REVIEW: Inertia and Shattered Dreams Hit Home With Shattered Globe's Five Mile Lake at Theater Wit

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Chicago Premiere!

Shattered Globe Theatre Presents 

FIVE MILE LAKE

By Rachel Bonds

Directed by Cody Estle

January 11 – February 24, 2018 at Theater Wit

All Photos by Evan Hanover.

Review:

Dive on in to the depths of Shattered Globe's Five Mile Lake for an excellent exploration on failed dreams, family dynamics, and future plans. Five Mile Lake is one of the stronger offerings in a series of productions on stage in Chicago now, all exploring young adults who end up stuck in their home towns with subpar employment, and often duties caring for elderly parents.

Steve Peebles, Drew Schad, Joseph Wiens, Daniela Colucci and Aila Peck were all adept at their roles. I enjoyed the complicated relationships between the brother who stayed and the one who got away, the unhappy girlfriend, and the childhood friend and coffee shop co-worker. The post lake plunge scene is particularly endearing and revealing.

This slice of American life is comedic in dialogue, yet tragic in it's characters' wasted potential and unhappiness. The delightfully askew set is simple but effective in providing the perfect playground for lives out of balance, deception, loneliness and longing for escape. Shattered Globe does an excellent job of portraying the lasting effects of the place one's from, along with the pros and cons of growing up and away, or taking root in the soil or one's childhood environs. Lies, loyalties, responsibilities, and choices are all on the line.

When the liquor flows, hidden truths come out. When the coffee is served up with gummy worms and sympathy, future possibilities emerge, and character traits become clearer.   

Though there are no earthshaking mysteries or plot twists, I enjoyed the familiarity of this small group of childhood friends, family, and strangers muddling through a seminal weekend together, in the comforts and constrictions of small town America.

Five Mile Lake is recommended and now playing through February 24, 2018 at SGT’s resident home Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.

Shattered Globe Theatre is pleased to continue its 2017-18 Season with Rachel Bonds’ new drama FIVE MILE LAKE, directed by Cody Estle. This Chicago premiere asks the question, “In this rapidly transforming world, when is the right time to make a major change in your life? What holds you back?” FIVE MILE LAKE will play January 11 – February 24, 2018 at SGT’s resident home Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, November 15 at www.shatteredglobe.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office. 

FIVE MILE LAKE features Shattered Globe ensemble members Steve Peebles*, Drew Schad*, Joseph Wiens* and SGT artistic associate Daniela Colucci+ with Aila Peck. 

Top (left to right): Daniela Colucci, Aila Peck, Steve Peebles. Bottom (left to right): Drew Schad and Joseph Wiens.

"That 'couple years' of treading water turned into like...eight." – Mary, Five Mile Lake

Five young adults approaching thirty navigate an unexpected reunion in a small Pennsylvania town: the kind of claustrophobic place that most kids grow up ready to leave. On the banks of a frozen lake, each struggles to make a new choice – the “right” choice – and comes face-to-face with the choices they have already made.

FIVE MILE LAKE is a funny, intimate portrait of unrequited love, tension among siblings, the discomfort of self-reflection, and the consequences of words left unsaid. Bonds creates a "pitch perfect evocation of small moments with life-sized repercussions." (Adrien-Alice Hansel, Studio Theatre).

Comments Director Cody Estle, “Five Mile Lake is a funny and moving portrait of small town people –both the people who stayed and the people who moved away. Sometimes everyone else’s life looks better from a distance but what really defines happiness? Coming from a small town myself and being around the age of these characters brings a special connection – it’s a story that I'm eager to tell. It’s filled with family, dreams and hope – I think it will engage, move and inspire audiences.”

Playwright Rachel Bonds adds, “I wrote this play because I was thinking a lot about the place I’m from and about the constant push-pull I feel about it. At times I think there’s nowhere I feel more at home than in that tiny, tiny mountain town – and times, walking down the whirling, vibrating, city streets, when I can’t believe I managed to spend 18 years there. I wrote this play because I was interested in that conflict in me, and because I was interested in how we look for and find home when we’ve lost our way.”

Producing Artistic Director Sandy Shinner comments, “The writing in Five Mile Lake is a gift to actors as they explore the tension between what the characters say and what they feel. In this season of all Chicago premieres, Shattered Globe is excited to welcome playwright Rachel Bonds to our theater. She’ll be joining us during the creative process and we look forward to introducing her to Chicago’s theater community and our audiences.”

The production team for FIVE MILE LAKE includes Jeffrey D. Kmiec (scenic design), Hailey Rakowiecki (costume design), JR Lederle (lighting design), Christopher Kriz+ (original music and sound design), Vivian Knouse* (props design), Eva Breneman (dialect coach), A.J. Roy (asst. director), Judy Anderson* (exec. production manager), Colin David (production manager), Denise Savas (stage manager) and Ayanna Wimberley (asst. stage manager).

Location: Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave, Chicago
Dates: Previews: Thursday, January 11 at 8 pm, Friday, January 12 at 8 pm and Saturday, January 13 at 8 pm 
Regular Run: Thursday, January 18 – Saturday, February 24, 2018 

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there is an added matinee on Saturday, February 24 at 3 pm. 
Touch Tour/Audio Description Performance: Friday, February 2 – 6:30 pm touch tour, 8 pm performance with audio description. $20 tickets available with code “ACCESS.”

Global Perspectives: SGT will be hosting post-show discussions immediately following 3 pm performances on Sundays.

Tickets: Previews: $20 general admission, $10 students, $10 industry tickets with code “FRIEND”. Regular Run: $35 general admission. Discounts: $15 students, $28 seniors, $20 under 30. $15 industry tickets on Thursdays with code “INDUSTRY.” Tickets go on sale Wednesday, November 15 at www.theaterwit.org, in person at the Theater Wit Box Office or by calling (773) 975-8150. Group discounts are currently available by contacting groupsales@shatteredglobe.org or by calling (773) 770-0333. 

* Denotes SGT Ensemble Member
+ Denotes SGT Artistic Associate

About the Artists:
Rachel Bonds (Playwright) plays have been developed or produced by South Coast Rep, Ars Nova, Manhattan Theatre Club, McCarter Theatre, Roundabout Underground, Atlantic Theater Company, Studio Theatre, New Georges, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and New York Stage & Film, among others. Her plays include: Curve of Departure (Upcoming South Coast Rep, Studio Theatre); Five Mile Lake (South Coast Rep, McCarter, Weissberger Award); The Wolfe Twins (Studio Theatre, Kilroys List 2015); Swimmers (Marin Theatre Co., Sky Cooper Prize, Kilroys List 2014); Sundown, Yellow Moon (Ars Nova/WP); Alma (Atlantic Theatre Company commission); Firecracker (Kilroys List 2016); At the Old Place (La Jolla); Michael & Edie (NY Times Critic's Pick, 2010); Winter Games (Actors Theatre of Louisville, Heideman Award); and Anniversary (EST, Sam French OOB Festival Winner). She is an Alumna of the EST’s Youngblood, Ars Nova’s Play Group and SPACE on Ryder Farm’s Working Farm Writers’ Group. She was the 2016 Tow Foundation Playwright in Residence at Ars Nova. Current commissions include The Geffen and McCarter. Bonds is a graduate of Brown University.

Cody Estle (Director) is the newly appointed Artistic Director of Raven Theatre. Directing credits include By The Water at Northlight Theatre; The Assembled Parties, A Loss of Roses, Dividing the Estate, Vieux Carré (named by Chicago Tribune as one of the Year's Best in 2014), Good Boys and True, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Boy Gets Girl and Dating Walter Dante at Raven Theatre; American Hero at First Floor Theatre; Scarcity at Redtwist Theatre; The Seagull and Watch on the Rhine at The Artistic Home; Don't Go Gentle at Haven Theatre; Uncle Bob at Mary-Arrchie Theatre Company and Hospitality Suite at Citadel Theatre. He’s had the pleasure of assistant directing at Steppenwolf Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Marriott Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, Court Theatre, Writers Theatre, Next Theatre and Strawdog Theatre. Estle is an associate member of SDC and a graduate of Columbia College Chicago.



About Shattered Globe Theatre
Shattered Globe Theatre (Sandy Shinner, Producing Artistic Director; Doug McDade, Managing Director) was born in a storefront space on Halsted Street in 1991. Since then, SGT has produced more than 60 plays, including nine American and world premieres, and garnered an impressive 42 Jeff Awards and 106 Jeff Award nominations, as well as the acclaim of critics and audiences alike. Shattered Globe is an ensemble driven theater whose mission is to create an intimate, visceral theater experience that challenges the perspective of audience and artist alike through passionate storytelling. Shattered Globe is inspired by the diversity of our city and committed to making the theater available to all audiences.   Through initiatives such as the Protégé Program, Shattered Globe creates a space which allows emerging artists to grow and share in the ensemble experience.

Shattered Globe Theatre is partially supported and funded by generous grants from The Shulman-Rochambeau Charitable Foundation, The James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, Alphawood Foundation, The Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council, a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, The Shubert Foundation, The Blum-Kovler Family Foundation, and The Robert J. & Loretta W. Cooney Family Foundation.

For more information on Shattered Globe Theatre, please visit www.shatteredglobe.org.

REVIEW: Take a Gamble on Flamingo & Decatur at Theater Wit

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar: 

World Premiere!

Block St Theatre Co Presents

FLAMINGO & DECATUR

By Todd Taylor 

Directed by Kevin Christopher Fox

January 4 – February 18, 2018 at Theater Wit

  ALL PHOTOS BY EVAN HANOVER

Review:
Jackson and Ben are living the American dream in a McMansion with a hot tub, and a putting green in Vegas. There's just one catch, they're squatters. This dark comedy is full of plot twists and unique psychological character studies that are big on laughs. What happens when the stakes are raised and real potential love and friendship are on the line for the conman, who has always seen people as marks and life as a series of possible bets? 

Flamingo & Decatur is a Vegas style reminder to look beyond the surface for what's real instead of illusion. We enjoyed this clever poke at human behavior and the reasons behind it, like the Vegan diet bet, and how it's human nature to both endure and hit a breaking point, sometimes at the most unexpected time and place. This is a fun evening out at Theater Wit, and worth a look. 

You know Las Vegas – spinning wheels, neon lights, slinky dresses. But do you really know the city and its almost two million inhabitants? Poker pro turned playwright Todd Taylor takes you inside the real Sin City in Block St Theatre Co’s darkly comedic new play FLAMINGO & DECATUR, directed by Kevin Christopher Fox. The world premiere production will play January 4 – February 18, 2018 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at theaterwit.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office. 

FLAMINGO & DECATUR will feature Stephanie Bignault, Drew Johnson, Jason M. Shipman and Nathaniel Stahlke.

Set in a foreclosed residential property far from the glamour of the famed Las Vegas strip, FLAMINGO & DECATUR reveals a different side of Sin City. It's here we meet Jackson, a wily professional gambler struggling to stay afloat in the aftermath of the 2008 housing crash that wrecked the city's economy. Jackson thinks he's discovered a surefire way to trim living expenses – find one of the thousands of Vegas houses left vacant by foreclosure and start squatting there illegally with Ben, his online-poker-junkie roommate. But the pair soon finds that not only do they have to stay one step ahead of the law – they must also contend with their antagonistic next-door neighbor Simon, self-appointed guardian of neighborhood property values.

The production team for FLAMINGO & DECATUR includes: Joe Schermoly (scenic design), Chloe Patten (costume design), Alexander Ridgers (lighting design), Christopher Kriz (sound design), Jessica Mondres (props design), Jennifer Aparicio (production manager) and Celeste Richard (stage manager).

Location: Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago
Regular run: Thursday, January 11 – Sunday, February 18, 2018
Curtain Times: Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 2 pm & 7 pm

Tickets: Regular run: $33. Seniors $28, students/military $23. Tickets are currently available at theaterwit.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at Theater Wit Box Office.



About the Artists:
Todd Taylor (Playwright) As a playwright/producer and founding member of Block St, Todd has spearheaded the company's focus on bringing original new work to the stage. Block St productions of his plays include: Flamingo & Decatur, a dramatic comedy delving into the lives of Vegas gamblers, The Jefferson Bottles, a black comedy inspired by the Koch Brother wine swindle, and Butte, a historical drama based on the rise and fall of copper baron Augustus F. Heinze. Other full-length plays include Calculation, a historical drama based on the calculus priority dispute between Newton and Leibniz, and The Gravedigger's Art, a comedy about finding vocational identity. Originally from the Raleigh, NC area, before coming to dramatic writing Todd worked as a sportswriter for several newspapers, taught community college English and played poker professionally in Las Vegas. He holds a BA in English from Duke University, a MA in English from UNC Greensboro and an MFA in Drama from the University of Arkansas.

Kevin Christopher Fox (Director) Originally from Asheville, NC, Kevin is an actor and director based in Chicago for the past 25 years. Recent Chicago directing highlights include: Bakersfield Mist (TimeLine); the world premiere of Assassination Theater by Hillel Levin (Russell Lane, LLC at Museum of Broadcast Communications); the world premieres of Graveyard of Empires by Elaine Romero and The Gun Show by EM Lewis, Pull of the Moon, Accidental Rapture and The Book Club Play (16th Street Theater), Lay Me Down Softly and Hughie (Irish Theatre of Chicago/Seanachai), Widowers' Houses and Androcles and the Lion (Shaw Chicago), St. Crispin's Day (Strawdog), Arms and the Man and Betrayal (Oak Park Festival), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Gift Theatre Company), Beggars in the House of Plenty (Mary-Arrchie), Widowers' Houses (TimeLine) and his debut Buicks (Precious Mettle). Regional highlights: the world premiere of The Actuary by Steven Peterson (Peninsula Players); the world premieres of The Spiritualist by Robert Ford and Sundown Town by Kevin Cohea, The Fall of the House and MacBeth (TheatreSquared); Macbeth (Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, Shakespeare in the Schools, adapted and directed); The Study by EM Lewis (William Inge Festival and Center for the Arts). He has directed numerous new play development workshops for Chicago Dramatists, Inge Festival, TimeLine and TheatreSquared at the Arkansas New Play Festival. 

About Block St Theatre Co:
Oh, the majestic Block St Theatre! Towering above the town square with its impressive turn-of-the-century brickwork facade and its understated… wait, wait, OK, there is no actual physical theatre space on Block St (at least not yet anyway). But we chose that name because it represents the metaphorical heart of Fayetteville, Arkansas where Block St Theatre Co was born in 2015.

Like a lot of college towns (it's home to the University of Arkansas), Fayetteville supports a thriving community of artists, musicians, visual artists, writers and of course, theatre artists. Founded by a handful of grads from the U of A's theatre MFA program, Block St aims to provide a venue where some of Fayetteville's bounty of theatre talent can find its expression.

With a little imagination, we've been turning the absence of a permanent physical space from a limitation into an advantage. From a downtown art gallery to a speakeasy bar nestled in the theatre district to a black box on the U of A campus, there's no location in Fayetteville that's off limits to our brand of theatre. And this season, that perform-anywhere attitude has taken us all the way to Chicago!

As we've been welcomed into the Chicago scene by so many wonderful theatre lovers, our emerging mission has come clearly into focus. There is a real pipeline of theatre talent that runs both ways between Fayetteville and Chicago. By doing future productions in both cities, Block St aims to expand on this bridge between two amazing theatre communities!  For additional information, visit www.blocksttheatreco.org

OPENING: Acclaimed Rose Remount at Greenhouse Theatre Through 3/11/18

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

"ROSE" Brings Post Chappaquiddick ROSE FITZGERALD KENNEDY to Greenhouse Theater Center 

“ROSE,” 

LAURENCE LEAMER’S BIOGRAPHICAL PLAY ABOUT ROSE FITZGERALD KENNEDY, TO PLAY GREENHOUSE THEATER CENTER UNDER THE DIRECTION OF STEVE SCOTT

Back in the summer of 2016, we began running advance press coverage of Rose, at Greenhouse Theatre's Solo Celebration here at ChiIL Live Shows, but we didn't have time to catch that critically acclaimed run. We're elated to have a second chance, and this time around, we wouldn't miss it for the matriarch's pearls. I'll be out Friday, January 19th, so check back soon after for my full review.

Jeff Award Winner – Best Solo Performance! 

The Greenhouse Theater Center Presents

ROSE

By Laurence Leamer

Directed by Steve Scott

Starring Linda Reiter

January 12 – March 11, 2018

Following its hit production of MACHINAL, Greenhouse Theater Center is pleased to continue its 2017-18 season with the return of Laurence Leamer's critically acclaimed drama ROSE. Recently honored with a 2017 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Solo Performance, celebrated Chicago actress Linda Reiter reprises her role as matriarch Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy in this intimate piece directed by Steve Scott. ROSE will play January 12 – March 11, 2018 at the Greenhouse Theater Center (Downstairs Main Stage), 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at greenhousetheater.org, in person at the box office or by calling (773) 404-7336. Season Flex passes are also available. The press opening is Monday, January 15, 2018 at 7:30 pm.

An intimate portrait of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, Camelot’s “queen mother,” as she retraces the rise and fall of her great family. A break-out hit during the 2016 Solo Celebration! Series following its successful Off-Broadway run, ROSE is based on never-before-heard interviews compiled by distinguished Kennedy biographer Laurence Leamer. 

“A lot has transpired in our nation’s political landscape since the first time that we mounted Rose, as part of last year’s Solo Celebration! Series,” comments Artistic Director Jacob Harvey. “The story of Rose Kennedy and her remarkable family has taken on a new resonance, assuring audiences that although our nation can face moments of turmoil and uncertainty, we have the ability to build a brighter future by exploring and understanding our collective past.”

The production team for ROSE includes: Kevin Hagan (scenic design), Rachel Lambert (costume design), Cat Wilson (lighting design) and Christopher Kriz (sound design) and Kasey Trouba (stage manager).

Location The Greenhouse Theater Center (Downstairs Main Stage), 2257 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago

Dates: Previews: Friday, January 12 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, January 13 at 2:30 pm and Sunday, January 14 at 7:30 pm

Regular run: Thursday, January 18 – March 11, 2018
Curtain times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 2:30 pm. Please note: there will be added matinee performances at 2:30 pm on Saturday, January 27, Wednesday, January 31, Saturday, February 10, Wednesday, February 14, Saturday, February 24, Wednesday, February 28 and Saturday, March 10.

Tickets: Preview: $20. Regular run: $35 - $45. Students and industry: $15. Tickets go on sale Monday, November 13, 2017 at greenhousetheater.org, in person at the box office or by calling (773) 404-7336. Season Flex Passes are also available.

About The Artists
Laurence Leamer (Playwright) Rose is Laurence Leamer’s first play. Leamer is an award-winning journalist and historian who has written 14 books, many of them bestsellers. He has experienced many different lives. As a college student, he worked in a French factory. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal stationed two days from a road. As a young journalist, Leamer worked in a coal mine in West Virginia and covered the war in Bangladesh for Harper’s. His one novel, Assignment, is about drug trafficking in Peru, where Leamer lived for two years. Most of his career Leamer has written nonfiction. His trilogy on the Kennedys – The Kennedy Women, The Kennedy Men and Sons of Camelot – were all New York Times best sellers. John Grisham called Leamer’s most recent book, The Price of Justice: A True Story of Greed and Corruption, “superb…This is a book I wish I had written.”  The journalist’s new book, The Lynching: The Epic Courtroom Battle that Brought Down the Klan, was published in June. 

Steve Scott (Director) is the Producer of Goodman Theatre, where he has overseen more than 200 productions; he is also a member of Goodman’s Artistic Collective. His Goodman directing credits include Ah, Wilderness!; Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike; Horton Foote’s Blind Date; Rabbit Hole; Binky Rudich and the Two-Speed Clock and No One Will Be Immune for the David Mamet Festival; Dinner With Friends; Wit; the world premiere of Tom Mula’s Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol; A Midsummer Night’s Dream (co-directed with Michael Maggio); and the 2011 and 2012 editions of A Christmas Carol. Other recent directing credits include Rose for the Greenhouse Theatre; Chewing on Beckett for Artemisia Theatre; Yellow Face, The DNA Trail and Yohen at Silk Road Rising; American Myth at American Blues Theatre; The Mandrake at A Red Orchid Theatre; Death of a Salesman, The Seedbed, Clybourne Park, Elemeno Pea, Elling, A Delicate Balance,  Lettice and Lovage and Shadowlands for Redtwist Theatre; Mothers and Sons, Souvenir and Black Pearl Sings at Northlight Theatre; The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Buried Child and Dealer’s Choice for Shattered Globe Theatre; Frozen for The Next Theatre Company; A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing for the St. Lawrence (Ontario) Shakespeare Festival; The Teapot Scandals of 1923 and Falsettos for Porchlight Theatre; Angels in America, You Can’t Take It with You, The Grapes of Wrath, A Streetcar Named Desire, Execution of Justice, Ah, Wilderness!, God’s Country and Judgment at Nuremberg for the Theatre Conservatory at Roosevelt University’s College of Performing Arts (where he is a faculty member); and a number of productions for the Eclipse Theatre (where he is an ensemble member), including Stephen Adly Guirgis’s The Little Flower of East Orange, Terrence McNally’s The Lisbon Traviata, Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel, Alan Ayckbourn’s Woman in Mind, Arthur Miller’s After the Fall,  John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation,  Rebecca Gilman’s Boy Gets Girl, Keith Reddin’s Big Time, Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite and Lanford Wilson’s The Moonshot Tapes.  He has directed for a variety of other companies, including Theatre Wit, the Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, National Jewish Theatre, Theater at the Center, Lifeline Theatre, Organic Touchstone Theatre, the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists and the Creede (Colorado) Repertory Theatre, where he was artistic director from 1976 through 1978. Mr. Scott was one of six resident directors for WBEZ’s series Stories on Stage, and has contributed articles to a variety of publications, including the Encyclopedia of Chicago.  He is the recipient of six Jefferson Award nominations, an After Dark Award, the Illinois Theatre Association’s Award of Honor and Eclipse Theatre Company’s Corona Award; he received a special Jeff Award honoring his 37-year career as a producer, director and teacher. 

Linda Reiter (Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy) is pleased to be reviving her performance of Rose, for which she received a Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Solo Performance. Linda is an ensemble member of Shattered Globe Theatre where she was seen most recently as Mary Todd Lincoln in The Heavens are Hung in Black. Last spring, she portrayed Queen Elizabeth in Shakespeare in Love at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Linda’s first solo performance was in The Testament of Mary at Victory Gardens Theater, for which she also received a Joseph Jefferson nomination for Best Solo Performance. Linda has garnered Joseph Jefferson Awards in the non-Equity category for the roles of Eleanor Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate, Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Kate in All My Sons, Mme. De Merteuil in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Dee Dee in Invitation to a March and Sarah in Bondagers. She received nominations in the Equity category for Bessie in Marvin’s Room, Lola in Come Back, Little Sheba, Esther in The Price and Elsa in The Road to Mecca, all SGT productions. Some of her favorites outside SGT include Lottie in Lettice & Lovage at Court Theatre, Hannah in Arcadia at Remy Bumppo Theatre, Gillian in Marriage Play at the Goodman Theatre “Albeefest”, Flyovers and Immoral Imperatives at Victory Gardens Theater and Lea de Lonval in Cheri at Live Bait Theatre. Linda’s TV credits include Chicago Med, Chicago P.D. and The Beast. Her voiceover credits include over 30 episodes of The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas, hosted by Stacy Keach, and she played opposite Kelsey Grammer in The Manchurian Candidate radio drama produced by Chicago Theatres On-the-Air. Linda is represented by Paonessa Talent Agency.

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 eight 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 has also launched the Trellis Residency Initiative, an initiative designed to cultivate the next generation of Chicago theatre creators, as well as the MC-10, an ensemble of mid-career playwrights whose works will be included in future Greenhouse programming.
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: World Premiere of FLAMINGO & DECATUR at Theater Wit Via Block St Theatre Co

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

World Premiere!

Block St Theatre Co Presents

FLAMINGO & DECATUR

By Todd Taylor 

Directed by Kevin Christopher Fox

January 4 – February 18, 2018 at Theater Wit

Tonight we'll be ChiILin' at Chi, IL's Theater Wit for the press opening of FLAMINGO & DECATUR. We're looking forward to this world premiere production. Check back soon for our full review. 

You know Las Vegas – spinning wheels, neon lights, slinky dresses. But do you really know the city and its almost two million inhabitants? Poker pro turned playwright Todd Taylor takes you inside the real Sin City in Block St Theatre Co’s darkly comedic new play FLAMINGO & DECATUR, directed by Kevin Christopher Fox. The world premiere production will play January 4 – February 18, 2018 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at theaterwit.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office. 

FLAMINGO & DECATUR will feature Stephanie Bignault, Drew Johnson, Jason M. Shipman and Nathaniel Stahlke.

Set in a foreclosed residential property far from the glamour of the famed Las Vegas strip, FLAMINGO & DECATUR reveals a different side of Sin City. It's here we meet Jackson, a wily professional gambler struggling to stay afloat in the aftermath of the 2008 housing crash that wrecked the city's economy. Jackson thinks he's discovered a surefire way to trim living expenses – find one of the thousands of Vegas houses left vacant by foreclosure and start squatting there illegally with Ben, his online-poker-junkie roommate. But the pair soon finds that not only do they have to stay one step ahead of the law – they must also contend with their antagonistic next-door neighbor Simon, self-appointed guardian of neighborhood property values.

The production team for FLAMINGO & DECATUR includes: Joe Schermoly (scenic design), Chloe Patten (costume design), Alexander Ridgers (lighting design), Christopher Kriz (sound design), Jessica Mondres (props design), Jennifer Aparicio (production manager) and Celeste Richard (stage manager).

Location: Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago
Regular run: Thursday, January 11 – Sunday, February 18, 2018
Curtain Times: Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 2 pm & 7 pm

Tickets: Regular run: $33. Seniors $28, students/military $23. Tickets are currently available at theaterwit.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at Theater Wit Box Office.

About the Artists:
Todd Taylor (Playwright) As a playwright/producer and founding member of Block St, Todd has spearheaded the company's focus on bringing original new work to the stage. Block St productions of his plays include: Flamingo & Decatur, a dramatic comedy delving into the lives of Vegas gamblers, The Jefferson Bottles, a black comedy inspired by the Koch Brother wine swindle, and Butte, a historical drama based on the rise and fall of copper baron Augustus F. Heinze. Other full-length plays include Calculation, a historical drama based on the calculus priority dispute between Newton and Leibniz, and The Gravedigger's Art, a comedy about finding vocational identity. Originally from the Raleigh, NC area, before coming to dramatic writing Todd worked as a sportswriter for several newspapers, taught community college English and played poker professionally in Las Vegas. He holds a BA in English from Duke University, a MA in English from UNC Greensboro and an MFA in Drama from the University of Arkansas.

Kevin Christopher Fox (Director) Originally from Asheville, NC, Kevin is an actor and director based in Chicago for the past 25 years. Recent Chicago directing highlights include: Bakersfield Mist (TimeLine); the world premiere of Assassination Theater by Hillel Levin (Russell Lane, LLC at Museum of Broadcast Communications); the world premieres of Graveyard of Empires by Elaine Romero and The Gun Show by EM Lewis, Pull of the Moon, Accidental Rapture and The Book Club Play (16th Street Theater), Lay Me Down Softly and Hughie (Irish Theatre of Chicago/Seanachai), Widowers' Houses and Androcles and the Lion (Shaw Chicago), St. Crispin's Day (Strawdog), Arms and the Man and Betrayal (Oak Park Festival), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Gift Theatre Company), Beggars in the House of Plenty (Mary-Arrchie), Widowers' Houses (TimeLine) and his debut Buicks (Precious Mettle). Regional highlights: the world premiere of The Actuary by Steven Peterson (Peninsula Players); the world premieres of The Spiritualist by Robert Ford and Sundown Town by Kevin Cohea, The Fall of the House and MacBeth (TheatreSquared); Macbeth (Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, Shakespeare in the Schools, adapted and directed); The Study by EM Lewis (William Inge Festival and Center for the Arts). He has directed numerous new play development workshops for Chicago Dramatists, Inge Festival, TimeLine and TheatreSquared at the Arkansas New Play Festival. 

About Block St Theatre Co:
Oh, the majestic Block St Theatre! Towering above the town square with its impressive turn-of-the-century brickwork facade and its understated… wait, wait, OK, there is no actual physical theatre space on Block St (at least not yet anyway). But we chose that name because it represents the metaphorical heart of Fayetteville, Arkansas where Block St Theatre Co was born in 2015.

Like a lot of college towns (it's home to the University of Arkansas), Fayetteville supports a thriving community of artists, musicians, visual artists, writers and of course, theatre artists. Founded by a handful of grads from the U of A's theatre MFA program, Block St aims to provide a venue where some of Fayetteville's bounty of theatre talent can find its expression.

With a little imagination, we've been turning the absence of a permanent physical space from a limitation into an advantage. From a downtown art gallery to a speakeasy bar nestled in the theatre district to a black box on the U of A campus, there's no location in Fayetteville that's off limits to our brand of theatre. And this season, that perform-anywhere attitude has taken us all the way to Chicago!

As we've been welcomed into the Chicago scene by so many wonderful theatre lovers, our emerging mission has come clearly into focus. There is a real pipeline of theatre talent that runs both ways between Fayetteville and Chicago. By doing future productions in both cities, Block St aims to expand on this bridge between two amazing theatre communities!  For additional information, visit www.blocksttheatreco.org

FREE KICKOFF PARTY TONIGHT for 21ST ANNUAL FILLET OF SOLO FESTIVAL 1/12-28 at Lifeline Theatre

Fest Alert

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

LIFELINE THEATRE PRESENTS THE 21ST ANNUAL

FILLET OF SOLO FESTIVAL, JANUARY 12–28, 2018

Lifeline Partners with 12 Chicago Storytelling Collectives

Free Kick-Off Event With Discounted Festival Passes on 

January 10 at 7 p.m.

Here at ChiIL Live Shows and ChiIL Mama we're huge fans of storytelling and live lit. We've also adored Lifeline Theatre for decades, as well as many of the diverse performers and companies they're featuring, like Tekki Lomnicki, GayCo, and Carly Jo Geer. This month, their popular annual feast of storytelling and solo shows, Fillet of Solo is back, so come check it out. Discount passes for the full fest are available TONIGHT at their free kickoff party. 

Lifeline Theatre Artistic Director Dorothy Milne and former Live Bait Theater Artistic Director Sharon Evans are pleased to announce the 21st Annual Fillet of Solo Festival, running January 12–28, 2018. Celebrating the breadth of Chicago’s enduring storytelling and live lit scene, Lifeline brings 12 storytelling collectives and seven solo performers together for a three-week, multi-venue selection of powerful personal stories. 

LifelineTheatre-FilletofSolo2018 -- GayCo -- photo by Erik Aldrich

All images courtesy of Lifeline Theatre

The 2018 Fillet of Solo festival will perform January 12-28, 2018, in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood at Lifeline Theatre (6912 N. Glenwood Ave.) and Heartland Studio Theatre (7016 N. Glenwood Ave.). Free parking and shuttle available. Performance times are Fridays at 7 and 8:30 p.m. at both venues; Saturdays at 4 and 5:30 p.m. at Heartland Studio and 7 and 8:30 p.m. at both venues; and Sundays at 4 and 5:30 p.m. at both venues. Ticket prices are $10 for regular single tickets, and $50 for a Festival Pass (allows admission to any performance). Tickets may be purchased at the Lifeline Theatre Box Office, 773.761.4477, or by visiting www.lifelinetheatre.com.

FREE KICK-OFF NIGHT

The 21st Annual Fillet of Solo Festival offers easy access to 12 Live Lit groups and numerous solo performers that perform regularly throughout Chicago. On Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018 at 7 p.m., at Empirical Brew Pub,1328 W. Morse Ave. Lifeline Theatre Artistic Director Dorothy Milne will lead a conversation with numerous local storytellers and share a taste of things to come in the festival.

Discounted Passes: Fillet of Solo Festival Passes will be offered at a special discounted rate of $25 at the free kick-off event (regularly $50). 

The Kick-Off Night is free, no reservations required. Contact the Lifeline Theatre Box Office, 773.761.4477, for more information. 

LifelineTheatre-FilletofSolo2018 -- Nestor Gomez

FEATURED PERFORMERS

The 21st Annual Fillet of Solo Festival will feature solo performances by:

·         Lily Be: “No Hay Mal”
·         Ada Cheng: “Breaking Rules, Broken Hearts: Loving across Borders”
·         Shelby Marie Edwards: “Holly's Ivy”
·         Julie Ganey: “Vacationing in the Moral High Ground”
·         Carly Jo Geer: “I Come From Hoarders” 
·         R. C. Riley: “Wrong Way Journey”
·         Jameson Wentworth: “[Out of] Context” 

Plus the work of the following storytelling collectives:

·         Around the World: Immigrant Stories: Curated and produced by Nestor Gomez. Celebrated storyteller and 20-time Moth Slam winner Nestor Gomez has assembled a group of local performers to help illuminate the voices of immigrants in our city.
·         GayCo (gayco.com): An ensemble that specializes in creating sketch-comedy revues based on gay/lesbian themes. Since starting as a lesbigay focused workshop at the Second City Training Center in 1996, they’ve performed for massive, enthusiastic, sexy gay audiences in Chicago and across the country 
·         GeNarrations (goodmantheatre.org/Engage-Learn/education-programs/GeNarrations/): A personal narrative story performance workshop hosted at Goodman Theatre and in senior centers around Chicago.
·         the kates (thekates.org): An all-female comedy showcase that provides an intimate night of comedy dedicated to showcasing talented and hilarious female-identified performers by creating inclusive and positive environments. Artists are encouraged to express their comic point of view in unique and non-apologetic ways – proving that women are equal in the eyes of comedy.
·         The Lifeline Storytelling Project (lifelinestorytellingproject.com): The Lifeline Storytelling Project produces live music & storytelling events designed to develop and showcase artists affiliated with Lifeline Theatre.
·         Sappho’s Salon (facebook.com/sapphossalon2): A monthly performance salon at Chicago's Women and Children First bookstore featuring expressions of queerness, gender and feminism.
·         Serving the Sentence (facebook.com/servingthesentencechicago): Different storytellers take the same first sentence -- each in their own direction. At the end of the show, a new sentence is drawn that the next show's storytellers will embark from!
·         Stir Friday Night (stirfridaynight.org): A 22-year-old Asian-American theater company, specializing in sketch comedy and improv. Alumni include Danny Pudi from Community, and Steven Yeun from The Walking Dead.
·         The Stoop (facebook.com/StoopStyleStories): The Stoop is hosted by Moth GrandSLAM champion Lily Be and Badass Clarence Browley.  Featured storytellers are given a theme and each share a short story related to that theme. The Stoop is a platform to bring Chicagoans to a better understanding of each other and to inspire change. Performing regularly at Rosa's Lounge in Humboldt Park, it is as much about community and survival as it is about entertainment. 
·         Sweat Girls (sweatgirls.org): With 24 years of shared history, the Sweat Girls represent the greying edge of Chicago's Live Lit community.  Known for their "contagious gusto" the Sweat Girls have been called "the undisputed tribal elders" of the solo performance scene (Chicago Reader, 2014).
·         Tellin’ Tales Theatre, featuring Tekki Lomnicki (tellintalestheatre.org): Tellin' Tales Theatre shatters the barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through personal story — adult solo performances as well as "Six Stories Up,” a mentoring program and show featuring kids and adults, with and without disabilities. Tekki Lomnicki is a solo performer, playwright, director and educator.
·         You’re Being Ridiculous (yourebeingridiculous.com): “Good stories are better than good times!” A group of real people telling real funny stories about their lives with a theme as their guide. They laugh at themselves and with each other.

LifelineTheatre-FilletofSolo2018 -- Shelby Marie Edwards

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

WEEK ONE (January 12-14):

Friday, January 12

Lifeline Theatre                                                     Heartland Studio

7:00 p.m.   Around the World: Immigrant Stories   7:00 p.m.   GayCo

8:30 p.m.   Lily Be (“No Hay Mal”)                          8:30 p.m.   Serving The Sentence 

Saturday, January 13

Lifeline Theatre                                                     Heartland Studio

7:00 p.m.   Julie Ganey (“Vacationing in the         4:00 p.m.   GeNarrations

                  Moral High Ground”)                            5:30 p.m.   Lifeline Storytelling Project

8:30 p.m.   the kates                                              7:00 p.m.   R.C. Riley (“Wrong Way Journey”)

                                                                              8:30 p.m.   Sappho’s Salon

Sunday, January 14

Lifeline Theatre                                                     Heartland Studio

4:00 p.m.   Tellin’ Tales Theatre/Tekki Lomnicki   4:00 p.m.   Jameson Wentworth (“[Out of] Context”)

5:30 p.m.   Sweat Girls                                          5:30 p.m.   Shelby Marie Edwards (“Holly’s Ivy”) 

WEEK TWO (January 19-21):                       

Friday, January 19

Lifeline Theatre                                                     Heartland Studio

7:00 p.m.   the kates                                              7:00 p.m.   Sappho’s Salon

8:30 p.m.   You’re Being Ridiculous                      8:30 p.m.   Stir Friday Night

Performance schedule, continued:

Saturday, January 20

Lifeline Theatre                                                     Heartland Studio

7:00 p.m.   Lily Be (“No Hay Mal”)                          4:00 p.m.   Serving The Sentence

8:30 p.m.   Julie Ganey (“Vacationing in the         5:30 p.m.   Carly Jo Geer (“I Come From Hoarders”) 

                  Moral High Ground”)                            7:00 p.m.   GayCo

                                                                              8:30 p.m.   Shelby Marie Edwards (“Holly’s Ivy”) 

Sunday, January 21

Lifeline Theatre                                                     Heartland Studio

4:00 p.m.   Tellin’ Tales Theatre/Tekki Lomnicki   4:00 p.m.   GeNarrations

5:30 p.m.   Lifeline Storytelling Project                 5:30 p.m.   Ada Cheng (“Breaking Rules, Broken 

                                                                                                Hearts: Loving across Borders”) 

WEEK THREE (January 26-28):

Friday, January 26

Lifeline Theatre                                                     Heartland Studio

7:00 p.m.   Julie Ganey (“Vacationing in the         7:00 p.m.   Carly Jo Geer (“I Come From Hoarders”)

                  Moral High Ground”)                            8:30 p.m.   Stir Friday Night

8:30 p.m.   the kates                                              

Saturday, January 27

Lifeline Theatre                                                     Heartland Studio

7:00 p.m.   Around the World: Immigrant Stories   4:00 p.m.   Lifeline Storytelling Project

8:30 p.m.   You’re Being Ridiculous                      5:30 p.m.   The Stoop

                                                                              7:00 p.m.   Ada Cheng (“Breaking Rules, Broken

                                                                                                Hearts: Loving across Borders”)

                                                                              8:30 p.m.   Jameson Wentworth (“[Out of] Context”)

Sunday, January 28

Lifeline Theatre                                                     Heartland Studio

4:00 p.m.   Tellin’ Tales Theatre/Tekki Lomnicki   4:00 p.m.   Serving The Sentence

5:30 p.m.   Sweat Girls                                          5:30 p.m.   R.C. Riley (“Wrong Way Journey”)

  

Now in its 35th season, Lifeline Theatre is driven by a passion for story. Our ensemble process supports writers in the development of literary adaptations and new work, and our theatrical and educational programs foster a lifelong engagement with literature and the arts. A cultural anchor of Rogers Park, we are committed to deepening our connection to an ever-growing family of artists and audiences, both near and far. Lifeline Theatre – Big Stories, Up Close.

Lifeline Theatre’s programs are partially supported by Alphawood Foundation; A.R.T League Inc.; Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; Chicago CityArts, a grant from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events; The Common Cup; Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; FGMK LLC; Lloyd A. Fry Foundation; The Grover Hermann Foundation; Illinois Arts Council Agency; Illinois Humanities Council; Lagunitas Brewing Co. Community Grant Program; MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince; The PAV Grant Fund; The Polk Bros. Foundation; Poubelle Fund, a Donor Advised Fund of Renaissance Charitable Foundation; Rogers Park Social; The Saints; S&C Electric Company Fund; The Shubert Foundation; and the annual support of businesses and individuals.