REVIEW: Feisty Firebrand's 9 to 5 Terrifically Timeless #MeToo Moment Through 5/20/18

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

 Firebrand Theatre Presents
9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL
Music & Lyrics by Dolly Parton
Book by Patricia Resnick  
Directed by Artistic Director Harmony France
Music Direction by Andra Velis-Simon
Choreography by Kasey Alfonso

(front, l to r) Sharriese Hamilton, Veronica Garza, Tyler Symone, Michael Turrentine, Khaki Pixley, Scott Danielson and Alyssa Soto with (back, l to r) Royen Kent, Elizabeth Morgan and Ted Kitterman. 
Photo by Emily Schwartz.

Review:

Firebrand Theatre's inaugural production, LIZZIE, was a scorcher, so I couldn't wait to see their take on 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL. This scrappy newcomer did not disappoint. Firebrand stayed true to their ideals and put on one rockin' retro musical that's as funny as it is fabulous. The whole cast's vocal prowess is impressive and more than fills the space. In 2018 we may be past the days of mimeographs and secretarial pools, but workplace harassment, the glass ceiling, and the thankless juggling act single working moms do, are still a glaring reality. This is the perfect, cathartic revenge fantasy, with a catchy score by Dolly Parton, and talent to spare. I highly recommend 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL, now playing through May 20th. 

(left to right) Sharriese Hamilton, Anne Sheridan Smith, Scott Danielson and Sara Reinecke in Firebrand Theatre’s production of 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL. Photo by Emily Schwartz.

The live band on stage, and strings integrated into the storyline are a playful and excellent addition to killer vocals. Firebrand more than does justice to Dolly Parton's songs and 9 to 5's wickedly witty solution to a lifetime of #MeToo moments. 

(left to right) Sharriese Hamilton, Tyler Symone, Elizabeth Morgan, Veronica Garza, Khaki Pixley and Alyssa Soto. Photo by Emily Schwartz.

Kudos to cast and crew for another rockin' fem focused production. We're elated Firebrand is part of Chicago's theatre community. We appreciate their mission as the first musical theatre company committed to employing and empowering women by expanding opportunities on and off the stage. Until the playing field is truly level in Chicago theatre and beyond, it's a welcome and necessary aim. Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we're looking forward to their next season. Firebrand is a hot ticket and certainly one to watch. 

April 7 – May 20, 2018 at The Den Theatre

Following its critically acclaimed hit LIZZIE, Firebrand Theatre, is pleased to conclude its inaugural season with the musical comedy 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL featuring music and lyrics by Dolly Parton, book by Patricia Resnick, direction by Artistic Director Harmony France, music direction by Andra Velis-Simon and choreography by Kasey Alfonso. 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL will play April 7 – May 20, 2018 at its resident home, The Den Theatre (Bookspan Theatre), 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood.  Tickets are currently available at firebrandtheatre.org. 

Photo by Tyler Core Shoots — with Veronica Garza, Kasey Alfonso, Harmony France, Sharriese Hamilton, Alyssa Soto, Andra Velis Simon, Anne Smith, Tyler Symone, Sara Reinecke and Adelina Feldman-Schultz at The Den Theatre.

9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL will feature Sharriese Hamilton as Doralee, Anne Sheridan Smith as Violet, Sara Reinecke as Judy, Scott Danielson as Hart, Veronica Garza as Roz and Michael Turrentine as Joe with Royen Kent, Ted Kitterman, Elizabeth Morgan, Khaki Pixley, Alyssa Soto and Tyler Symone. Swings include Roy Brown, Brandy Miller and Abby Murray Vachon.

Based on the 1980 hit movie of the same name, 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL follows three unlikely friends as they take control of their office and learn there is nothing they can't do, even in a man's world. Filled with Dolly Parton's signature songs and packed with laughs, this heartfelt story still rings true today. 9 to 5 THE MUSICAL is about women shattering stereotypes, lifting each other up and succeeding beyond their wildest dreams. 

The production team for 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL includes Eleanor Kahn (scenic design), Virginia Varland (costume design), Heather Gilbert (lighting design), Amanda Sager (sound design), Geoff Bleeker (production manager), Adelina Feldman-Schultz (asst. director, casting director), Caswell James (technical director) and JC Widman (stage manager).

9to5-1 (front, l to r) Sara Reinecke, Sharriese Hamilton and Anne Sheridan Smith with (back, l to r) Tyler Symone, Ted Kitterman, Veronica Garza and Elizabeth Morgan in Firebrand Theatre’s production of 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL. Photo by Emily Schwartz.

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Cast (in alphabetical order): Scott Danielson (Hart), Veronica Garza (Roz), Sharriese Hamilton (Doralee), Royen Kent (Bob, Dwayne), Ted Kitterman (Dick, Tinsworthy), Elizabeth Morgan (Margaret, Missy), Khaki Pixley (Kathy), Sara Reinecke (Judy), Anne Sheridan Smith (Violet), Alyssa Soto (Maria), Tyler Symone (Josh) and Michael Turrentine (Joe).

Swings: Roy Brown, Brandy Miller and Abby Murray Vachon.

Location: The Den Theatre's Bookspan Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Dates: Previews: Saturday, April 7 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, April 8 at 3 pm

Press performance: Tuesday, April 10 at 7:30 pm

Regular run: Thursdays, April 12 – Sunday, May 20, 2018

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm

Tickets: Regular run $45. Students $20. Tickets are currently available at firebrandtheatre.org.

About The Creative Team

Harmony France (Director) is artistic director of Firebrand Theatre, founding artistic director of Blue Moon Studio Theatre, a freelance casting director, and director and educator. Harmony has traveled the world with the Broadway National/International tour of Sister Act. She has been nominated for two Jeff Awards for Best Actress and is the recipient of a Broadway World Award. Harmony has worked with Paramount Theatre, Peninsula Players, Theatre at the Center, Bailiwick Chicago, Porchlight Music Theatre, Bohemian Theatre Ensemble, Windy City Playhouse, The New Colony, Timber Lake Playhouse, Route 66 and Chicago Children's Theatre. She studied opera at Brenau University and acting at Columbia College Chicago.

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


(left to right) Sara Reinecke, Anne Sheridan Smith and Sharriese Hamilton. Photo by Emily Schwartz.

(left to right) Tyler Symone, Khaki Pixley, Sara Reinecke, Anne Sheridan Smith, Sharriese Hamilton, Alyssa Soto and Elizabeth Morgan. Photo by Emily Schwartz.

Mission Statement

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

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

 9to5-6 (front center) Anne Sheridan Smith with (left to right) Michael Turrentine, Khaki Pixley, Ted Kitterman, Royen Kent and Tyler Symone in Firebrand Theatre’s production of 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL. Photo by Emily Schwartz.

REVIEW: Griffin Theatre's Solo Soldier Show, Ghosts of War, Refreshingly Apolitical

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar: 

Griffin Theatre Company Presents

Chicago Premiere!
GHOSTS OF WAR 
From the Novel by Ryan Smithson
Adapted by Artistic Director William Massolia
Directed by Jason Gerace

Presented in Rotating Repertory with the 10th anniversary of Letters Home
Through May 6, 2018 at The Den Theatre

Review:

It was my great pleasure to see GHOSTS OF WAR and LETTERS HOME. They make a powerful pairing of productions and we highly recommend catching both shows. These works are thought provoking, multilayered, nuanced looks at the human side of war. Kudos to Griffin for providing the platform for this message in an era of fake news, polarizing views, and a daunting barrage of rhetoric. 

Sam Krey does an excellent job as Ryan Smithson, keeping the audience in a state of rapt attention for the duration of this one man show. The set design is sparse but effective, featuring a screen with a tattered, jagged bottom as a backdrop. Griffin Theatre makes stellar use of multimedia to showcase everything from letters from children to scenes of war torn landscapes. 

I was half expecting a highly politicized piece either for or against war, but was pleasantly surprised that Ghosts of War is refreshingly apolitical. This is a psychological exploration of the effects of patriotism and combat before, during and after war, and the stage is the perfect outlet for this. It's a powerful thing to push bias aside and just listen to an intimate, first person account. This is a tale of idealism, altruism, loss, and one young man's journey into manhood via armed conflict. This show is an "everyman tale" and the protagonist even refers to himself as GI Joe Schmoe. Unlike movies featuring heroes and great battles, this show is the quiet recount of the millions who perform quiet acts of compassion or regrettable acts of sanctioned violence. It's the tale of young man boys who enlist for ideals, money, or adventure, coming to grips with their own mortality and morality.

In this pairing of productions Griffin Theatre has given audiences a powerful gift and a unique experience that can open hearts and mind and bridge polarizing politics.

Presented in Rotating Repertory

April 7 – May 6, 2018 at The Den Theatre

The Chicago premiere of GHOSTS OF WAR details a young soldier’s tour of duty in Iraq following 9/11, based on Ryan Smithson’s best-selling autobiographical novel, adapted for the stage by Artistic Director Bill Massolia (In To America) and directed by Jason Gerace (Great Expectations, Last Train to Nibroc). Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Griffin’s LETTERS HOME puts the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq front and center by bringing to life actual letters written by soldiers serving in the Middle East. Written and directed by Bill Massolia, the critically acclaimed production returns home to Chicago after touring the U.S. for more than a decade. 

GHOSTS OF WAR and LETTERS HOME will play April 7 – May 6, 2018 at The Den Theatre (2B), 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago Tickets for go on sale Friday, February 16 at www.griffintheatre.com or by calling (773) 697-3830. The press opening for GHOSTS OF WAR is Monday, April 9 at 7:30 pm and the press opening for LETTERS HOME is Wednesday, April 11 at 7:30 pm.

GHOSTS OF WAR features Sam Krey as Ryan Smithson. 

Ryan Smithson joined the Army Reserve when he was seventeen. Two years later, he was deployed to Iraq as an Army engineer. In this extraordinary and harrowing adaptation, GHOSTS OF WAR follows one GI’s tour of duty inside a world that few understand. Based on Smithson’s best-selling novel, this unforgettable story about combat, friendship, fear and a soldier’s commitment to his country peels back the curtain on the realities of war.

LETTERS HOME features an ensemble cast including Peter Byrne, Elliot Cruz, Zachary DeNardi, Mario Guzman, Jennifer Lowe, Ryan McBride, Andrew Neftalí Perez, Leah Raidt, Lynda Shadrake, Jessica Dean Turner and Jason Von Rohn. 

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Griffin Theatre’s critically lauded production of LETTERS HOME puts the soldier experience in Iraq and Afghanistan front and center by bringing to life war letters written home. Seen by more than 100,000 people in more than 100 cities since its first performance in 2007, the Griffin is proud to have this production come home for Chicago audiences to experience once again.

The production team for GHOSTS OF WAR includes: Alan Donahue (scenic design), Rachel Sypniewski (costume design), John Kelly (lighting design), Stephen Ptacek (sound design), Michael Stanfill (projection design), Jennifer Aparicio (production manager), David Moreland (technical director) and Sara Beaman (stage manager).

The production team for LETTERS HOME includes: Alan Donahue (scenic design), John Kelly (lighting design), Brett Warren Masteller (sound design), Brandon Wardell (projection design), Jennifer Aparicio (production manager), David Moreland (technical director) and Sara Beaman (stage manager).



PRODUCTION DETAILS:
Location: The Den Theatre (2B), 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago
Dates: Previews: Saturday, April 7 at 4 pm and Sunday, April 8 at 5 pm (GHOSTS OF WAR), Saturday, April 7 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, April 8 at 7 pm (LETTERS HOME).

Regular run: Thursday, April 12 – Sunday, May 6, 2018
Curtain Times: Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Fridays at 7:30 pm, Saturday at 4 pm and 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2 pm and 4 pm.

Tickets: Previews $23. Regular run $30 single show; $50 for both shows (when purchased together). Students, seniors & veterans $27 ($20 previews). Group discount are available for groups of ten or more. Single tickets go on sale Friday, February 16 at www.griffintheatre.com or by calling (773) 697-3830.

GHOSTS OF WAR Performance Schedule:

Saturday, April 7 at 4 pm (preview) 
Sunday, April 8 at 5 pm (preview) 
Monday, April 9 at 7:30 pm (press opening)
Thursday, April 12 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 14 at 4 pm
Sunday, April 15 at 2 pm
Friday, April 20 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 21 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, April 22 at 2 pm
Monday, April 23 at 7:30 pm
Friday, April 27 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 28 at 4 pm
Sunday, April 29 at 2 pm
Thursday, May 3 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, May 5 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, May 6 at 2 pm

LETTERS HOME Performance Schedule:

Saturday, April 7 at 7:30 pm (preview)
Sunday, April 8 at 7 pm (preview)
Wednesday, April 11 at 7:30 pm (press opening)
Friday, April 13 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 14 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, April 15 at 4 pm
Thursday, April 19 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 21 at 4 pm
Sunday, April 22 at 4 pm
Thursday, April 26 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 28 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, April 29 at 4 pm
Monday, April 30 at 7:30 pm
Friday, May 4 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, May 5 at 4 pm
Sunday, May 6 at 4 pm

About the Artists
Jason Gerace (Director, Ghosts of War) is a freelance director in Chicago, and is so thrilled to be directing for Griffin Theatre for the first time. He was the recipient of the 2014 Non-Equity Jeff Award in Outstanding Direction for Great Expectations with Strawdog Theatre Company, which broke box office records, was twice remounted, and led to the adaptation’s first publication. His production of Last Train to Nibroc for Haven Theatre was hailed as “an exquisitely acted and generally gorgeous little show” by the Chicago Tribune. Regional directing credits include the world premiere of Gabe McKinley's The Source (Route 66 Theatre), the Chicago Premiere of Yussef El Guindi’s Threesome (Other Theatre), Wrecks (with John Judd; Chicago), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Opus (RedTwist Theatre, Chicago). Jason originally hails from Anchorage, Alaska and holds an MFA in Directing from The University of Oklahoma. He is an associate member of SDC, and has been Artistic Associate of American Theater Company since 2008.

William Massolia (Adapter, Ghosts of War & Playwright/Director, Letters Home) is a founding member of the Griffin Theatre Company. He is the author of over 30 plays and adaptations including, Be More Chill, Little Brother, Stardust, Loving Little Egypt, Shakespeare’s Dog, Ghosts of War, and most recently In to America. His play Letters Home is celebrating its 10th Anniversary touring the U.S. and his children’s play, Frindle has been presented in more than 70 U.S. cities since 2009. Massolia is a seven-time Joseph Jefferson Award nominee for his work as a playwright. A graduate of Southern Illinois University, Mr. Massolia is a past member of the League of Chicago Theatres Board of Directors, a recipient of an IAC Playwriting Fellowship Award and the theatre advisory panel for the Illinois Arts Council.

The Griffin Theatre Company's 2017/2018 Premiere Season Sponsors are Michael and Mona Heath.

Additional Season Sponsor Support: Kassie Davis and Bruce Beatus, Mary Grover, Randy and Lloyd Gussis, Terrance Stevenson and Gale Dreas and Tom Brennan,

The Griffin Theatre Company is a Blue Star Theater and is proud to support our military enlisted and veterans. 



About Griffin Theatre Company
Established in 1988 and celebrating its 30th season, the mission of the Griffin Theatre Company is to create extraordinary and meaningful theatrical experiences for both children and adults by building bridges of understanding between generations that instill in its audience an appreciation of the performing arts. Through artistic collaboration the Griffin Theatre Company produces literary adaptations, original work and classic plays that challenge and inspire, with wit, style and compassion for the audience.

The Griffin Theatre Company is the recipient of 115 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations for theater excellence in Chicago. The Griffin was the repeat winner of the 2016 Jeff Award for “Best Production of a Play” for London Wall having won the same award in 2015 for its production of Men Should Weep.

The Griffin Theatre Company is partially supported by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

For additional information, visit www.griffintheatre.com.

EXTENDED: WOMEN LAUGHING ALONE WITH SALAD AT THEATER WIT NOW RUNNING TWO MORE WEEKS, THROUGH MAY 12

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:
WOMEN LAUGHING ALONE WITH SALAD 
STAYS FRESH LONGER!

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we're elated that Theater Wit is extending its smash hit comedy Women Laughing Alone with Salad, Sheila Callaghan’s satirical feminist farce based on the Internet meme of the same name, through May 12 due to high box office demand. It's a favorite of ours and a fiercely funny show. Check out my full review right here, then go already. 

Originally slated to close April 29, audiences now have two more weeks to be shocked and convulsing with laughter at Wit’s wildly subversive tour-de-force about friendship, salad, sex, bodies, yoga, salad, men, envy, women, pharmaceuticals, diets, salad, uppers and salad.

Women Laughing Alone with Salad has been a fresh and healthy recipe for box office success at Theater Wit thanks to critical acclaim like:

“Don't read about it. Don't ask your friends about it. Just buy your tickets and go.”

- New City

“3-1/2 stars! Deeply original, stellar and fearless! Ribald and raucous, but also incredibly smart. Engstrom is breathtaking!”

- Chicago Tribune

“The ferocious, culture-eating acid of Callaghan's wit is hilariously rendered by Devon de Mayo's staging for Theater Wit.”

- Chicago Reader

“4 stars! One of the most hilarious things you’re likely to see in a theatre...more laughs in the first five minutes of this play alone than in most comedies. One of the best shows of 2018 so far. A must-see.”

– ChicagoOnStage.com

STOCK PHOTO CLICHÉ TURNED INTERNET MEME TURNED FEMINIST COMEDY 

MAKES ITS CHICAGO DEBUT MARCH 9-APRIL 29 AT THEATER WIT

 All photos by Charles Osgood 

(From left) Echaka Agba, Daniella Pereira and Jennifer Engstrom star in Women Laughing Alone with Salad, Sheila Callaghan’s satirical comedy based on the meta-feminist Internet meme of the same name. 

Expect nudity, a full on stylized orgy of a 3 way, beauty mutilation, masturbation, and plenty of colorful language, so leave the kids at home for this one!

(From left) Japhet Balaban, Echaka Agba, Daniella Pereira and Jennifer Engstrom 

Review:

I'll admit, I've never refrigerated a press release before! I have gotten some creative pitches, like a glass bottle full of sand delivered FedEx with a press invite for an iced tea company inside. Theater WIT's latest, a "Pinterest worthy" press release "salad" with lettuce, peppers and a fork, had me laughing before I left the lobby, and set the mood for this utterly unique show. 

**On a weird, semi related side note, if you have a phone app that turns phrases backwards, try speaking in "Eat The Salad". I discovered that backwards it sounds a hell of a lot like "philosophy". No kidding. 

Try it.**

With three large screens, Women Laughing Alone With Salad blasts us with a colorful media barrage that embraces the absurdity of the advertising we're bombarded with, and the joys of social media that loves to lampoon it. Philosophy indeed! The music is upbeat, recognizable, contemporary hits, and the nonverbal scenes are a scream. This show is achingly funny and revealing, literally and figuratively. The scenes are certainly exaggerated in style, and yet, they almost have to be, to counteract the crazy making diets, sexuality, and airbrushed, exuberant expectations we've held up as a feminine ideal for far too long.

"Three years, four performers, a production team of twenty eight and one thousand four hundred pieces of fake lettuce all came together at our press opening."

Jeremy Wechsler (Artistic Director, Theater Wit)

(From left) Tori (Daniella Pereira) tangles with Meredith (Echaka Agba) as Guy (Japhet Balaban) looks on

This show has some delightful gender bending drag going on, that more clearly exaggerates stereotypes and all too familiar behaviors. The second act also amusingly reveals just how clueless most adman bro dudes truly are about how to market to women or even how to date or relate to them as human beings. Of course, they've updated the stock images to represent contemporary women (snark font engaged). They are now using some androgyny along with mixed races and organic specialty greens instead of iceberg lettuce, to sell women on the laughing salad woman archetype. 

(From left) Echaka Agba, Daniella Pereira and Jennifer Engstrom

At least there's a ray of hope for change in the overeducated, multitasking mom boss. Although she's trapped in her own modern hell of unrealistic expectations as much as Sandy (Jennifer Engstrom), Guy's mom, a women's rights protester back in the day. She had a promising start fighting the patriarchy and ended fighting against a cheating spouse and unfulfilling destiny as a SAHM, and ultimately a fighting a losing battle against age and agism, one custom salad at a time. 

(From left) Jennifer Engstrom plays Sandy and Japhet Balaban is Guy

Women Laughing Alone With Salad is undoubtedly over the top, behind the couch, and below the belt funny. This intrepid cast eat raw onions and peppers, flee falling greens, and bare their bodies and souls in the name of story and truth telling. Echaka Agba, Japhet Balaban, Jennifer Engstrom and Daniella Pereira were all fabulously funny playing off one another and give lettuce entertain you a whole new connotation. As fun and funny as this show is, it'll likely leave a lasting impression, and have you kicking in that critical thinking at the sight of every salad and insidious ad, for days to come. 


(Foreground, from left) Meredith (Echaka Agba) and Guy (Japhet Balaban) flirt while Tori (Daniella Pereira) lies low behind 

(From left) Echaka Agba plays Meredith and Japhet Balaban is Guy 

Women Laughing Alone With Salad explores just what happens when a society orchestrates an organized assault on half the population for generations, to coerce them into buying more and more potentially painful and dangerous products to fix their flaws, all while starving themselves into sometimes fatally unrealistic and unsustainable sizes. 

We greatly enjoyed this raunchy, revealing, relevant exploration of what women do to ourselves and to others in the name of food, family, fashion, sexuality, and sizeism. This show is what happens when women stop laughing alone with salad and start laughing with friends at sexism. Highly recommended. 

 (From left) Japhet Balaban plays Guy and Echaka Agba is Meredith  

Don’t miss this subversive tour-de-force about friendship, salad, sex, bodies, yoga, salad, men, envy, women, pharmaceuticals, diets, salad, uppers and salad. Theater Wit’s Chicago premiere of Women Laughing Alone with Salad runs through April 29, 2018 at Theater Wit, 1229 N. Belmont Ave., Chicago. For mature audiences. Tickets: TheaterWit.org or call 773.975.8150. 

And in other great news, not only does this show promise to serve up big laughs, it comes with an immediate side of economic justice!

Single tickets to Women Laughing Alone with Salad are $12-$70.

However, tickets for women to all regular performances will be discounted to match the 79% wage gap between men and women in Illinois.

To illustrate, at the $24 ticket level, male-identifying patrons pay full price, while female-identifying patrons pay only $18.95, corrected for the 79% wage gap.

Theater Wit is tossing up a crisp Chicago premiere of Women Laughing Alone with Salad, Sheila Callaghan’s satirical comedy based on the meta-feminist Internet meme of the same name.

Don’t miss this four-person, satirical, subversive tour-de-force about friendship, salad, sex, bodies, yoga, salad, men, envy, women, pharmaceuticals, diets, salad, uppers and salad. 



Previews of Women Laughing Alone with Salad are March 9-18: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m.

Performances run through April 29: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at
3 p.m.

Theater Wit is located at 1229 N. Belmont in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Another great way to secure seats is to sign up for a Theater Wit Membership, an “all the theater you can eat” deal that lets you see as many plays as you want in any of Wit’s three spaces for a low monthly fee of $29/$22 for students, along with many member perks.

To purchase single tickets, a Membership, or to inquire about Flex Passes, visit TheaterWit.org or call 773.975.8150.



More about Women Laughing Alone with Salad

You’ve seen them a hundred times before. Stock photos of attractive women, sitting alone, enjoying a salad so hilarious they can’t help but explode with laughter and delight.

The proliferation of this absurd cliché caught the attention of the Internet in 2011 after Edith Zimmerman posted the first collection on the feminist blog The Hairpin. Titled “Women Laughing Alone With Salad,” it featured 18 photos illustrating this trend with no accompanying text.

Zimmerman’s post spurred a number of hilarious memes parodying this stereotypical portrayal of women in media, including a tumblr page.

And this play, a fierce, funny, feminist look at the maniacal gauntlet of gender relations and the relentless pursuit of insane ideals. Our heroines are trapped on a treadmill of dysfunctional relationships, warped body image and ludicrous pornography, carving their way through a suffocating, tangled mess. With pointed jabs and razor wit, Women Laughing Alone with Salad disembowels the cosmetic myth of pre-packaged feminine empowerment.

When it debuted at Washington D.C.’s Woolly Mammoth Theatre in 2015, playwright Sheila Callaghan, also a writer/producer on the hit Showtime comedy Shameless, told the Washington Post, “Nobody likes salad that much. And the notion that you’re supposed to feel that way – salad will never be that kind of satisfying. No matter how creative you get with salad, it’s still (expletive) lettuce and vegetables, right?”

DC Theatre Scene subsequently hailed Women Laughing Alone with Salad a “fresh, funny play…the poster child for what feminist theatre should be: a great night out on the town watching a slam bam comedy which is also a serious conversation about the society we oh-so-currently live in.”

Salad Days @ Theater Wit:
Behind the scenes of Women Laughing Alone with Salad



Here in Chicago, Devon de Mayo (pictured above) makes her Theater Wit directorial debut with Women Laughing Alone with Salad, fresh from staging the world premiere of The Burn by Philip Dawkins for Steppenwolf Theatre for Young Audiences. Other recent projects include Harvey at Court Theatre, You On the Moors Now by Jaclyn Backhaus for The Hypocrites, the world premiere of Sycamore at Raven Theatre and Don't Look Back/Must Look Back at Pivot Arts.

Wit’s Women Laughing Alone with Salad stars Echaka Agba, Japhet Balaban, Jennifer Engstrom and Daniella Pereira.

Echaka Agba (Meredith/Bruce) was named to the Chicago Tribune’s “Hot New Faces of Chicago Theater, Class of 2017”), and singled out in the 2017 Time Out Chicago Theater Awards for featured performance and breakout performance in Broken Nose Theatre’s At the Table, which also won her the Jeff Award for Best Supporting Actress. Other credits are Short Shakes! Romeo and Juliet at Chicago Shakespeare, United Flight 232, Jeff Award winner for Best Ensemble at House Theatre, and The Crucible and Between Riverside and Crazy at Steppenwolf.

Japhet Balaban (Guy/Alice) was also named to the Chicago Tribune’s “Hot New Faces of Chicago Theater, Class of 2017”), drawing particular attention for his work in Ideation (Jackalope Theatre). Other credits are You on the Moors Now (The Hypocrites), Posh (Steep Theatre), Never The Sinner (Victory Gardens), Balm in Gilead (Griffin Theatre) and Look Back in Anger (Redtwist).

Jennifer Engstrom (Sandy/Guy) is a veteran of regional and Chicago stages and an A Red Orchid Theatre ensemble member, where she performed in The Fastest Clock in The Universe, Eric LaRue, Fatboy, The Hothouse, 3C and The Mutilated (Jeff nomination for Outstanding Actress).

Daniella Pereira (Tori/Joe) was most recently seen in Letters Home (Griffin Theatre), The Taming of the Shrew (Oak Park Festival Theatre) and Cymbeline (Strawdog Theatre Company).



Sheila Callaghan's plays have been produced and developed with Soho Rep, Playwright's Horizons, Yale Rep, South Coast Rep, Clubbed Thumb, The LARK, Actor's Theatre of Louisville, New Georges, The Flea, Woolly Mammoth, Boston Court and Rattlestick Playwright's Theatre. She received the Princess Grace Award for emerging artists, a Jerome Fellowship from Playwright's Center in Minneapolis, a MacDowell Residency, a Cherry Lane Mentorship Fellowship, the Susan Smith Blackburn Award and the Whiting Award. Her plays have been produced internationally in New Zealand, Australia, Norway, Germany, Portugal and the Czech Republic. These include Scab, Crawl Fade to White, Crumble, We Are Not These Hands, Dead City, Lascivious Something, Kate Crackernuts, That Pretty Pretty; Or, The Rape Play, Fever/Dream, Everything You Touch, Roadkill Confidential, Elevada and Bed. She is published with Playscripts.com and Samuel French, and several of her collections are published with Counterpoint Press. She has taught playwriting at Columbia University, The University of Rochester, The College of New Jersey, Florida State University and Spalding University. She is an affiliated artist with Clubbed Thumb, a member of the Obie winning playwright's organization 13P and an alumni of New Dramatists. In 2010, Callaghan was profiled by Marie Claire as one of "18 Successful Women Who Are Changing the World." She was also named one of Variety’s "10 Screenwriters to Watch" of 2010. Callaghan is a writer/producer on the hit Showtime comedy Shameless and a founder of the feminist activist group The Kilroys. She was nominated for a 2016 Golden Globe for her work on Hulu’s Casual and a 2017 WGA Award for her Shameless episode “I Am A Storm.”

Designers for Women Laughing Alone with Salad are Arnel Sancianco (set), Mieka van der Ploeg (costumes), Heather Gilbert (lights), Shain Longbehn (sound), Joe Burke (projections) Jesse Gaffney (props), Rachel Flesher (intimacy) and Clare Cooney (casting).


About Theater Wit
Theater Wit, Chicago’s “smart art” theater, is a major hub of the Chicago neighborhood theater scene, where audiences enjoy a smorgasbord of excellent productions in three, 99-seat spaces, see a parade of talented artists and mingle with audiences from all over Chicago.

“A thrilling addition to Chicago’s roster of theaters” (Chicago Tribune) and “a terrific place to see a show” (New City), Theater Wit is now in its eighth season at its home at
1229 N. Belmont Ave., in the heart of the new Belmont Theatre District in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. In 2014, Theater Wit was awarded the National Theatre Award by the American Theatre Wing for strengthening the quality, diversity and dynamism of American theater.

The company’s most recent hits include The Antelope Party by Eric John Meyer, This Way Outta Santaland by Mitchell Fain, 10 Out of 12 and Mr. Burns, a post-electric play by Anne Washburn, Naperville by Mat Smart, The New Sincerity by Alena Smith, Bad Jews by Joshua Harmon, The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence and Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England by Madeleine George, and Completeness and The Four of Us by Itamar Moses.

Visit TheaterWit.org or call the Theater Wit box office, 773.975.8150, to purchase a Membership, inquire about Flex Pass options or to buy single tickets.

To receive an “artisanal selection of consonants and vowels from Theater Wit,” sign up at TheaterWit.org/mailing for exclusive updates, flash deals and behind-the-scenes production scoop every few weeks.

In an odd screaming symmetry, Theater Wit is currently running not one but two shows whose posters feature an open, yelling mouth. Though very different, both shows are quite good and well worth a look! 

OPENING: Julia Sweeney: Older and Wider to run in The Second City’s e.t.c. Theater April 24 – May 30, 2018

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Sweeney moves to a resident stage after a live workshop process at The Second City

SNL vet Julia Sweeney’s one-woman show Julia Sweeney: Older and Wider will move to The Second City's e.t.c. stage for a six-week run beginning April 24, 2018. Sweeney has been honing her first-ever stand-up show in front of live audiences since she began a January workshop run in one of Second City’s studio theater spaces. Julia Sweeney: Old and Wider will run on the e.t.c. stage at The Second City April 24 – May 30, 2018. 

“It turns out I had to do five years on SNL to make it to The Second City, and that’s alright with me! This is truly a dream come true,” said Sweeney. “I’d always considered myself a comedic monologist, but it occurred to me that I was so close to doing stand-up that I should just take that step...My show is observational and strewn with funny stories. I’m older and yes, a wee bit wider, but I think you’ll laugh and have a good time.”

Julia Sweeney: Older and Wider

Schedule: Tuesdays & Wednesdays at 8pm April 24-May 30; Saturdays & Sundays at 4pm April 29-May 27

Running Time: 90 minutes

Location: The Second City’s e.t.c. Theater, 230 W North Ave, 2rd Floor of Piper’s Alley, Chicago

Tickets: Tickets start at $26 for general admission with premium rail seating also available. Special rates for students.

Box Office: 230 W. North Ave, 1st Floor, Piper's Alley. By phone at 312-337-3992 or online at www.secondcity.com.

About Julia Sweeney
Called “a consummate storyteller with exquisite comic timing” by Variety, Julia Sweeney is a writer, actor, comedian, director, and monologist. Perhaps most recognized as a Saturday Night Live cast member from 1990 to 1995, she created and popularized the androgynous character “Pat.” Sweeney is also adored for her comedic and dramatic (and usually both at the same time) monologues, including God Said Ha!, which she staged across the country, as well as on Broadway at the Lyceum Theater. The film version was produced by Quentin Tarantino and premiered at the 1998 South by Southwest Film Festival, and the accompanying comedy album was nominated for a Grammy. Sweeney's second monologue, In the Family Way, played in New York and LA and was ultimately developed into a memoir, If It's Not One Thing, It's Your Mother. Her third monologue, Letting Go of God, was adapted into a film that aired on Showtime. Sweeney is also a cancer survivor, an outspoken secular humanist, and the proud mother of a teenage daughter.

About The Second City
Since opening its doors 1959, The Second City has grown to become the world’s premier comedy club, theater, and school of improvisation, entertaining 1 million theatergoers a year around the globe. Alumni of The Second City’s resident stages, touring companies, and theatrical divisions include some of the biggest names in entertainment, and in addition to the sold-out shows playing nightly on resident stages in Chicago and Toronto, the comedy empire has staged productions with a wide range of illustrious creative partners and theater companies, including the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Goodman Theatre, Center Theater Group Los Angeles, Portland Center Stage, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, La Jolla Playhouse, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, and the Chicago Bulls.

OPENING: Chicago Premiere HOW TO USE A KNIFE Via Shattered Globe Theatre At Theater WIT April 26 – June 9, 2018

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Chicago Premiere!

Shattered Globe Theatre Presents 

HOW TO USE A KNIFE

By Will Snider

Directed by Producing Artistic Director Sandy Shinner

April 26 – June 9, 2018 at Theater Wit

I'll be ChiILin' with Shattered Globe Theatre and catching HOW TO USE A KNIFE May 4th, so check back soon for my full review on this Chicago premiere. Theater Wit is one of our favorite multi space, Chicago storefront theaters and Shattered Globe Theatre company has been a long time favorite of ours as well. 

Shattered Globe Theatre is pleased to conclude its 2017-18 Season with the Chicago premiere of Will Snider’s fast-paced gritty drama HOW TO USE A KNIFE, directed by SGT Producing Artistic Director Sandy Shinner*, playing April 26 – June 9, 2018 at SGT’s resident home Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Single tickets are currently available at www.shatteredglobe.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office. 

HOW TO USE A KNIFE will feature Shattered Globe ensemble Brad Woodard* with Michelle Bester, Peter DeFaria, Dennis García, Anthony Irons, Dillon Kelleher and Víctor Maraña. 

In the chaotic kitchen of a Wall Street restaurant, Chef George is trying to stay sober and keep the cross-cultural kitchen staff churning out orders on time. While dealing with two trash-talking line cooks, a naïve busboy and a jerk of a boss, George strikes up a surprising friendship with an unassuming dishwasher. The heat is turned up when secrets from their pasts are exposed.  Raw, fast-paced and funny, HOW TO USE A KNIFE serves up plenty of food for thought.

“Shattered Globe is thrilled to produce Will Snider’s How To Use a Knife which I enjoyed several years ago in an early reading at the National New Play Network and have been pursuing ever since,” comments Producing Artistic Director Sandy Shinner. “The overwhelmingly positive response from audiences and artists across the country during the play’s rolling world premiere is a tribute to Will’s compelling story and the energy and musicality of his dialogue. This is a playwright to watch. SGT is proud to introduce Will’s work to Chicago audiences.” 

The production team for HOW TO USE A KNIFE includes Jeff Bauer (scenic design), Hailey Rakowiecki (costume design), Shelley Strasser Holland* (lighting design), Abigail Cain (props design), Daniel Carylon (sound design), Judy Anderson* (executive production manager), Colin David+ (production manager), J. Hampton Cade and Arianna Soloway (asst. directors), Tina M. Jach (stage manager) and Devonte Washington+ and Ayanna Wimberly (asst. stage managers).

Location: Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave, Chicago
Dates: Previews: Thursday, April 26 at 8 pm, Friday, April 27 at 8 pm and Saturday, April 28 at 8 pm
Press Performance: Sunday, April 29 at 3 pm
Regular Run: Thursday, May 3 – Saturday, June 9, 2018
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be an 8 pm performance on Friday, May 11; there will be an added performance on Saturday, June 9 at 3 pm.
Touch Tour/Audio Description Performance: Friday, May 18, 2018 – 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 are currently available 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:
Will Snider (Playwright) was born and raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. His play How to Use a Knife received a Rolling World Premiere through National New Play Network, won the Barrymore Award for Outstanding New Play, and was a finalist for a PEN Center USA Literary Award. Other plays include The Big Man (Ensemble Studio Theatre’s 35th Marathon of One-Act Plays), Strange Men and Death of a Driver. His work has been developed at MCC, NNPN National Showcase of New Plays, The Kennedy Center, SPACE on Ryder Farm, #serials@theflea, the claque and MAKEHOUSE. He is an alumnus of Youngblood and received an EST/Soan Grant and The Kennedy Center’s Paula Vogel Playwriting Award. MFA: UCSD.

Sandy Shinner (Director) joined Shattered Globe Theatre in October 2013 as the theater’s first Producing Artistic Director. She directed Scott McPherson’s Marvin’s Room in 2015 and Sally Nemeth’s Mill Fire at SGT in 2014 for SGT. The former Associate Artistic Director of Victory Gardens Theater, she created the nationally known IGNITION! Festival, served as co-director of the Access Project, and accepted the 2001 Regional Theater Tony Award on behalf of VG with former Artistic Director Dennis Zacek and former Managing Director Marcelle McVay. Her other recent directing credits include: the world premiere of Rasheeda Speaking by Joel Drake Johnson (Rivendell Theater Ensemble) and Creditors by August Strindberg (Remy Bumppo Theater Company). She has directed over 80 plays at theaters including Victory Gardens, Remy Bumppo, American Blues, the University of Virginia, Actors Theater of Louisville’s Humana Festival, Steppenwolf’s First Look Repertory of New Work, New York’s 78th Street Theater Lab and the Sacramento Theater Company, among others. Her production of Trying by Joanna McClelland Glass transferred to New York and her direction was nominated for the Joe A. Callaway Award. Shinner received the 2013 Kathryn V. Lamkey Spirit Award from the Equal Employment Opportunity Committee of Actors’ Equity Association for her commitment to diversity and non-traditional casting. She has been recognized as one of “50 Top Players” by Newcity and a “Chicagoan of the Year” by the Chicago Tribune. She is an adjunct professor at DePaul’s Theatre School, an At Large Ambassador for the National New Play Network and an Artistic Affiliate at American Blues Theater.  

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.