OPENING: World Premiere of TWO MILE HOLLOW Via First Floor Theater at The Den 10/8-11/4/17

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

World Premiere!

First Floor Theater Presents 

TWO MILE HOLLOW

By Leah Nanako Winkler

Directed by Artistic Director Hutch Pimentel

October 8 - November 4, 2017

PHOTO CREDIT: (left to right) Deanna L. Myers, Kai Ealy, Jazmín Corona and Jose Nateras in a publicity image for First Floor Theater’s world premiere of TWO MILE HOLLOW. 

Photo by Sam Doyle. 

First Floor Theater open its sixth season with the world premiere of Leah Nanako Winkler’s explosive satire of the classic white American family drama, TWO MILE HOLLOW, directed by Artistic Director Hutch Pimentel. TWO MILE HOLLOW will play October 8 – November 4, 2017 at The Den Theatre, 1333 N Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are on sale now at firstfloortheater.com. 

The cast includes First Floor company member Aurora Adachi-Winter with Jazmín Corona, Kai Ealy, Deanna L. Myers and Jose Nateras.

When the Donnellys gather to divide their belongings after the sale of their oceanfront mansion, both metaphorical and literal storms are brewing. As this famous, longing-to-be-famous and completely messy Caucasian family comes together with their POC personal assistant, Charlotte, some really really complicated and totally unique secrets are revealed over white wine. A satirical takedown coupled with moments of disorienting sincerity, TWO MILE HOLLOW explores the age old genre of plays about affluent white families retreating to their waterfront homes to battle it out with brutality, awe and compassion. Only this time, none of the white characters are played by white actors. 

The production team for TWO MILE HOLLOW includes Arnel Sancianco (scenic design), Virginia Varland (costume design), Dan Friedman (lighting design), Sarah D. Espinoza (sound design), Claire Stone (props design), Carol Ann Tan (dramaturg), Cole von Glahn (production manager) and Julie Leghorn (stage manager).

Location: The Den Theatre, 1333 N Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago

Dates: Previews: Sunday, October 8 at 8 pm and Tuesday, October 10 at 8 pm

Press Performance: Wednesday, October 11 at 8 pm

Regular Run: Thursday, October 12 - Saturday, November 4, 2017

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm.

Tickets: Previews: Pay What You Can. Regular Run: $10 - $20. Tickets are on sale now at firstfloortheater.com.

About the Creative Team

Leah Nanako Winkler (Playwright) is a playwright whose plays  include Kentucky (2015 Kilroys List, World Premiere with EST & Page 73, Radio Drama Network, West Coast Premiere with East West Players), Death For Sydney Black (TerraNova Collective and Kilroys honorable mention), The Internet (Incubator Arts Project), Happy Dance Dance Princess Show (The Brick), Double Suicide At Ueno Park!!!,  Linus and Murray (Ensemble Studio Theatre) and more. Next season, her play Two Mile Hollow will be seen at First Floor Theater in Chicago, Ferocious Lotus in San Francisco, Artists at Play in Los Angeles and Mixed Blood Theatre/Mu Performing Arts in Minneapolis. She is an alumni of Youngblood, Terra Nova Collective’s Groundbreakers Playwright Group, a member of the Dorothy Streslin New American Playwrights Group at Primary Stages, Ma Yi and an affiliated artist at New Georges. Her collections of short plays, Nagoriyuki & Other Short Plays and The Lowest Form of Writing are available on Amazon. She is an MFA candidate at  Brooklyn College.

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 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.

FEST ALERT: Chicago International Latino Theater Festival: DESTINOS 9/29-10/29

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

1st Chicago International Latino Theater Festival! 

SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER 29

 Chicago International Latino Theater Festival:

DESTINOS

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we're excited to see all the stellar companies bringing productions to Chicago's first Latino Theater Festival. We'll be out to review Amarillo at Chicago Shakespeare Theater's new space, The Yard. And we hope to catch many of the following offerings at Steppenwolf's 1700 space and Victory Gardens as well. Check out the full festival schedule HERE. 

I, the Worst of All (U.S. premiere)

By Iraida Tapias │ Directed by Juan José Martín

Performed by Water People Theater

Presented at the National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St.

Medea (U.S. premiere)

By Marian Pabón │ Directed by Julio Ramos

Performed by Arte Boricua (Puerto Rico)

A LookOut Visiting Company

Presented at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, 700 N. Halsted St.

Lovesick

Created by Teatro Luna │ Directed by Alexandra Meda

Performed by Teatro Luna

Presented at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.

Death and the Maiden (La Muerte y la Doncella)

By Ariel Dorfman │ Directed by Sándor Menéndez

Performed by Aguijón Theater

A LookOut Visiting Company

Presented at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, 700 N. Halsted St.

Growing Up Gonzales (regional premiere)

By Felix Rojas │ Directed by Felix Rojas

Performed by Andres "Chulisi" Rodriguez

Presented at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.

Amarillo (regional premiere)

Created by Teatro Línea de Sombra’s ensemble │ Directed by Jorge A. Vargas

Co-presented by CLATA and Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Performed by Teatro Línea de Sombra (Mexico)

Presented at The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare, 800 E. Grand Ave.

Ashes of Light (world premiere)

By Marco Antonio Rodriguez │ Directed by Miranda Gonzalez

Performed by Urban Theater Company

Presented at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.

The Mirror (U.S. premiere)

By Abelardo Estorino │Directed by María de Los Ángeles Montero Tamayo

Performed by Ludi Teatro (Cuba)

A LookOut Visiting Company

Presented at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, 700 N. Halsted St.

Miss Julie (regional premiere)

Adapted by J.Ed Araiza │ Directed by Lorenzo Montanini

Performed by Vueltas Bravas Producciones (Colombia)

A LookOut Visiting Company

Presented at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, 700 N. Halsted St.

Meet Juan(ito) Doe

By Ricardo Gamboa │Directed by Ricardo Gamboa and Ana Velazquez

Performed by Back of The Yards Theater in a special collaboration with Ricardo Gamboa

Presented at the Back of The Yards Storyfront, 4346 S. Ashland Ave.

OPENING: WALLACE SHAWN'S EVENING AT THE TALK HOUSE TO KICK OFF A RED ORCHID THEATRE 2017-2018 SEASON 9/29-11/19/17

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

A RED ORCHID THEATRE OPENS

2017-2018 SEASON WITH

EVENING AT THE TALK HOUSE

BY WALLACE SHAWN

DIRECTED BY ENSEMBLE MEMBER SHADE MURRAY

September 29 – November 19, 2017

Cast of Evening at the Talk House. Photo by Mike Hari

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we've long been fans of Wallace Shawn's acting, and we're eagerly anticipating seeing his writing performed in the capable hands of another favorite of ours, A Red Orchid. We can't wait to catch the press opening of what's described as an ultra-dark comedy. Check back soon for our full review. 

A Red Orchid Theatre opens its 2017-2018 Season with Wallace Shawn’s Evening at the Talk House, directed by Ensemble Member Shade Murray. The production runs September 29 – November 19 2017, at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells. 

Remember when you felt you could do anything, when there was still nothing to fear? Evening at the Talk House is a reunion at your favorite club, where old friends cozy up, raise a glass and remember gentler times when culture had value and terror wasn't the every day. This ultra-dark comedy invites us all to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening night of Robert's under-appreciated masterpiece, Midnight in a Clearing with Moon and Stars.  

Director and Ensemble Member Shade Murray notes, “set in the gossipy world of theatre folk, Evening at the Talk House suggests that in our jittery and uneasy time, words just might speak louder than action. It’s a smart and juicy play filled with accusations, innuendo, alternative facts and guilt by association. It's like the Algonquin Round Table meets The Crucible."

The cast of Evening at the Talk House includes Ensemble Members Lance Baker (Robert), Kirsten Fitzgerald (Annette), Doug Vickers (Ted), and Natalie West (Nellie), with Miguel Nunez (Tom), Sadieh Rifai (Jane), Noah Simon (Bill), and HB Ward (Dick).

The creative team includes Claire Chrzan (Lighting Director), Mary O’Dowd (Props Designer), Brando Triantafillou (Sound Designer), and Myron Elliott (Costume Designer). The stage manager is S.G. Heller.

Dates:               
Previews: September 29 – October 7, 2017
Red Night: Friday, October 13, 2017 at 8 p.m.
Regular Run: October 12 – November 19, 2017          

Schedule:          
Thursdays: 8:00 p.m.
Fridays: 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays: 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Sundays: 3:00 p.m.

Location: A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells Ave.

Tickets: $15-$25 previews, $30-$35 regular run.  ($30 Thurs, $35 Fri, Sat, Sun)Box Office: Located at 1531 N. Wells Ave, Chicago, (312) 943-8722; or online www.aredorchidtheatre.org

About the Artists
Wallace Shawn (Playwright) is an actor, voice actor, playwright, essayist and comedian. Recognizable to most of the world as a character actor: he made a memorable debut in Woody Allen’s Manhattan (1979) and, since then, has appeared in movies as diverse as The Bostonians and The Princess Bride and on the popular television series Gossip Girl. He has also starred in two films made with his longtime collaborator, André Gregory: My Dinner with André and Vanya on 42nd Street, which were directed by Louis Malle. Shawn’s first play, Four Meals in May, was written when he was still at Oxford. Following a trio of early works—The Family Play, The Hotel Play, The Hospital Play—Shawn’s first professional production came in 1975 with Our Late Night, directed by Gregory. Since then, he has written several other plays: A Thought in Three Parts, Marie and Bruce, Aunt Dan and Lemon, The Fever, The Designated Mourner, Grasses of a Thousand Colors and Evening At the Talk House. He has also adapted Machiavelli’s The Mandrake and Brecht’s Threepenny Opera.

Shade Murray (Director) is an ensemble member and Associate Artistic Director of A Red Orchid Theatre, where he has directed the world premieres of Brett Neveu’s Pilgrim’s Progress and Ike Holter’s Sender, as well as productions of David Adjmi’s 3C, Marisa Wegrzyn’s Mud Blue Sky and The Butcher of Baraboo, Annie Baker’s The Aliens, Nick Jones’ Trevor, Mike Leigh’s Abigail’s Party and Kimberly Akimbo by David Lindsay-Abaire.  He also performed in the A Red Orchid production of The Mutilated.  Other directing credits include Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The House Theater, Steep Theater, Second City, Writers’ Theater and elsewhere.  Shade is a lecturer at University of Chicago and teaches at DePaul University and Acting Studio Chicago.
Lance Baker (Robert) has been an official ensemble member of A Red Orchid for around five thousand days, but before that he first appeared in The Grey Zone, directed by Dado in 2001. Since then, he's played the lead in Michael Shannon's directorial debut, Ionesco's Hunger and Thirst. Further AROT acting credits: The Mandrake, Becky Shaw, and The Mutilated. As a director at AROT: the world premiere of Brett Neveu's The Earl, the Chicago premiere of The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, and co-directed A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant.

Kirsten Fitzgerald (Annette) has been a member of the Artistic Ensemble at A Red Orchid since 2001. Her performances here at home include three world premieres by Brett Neveu; Pilgrim’s Progress, Weapon of Mass Impact and Four Murders. Other AROT performances include The Room, Mud Blue Sky, The Butcher of Baraboo, The New Electric Ballroom, Abigail's Party, The Sea Horse [Jeff Award], Pumpgirl, Mr. Bundy, The Killer and more. Other Chicago credits include Mary Page Marlowe, The Qualms, Clybourne Park, The Elephant Man, and A Streetcar Named Desire (Steppenwolf Theatre); Appropriate (Victory Gardens), and work with Defiant Theatre, Circle Theatre, Next, Remy Bumppo, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, The Goodman, Shattered Globe, Famous Door, Plasticene and the Utah Shakespeare Festival among others. You can see her on the small screen now in The Exorcist (FOX) and other TV credits include Sirens (USA), Chicago Fire (NBC), ER (NBC) and Underemployed (MTV).

Miguel Nunez (Tom) makes his A Red Orchid Theatre debut. He was last seen in the rolling world premiere of Into The Beautiful North (16th Street Theatre) which he also Co-directed. Other selected Chicago credits include What Of The Night? (Cor/Stage Left); Bobby Clearly (Steep Theatre); The Play About my Dad (Raven Theatre); El Pasado Nunca Se Termina (Lyric Opera of Chicago/National Tour); Romulus (Oracle Theatre); Death and the Maiden, Oedipus El Rey (U/S Victory Gardens); PINKOLANDIA, Yasmina's Necklace (16th Street Theatre); The Three Musketeers, The Blue Shadow (Lifeline Theatre); I Put the Fear of Mexico In ‘em (Teatro Vista); The Ghost is Here (Vitalist Theatre). He is an artistic associate at 16th Street Theatre. Miguel has trained at Black Box in Chicago and at the National Theater University in Caracas, Venezuela. 

Sadieh Rifai (Jane) is new to A Red Orchid, but not to Chicago. Her credits include the world premiere of The Humans(Jeff Award nomination for Best Ensemble) at American Theater Company along with The Amish Project,Hedwig and the Angry Inch (co-production with About Face Theatre),The Original Grease, Columbinus, Doubt, Agnes of God and Speech and Debate(After Dark Award for Outstanding Performance). Other Chicago credits include Ski Dubai (Steppenwolf First Look), The Piano Teacher (Next Theatre) and Merchant of Venice (Silk Road Rising). Film credits include The Wise Kids, Nate and Margaret and Olympia. Television credits include Chicago Med and Amazon's Patriot in which she plays the recurring role of Mahtma El-Mashad. She is a graduate of the School at Steppenwolf and received the Princess Grace Award in 2011.

Noah Simon (Bill) has previously been seen on A Red Orchid’s stage in The Earl and Trevor. As a veteran of Chicago’s storefront theatre community, he’s worked with such companies as Goodman Theatre, ATC, Shattered Globe, Raven, Factory, Strawdog, Remy Bumppo, Red Twist, and appeared last winter in 16th Street Theatre’s critically acclaimed production of Blizzard ’67 by Jon Steinhagen. Noah and his three Blizzard castmates have been nominated for the 2017 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Ensemble. Regionally, Noah has worked with Peninsula Players and Lakeside Shakespeare Theatre where he most recently played the role of Shylock in their production of The Merchant of Venice. Noah is a voiceover artist and is a proud member of SAG/AFTRA. He teaches acting and improvisation at Aurora University and Voiceover at Vagabond School of the Arts. He has a BA in Theatre from Butler University and an MFA in Acting from the Theatre School at Depaul University.

Doug Vickers (Ted) is an ensemble member at A Red Orchid Theatre, where he most recently appeared in The Nether. Some of his other favorite appearances at Red Orchid have been in Accidentally Like a Martyr, Simpatico, Four Murders, The Grey Zone, and Hunger and Thirst. Over the years at Red Orchid, he has also worked in administrative capacities in the areas of grant writing and production. Doug was the recipient of the Joseph Jefferson Award for The Best Man at Remy Bumppo Theatre (Best Cameo Performance). He has appeared at many other theatres around town including Chicago Shakespeare (Comedy of Errors), Next Theatre (R.I.P.) (U.N. Inspector, Turcaret the Financier) ,Court Theatre, Famous Door Theatre, Trap Door Theatre, and Hell in a Handbag. Regional: Illinois Shakespeare Festival  TV: Underemployed (MTV) He is from Evanston IL and he holds a Bachelors Degree in English from Northwestern University-School of Continuing Studies and has done graduate level work in English at NU as well.

HB Ward (Dick) has acted with many Chicago companies including Curious Theatre Branch, Prop Thtr, Collaboraction, DOG – a Theater Company, The Magpies, Teatro Vista, WNEP, Theater Oobleck, Tympanic Theatre, 16th Street Theater, Wildclaw Theatre, Trap Door Theatre, Next Theatre, Rivendell Theatre, The Side Project, Jackalope Theatre, American Blues Theater, Haven Theatre, Steppenwolf Theater, Timeline Theater, A Red Orchid Theater and Shattered Globe Theatre.  He has also acted in television, commercials, and films, including Stephen Cone’s In Memoriam.  He has understudied at Victory Gardens Theater and Goodman Theatre. He is represented by Paonessa Talent Agency.

Natalie West (Nellie) is an ensemble member at A Red Orchid Theatre where she last appeared in The Mutilated. Other AROT productions include Strandline, Mud Blue Sky, The Butcher of Baraboo and Abigail's Party. Over the years she has appeared in shows at The Goodman, Steppenwolf, Northlight and others. She is a former ensemble member of Remains Theatre. Natalie was a regular on the television show Roseanne as Crystal. Natalie is a recipient of three Jeff Awards for supporting actress for The Butcher of Baraboo, Abigail's Party at A Red Orchid and Life and Limb at Wisdom Bridge. She holds a MSW from Loyola University Chicago, a BA in Theatre at Indiana University and she attended Webber Douglas Academy in London.
 
Ticket Information
A Red Orchid continues the FLASHPASS. As always, FLASHPASS holders get reserved seats, ticket and date flexibility, no-fee ticket exchanges, discounts for friends & family tickets, and early access to events such as readings, panel discussions, and more. The Three-show FLASHPASS is $80 and includes one ticket to each of the 3 shows in our 25th Season, excluding Press Opening and Red Nights. The Three-show Red Night FLASHPASS is $150 and includes a ticket to each of the 3 show's Red Night Opening and post-show reception with the cast and creative team. The Preview Saver FLASHPASS is $50 and includes one ticket to a preview performance of each of the 3 shows in our 25th season. Add a ticket for the Summer Bonus, Victims of Duty, to any FLASHPASS at the time of purchase.  

Flashpasses may be purchased from the Box Office at 1531 N. Wells Street, Monday through Friday from 12 pm to 5 pm, by telephone during office hours by dialing (312) 943-8722, or online at www.aredorchidtheatre.org. Individual tickets will go on sale at a later date.

With our 25th season of ambitious and powerful storytelling, we are thrilled to announce the launch of A Red Orchid Theatre’s Red League.  At $1k or more, The Red League represents a donor community of our most committed and impactful cultural investors. Every profound and shocking moment on our stage is made possible through their critical annual contributions. Their philanthropic leadership fosters the development of raw and relevant work, creates a platform for our talented ensemble to reach new audiences, and ensures that A Red Orchid Theatre remains a source for honest, compassionate, and aesthetically rigorous theatre.

About A Red Orchid
A Red Orchid Theatre has served as an artistic focal point in the heart of the Old Town community of Chicago since 1993 and was honored this year with a 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Over the past 24 years, its Resident Ensemble has welcomed into its fold an impressive array of award-winning actors, playwrights and theatre artists with the firm belief that live theatre is the greatest sustenance for the human spirit. A Red Orchid is well known and highly acclaimed for its fearless approach to performance and design in the service of unflinchingly intimate stories. In addition to its professional season, the company is also committed to an OrKids (youth) project and hosts The Incubator (providing artists with space and time to explore new work, new forms and new artistic collaborations).

A Red Orchid Theatre is: Lance Baker, Kamal Angelo Bolden, Dado, Mike Durst, Jennifer Engstrom, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Joseph Fosco, Steve Haggard, Mierka Girten, Larry Grimm, Karen Kawa, Karen Kessler, Danny McCarthy, Shade Murray, Brett Neveu, Michael Shannon, Guy Van Swearingen, Doug Vickers and Natalie West.

HELP OUT: CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY LIVE To Benefit Hope Not Hate at Greenhouse Theater Center 9/29/17

One Night Only!

CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY LIVE

Returns To Greenhouse Theater Center

Friday, September 29 at 10 pm

CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY LIVE at Greenhouse Theater Center. Photos by Stephen Voss.

Following three sell-out performances this year, CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY LIVE returns once again for one night only on Friday, September 29, 2017 at 10 pm at The Greenhouse Theater Center (Downstairs Mainstage), 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago.  


The irreverent night of improv comedy is inspired by the popular and politically incorrect party game “Cards Against Humanity.” After audience members pitch their ideas, the best suggestions are acted out by the Cards Against Humanity writers and a team of improvisers. The worst suggestions will be mercilessly ridiculed. Recommended for ages 18+.

Tickets, priced at $10 are currently available at greenhousetheater.org, in person at the box office or by calling (773) 404-7336. All proceeds will benefit the anti-racist watchdog group Hope Not Hate. The group recently made national headlines after revealing one of its members went undercover in the alt-right movement for over a year. For additional information, visit hopenothate.com.




About the Greenhouse Theater Center
The Greenhouse Theater Center is a producing theater company, performance venue and theatre bookstore located at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Our mission is first and foremost to grow local theatre.

The Greenhouse Theater began its producing life in 2014 with the smash hit Churchill, after which came 2016’s much-lauded Solo Celebration!, an 8 month, 16 event series highlighting the breadth and depth of the solo play form. This year, the Greenhouse announced a full subscription season, with a mix of multi-character and solo plays. With a focus on our community, the Greenhouse is also launching the Trellis playwriting residency, an initiative designed to cultivate the next generation of Chicago theatre creators and a two-tiered education program for college and high school students.

As a performance venue, our complex offers two newly remodeled 190-seat main stage spaces, two 60-seat studio theaters, two high-capacity lobbies, and an in-house rehearsal room. We strive to cultivate a fertile environment for local artists, from individual renters to our bevy of resident companies, and to develop and produce their work. In 2016, the Greenhouse announced a new residency program, which offers a reduced rate to local storefront companies while giving the Greenhouse a stake in the resident’s success. We house Chicago’s only dedicated used theatre bookstore, located on the second floor of our complex. 

With new ideas always incubating, the Greenhouse is flourishing. Come grow with us!

OPENING: The Hypocrites' Dracula at Mercury Theater Chicago 10/7-11/5/17

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Mercury Theater Chicago Presents

THE HYPOCRITES’ DRACULA

A world-premiere play adapted and directed by Sean Graney.

October 7 – November 5, 2017

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we love it when our friends play well together. We're excited to see The Hypocrites emerge from The Den, their usual haunt, and present their world premiere take on Dracula at one of our favorite venues, Mercury Theatre. We'll be out for the press opening on Friday the 13th, so check back soon for our full review. We can't wait!

I would love to be a fly on the wall of the home of adapter/directors Sean Graney (Dracula) and Vanessa Stalling (United Flight 232), who are both currently working on intense Chicago productions. I sat in front of them for the United Flight 232 press opening, and can't rave enough about this award winning must see. Stalling's heartfelt and harrowing United Flight 232 is currently on stage as a critically acclaimed remount at The House Theatre. 

Award-winning director, Sean Graney's current project is directing The Hypocrites' Dracula, a script he adapted from an original script by Timothy F. Griffin for this world-premiere production. 

Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N. Southport Avenue – is thrilled to present The Hypocrites’ production of DRACULA, from October 7th through November 5th, 2017. Led by Jeff Award Winner Breon Arzell as Dracula, a multi-talented cast of accomplished Hypocrites company members will take audiences on a thrilling adventure of passion, yearning, cruelty and sacrifice.

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

Individual tickets range from $30-$55, and are available online at www.MercuryTheaterChicago.com, over the phone at 773.325.1700, or in person at 3745 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago.

Director Sean Graney promises “exciting horror, at least a gallon of stage blood every night, moments of humor and a depth of character not often explored in this fantastical story.” Dracula just might stake its claim as this Halloween's most thrilling adventure.

“The characters in Dracula occupy a world on a threshold between repression and liberty,” commented director Sean Graney. “Women are beginning to live autonomous lives separate from the typical yolks of oppressive tradition. The men, though they will never admit it, fear the women and want them to return to their domestic posts. Dracula, to me, asks the question, ‘How do you deal with a society that claims to promote equality, yet everyday actions and attitudes prove that the gatekeepers are afraid of losing their advantage?’ To me, that is the world we occupy now.”



DRACULA features a strong ensemble of Hypocrites company members. 

Jeff Award Winning actor/director/choreographer Breon Arzell (The Wiz, Harry Ape) will be featured in this bloody mystery as Dracula. 

Janelle Villas (Chimerica, The King and I) will portray Lucy Seward, under the care of Rob McLean (Pirates of Penzance, Love’s Labor Lost, The Shakespeare Project of Chicago) as Dr. Van Helsing. 

Insane asylum administrator Jack Seward will be played by John Taflan (All Our Tragic, Adding Machine). Aurora Real de Asusa (You on the Moors Now) will be in the role of coveted young school mistress Mina. Erin Barlow (All Our Tragic, Men on Boats) will portray insane asylum inmate Renfield. Maurice Demus (You on the Moors Now, Sucker Punch) will be Jonathan. The scenic design is by John Musial with costume design by Samantha Jones, lighting design by Mike Durst, sound design by Joe Griffin with Jon Beal as the violence and gore designer. The production stage manager is Richard Lundy.

Sean Graney is a Chicago-based theater artist who has concentrated on adapting and directing stories to create relevant theatrical pieces for our contemporary society for the last 20 years. He currently serves as the Artistic Director of The Hypocrites, a company he founded in 1997.  In 2013, he was a Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University where he completed writing All Our Tragic, a twelve-hour adaptation combining all thirty-two surviving Greek Tragedies. It garnered six Joseph Jefferson Awards, including Best Director and Best Adaptation. As a director, Sean has helmed over 75 productions. He was a participant in the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors in 2004. He has received four other Joseph Jefferson Awards for directing and adaptation. He is also the director and co-adaptor three Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, which have been playing at many great theaters across the country.

The Hypocrites is one of Chicago's premier off-Loop theater companies specializing in mounting bold productions that challenge preconceptions and redefining the role of the audience. Under the direction of Sean Graney, the company has a reputation in Chicago for creating exciting, surprising and deeply engaging theater as it reinterprets classics and tackles ambitious new works.

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

ONE NIGHT ONLY: STEPHANIE MILLER‘S SEXY LIBERAL RESISTANCE TOUR PLAYS CHICAGO’S ATHENEAUM THEATRE 10/14/17

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

STEPHANIE MILLER‘S SEXY LIBERAL RESISTANCE TOUR 

FEATURING STEPHANIE MILLER, JOHN FUGELSANG AND FRANGELA , COMES TO CHICAGO’S ATHENEAUM THEATRE SATURDAY, OCT. 14 AT 8 P.M.

US Representative Jan Schakowsky Joins the Sexy Liberal Resistance Tour 

for its Chicago Engagement 

Ridicule, satire and comedy have always been one of the most important elements of political protest, and as a result, Stephanie Miller’s Sexy Liberal Resistance Tour makes a stop in Chicago at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Saturday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m.  The tour, featuring Stephanie Miller, John Fugelsang, Frangela and special guest United States Representative Jan Schakowsky, hears the cries of America and stands with all Americans protecting our rights and demanding our government act for the benefit of us all.   The Sexy Liberal Resistance Tour is a show for every American who's uneasy with putting a landlord with a reality show in charge of fighting ISIS.  

Tickets for the Sexy Liberal Resistance Tour range from $52 - $92 and may be purchased at SexyLiberal.com. Tickets to the performance that includes a VIP meet and greet reception following the performance are $150.

Stephanie Miller, John Fugelsang and Frangela return in 2017 as the Sexy Liberal Resistance Tour, fully aware of the probability their taxes will be audited.  Touring for several years as the Sexy Liberal Comedy Tour, the election forced the cast  to rethink early retirement and return to the stage for a multiple city tour.  They face Washington and laugh out loud at the tragic comedy of politics and throw their finest, most scathing satire at the feet of our not so elected politicians.  To fight on with comedy ... to offer the real fake news … to offer true alternative facts. Stephanie Miller's Sexy Liberal Resistance Tour promises a rainbow blend of an America that is great now.

Stephanie Miller's Sexy Liberal Resistance Tour 2017 is:


Stephanie Miller

National television and talk radio star Stephanie Miller is a wildly popular performer with a huge and fervently devoted audience. Morning drive radio’s “The Stephanie Miller Show” is heard nationally, reaching more than three million-plus listeners weekly. She is ranked #12 on influential industry publication Talkers Magazine’s “Heavy Hundred” list.

The show also airs on SiriusXM Satellite radio’s national network of 31 million subscribers.  Her e-book “Sexy Liberal! Of Me I Sing” immediately became #1 on Amazon in political, humor and memoirs, and has just been issued in paperback by popular demand. Miller’s three comedy albums all entered the Billboard Comedy charts in the top positions, as well as chart topping on Amazon, ITunes and Googleplay.



John Fugelsang

John Fugelsang hosts “Tell Me Everything" weekdays on SiriusXM Insight #121 and PAGE SIX TV for the FOX network.  He once got George Harrison to give his last live performance on VH1 and, in the quip heard round the world, got Mitt Romney's advisor to call Mitt an 'etch a sketch' on CNN. He's been murdered on “CSI,” hosted “America's Funniest Home Videos” and Bill Maher called him “one of my favorite comedians.”   He's been a regular on CNN, MSNBC, FOX News and has performed for US troops, including the humanitarian mission in Haiti.   His new film "Dream On," a road trip in search of the American Dream, was named "Best Documentary" at the NY Independent Film Festival and recently premiered on PBS.


Frangela

Frangela is Frances Callier and Angela V. Shelton, real life best friends and America’s BFF’s.  As avowed Afro-Saxons™ and lovers of all things political and pop culture, they have been featured contributors on VH1’s “Best Week Ever,” NBC's “The Today Show,” “Dateline,” “Showbiz Tonight,” “Access Hollywood,” CNN's “Headline News,” AXS TV's “Mockpocalypse,” NPR and “AM Joy” on MSNBC. They hosted their own radio show, “The Week According To Frangela” and are regular chair-dancing guests of “The Stephanie Miller Show.”  They were featured on “The Oprah Show” in the “Best Standups in America” episode and have enjoyed touring colleges doing their brand of pop-cultural infused standup. Frances and Angela also brought hilarity to the big screen in the hit film “He’s Just Not That Into You” and most recently “Slow Learners.” They play Margaret and Betty on the hilarious Hulu show “Quickdraw.”

Jan Schawkowsky

Jan Schawkowsky is the U.S. Representative for Illinois’ 9th congressional district.

Representative Schakowsky has been a lifelong consumer advocate and a champion for, what she sees as, the disappearing middle class. From her days as a young housewife who led the campaign to put expiration dates on food products to the 2008 passage of legislation she helped write making children's products and toys safe, Jan has worked to make life better for working and middle class Americans. Schakowsky was elected to represent Illinois' 9th Congressional District in 1998, after serving for eight years in the Illinois General Assembly. She is in her tenth term, serving in the House Democratic Leadership as Chief Deputy Whip and member of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. She is a member of the House Budget Committee, as well as the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where she serves as Ranking Member of the Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee, and as a member of the Health and Oversight & Investigations Subcommittees.      

OPENING: World Premiere of THE MAKING OF A MODERN FOLK HERO Via Other Theatre at Chicago Dramatists

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Other Theatre Presents the World Premiere of

THE MAKING OF A MODERN FOLK HERO

By Martín Zimmerman

Directed by Kelly Howe

September 29 – October 29, 2017 at Chicago Dramatists

Presented in association with Chicago Dramatists' Grafting Project

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we're on board with Other Theatre's fabulous and all too necessary mission statement, to tell the stories of persons or groups who are othered by systems of oppression. We too believe in the power of theatre to enact social change. We can't wait to catch their latest new work, the world premiere of THE MAKING OF A MODERN FOLK HERO.

Other Theatre, in association with Chicago Dramatists’ Grafting Project, is pleased to launch its 4th season with the world premiere of Martín Zimmerman’s comedic graphic novel for the stage THE MAKING OF A MODERN FOLK HERO, directed by Kelly Howe, playing September 29 – October 29, 2017 at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave. in Chicago. Single tickets and season subscriptions are currently available at theothertheatrecompany.com. 

THE MAKING OF A MODERN FOLK HERO will feature Celeste Burns, Aida Delaz, Adelina Feldman-Schultz, Robert N. Isaac, Christopher Meister, Becca Sheehan and Hannah Toriumi. 

A congressman entices an old friend (and washed-up actor) to portray a superhero in a publicity stunt designed to stop the unjust bulldozing of a public housing complex. They leave the crowd enthralled, but what happens when the character the politician created goes rogue? This graphic novel for the stage employs a seamless blend of live actors and shadow puppets to interrogate the hopes, fears and social forces that push people to yearn for and believe in the possibility of superheroes.

Comments Artistic Director Carin Silkaitis, “Martín’s play touches on some important ideas – particularly what happens when our politicians are too entrenched in the political ecosystem to be able to enact real change, even if their intentions are in the right place? I am so interested in the fact that the congressman must hire an actor to save this housing complex. He knows the right choice is siding with the disenfranchised, the poverty-stricken, but he is too embedded in the political mess to be able to vocally side with the very people he represents. After conversations with the playwright (and because of Donald Trump's campaign strategy) I am also struck by the way this play grapples with the idea of a person – one who has deep and intense psychological needs for admiration and adoration – hijacking a political movement.”

THE MAKING OF A MODERN FOLK HERO was developed in part through readings and workshops at Chicago Dramatists.

The production team for THE MAKING OF A MODERN FOLK HERO includes: Michael Johannsen (scenic design), Olivia Crary (costume design), Will Coeur (lighting design), Colin Trevor (sound design), Nick Thornton (puppet design & puppet choreography) and Kasey Trouba (stage manager).

Location: Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago
Dates: Previews: Friday, September 29 at 8 pm, Saturday, September 30 at 8 pm and Sunday, October 1 at 3 pm
Regular run: Friday, October 6 – Sunday, October 29, 2017
Curtain Times: Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm Please note: there will be added performances on Wednesday, October 18 at 8 pm and Wednesday, October 25 at 8 pm.

Tickets: Previews: $20 with code “PREVIEW.” Regular run: $25. Students $15 with code “STUDENT.” Industry $15 with code “INDUSTRY.” Single tickets and season subscriptions are currently available at theothertheatrecompany.com.

*Chicago Dramatists Benefit Performances: The performances on Saturday, September 30 at 8 pm and Thursday, October 12 at 8 pm will benefit Chicago Dramatists. Tickets for these performances are available only through chicagodramatists.org.

Creative Team Bios
Martín Zimmerman (Playwright) is a multi-ethnic, bilingual playwright and screenwriter whose plays have been produced or developed at The Kennedy Center, Goodman Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse In The Park, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, Alley Theatre, Roundabout Underground, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, LCT3, New York Theatre Workshop, Victory Gardens Theater, The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Marin Theatre Company, The Playwrights’ Center, Alliance Theatre, A.C.T. (Seattle), PlayPenn, Icicle Creek Theatre Festival, American Theater Company, The Theatre @ Boston Court, Chicago Dramatists, Primary Stages, Teatro Vista, Ojai Playwrights Conference, Playwrights Foundation, Cara Mía Theatre Co, Seven Devils Playwrights Conference and Borderlands Theater, among others. A recipient of the Terrence McNally New Play Award, Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award Citation, Humanitas Prize New Voices Award, Sky Cooper New American Play Prize, McKnight Advancement Grant, Jerome Fellowship, Carl Djerassi Playwriting Fellowship, and the National New Play Network’s Smith Prize, Martín was a Staff Writer on Netflix’s Narcos, is a Story Editor on the upcoming Netflix Series Ozark, has been the Alliance for Latino Theater Artists (ALTA) Artist of the Month, was a member of the 2011-2012 Playwrights’ Unit at Goodman Theatre, is a Playwright in Residence at Teatro Vista, a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists, and is currently under commission at Milwaukee Repertory Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, and Roundabout Theatre Company. MFA in Playwriting: The University of Texas at Austin. BA in Theater Studies, BS in Economics: Duke University.

Kelly Howe (Director) is a theatre faculty member at Loyola University Chicago and Resident Dramaturg at TOTC. Recent directing credits include Sarah Myers' The Realm (TOTC), Gertrude Stein’s Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights, Ellen McLaughlin’s Iphigenia and Other Daughters, Juan Mayorga’s Way to Heaven, Brecht and Weill’s The Threepenny Opera, George Brant’s Elephant’s Graveyard, Martín Zimmerman’s Phoenix Unforgiven and Sarah Myers’ God of the Gaps. Recent dramaturgy for TOTC includes Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, Daughters of Ire and Threesome. Kelly is a past president of Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed (PTO) and co-organizer of the collective Theatre of the Oppressed and Activism in Chicago. She co-chaired three of PTO's international conferences and the 30th anniversary conference of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) in Chicago. As an artist/scholar, Kelly focuses on activist performance, particularly Theatre of the Oppressed and theatre as feminist organizing. She co-edited Theatre of the Oppressed in Actions (2015) with Julian Boal and Scot McElvany and is working on The Routledge Companion to Theatre of the Oppressed with Julian Boal and José Soeiro. Her writing also appears in Theatre Journal, Theatre Topics, Text and Performance Quarterly, Comparative Drama, etc. She is a member of the advisory board of the Jana Sanskriti International Research and Resource Institute, West Bengal, India. MA/PhD UT-Austin; BA Muhlenberg College. 

About Other Theatre:
Other Theatre is dedicated to telling the stories of persons or groups who are othered by systems of oppression. Othering individuals or groups sustains power and privilege. Othering inherently implies hierarchy. Othering keeps the power in the hands of those who already have it.  Othering is an "us" vs. "them" mentality often centered around race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, identity, class, religion and ability. Other Theatre is committed to telling these stories in the hope that we can lessen the amount of discrimination and oppression in our world.

We are a collective of artist-activists who believe in the power of theatre to enact social change. We believe in equality for all human beings and we will fight for it. We believe theatre is an excellent conversation starter, and we hope you will come talk with us after the show. We believe radical social change is possible and we will continue to stand up, fight, and resist until it happens.

Other Theatre Artistic Staff: 
Carin Silkaitis, Founder and Artistic Director; Maddie DePorter, Managing Director; Bryan Renaud, Associate Artistic Director; Ashley Pettit, Production Manager; Savanna Rae, Company Manager; Stephen Kossak, Casting Director; Becca Sheehan, Audience Development/Intern Coordinator; Nik Kmiecik, Social Media Coordinator; Kelly Howe, Resident Dramaturg; Tommy Rivera-Vega, Artistic Associate; Hannah Toriumi, Artistic Associate; Gay Glenn, Artistic Associate.

Other Theatre Board of Directors:
Michele Thornton, President; Kelly Soprych, Vice President; Jermaine Hill, Secretary; Stephen Silkaitis, Treasurer; Lisa Wolfe, and Michael Johannsen.

Other Theatre’s 4th Season is presented by generous grants from MacArthur Funds for Arts and Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, and The Saints.

About Chicago Dramatists:
Since 1979, Chicago Dramatists has been dedicated to the development and advancement of playwrights. Chicago Dramatists nurtures extraordinary playwrights with the space, resources and collaborators needed to realize new work and thrive as artists. Workshops, readings, classes and special programs provide opportunities for beginning and established dramatists to develop their work, expand their professional affiliations, showcase their plays and collaborate with actors, directors and audiences during the creative process. The Resident Playwright program is a selective program offered at no cost to playwrights who demonstrate talent and dedication to the craft of playwriting. But we also believe that to discover untapped talent and nurture playwriting as a discipline, we need to embrace playwrights wherever they are on their writing path—which is why we offer our Network Playwright program to playwrights at all levels of ability.

Every year, plays developed at Chicago Dramatists earn hundreds of professional accomplishments, including productions, awards, commissions and readings at theatres in Chicago and worldwide. Distinguished alumni of Chicago Dramatists include Tanya Saracho (El Nogalar, How to Get Away with Murder), Andrew Hinderaker (Colossus, Penny Dreadful), Rick Cleveland (The West Wing, Six Feet Under, Mad Men), Rebecca Gilman (Pulitzer nominee, Spinning into Butter, Luna Gale), Keith Huff (A Steady Rain, House of Cards), and many others.