YASMINA’S NECKLACE at The Goodman Theatre Through November 19th

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

 LOVE BLOSSOMS AND CULTURES COLLIDE IN 

YASMINA’S NECKLACE, 

ROHINA MALIK’S MODERN AMERICAN LOVE STORY, 

DIRECTED BY ANN FILMER, 

OCTOBER 20 – NOVEMBER 19

***IRAQI ART BY AHMAD ABDULRAZZAQ FEATURED ON THE SET—AND DISPLAYED IN THE LOBBY AVAILABLE FOR SALE, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PRODUCTION***

It was my great pleasure to catch Rohina’s one-woman show, Unveiled, years ago. She's a articulate story teller who opens eyes and changes opinions with her wise words and personal experiences. She has the intelligence, insight and bravery to fill a void of Muslim female voices we don't hear enough from. I'm quite moved by her works and words and can't wait to see Yasmina's Necklace. We'll be out to review the 2nd week of November. 

Chicago-based playwright Rohina Malik and director Ann Filmer reunite for the “downtown debut” of Yasmina’s Necklace at Goodman Theatre, beginning October 20 in the Owen Theatre. Malik’s “unique American love story, hilarious yet deeply moving, profound and beautiful” (OakPark.com) explores two disparate Muslim families coming together as their children embark on a romantic relationship. The play, which premiered under Filmer’s direction at 16th Street Theater last year, has been further developed for the Goodman production—and the production’s set features six paintings by Ahmad Abdulrazzaq, an Iraqi refugee living in Chicago, who received his diploma at the Institute of Fine Arts of Baghdad. Additional works by Abdulrazzaq will be displayed in the lobby and available for purchase (while pieces last)—along with selections from Oregon-based photographer Jim Lommasson’s exhibit, "What We Carried: Fragments from the Cradle of Civilization" about Iraqi and Syrian refugees who have fled to the U.S. 

Yasmina’s Necklace appears October 20 – November 19 in the Goodman’s 350-seat flexible Owen Theatre. Tickets ($10-$40, subject to change) are available by phone at 312.443.4800, online at GoodmanTheatre.org/Necklace or at the box office (170 N. Dearborn). 

“I first encountered Rohina’s work with her one-woman show, Unveiled, in which she portrayed five Muslim women discussing their choice to cover their heads—and the resulting discrimination they encountered, especially after 9/11. The play demonstrated Rohina’s remarkable ability to challenge stereotypes surrounding the Muslim community with grace and humor,” said Artistic Director Robert Falls. “Likewise, Yasmina’s Necklace shows us individuals wrestling with their life circumstances—as we all do, regardless of our cultural backgrounds—while providing a glimpse into a cultural milieu that may be unfamiliar to many. I am delighted to welcome back Rohina and director Ann Filmer—two artists we are proud to have previously worked with as a Playwrights Unit member and Michael Maggio Directing Fellow, respectively—to share their wonderful production with Goodman audiences.”

As previously announced, Susaan Jamshidi leads the nine-member cast as Yasmina—a young Iraqi artist who has hardened herself against the possibility of finding happiness after fleeing to Chicago from her war-torn homeland. But when she meets Sam (Michael Perez ), a man with his own emotional setbacks, what had seemed unthinkable becomes tantalizingly real. Joining Jamshidi and Perez are Salar Ardebili (Man), Rom Barkhordar (Musa), Laura Crotte (Sara), Allen Gilmore (Imam Kareem), Martin Hanna (Amir), Amro Salama (Ali) and Frank Sawa (Officer)—Ardebili, Crotte, Jamshidi, Perez and Salama return to the production from the world premiere at 16th Street Theater. The creative team includes Joe Schermoly (Set) Rachel M. Sypniewski (Costumes), Cat Wilson (Lights) and Barry Bennett (Sound). Winston & Strawn is the Contributing Sponsor for Yasmina’s Necklace.

“I’m concerned about the portrayal of Muslims in the media. Often with television shows and films, roles that are written about Muslims are often written by people who are not Muslim, and they fall into problematic stereotypes. Rarely do we see Muslims as ‘normal’ human beings, and that’s so dangerous,” said Playwright Rohina Malik, whose production, The Mecca Tales, will make its New York debut later this month at the Sheen Center. “I wrote Yasmina's Necklace to not only challenge negative stereotypes, but to be the hammer to smash them. I'm thrilled to return to the Goodman and reunite with my longtime collaborator and friend, Ann, to share this timely play.”

TICKETS, DISCOUNTS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

Tickets ($10-$40) – GoodmanTheatre.org/Necklace; 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 advance 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

This season, the Goodman introduces a new way to experience Chicago’s world-class theater: MEMBERSHIP. Audiences choose from three levels to suit their preferences, including Classic 7-play, 5-play or 3-play packages; Choice, a personalized package that can include both Owen and Albert productions; and Whenever—the ultimate flexible package, to be used at any time during the season (not valid for A Christmas Carol). All Goodman members receive unlimited ticket exchanges, discounted parking, 15% savings at the Goodman bar and gift shop, restaurant discounts and more. To purchase a Membership visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Memberships or call the Box Office at 312.443.3800. 

COLLEGE NIGHT – October 26 | 6pm meet-the-artists pizza party, 7:30pm performance
Tickets are $10 using code COLLEGE; includes dinner and performance. Students enjoy a pre-show reception with fellow theater-lovers and cast members, followed by a performance. GoodmanTheatre.org/CollegeNight

ARTIST ENCOUNTER – October 29 at 5pm | Goodman Theatre
Tickets are $10 for general public; free for Goodman Members, Donors and students. Join the playwright and director for an in-depth conversation about the play, moderated by Chicago Sun-Times Urban Affairs Reporter and Assistant City Editor Maudlyne Ihejirika.

ACCESSIBILITY AT THE GOODMAN

Touch Tour, November 12 at 12:30pm – A presentation detailing the set, costume and character elements
Audio Described Performance, November 12 at 2pm – The action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset
ASL Interpreted Performance, November 18 at 2pm– Professional ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played
Open Captioned Performance, November 19 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 Goodman Theatre

America’s “Best Regional Theatre” (Time magazine) and “Chicago’s flagship resident stage” ( Chicago Tribune), Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit organization distinguished by the quality and scope of its artistic programming and civic engagement. Founded in 1925, the Goodman is led by Robert Falls—“Chicago’s most essential director” (Chicago Tribune), who marks 30 years as Artistic Director this season—and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, who is celebrated for his vision and leadership over nearly four decades. Dedicated to new plays, reimagined classics and large-scale musical theater works, Goodman Theatre artists and productions have earned hundreds of awards for artistic excellence, including: two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards, nearly 160 Jeff Awards and more. Over the past three decades, audiences have experienced more than 150 world or American premieres, 30 major musical productions, as well as nationally and internationally celebrated productions of classic works (including Falls’ productions of Death of a Salesman, Long Day’s Journey into Night, King Lear and The Iceman Cometh, many in collaboration with actor Brian Dennehy). In addition, the Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” For nearly four decades, the annual holiday tradition of A Christmas Carol has created a new generation of theatergoers.

The 2016 opening of the Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement (“the Alice”) launched the next phase in the Goodman’s decades-long commitment as an arts and community organization dedicated to educating Chicago youth and promoting lifelong learning. Programs are offered year-round and free of charge. Eighty-five percent of the Goodman’s youth program participants come from underserved communities.

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./Users/zbluesun/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~TextEdit/Documents/Edits.txt

Today, Goodman Theatre leadership 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. Joan E. Clifford 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.

Visit the Goodman virtually at GoodmanTheatre.org—including OnStage+ for insider information—and on Twitter (@GoodmanTheatre), Facebook and Instagram.

SAVE THE DATES: Bertolt Brecht's FEAR AND MISERY OF THE THIRD REICH at Haven Theatre 2/8-3/11

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Haven Theatre Announces Final Production of 2017-18 Season:

FEAR AND MISERY OF THE THIRD REICH

By Bertolt Brecht

Translated by Eric Bentley

Directed by Artistic Director Josh Sobel

February 8 – March 11, 2018 at The Den Theatre

Haven Theatre is pleased to announce the final production slated for its 2017-18 Season, Bertolt Brecht’s unsettling and unflinching drama FEAR AND MISERY OF THE THIRD REICH, translated by Eric Bentley and directed by Artistic Director Josh Sobel, playing February 8 – March 11, 2018. Casting will be announced at a later date.

As Germany careens toward war, an entire society begins to crack, and the seeds of chaos and tragedy take root in the minds of its citizens. Josh Sobel (We're Gonna Die) helms an ensemble-driven production of Brecht's 1938 classic with a contemporary eye – a warning of how insidiously a culture can make space for atrocity, and a call to never allow it to happen again. 

Comments Artistic Director Josh Sobel, "As the world finds itself in the midst of its next great cultural shift, Brecht's examination of the common citizen and how a society can be led to accept the inhumane feels strikingly immediate. Brecht wrote this play reflecting and pulling back the curtain on the news of the day as it was happening around him, providing an unnerving and – in our current moment – all too important call to confront injustice as it happens and to firmly and proudly say: No. With this production we seek to serve one of Haven's core values – the Future – through an intimate and personal look at the our past and how such fatal mistakes were allowed to take place."

Haven’s 2017-18 Season also includes the previously announced DIRECTORS HAVEN, three short plays showcasing the talents of early career directors Kristen Johnson, Ian Martin and Lexi Saunders (October 16 – November 1, 2017) and the world premiere of THE DISPLACED, written by Isaac Gomez and directed by Jo Cattell, an electrifying thriller exploring the heartbreak of gentrification and the scars we leave on each other (May 31 – July 1, 2018).

Haven’s Theatre 2017-18 Season will be staged at its resident home, The Den Theatre's Janet Bookspan Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. Single tickets for DIRECTORS HAVEN (pay-what-you-can) are currently available at haventheatrechicago.com. Additional productions will go on sale at a later date.

FEAR AND MISERY OF THE THIRD REICH Biographies

Bertolt Brecht (Playwright) 1898-1956, playwright, poet and director, was born in Augsburg, Germany in February 1898. He established himself as a playwright during the 1920s and early 1930s with plays such as Baal, Man is Man, The Threepenny Opera and The Mother. In 1933, as Hitler came to power in Germany, Mr. Brecht fled to Scandinavia before eventually settling in the USA where he remained until 1947. During the war years, he wrote many of his best-known plays, including The Life of Galileo, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Mother Courage and Her Children and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. He returned to Europe in 1947 and shortly after his arrival formed the Berliner Ensemble. He died in Berlin on August 14, 1956 but remains a hugely influential theatre practitioner.

Eric Bentley (Translator) was born in England in 1916, became an American citizen in 1948, in 1998 was inducted into the (American) Theatre Hall of Fame, and in 2011 won a gold medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Scholar, critic, teacher, performer, translator and, finally, playwright, he has had many books published and many plays and adaptations performed, the latter feature making him a star of the Samuel French catalogue. Several of his critical works have become classics, notably The Playwright as Thinker, Thinking about the Playwright and The Life of the Drama. Today, nine of his plays are published by Northwestern University Press in three volumes entitled Rallying Cries, Monstrous Martyrdoms and The Kleist Variations. Four more Bentley titles have recently been published by Broadway Play Publishing Inc: Round One, Round Two, A Time to Die and A Time to Live and The Sternheim Trilogy.

Josh Sobel (Director) is a Chicago-based director and Artistic Director of Haven Theatre Company. Recent credits include We're Gonna Die at Haven, Bobbie Clearly at Steep, The Long Christmas Ride Home and Hunting of the Snark (also Edinburgh Fringe) at Strawdog, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead at Metropolis and The Importance of Being Earnest featuring Lisa Tejero at Iowa Summer Rep, University of Iowa. Additional credits include work at Chicago Dramatists, Red Orchid, Victory Gardens, Sketchbook, The Ruckus, Greenhouse Theater Center, Abbie-Fest and New Leaf. From 2010-2013 Josh served as Associate Director of the National Theater Institute summer "Theatermakers" program at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. Recipient, Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC) Observership, Hamlet at Writers' Theatre. Associate member, SDC. 

About Haven Theatre:
NEXT GENERATION. NEW CANON. SOCIAL PROFIT.

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

SEASON ANNOUNCED: Exciting Things are Afoot For Broken Nose Theatre

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Broken Nose Theatre Announces 

Full 2018 Line-Up:

World Premiere!

KINGDOM

By Resident Playwright Michael Allen Harris

Directed by Kanome Jones

World Premiere!

THE OPPORTUNITIES OF EXTINCTION

By Sam Chanse

Directed by Company Member Jen Poulin

BECHDEL FEST 6

BNT’s Perennial Feminist Play Festival

World Premiere!

PLAINCLOTHES 

Written and Directed by Company Member Spenser Davis

New Residency at The Den Theatre

Broken Nose Theatre is pleased to announce a full line-up for 2018, featuring three world premiere productions for the Chicago stage – to be presented at its new resident home, The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. 

This spring, BNT presents the kitchen-sink comedy KINGDOM by resident playwright Michael Allen Harris, directed by Kanome Jones. The new play about an all-LGBTQ African American family in Orlando will feature BNT company member Johnard Washington and artistic associates Watson Swift and RjW Mays, and was originally developed through BNT’s The Paper Trail initiative.

Next summer, BNT presents the world premiere of Sam Chanse’s contemplative drama THE OPPORTUNITIES OF EXTINCTION, directed by company member Jen Poulin. The new play about exploring life and love in the face of the inevitable will feature BNT company member Echaka Agba and artistic associate Aria Szalai-Raymond.

Summer 2018 will also include BECHDEL FEST 6, BNT’s annual feminist festival, featuring a full slate of new short plays with all female-identifying casts. Playwrights, directors and casting will be announced in 2018.

Broken Nose closes the calendar year with the world premiere dark comedy PLAINCLOTHES, developed with much of the team behind BNT’s runaway 2017 hit At The Table. Written and directed by company member Spenser Davis, who helmed At The Table, the play examines biases and blind spots through the lens of a loss prevention team. PLAINCLOTHES will feature company members Echaka Agba, Elise Spoerlein, Johnard Washington and David Weiss – all of whom appeared in At The Table – along with company member Martin Hanna and artistic associates RjW Mays, Kim Boler, Adam Soule and Rob Koon, and will be developed by BNT and the ensemble.

In 2018, BNT will also provide institutional support to two outside playwrights through The Paper Trail – its new play development program. Next year’s plays include PEG by Liam Fitzgerald, about a couple who negotiate their kinks in anticipation of an impending shipment of sex toys; and EXPOSURE by Cynthia Hines, in which a former army photographer combats the ghosts of war that followed her home to the South Side of Chicago.

As it enters its sixth season, Broken Nose recently welcomed 13 new artists to its ranks. New company members include Echaka Agba, Rose Hamill, Martin Hanna and Johnard Washington and new artistic associates include Kim Boler, JD Caudill, Devon Green, Ada Grey, Rob Koon, RjW Mays, Adam Soule and Watson Swift.

“It’s been an exciting year for Broken Nose, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to spend the next one continuing to develop and produce timely new work, and to be able to work with so many talented BNT artists and collaborators. These world premieres range from Florida’s tourist capital to the desolation of the Mojave desert to downtown Chicago, yet despite their geography they remind us, sometimes warmly, sometimes starkly, of the things that matter most: love, human connection and survival.”

Tickets for all Broken Nose Theatre productions are available on a “pay-what-you-can” basis, allowing patrons to set their own price and ensuring theatre remains economically accessible for all audiences. Tickets for all productions will go on sale at a later date. For additional information, visit brokennosetheatre.com. 

Broken Nose Theatre’s Full 2018 Line-Up Includes:

March 2 – March 31, 2018 
KINGDOM – World Premiere!
By BNT resident playwright Michael Allen Harris
Directed by Kanome Jones
Featuring BNT company member Johnard Washington and artistic associates Watson Swift and RjW Mays.

When the state of Florida legalizes same sex marriage, Arthur and Henry (his partner of fifty years) come to terms with their differing opinions on the necessity of becoming husbands, even as their son Alexander finds himself wading through some rough new waters of his own. KINGDOM is the story of an entirely-LGBTQ African American family that lives in the near-literal shadow of Orlando’s magical kingdom, as they struggle to create a life together that captures a little bit of that same magic.

KINGDOM was developed in conjunction with The Paper Trail, BNT’s new play development program.

June 2 – June 30, 2018
THE OPPORTUNITIES OF EXTINCTION
By Sam Chanse
Directed by BNT company member Jen Poulin
Featuring BNT company member Echaka Agba and artistic associate Aria Szalai-Raymond.

A couple flees to the Mojave Desert in the wake of a social media firestorm. A young woman obsessively studies the oncoming impact of climate change. As the world heats up, tensions rise and the political becomes indistinguishable from the environmental, these three find one another in the shadow of the endangered Joshua tree, wondering how long they have before everything falls apart. 

Summer 2018
BECHDEL FEST 6

BNT’s perennial favorite feminist festival returns! As with the last five iterations, BECHDEL FEST 6 will feature an all female-identifying cast performing new short plays written and directed by some of our favorite artists, and all passing the famous Bechdel Test. Created by cartoonist Alison Bechdel, the Bechdel Test asks whether a work of entertainment features at least two women in conversation about something other than a man. Playwrights, directors and casting to be announced in 2018.

October  20 – November 17, 2018
PLAINCLOTHES – World Premiere!
Written and directed by BNT company member Spenser Davis
Featuring BNT company members Echaka Agba, Elise Spoerlein, Martin Hanna, Johnard Washington and David Weiss and artistic associates RjW Mays, Kim Boler, Adam Soule and Rob Koon.

After an incident with a shoplifter ends with half their team either fired or in the hospital, the loss prevention department of a downtown Chicago retail store comes under harsh investigation from corporate. Their manager’s suggestion: “Start catching more white people. At least until they stop looking at the numbers.” When a group of supposed Good Guys have a blind spot that lands them on the chopping block, who holds themselves accountable and who decides to give the higher-ups a taste of the trenches? In the style of BNT’s 2017 hit At The Table, PLAINCLOTHES will be developed alongside its pre-cast ensemble.

Additional casting for the season will be announced at a later date.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Broken Nose Theatre’s 2018 playwrights and directors (left to right) Kanome Jones, Michael Allen Harris, Jen Poulin, Sam Chanse and Spenser Davis.

About the Artists
Michael Allen Harris (Playwright, Kingdom) As a writer, Michael has collaborated with Chicago Theatre companies such as Broken Nose Theatre, Jackalope Theatre, Arc Theatre, Stage 773, Fine Print Theatre, Chicago Home Theater Festival and The New Colony. His play Rocky Road received its world premiere at the New Studio Theatre of Columbia College Chicago and was directed by Chicago actor/playwright/director Tom Mula. It was the first production featured in the Main Stage season that was authored by an alumnus. His play The Velvet Tabernacle was featured in a development series on behalf of Fine Print Theatre. One of his most recent plays, Kingdom, was nourished in a season-long development on behalf of Broken Nose Theatre, and received a staged reading at the Richard Christiansen theatre space of Victory Gardens in June 2016. In the fall of 2017, his play Punk receive its world premiere on behalf of The New Colony, where he recently became an ensemble member. In December of 2016, Michael became the first Resident Playwright of Broken Nose Theatre. His other plays include Ascension. Short plays include: The Woman Who Stared into The Eyes of the Red Horseman, House of Samurai, They Let Him Bleed, Project Agatha (a collaboration project based on Regina Taylor’s play Stop. Reset.) and Bind. As an actor, he has worked with numerous Chicago theaters such as Adventure Stage, Eclipse Theatre, Gift Theatre, Teatro Vista, The-Massive, Stone Soup Theatre Project, Infusion Theatre, Broken Nose Theatre and Cold Basement Dramatics. He is an artistic ensemble member of Eclipse Theatre Company. Michael is currently pursuing his MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Kanome Jones (Director, Kingdom) has been performing and working in Chicago for over five years. She works with several theater companies here in the city, wearing different hats for each one. She is the Casting Director for Strawdog Theatre Company and the Associate Producer for Midsommer Flight. She also works with Stage Left Theatre and Waltzing Mechanics as an ensemble member. In the past, Kanomé has worked with Broken Nose Theatre as a performer in their first Bechdel Fest and as a director in their second iteration. She has also directed an installment of EL Stories with the Waltzing Mechanics.  Other recent performance credits include Building the Wall and The Firestorm (Stage Left Theatre), understudy in The Book Club Play (16th Street Theatre) Twelfth Night (Midsommer Flight) and Titus Andronicus (Babes with Blades Theatre Company). She is proud alumni of the Professional Training Company at Actors Theatre of Louisville and BFA graduate of Missouri State University. 

Sam Chanse’s (Playwright, The Opportunities of Extinction) plays include The Opportunities of Extinction, The Other Instinct, Fruiting Bodies and Lydia’s Funeral Video. A former
Sundance/Ucross Playwright Fellow, MacDowell Fellow, Playwrights Realm Writing Fellow and Rita Goldberg Playwrights’ Workshop Fellow at The Lark, she has also received residencies from Djerassi, Tofte Lake Center and SPACE at Ryder Farm. Her work has been recognized by The Kilroys, and commissions include Ensemble Studio Theatre/Sloan, Ma-Yi/the Flea, Second Generation, Leviathan Lab and the San Francisco Arts Commission. Her first solo play, Lydia’s Funeral Video, is published by Kaya Press. She is a resident playwright at New Dramatists, and a member of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab and Ars Nova’s Play Group. www.samchanse.com. 

Jen Poulin (Director, The Opportunities of Extinction) is a Chicago based director and dramaturg, whose recent projects include The River Bride with Halcyon (dramaturg) and What of the Night? with Stage Left and Cor Theatre (assistant director). She previously served as Interim Grants Manager and Artistic Programs Apprentice at American Theater Company and Associate Artistic Director of BackStage Theatre Company. She has worn many hats since earning her Theatre Studies BFA from University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign: educator, box office assistant, blood mopper, script mistress, stage and production manager, producer and performer. But her heart belongs to directing, especially new work. As a play reader, she’s worked with Stage Left Theatre, Artemisia Theatre and Kitchen Dog Theater. Her stage management and directing credits span many fine Chicago companies, including Adventure Stage Chicago, Strawdog Theatre Company, Steep Theatre Company, Mary Arrchie Theatre Company and WildClaw Theatre. She is also an Artistic Associate with No Stakes Theater Project.

Spenser Davis (Director/Playwright, Plainclothes) is a company member of Broken Nose Theatre, where he has directed From White Plains, A Phase, Bechdel Fest and At The Table, for which he received the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Director – Play. It won three other Jeff Awards including Best Production, and was given a twice-extended summer remount. Other directing credits include Bachelorette at Level 11; FitzFest and Kafkapalooza at First Floor; numerous editions of the One Minute Play Festival; the forthcoming Lametown at The Factory Theater; as well as work with Strawdog, Otherworld, Mary-Arrchie and Pride Films and Plays. Assistant directing credits include Pilgrim’s Progress and 3C at A Red Orchid, as well as Divine Sister at Hell in a Handbag. As a playwright, he was a finalist for the Actor Theater of Louisville’s Heideman Award, and his first full-length play Merge, about the rise and fall of the video game company Atari, closed The New Colony’s eighth season. He is also an ensemble member of The Factory Theater and has worked around town as an actor. Plainclothes is his second play.


BROKEN NOSE THEATRE is Chicago’s premiere Pay-What-You-Can theatre company. Founded in 2012, BNT has produced and developed 10 full length plays (including 7 Chicago or World Premieres) and over 40 new womencentric short plays through our annual Bechdel Fest. We strive to spark conversation, cultivate empathy, and amplify underrepresented voices, and are committed to making new, exciting and relevant theatre that is economically accessible to all audiences. 
For more information, please visit brokennosetheatre.com.

TICKETS ON SALE: Gobsmacked! at Broadway Playhouse For Five Days Only 12/5-10

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

TICKETS NOW ON SALE!

FEATURING WORLD-CHAMPION BEATBOXER BALL-ZEE

FIVE DAYS ONLY! 

DEC. 5 – DEC. 10, 2017

Here at ChiIL Mama & ChiIL Live Shows we can't wait to check out Gobsmacked! as we enjoy both a cappella and beatboxing and can't do either ourselves. This is sure to be a unique show. 



Broadway In Chicago and Nic Doodson, producer and creator of GOBSMACKED!, are delighted to announce that individual tickets for the sensational, next-generation a cappella show, GOBSMACKED!, are now on sale. GOBSMACKED! will begin its first US tour set to play 120 performances throughout North America . The tour will play Broadway In Chicago's Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut) for a limited five-day engagement December 5 through December 10, 2017.

GOBSMACKED! will feature performers such as  world-champion beatboxer Ball-Zee, the three-time winner of the UK Beatbox Champion. Joining Ball-Zee will be a myriad of musical talent including Marcus Collins, the 2011 runner up in the UK version of “The X-Factor,” acclaimed Norwegian singer and pianist Monika Sik-Holm, UK stage actress Emilie Louise Israel, West End actor Nick Hayes, and Joanne Evans and Ed Scott who have performed with GOBSMACKED! since its inception.

ABOUT GOBSMACKED!
Direct from sell-out seasons in London, Hong Kong and Edinburgh comes a mind-blowing vocal show that redefines the human voice.  Featuring the reigning world-champion beatboxer, Ball-Zee, and an international cast of world-class vocalists, GOBSMACKED! weaves stories through all forms of a cappella from traditional street corner harmonies to cutting-edge, multi-track live looping. 

Critics in the UK call GOBSMACKED! "entertainment, not to be missed," (Broadway Baby) and “better than Glee…mesmerizing,” (EdFest Magazine).  Audiences will experience heart-stopping singing and jaw-dropping beatboxing in this latest break-out show that everyone is talking about –it’s funny, joyful and uplifts the spirits of all ages!

Though one of the oldest forms of music, a cappella singing has only recently broken through to mainstream popularity. Movies such as Pitch Perfect, TV shows such as Glee and groups like Pentatonix, Straight No Chaser and Naturally 7 have catapulted a cappella from street corners to stadiums.  The producers of GOBSMACKED! have created a show for the whole family that takes the audience on a journey through music.  GOBSMACKED! not only showcases modern a cappella at its best but also tells an urban tale of love, loss and redemption.

Executive Producer and Creator Nic Doodson, Director Alexandra Spencer-Jones and Musical Director and Co-Creator Jack Blume bring this unique musical experience to life after representing some of the most exciting a cappella and theatrical talent of the last few years.  They have worked with artists such as Daft Punk, Britney Spears, Jose Carreras, Buena Vista Social Club and Soweto Gospel Choir and have produced and directed shows in venues such as the O2 Arena in London and The Sydney Opera House.

www.gobsmackedtheshow.com
Facebook: @godbsmackedtheshow
Twitter: @godbsmackedshow
Instagram: @gobsmackedtheshow




CAST BIOGRAPHIES
MARCUS COLLINS (The Chap): Marcus Collins, at just 29 years old, has already achieved great heights in his singing and musical career after his journey started on TV’s highest rating talent show, The X Factor. After finishing as runner up on The X Factor, Marcus released his debut album which featured production by the London-based Metrophonic team, who had previously worked with Whitney Houston and Cher. The album included the critically acclaimed cover of The White Stripes hit ‘Seven Nation Army’ which also became his first top 10 single in the UK. Marcus is a born performer and his love of live stage work has seen him fulfill another ambition by appearing in the award-winning production of ‘Hairspray‘ and being in the Original west end cast and three time Olivier award winning musical ‘Kinky Boots’ who had their live cast recording was recently nominated for a Grammy. Marcus is thrilled to soon embark on the North American tour as a vocalist of A Capella vocal harmony group GOBSMACKED!

MONIKA SIK-HOLM (The Girl): Training: First Class BA(Hons) from Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, Credits: A Beautiful Noise – The Neil Diamond Story (UK Tour), Cinderella in Cinderella (Plowright Theatre), Alice Fitzwarren in Dick Whittington (Thwaites Empire Theatre), Magical Misstery Four (Royal Carribbean, Princess Cruises, Celebrity & Holland America), The Playlist (Munken Playhouse, Norway), The Rock Frogs (Norway), Brigitta in Scandinavian Heart (Iris Theatre), Cybersoul (Lost Theatre). Voice Overs/Recordings include: The Rock Frogs (Universal Music Norway), BeatBo (Fisher Price/Mattel), On call for the heart & Vivi Theme Tune (VoiceArchives). Monica represented Norway as a singer and pianist in the World Championships for Performing Arts in Los Angeles in 2011, and took home both gold and silver medals in her categories.

BALL-ZEE (The Engineer): Patrick Hirst a.k.a. Ball-Zee is one of the UK’s leading beatbox artists and has quickly become established as one of the leading vocal musicians on the world stage thanks to his unique musical style, signature snares and astonishingly realistic sound effects. Along with The Beatbox Collective, Ball-Zee is the current world team Beatbox champion. Ball-Zee is in constant demand as a teacher, competition judge and workshop leader. In the last year he has performed and taught in Australia, China, India, Hong Kong, Poland, U.K, Germany, Italy and many more.

EMILIE LOUISE ISRAEL (The Woman): Emilie began her training at Arts Educational Schools, since then she has performed across the UK in several large scale touring productions including: Lead Vocalist in The Hitmaker: The Music of Nile Rodgers (Viva Productions), Freak Fest: 80’s Halloween (Viva Productions) & most recently as Lead Vocalist on the Magic of Motown UK & Ireland Tour. Emilie can also be seen in the music video for Honne. Emilie is very excited to start the next chapter of her career, travelling the U.S. and doing what she loves.

NICK HAYES (The Man): Television and Film: ‘The Definition of Lonely’ (Official selection & WINNER best film, Outwest film festival NV), Series regular Orson Buxton in Hollyoaks:In the city (Channel 4/BBC America), Thomas Portman in Doctors (BBC), Roy in Boyfriend Material, Shannon in Telegraph Hill, Paul Ashworth in RAT (Official selection Blackbird film festival NYC) & Jessie J Television campaign for TUC Crackers. West End: ‘Legally Blonde The musical’ (Three time Olivier award WINNER/Savoy Theatre). Standby Ren McCormack in Footloose (Playhouse Theatre), Understudy Bobby C in Saturday Night Fever (Apollo Victoria), originated the role of Angel in LIFT (Trafalgar studios), Billy in Elegies for angels punks and raging queens (Soho Theatre) Angel in a Gala performance of RENT (Garrick Theatre). Awards: Best Actor Award at Kino Shorts ’61 for ‘The Definition of Lonely’.

JOANNE EVANS (The Diva): Credits: Gobsmacked: Edinburgh, London, Hong Kong, Posh (Nottingham and Salisbury playhouses, 2015)directed by Susannah Tresilian, Pride and Prejudice WORKSHOP (Nottingham playhouse, 2017), company of the Thursford Christmas Spectacular (2016), Opera Holland Park (2013), English National Opera, Third Hand Opera, Opera Viscera. Other: Co-writer on theme for BBC1’s ‘Pitch Battle’.

ED SCOTT (The Boy): Ed is an alumnus and former musical director of the University of Exeter’s award winning vocal ensemble Semi-Toned. A self-taught vocalist, Ed has been involved with Gobsmacked! since its inception, and made his professional debut with the show at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. As well as writing and arranging a cappella music, Ed works as an emcee and voiceover artist, and runs workshops on a cappella music. He has two brothers, two cats, and two vocal registers.

TICKET INFORMATION
Individual tickets for GOBSMACKED! at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place range from $39-$79 with premium seats available. Tickets are available for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. Tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St., 18 W. Monroe St. and 175 E. Chestnut), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000 and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com.  For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

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

For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

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

Martha Lavey Celebration and Honorary Street Naming at Steppenwolf Last Week

Steppenwolf Paid Heartfelt Tribute to Influential and Beloved Chicago Cultural Leader

in Public Memorial Event, October 9

Martha Lavey: 

A Celebration of Her Life and Legacy

It's been a huge year of loss for Steppenwolf Theatre Company with numerous beloved ensemble members and associates passing away. The untimely death of former artistic director Martha Lavey, is the one that hit me the hardest. I was happy to see they have a tribute to her with a reserved sign on the bookshelves at Front Bar. There will always be space reserved in our hearts and minds for Martha Lavey, as those she influenced create on.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company hosted a warm and heartfelt public memorial celebrating the remarkable life and legacy of ensemble member and former artistic director Martha Lavey, who passed earlier this year at the age of 60. On October 9, more than 500 ensemble members, friends, family, co-workers, and collaborators gathered in Steppenwolf’s Downstairs Theatre to share in a two hour tribute to the legendary Chicago cultural leader with stories, song, laughter and tears, hosted by current Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro and Executive Director David Schmitz. More than 500 people also tuned into the live stream of the event.

In addition to the hosts, the evening included speeches honoring the many ways that Martha Lavey touched the lives around her personally as a sister, aunt, friend and collaborator, and publicly as a cultural and community leader, mentor and advocate of the arts and artists. Speakers included ensemble members Amy Morton, Bruce Norris, Yasen Peyankov, Molly Regan (sharing the words of ensemble member Austin Pendleton) along with Jenny Avery, Doug Brown, Ben Cameron, Curt Columbus, Nora Daley, Michele Dragisity, Evan Hatfield, Bruce Sagan, Jessica Thebus and Andy White. The event also included musical performances by the All Nations Worship Assembly Chicago Ensemble, Suzi Petri and ensemble member Jim True-Frost. A retrospective video looking back on Lavey’s life and legacy was provided by HMS Video.

The following morning, the stretch of Halsted Street in front of Steppenwolf Theatre was renamed “Martha Lavey Way” in an honorary ceremony. Steppenwolf ensemble, employees and public gathered at the corner of Willow St and Halsted St at 11am for the sign unveiling with remarks by Steppenwolf Executive Director David Schmitz and Alderman Michele Smith.

The honorary street renaming ordinance was submitted by Alderman Michele Smith of the 43rd Ward and granted by the City Council. Two honorary “Martha Lavey Way” signs have been installed—one at the northwest corner of North Halsted Street and West North Avenue, pointing north, and the other sign will be located at the southwest corner of North Halsted and West Willow Street, pointing south.

Martha Lavey joined the Steppenwolf ensemble in 1993 and served as Artistic Director from 1995 to 2015. Under her transformative leadership, Steppenwolf became a national leader in producing new plays and commissioning playwrights, doubled the size of its ensemble and diversified its base of artists, added two performance spaces, expanded and deepened its partnerships in public schools and the community, created Steppenwolf for Young Adults, and instituted a platform for engaging audiences after every performance. She oversaw the production of hundreds of plays and transferred dozens of Steppenwolf productions to Broadway and abroad, gaining national and international recognition for the company and Chicago as a vital theater destination.
                           
During Martha Lavey’s tenure, Steppenwolf was awarded the National Medal of the Arts, the only theater to ever receive the honor, as well as the Illinois Arts Legend Award, Equity Special Award and nine of the company’s 12 Tony Awards. Lavey catapulted Steppenwolf to the forefront of new play development and production with a robust commissioning program that cultivates ongoing creative relationships with some of the most compelling playwrights today. Lavey oversaw the conception of and programming for the Garage Theater, an intimate space in 1998 that provided an additional platform for outside companies, new works and audience engagement. Several programs were established during her tenure, including Steppenwolf for Young Adults, an innovative and influential program for teens and their families; The School at Steppenwolf, an acclaimed training residency based in ensemble traditions; The Professional Leadership program for emerging arts managers and designers; The First Look Rep of New Work for plays in development; and the Garage Rep, presenting Chicago’s vibrant Off-Loop theater companies, among others. Lavey was named one of the ‘100 Most Powerful People’ by Chicago Magazine twice, was selected as one of the city's ‘10 Most Powerful Women in the Arts’ by the Chicago Sun-Times and was awarded the title of ‘2010 Chicagoan of the Year’ by the Chicago Tribune. Lavey and former Steppenwolf Executive Director David Hawkanson were recipients of the 2015 ‘Citizen Advocate Award’ presented by the Arts Alliance Illinois for their extraordinary contributions to the arts locally and nationally. In May 2016 she received an honor from the City of Chicago for her two decades of service as artistic director.

While leading one of the most acclaimed theater companies in the world, Martha Lavey also performed in more than 30 Steppenwolf productions including Middletown, Endgame, Up, Good Boys and True, Love-Lies-Bleeding, Lost Land, I Never Sang for My Father, The Memory of Water, Supple in Combat, Time of My Life, A Clockwork Orange, Talking Heads, SLAVS!, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Love Letters, and Aunt Dan and Lemon. Elsewhere in Chicago she performed at the Goodman, Victory Gardens, Northlight and Remains theaters and in New York at the Women’s Project and Productions.

Martha Lavey served a Board President for the Theatre Communications Group from 2009 – 2011. She served on grants panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, The Theatre Communications Group, Three Arts Club, USA Artists and the City Arts panel of Chicago. She earned a doctorate in Performance Studies from Northwestern University and was a member of the National Advisory Council for the School of Communication at Northwestern University. She was a recipient of the Sarah Siddons Award, an Alumni Merit Award and an Honorary Doctorate from Northwestern University.
Martha Lavey passed away on April 25, 2017 due to complications from a stroke. Faithful friends, audience members, donors, staff, artists, mentees, members of the Steppenwolf family and the national theatre community were all indelibly impacted by Martha's passion, commitment, vision and unmatched intellect. She will be dearly missed. Services for Martha were held in May 2017 in her parent’s home of Vienna, Virginia.

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

For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

OPENING: Firebrand Theatre Launches With Chicago Premiere of LIZZIE

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Inaugural Production!

Firebrand Theatre Presents the Chicago Premiere of

LIZZIE

The cast of Firebrand Theatre’s Chicago premiere of LIZZIE (left to right) Leah Davis, Jaquelyne Jones, Liz Chidester and Camille Robinson. Photo by Joe Mazza.

Music by Steven Cheslik-deMeyer and Alan Stevens Hewitt 

Lyrics by Steven Cheslik-deMeyer and Tim Maner

Book by Tim Maner

Additional Music by Tim Maner

Additional Lyrics by Alan Stevens Hewitt

Based on an original concept by Steven Cheslik-deMeyer and Tim Maner 

Orchestrations by Alan Stevens Hewitt 

Directed by Victoria Bussert

Music Direction by Julia A. Miller and Andra Velis Simon

Choreography by Janet Louer

November 11 – December 17, 2017 at The Den Theatre

Firebrand Theatre, the first musical theatre company committed to employing and empowering women by expanding opportunities on and off the stage, is pleased to present its inaugural production, the Chicago premiere of LIZZIE, the rock musical based on the true-life story of accused axe-murderess Lizzie Borden. LIZZIE will play November 11 – December 17, 2017 at The Den Theatre's Bookspan Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. Single tickets for LIZZIE and season subscriptions (including 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL) are currently available at firebrandtheatre.org. 

Directed by Victoria Bussert with music direction by Julia A. Miller and Andra Velis Simon and choreography by Janet Louer, LIZZIE features music by Steven Cheslik-deMeyer and Alan Stevens Hewitt, lyrics by Steven Cheslik-deMeyer and Tim Maner, book by Tim Maner, additional music by Tim Maner, additional lyrics by Alan Stevens Hewitt, based on an original concept by Steven Cheslik-deMeyer and Tim Maner with orchestrations by Alan Stevens Hewitt. 

LIZZIE features Liz Chidester as Lizzie, Leah Davis as Bridget, Jacquelyne Jones as Alice and Camille Robinson as Emma. The late night cast/understudies, who will appear in four 11 pm performances, include Kyrie Anderson as Lizzie, Tatiana Bustamante as Bridget, Elle Walker as Alice and Dakota Hughes as Emma.

"Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, gave her father forty-one." So goes the nursery rhyme describing the crime of the century that took the nation by storm when Lizzie Borden murdered her parents with an axe in 1892. Or did she? LIZZIE is a musical that reimagines that bloody legend with four women fronting a female rock band. LIZZIE is American mythology set to a blistering rock score with rage, sex, betrayal and bloody murder. 

Comments Artistic Director Harmony France, “We knew pretty early on that we wanted Lizzie to open our season. It fits our mission perfectly. It's one of the few musicals that feature all women. The characters are flawed and complicated in a way that women don't normally get to portray in musical theatre. There is an unapologetic blistering rock score that will be played by our all femme band. It's sexy and scary and vulnerable and there's a splash zone. The alleged axe-murderess, Lizzie Borden, has captured our imagination for centuries. She is a fascinating historical figure who lived a very unconventional life and she is one of the few women in America responsible for a ‘crime of the century.’ At Firebrand, we are committed to illuminating women's stories whether they're good, bad or ugly – and Lizzie is definitely all of the above.”

The production team for LIZZIE includes: Eleanor Kahn (scenic design), Charlotte M. Yetman (costume design), Maya Michele Fein (lighting design), Victoria Deiorio (sound design), Jon Martinez (assistant director), Danielle Stack (production manager) and Jean E. Compton (stage manager).


Cast: Liz Chidester (Lizzie), Leah Davis (Bridget), Jacquelyne Jones (Alice) and Camille Robinson (Emma).
Late Night Cast/Understudies: Kyrie Anderson (Lizzie) Tatiana Bustamante (Bridget) Dakota Hughes (Emma) and Elle Walker (Alice). 

Location: The Den Theatre's Bookspan Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Dates: Previews: Saturday, November 11 at 8 pm and Sunday, November 12 at 3 pm.

Regular run: Thursday, November 16 – Sunday, December 17, 2017
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be a performance on Thursday, November 23 (Thanksgiving Day).

Late Night Performances (featuring understudies): Friday, December 1 at 11 pm, Saturday, December 2 at 11 pm, Friday, December 8 at 11 pm and Saturday, December 9 at 11 pm.
Open Captioned Performances (by Molly Brennan): Sunday, November 26 at 3 pm and Sunday, December 3 at 3 pm

Tickets: Previews $25. Regular run $45. Late night shows $30. Students $20. Single tickets and season subscriptions are currently available at firebrandtheatre.org.

About The Creative Team
Victoria Bussert (Director) balances the professional and academic worlds working as an award-winning freelance director while serving as Director of Music Theatre for Baldwin Wallace University.  Her work has been seen at the Manhattan Theatre Club, Goodspeed Opera, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Dallas Theatre Center, Cincinnati Playhouse, Portland Stage, Cleveland Playhouse, Dobama Theatre, Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre, Pegasus Players, Beck Center for the Arts, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, among others.  Victoria serves as Resident Director for Cleveland's Great Lakes Theatre and the Idaho Shakespeare Festival.  She has directed seven national tours including Into The Woods, Once On This Island and The Who’s Tommy. Her international directing credits include The Adventures of Friar Tuck in Russia, the Danish premieres of Avenue Q and [title of show], as well as the European premiere of Lizzie for Fredericia Theatre which moves to London in February 2017. Victoria received a BA in Theatre and Dance from Barat College and an MFA in Directing from Northwestern University.

Julia A. Miller (Music Director) performs as a guitarist with the electroacoustic trio Auris, with Gimlet Eye, and as a frequent soloist and collaborator in experimental and avant garde chamber music. Auris’s current CD has been released on Artco Records (2009). Julia completed the performance half of a double Master of Music in Classical Guitar Performance at Northwestern University, and served as the Jazz, Folk and Contemporary Guitar Department Chair at the Music Institute of Chicago, where she was also a Suzuki Guitar specialist. As a composer, Julia is active with the Chicago Composer’s Consortium and New Music Chicago, and has a CD of acoustic chamber music on the Southport Composer’s label. Julia’s music has been performed by artists including guitarist Fareed Haque, piano trio The Lincoln Trio, guitar and mandolin duo Ahlert & Schwab, and sopranos Toni Arnold and Julia Bentley, and has been featured at such festivals and venues as the Aspen Music Festival, May In Miami, the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Depaul University, Northwestern University, and Oberlin University, as well as rock clubs, cabarets, bars and alternative spaces internationally. Julia has received awards and fellowships from the Chicago Tribune Foundation, the New York Art Ensemble, the United Arts Council, the American Composer’s Forum, and Meet the Composer.  Julia has been a member of the composition faculty at the Music Institute of Chicago and has also served as an Adjunct Associate Professor at Sound and Liberal Arts, at The School of the Art Institute, Chicago.

Andra Velis Simon (Music Director) is a music director, adapter, arranger, vocal coach and pianist based in Chicago. Regionally, her work has been seen at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, A.R.T. in Cambridge, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Berkeley Rep, Olney Theatre Center in Maryland and Three Oaks in Michigan. In Chicago: The Goodman Theatre (The Iceman Cometh and Camino Real), Theater Wit (Mr. Burns: a post-electric play and 10 out of 12), Chicago Children’s Theatre (The Hundred Dresses, A Year with Frog and Toad, Goodnight Moon), The Hypocrites (Cinderella at the Theater of Potatoes, American Idiot, Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, HMS Pinafore), Windy City Playhouse, and many others. Andra is an adjunct faculty member at Columbia College Chicago, where she teaches several musical theatre performance courses, and where she served as the staff Musical Director for the Theatre Department from 2008-2016.

Janet Louer (Choreographer) has been responsible for launching many careers’ over the past 35 years that she has worked in the industry. Some of them are now Artistic Directors, Directors, Agents, Casting directors in Chicago, New York, and all over the country. Janet was the former manager of Tony Award Winner Heather Headley. Janet created the Musical Theatre Division at ATC and is currently the Artistic Director/Creator for Another Door theatre Project; The Ensemble Conservatory, a comprehensive training/performance opportunity for young actors. Janet is the Development Director of a new approach to acting called Acting;out of and through the Human Condition. National Tours: (all under direction of Victoria Bussert) BUDDY (Jeff Award for choreography), Assassins, The Secret Garden, Once On This Island, Barnum, Into The Woods and Anyone Can Whistle. Regional: The Frogs, You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow, Pacific Overtures, Company, Goblin Market, Follies, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Little Shop of Horrors, A Little Night Music and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

Mission Statement
FIREBRAND THEATRE is a musical theatre company committed to employing and empowering women by expanding their opportunities on and off the stage. Firebrand is a 501(c)(3) Equity theatre.

Company members: Artistic Director: Harmony France, Managing Director: Kimberly Lawson, Advisory Board: Lili-Anne Brown, Brenda Didier, Kate Garassino, Emjoy Gavino, Amber Mak, Danni Smith, Company Members: Kasey Alfonso, Sydney Charles, Adelina Feldman-Schultz, Carly Glenn, Amanda Horvath, Jon Martinez, Eric Martin, Amelia Jo Parrish and Andra Velis-Simon.

OPENING: CHICAGO PREMIERE OF GISELLE AT THE JOFFREY BALLET 10/18-29

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

THE JOFFREY BALLET OPENS 2017-18 SEASON

WITH CHICAGO PREMIERE OF LOLA DE ÁVILA’S VISIONARY ADAPTATION OF GISELLE

At the Auditorium Theatre, October 18-29, 2017

The Joffrey Ballet launches its 2017-18 season with the Chicago Premiere of Lola de Ávila’s visionary adaption of Giselle, one of the greatest and most beloved Romantic era ballets. De Ávila, former Associate Director of the San Francisco Ballet School, has elevated this classic tale of passion beyond the grave to new heights, set to prolific 19th century composer Adolphe Adam’s original score created for the ballet’s premiere in 1841. Giselle is presented in 10 performances only, October 18-29, 2017.

“Giselle marks the beginning of our 2017-18 season as well as my tenth year as Artistic Director of The Joffrey Ballet,” said Ashley Wheater. “During this time, we’ve worked tirelessly to redefine dance at the highest level and promote remarkable and moving experiences. One of the most renowned ballets, Giselle showcases the youthful passion of the human spirit in a time when it’s never been more needed. I’m thrilled to present Giselle – the first ballet I worked on as Artistic Director of the Joffrey – to Chicago audiences this fall.”

A ballet in two acts, Giselle is set in the Rhineland of the Middle Ages on the day of the grape harvest festival. When the curtain rises, the cottage of Giselle and her mother Berthe is seen on one side, while opposite is the cottage of Duke Albrecht of Silesia, a nobleman. Albrecht comes to the village in disguise before his marriage to Bathilde, the daughter of the Prince of Courland. Against the advice of his squire Wilfrid, Albrecht flirts with Giselle, who falls completely in love with him. Hilarion, a gamekeeper, is also in love with Giselle and warns her against him, but she refuses to listen. A hunting party enters, among them Bathilde and her father. Giselle is entranced by the nobility. When the party departs, Albrecht reappears with the grape harvesters. A celebration begins but the merriment is brought to a halt by Hilarion who, having investigated Albrecht’s cottage, brandishes the nobleman’s horn and sword. When Giselle learns the truth of Albrecht’s deception, madness overwhelms her heart and she dies.

Act Two begins near Giselle’s grave on the night of her burial. Hilarion is grieving Giselle’s death. He is frightened by Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis – female spirits jilted before their wedding day. At night, the Wilis rise from their graves and seek revenge upon men by dancing them to death. Albrecht enters searching for Giselle’s grave. As her spirit appears before him, Albrecht is overwhelmed by remorse and grief for the girl he grew to love. He begs forgiveness. Her love undiminished, Giselle does. Hilarion enters, pursued by the Wilis, who throw him to his death in a nearby lake. The Wilis then surround Albrecht and sentence him to death. He begs to be spared, but Myrtha refuses. As the Wilis attempt to dance Albrecht to exhaustion, Giselle protects him. Day breaks and the Wilis retreat to their graves. Giselle’s love has saved Albrecht. By not succumbing to the Wilis and their feelings of vengeance and hatred, Giselle is freed from their grasp and returns to her grave to rest in peace.

Tickets and Schedule

The Joffrey Ballet performs Giselle October 18–29, 2017; the full performance schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 7:30pm, Friday, Oct. 20 at 7:30pm, Saturday, Oct. 21 at 2:00pm and 7:30pm, Sunday, Oct. 22 at 2:00pm, Thursday, Oct. 26 at 7:30pm, Friday, Oct. 27 at 7:30pm, Saturday, Oct. 28 at 2:00pm and 7:30pm, Sunday, Oct. 29 at 2:00pm

Single tickets range from $34 - $174 and are available for purchase at The Joffrey Ballet’s official Box Office located in the lobby of Joffrey Tower, 10 E. Randolph Street, as well as the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University Box Office, by telephone at 312.386.8905, or online at Joffrey.org.

About The Joffrey Ballet

Classically trained to the highest standards, The Joffrey Ballet expresses a unique, inclusive perspective on dance, proudly reflecting the diversity of America with its company, audiences, and repertoire which includes major story ballets, reconstructions of masterpieces and contemporary works.

The company’s commitment to accessibility is met through an extensive touring schedule, an innovative and highly effective education program including the much-lauded Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, Community Engagement programs and collaborations with myriad other visual and performing arts organizations.

Founded by visionary teacher Robert Joffrey in 1956, guided by celebrated choreographer Gerald Arpino from 1988 until 2007, The Joffrey Ballet continues to thrive under internationally renowned Artistic Director Ashley Wheater and Executive Director Greg Cameron.

The Joffrey Ballet gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Giselle Production Sponsor JHL Capital Group, LLC and Live Music Sponsor The Marina and Arnold Tatar Fund for Live Music.

Special thanks to Co-Sponsors of the 2017-2018 Season: Abbott Fund, Alphawood Foundation Chicago, NIB Foundation, Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation, and Season Partners: pamella roland and Fox Ford Lincoln, Clear Channel Airports, JW Marriott, and Chicago Athletic Clubs.

For more information on The Joffrey Ballet and its programs, visit joffrey.org. Connect with the Joffrey on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.