Physical Festival Returns To Chicago For 5th Year June 1st-9th, 2018

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THEATRE THAT MOVES YOU: 

PHYSICAL FESTIVAL CHICAGO WARMING UP FOR BIG FIFTH ANNIVERSARY, JUNE 1-9, 2018 AT STAGE 773

Physical Festival Chicago, founded in 2014 and curated by Alice da Cunha and Marc Frost, is the city’s annual contemporary, visual and physical theater festival presenting new forms of theater from around the world. 

Hold tight for nine whirlwind days of physical theater programming including four incredible, award-winning shows from around the world, hometown master Michael Montenegro, a Scratch Night featuring cutting edge 
new works by Chicago performers, and master classes taught by top international physical theater artists. 

Marvel at physical theater artists from Brazil, France, New York, 

Spain, the U.K. and Chicago sure to shock, entertain and amaze

Scratch Night Chicago artists and six workshops announced, including 

How to Audition for Cirque du Soleil with a leading Cirque talent scout

Top, from left: The 2018 Physical Festival Chicago, June 1-9 at Stage 773, will feature Nobody’s Home by UK-based Theatre Témoin and Grafted Cede, Red Bastard: Lie with me from New York City, (bottom) The Other by Gaël Le Cornec from Brazil/France, and The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha by Little Soldier Productions from Spain/UK. Michael Montenegro, acclaimed artistic director of Evanston’s Theatre Zarko, is the 2018 festival’s featured Chicago artist.

Physical Festival Chicago - the city’s annual contemporary, visual and physical theater festival presenting new forms of theater from around the world - is returning June 1-9, 2018 for its fifth anniversary outing. 

Hold tight for nine whirlwind days of physical theater programming including four incredible, award-winning shows from around the world, hometown master Michael Montenegro, a Scratch Night featuring new works by Chicago performers, and master classes taught by top international physical theater artists. 

All performances are presented at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Single tickets ($12-$18) and festival passes ($45 and $60) are on sale now at physicalfestival.com. 

Two incredible out-of-town acts kick off the 2018 Physical Festival opening weekend, June 1-3. 



First, UK-based Theatre Témoin and Grafted Cede will present Nobody’s Home, a unique and striking exploration of PTSD in a modern retelling of Homer’s Odyssey. Performances are Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, June 3 at 5 p.m. (Note: Nobody’s Home replaces the previously announced La Causeuse by Montreal collective Equivoc’, which had to drop out of the festival due to scheduling conflicts.)



Sure to shock and seduce is the opening weekend “late night” act, New York’s 
Red Bastard with a new work, Red Bastard: Lie with me, a wild one man show about lies lovers tell. Performances are Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2 at 9 p.m. and Sunday, June 3 at 7 p.m.
                                                                              
The spotlight shifts to Chicago’s physical theater scene after opening weekend with Scratch Night, Monday, June 4 at 7 p.m. This evening features a curated collection of new and experimental works by emerging Chicago artists including Centology by Nelia Miller, The Dolphin Show by David Gordezky, Keep Your Guard Up, Smitty Harbinger by Tim Campos, It Takes Two by Chesa Greene, MEMORABILIA by Jean Carlos Claudio, Love Hurts by C:DC Comedy Dance Collective, Bluets by Ellenor Riley-Condit and a new Portmanteau work in progress by Jessica Mondres and Stephanie Diaz with music by Barry Bennett.

The Chicago focus continues Tuesday and Wednesday, June 5 and 6 at 7 p.m. with two evenings showcasing the festival’s featured local artist, Michael Montenegro, the acclaimed artistic director of Evanston’s Theatre Zarko. On stage both nights is Theatre Zarko’s Drunken Half Angel, a unique selection of short solo puppet and mask theater performances created by Montenegro and accompanied by Jude Matthews and fellow musicians.

Two international acts close the festival, starting with Franco-Brazilian Gaël Le Cornec presenting The Other, a disturbing coming-of-age, dark adventure-thriller about a girl refugee overflowing with poetry, strange creatures and stunning imagery. Performances are Thursday through Saturday, June 7-9 at 7 p.m. 

Rotating with The Other at Stage 773 closing weekend is Spain/U.K.-based Little Soldier Productions, aka Patricia Rodriguez and Mercè Ribot, presenting The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha, a bold, physical attempt to re-enact Cervantes’ sweeping, timeless novel, in its entirety. Performances are Thursday through Saturday, June 7-9 at 
9 p.m.

What is Physical Festival Chicago?

Physical theater pursues storytelling through primarily physical and visual means to create original and contemporary work. It embraces a wide variety of styles, approaches and aesthetics including clown, puppetry, mime, mask, dance, theater, vaudeville and circus, stop motion film and poetry, among others.

Physical Festival Chicago, founded in 2014 and curated by Alice da Cunha and Marc Frost, is the city’s annual contemporary, visual and physical theater festival presenting new forms of theater from around the world. 

Following is the full, fifth anniversary line-up for Physical Festival Chicago, in chronological order, June 1-9:


Nobody’s Home Theatre Témoin and Grafted Cede Theatre
From UK via USA
Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, June 3 at 5 p.m.
60 minutes
For ages 14+ 

Odysseus has come home from the war. His bath is broken, and he can’t fix it. As he stares at his reflection, he begins to find that his journey back to the people he loves might not be as easy at it seems.

Set in a bathroom, Nobody’s Home follows a soldier’s journey through his own mind, as he struggles with the monsters of his past to finally come home. In their signature physical style, Theatre Témoin and Grafted Cede present a unique and striking exploration of PTSD in this gripping, modern retelling of Homer’s Odyssey. “Ingenious and grotesque…an astounding and moving play” wrote Three Weeks Edinburgh. Broadway Baby called Nobody’s Home “a masterpiece…the audience spontaneously laughed, gasped and burst into tears.”

Nobody’s Home was developed in California through a series of collaborative workshops with combat veterans. In addition to public performances, Theatre Témoin tours Nobody’s Home to army barracks, veterans’ organizations and military academies. The company was founded in Toulouse in 2007 by graduates of the London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA) as a forum for creating new works of theatre that are both socially engaged and fun. In 2010 the company moved its base back to London and has since produced projects in the UK, USA, Mexico, Rwanda, India, Israel, and Lebanon. Nobody Home is directed by Theatre Temoin Artistic Director Allison Conant. Learn more at theatretemoin.com. 

Nobody’s Home features UK-based Grafted Cede Theatre’s Co-Artistic Directors, Will Pinchin as Grant, and Dorrie Kinear as Penny. Both are graduates of the London International School of Performing Arts. Visit graftedcede.com to learn more.



Red Bastard: Lie with me
From New York, USA
Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2 at 9 p.m.
Sunday, June 3 at 7 p.m.
70 minutes
For ages 18+ 

How free is your love? You’re about to find out. Every. Single. One of you. 

Red Bastard is coming to Chicago to expose the lies we tell our lovers and those bastards who made us lie in the first place! A complete Edinburgh Fringe sell-out in 2013, 2014 and 2017, New York’s Red Bastard is ready to charm, disarm, shock and seduce in this brilliant new show. The List named Red Bastard one of the “Top 5 shows in the UK. 5 stars.” The Edinburgh Evening News exclaimed “Not a show. This is an experience.” 

Red Bastard, aka Eric Davis, is an award winning, New York-based performer, writer, director and teacher, and a former performer with Cirque du Soleil. The red beast within, acclaimed by critics and sold-out audiences across the globe, is an infamous buffoon who fuses theater, stand-up, clown and social psychology to create powerful, life-changing comedy. Learn more at redbastard.com.



Scratch Night
Chicago, USA
Monday, June 4 at 7 p.m.
70 minutes

Scratch Night is the festival’s annual, one-night-only showcase of what is brewing in Chicago’s physical theater scene. The evening features a curated collection of new and experimental short works by emerging Chicago artists including Centology by Nelia Miller, The Dolphin Show by David Gordezky, Keep Your Guard Up, Smitty Harbinger by Tim Campos, It Takes Two by Chesa Greene, MEMORABILIA by Jean Carlos Claudio, Love Hurts by C:DC Comedy Dance Collective, Bluets by Ellenor Riley-Condit and a new Portmanteau work in progress by Jessica Mondres and Stephanie Diaz with music by Barry Bennett.



Drunken Half Angel, a selection of short solo pieces attempting, with one wing, to escape gravity 
Chicago, USA
By Theater Zarko, created by Michael Montenegro and accompanied by Jude Matthews and fellow musicians 
Tuesday and Wednesday, June 5 at 6 at 7 p.m.
60 minutes
For ages 11+

Over the past 20 years, Chicago’s Michael Montenegro, this year’s local featured artist, has developed a signature style of puppet and mask theater as both a solo artist and collaborator. 

His work Drunken Half Angel is a unique selection of short solo puppet and mask theater performances ranging from the grotesque, to the comical, and then poignant. Inventive, innovative, unusual, and occasionally profound, Montenegro will be accompanied by the magical and sublime original music of Jude Mathews, Musical Director of Theatre Zarko. 

Montenegro is artistic director of Theatre Zarko which has presented numerous original puppet theater plays such as He Who, Haff (The Man), Sublime Beauty of Hands, Klown Kantos and Iktu Blas. His collaborations include commissions by the Lookingglass Theatre for Mary Zimmerman’s Argonautica, by Next Theatre for The War With the Newts and The Long Christmas Ride Home, and by Writers Theatre for The Puppetmaster of Lodz, which earned a Jeff Award for puppet design. In 2016 he collaborated with Blair Thomas, Greg Allen, Michael Zerang, and Michael Smith on Blair Thomas & Co.’s production of Moby Dick at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, which was restaged at the 2017 International Puppet Festival in Charleville-Mezieres, France in 2017. Montenegro also presented Kick The Klown in the 2017 Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival in collaboration with director Greg Allen. 

Jude Mathews has been Music Director and Composer for Theatre Zarko since 2000, working in collaboration with Michael Montenegro to develop the sound elements of the theatre’s work. She is trained as a classical pianist, playing in chamber music ensembles and Klezmer, Balkan, and barn dance bands. More recently, she studied interdisciplinary arts, songwriting, and composition at Columbia College and Northeastern University. She has composed and performed for Perceptual Motion Dance Company, Access Contemporary Music, and at various interdisciplinary events around the Midwest. 



The Other by Gaël Le Cornec 
From Brazil/France
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 7-9 at 7 p.m.
60 minutes
For ages 14+


The Other - Trailer from Gaël Le Cornec on Vimeo.

Unicef estimates 30 million children are fleeing brutal violence, extreme poverty or both today. Gaël Le Cornec’s The Other is a kickass one girl show about surviving war and refuge.

Embark in this disturbing coming-of-age, twisted fairy tale, darkly comic adventure-thriller overflowing with poetry, strange creatures and stunning imagery. Like many others, one night, young Mana from the Red-yellow planet, is forced to catch a shooting star to seek refuge elsewhere. During her journey across the universe, imagination is her best defense. Will she win her struggle for survival? Will Mana ever arrive to her dreamland, the beautiful blue planet? 

Don’t miss this 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Three Weeks Editors Choice Award winner, Edinburgh Fringe Top Show about Refugees and 2017 runner-up for Amnesty International’s Freedom of Expression. Le Cornec is a French/Brazilian actress, director and playwright. Acting credits include 23 stage productions around the world, from one-woman shows about Camille Claudel and Frida Kahlo, to recent productions at London’s Young Vic Theatre and Shakespeare’s Globe. 



The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha by Little Soldier Productions
From Spain/UK
Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 7-9 at 9 p.m.
80 minutes
For ages 16+ 



Little Soldier Productions boldly re-enacts one of the most accomplished works of fiction ever written with this award winning, critically acclaimed take on Cervantes’ timeless novel.

Two feisty senoritas and a downtrodden Englishman embark on a journey through Spain, accompanied only by a guitarist whose presence makes no sense whatsoever. This is a wildly imaginative and provocative adventure of epic proportions, traversing joy, pain and ultimately, wisdom. Taken with a pinch of salt and a handlebar moustache, Physical Festival fans can look forward to 80 madcap minutes which conclude with the common sentiment, “These guys did not read the book.” 

The Guardian hailed The Ingenious Gentleman…“Cunningly constructed and wonderfully inventive. A show that embodies not just Cervantes’ novel but the spirit of the fringe itself.” Time Out called it a “hilariously dirty adaptation” while Broadwaybaby pegged it “An absolutely riveting and hilarious physical theatre show. A must see.” 

London-based Little Soldier Productions was founded by award-winning performers Patricia Rodriguez and Mercè Ribot, both from Spain. They are clowning, devising and physical theater specialists who have toured extensively in the UK and abroad in the U.S., Mexico, Spain and Poland. Little Soldier is joined on stage by Told By an Idiot associate artist Stephen Harper, with help from their mentor, Spymonkey’s Aitor Basauri. Learn more at littlesoldierproductions.co.uk.



Physical Festival Chicago Workshops: Learn from the world’s leading physical theater artists

In addition to public performances, Physical Festival Chicago will offer five workshops with visiting and local artists during the festival. Chicago artists looking to hone their skills, add to their artistic toolbox and meet fellow physical theater artists in an engaging setting are encouraged to register for: 

Bouffon Workshop with Eric Davis (aka Red Bastard), Sunday, June 3, 10 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Sculpting Space with Dorie Kinnear and Will Pinchin (UK/USA), Monday, June 4, 10 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Dreams, Wishes, Lies with Michael Montenegro, Wednesday, June 6, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Create Your Own Solo with Gaël Le Cornec and Ben Samuels, Thursday, June 7, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Comedy & Clowning with Little Solder Productions, Saturday, June 9 at 10 a.m.-1 p.m. 

Space is limited. Visit physicalfestival.com/workshops for full workshop descriptions and to register. Workshops are $50 each, or look for information on a discounted workshop pass. 


Behind the scenes: Physical Fest Chicago

In 2014, Alice da Cunha and Marc Frost launched the inaugural Physical Festival through the Artistic Associate program at Links Hall. The inspiration for the Festival drew upon their combined experience in London as physical theater students at the London International School for the Performing Arts (LISPA). Moving from London to Chicago, they were inspired to start a new festival to promote a more progressive, fresh and physical approach to theater-making in Chicago.

Five years later, Physical Festival Chicago is following in the tradition of such great European theater festivals as the London International Mime Festival (LIMF) and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, to name a few. Each year, the Festival seeks to program work that is: 

Contemporary - using cutting-edge, on-the-pulse theatrical forms that are responding to the contemporary moment using contemporary notions of theater.

Visual - elevating the visual aspects of its stories, theater which is occupied with the creation of visual atmospheres and images as much as verbal text.

Physical - pursuing storytelling through primarily physical means, whose aim is to create original stories which start and end with the body as the foundational textual source.

Since 2014, Physical Fest Chicago has presented artists and companies from (alpha list of all countries you’ve ever presented here.)

Co-Artistic Director Alice da Cunha has worked for various festivals. While in London, she was the Marketing Director for CASA (London's Latin American Theatre Festival) and she produced, curated and presented SHORTCUTZ (a weekly short film festival). She was also the Production Assistant for TODOS Festival, an interdisciplinary festival in Lisbon, Portugal. In Chicago she has worked in Hospitality for the Chicago Latino Film Festival for the last two years. da Cunha is also an actress and has performed in many plays and films.

Co-Artistic Director Marc Frost has started two theater companies and one theater festival. At Tufts University, he co-founded Bare Bodkin Theater Company to give student playwrights a platform for their work. In London, he co-created and curated Physical, a scratch night for new pieces of physical theater. Back in Chicago, he founded Theater Unspeakable to create devised, physical theater. 

Physical Festival Chicago is supported by The MacArthur Funds for Arts and Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and is also supported by Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Events (DCASE), Fractured Atlas, Stage 773 and Theater Unspeakable LLC.

For more information, visit physicalfestival.com.

One Night Only: LGBTQ+ Angle To CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY Improv Show at Pride Arts Center

CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY LATE NIGHT WRITERS ROOM to play Pride Arts Center on June 16

Improv troupe will give an LGBTQ+ angle to its popular show

CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY LATE NIGHT WRITERS ROOM will be performed in the Broadway, Pride Arts Center at 4139 N. Broadway, Pride Arts Center, at 10 pm. This irreverent night of improv comedy is inspired by the popular and politically incorrect party game “Cards Against Humanity.”  After audience members pitch their ideas, the best suggestions are acted out by the Cards Against Humanity writers and a team of improvisers. The worst suggestions will be mercilessly ridiculed. Recommended for ages 18+.

In honor of June Pride Month, the CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY performers promise some specially-themed LGBTQ+ segments.

Tickets for CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY LATE NIGHT WRITERS ROOM and all events at the Pride Arts Center are on sale now at  www.pridefilmsandplays.com or by phone at 866-411-4111 or 773-857-0222



PAC Special Event
CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY LATE NIGHT WRITERS ROOM
Saturday, June 16, 2018 at 10:00PM
The Broadway, Pride Arts Center
4139 N Broadway
Chicago, IL 60613
Tickets, priced at $10, are currently available at www.pridefilmsandplays.com or calling 1 866 811 4111. 

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





ABOUT PRIDE FILMS AND PLAYS

Pride Films and Plays creates diverse new work (or work that is new to Chicago) with LGBTQ+ characters or themes that is essential viewing for all audiences. We accomplish this mission through fully-staged productions, writing contests and staged readings, and filming one short film each season.

PFP is the primary tenant in the Pride Arts Center (PAC), which connects and promotes other artists who share our values, creating a safe environment for all. PAC books one-night events or limited runs, cabaret, film, dance, comedy, and other events. PAC opened in 2016 and consists of two performance spaces: The Buena at 4147 N. Broadway which has 50 seats and The Broadway at 4139 N. Broadway which has 85 seats.                                                                                              
Pride Films and Plays is supported by The MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at The Richard Driehaus Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council, City of Chicago’s City Arts Fund, the Elliott Fredland Charitable Trust, Proud to Run, the AmazonSmile Foundation, Arts and Business Foundation, Tap Root Foundation and Alphawood Foundation. 

PFP is a member of the Smart Growth Program of the Chicago Community Trust. Pride Films and Plays is a member of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois and The League of Chicago Theatres.

For more information, visit www.pridefilmsandplays.com or call 773-857-0222.

ABOUT PRIDE ARTS CENTER

PRIDE ARTS CENTER has become an important part of the arts environment in the Buena Park neighborhood and beyond. In addition to performances by PFP, (www.pridefilmsandplays.com), PAC hosts monthly events including play readings, film screenings, cabaret nights, and variety shows. Guest productions are also included in the PAC schedule. Find a full calendar of everything happening at PAC here. http://pridefilmsandplays.com/calendar/

Celebrate "Magic Day" June 7th With Chicago Magic Lounge

CHICAGO MAGIC LOUNGE CELEBRATES “MAGIC DAY” JUNE 7, 2018

Members of The Chicago Session, 

The Chicago Magic Community and More 

Join Together to Celebrate

It was our great pleasure here at ChiIL Live Shows, to attend the groundbreaking as well as opening night at Chicago Magic Lounge. The space is a marvel, from it's secret entrance (with a nod to it's prior incarnation and a Chicago flair), to the gorgeous, Art Deco interior. It's hard to believe it's been a year already, since the first groundbreaking ceremony and it's exciting to see those blueprints and grand plans come to fruition. For a truly unique evening, come out and celebrate magic day, June 7th, or swing by any time, for a full show or drinks and table side tricks, vintage Chicago "magic bar" style.

*Click here for our fun, full photo recap from the groundbreaking*

Chicago Magic Lounge, Chicago’s home for close-up magic, celebrates its one-year groundbreaking anniversary with “Magic Day” Thursday, June 7, 2018. Officially declared “Magic Day” by the Cook County Board of Commissioners, Chicago Magic Lounge will host an evening of incredible talent while celebrating the Chicago Magic Community and its contributions to Chicago-style magic.

The special evening kicks off with a champagne reception at 5:30 p.m. in the Harry Blackstone Cabaret. Invited guests will get a real treat as Chicago Magic Lounge welcomes members of the Chicago Session including Simon Aronson, David Solomon and David Finkelstein, for an intimate Q&A. The celebratory evening continues at 7:30 p.m. with the Mainstage Signature show starting with an hour of close-up magic, followed by stage performances by Chicago magicians John Sturk and Trent James. More magic ensues throughout the evening, but a magician never reveals all of their tricks!

The official declaration of “Magic Day” was made on June 6, one day prior to the momentous groundbreaking of the Chicago Magic Lounge. Stating, “Now therefore, be it resolved, the President and the Members of the Cook Country Board of Commissioners, congratulate Chicago Magic Lounge on the occasion of its groundbreaking and for its contributions to the history, local economy and community fabric in the Andersonville neighborhood and Chicago at large, and do hereby declare June 7 shall henceforth be known as ‘Magic Day’.”

The newly constructed theater at 5050 N. Clark St., designed by Morris Architects Planners, has ushered in a new wave of entertainment, bringing back “Chicago Style Magic” under the leadership of Donald C. Clark, Jr. and Joseph (Joey) Cranford. From magicians to mind readers, Chicago Magic Lounge provides guests the unique, one-of-a-kind experience of seeing wonders up-close and personal in a venue unlike anything else offered throughout the country.

About Chicago Magic Lounge
The Chicago Magic Lounge reinvents the classic "magic bar" that once dotted Chicago's nightlife landscape, bringing cocktails and card tricks back together again. Shows include magic performance at the bar, on the stage and in true Chicago-Style magic form, at the tables of the guests, providing the classic "Close-Up" tradition Chicago-Style magic is known for. Chicago Magic Lounge is also the home of the Chicago-land magic community, showcasing over 30 local professionals, and serving as a networking hub for working magicians from all over the world. 

OPENING: World Premiere of TILIKUM via Sideshow Theatre Company at Victory Gardens Theater

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Sideshow Theatre Company 

Announces Casting for World Premiere of

TILIKUM

By Kristiana Rae Colón

Directed by Lili-Anne Brown

June 22 - July 29, 2018 at Victory Gardens Theater

Sideshow Theatre Company is pleased to announce casting for its world premiere of Kristiana Rae Colón’s spectacular and fearless indictment TILIKUM, directed by Lili-Anne Brown.

TILIKUM will feature Sideshow ensemble member Matt Fletcher* with Gregory Geffrard and Sigrid Sutter.

TILIKUM will play June 22 – July 29, 2018 at Victory Gardens Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, June 9, 2018 at www.victorygardens.org, by calling (773) 871-3000 or in person at the Victory Gardens Box Office. 

Tilikum was a king, and the oceans of the world were his. Now, he is a captive in a marine amusement park, doomed to live as an opportunity for profit. Alone behind bars he forgets the feel of freedom, but when fellow prisoners ignite the fires of his memory, he starts down a path that threatens to consume everything. Ripped from the headlines, Kristiana Rae Colón’s Tilikum explores captivity, violence and rebellion in a vital and visceral blend of theatre, drumming and dance. Poetic and lyrical, Tilikum calls out the power structures – both corporate and human – that ensure continued oppression, and the complicity of those willing to stand by and do nothing. 

Comments Sideshow Artistic Director Jonathan L. Green, "Tilikum will be a spectacular, heart-pounding experience. When we commissioned this play through our Freshness Initiative program, we knew that the work would be fiercely political with a wicked sense of humor, and still we were blown away when the first draft came in. Kristiana Rae Colón is one of the most essential voices in playwriting right now, and we consider ourselves lucky to be presenting this world premiere."

The production team for TILIKUM includes: William Boles* (scenic design), Izumi Inaba (costume design), Jared Gooding (lighting design), Victoria Deiorio (sound design), Amy Peters (properties design), Coco Elysses (composer, music director), Melissa DuPrey (composer, musician), Noelle Simone (choreographer), Isaac Gomez (dramaturg), Chad Hain (technical director), Benjamin W. Dawson* and Ellen Willett* (production managers).

Location: Victory Gardens Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago

Dates: Previews: Friday, June 22 at 8 pm, Saturday, June 23 at 8 pm, Sunday, June 24 at 2:30 pm and Wednesday, June 27 at 8 pm
Press Performance: Thursday, June 28 at 8 pm
Regular run: Friday, June 29 – Sunday, July 29, 2018
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 2:30 pm
Tickets: Previews: Pay-what-you-can (online or at the door). Regular run: $20 – $30.  Students/seniors/industry: $15 for all performances (excluding opening). Tickets go on sale Wednesday, June 9, 2018 at www.victorygardens.org, by calling (773) 871-3000 or in person at the Victory Gardens Box Office.

*Denotes Sideshow Company Member.

About the Creative Team:

Kristiana Rae Colón (Playwright) is a poet, playwright, actor, educator, Cave Canem Fellow and executive director of the #LetUsBreathe Collective. Her play Octagon, winner of Arizona Theater Company's 2014 National Latino Playwriting Award and Polarity Ensemble Theater's Dionysos Festival of New Work, had its world premiere at the Arcola Theater in London in September 2015. Her work was featured in Victory Gardens' 2014 Ignition Festival. In 2013, she toured the UK with her collection of poems promised instruments published by Northwestern University Press. In autumn 2012, she opened her one-woman show Cry Wolf at Teatro Luna in Chicago while her play but i cd only whisper had its world premiere at the Arcola Theater in London and American premiere in 2016 at The Flea in New York. Kristiana is a part of the Goodman Theatre's Playwrights Unit, a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists and one half of the brother/sister hip-hop duo April Fools. She appeared on the fifth season of HBO's “Def Poetry Jam.”

Lili-Anne Brown (Director) is a native Chicagoan, who works as a director, actor and educator, both locally and regionally. She is the former artistic director of Bailiwick Chicago, where she directed Dessa Rose (Jeff Award), Passing Strange (BTA Award and Jeff nomination for Best Director of a (Musical), See What I Wanna See (Steppenwolf Theatre Garage Rep) and the world premiere of Princess Mary Demands Your Attention by Aaron Holland. Other directing credits include The Wolf at the End of the Block (16th Street Theatre), Marie Christine (Boho Theatre), Peter and the Starcatcher (Metropolis Performing Arts), The Wiz (Kokandy Productions), Xanadu (American Theatre Company), Jabari Dreams of Freedom by Nambi E. Kelley (world premiere, Chicago Children’s Theatre), American Idiot (Northwestern University); the national tour of Jesus Snatched My Edges; and Little Shop of Horrors, Hairspray, Unnecessary Farce, Cabaret, Sweet Charity, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story at Timber Lake Playhouse. She is a member of SDC, SAG-AFTRA, and a graduate of Northwestern University.

About Sideshow Theatre Company:
Sideshow Theatre Company: Theatre for the Curious. It is the mission of Sideshow Theatre Company to mine the collective unconscious of the world we live in with limitless curiosity, drawing inspiration from the familiar stories, memories and images we all share to spark new conversation and bring our audiences together as adventurers in a communal experience of exploration.

Over its 10+ year history, Sideshow is proud to have distinguished itself as a vital member of the Chicago theatre community. Sideshow was awarded the 2016 Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theatre Award by the League of Chicago Theatres. Sideshow is a multiple Jeff Award-winning theatre and has been listed on the “Best of” lists in 2012, 2013 and 2014 by Time Out Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times. Sideshow continues its multi-year residency at Victory Gardens in the historic Biograph Theater in the 2017/18 season.

Sideshow is also the producer of Chicago League of Lady Arm Wrestlers (CLLAW), a wildly popular fundraiser held in benefit of Sideshow Theatre Company and other local community organizations. CLLAW has been featured in local and national press, including The Washington Post, Reuters and the Chicago Sun-Times and on WGN Morning News, ABC 7’s Windy City Live and CBS 2. The next CLLAW match is Saturday, July 21, 2018 at Logan Square Auditorium. For more information about CLLAW, visit cllaw.org.

For additional information on Sideshow Theatre Company, visit sideshowtheatre.org.

OPENING: Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere Via Lifeline Theatre Through July 15, 2018

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Lifeline Theatre Presents 

Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere

May 25 – July 15

Opens June 4

Performances with Open Captioning on June 16 and July 13

Performance with Touch Tour and Audio Description on June 24

(L to R) Jose Nateras as Richard and Samantha Newcomb as Door; in Lifeline Theatre’s production of Neil Gaiman’s “Neverwhere,” adapted by Robert Kauzlaric, directed by Ilesa Duncan. Photo by Suzanne Plunkett.

Running Time: approximately two and a half hours with one intermission. 

The novel will be on sale in the lobby.

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we're eager to catch Lifeline's latest, a remount of their 2010 critically acclaimed, award winning hit, Neverwhere. We're also elated that Pegasus Theatre's Executive Artistic Director, Ilesa Duncan is directing. I'll be out for the press opening June 3rd, so check back soon for my full review. This is sure to be one to see. 

Lifeline Theatre presents Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, adapted by ensemble member Robert Kauzlaric and directed by Pegasus Theatre Executive Artistic Director Ilesa Duncan. Kauzlaric’s adaptation of Neverwhere premiered at Lifeline in 2010 and garnered three Non-Equity Jeff Awards (New Adaptation, Scenic Design, and Sound Design). After receiving dozens of productions across the U.S., Canada, England, and Ireland, Neverwhere returns home for the first time, with an entirely new production helmed by Duncan. Richard Mayhew commits an act of kindness on the streets of London and finds himself trapped in a shadow world beneath the city. Lady Door returns home one day to find her family slain and her life upended. Drawn together by fate – and forces more powerful than they can guess – these two must brave countless trials, uncover the truth behind a dark conspiracy, and face the indomitable Great Beast before they can set things right again. Journey to London Below with a rogues’ gallery of liars, outcasts, and assassins, on a treacherous quest to awaken the hero within. 

Neverwhere runs May 25 – July 15 at Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood Ave. (free parking and shuttle; see below). Opening night is Monday, June 4 at 7:30 p.m. (Previews are Fridays, May 25 and June 1 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, May 26 and June 2 at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, May 27 at 4 p.m.)

Regular performance times (June 7 – July 15) are Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 4 and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 4 p.m. Ticket prices are $40 for regular single tickets, $30 for active and retired military personnel (with ID), $30 for seniors, $20 for students (with ID), $20 for rush tickets (available half hour before show time, subject to availability), and $20 for previews. Group rate for 12 or more is available upon request. Tickets may be purchased at the Lifeline Theatre Box Office, 773.761.4477, or by visiting www.lifelinetheatre.com.

Accessible Performances: The Saturday, June 16, 4 p.m. performance and the Friday, July 13, 7:30 p.m. performance will feature open captioning for patrons who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. The Sunday, June 24, 4 p.m. performance will feature a pre-show touch tour of the set at 2:30 p.m. and live audio description for patrons who are blind or have low vision. For more information about Lifeline’s accessibility services, please contact Accessibility Coordinator Erica Foster at 773.761.4477 x703 or at access@lifelinetheatre.com.



The complete cast and production team for Neverwhere includes:

CAST: Guest artists LaQuin Groves (Mr. Vandemar & ensemble), Aneisa Hicks (Hunter & ensemble), Jose Nateras (Richard), Samantha Newcomb (Door), Michaela Petro (Jessica, Anaesthesia & ensemble), Michael Reyes (Islington & ensemble), John Henry Roberts (Mr. Croup & ensemble), Matthew Singleton (Marquis de Carabas & ensemble), and Dave Skvarla (Old Bailey, The Earl & ensemble). With understudies Paul Chakrin, Jennifer Cheung, Kim Fukawa, Gary Henderson, Dakota Hughes, Benjamin Ponce, and Roy Samra.

PRODUCTION TEAM: Lifeline Theatre ensemble members Aly Renee Amidei (Costume Designer), Alan Donahue (Scenic & Properties Designer), Robert Kauzlaric (Adaptor), and Maren Robinson (Dramaturg); with guest artists Becky Bishop (Stage Manager), Ilesa Duncan (Director), Andrew Hansen (Original Music & Sound Designer), Collin Helou (Master Electrician/AV Supervisor), Lavina Jadhwani (Casting Director), Becca Jeffords (Lighting Designer), Michelle Lopez-Rios (Dialect Coach), Liz Larsen (Assistant Stage Manager), Jennifer McClendon (Production Manager), Mike Oleon (Puppet Designer), R&D Choreography (Violence Designers), Joe Schermoly (Technical Director), and Michelle Underwood (Projections Designer).

Lifeline Theatre presents Neverwhere, running May 25 – July 15 at Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood Ave. (free parking and shuttle; see
below). Press opening is Sunday, June 3 at 4 p.m. Opening night is Monday, June 4 at 7:30 p.m. (Previews are Fridays, May 25 and June 
at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, May 26 and June 2 at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, May 27 at 4 p.m.)

Regular performance times (June 7 – July 15) are Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 4 and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 4 p.m. Ticket prices are $40 for regular single tickets, $30 for active and retired military personnel (with ID), $30 for seniors, $20 for students (with ID), $20 for rush tickets (available half hour before show time, subject to availability), and $20 for previews. Group rate for 12 or more is available upon request. Tickets may be purchased at the Lifeline Theatre Box Office, 773.761.4477, or by visiting www.lifelinetheatre.com.

Lifeline Theatre is accessible by CTA (Red Line Morse stop/busses) and free parking is available at Sullivan High School (6631 N Bosworth Ave, lot located on Albion Ave. just east of Bosworth) with free shuttle service before and after the show.  Street parking is also available. Lifeline is accessible to wheelchair users and visitors who need to avoid stairs.

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

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

Shows On Our Radar: Mies Julie at Victory Gardens Theater Through June 24th

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Victory Gardens Theater concludes 43rd Season with

Mies Julie

By Yaël Farber

Directed by Dexter Bullard

Adapted from August Strindberg’s Miss Julie

**Mies Julie is recommended for mature audiences, ages 18+**

May 25 – June 24, 2018

Victory Gardens Theater concludes its 43rd season with Mies Julie, written by Yaël Farber, directed by Dexter Bullard, and adapted from August Strindberg’s Miss Julie. Mies Julie runs May 25 – June 24, 2018

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we've seen many versions of Strindberg's Miss Julie over the years, yet none quite like this. I'm eager to check out Victory Gardens' take on Yaël Farber’s modern, post apartheid South Africa based adaptation.

Set in a remote South African desert, playwright Yaël Farber’s award-winning adaptation of August Strindberg's classic Miss Julie has never "raged quite so fiercely," (The Guardian).  It is Freedom Day, 18 years after the end of apartheid. A farm laborer John encounters his white Afrikaans master's daughter, Julie, on a feverish night fueled by heat, primal passion, and generation-deep resentment.  The visceral struggles of contemporary South African society are revealed as a deadly attraction spirals violently out of control. 

“We are very excited to bring you Yaël Farber’s internationally acclaimed play to Chicago,” said Artistic Director Chay Yew. “Raw, powerful, and passionate, Yaël's breathtaking adaptation of Strindberg's classic Miss Julie adds a new political dimension to the classic and fleshes out more fully the contemporary issues of race and power, and gender and power through the lens of post-apartheid South Africa. It’s a complex dance that so many of us walk on a day-to-day basis, and Yaël's exploration of this duality is relentless. With heated language and stark dialogue, we are forced to see ourselves reflected in the circumstances surrounding Mies Julie in unexpected ways.”



The cast of Mies Julie includes Tosha 'Ayo' Alston (Ukhokho), Heather Chrisler (Mies Julie), Jalen Gilbert (John) and Celeste Williams (Christine).

The creative team includes Kurtis Boetcher (scenic design), Raquel Adorno (costume design), Diane B. Fairchild (lighting design), Stephen Ptacek (sound design) and Eleanor Kahn (props). For this production of Mies Julie Phillip Timberlake serves as the dialect coach and Kristina Fluty is the intimacy and violence choreographer. Carol Ann Tan is the assistant director, Jessica Forella is the production stage manager and Skyler Gray is the dramaturg.


About the Artists
DEXTER BULLARD (Director) is happy to be back at Victory Gardens after directing Roy WIlliams' Sucker Punch and Annie Baker’s Circle Mirror Transformation. Recent credits include Tracy Letts’ Linda Vista and Annie Baker’s The Flick at Steppenwolf,  Craig Wright's Grace on Broadway, the world premiere of Dan LeFranc's The Big Meal at American Theatre Company, Odradek at The HOUSE Theatre, Mistakes Were Made at Barrow Street Theater Off-Broadway and with A Red Orchid Theatre, Reverie with Second City at The Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, Lady at Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre Off-Broadway, and Gas for Less at the Goodman Theatre. In 2004, Dexter was awarded the Lucille Lortel Award for Tracy Letts’ Bug at The Barrow Street Theater, as well as a Drama Desk Nomination. In 1995 Dexter co–founded Plasticene, a physical theater company whose critically–acclaimed experimental works were featured at The Steppenwolf Studio, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Storefront Theatre, Performing Arts Chicago, MCA, and in New York City. With the Plasticene company, he directed and collaboratively created sixteen original works over seventeen years including The Palmer Raids (2003.) Since 1996, Dexter has directed with The Second City, leading a National Touring Company and developing satirical revues at E.T.C. and at Second City Detroit. Back in 1990, Dexter founded The Next Lab at The Next Theatre where he directed Bouncers, for which he received a Jefferson Citation and an After Dark award for his direction. At Next Theatre, he directed and/or created eight shows for mainstage and Lab as well as producing the world premiere of Tracy Letts’ Killer Joe. He has also directed projects for Famous Door Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Hartford Stage Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Links Hall, and several times for A Red Orchid Theatre. Dexter received his undergraduate degree from Northwestern, his MFA in Performance from School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and is the Head of Graduate Acting at The Theatre School at DePaul University.

YAËL FARBER (Playwright) is a multiple award-winning director and playwright of international acclaim. Her productions have toured the world extensively - earning her a reputation for hard-hitting, controversial works of the highest artistic standard. She has most recently directed a highly acclaimed production of Loraine Hansberry’s unfinished final work Les Blancs for the National Theatre in London. Her recent production of Salomé (written and directed by Farber) for Washington’s Shakespeare Theater Company was received powerfully by the press, was nominated for 10 and won 7 Helen Hayes Awards - including Best Director and Best Play 2015. Her award-winning production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible for the Old Vic at London’s West End garnered ten 5-star reviews from UK’s top publications, and a rave review from The New York Times. The production earned her a London Evening Standard nomination and an Olivier Nomination, and is one of the most successful productions in The Old Vic’s illustrious history. A film of the production, captured by Digital Theatre, sold out in theatres for limited runs around the world. Nirbhaya (directed and written by Farber in India 2013) earned exceptional reviews and three international awards at the 2013 Edinburgh Festival. Mies Julie (written and directed by Farber) won a string of international awards at the Edinburgh Festival 2012 and was named one of the Top Ten Productions of 2012 by The New York Times, and Top Five Productions of 2012 by The Guardian. A selection of her awards include: BroadwayWorld Best Director (2014); Asian Media Award (2014); The Amnesty Freedom of Expression Award (2013); Best of Edinburgh Award (2012); Scotsman Fringe First Awards (2000, 2012, 2013); Herald Angel Awards (2003, 2012, 2013); South Africa’s Fleur du Cap (2012), Vita (1991) and Naledi Awards (2002, 2008, 2013); Boston’s Elliot Norton Award (2013); Canada’s Dora Mavor Moore Award (2014) and a BBC Sony Award (2001). She was named Artist of the Year in her native South Africa (2003). Ms. Farber was named amongst the top 100 South Africans by Citypress in 2013. Her plays are published by Oberon Books (London, UK). Her productions have toured across the major cities of the USA, the UK, Africa, Canada, Australia, Japan, Europe, India, United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Hong Kong. She has been an invitee at the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab (NYC), a guest artist at Mabou Mines Theatre Company (NYC), Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin), The Public Theater (NYC) and the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab (Utah). She served as Head of the Directing Program at the National Theatre School of Canada between 2009 and 2012. Ms. Farber was named amongst the top 100 South Africans by Citypress in 2013. Her plays are published by OBERON BOOKS (London, UK).

TOSHA 'AYO' ALSTON (Ukhokho) is a quintessential Brooklynite and was raised in a family of highly skilled artists and musicians. Ayo served as Dance Captain for Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago. In 2009, Ayo birthed Ayodele Drum and Dance; a teaching organization created for women to affirm their self-confidence and strength in our communities. Ayodele personalizes African music and dance in order to effectively infuse our children with cultural wealth. Ayohas and continues to share her growing knowledge of traditional and contemporary African and African diaspora dance and music forms across the country. She is a level 1 ASA fitness instructor. Ayo currently teaches at Columbia College at Chicago and Chicago High School for the Arts.

HEATHER CHRISLER (Mies Julie) makes her Victory Gardens debut. Chicago credits include Twilight Bowl (Goodman, New Stages), Machinal (Greenhouse Theatre Center, Chris Jones' Top Ten Performances of 2017), Mary's Wedding, Captain Blood, The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe (First Folio Theatre), Her Majesty's Will (Lifeline Theatre), good friday (Oracle Productions, Jeff Award Nomination Best Ensemble), and All's Well That Ends Well (Stage Left). Regional credits include Dancing Lessons (Riverside Theatre), Romeo and Juliet, Tempest (Door Shakespeare), Christmas Carol, The Three Musketeers (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Much Ado About Nothing, and Blithe Spirit (Monomoy Theatre). She has appeared on TV in Chicago P.D. and holds a MFA from Ohio University.

JALEN GILBERT (John) has appeared in Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea (First Floor Theater), Paradise Blue (Timeline Theatre (u/s), and East Texas Hot Links (Writers Theatre(u/s). His Film & TV credits include The Exorcist, Medicine, and Solo.

CELESTE WILLIAMS (Christine) has previously appeared at Victory Gardens in Tree, Knock Me a Kiss, Emma’s Child, and Pecong. Other theatre credits include Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Writers’ Theatre, Court Theatre, Next Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, and Clarence Brown Theatre. Film and TV credits include Rose White, Boss, and Empire.


Full Performance Schedule
Previews for Mies Julie are May 25 – 31, 2018. Previews are $15-$45. The Press opening is Friday, June 1 at 7:30pm. Regular performances run June 2 – 24, 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 Mies Julie. Free Tickets will be available via TodayTix mobile lottery, launching one week before the first preview on Friday, May 18, 2018. Winners will be notified by email and push notification between 12:00pm and 3:00pm on the day of the first preview, Friday, May 25, 2018. To enter, download the TodayTix app on your iOS or Android device.

Accessible Performance Schedule
ASL Interpreted Performance: Friday, June 8 at 7:30pm

Word for Word (open captioning): Friday, June 8 at 7:30pm, Saturday, June 9 at 3:00pm, and Wednesday, June 13 at 2:00pm
           
Audio Description/Touch Tour: Friday, June 8 at 7:30pm (Touch tour at 6:00pm), Sunday, June 17 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.

Previews: May 25 – 31, 2018
Press opening:            Friday, June 1, 2018 at 7:30pm
Regular run:                June 2 – 24, 2018

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

Accessible Performances: Word for Word (open captioning): Friday, June 8 at 7:30pm,
Saturday, June 9 at 3:00pm, and Wednesday, June 13 at 2:00pm

ASL Interpreted: Friday, June 8 at 7:30pm

Audio Description/Touch Tour: Friday, June 8 at 7:30pm (Touch tour at 6:00pm), Sunday, June 17 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 - $60

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

            Production Sponsors:              Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation and Virginia and Gary Gerst 

Playwright’s Society Sponsors: Bruce and Jacki Barron, David and Virginia Glasner, and Golden Country Oriental Food LLC

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.

Second City’s UP Comedy Club To Host 5th Annual Bob Curry Fellowship Showcase and 4th Annual NBCUniversal Break Out Comedy Festival This June

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

The Second City presents

5th Annual Bob Curry Fellowship Showcase

Wednesday, June 6 at 8 pm in Second City’s e.t.c. Theater

4th Annual NBCUniversal Break Out Comedy Festival

Hosted by Godfrey, David Pompeii and Azhar Usman

June 7 - 9 at Second City’s UP Comedy Club

The Second City will bring diverse new voices to the forefront of the comedy world with a series of events June 6 - 9, 2018. The weekend kicks off with the 5th annual Bob Curry Fellowship Showcase, featuring 16 of the best and brightest new voices in comedy. The 4th annual NBCUniversal Second City Break Out Comedy Festival, which spotlights rising talent from across the country, will be hosted by incomparable comic Godfrey (Comedy Central, VH1, BET), Second City alumnus David Pompeii (Comedy Central, Key and Peele) and special guest Azhar Usman (Comedy Cellar of NY).

“The Diversity and Inclusion program was formally introduced over 25 years ago as part of Second City’s ongoing mission. We couldn’t be more thrilled with the Bob Curry and Break Out Festival events, which are the centerpieces of the initiative and a vital part of the overall programming at Second City,” said Dionna Griffin-Irons, Director of Diversity Talent and Development. “No fan of comedy should miss out on this weekend exploding with fresh, diverse voices.”

The Bob Curry Fellowship Showcase
Second City’s e.t.c. Theater (230 W North Ave, 2nd Floor of Piper’s Alley)
Wednesday, June 6 at 8pm
Tickets, $15, 312-337-3992, www.secondcity.com

The 5th annual cohort of the Bob Curry Fellowship program, comprised of 16 of the best and brightest new voices in comedy, will perform together in the Bob Curry Fellowship Showcase, directed by Second City Co-Artistic Director, Matt Hovde. The showcase will highlight ten weeks of master improv training, with original material and best of Second City archival scenes.

The 2018 Bob Curry Fellows are: Angela Alise, Trumane Alston, Damian Anaya, Aaron Branch, Menaka Delekar, Jillian Ebanks, George Elrod, Steve Han, Maya Haughton, Jarid Igbal, Asia Martin, Julia Morales, Yazmin Ramos, Ana Silva, Max Thomas and Shadee Vossonghi.

Building upon a unique partnership established with Universal Television, the Bob Curry Fellowship is a professional mentoring and development program focused on cultivating the best new voices in improv and sketch comedy. A highly competitive and rigorous process, applicants must audition to be considered for the program. In 2018, over 250 applicants submitted with sixteen diverse actors and improvisers from a diverse, array of multicultural, ethnic backgrounds being selected. The Bob Curry Fellowship is offered bi-annually at Second City Toronto, and an inaugural program launches at The Second City Hollywood this summer.

The success of The Bob Curry Fellowship program is felt on Second City’s stages, as several participants in the fellowship have been cast in The Second City’s professional companies. Tyler Davis and Tien Tran are graduates of the fellowship who now perform in the current Second City Chicago Mainstage production of Dream Freaks Fall from Space, with numerous other fellows touring with the Second City Touring Company and Second City Theatricals.

4th Annual NBCUniversal Second City Break Out Comedy Festival
Second City’s UP Comedy Club (230 W North Ave, 3rd Floor of Piper’s Alley)
June 7 - 9, 2018
Tickets: $10-$25, 312-337-3992, www.secondcity.com

Thursday, June 7 at 7:30pm ($20-$25): Hosted by David Pompeii
with special guest Azhar Usman
Friday, June 8 and Saturday, June 9 at 7:30pm and 10pm ($20-$25): Hosted by Godfrey
Saturday, June 9 at midnight ($10): Hosted by Azhar Usman

Back for its fourth year, this dynamic partnership with NBCUniversal and Second City will again showcase some of the hottest emerging and seasoned diverse comedic acts in stand-up, sketch and improv from around the country. This year’s Break Out Comedy Festival includes hosts Godfrey (Comedy Central, VH1, BET), David Pompeii (Comedy Central, Key and Peele), Azhar Usman (Comedy Cellar of NY) and a lineup of Chicago favorites and emerging comedic acts.

On Thursday, June 7, veteran Chicago stand-up comics Calvin Evans and Alex Kumin will perform, along with up-and-coming new talent. Friday, June 8 and Saturday, June 9 performances will include New York-based comics Paul Elia (Conan), Adam Mamawala (Funny or Die’s Top 30 Under 30 Comedians to Watch) and Kerry Codett (BET’s The Rundown with Robin Thede), Toronto-based comedian Carol Zoccoli and newcomer Max Desolhn from Seattle. All shows will also feature select graduates of the Bob Curry Fellowship Program.

About Bob Curry
Bob Curry was Joseph Jefferson Award-winning actor and director. In 1966, Curry became the first African-American to join The Second City’s resident company before joining what evolved into the first-ever touring company. In 1986, he received a Jeff Award for the Northlight Theatre production of Boesman and Lenam, tying for Best Supporting Actor with Danny Glover. An inspired director, Curry coached many actors of color in the Chicago theatre community on several projects, and he directed Paul Robeson at Kennedy-King College shortly before his death in 1994.

About NBCUniversal Talent Development & Inclusion
NBCUniversal Talent Development & Inclusion hosts a variety of programs and events and partners with other entertainment entities to develop, nurture, showcase and provide networking opportunities for new and diverse actors, writers, directors and other talent.  The programs include Late Night Writers Workshop, NBCUniversal Short Film Festival, NBCU Emerging Directors Program, Writers on the Verge, StandUp NBC, Scene Showcase, the Casting Apprentice Program and the Diverse Staff Writer Initiative, among others.  For more information, please log onto www.nbcunitips.com.

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 theatre 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 even the Chicago Bulls.