Professor Walling), Scott Phelps (Beebe/Irish Assassin), Elizabeth Rude (Phyllida Spotte-Hume, Countess Glamorgan), Bob Sanders (Professor Sloane), Nate Strain (Lucius Fretway), and Guy Wicke (Harry Percy).  Phelps is a member of Actors Equity Association.

Top row left-right: Nate Strain, Jacob Fjare, Frank Gasparro, Edward Kuffert, Erik Pearson. Bottom row left-right: Scott Phelps, Bob Sanders, Elizabeth Rude, Guy Wicke.

The design and production team will include Jose Soto (Set Designer), Sandie Bacon (Scenic Artist), Matthew Wofford (Lighting Designer), Bob Boxer (Sound Designer), Paul Kim (Costume Designer), Mark Holley (Properties Designer), Lynn Baber (casting director), Jason Clark (Master Carpenter), Samantha Tink (Stage Manager), Robert Tobin (fight choreography) and Catherine Gillespie (dialect coach).

The Press Opening is Friday, April 27 at 8:00pm at Citadel’s West Campus Theatre at 300 S. Waukegan Rd., Lake Forest, following previews on Wednesday, April 25 and Thursday, April 26 at 7:30pm. THE EXPLORERS CLUB will run April 27 through May 27, 2018 with performances Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm, plus 11 am matinees on May 2 and May 16. Citadel Theatre (300 S. Waukegan Rd) is a 144-seat venue with a thrust stage and comfortable stadium seating. 

Tickets are available online at www.CitadelTheatre.org or over the phone by calling the Citadel Theatre box office at 847.735.8554. Tickets are $20.00 for previews, $37.50 for regular run Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and $40.00 for Saturdays and Sundays. Discounts are available for seniors, students, theatre industry professionals and groups.

Robert D. Estrin (Director) Directing credits include A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER, CABARET, OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY, LEND ME A TENOR (Citadel); THE SUM OF US (1027 Productions). Director/Designer: SUCH A PRETTY FACE (Off Broadway Equity Showcase production, New York City). Designer: A CHRISTMAS CAROL, LITTLE WOMEN, THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE, THE BOARDING HOUSE, SOMETHING’S AFOOT (Citadel); CORPUS DELICTI, MR. SHAW GOES TO HOLLYWOOD, SIDE EFFECTS MAY INCLUDE (MadKap Productions). Retired in 2005 from New Trier High School after thirty-four years of teaching theatre. Visit Bob on his Facebook page. Education: Northern Illinois University (B.A.); University of Illinois (M.A.).

Nell Benjamin (playwright) is a multi-talented playwright, composer and lyricist with several Broadway and off-Broadway credits. She received 2007 Tony and Drama Desk nominations and the Olivier and Helpmann Awards for Best Musical for her music and lyrics on LEGALLY BLONDE, co-written with her husband Laurence O’Keefe.  She is the lyricist of MEAN GIRLS, which will open on Broadway this spring and of the Broadway -bound musicals DAVE and HALF TIME (which had a pre-Broadway tryout in Chicago under the title GOTTA DANCE). Ms. Benjamin is the author of PIRATES!, an adaptation of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, developed at Goodspeed Opera House and Paper Mill Playhouse. She wrote book, music and lyrics for CAM JANSEN with Laurence O’Keefe, wrote lyrics for SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL and THE MICE, won a Kleban Award and a Jonathan Larson Foundation grant and is a member of ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild of America. Her television writing includes UNHAPPILY EVER AFTER, Animal Planet's WHOA!, SUNDAY WITH MO ROCCA and the new ELECTRIC COMPANY.

Ticket prices: Thurs., & Fris. $37.50, Sats. and Suns. $40.00, Previews $20.00. Discounts available for Seniors, Students, and for Groups of 10 or more.

Citadel Theatre is one of Chicagoland’s premier live theatres, producing hundreds of performances annually and inspiring audiences for over 14 years. Founded by Scott and Ellen Phelps in 2002, Citadel Theatre is comprised of its Main Stage performances, its On Tour programs, and its theatre acting classes for children. A proud member of the League of Chicago Theatres and the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff ArtsLink, Citadel Theatre offers a unique intimate theatre experience that transports you to another setting and leaves you feeling exhilarated and wanting more. A recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Citadel can accept tax-deductible donations. For more information, ticketing, and to make a donation, please visit Citadel online at www.CitadelTheatre.org or call 847.735.8554.