OPENING: 33 To Nothing Rocks A RED ORCHID THEATRE Through May 27, 2018

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:


A RED ORCHID THEATRE 
CONTINUES 2017-2018 SEASON WITH
33 TO NOTHING
by GRANT JAMES VARJAS

DIRECTED BY TYRONE PHILLIPS 
MUSIC DIRECTION BY JOHN CICORA
FEATURING ENSEMBLE MEMBER STEVE HAGGARD WITH AARON HOLLAND, JEFF KURYSZ, 
AMANDA RAQUEL MARTINEZ AND ANNIE PRICHARD

April 6 - May 27, 2018

As a rock and theatre lover, I'm super stoked for the opening of A Red Orchid Theatre's next production, 33 to Nothing, which takes place during a real-time band practice! I'll be out for the press performance on Saturday, April 14th, so check back soon for my full review.

A Red Orchid Theatre continues its 2017-2018 Season with 33 to Nothing by Grant James Varjas, directed by Tyrone Phillips with music direction by John Cicora. The production features Ensemble Member Steve Haggard (Bri) with Aaron Holland (Gray), Jeff Kurysz (Barry), Amanda Raquel Martinez (Taylor) and Annie Prichard (Alex). 33 to Nothing runs April 6 – May 27, 2018 at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N Wells in Chicago.

Taking place during a real-time band practice, 33 to Nothing is a play that rocks hard and breaks hearts.  Feeling the incessant call of adulthood, individuals begin to question their role in the ensemble. Ultimately begging the question: to break up or to build stronger?  An anthem of forgiveness, loyalty and resilience when your world is being torn by the seams.


“Consider the people that made you feel like THIS is what you were meant to do; whatever THIS is,” notes Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald. “Perhaps it was their love, some mutual admiration, an actual accomplishment or common fight. Grant's honesty, Tyrone's curiosity and their shared relentless compassion make me feel like 33 to Nothing is the current THIS that we were all meant to do. I am so excited for these artists and our audiences alike to consider what they are meant to do and how this shifts throughout our lives.” 

About the Artists

GRANT JAMES VARJAS is the playwright and composer of 33 To Nothing. His play Accidentally, Like A Martyr was produced by A Red Orchid Theatre in 2015. His work has also been seen in Chicago as part of Headline Theatre Project 3, Bechdel Fest 2016, and Sick By Seven (A Red Orchid Theatre Incubator). His plays have been produced in New York City (Wild Project NYC; Paradise Factory; Planet Connections Festival) where he was nominated for a GLAAD award for Best Play. Grant has worked extensively developing work and acting with Moises Kaufman's Tectonic Theater Project, and is on the board of Tom Noonan's Paradise Factory Theatre.

TYRONE PHILLIPS (Director) is the founding artistic director of Chicago's Definition Theatre Company, which recently produced the Chicago Premiere of An Octoroon by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Directing credits include: the critically acclaimed Byhalia, Mississippi (remounted to open the Steppenwolf 1700 Theatre); Dontrell Who Kissed the Sea (Illinois Theatre); Dutchman (Definition Theatre Company); The MLK Project (Writers Theatre); Amuze Bash (Pavement Group); The Tempest, Lord of the Flies, Our Town, and We the People (Niles North Theatre). Assistant directing credits include: TREVOR the musical, Parade, and The Mystery of Love and Sex (Writers Theatre). Mr. Phillips is a graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He also studied abroad at Shakespeare’s Globe and was an emerging professional resident at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, where he worked on A Raisin in the Sun, The Mountaintop, and Clybourne Park. Mr. Phillips was named one of the Chicago Tribune's “Hot New Faces of 2015” and Newcity's “Players 2016: The Fifty People Who Really Perform for Chicago.” 

JOHN CICORA (Music Director) has Musical Director/Composition/Programming and or Performance credits in: BlockOut, BSide Studio, Chicagoland, Fly Honey Show, Hit The Wall, The Little Things, Standing Room Only, and A Little Bit Louder Now. Through The Inconvenience he has worked within a variety of processes in order to develop a fluid system of assimilating music into the proper context for the given project. His band, Nootka Sound, focuses on his original compositions and plays regularly in Chicago. He is the Musical Director for The Cooke Book: The Music Of Sam Cooke, as well as a keyboardist/guitarist in the Talking Heads Tribute: This Must Be The Band. He has signed publishing/licensing deals with Penguin Publishing and Warner Bros, and recorded two records with Vanguard Records.

ANNIE PRICHARD (Alex/Bass) makes her A Red Orchid Theatre debut. Chicago Credits include The Skin of our Teeth (Remy Bumppo), Another Bone (RedTwist- Jeff nomination: Actress, supporting role), A day in the Death of Joe Egg (Stage Left), American Hero (First Floor), Another Kind of Love (Infusion), Kinfolk (New Colony), Crime Scene (Collaboraction), Counterfeiters, The Whole World is Watching (Dog & Pony); Ride (Under the Rug), Complicated (Three Oaks Festival) The Altruists, Pleasant Dreams (Two Lights). Annie earned an MFA in acting from the Theatre School at DePaul and is proudly represented by Innovative Artists and NV Talent. 

STEVE HAGGARD (Bri/Guitar) – A Red Orchid credits:  3C, Sender, The Mutilated, Accidentally Like A Martyr, The Aliens, Kimberly Akimbo and The Mandrake.  Chicago credits: The Importance of Being Earnest, DOUBT, Old Glory, The Subject was Roses, Our Town (Writers); Tribes (Steppenwolf);  Funnyman, Season’s Greetings and She Stoops to Conquer (Northlight); Wasteland (Timeline);  Alias Grace and Winter (Rivendell); King Lear, As You Like It and Romeo and Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare).  He has worked regionally at Indiana Rep, Milwaukee Rep and American Players Theatre. Steve is an ensemble member of A Red Orchid Theatre.  He is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University and represented by Stewart Talent.  

AMANDA RAGUEL MARTINEZ (Tyler/Guitar) is ecstatic to make her Red Orchid Theatre debut! Most recently she was seen at Pasadena Playhouse and Skirball Center in the Hypocrites' adaptation of Pirates of Penzance. Chicago credits include: Cinderella at the Theater of Potatoes, Hypocrites, For the Love Of, Pride Films and Plays, Big Lake, Big City, Lookingglass Theatre Company, As You Like It and Love, Loss and What I Wore, First Folio Theatre, Even Longer and Farther Away, The New Colony, and El Stories: The Holiday Train, Waltzing Mechanics. Regional Credits include: Kitty Hawk, Adrienne Arsht Center, Pirates and The Mikado at Olney Theatre Center, Generation Sex, Teatro Luna. 

AARON HOLLAND (Gray/Piano) makes his AROT debut. Recent credits include: SPAMILTON (Royal George), Madagascar!, Seussical! (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), The Legend of Georgia Mcbride (Cardinal Stage), Wonderful Town, A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre), Xanadu!, Hair (ATC), She Loves Me, Sister Act! (Marriott Theatre), The Color Purple (Mercury Theater), Goodnight Moon, Dot & Ziggy (Chicago Children’s Theatre), Passing Strange (Baliwick Chicago). TV: Chicago Med (NBC), APB (Fox). Mr. Holland received the Kingsley Colton Award at The Kennedy Center in 2003 and holds a BFA in Theatre-Performance from Virginia Commonwealth University. 

JEFF KURYSZ (Barry/Drums) makes his A Red Orchid debut. Other Chicago credits include: Support Group for Men (GoodmanTheatre); The Legend of Georgia McBride (Northlight Theatre) Shakespeare in Love (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre) Romeo and Juliet (Backroom Shakespeare Project); Julius Caesar (Brown Paper Box Co.); As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing (The Arc Theatre); Year of the Rooster, R+J: The Vineyard (Red Theater); Romeo and Juliet (Teatro Vista); One Came Home (Lifeline Theatre); All My Sons (Eclectic Theatre Co.); Amadeus (Boho Theatre); Regional credits include: Richard III,Twelfth Night and The Tempest (Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre). Television credits include Crisis (NBC). He is a graduate of The School at Steppenwolf.

Dates:

Previews: 

April 6-8 & 12-14, 2018

Red Night:

Friday, April 20, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.

Regular Run: April 21 – May 27, 2018

Schedule:

Thursdays: 8:00 p.m.

Fridays: 8:00 p.m.

Saturdays: 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.  

Sundays: 3:00 p.m. 

Location:

A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells Ave.

Tickets: $15-$25 previews, $30-$35 regular run.  ($30 Thurs, $35 Fri, Sat, Sun)

Box Office:

Located at 1531 N. Wells Ave, Chicago, (312) 943-8722; or online www.aredorchidtheatre.org 

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

About A Red Orchid at 25

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

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

OPENING: World Premiere of Lettie at Victory Gardens Theater Through 5/6/18

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Victory Gardens Theater Presents the World Premiere of

Lettie

By Boo Killebrew 

Directed by Chay Yew

April 6 – May 6, 2018

I'll be spending Friday the 13th ChiILin' at Chi, IL's Victory Gardens Theater at  the press opening of the World Premiere of Lettie, written by Boo Killebrew. Victory Gardens Theater continues its 43rd season with the World Premiere of Lettie, written by Boo Killebrew and directed by Artistic Director Chay Yew. Lettie runs April 6 – May 6, 2018.

After serving seven years in prison, Lettie is released and struggles to make a fresh start. Her children, who have been cared for by her half-sister, want little to do with her. Her re-entry job is anything but gentle as she takes on the dark, harsh world of welding. Trying again and again to create a non-criminal life, Lettie is confronted by her past and must make impossible choices to protect her future. Lettie, directed by Artistic Director Chay Yew (A Wonder In My Soul, The House That Will Not Stand) marks playwright Boo Killebrew’s Victory Gardens Theater debut.

​“I'm thrilled to be collaborating with playwright Boo Killebrew on this new work,” said Artistic Director Chay Yew. “Lettie is a moving and profound play that accurately captures the portraits of working-class women dealing with issues of recidivism and challenges in re-entry employment from incarceration, gender and race in the work place, poverty, and motherhood. One of most unique voices in the American Theatre, Boo possesses a remarkable ability to address relevant and difficult social issues through the prism of recognizable and deeply resonant personal relationships." 

The cast of Lettie includes Charin Alvarez (Minny), Matt Farabee (River), Kirsten Fitzgerald (Carla), Ryan Kitley (Frank), Caroline Neff (Lettie) and Krystal Ortiz (Layla).

The creative team includes Andrew Boyce (scenic design), Melissa Ng (costume design), Lee Fiskness (lighting design), Mikhail Fiksel (sound design) and Jesse Gaffney (props design). Jerrell L. Henderson is the assistant director, Cassie Calderone is the production stage manager and Skyler Gray is the dramaturg. 

About the Artists
CHAY YEW (Director) Chay Yew is the Artistic Director at Victory Gardens Theater. Victory Gardens Theater: A Wonder in My Soul, Roz and Ray, The House That Will Not Stand, Hillary and Clinton, Death and the Maiden, An Issue of Blood, The Gospel of Lovingkindness, Mojada, Oedipus el Rey, Universes’ Ameriville. Chicago: Dartmoor Prison, Black N Blue Boys/Broken Men (Goodman Theatre); Where Did We Sit On The Bus? (Teatro Vista/Victory Gardens, Boise Contemporary Theatre); Po Boy Tango (Northlight Theatre). Productions at The Public Theater, Playwrights Horizons, The Playwrights Realm, New York Theatre Workshop, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Rattlestick, National Asian American Theatre Company, Ma-Yi Theatre Company. Regional: Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Mark Taper Forum, American Conservatory Theater, South Coast Rep, Long Wharf Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Huntington Theatre Company, Denver Center Theatre, Playmakers Rep, Empty Space Theatre, Mosaic Theatre Company, Curious Theatre Company, Cincinnati Playhouse, Round House Theater, Portland Center Stage, Southern Rep, Geva Theatre Company, Pillsbury Theatre, Gala Hispanic Theatre, Cornerstone Theatre Company, Singapore Repertory Theatre, Theatre at Boston Court, East West Players amongst others. His opera credits include world premieres of Osvaldo Golijov and David Henry Hwang’s Ainadamar (co-production with the Tanglewood Music Center, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic); and Rob Zuidam’s Rage d’Amors (Tanglewood Music Center). Chay is a recipient of the OBIE Award and DramaLogue Award for Direction. As a playwright, his plays include Porcelain, A Language of Their Own, Red, A Beautiful Country, Wonderland, Question 27 Question 28, A Distant Shore, 17, and Visible Cities.His other work includes adaptations of A Winter People (based on Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard), Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba, and a musical Long Season. His performance works include Vivian and Her Shadows and Home: Places between Asia and America. His plays have been produced at The Public Theater, Mark Taper Forum, Manhattan Theatre Club, Long Wharf Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Intiman Theatre, Wilma Theatre, Dallas Theatre Center, Portland Center Stage, amongst many others. Overseas, his plays have been produced by the Royal Court Theatre (London), Fattore K and Napoli Teatro Festival (Naples, Italy), La Mama (Melbourne, Australia), Four Arts (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Singapore Repertory Theatre, Toy Factory, Checkpoint Theatre, Theatre-Works (Singapore), amongst others. He is also the recipient of the London Fringe Award for Best Playwright and Best Play, George and Elisabeth Marton Playwriting Award, GLAAD Media Award, Made in America Award, AEA/SAG/ AFTRA Diversity Honor, and Robert Chesley Award. His plays Porcelain and A Language of Their Own, and The Hyphenated American Plays are published by Grove Press. He recently edited Version 3.0: An Anthology of Contemporary Asian American Plays for TCG Publications. He was the founding director of the Taper’s Asian Theatre Workshop and producer of Taper, Too. Chay is also an alumnus of New Dramatists and serves on Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events’ Cultural Advisory Council and League of Chicago Theatres.

BOO KILLEBREW (Playwright) Boo Killebrew is a playwright, actress, and co-founder of CollaborationTown Theatre Company.  Boo was a Lila Acheson Playwriting Fellow at The Juilliard School and the recipient of The Paula Vogel Award at The Vineyard Theater. She is a resident of The SPACE Working Farm, an alumni of the Emerging Writers Group at The Public Theater, a recipient of a NYFA Fellowship, an alumni of TerraNova's Groundbreakers, an Affiliated Artist and Kitchen Cabinet Member with New Georges, and a Usual Suspect with New Theater Workshop.  Her plays include MILLER, MISSISSIPPI (The Leah Ryan Prize 2015, Dallas Theater Center 2017); ROMANCE NOVELS FOR DUMMIES (Williamstown Theater Festival, 2016), DAYS LIKE DIAMONDS, THE PLAY ABOUT MY DAD (59e59 Theatres), THE d LIFE, CAVEAT EMPTOR and THE MOMENTUM (NYC Fringe Festival Excellence Award for Overall Production of a Play; GLAAD Media Award Nominee).  Her work has been presented at The Roundabout Theatre, The Public Theater, Williamstown Theater Festival, The Atlantic, New York Theater Workshop, New York Stage and Film, Perry Mansfield, Portland Center Stage, New Georges, Clubbed Thumb, The Huntington Theatre Co., 59e59 Theatres, The New Ohio, The Labyrinth, The Alley Theatre, and Boston Playwright's Theatre. Boo was an Edward F. Albee Foundation Fellow, an Artist in Residence at NYFA, Robert Wilson's Watermill Center, New York Theater Workshop, The MacDowell Colony, Williamstown Theater Festival, and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.  Boo has received two New York Innovative Theater Awards, two Fringe Excellence Awards, and The Bette Davis Foundation Award. She is currently commissioned by Victory Gardens, The Dallas Theatre Center, and Manhattan Theatre Club. Boo is a writer for Longmire on Netflix and created the television pilot Aim High, which is currently in development at AMC.  

CHARIN ALVAREZ (Minnie) Theatre credits include: The Scene (Writer’s Theatre); 2666, Pedro Paramo, El Nogalar, Dollhouse, Electricidad (The Goodman Theatre); Mojada, Oedipus El Rey, Anna in the Tropics, A Park in the House (Victory Gardens Theater);  In the time of the Butterflies, Our Lady of the Underpass,  I put the fear of Mexico in ‘em, Dreamlandia, Another Part of the House (Teatro Vista); Water by the Spoonful (Court Theatre);  Work of Art (Chicago Dramatists); The Clean House (Remy Bumppo); What We Once Felt (About Face Theatre); Kita & Fernanda (16th Street theatre); Esperanza Rising (Chicago Children’s Theatre); Two Sisters and a Piano (Apple Tree Theatre); Generic Latina (Teatro Luna); La Casa de Bernarda Alba (Aguijon Theatre). Film/TV credits include: Easy; Shameless; Chicago Fire; Mob Doctor; Boss; Chicago Code; Approach Alone; Rooftop Wars; Arc of a Bird; Were the World Mine; Chicago Overcoat; First and Only Lesson; Eric’s Haircut; Dogwalker; Rogers Park; Olympia: Manual on how to live your life, Signature Move; En Algun Lugar; Princess Cyd; Single File; Teacher; Hala.

MATT FARABEE (River) Rest (Victory Gardens). Chicago credits include:  Dry Land (Rivendell Theatre), The Burials (Steppenwolf), The Skin of Our Teeth (Remy Bumppo), Bruise Easy (American Theater Company), Mud Blue Sky (A Red Orchid Theatre), punkplay (Steppenwolf Garage Rep), Skylight (Court Theater), Milk Milk Lemonade (Pavement Group), Elizabeth Rex (Chicago Shakespeare), Tigers Be Still (Theater Wit), Abraham Lincoln was a F*gg*t (AboutFace Theatre), The Sweeter Option (Strawdog), and The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek (Eclipse Theatre Company).  Off-Broadway: A Bright New Boise (Partial Comfort).  Regional: Lord of the Flies, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Round House Theatre).

KIRSTEN FITZGERALD (Carla) Victory Gardens: Appropriate (world premiere). A Red Orchid Theatre: Traitor (world premiere), Evening at the Talk House, Pilgrim's Progress (world premiere), Abigail's Party, Mud Blue Sky, The Sea Horse (Jeff Award), etc.  Steppenwolf: Mary Page Marlowe (world premiere), The Qualms (world premiere), Clybourne Park, A Streetcar Named Desire. Other theatres: Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Goodman, Shattered Globe, Remy Bumppo, Plasticene, Prop, Next, Famous Door, Defiant Theatre and more.  Television: The Exorcist, Sirens, Chicago Med, Chicago Justice, Chicago Fire, Underemployed, ER.  Kirsten is the Artistic Director and a member of the Ensemble at A Red Orchid Theatre.

RYAN KITLEY (Frank) Recent credits: Romeo and Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare), Objects in the Mirror (Goodman Theatre), Support Group for Men (Goodman Theatre) Assassination Theater (MBC), Burn This (Shattered Globe) A Few Good Men (Theatre at the Center), Travels With My Aunt (Writers Theatre) Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Shattered Globe) The Big Funk (Clock Productions) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Meadowbrook Theatre) Amy’s View, Things We Do For Love, King O’ the Moon (Organic Theatre) Dig Two Graves, Guidance, Barbershop II, Hunter, Soul Survivors, Miss March, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Empire, BOSS, Detroit 187, Early Edition, Turks, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Other People’s Children, Embeds.

CAROLINE NEFF (Lettie) Broadway: Airline Highway. Steppenwolf: You Got Older, Linda Vista,The Fundamentals, The Flick, Airline Highway, The Way West, Three Sisters. Goodman: Uncle Vanya. Steep: Wastwater, The Knowledge, Harper Regan, A Brief History of Helen of Troy, In Arabia We’d All Be Kings, Pornography. Northlight: 4000 Miles. Route 66: The Downpour. Griffin: Port. Next: The Metal Children. Yale Rep: Peerless. Film and TV: Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, Public Housing Unit, Open Tables, Older Children.
KRYSTAL ORTIZ (Layla) Chicago credits: La Havana Madrid (Teatro Vista, Goodman Theatre), Thumbelina (Lifeline Theatre), In Love and Warcraft (Halcyon Theatre), Failure: A Love Story, In the Heights (The Theatre School at DePaul University). New York credits: Kid Prince and Pablo (NYSAF, Ars Nova). Film & TV:  Manifest Destiny, The Exorcist. Krystal is represented by Stewart Talent Chicago.

Full Performance Schedule
Previews for Lettie are April 6-12, 2018. Previews are $15-$45. The Press opening is Friday, April 13 at 7:30pm. Regular performances run April 14 – May 6, 2018: Tuesday — Friday at 7:30pm; Saturday at 3pm and 7:30pm; Sunday at 3pm.  Regular performances are $15-$60.

Victory Gardens has partnered with mobile theater ticketing app TodayTix to offer free tickets for the first preview of Lettie. Free Tickets will be available via TodayTix mobile lottery, launching one week before the first preview on Friday, March 30, 2018. Winners will be notified by email and push notification between 12:00pm and 3:00pm on the day of the first preview, Friday, April 6, 2018. To enter, download the TodayTix app on your iOS or Android device.

Accessible Performance Schedule
Word for Word (open captioning): Friday, April 20 at 7:30pm, Saturday, April 21 at 3:00pm, and Wednesday, April 25 at 2:00pm

ASL Interpreted Performance: Friday, April 20 at 7:30pm

Audio Description/Touch Tour: Friday, April 20 at 7:30pm (Touch tour at 6:00pm), Sunday, April 29 at 3:00pm (Touch tour at 1:30pm)

Performances are at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N Lincoln Avenue, in the heart of Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. For tickets and information, call the Victory Gardens Box Office, 773.871.3000, email tickets@victorygardens.org, or visit www.victorygardens.org. Ask the Box Office about student tickets ($15), senior, and Access. For group discounts, call 872.817.9087.

Public Programs
Public Programs is an event series designed to enhance your experience by exploring themes and issues within Victory Gardens’ productions. Connecting our theater to the world beyond the stage and rehearsal room, Public Programs bridge ideas, provoke dialogue, and deepen the relationship between our audiences and our productions. Public Programs are composed of three distinct tracks:

SALON: A post-show performance series bringing local artists, students, and/or organizations into the conversation of the play through their own work. 

PANEL: A post-show conversation with community leaders, playwrights, activists, artists, and educators. These panels use the play's themes to ignite a conversation about our world and the people in it. 

CELEBRATION: Pre- and post-show events celebrating the themes of the play through art, food, and community. 

AFTERWORDS
Post-Show Conversation
After every performance of LETTIE (unless otherwise noted)
Join us for one of our intimate post-show conversations. Led by members from the Victory Gardens community—artistic affiliates, artistic staff, and community partners— reflect on what you’ve seen and share your response.

CELEBRATION: ALL MY WOMEN MAKIN’ MONEY
Pre-Show Reception
April 7 | Saturday | 6:00pm
Support women breaking down equity barriers—and have a great time doing it! Join us for a night celebrating the work of women in traditionally male-dominated fields. Enjoy complimentary refreshments and engage in a discussion about women’s equity in the workforce as we celebrate women workin’ hard and gettin’ paid.

PANEL: A CONVERSATION WITH BOO KILLEBREW
Post-Show Conversation
April 12 | Thursday | 9:30pm
Lettie follows one mother’s incarceration and reentry, but it wasn’t written by a formerly incarcerated mother. How do playwrights tell stories that aren’t their own? For playwright Boo Killebrew, it started with talking to people who lived the experiences she wanted to explore. From interviews to collaboration with these women, join Boo as she discusses her work and process with dramaturg Skyler Gray.

PANEL: THEATRE AS THERAPY
Post-Show Conversation
April 18 | Wednesday | 9:30pm
Since its opening in 1994, the Grace House residential program has provided interim housing, emotional and spiritual support, and professional counseling to women who are exiting the Illinois prison system. Women who have lived at Grace House share their stories of re-entry and how theatre played a role in their healing. 

SOCIAL JUSTICE PANEL: JUSTIS4JUSTUS 
Post-Show Conversation
April 20 | Friday | 9:30pm
Made possible by the support of The David Rockefeller Fund 
After the evening performance join members of Justis4Justus, an organization working to rebuild the lives of exonerees, as we discuss how we, as citizens, grapple with the U.S. prison system and what happens when it fails us. 

SALON: COLLEGE NIGHT: COMEBACKS
Post-Show Performance
April 27 | Friday | 6:30pm & 9:30pm
What do Michael Jordan, Natasha Lyonne, and Lettie from Lettie have in common? They all made a comeback. The journey is often difficult and often inspiring—and famous or not, we love it when the people we love bounce back. Join us after the evening performance of Lettie for a free post-show performances about coming back from adversity written, directed, and performed by college artists from DePaul University, Loyola University, Northwestern University, and Columbia College.

SOCIAL JUSTICE PANEL: STORY CATCHERS
Post-Show Presentation and Q&A
April 29 | Sunday | 5:00pm
Made possible by the support of The David Rockefeller Fund 
While Lettie's experiences and trials are singular, it is important to remember the many hardships faced by her children during her years in prison. As the child of a parent who is incarcerated, there is a unique set of challenges and emotions that accompany that trauma. Victory Gardens Theater has partnered with Storycatchers Theater to share the stories and struggles of young people with current or formerly incarcerated parents. Join us for a short performance and panel discussion with adolescents who have lived this experience and the amazing staff of Storycatchers Theater who help them share their stories, make sense of their world, and heal.

SOCIAL JUSTICE PANEL: RECLAMATION
Post-Show Conversation
May 5 | Saturday | 5:00pm
Made possible by the support of The David Rockefeller Fund 
In Boo Killebrew’s Lettie, we follow the journey of two mothers trying to do their best as they begin the process of mending relationships with their kids, families, and themselves after incarceration. What is the mother’s journey in that process? How can we better support them? Join us for this riveting post-show conversation as we are joined by the Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers as we unearth what it means to reclaim space and time.


The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Commissioning Program Award Recipient
Special support provided by The Edgerton Foundation

Previews:
April 6 – 12, 2018
Press opening:
Friday, April 13, 2018 at 7:30pm
Regular run:
April 14 – May 6, 2018

Schedule: 
Tuesdays - Fridays: 7:30pm 
Saturdays: 3:00pm; 7:30pm
Sundays: 3:00pm

Accessible Performances: Word for Word (open captioning): Friday, April 20 at 7:30pm, Saturday, April 21 at 3:00pm, and Wednesday, April 25 at 2:00pm

ASL Interpreted: Friday, April 20 at 7:30pm

Audio Description/Touch Tour: Friday, April 20 at 7:30pm (Touch tour at 6:00pm), Sunday, April 29 at 3:00pm (Touch tour at 1:30pm)

Location:
Victory Gardens Theater is located at 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, 
in the heart of Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood

Tickets:
Previews: $15 - $45 
Regular run: $15 - $56

Box Office: The Box Office is located at 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago.
773.871.3000; www.victorygardens.org.

2017/18 Women’s 
Series Major 
Production Sponsors: 
Janice Miller 


2017/18 Women’s 
Series Production 
Sponsors: Doris Conant; Marcelle McVay and Dennis Zacek; Jeffrey Rappin and Penny Brown; Jane M Saks, Nathan Cummings Foundation; and Bill and Orli Staley Foundation 

Major Production Sponsor: Edgerton Foundation, The Venturous Theater Fund of Tides Foundation, Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation

Production Sponsors: Betty Bradshaw, Charles E. Harris, II, Mayer Brown LLP


Playwright’s Society Sponsor: Janice Feinberg, Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation, Jared Kaplan and Maridee Quanbeck


Major Season Support: Allstate, Alphawood Foundation, David Rockefeller Fund, Doris Duke Charitable Trust, Exelon, Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Paul M Angell Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, The Mellon Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Prince Charitable Trust, The REAM Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Time Warner Foundation  Inc., and The Wallace Foundation

Travel Sponsor: Southwest Airlines 

About Victory Gardens Theater
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Chay Yew and Managing Director Erica Daniels, Victory Gardens is dedicated to artistic excellence while creating a vital, contemporary American Theater that is accessible and relevant to all people through productions of challenging new plays and musicals.  Victory Gardens Theater is committed to the development, production and support of new plays that has been the mission of the theater since its founding, set forth by Dennis Začek, Marcelle McVay, and the original founders of Victory Gardens Theater.

Victory Gardens Theater is a leader in developing and producing new theater work and cultivating an inclusive Chicago theater community. Victory Gardens’ core strengths are nurturing and producing dynamic and inspiring new plays, reflecting the diversity of our city’s and nation’s culture through engaging diverse communities, and in partnership with Chicago Public Schools, bringing art and culture to our city’s active student population.  

Since its founding in 1974, the company has produced more world premieres than any other Chicago theater, a commitment recognized nationally when Victory Gardens received the 2001 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, Victory Gardens Biograph Theater includes the Začek-McVay Theater, a state-of-the-art 259-seat mainstage and the 109-seat studio theater on the second floor, named the Richard Christiansen Theater.

Victory Gardens Ensemble Playwrights include Luis Alfaro, Philip Dawkins, Marcus Gardley, Ike Holter, Samuel D. Hunter, Naomi Iizuka, Tanya Saracho and Laura Schellhardt. Each playwright has a seven-year residency at Victory Gardens Theater. 

For more information about Victory Gardens, visit www.victorygardens.org.  Follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/victorygardens, Twitter @VictoryGardens and Instagram at instagram.com/victorygardenstheater/. 

Victory Gardens Theater receives sustaining support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Joyce Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The REAM Foundation, Shubert Foundation, Venturous Theater Fund of the Tides Foundation, and Wallace Foundation. It receives major funding from Crown Family Philanthropies, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, and Polk Bros. Foundation. Major funders also include:Allstate Insurance, Alphawood Foundation, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Edgerton Foundation, Exelon, Field Foundation of Illinois, Illinois Arts Council Agency, David Rockefeller Fund, Bill and Orli Staley Foundation, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Time Warner Foundation Inc., Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Additional funding this season is provided by: Alliance Bernstein, Charles H. and Bertha L. Boothroyd Foundation, Capital Group Private Client Services, Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, The Chicago Foundation for Women, ComEd, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Golden Country Oriental Foods, John R. Halligan Charitable Fund, ITW, JCCC Foundation, Mayer Brown LLP, The McVay Foundation, Metropolitan Capital Bank & Trust, National Endowment for the Arts, Negaunee Foundation, Roberta Olshansky Charitable Fund, Origin Ventures, Pauls Foundation, PNC Financial Services Group, Prince Charitable Trusts, Seabury Foundation, Charles & M.R. Shapiro Foundation, Wrightwood Neighbors Association. In-kind support is provided by:  Dimo’s Pizza, Fiesta Mexicana, Italian Village Restaurants, Southwest Airlines, Roy’s Furniture, Suite Home Chicago, and Whole Foods Market. This project is partially supported by an Incent Ovate Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.

OPENING: GASLIGHT DISTRICT The Second City e.t.c.'s 42nd REVUE

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we know Chicago style improv and sketch comedy is second to none. We'll be ChiILin' at Chi, IL's renowned Second City this Friday for the press opening of GASLIGHT DISTRICT, The Second City e.t.c.'s 42nd REVUE. These are some seriously funny actors and we can't wait.  

From aliens to the alienated, savage roasts to distorted boasts, The Second City e.t.c.’s 42 revue invites you along on a frenzied frolic that translates our modern world into the common language of laughter.  Clear your mind, open your eyes and hail one wild rideshare to a place where the truth isn’t just out there, it’s waaaay out there.

PERFORMANCES:
Thursdays at 8pm
Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm and 11pm
Sundays at 7pm

This performance runs about 2 hours with one 10 minute intermission and should be considered rated R.

Groups of 16 or more can visit our Group Events page for party package options. Contact our Group Sales Department for more information on rates and catering options. Phone: 312-337-3992. E-mail: groups@secondcity.com

For more information and to book your tickets click HERE.

The cast for the 42nd revue:
Returning ensemble members Sayjal Joshi, Alan Linic, Andrew Knox, Jasbir Singh Vazquez, and Jacob Shuda (Musical Director) will be joined by new cast members Emily Fightmaster and Katie Kershaw.

Second City Touring Company director Anneliese Toft will direct her first resident company revue.

OPENING: Tony Award Winning MEMPHIS Via Porchlight Music Theatre 4/19/18 – 6/3/18

PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE BRINGS 

MEMPHIS, 

AN ORIGINAL STORY OF LOVE, SOUL AND ROCK ‘n’ ROLL, 

TO CHICAGO AT THE RUTH PAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS, APRIL 19 – JUNE 3

The 2010 Best Musical Tony Award-winner Features Book and Lyrics by 

Joe DiPietro and Music and Lyrics by David Bryan and is Directed for Porchlight Music Theatre by Daryl D. Brooks, Assistant Directed and Choreographed by Christopher Carter and Music Directed by Jermaine Hill

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we're eager to see Porchlight's take on this Tony winner. We'll be out for the press opening, so check back soon for my full review. This show will be at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, as Porchlight Music Theatre continues as their Artist In-Residence company this season.

Porchlight Music Theatre’s Mainstage 2017-2018 season concludes with Memphis, April 19 – June 3, at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street. Memphis, book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro and music and lyrics by David Bryan, is directed by Daryl D.  Brooks, assistant directed and choreographed by Christopher Carter, music directed by Jermaine Hill and assistant choreographed by Reneisha Jenkins. 

Previews are Thursday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21 at 8 p.m., Sunday, April 22 at 6 p.m. and Tuesday, April 24 at 7:30pm. Opening night is Wednesday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m. The regular run performance schedule is Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. (April 29 and May 6) and 2 p.m. (May 13, May 20, May 27 and June 3) with weekday matinees Wednesday, May 9, Wednesday, May 16 and Thursday, May 24, at 1:30 p.m. and a open-captioned performance Saturday, May 12 at 4 p.m. There is no 4 p.m. performance Saturday, April 28 and no 7:30 p.m. performance on Thursday, May 24. 

Tickets are $33 - $60 and are available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre box office, 773.777.9884.

From the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee, comes the Tony Award-winning Best Musical that bursts off the stage with explosive dancing, irresistible songs and a thrilling tale of fame and forbidden love. Inspired by actual events, Memphis is the story of a white radio DJ who wants to change the world and a black club singer who is ready for her big break. This incredible journey, written by DiPietro (author of Nice Work If You Can Get It, All Shook Up, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change and others) is filled with laughter, soaring emotion and a roof-raising musical score by David Bryan of the band Bon Jovi.

The cast of Porchlight Music Theatre’s Memphis includes: Stephen Allen, Jr., (ensemble/Wailin' Joe);  Todd Aulwurm, (ensemble); Shantel Cribbs, (ensemble); Gilbert Domally, (Gator); Ryan Dooley, (ensemble/White DJ/Mr. Collins/White Father/Gordon Grant);  Ariel M. Dorsey, (ensemble);  Jared David Michael Grant, (ensemble/Black DJ/Reverend Hobson); Graham Hawley, (ensemble); James Earl Jones II, (Bobby); Kayla Kennedy, (ensemble), Nicole Lambert, (ensemble); Bernell Lassai III, (ensemble); Ivory Leonard IV, (ensemble); Mallory Maedke, (ensemble);  Liam Quealy, (Huey Calhoun); Casiena Raether, (ensemble/Clara/White Mother/Dance Captain); Lorenzo Rush Jr., (Delray Jones); Isaiah Silvia-Chandley, (ensemble/Buck Wiley/Martin Holton); Aalon Smith (ensemble); Koray Tarhan, (ensemble/Perry Como/Frank Dryer); Jacob Voigt (Mr. Simmons); Nancy Wagner, (Gladys Calhoun) and Aeriel Williams, (Felicia Farrell). Additional ensemble members to be announced soon.

The Memphis production team includes Daryl Brooks, director; Chris Carter, choreographer and assistant director; Jermaine Hill, music director; Reneisha Jenkins, assistant choreographer; Robert Hornbostel, sound designer; Bill Morey, costume designer; Denise Karczewski, lighting designer;  Jacqueline Penrod and Richard Penrod, scenic designers; Andrew Hatcher, props designer; Matthew McMullen, stage manager; Aaron Shapiro, production manager and Johnnie Schleyer; technical director.

Hill is also conductor and pianist with musicians Anthony Rodriguez,
clarinet/flute/sax; Cesar Romero, electric and acoustic guitar; Michael Gore, drums and Steve Manns, bass.

ABOUT DARYL D. BROOKS, director
Daryl Brooks is making his Porchlight Music Theater directorial debut. Brooks has been a visible part of the Chicago theatre scene since 1999 having performed and directed all over the city. He is currently the associate director at The Black Ensemble Theater where recent projects include writing and directing Hail, Hail Chuck: A Tribute to Chuck Berry, Sammy: A Tribute to Sammy Davis Jr., The Black Pearl: The Story of Josephine Baker (winner Best Production and Director, Black Excellence Awards 2017), Men of Soul (Jeff-nominated for both Best Production - Revue and Best Director and the winner of the Black Excellence Award for best director.) 

ABOUT CHRISTOPHER CARTER, choreographer and assistant director
Christopher Carter is a graduate of Grand Valley State University with a liberal arts degree in dance. Carter has traveled extensively performing, directing and choreographing. Some of his credits include Porchlight Revisits They’re Playing Our Song; Dreamgirls, In The Heights and Chess at Porchlight Music Theatre; Five Guys Name Moe (Court Theater); Hair (Mercury Theater); The Legend Of Georgia McBride (Northlight Theater); as well as Sweeney Todd, Godspell, Secret Garden and Pirates Of Penzance (Grand Valley State University); Show Boat and Oklahoma (Lyric Opera Chicago); Show Boat (San Francisco and Houston Grand Opera); Hairspray (Drury Lane Oakbrook), Joseph… (Paramount Theater); Duke Ellington’s Queenie Pie (Chicago Opera Theater); Oliver, Carousel and Brigadoon (Light Opera Works); The Wiz, 42nd Street and Guys and Dolls (Theatre at the Center); Smokey Joe’s Café (Circle Theatre); The Wild Party (Actor’s Theater). Carter has been the choreographer for the Grand Rapids Civic’s SRT for the past five years. He was a Debbie Allen Dance Academy 
Scholarship student and has additional credits including national tours, commercial, industrial and concert work.

ABOUT JERMAINE HILL, music director
Jermaine Hill, originally from New York City, received his Bachelor of Music from Ithaca College and a Master of Music from the New England Conservatory.
Recent Chicago credits include serving as musical director and piano/conductor for Ragtime (Griffin Theatre) and Madagascar (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), 
performing onstage in Breathe With Me (Erasing the Distance), and a recent guest spot on “Chicago Med.” Equally at home on theatrical and concert stages, he has appeared at New York’s Carnegie Hall, Boston’s Jordan Hall, Chicago’s Symphony Hall, The Lost Colony (NC), Rome Capitol Theatre (NY), and the Aldeburgh Festival in the U.K. He is an assistant professor and music director for the theatre department at Columbia College Chicago. He is a member of the Chicago Federation of Musicians and is proudly represented by Gray Talent Group.



ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE AS RUTH PAGE ARTIST IN-RESIDENCE
Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to be a member of the vibrant Ruth Page Center for the Arts community and an Artist In-Residence. Central to the Ruth Page Center for the Arts’ programming is the Artists In-Residence program, which is designed to serve organizations looking for a home base while they grow or expand their artistic and organizational capabilities. The Center is committed to nurturing and assisting dance and other performing artists, allowing for exchange and collaborative relationships to develop within the artistic community. The Ruth Page Center for the Arts is a destination for quality performing arts, accessible to a wide community regardless of race, gender, age, education or disability. An incubator of artistic energy and excellence, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts carries forward the vision of its founder, legendary dance icon Ruth Page, to be a platform for developing great artists and connecting them with audiences and community.

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
As the home for music theatre in Chicago now in its 23rd season, Porchlight Music Theatre is nationally recognized for reimagining classic productions, developing new works and showcasing musical theatre’s noted Chicago veterans and rising stars. Porchlight elevates the genre by providing intimate and powerful theatrical experiences of music theatre through the lens of the “Chicago Style.” The 2017–2018 year marks a milestone for Porchlight as the company becomes an Artist In-Residence at the historic Ruth Page Center for the Arts in Chicago’s Gold Coast. Porchlight’s rich history includes the staging of more than 60 productions with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. Through Porchlight’s “Off the Porch” new works program, the musicals of the next generation are developed and given a first audience. The School at Porchlight is Chicago’s center for music theatre training in the areas of performance, writing and appreciation including the launch of a youth summer “Make Your Own Musical” Camp in 2017. The company’s many accolades include 22 Black Theatre Alliance nominations and seven awards, as well as a total of 139 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations resulting in 42 Jeff Awards including five consecutive Best Production awards for The Scottsboro Boys (2017), Dreamgirls (2016), Sondheim on Sondheim (2015), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (2014) and A Class Act (2013).

Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from the Bayless Family Foundation, Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation, Actors’ Equity Foundation, Chapman | Spingola, Attorneys at Law, the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, Lou Malnati’s on State Street, the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Prince Foundation, Q Chicago, The Saints and the Topfer Family Foundation. The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency and by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events. 

OPENING: Chicago Premiere of Obie Award-Winning Play Guards at the Taj at Steppenwolf Theatre 5/31/18-7/22/18

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:  

Ensemble Member Amy Morton Directs

Chicago Premiere of Obie Award-Winning Play

Guards at the Taj

Written by Rajiv Joseph

designed by David Masnato

 May 31 – July 22, 2018

Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the Chicago premiere production of Guards at the Taj by acclaimed playwright Rajiv Joseph, directed by ensemble member Amy Morton. A stunning tale about the search for beauty in desperate circumstances, the Steppenwolf production features the original cast members, Omar Metwally (Humayun) and Arian Moayed (Babur), whom Amy Morton directed in the Off-Broadway world premiere which received rave reviews when it premiered in 2015 and won the 2016 Obie Award for Best New American Play.

Guards at the Taj begins previews May 31, 2018 and the production runs through July 22 in the Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N Halsted St. Press performances are Monday, June 11 at 7:30pm and Wednesday, June 13 at 7:30pm; opening night is Monday, June 11. Single tickets ($20-$89) are currently on-sale through Audience Services at 312-335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

India 1648. The dawn will reveal for the first time the extraordinary beauty of the Taj Mahal, built as a tribute to the ruler who demanded its construction. But for two hapless imperial guards, the morning light brings with it an unspeakable task that will shake their faith in God, the empire and their lifelong friendship. This boldly funny and deeply moving play examines the true meaning of beauty and the cost of transcendence in a world that confuses the value of both. 

Rajiv Joseph’s (Playwright) play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo was a 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Drama and also awarded a grant for Outstanding New American Play by the National Endowment for the Arts. His play Guards at the Taj was a 2016 Obie Winner for Best New American Play and 2016 Lucille Lortel Winner for Best Play.  His play Archduke, received its World Premiere last spring at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles; and his play Describe the Night premiered last fall at Alley Theatre, followed by an Off-Broadway run at the Atlantic Theater. Other plays include Gruesome Playground Injuries, The Monster at the Door, Animals Out of Paper, The Lake Effect, The North Pool, Guards at The Taj, and Mr. Wolf. Rajiv has been awarded artistic grants from the Whiting Foundation, United States Artists and the Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust.  He is a board member of the Lark Play Development Center in New York City, where he develops all his plays. He served for three years in the Peace Corps in Senegal and now lives in Brooklyn, NY. 



Amy Morton (Director) has been a Steppenwolf ensemble member since 1997 and directed several Steppenwolf productions including Clybourne Park, American Buffalo, Dublin Carol, The Pillowman, among others. She directed the world premiere of Guards at the Taj at the Atlantic Theater Company in 2015 and returns with the original cast for the Chicago debut.  She has performed in more than 30 Steppenwolf productions, including the recent production of Taylor Mac's Hir, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (also on Broadway, Tony nomination) and August: Osage County(also at the National Theatre and Broadway, Tony nomination). Currently she stars as Trudy Platt in the NBC drama series Chicago P.D.



Omar Metwally (Humayun) Steppenwolf: Homebody/Kabul. Broadway: Sixteen Wounded (Tony and OCC nominations). Off-Broadway: Guards at the Taj (Obie Award; Atlantic Theater); As You Like It, The Fever Chart (The Public); Tumacho (Clubbed Thumb); Beast on the Moon (Century Center). Regional: American Hero (Williamstown), as well as work with The Long Wharf, ACT, Magic Theatre, Campo Santo and others. Film: Rendition (Chopard Trophy, Cannes Film Festival), Non-Stop, Munich, Miral, Complete Unknown, Breakable You, among others. TV: Vik on The Affair, Mr. Robot, The Slap, Dig, Fringe, The Good Wife, Grey's Anatomy, Virtuality, Harry's Law. Education: MFA from the American Conservatory Theater. 



Arian Moayed (Babur) is a Tony nominated actor, an arts educator, an award winning writer/director, and an Artistic Director of Waterwell. Notable theater includes: Tony Award Winning The Humans (Drama Desk Award), Guards at the Taj (Obie), and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (Tony nom., Drama League nom., Theater World Award). With numerous credits in film and television some highlights include working alongside Bill Murray in Rock the Kasbah (dir Barry Levinson), Rosewater with Jon Stewart, and a recurring role on Madam Secretary. With Waterwell, a company he co-founded with Tom Ridgely in 2002, Mr. Moayed has helped devise numerous original productions including Hamlet (Sheen Center), Blueprint Specials (Public), GOODBAR (Public Theater) and The|King|Operetta (Barrow Street). Through the Waterwell Drama Program, Mr. Moayed administers one of the best public school arts programs in the country as part of the Waterwell Drama Program. With hundreds of students from all economic backgrounds, WDP partners with the Professional Performing Arts School, offering 6-12th graders in New York City the highest quality theater training in the country absolutely free of charge. As a filmmaker and partner of Waterwell Films, Mr. Moayed is currently in post-production for his thriller TV series called The Accidental Wolf, starring Kelli O’Hara, Laurie Metcalf, Denis O’Hare, Amy Landecker and many more.

The Guards at the Taj production team includes Tim Mackabee (scenic design), Bobby Tilley (costume design), David Weiner (lighting design), Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen (sound design and original music) and Matt Hawkins (Fight Choreographer). Additional credits include Briana Jo Fahey (stage manager), Cassie Calderone (assistant stage manager), JC Clementz (casting director) and Aaron Carter (artistic producer).


Location: Upstairs Theatre, 1650 Halsted St
Dates: May 31 – July 22, 2018
Previews: May 31 – June 10, 2018
Press Performances: Monday, June 11 at 7:30pm  and Wednesday, June 13 at 7:30pm

Opening: June 11, 2018
Regular Run: June 13 – July 22, 2018
Accessible Performances:
American Sign Language Interpretation: Sunday, June 24 at 7:30pm
Open Captioning: Saturday, June 23 at 3pm
Audio Description and Touch Tour: Sunday, July 8 at 1:30pm
Curtain Times: Tuesday – Friday at 7:30pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm and 7:30pm

Ticket prices:
Previews: $20 – $54, Regular Run: $20 – $89. Prices subject to change
20 for $20: Twenty $20 tickets are available for subscription shows on the day of the performance at 11am (Mon – Sat) and 1pm (Sun), by phone only at 312-335-1650. Limit 2 per person.

Rush Tickets: Half-price rush tickets are available one hour before each show.
Student Discounts: Limited $15 student tickets are available online. (Limit 2 tickets. Must present a valid student ID for each ticket). For additional student discounts, visit steppenwolf.org/students.

Group Tickets: All groups of 10 or more receive a discounted rate for any performance.

Black Card Memberships are for audiences interested in extreme flexibility. Cards include six tickets for use any time, for any production including the LookOut Series. The tickets are valid for one year with the option to add additional tickets as needed. Perks include easy and free exchanges, access to seats before the general public, savings on single ticket prices and bar and restaurant discounts for pre- and post-show socializing.

Red Card Memberships are available for theaterrgoers under 30.

More info at steppenwolf.org/memberships

Audience Services:
For tickets or more information, contact Audience Services (1650 N Halsted St) at 312-335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

Remaining 2017/18 Season
Next up is The Doppelgänger (an international farce) by Matthew-Lee Erlbach, directed by ensemble member Tina Landau (April 05 – May 27); followed by Guards at the Taj by Rajiv Joseph (May 31 – June 22, 2018); and The Roommate by Jen Silverman, directed by Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show, A Raisin In The Sun, Tracy Letts’s August: Osage County). In The Roommate a comically mismatched pair of roommates leads to a surprising and touching friendship (June 21 – August 5, 2018).

Visitor Information
Steppenwolf is located at 1650 N Halsted St near all forms of public transportation, bike racks and Divvy bike stands. The parking facility ($12 or $14, cash or card) is located just south of our theater at 1624 N Halsted. Valet parking service ($14 cash) is available directly in front of the main entrance starting at 5pm on weeknights, 1pm on weekends and at 12noon before Wednesday matinees. Limited street and lot parking are also available. For last minute questions and concerns, patrons can call the Steppenwolf Parking Hotline at 312.335.1774.

Accessibility
Committed to making the Steppenwolf experience accessible to everyone, performances featuring American Sign Language Interpretation, Open Captioning and Audio Description are offered during the run of each play. Assistive listening devices and large-print programs are available for every performance and the Downstairs and 1700 Theatres are each equipped with an induction hearing loop. All theaters feature wheelchair accessible seating and restrooms, and Front Bar features a push-button entrance, all-gender restrooms and accessible counter and table spaces.

Sponsor Information
United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf.

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

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation’s premier ensemble theater. Formed by a collective of actors in 1976, the ensemble represents 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.   

Prop Theatre: FREE Weekly Church of the New Play

Every Sunday

11am - 2pm w/ a talk back after!

​​@ Prop Thtr (3502 N Elston)

​Coffee and tea provided

Church of The New Play is a weekly reading series featuring new work by local Chicago writers, devisers, and text generators of all performance forms. In each session, a new piece is read or presented followed by a talkback tailored to the artists' needs. This is an alternative to a script submission policy in that it gives creators' the space to present their work as it's meant to be experienced: live and out loud. Check it out! More info here.