CITY WINERY CHICAGO ANNOUNCES ERIC ROBERSON, VAN HUNT, NANCY AND BETH AND MORE ON SALE THURSDAY, JANUARY 17th

 ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

CITY WINERY CHICAGO ANNOUNCES 

GRAMMY-NOMINATED ERIC ROBERSON RETURNS, R&B ARTIST VAN HUNT, AND MEGAN MULLALLY AND STEPHANIE HUNT PERFORM AS NANCY AND BETH

PLUS: ULTIMATE FLEETWOOD MAC COVER BAND TUSK, WORLD MUSIC ENSEMBLE FUNKADESI, CHICAGO-BASED STORYTELLERS WITH TEN-PIECE BAND STORY JAM AND GRAMMY-NOMINATED TRUMPETER AND SINGER VICTOR GARCIA

PUBLIC TICKETS ON SALE THURSDAY, JANUARY 17; ON-SALE NOW TO VINOFILE™ MEMBERS

**All City Winery Chicago events are open to all ages and start at 8 p.m., unless noted.**

City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph Street, announces the return of Grammy-nominated independent R&B artist Eric Roberson and more. The following shows go on sale to the public on Thursday, January 17 at noon. All tickets will be available at citywinery.com/chicago.

Chase the winter blues away with a host of wonderful concerts on tap at City Winery Chicago. I'll be out in person to cover Paris Combo and Rachael Yamagata this month for ChiILLiveShows.com. Check back soon for my full review. 

New Shows On Sale 1/17/19:

Victor Garcia
Tuesday, February 19
$12/$15/$18/$22

Grammy-nominated musician Victor Garcia is best-known for his extraordinary trumpet talent. Beyond this, he sings and plays percussion, bass, and congas. His songwriting, arrangements and charts have led him to professorial positions at Roosevelt University, Loyola University, and the University of Illinois in Chicago. As a young talent, he has performed with some of the greats including Aretha Franklin, Arturo Sandoval, the Temptations, and more. Garcia has recorded on dozens of albums, three of them Grammy-nominated. He released his debut album, The Grind/The Groove, in 2018.


Funkadesi 
Sunday, February 24; 7:30 p.m.
$15/$18/$22/$25

Chicago’s high energy World Music funk party band Funkadesi returns to City Winery. The ensemble blends their unique signature Indian styles — bhangra, Bollywood, Indian folk — with reggae, funk, and Afro-Caribbean grooves. The six-time winner of The Chicago Music Awards, Funkadesi has been lauded by critics and fans alike, even catching the attention of President Obama who noted, “Funkadesi really knows how to get a crowd going.” Expect a mix of lush ambient sounds, paired with the band’s signature diverse dance tunes.


Van Hunt
Tuesday, March 26
$18/$20/$22/$25

Van Hunt, a Dayton, Ohio-born musician, made his way to Atlanta where he drew acclaim for his production efforts and crafty songwriting, featured on recordings by such diverse artists as Dionne Farris, Rahsaan Patterson, and Cree Summer as well as the platinum-selling soundtrack, Love Jones. His own self-titled debut album arrived in 2004, instantly establishing Hunt as a distinctive and original talent with its idiosyncratic melding of R&B, soul, funk, pop, and rock ‘n’ roll. Hunt received a 2005 “Best Urban/Alternative Performance” Grammy nomination for his breakthrough hit single Dust that was featured on his debut album. Hunt has released four other studio albums since, some of which reaching Billboard’s Top 50 R&B/Hip hop and Heat Seekers charts, as well as “The Best Albums of 2011” by The New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, and a league of other music publications.

Story Jam
Sunday, April 7; 12 p.m.
GA $18 advanced seating/$22 day of show, plus $20 brunch buffet option

Story Jam is an exciting music-lit show that features Chicago's top storytellers, original songs written for each story, and a ten-piece band. The personal stories represent a range of cultural, racial, and individual experiences; and the band is comprised of some of Chicago's best musicians. Stephanie Rogers is producer-songwriter.

Tusk - The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Experience 
Sunday, April 7 
$32/$35/$38/$45

Tusk covers all the great hits of Fleetwood Mac, which has featured the talents of Mick Fleetwood, Christine and John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and others over the years. The five seasoned, well-respected musicians comprising Tusk have been making music together in various combinations and styles, in original outfits and in cover bands, for over twenty-five years.


Eric Roberson 
Thursday-Saturday, April 25-27
$45/$48/$55/$58

Independent rhythm and blues/soul singer-songwriter Eric Roberson (Erro to his family and friends) is the first independent artist to be nominated for a BET Award in 2007 and has subsequently been nominated for two Grammys under Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the songs “A Tale of Two” and “Still,” both from his critically acclaimed album, Music Fan First.


Nancy and Beth
Monday-Tuesday, May 6-7
$40/$45/$50/$55

Emmy® Award winning actress Megan Mullally of “Children's Hospital,” “Party Down” and “Will & Grace” met fellow actress Stephanie Hunt (“Friday Night Lights,” “Californication”) while in Austin filming the independent movie Somebody Up There Likes Me. The minute the two started singing together they realized they had something special...and those that have come out to see their band, Nancy and Beth, agree! Within just three months of its inception in 2012, N&B had already played such fabulous venues as Royce Hall in Los Angeles and been featured as a musical guest on Conan.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on January 17 at noon. Only members of City Winery Chicago’s signature VinoFile™ program have access to ticket sales today in addition to receiving: a waiver of ticket service fees; free valet parking; Restaurant Loyalty Rewards, such as a free pair of VIP concert tickets for every $500 spent on food & beverage in the restaurant; exclusive membership-only events; and access to the proprietary City Winery Virtual Sommelier™, which helps make suggestions for wines one might enjoy based on past consumption at the venue.

Victor Garcia, Funkadesi, Van Hunt, Story Jam, Tusk, Eric Roberson and Nancy and Beth join a diverse mix of the most respected names in pop, rock, jazz, blues, world music, theater, dance, spoken word and comedy presented at City Winery Chicago, including previously announced headliners and supporting acts: Steve Earle (Jan. 15); EagleMania(Jan. 16); Paris Combo (Jan. 17); Skylar Grey (Jan. 18); Melanie Fiona (Jan. 19, 7 & 10p); GMiV plays The Beatles with Strings  (Jan. 20, 12p); Jodee Lewis & Jonas Friddle (Jan. 20, 7p); Let Freedom Ring, Chicago! (Jan. 21, 7:30p); The Hot Sardines (Jan. 23); Randy Bachman (Jan. 24-25); Chicago Philharmonic Sunday Brunch Series (Jan. 27, 12p);Susan Werner (Jan. 27); Trey McLaughlin & The Sounds of Zamar (Jan. 28, 7p); Rachael Yamagata with Radnor & Lee (Jan. 29-30); Alejandro Escovedo with Don Antonio Band  (Jan. 31-Feb. 2); Langston Hughes Birthday Celebration (Feb. 3); Ms. Lisa Fischer & Grand Baton (Feb. 4-5); Marcus Johnson with Kathy Kosins (Feb. 6); Marc Roberge of O.A.R. (Feb. 8, 7 & 10 p); Anders Osborne (Feb. 9, 7 & 10p); Fox Crossing String Band (Feb. 10, 12p); Anita Wilson with Dante Hall (Feb. 10, 7p); Ruen Brothers (Feb. 11);Hudson Taylor (Feb. 12); Patrizio Buanne (Feb. 13); 10,000 Maniacs (Feb. 14-16); Chicago Philharmonic Sunday Brunch Series (Feb. 17, 12p); Kandace Springs (Feb. 17);Donavon Frankenreiter (Feb. 18, 6:30 & 9p); Procol Harum (Feb. 20-21); Bobby McFerrin & Gimme 5 (Feb. 22-23, 7 & 10p); The Four C Notes (Feb. 24, 2:30p); Steve Earle(Feb. 25-26); Ann Hampton Callaway (Feb. 27); We Banjo 3 (Mar. 1); JD Souther & Karla Bonoff (Mar. 3, 5 & 8p); Aaron Neville (Mar. 4-5); The Ides of March (Mar. 6); Kasim Sulton's Utopia (Mar. 7);  Ron Pope with Caroline Spence (Mar. 8); Ron Pope with Emily Scott Robinson (Mar. 9); Chicago Tap Theatre (Mar. 10, 3 & 7p); Luther Dickinson, Amy Helm & Birds of Chicago (Mar. 11); The High Kings (Mar. 12-13); Eilen Jewell (Mar. 15); Los Lonely Boys (Mar. 16-17); Michael Smerconish: (Mar. 17, 2p); Chris Diffordwith Steve Smith (Mar. 18); Christopher Cross (Mar. 19-20); The Subdudes (Mar. 21-22); Idan Raichel (Mar.23); Freddy Jones Band (Mar. 24); Eighth Blackbird (Mar. 25, 7p);The Tim O’Brien Band (Mar. 27); The Verve Pipe (Mar. 29); Will Downing (Mar. 30-31); David Archuleta (Apr. 2); Tommy Castro & the Painkillers (Apr. 4); Cyrille Aimée (Apr. 5); Willie Nile (Apr. 6); John Parr (Apr. 10); Martin Sexton (Apr. 12-13); Journeyman - A Tribute to Eric Clapton (Apr. 14, 7p); Graham Parker with Adam Ezra (Apr. 18);Carbon Leaf (Apr. 19); Dave Davies (Apr. 21); Chicago Philharmonic Sunday Brunch Series (Apr. 28, 12p); The Spring Quartet (May 1, 2p); Herb Alpert & Lani Hall (May 4-5); and David Bromberg Quintet (May 15).

Opened in 2012, City Winery Chicago is a fully operational winery, restaurant with outdoor patio, concert hall and private event space located in the heart of the West Loop at 1200 W. Randolph, in the historic urban Fulton Market district. Once a refrigerated food distribution warehouse, the 1911 building has been transformed into a contemporary 33,000 square foot haven for those passionate about wine, music and culinary arts. The décor evokes the romance of being in wine country, from the exposed stainless steel fermenting tanks and French oak barrels, to the aroma of fermenting grapes. The West Loop’s only fully operational winery has produced dozens of in-house wines sourced from vineyards in California, Oregon, Washington, Argentina and Chile, including a Wine Enthusiast 92-point 2015 Verna’s Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir. With more than 400 unique producers from around the world City Winery is recognized with 2014 and 2015 Best of Awards of Excellence “for having one of the most outstanding restaurant wine lists in the world” by Wine Spectator. The globally inspired, locally sourced, wine-focused food menu is conceived for pairing and sharing. The concert hall accommodates up to 300 guests, all seated at tables with complete beverage and dining service, ensuring a comfortable “listening room” experience enhanced by a state-of-the-art Meyer Sound system. Riedel is the official and exclusive provider of glassware, showing City Winery’s commitment to enjoying quality wine in a quality vessel. American Airlines is the Official Airline and Virgin Hotels Chicago is the Official Hotel of City Winery. For more information, please visit www.citywinery.com.

REVIEW: Full Moon Vaudeville Kicks Off Rhinofest, Longest Running Chicago Fringe Fest Through February 24, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar
 The 30th annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival 
(Rhinofest) 
January 12 – February 24, 2019



Chicago’s Longest Running Fringe Festival Returns with Six Weeks of Performances and Special Events Including Full Moon Vaudeville and a Celebration of Poet and Teacher John Starrs

Curious Theatre Branch and Prop Thtr are proud to announce the 30th annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival (Rhinofest), January 12 – February 24, 2019 at Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston Ave. The 2019 Rhinofest includes six weeks of new plays, dance, devised works, variety shows, comedy, live podcasting, fresh takes on classic texts, and more. Tickets now on sale. Performances are $15 or pay-what-you-can, and run daily except Tuesdays. A complete performance schedule with performances, dates and times is available at RhinoFest.com.

FULL MOON VAUDEVILLE 
Review
by bonnie kenaz-mara

Long live Chicago's fringe fest scene. The Rhinofest has a long and storied past and this prescient pachyderm is still running, barreling into the future with the city's hottest collection of acts that couldn't, shouldn't, wouldn't... be produced anywhere else. That's what I learned at the kick-off festivities. 

Avondale's funky Prop Theatre is the consummate host and ideal local for the fest. Despite snowy conditions, the opening night vibe was a happy hybrid of cast party and family reunion, replete with pizza and venn diagrams.  

FULL MOON VAUDEVILLE
On January 12th, I caught the traditional opening ceremony for Rhinofest, the Full Moon Vaudeville 2019, which was neither very vaudeville nor on the night of the full moon. January's Super Blood Wolf Moon with an Eclipse thrown in for good measure, is still coming January 21st, and with a title like that, it may well deserve its own top billing. 


(L to R)  Heather Riordan, Beau O'Reilly, Jenny Magnus, T-Roy Martin and Vicki Walden of THE CROOKED MOUTH, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, photo by Jeffrey Bivens

Described as a variety spectacular and communal how-do-you-do for show makers and audience members alike, curated by Rhino co-founder Beau O’Reilly, Full Moon Vaudeville played out like a family reunion full of inside jokes and fond recollections of shuttered venues and past productions. The original folk stylings of The Crooked Mouth were fun to hear, though many of the vocals were tough to make out, and that's where this band shines. There was less theatre than I'd hoped, loads of reminiscing, glowing odes to theatre as an art form, and even a power point presentation. All in all, it was a fun evening and a blast from the past. 

I first moved to Chicago in the fall of 1990, so Rhinocerous Fest and I share an anniversary. Back then I was a wide eyed newbie to big city life, with a freshly minted college degree, a minor in theatre arts, a desire to see EVERYTHING, and no disposable income to speak of. I started catching every "pay what you can", free, and cheap performance I could find, and quickly became a fan of the smart, quirky, bizarre stylings of Curious Theatre Branch and Maestro Subgum and the Whole. I still have a CD of theirs from back in the day.

We've all grown up and grown older together, and it's exciting to me to see this intrepid band of thinkers, writers, actors, and musicians still producing new works and performing on stage, as well as teaching and mentoring the next generation. At Saturday's kick-off, Curious Theatre Branch called for all the audience members and performers near 60 to stand, and celebrated them. Sure, there's plenty of new blood on stage at Rhinofest #30, but the old guard is still kicking ass, taking names, and rockin' the "air cane". 

We hope to catch much more of this year's iteration of Rhinofest. It's an eclectic lineup and an exciting chance to pick diamonds or drek. It's a gamble worth taking.

Bonnie Kenaz-Mara is a Chicago based writer-theater critic-photographer-videographer-actress-artist-general creatrix and Mama to two terrific teens. She owns two websites where she has published frequently since 2008: ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) & ChiILMama.com (family friendly). 


more about the crooked mouth
We will be honest with you. The Crooked Mouth is hard to classify stylistically. Our sound weaves its way through different genres without fully making a home in any of them. We've been described as alt-country, alt-punk and cabaret. We all write songs and we all have our own way of coming at things, which lends itself to the sonic variety. It all comes together in the live shows. You should come and see us play.  No one can tell a story and captivate an audience better than our front man, Beau O'Reilly.

Beau and Jenny have been musical collaborators for decades—their previous band, Maestro Subgum and the Whole, was big, bold, cabaret-inspired, and beloved by many. Former Maestro fans have become our fans as well. Wander over to our music page, have a listen, and decide for yourself. Thanks for coming. We are always glad to see you.

We are:
Beau O’Reilly – lead vocals, cane, banter

Jenny Magnus – drums, vocals

T-Roy Martin – guitar, ukelele, trombone, banjo, vocals

Heather Riordan – accordion

Vicki Walden – bass, vocals


The Crooked Mouth is based in Chicago, on the uvulittle record label.
Download our eponymous CD, Yes Face, and/or LoveLoveLoveLoveStopLoveLoveLove at uvulittle or CDbaby.

"Yes Face is a terrifically good record. It travels on vocal harmonies and drums while it shimmers and jangles with strings. The drumming and bass are great, tempos and sophisticated time signatures change without fanfare, but rather with ease and confidence in a way the body experiences joyfully without having to filter it through the intellect."  — Jeff Dorchen for Chicago Arts Journal 

“Okay, The Crooked Mouth is just…I mean…Really, there is just no other band like The Crooked Mouth. The only other bands anything like The Crooked Mouth are with people who are already in the Crooked Mouth or existed with people in The Crooked Mouth before there was a Crooked Mouth. What a mouth is this Crooked Mouth. Yes. What other band has songs about belonging and not showing up, the heartbreak of professionalism, and having interesting middle-age problems? Furthermore, there are stories in between about enunciation and Bruce Willis, not to mention dynamic air-cane playing, acoustic guitar played in an insane electric way among other silky, stringed things and drums to piano and back and forth and back again with a percussion in the percussion of percussion.”    — Barrie Cole

**Check out the full 30th Annual Rinofest schedule HERE **

CURIOUS THEATRE BRANCH AND PROP THTR PRESENT THE 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, 

JANUARY 12 – FEBRUARY 24, 2019 AT PROP THTR 

Julia Williams of SKRIKER, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, photo by Jeffrey Bivens

(L to R) Beau O'Reilly, Patrick Ford, Bethany Arrington, Emily Rich, Barry Lohman and Julia William of SKRIKER, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, photo by Jeffrey Givens 

First organized in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, Rhinofest, the longest-running multi-arts fringe festival in Chicago is unique among national fringe festivals in that artists are never charged a fee to participate, and each year programs are individually curated by a rotating selection committee composed of Curious and Prop artistic leaders, led by Beau O’Reilly, rather than selected on a lottery basis. The Rhinofest provides production and exhibition opportunities to hundreds of artists, from Chicago companies and national artists alike, drawing thousands in attendance each year.

The 30th Rhinofest begins Saturday, Jan. 12 at 8 p.m. with Full Moon Vaudeville, featuring The Crooked Mouth, piloted by Curious co-founders Beau O’Reilly and Jenny Magnus with special musical guests Matt Test, Jeff Kowalkowski, Mac Modean Greenberg, Leo Brün and more. 

Rhinofest2019-5 - Violet of BI-POLAR BITCH, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, photo by Larry Hart

(L to R) Diane Hamm, Robert Puig Cuevas, Violet and Kelly Anchors of BI-POLAR BITCH, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, photo by Larry Hart

Fiercely independent and committed to discovery, Rhinofest this year features many young performing companies including The Neighborhood Collective, El Bear, Uploose Odditorium, and others along with festival veterans including beloved Chicago playwright Barrie Cole (performing from her latest work in a two-evening engagement), animator Chris Sullivan, Susan Parenti and Mark Enslin (of the School for Designing a Society), Charles Pike (performing a new monologue by David Hauptschein), and Prop Thtr co-founder Scott Vehill. 

Littlebrain Theatre premieres a new devised adaptation of Vittoria de Sica’s Bicycle Thieves written by Zach Barr, Tara Branham directs Tanuja Jagernauth’s new interactive work Lockpickers, and Rob Onorato performs Night of a Million Barbras, a drag monologue and political paean to the enduring star. Curious Theatre Branch premieres Matt Rieger’s new razor-sharp comedy My Dinner with... Joe and a staging of Caryl Churchill’s dark fairytale The Skriker, while Prop Thtr produces a weekly live taping of Ben Moroney and Rahim Salaam’s arts and culture podcast “What About Chicago?!” And on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m., during the final week of Rhinofest, a special event celebrates John Starrs, the Chicago poet and teacher who has appeared in every Rhinofest since 1988.

Diane Hamm of CABARET PROP'D, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, photo by Beast Women

About Prop Thtr
The Prop Thtr is a DIY incubator for new performance work in all disciplines, and is a charter member of both The League of Chicago Theaters and the National New Play Network. Prop Thtr produces new plays, special events, rolling world premieres with their NNPN members; they also helped launch The New Play Exchange and co-produce the annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival. Prop Thtr is a renter of performance and rehearsal space and camp/class space and collaborates with productions on location and around the city. Prop Thtr is an Illinois Not-For-Profit 501c3 Organization that benefits from support by the MacArthur Fund of the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and The Illinois Arts Council, in addition to being supported by artists and audiences of Illinois.

About Curious Theatre Branch
Founded in 1988 by Jenny Magnus and Beau O'Reilly-as the Curious Theatre "Branch" of the alt-rock cabaret act Maestro Subgum and the Whole-Curious has consistently worked with an ensemble of artists in a non-hierarchical decision-making process, through which the philosophy of collaboration as a social force is explored on every level.

Curious Theatre Branch has produced more than 100 full productions of world-premiere shows in 30 years. Curious has developed its own recognizable style, using an economy of means and production to make deeper and deeper, rather than larger and larger, work. 

Curious Theatre Branch and Prop Thtr are proud to announce the 30th annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival (Rhinofest), January 12 – February 24, 2019 at Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston Ave. The 2019 Rhinofest includes six weeks of new plays, dance, devised works, variety shows, comedy, live podcasting, fresh takes on classic texts, and more. Tickets now on sale. Performances are $15 or pay-what-you-can, and run daily except Tuesdays. A complete performance schedule with performances, dates and times is available at RhinoFest.com.

FEST ALERT: 22ND ANNUAL FILLET OF SOLO FESTIVAL, JANUARY 18–FEBRUARY 2, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

LIFELINE THEATRE PRESENTS THE 22ND ANNUAL 

FILLET OF SOLO FESTIVAL, 

JANUARY 18–FEBRUARY 2, 2019 

Lifeline Partners with 12 Chicago Storytelling Collectives

Free Kick-Off Event With Discounted Festival Passes on January 16 at 7 p.m.

Lifeline Theatre Artistic Director Dorothy Milne and former Live Bait Theater Artistic Director Sharon Evans are pleased to announce the 22nd Annual Fillet of Solo Festival, running January 18–February 2, 2019. Celebrating the breadth of Chicago’s enduring storytelling and live lit scene, Lifeline brings 12 storytelling collectives and seven solo performers together for a three-week, multi-venue selection of powerful personal stories.

**FREE KICK-OFF NIGHT**

   

The 22nd Annual Fillet of Solo Festival offers easy access to 12 Live Lit groups and numerous solo performers that perform regularly throughout Chicago. On Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019 at 7 p.m., at the Heartland Event Space, (formerly Red Line Tap), 7006 N. Glenwood Ave. Dorothy Milne of Lifeline Theatre will lead a conversation with numerous local storytellers and share a taste of things to come in the festival.

The 2019 Fillet of Solo festival will perform January 18-February 2, 2019, in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood at Lifeline Theatre (6912 N. Glenwood Ave.) and the Heartland Event Space (Formerly Red Line Tap, 7006 N. Glenwood Ave. – new location this year). Free parking and shuttle available. 



Performance times are Fridays at 7 and 8:30 p.m. at both venues; Saturdays at 4, 5:30, 7, and 8:30 p.m. at both venues; and Sundays at 4 p.m. at Lifeline Theatre. 

Ticket prices are $10 for regular single tickets, and $50 for a Festival Pass (allows admission to any performance). Tickets may be purchased at the Lifeline Box Office, 773.761.4477, or by visiting www.lifelinetheatre.com.

Discounted Passes: Fillet of Solo Festival Passes will be offered at a special discounted rate of $25 at the free kick- off event (regularly $50).
The Kick-Off Night is free, no reservations required. Contact the Lifeline Theatre Box Office, 773.761.4477, for more information.

Top Picks:
the kates: An all-female comedy showcase that provides an intimate night of comedy dedicated to showcasing talented and hilarious female-identified performers by creating inclusive and positive environments. Artists are encouraged to express their comic point of view in unique and non apologetic ways - proving that women are equal in the eyes of comedy. Scheduled: Friday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. and Friday, Feb.1 at 8:30 p.m. at Lifeline Theatre

The Lifeline Storytelling Project: The Lifeline Storytelling Project produces live music & storytelling events designed to develop and showcase artists affiliated with Lifeline Theatre. Scheduled: Saturday, Jan. 19 at 4 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 26 at 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 2 at 8:30 p.m. at Lifeline Theatre

Tellin’ Tales Theatre featuring Tekki Lomnicki: Tellin' Tales Theatre shatters the barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through personal story — adult solo performances as well as "Six Stories Up,” a mentoring program and show featuring kids and adults, with and without disabilities. Tekki Lomnicki is a solo performer, playwright, director and educator. Scheduled: Saturday, Jan. 19 at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 26 at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 2 at 5:30 p.m. at Lifeline Theatre  


Sweat Girls: With 24 years of shared history, the Sweat Girls represent the greying edge of Chicago's Live Lit community. Known for their "contagious gusto" the Sweat Girls have been called "the undisputed tribal elders" of the solo performance scene (Chicago Reader , 2014). Scheduled: Saturday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 26 at 4 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. at Lifeline Theatre.



Now in its 36th 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; CIG Management; CNA Foundation; Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; FGMK LLC; FlexPrint Inc.; Lloyd A. Fry Foundation; The Michael and Mona Heath Fund at The Chicago Community Trust Foundation; Illinois Arts Council Agency; Illinois Humanities Council; MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince; The National Endowment for the Arts; The PAV Grant Fund; The Polk Bros. Foundation; Rogers Park Social; The Saints; S&C Electric Company Fund; The Shubert Foundation; The Steele Foundation; Th Manufacturing; and the annual support of businesses and individuals.

REVIEW: Chicago Premiere of I CALL MY BROTHERS Via Interrobang Theatre Project at Rivendell Theatre Through February 2, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar 

Chicago Premiere!

Interrobang Theatre Project Presents

I CALL MY BROTHERS

By Jonas Hassen Khemiri

Translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles

Directed by Abhi Shrestha 

Through February 2, 2019 at Rivendell Theatre


(left to right) Chris Khoshaba, Salar Ardebili and Tina El Gamal in Interrobang Theatre Project’s Chicago premiere of I CALL MY BROTHERS. Photo by Emily Schwartz.

Review

by bonnie kenaz-mara

What do you do when the wind howls? It's all a matter of personality and perspective, how you handle the elements of adversity. In childhood, Amor (Salar Ardebili), a young Arab-Swedish man and science geek, nicknamed his friends with elements from the periodic table, by their personality types. As young adults, reconnecting by phone, in the wake of an Arab perpetrated car bombing in Stockholm, these traits remain true to type and provide an intriguing exploration of the myriad ways the innocents in a minority community deal with a society's collective suspicions and covert and overt racism. 

 (left to right) Gloria Imseih Petrelli, Salar Ardebili and Chris Khoshaba in Interrobang Theatre Project’s Chicago premiere of I CALL MY BROTHERS. Photo by Emily Schwartz.

When Shavi (Chris Khoshaba), dubbed Helium for his ability to lighten and lift moods, breaks character with a barrage of frantic and worried calls, Amor can barely pick up and talk to his childhood friend. When tough girl cousin, Ahlem (Tina El Gamal), calls to check in from afar, Amor finds that the child he dubbed Titanium for her toughness and scrappy attitude has become a sudo-Buddhist spouting platitudes and oozing fakeness. 

(left to right) Chris Khoshaba and Salar Ardebili. Photo by Emily Schwartz.

This brilliant production explores the psychological toll of suspicions, surveillance, fears, police presence, and a rabbit hole of imagined reactions, by placing the audience inside Amor's head. In the day after a public act of terrorism, perpetrated by someone resembling him, we join Amor in spiraling down a dark internal dialogue, punctuated by concerned check in calls from friends. As Amor and his "brothers": friends, relatives, and even a former girlfriend, process the events and ad nauseam news coverage, conflicting coping styles are amplified. 

(left to right) Tina El Gamal and Salar Ardebili. Photo by Emily Schwartz.


(left to right) Gloria Imseih Petrelli abd Salar Ardebili. Photo by Emily Schwartz.

Some adapt by hiding in plain sight, shedding traditional dress and names for westernized alternatives, losing pieces of themselves with this rejection of cultural identity. Others go bold and visible, angry at an undeserved backlash. Some are even temped to snap in a violent self fulfilling prophecy, enraged by the constant barrage of suspicious glances. Those who try to "act normally" are still impacted by external profiling and forced into a heightened vigilance and an examining of their every move, in a futile attempt to appear non threatening. 

(pictured) Salar Ardebili in Interrobang Theatre Project’s Chicago premiere of I CALL MY BROTHERS. Photo by Emily Schwartz.

(pictured) Salar Ardebili in Interrobang Theatre Project’s Chicago premiere of I CALL MY BROTHERS. Photo by Emily Schwartz.

Although this story is set in Stockholm, Sweden, the themes are universal, as paranoia about public safety and terror of "the other" wars with reason and human rights on a global scale. I Call My Brothers is a powerful exploration of interconnection and the effects of internalized racism, particularly after a frightening public act. I left the show with greater empathy and understanding of all the hoops that innocents must jump through, just to peacefully coexist in a society that perceives them as a threat, merely by their physical traits or clothing choices. The whole cast is stellar, and the set design, featuring  minimalist furniture and a wall of metal keffiyehs and jijabs amplifies the action and perception of both malleability and strength. I love the idea of these symbols of Arab culture recast as something that can be shaped into something else without breaking.

Once again, Interrobang has mounted a thought provoking and timely production, not shying away from the tough stuff endemic to our society, that we all need to examine.

(left to right) Salar Ardebili and Tina El Gamal in Interrobang Theatre Project’s Chicago premiere of I CALL MY BROTHERS. Photo by Emily Schwartz.

This production is sure to spark some vital discussions and dialogue. What a great springboard for building bridges between diverse communities and working toward erasing racism. Highly recommended.

Bonnie Kenaz-Mara is a Chicago based writer-theater critic-photographer-videographer-actress-artist-general creatrix and Mama to two terrific teens. She owns two websites where she has published frequently since 2008: ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) & ChiILMama.com (family friendly). 

Interrobang Theatre Project is pleased to continue its ninth season, exploring “identity/crisis” with the Chicago premiere of Jonas Hassen Khemiri's drama I CALL MY BROTHERS, a day in the life of an Arab-Swedish man who must dodge suspicion after a car bomb rattles Stockholm. Translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles and directed by guest director Abhi Shrestha, I CALL MY BROTHERS will play January 5 – February 2, 2019 at ITP’s new resident home, Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge Ave. in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. Tickets are currently available at www.interrobangtheatre.org or by calling (312) 219-4140. 

I CALL MY BROTHERS features ITP Ensemble Member Salar Ardebili* with Tina El Gamal, Chris Khoshaba and Gloria Imseih Petrelli.

I'll be out for the press opening on Monday, January 7th, so check back soon for my full review.

Stockholm, Sweden. A car bomb rocks the peaceful city and leaves the Arab-Swedish Amor on guard and on edge. But he doesn’t have time to let his fear get the best of him; he’s got places to be. As Amor attempts to run his errand and grapple with his own anxieties, we follow him through a fraught 24 hours, cautiously navigating the city he calls home. Balancing paranoia and humor, Jonas Khemiri's nuanced account dares us to question our own perceptions and prejudices, while offering a singular and harrowing take on the labyrinth of global identity politics.

Comments Director Abhi Shrestha, “At the heart of I Call My Brothers, is a beautiful and tragic interrogation of how a community navigates fear. At a point in time where my community feels explicitly under attack – doing this play is scary... but it is a ritual, it is a love letter to my MENASA community saying ‘I hear you, I see you, you are not alone’ – and a challenge to folx outside the community to examine their own complicity and ask themselves ‘What do you do when the wind howls?’” 

The production team for I CALL MY BROTHERS includes Eleanor Kahn (scenic design, props design), Michelle Benda (lighting design), Jeffrey Levin (sound designer), Alec Silver (movement dramaturg), Nadya Nauman (dramaturg) and Shawn Galligan* (stage manager).

*Denotes Interrobang Theatre Project Ensemble Member or Artistic Associate.

Cast (in alphabetical order): Salar Ardebili*, Tina El Gamal, Chris Khoshaba and Gloria Imseih Petrelli.

Location: 
Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago
Dates: 
Subscriber/Board opening: Thursday, January 10 at 8 pm
Regular run: Friday, January 11 – Saturday, February 2, 2019
Curtain Times: Thursdays, and Fridays at 8 pm; Saturdays at 3 pm & 8 pm: Mondays at 8 pm.
Tickets: Previews: $16. Regular run: $32. Students $16 with ID. Group discounts available. Tickets are currently available at www.interrobangtheatre.org or by calling (312) 219-4140.


About the Artists:

Jonas Hassen Khemiri (Playwright) is a celebrated author and playwright based in Stockholm. His novels have been translated into over 20 languages and his plays have been performed by over a hundred international companies on stages from Stockholm to Berlin to New York to London. Khemiri was awarded a Village Voice Obie Award for his first play Invasion!, which premiered in New York in 2011. His second play God Times Five toured Sweden and his third play The Hundred We Are received the Hedda Award for best play in Norway. Khemiri’s play ≈ [Almost Equal To] premiered at Dramaten in Stockholm in October 2014 to rave reviews and has been performed in Germany, Norway, Iceland and the U.S. His play I Call My Brothers began as an essay published in Dagens Nyheter in December 2010, one week after a suicide bombing in central Stockholm that shook the nation. The book was published to great acclaim and later became a lauded play that toured Sweden with Riksteatern in 2013 (directed by Farnaz Arbabi) and premiered in New York in January 2014. It has also been performed in Norway, Denmark, Germany (multiple theatres), Australia, San Francisco, France, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland and at the Gate Theatre in London, UK.

Rachel Willson-Broyles (Translator) is a freelance translator based in St. Paul, Minnesota. She received her BA from Gustavus Adolphus College and her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her other translations include Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s novels Montecore and Everything I Don’t Remember and plays INVASION! and I Call My Brothers, Malin Persson Giolito’s novel Quicksand and Jonas Jonasson’s novels The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden and The Accidental Further Adventures of the Hundred-Year-Old-Man.

Abhi Shrestha (Director)  is a Chicago-based director, movement dramaturge and educator originally from Kathmandu, Nepal. Working at the intersections of decolonization and queer brown narratives, they are the Education Associate at Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Literary Manager and Director of Public Programming for Haven Theatre, the Resident Dramaturge and Community Organizer for the Chicago Inclusion Project, and a content curator for Rescripted. They are currently working on exploring a personal history of the world as told by brown grandma’s, in a performance installation called The Brown Grandma Project (working title). 



About Interrobang Theatre Project

Now in its ninth season, Interrobang Theatre Project, under the artistic leadership of Georgette Verdin, has been hailed by the Chicago Tribune as a “company to watch” and by Time Out Chicago as “one of Chicago’s most promising young theatre companies.” Chris Jones called Foxfinder, which kicked off Interrobang’s 2017-18 season, “...a ripping good yarn,” earning it 3.5 stars from the Chicago Tribune. Foxfinder also garnered seven non-Equity Jeff Awards nominations including Best Director and Production of a Play, and took home two awards for Best Original Music and Set Design. The company also earned seven non-Equity Jeff Nominations for their seventh season, including Best Director, Production of a Play, Solo Performance and acting nominations for Lead Actor, Actress (win) and Actor in a Supporting Role (win). Productions have included the world premiere of Calamity West’s Ibsen is Dead (Jeff Recommended), the Jeff Recommended The Pitchfork Disney, Orange Flower Water, Recent Tragic Events, The North Pool, The Amish Project, Falling and Grace. Director James Yost’s critically-acclaimed Really Really was one of six shows chosen for Chicago Tribune’s “Best of 2015 in Chicago Fringe Theater.”

What’s an interrobang?
An interrobang is the combination of a question mark and an exclamation point, joining the Latin for “question” (interro) with a proofreading term for “exclamation” (bang). Through the plays we produce, Interrobang Theatre Project aims to pose worthwhile and exciting questions which challenge our understanding and assumptions of who we are and the world in which we live.

For more information, please visit www.interrobangtheatreproject.org.

OPENING: COMEDY HIT “NOISES OFF” AT WINDY CITY PLAYHOUSE'S IRVING PARK SPACE THROUGH MARCH 31, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

WINDY CITY PLAYHOUSE BRINGS COMEDY HIT

“NOISES OFF” 

TO IRVING PARK VENUE JANUARY 2019

I'll be out for the press opening, January 16th, so check back soon for my full review. I thoroughly enjoyed the script, back in the day, when I read it for a college theater course, but I've never seen it performed. In Windy City Playhouse's capable creative hands, this is sure to be a delight.

Windy City Playhouse brings the premiere of Michael Frayn’s “Noises Off,” the side-splitting play-within-a-play set behind-the-scenes as a ragtag touring company rehearses and performs - or attempts to perform - a bawdy farce. Opening Wednesday, January 16, 2019, this comedic classic will be told through a unique multi-stage layout that puts audiences in the center of the action. The cast of “Noises Off” includes Erica Bitner as Poppy Norton-Taylor, Amy Carle as Dotty Otley, Will Casey as Selsdon Mowbray, Scott Duff as Frederick Fellowes, Ryan McBride as Garry Lejune, Amy Rubenstein as Belinda Blair, Mike Tepeli as Lloyd Dallas, Rochelle Thieren as Brooke Ashton. The creative team for “Noises Off” includes Scott Weinstein (Director) and Jeffrey D. Kmiec (Scenic Design), Jessica Keuhnua (Costume Design), Mike Durst (Lighting Design), Brandon Reed (Sound Design), Andrew Hatcher (Properties Design) and Helen Lattyak (Production Stage Manager).

“Presented in three acts, ‘Noises Off’ typically features a revolving stage that rotates to show audiences the front and back of a theater,” said Rubenstein. “For our production, to mix things up and get our guests closer to the humor onstage (and off), we’ll be asking the audience to move. For acts I and III they will be seated in assigned seats, but during act II, the audience will be brought backstage to observe all the antics and comedy that make this piece so special.”

The performance schedule for “Noises Off” is as follows: Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets ($45 - $85) are now on sale through March 31.

About the artists in “Noises Off:”

Scott Weinstein (Director) – Scott Weinstein is a Jeff Award winning Director currently based in Chicago. He returns to the Playhouse after his 2017 hit, the dark comedy “Becky Shaw.”  Favorite directing credits include “Rent” at Theo Ubique (Jeff Award - Best Director, Best Musical); “Bat Boy,” “Titanic” (Jeff Nominated - Best Director, Best Musical) and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (Griffin Theatre); “She Kills Monsters” (Steppenwolf Theatre); “Seussical” (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); “Princess & The Pea” (Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre); “The Little Mermaid” (Drury Lane Theatre) the world premieres of “Baristas” (New York International Fringe Festival) and “Ampersand” (Bloomington Playwrights Project); as well as the first full productions of “Murder For Two” (Adirondack Theatre Festival, Hangar Theatre, 42nd Street Moon). Weinstein is the recipient of a Berkshire Theatre Festival Directing Fellowship and a Stage Directors and Choreographers Observership. He is currently the Associate director for the National Tour, Las Vegas, Chicago and Norwegian Cruise Line productions of “Million Dollar Quartet” and directed the first regional production currently running at the Lawrence Welk Theatre. He has assistant or associate directed at The Goodman Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, Cleveland Playhouse and many more.

Erica Bittner (POPPY NORTON-TAYLOR) - Erica Bittner is thrilled to make her Windy City Playhouse debut with “Noises Off.” Selected credits include: King Charles III (Cardinal Stage); Bad Jews (Theatre Wit/North Shore/Royal George); You Can’t Take It With You, A Dickens Carol, Pygmalion, and Love’s Labour's Lost (Oak Park Festival); The Madness Of Edgar Allen Poe (First Folio); A Christmas Carol (Drury Lane) and Richard III: No Beast So Fierce (Oracle Theatre). Bittner has worked with Piven Theatre, Music Theatre Works, The Music Theatre Company, Redmoon, One Year Chekhov, GreatWorks, Chicago Dramatists, Victory Gardens, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Amy Carle (DOTTY OTLEY) Amy Carle previously worked with Windy City Playhouse in “Chapter Two.” Selected Chicago credits include “Hard Times,” “North China Lover,” “Bengal Tiger At The Baghdad Zoo,” “Peter Pan” and “Trust” (Lookingglass); “Harvey,” “Orlando” (Court Theatre); “The Book Of Joseph” (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); “Wonderful Town,” “The Sins Of Sor Juana,” “Rock ‘N’ Roll,” “Desire Under The Elms” (Goodman Theatre); “The Book Thief,” “The Internationalist,” “Animals Out Of Paper,” “Sex With Strangers,” “Hedda Gabler” (Steppenwolf), and the Off-Broadway National Tour of “The Vagina Monologues.”

Will Casey (SELSDON MOWBRAY) - Will is delighted to be working at Windy City Playhouse for the second time, having understudied in “King Liz.” Will most recently appeared in “A Comedical Tragedy for Mr. Punch” (House Theatre Chicago). Other Chicago credits include: “Vieuz Carre” (Joseph Jefferson nominator - Support Actor), “The Old Friends,” “Boy Gets Girl” (Raven); “Macbeth” (Artistic Home); “Hospitality Suite” (Citadel); “The Rise and Fall of Little Voice” (No Stakes); and “The Father” (Rendition).

Scott Duff (FREDERICK FELLOWES) - Scott is an Artistic Associate of About Face Theatre, having appeared in over 15 productions at About Face Theater, and has performed in theaters across the city, including the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Theater Wit, Lookingglass, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, iO and American Theatre Company. Duff is the host/producer of “Out Chicago,” a live weekly talk show for the LGBT community. He is a Chicago-based actor, comic, and radio host. He is a graduate of Northwestern University.

Ryan McBride (GARRY LEJUNE)
Ryan McBride is making his Windy City Playhouse debut with “Noises Off.” Selected Chicago credits include “Continuity (Goodman Theatre, New Stages); Shakespeare In Love and Julius Caesar (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); West Side Story and Mamma Mia! (Paramount Theatre); Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Linda, Brilliant Adventures, and Fallow (Steep Theatre); Sita Ram (Lookingglass Theatre Company and Chicago Children’s Choir); Letter’s Home and Ghosts of War (Griffin Theatre Company), and the national tour of “Evil Dead: The Musical!”

Amy Rubenstein (BELINDA BLAIR) – Amy Rubenstein is the Artistic Director and co-founder of Windy City Playhouse. Since the theater's premiere in March 2015, she has overseen 11 mainstage productions, including the recent smash hit, world premiere SOUTHERN GOTHIC, of which she was also a co-creator. During her tenure, the Playhouse has been lauded for its uniquely contemporary approach that focuses on audience experience and has received numerous industry accolades, including 7 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations, 11 Chicago Theater Awards including the 2018 Trailblazer Award, and 3 International Centre for Women Playwrights' 50/50 Awards. Prior to her current role at the Playhouse, Ms. Rubenstein's credits include performing with Long Beach Playhouse, Human Race Theatre, and Center Stage Theater, among others. She is a proud graduate of Brandeis University.

Mike Tepeli (LLOYD DALLAS) – Mike Tepeli is excited to make his Windy City Playhouse Debut with “Noises Off.” Selected Chicago Credits include “Frost/Nixon” (RedTwist Theatre); “Naperville” (Theatre Wit); “Last Train to Nibroc” (Haven Theatre; 2016 Non-Equity Jeff Nomination Best Principal Actor-Play); “Cocked” (Victory Gardens); “Great Expectations” (Strawdog Theatre); “The Original Grease” (2011 Equity Jeff Award: Best Mid-Size Musical), “It’s A Wonderful Life: The Radio Play” (American Theatre Company) and “Burnt Part Boys” (Griffin Theatre).

Rochelle Therrien (BROOKE ASHTON) – Rochelle Therrien is thrilled to be making her Windy City Playhouse debut with “Noises Off.” Selected Chicago credits include: “Linda” (Steep Theatre Company); “In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)” and “The Last Wife” (TimeLine Theatre); “Ah, Wilderness!” (Goodman Theatre); “London Wall” and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (Griffin Theatre Company); “Heathers: The Musical” (Kokandy Productions); “Aspects of Love” (Joseph Jefferson nomination - Best Supporting Actress) (Theo Ubique Cabaret); and “Carrie” (Bailiwick Chicago).



About Windy City Playhouse
Windy City Playhouse is a professional theater and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, located on Chicago's northwest side. Premiering in March of 2015 with a mission to present contemporary, relevant, and approach art, the Playhouse has quickly become a mainstay of the Chicago theater scene. In 2018, its runaway hit, the immersive SOUTHERN GOTHIC, solidified the Playhouse as the first choice in Chicago theater for one-of-a-kind audience experience. "Experience driven. Audience first."

For more information, visit WindyCityPlayhouse.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  



This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

FEST ALERT: THE 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL RUNS JANUARY 12 – FEBRUARY 24 AT PROP THTR

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

CURIOUS THEATRE BRANCH AND PROP THTR PRESENT THE 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, 

JANUARY 12 – FEBRUARY 24, 2019 AT PROP THTR 

(L to R)  Heather Riordan, Beau O'Reilly, Jenny Magnus, T-Roy Martin and Vicki Walden of THE CROOKED MOUTH, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, photo by Jeffrey Bivens

Chicago’s Longest Running Fringe Festival Returns with Six Weeks of Performances and Special Events Including Full Moon Vaudeville and a Celebration of Poet and Teacher John Starrs

Curious Theatre Branch and Prop Thtr are proud to announce the 30th annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival (Rhinofest), January 12 – February 24, 2019 at Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston Ave. The 2019 Rhinofest includes six weeks of new plays, dance, devised works, variety shows, comedy, live podcasting, fresh takes on classic texts, and more. Tickets go on sale Friday, Dec. 21 at 12 p.m. Performances are $15 or pay-what-you-can, and run daily except Tuesdays. A complete performance schedule with performances, dates and times is available at RhinoFest.com.

Julia Williams of SKRIKER, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, photo by Jeffrey Bivens

(L to R) Beau O'Reilly, Patrick Ford, Bethany Arrington, Emily Rich, Barry Lohman and Julia William of SKRIKER, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, photo by Jeffrey Givens 

First organized in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, Rhinofest, the longest-running multi-arts fringe festival in Chicago is unique among national fringe festivals in that artists are never charged a fee to participate, and each year programs are individually curated by a rotating selection committee composed of Curious and Prop artistic leaders, led by Beau O’Reilly, rather than selected on a lottery basis. The Rhinofest provides production and exhibition opportunities to hundreds of artists, from Chicago companies and national artists alike, drawing thousands in attendance each year.

The 30th Rhinofest begins Saturday, Jan. 12 at 8 p.m. with Full Moon Vaudeville, featuring The Crooked Mouth, piloted by Curious co-founders Beau O’Reilly and Jenny Magnus with special musical guests Matt Test, Jeff Kowalkowski, Mac Modean Greenberg, Leo Brün and more. 

Rhinofest2019-5 - Violet of BI-POLAR BITCH, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, photo by Larry Hart

(L to R) Diane Hamm, Robert Puig Cuevas, Violet and Kelly Anchors of BI-POLAR BITCH, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, photo by Larry Hart

Fiercely independent and committed to discovery, Rhinofest this year features many young performing companies including The Neighborhood Collective, El Bear, Uploose Odditorium, and others along with festival veterans including beloved Chicago playwright Barrie Cole (performing from her latest work in a two-evening engagement), animator Chris Sullivan, Susan Parenti and Mark Enslin (of the School for Designing a Society), Charles Pike (performing a new monologue by David Hauptschein), and Prop Thtr co-founder Scott Vehill. 

Littlebrain Theatre premieres a new devised adaptation of Vittoria de Sica’s Bicycle Thieves written by Zach Barr, Tara Branham directs Tanuja Jagernauth’s new interactive work Lockpickers, and Rob Onorato performs Night of a Million Barbras, a drag monologue and political paean to the enduring star. Curious Theatre Branch premieres Matt Rieger’s new razor-sharp comedy My Dinner with... Joe and a staging of Caryl Churchill’s dark fairytale The Skriker, while Prop Thtr produces a weekly live taping of Ben Moroney and Rahim Salaam’s arts and culture podcast “What About Chicago?!” And on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m., during the final week of Rhinofest, a special event celebrates John Starrs, the Chicago poet and teacher who has appeared in every Rhinofest since 1988.

Diane Hamm of CABARET PROP'D, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, part of the 30th ANNUAL RHINOCEROS THEATER FESTIVAL, photo by Beast Women

About Prop Thtr
The Prop Thtr is a DIY incubator for new performance work in all disciplines, and is a charter member of both The League of Chicago Theaters and the National New Play Network. Prop Thtr produces new plays, special events, rolling world premieres with their NNPN members; they also helped launch The New Play Exchange and co-produce the annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival. Prop Thtr is a renter of performance and rehearsal space and camp/class space and collaborates with productions on location and around the city. Prop Thtr is an Illinois Not-For-Profit 501c3 Organization that benefits from support by the MacArthur Fund of the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and The Illinois Arts Council, in addition to being supported by artists and audiences of Illinois.

About Curious Theatre Branch
Founded in 1988 by Jenny Magnus and Beau O'Reilly-as the Curious Theatre "Branch" of the alt-rock cabaret act Maestro Subgum and the Whole-Curious has consistently worked with an ensemble of artists in a non-hierarchical decision-making process, through which the philosophy of collaboration as a social force is explored on every level.

Curious Theatre Branch has produced more than 100 full productions of world-premiere shows in 30 years. Curious has developed its own recognizable style, using an economy of means and production to make deeper and deeper, rather than larger and larger, work. 

Curious Theatre Branch and Prop Thtr are proud to announce the 30th annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival (Rhinofest), January 12 – February 24, 2019 at Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston Ave. The 2019 Rhinofest includes six weeks of new plays, dance, devised works, variety shows, comedy, live podcasting, fresh takes on classic texts, and more. Tickets go on sale Friday, Dec. 21 at 12 p.m. Performances are $15 or pay-what-you-can, and run daily except Tuesdays. A complete performance schedule with performances, dates and times is available at RhinoFest.com.

OPENING: Chicago Premiere of I CALL MY BROTHERS Via Interrobang Theatre Project January 5 – February 2, 2019 at Rivendell Theatre

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Chicago Premiere!

Interrobang Theatre Project Presents

I CALL MY BROTHERS

By Jonas Hassen Khemiri

Translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles

Directed by Abhi Shrestha 

January 5 – February 2, 2019 at Rivendell Theatre

Interrobang Theatre Project is pleased to continue its ninth season, exploring “identity/crisis” with the Chicago premiere of Jonas Hassen Khemiri's drama I CALL MY BROTHERS, a day in the life of an Arab-Swedish man who must dodge suspicion after a car bomb rattles Stockholm. Translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles and directed by guest director Abhi Shrestha, I CALL MY BROTHERS will play January 5 – February 2, 2019 at ITP’s new resident home, Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge Ave. in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. Tickets are currently available at www.interrobangtheatre.org or by calling (312) 219-4140. 

I'll be out for the press opening January 7th, so check back soon for my full review. 

I CALL MY BROTHERS will feature ITP Ensemble Member Salar Ardebili* with Tina El Gamal, Chris Khoshaba and Gloria Imseih Petrelli.

Stockholm, Sweden. A car bomb rocks the peaceful city and leaves the Arab-Swedish Amor on guard and on edge. But he doesn’t have time to let his fear get the best of him; he’s gotplaces to be. As Amor attempts to run his errand and grapple with his own anxieties, we follow him through a fraught 24 hours, cautiously navigating the city he calls home. Balancingparanoia and humor, Jonas Khemiri's nuanced account dares us to question our own perceptions and prejudices, while offering a singular and harrowing take on the labyrinth of global identity politics.

Comments Director Abhi Shrestha, “At the heart of I Call My Brothers, is a beautiful and tragic interrogation of how a community navigates fear. At a point in time where my community feels explicitly under attack – doing this play is scary... but it is a ritual, it is a love letter to my MENASA community saying ‘I hear you, I see you, you are not alone’ – and a challenge to folx outside the community to examine their own complicity and ask themselves ‘What do you do when the wind howls?’” 

The production team for I CALL MY BROTHERS includes Eleanor Kahn (scenic design, props design), Michelle Benda (lighting design), Jeffrey Levin (sound designer), Alec Silver(movement dramaturg), Nadya Nauman (dramaturg) and Shawn Galligan* (stage manager).

*Denotes Interrobang Theatre Project Ensemble Member or Artistic Associate.

Cast (in alphabetical order): Salar Ardebili*, Tina El Gamal, Chris Khoshaba and Gloria Imseih Petrelli.

Location: Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago
Dates: Previews: Saturday, January 5 at 8 pm and Sunday, January 6 at 8 pm
Press opening: Monday, January 7, 2019 at 8 pm
Subscriber/Board opening: Thursday, January 10 at 8 pm
Regular run: Friday, January 11 – Saturday, February 2, 2019
Curtain Times: Thursdays, and Fridays at 8 pm; Saturdays at 3 pm & 8 pm: Mondays at 8 pm.

Tickets: 
Previews: $16. 
Regular run: $32. Students $16 with ID. Group discounts available. Tickets are currently available at www.interrobangtheatre.org or by calling (312) 219-4140.

About the Artists:
Jonas Hassen Khemiri (Playwright) is a celebrated author and playwright based in Stockholm. His novels have been translated into over 20 languages and his plays have been performed by over a hundred international companies on stages from Stockholm to Berlin to New York to London. Khemiri was awarded a Village Voice Obie Award for his first playInvasion!, which premiered in New York in 2011. His second play God Times Five toured Sweden and his third play The Hundred We Are received the Hedda Award for best play in Norway. Khemiri’s play ≈ [Almost Equal To] premiered at Dramaten in Stockholm in October 2014 to rave reviews and has been performed in Germany, Norway, Iceland and the U.S. His play I Call My Brothers began as an essay published in Dagens Nyheter in December 2010, one week after a suicide bombing in central Stockholm that shook the nation. The book was published to great acclaim and later became a lauded play that toured Sweden with Riksteatern in 2013 (directed by Farnaz Arbabi) and premiered in New York in January 2014. It has also been performed in Norway, Denmark, Germany (multiple theatres), Australia, San Francisco, France, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland and at the Gate Theatre in London, UK.

Rachel Willson-Broyles (Translator) is a freelance translator based in St. Paul, Minnesota. She received her BA from Gustavus Adolphus College and her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her other translations include Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s novels Montecore and Everything I Don’t Remember and plays INVASION! and I Call My Brothers, Malin Persson Giolito’s novel Quicksand and Jonas Jonasson’s novels The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden and The Accidental Further Adventures of the Hundred-Year-Old-Man.

Abhi Shrestha (Director) is a Chicago based director, movement dramaturge, and educator originally from Kathmandu, Nepal. Working at the intersections of decolonization and queer brown narratives, they are the Literary Manager and Director of Public Programming for Haven Theatre, the Education Associate at Steppenwolf Theatre, the Resident Dramaturge and Community Organizer for the Chicago Inclusion Project, and a Content Curator for RESCRIPTED. They are currently working on exploring a personal history of the world as told by brown grandmas, in a performance installation called The Brown Grandma Project (working title).  



About Interrobang Theatre Project
Now in its ninth season, Interrobang Theatre Project, under the artistic leadership of Georgette Verdin, has been hailed by the Chicago Tribune as a “company to watch” and by Time Out Chicago as “one of Chicago’s most promising young theatre companies.” Chris Jones called Foxfinder, which kicked off Interrobang’s 2017-18 season, “...a ripping good yarn,” earning it 3.5 stars from the Chicago Tribune. Foxfinder also garnered seven non-Equity Jeff Awards nominations including Best Director and Production of a Play, and took home two awards for Best Original Music and Set Design. The company also earned seven non-Equity Jeff Nominations for their seventh season, including Best Director, Production of a Play, Solo Performance and acting nominations for Lead Actor, Actress (win) and Actor in a Supporting Role (win). Productions have included the world premiere of Calamity West’s Ibsen is Dead (Jeff Recommended), the Jeff Recommended The Pitchfork Disney, Orange Flower Water, Recent Tragic Events, The North Pool, The Amish Project, Falling and Grace. Director James Yost’s critically-acclaimed Really Really was one of six shows chosen for Chicago Tribune’s “Best of 2015 in Chicago Fringe Theater.”

What’s an interrobang?
An interrobang is the combination of a question mark and an exclamation point, joining the Latin for “question” (interro) with a proofreading term for “exclamation” (bang). Through the plays we produce, Interrobang Theatre Project aims to pose worthwhile and exciting questions which challenge our understanding and assumptions of who we are and the world in which we live.

For more information, please visit www.interrobangtheatreproject.org.