OPENING: Midwest Premiere of THE RIDICULOUS DARKNESS Via Sideshow Theatre Company at Victory Gardens Theater March 24 – April 28, 2019

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Midwest Premiere!

Sideshow Theatre Company Presents

THE RIDICULOUS DARKNESS

Adapted from a radio text by Wolfram Lotz

Translated by Daniel Brunet

Directed by artistic associate Ian Damont Martin

March 24 – April 28, 2019 at 

Victory Gardens Theater

As Chicago's days are getting longer and lighter, there's a wave a dark drama hitting the stage. Catch some serious spring shows before summer's lighter fare. I'll be out to review the Midwest premiere of Wolfram Lotz’ shocking and surreal satire, THE RIDICULOUS DARKNESS at the press opening March 28th, so check back soon for my full review. 

Sideshow Theatre Company is pleased to continue its 2018-19 season with THE RIDICULOUS DARKNESS, translated byDaniel Brunet and directed by artistic associate Ian Damont Martin*, playing March 24 – April 28, 2019 at Victory Gardens Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.victorygardens.org, by calling (773) 871-3000 or in person at the Victory Gardens Box Office.

The cast includes Meagan Dilworth, Nichole Green, Kenya Ann Hall, RjW Mays, Jasmine Traylor, Lisa Troi Thomas and Brittani Yawn.

The horror! The horror! Sergeant Oliver Pellner has clear orders: to travel into the savage wilderness, to find a colonel who has gone rogue, and to kill him. The man’s gone native, as they say: has killed his comrades and disappeared into darkness. Pellner and his pilot embark with confidence, but soon nothing makes sense anymore, as the river turns to mountains turns to jungle turns to black. Civilization dissolves in Wolfram Lotz’ stunning and disturbing comedy: a fractured spin on Heart of Darkness, Apocalypse Now and our shared history of barbaric colonialism. 

Comments artistic director Jonathan L. Green, “Ian's stylish production will introduce one of the most-produced contemporary German plays in years to Chicago: a hilarious, take-no-prisoners indictment of world history, of cruelty, of ourselves.”

The production team to date includes: Lauren Nigri (scenic design), Noël Huntzinger* (costume design), Sim Carpenter (lighting design), Michael Huey* (sound design), Jonathan Berg-Einhorn (props design), Dani Wieder (dramaturg), Ellen Willett* (production manager), Chad Hain (technical director) and Liz Larsen (stage manager).


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

Dates: 
Previews: Sunday, March 24 at 2:30 pm and Wednesday, March 27 at 8 pm
Gala Opening: Friday, March 28 at 8 pm
Regular run: Saturday, March 30 – Sunday, April 28, 2019
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 are currently available 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:
Wolfram Lotz (Author), born 1981 in Hamburg, grew up in the Black Forest region. He studied literature, art and media science in Konstanz and creative writing at the Deutsches Literaturinstitut in Leipzig. He writes plays, audio plays, lyric and prose and received several awards, including the Kleist Award for his play The Big March. His radio play The Ridiculous Darkness has been adapted and produced around the world and received the Nestroy Theatre Prize from the Association for Viennese Theatre.

Ian Damont Martin (Director) is a theatre/filmmaker who is pleased to represent Sideshow as an artistic associate. Ian is the associate artistic director of Haven Theatre and also the program manager of Enrich Chicago, an organization that works to realize anti-racism and racial equity in the Chicago arts community. Ian has worked with Goodman Theatre, Middle Coast Film Festival, The Gift Theatre, Jackalope Theatre, the DuSable Museum, the National Society of Arts and Letters, Indiana University, Ivy Tech Community College, Midsommer Flight, Bloomington Playwrights Project, Youth Theatre Journal, and the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati. He received his BA in theatre and drama from Indiana University and his diploma in drama from the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati, OH.

2019 Year of Chicago Theatre 
Sideshow Theatre Company is proud to be part of the 2019 Year of Chicago Theatre, presented by the City of Chicago and the League of Chicago Theatres. To truly fall in love with Chicago, you must go to our theatres. This is where the city bares its fearless soul. Home to a community of creators, risk-takers, and big hearts, Chicago theatre is a hotbed for exciting new work and hundreds of world premieres every year. From Broadway musicals to storefront plays and improv, there’s always a seat waiting for you at one of our 200+ theatres. Book your next show today at www.ChicagoPlays.com. 

  

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, 2014 and 2018 by the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader, Time Out Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times. Sideshow continues its multi-year residency at Victory Gardens in the historic Biograph Theater in the 2018/19 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 will be held Saturday, July 27, 2019. For more information about CLLAW, visit cllaw.org.

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

OPENING: BUYER & CELLAR Featuring Scott Gryder at Pride Films and Plays April 11 – May 19

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BUYER & CELLAR 

By Jonathan Tolins

Featuring Scott Gryder

Directed by Donterrio Johnson

April 11 – May 19

I'll be out for the Press Opening April 15th so check back soon for my full review. 

**NOTE: BUYER & CELLAR Performance Schedule Update

Sunday matinees moved up to a 2:00 pm curtain time to enable a PFP “Double Feature” with AFTERGLOW

All Sunday matinees for Pride Films and Plays’ production of Jonathan Tolins’s BUYER & CELLAR have been rescheduled to a 2 pm curtain, an hour-and-one half earlier than previously announced.  The change was made to make it possible for patrons to attend on a single afternoon both plays that will be playing at the two-stage Pride Arts Center in April and May. BUYER & CELLAR, which will start performances on April 11 in the 85-seat Broadway Theatre at 4139 N. Broadway, will begin its Sunday matinees at 2 pm and let out shortly after 3:30 pm. This will allow a 25-30-minute break before the 4 pm Sunday matinees of AFTERGLOW, performed in the 44-seat Buena Theatre at 4147 N. Broadway. AFTERGLOW, which opened on March 27,  has a running time of approximately 80 minutes with no intermission, and lets out at approximately 5:20 pm. Separate tickets are required for the two plays.

Emmy Award winner and Chicago Musical Theatre and Cabaret performer Scott Gryder will star in Pride Films and Plays’ upcoming production of Jonathan Tolins’s one-man comedy BUYER & CELLAR, directed by Donterrio Johnson. Gryder will play all the characters in Tolin’s comedy, but most notably, the role of Alex More - a struggling actor who takes a job managing a make-believe shopping mall in the basement of Barbra Streisand’s Malibu home.

Gryder’s Chicago stage credits include JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Lyric Opera) and THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE (Drury Lane Water Tower), THE GOLDEN GIRLS – THE LOST EPISODES (Hell in a Handbag), AMOUR (Black Button Eyes), and SOUTH PACIFIC (Light Opera Works). He has performed in cabarets at such venues as Davenport's, Victory Gardens Theater, and Auditorium Theatre's Katten-Landau Studio. Gryder has a B.A. in Theater from Texas Tech University. MeTV’s GREEN SCREEN ADVENTURES earned him three National Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup.

BUYER & CELLAR was a 2013 off-Broadway hit, running for 13 months at the Barrow Street Theatre immediately after its sold-out world premiere at the Rattlestick Theatre. A national tour starring Michael Urie played Chicago for six weeks in 2014. It has been performed in many countries around the world since then. This will be the play’s first Chicago production since the tour’s engagement here.

Tolins, whose other playwriting credits include the gay-themed comedies LAST SUNDAY IN JUNE and THE TWILIGHT OF THE GOLDS, was inspired to write BUYER & CELLAR after reading about Streisand’s real-life faux mall in her book, MY PASSION FOR DESIGN. Tolins’s comedy begins with the truth of the mall – a showcase for her collectibles like dolls and antique clothing – and imagines what it might be like to be the custodian of such a place for such a celebrity. BUYER & CELLAR is an outrageous comedy about the price of fame, the cost of things, and the oddest of odd jobs.

BUYER & CELLAR will be performed in the 85-seat Broadway Theatre of the Pride Arts Center. It will open to the press on Monday, April 15 following previews from Thursday, April 11; and will play through Sunday, May 19, 2019. BUYER & CELLAR joins the schedule of shows previously announced for spring at Pride Arts Center, including the musical SOUTHERN COMFORT, opening to the press on March 4; the drama AFTERGLOW, opening on March 27; and the world premiere of DESIRE IN A TINIER HOUSE on June 3. 

BIOS
Scott Gryder (Alex More) has been seen throughout Chicagoland, with appearances including JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Lyric Opera Chicago), THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE (Drury Lane Theatre at Water Tower Place), and SOUTH PACIFIC (Light Opera Works). He has performed in cabarets at such venues as Davenport's, Victory Gardens Theater, and Auditorium Theatre's Katten-Landau Studio. Gryder has a B.A. in Theater from Texas Tech University. MeTV’s GREEN SCREEN ADVENTURES earned him three National Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup. For more info, visit www.thescottgryder.com

Donterrio Johnson (Director) is excited to be back at home with Pride Films and Plays - this time behind the table directing this new exciting production of BUYER AND CELLAR by Jonathan Tolins. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for intricate storytelling that is thought-provoking and modernistic, Donterrio Johnson has created some incredible art as both actor and director over the past 15 years. He was a Jeff Award-winner for his Judas Iscariot in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR with Theo Ubique and has earned raves for his Dan in NEXT TO NORMAL and his Caldwell B. Cladwell in  URINETOWN, both with BoHo Theatre. He has also appeared in the Chicago cast of SPAMILTON and as Leading Player in PIPPIN at Mercury Theater and recently  returned from a year-long stint in the National Tour of WAITRESS. Johnson’s notable directing credits include: THE COLORED MUSEUM, 101 DALMATIANS , EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES WILLY WONKA, LAST FIVE YEARS, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS  AND THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE. Donterrio has worked with companies such as Pulse Theatre Company, Prisco Center, and The REPA Center.

Previews Thursday, April 11 through Saturday April 13 at 7:30 pm, Sunday April 14 at 3:30 pm,

Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2:00 pm through May 19
Premium seats $40, general admission seats $30, student/senior/military $25 (not valid Saturdays)

AFTERGLOW
The Chicago Premiere of AFTERGLOW, an off-Broadway hit from 2017 exploring the emotional, intellectual, and physical connections between three men and the broader implications within their relationships, opened in the Buena Theatre of the Pride Arts Center on March 27. David G. Zak, the company’s Executive Director, directed. The cast includes Rich Holton (SEX WITH STRANGERS at Citadel Theatre) and Jacob Barnes  (URINETOWN at Red Barn Summer Playhouse and A COMEDY OF TENORS with Actors Theatre of Indiana), who play Josh and Alex, a gay male married couple in an open relationship. The two invite another man, Darius, (Jesse Montoya of HURRICANE DAMAGE at Pride Films and Plays) to share their bed one night.  When a new intimate connection begins to form, all three men must come to terms with their individual definitions of love, loyalty, and trust as futures are questioned, relationships are shaken, and commitments are challenged.

AFTERGLOW is performed in the 44-seat Buena Theatre of the Pride Arts Center. It opened to the press on Wednesday, March 27 and will play through Sunday, May 5, 2019.


Flex Passes available for $144 are good for six reserved seats with priority seating for the patron’s choice of shows.
Pride Arts Center – the Broadway, 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago
Tickets available by phone at 866-811-4111 or 773-857-0222 or online at www.pridefilmsandplays.com

ABOUT PRIDE FILMS AND PLAYS
Pride Films and Plays is working to produce year-round theater and film projects that change lives through the generation of diverse new work (or work that is new to Chicago) with LGBTQ+ characters or themes that are essential viewing for all audiences. The company produces a five-play season of full productions, shoots one short film each year, and continues our famed play developmental projects. PFP is the principal tenant in Pride Arts Center. 

Pride Arts Center produces events complementing the PFP vision, including dance, cabaret, film, and more. Events can be one-night or limited run productions or feature national treasures like Charles Busch.  PAC occupies The Broadway at 4139 N. Broadway, which has 85 seats, and The Buena, which has 50 seats at 4147 N Broadway.

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 Pauls Foundation, The Heath Fund, The Service Club of Chicago, the AmazonSmile Foundation, Arts and Business Foundation, Tap Root Foundation, Arts and Business Council, 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, Northhalsted Business Association, Uptown United, and The League of Chicago Theatres.

SUMMER 2019 THEATRICAL PRESENTATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR NORTH SHORE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS IN SKOKIE

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NORTH SHORE CENTER 

FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 

IN SKOKIE 

ANNOUNCES SUMMER 2019 

THEATRICAL PRESENTATIONS

Critically-Acclaimed Summer Presentations Include “Wiesenthal,” “Hitler’s Tasters” and Renée Taylor’s “My Life on a Diet”

Michael Pauken, General Manager of the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, announced today that this summer three critically hailed Off-Broadway hits will come to the venue’s Northlight Theatre space.  Productions include “Wiesenthal,”  a gripping one-person retelling of the story of the legendary Nazi-hunter, Simon Wiesenthal; “Hitler’s Tasters,” the story of a group of young women who were enlisted to sample the Nazi Führer’s meals to ensure they are not poisoned and Renée Taylor’s “My Life on a Diet,” an autobiographical look at her many memorable roles, replete with juicy anecdotes about – and weight loss tips from – Hollywood legends.

“Our summer offerings feature three plays that are both moving and entertaining, sometimes in unexpected ways,” said Pauken.  “Both ‘Wiesenthal’ and ‘Hitler’s Tasters’ powerfully address the most difficult era of the 20th century in gripping and fascinating ways but also deftly employ moments of humor as they recount their protagonist’s stories. ‘My Life on a Diet’ is hilarious and revealing, yet also unexpectedly tender thanks to Ms. Taylor’s tremendous talent.” 

“Wiesenthal”
A Play about Nazi-Hunter, Simon Wiesenthal
Written by and starring Tom Dugan
Directed by Jenny Sullivan
Wednesday, June 26 - Sunday, June 30, 2019
Wed.-Thu. 7:30 p.m.; Fri. 8 p.m.; Sat. 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sun. 2 p.m.
Ticket Range: $40-$60

Kicking-off the summer series will be a return engagement of “Wiesenthal,” a one-person play about Simon Wiesenthal, the tenacious holocaust survivor who was responsible for bringing more than 1,100 Nazi war criminals to justice.  Written and starring Tom Dugan, the play was hailed by The New York Times as “moving…Wiesenthal’s persistence and hard-won humor are well conveyed” while the Huffington Post called it “heartfelt, deeply moving and compelling; (Dugan) makes history come alive.” “Wiesenthal” gives equal weight to its subject’s wisdom and wit, as he recounts stories from his long and purposeful life, including locating Adolf Eichmann (who oversaw the mass deportation of Jews to ghettos and extermination camps) and Karl Silberbauer, who found and arrested Anne Frank and her family. The production played two performances at the North Shore Center in October 2018 and is returning due to audience acclaim and demand.



“Hitler’s Tasters”
Written by Michelle Kholos Brooks
Directed by Sarah Norris
Friday, July 5 - Sunday, July 14, 2019
Tue.-Thu. 7:30 p.m.; Fri. 8 p.m.; Sat. 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sun. 2 p.m.
Ticket Range: $32-$46

Three times a day, every day, a group of young women had the opportunity to die for their country. They were Adolph Hitler's food tasters. Based on true historical events, “Hitler’s Tasters” is a dark comedy about the young women who were forced to sample food to be sure it was safe to eat before it was presented to the Nazi Führer. What do girls discuss as they wait to see if they will live through another meal? Like all girls, they gossip and dream, they question and dance; they want to love, laugh, and above all, they want to survive.

Michelle Kholos Brooks’ script, which will be presented at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival following its Skokie engagement, was greeted with critical accolades upon its New York engagement.  American Theatre Magazine called it “a great essay on the banality of evil and how people sign up to do evil as long as it serves their purpose. And I also found myself to be extremely entertained."  New York Theatre Review called it “nothing short of breathtaking,” and Tony Award-winning director Susan Stroman hailed it as “one of the best evenings I’ve spent in the theater in a long time. It was interesting, entertaining, upsetting and made you think.”



“My Life on a Diet”
Written by Renée Taylor & Joseph Bologna
Originally directed by Joe Bologna.
Tuesday, July 16 – Sunday, August 4, 2019
Tue.-Thu. 7:30 p.m.; Fri. 8 p.m.; Sat. 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sun. 2 p.m.
Ticket Range: $45-$92

Rounding out the summer series will be Renée Taylor’s autobiographical “My Life on a Diet.”  The Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning actress looks back on a life full of memorable roles in Hollywood and on Broadway and just as many fad diets. A self-described “diet junkie,” Taylor dishes out juicy anecdotes about—and weight loss tips from—Hollywood legends such as Joan Crawford, Marilyn Monroe, Barbra Streisand, Marlon Brando and Cary Grant. By sharing her highs and lows—on and off the scale—as only she could, Taylor proves how the ability to laugh will get you through it all.

Reviewing the recent Off-Broadway run, The New York Times called “My Life on a Diet” a “lighthearted look at Taylor’s self-image and her quest for love…is a fascinating evocation of a woman with a weak body image and a strong sense of humor. A veritable depository of old-fashioned zingers…one-liners and well-timed pauses.” New York Stage Review awarded the show four stars, raving “You say you want a good laugh. If you’re truly serious about laughing heartily, you’ll get to Taylor recounting ‘My Life on a Diet’ real fast. It’s LOL funny.”

Renée Taylor, the play’s star and co-author, wrote 22 plays, four films and nine TV movies and series with her late husband Joseph Bologna. The two appeared together on Broadway in their plays “Lovers and Other Strangers” (1968), “It Had to Be You” (1981) and “If You Ever Leave Me … I’m Going with You!” (2001); and Off-Broadway in “Bermuda Avenue Triangle” (Promenade Theatre, 1997). For film, the couple received an Academy Award-nomination for the 1970 film adaptation of “Lovers and Other Strangers.”  Known for her Emmy nominated role of Sylvia Fine in “The Nanny,” her other notable TV acting credits include “Daddy Dearest,” “Dream On” and recurring roles in “How I Met Your Mother,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “Happily Divorced” and currently Amazon’s “Gown and Out in Beverly Hills.” Her many film credits also include: Jerry Lewis’ “The Errand Boy,” Mel Brooks’ “The Producers,” Elaine May’s “A New Leaf,” Neil Simon’s “Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” “Lovesick,” “White Palace,” “Life During Wartime,” Tyler Perry’s “Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor,” and more recently, “The Do-Over” and “How To Be a Latin Lover.” She last appeared at the North Shore Center with her late husband Joseph Bologna in 2005 in their Broadway play “It Had to Be You.”

Tickets go on sale Friday, March 22 at 10 a.m. at NorthShoreCenter.org/SummerAtTheCenter or by calling 847-673-6300. Two and three-show discounted packages are also available for purchase. Groups can book tickets by calling Group Theater Tix at (312) 423-6612.

About The North Shore Center
The North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie is a dynamic two-theater complex designed by Boston architect Graham Gund and opened in November 1996. The North Shore Center is managed by Professional Facilities Management, Inc. and operates as part of the Village of Skokie’s plan to provide cultural, literary and educational programs to benefit the citizens of Skokie and Chicago’s North Shore. The facility features an 867-seat main theater, and a convertible 318-seat theater, which serves as the home to Northlight Theatre. In addition, there is a 6,000 square foot grand lobby, rehearsal hall and conference rooms. The North Shore Center presents a Feature Series and the curriculum-based Youtheatre program, which has provided supplemental arts education to over a million Chicago area students since its launch in 1980. Located 30 minutes from Chicago’s Loop and conveniently across from Westfield Old Orchard Mall, the Center is in close proximity to many excellent dining, shopping and hotel options. Free parking is also abundantly available. For more information or tickets to its diverse programming, please visit NorthShoreCenter.org.

Casting Announced: The Second City e.t.c.’s 43rd Revue

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar
The Second City e.t.c.’s 43rd Revue

I'll be out for the press opening April 13th, so check back soon for my full review.

The Second City is thrilled to announce casting for The Second City e.t.c.’s 43rd Revue. Under the direction of Anneliese Toft with music direction by Jacob Shuda, The Second City e.t.c.’s 43rd Revue features returning cast member Andrew Knox along with first-time resident stage ensemble members Atra Asdou, E.J. Cameron, Mark Campbell, Laurel Krabacher, and Chuck Norment. The stage manager is Laura Hum. 

Since opening its first revue in 1983, Cows on Ice, The Second City e.t.c. has continued to produce edgy, thought-provoking, hilariously original shows. Notable alumni of The Second City e.t.c.’s resident productions include Aidy Bryant, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Keegan-Michael Key, Jack McBrayer, Adam McKay, and Nia Vardalos.

The Second City e.t.c.’s 43rd Revue plays on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 11pm, and Sundays at 7pm in the e.t.c. Theater, located at 230 W North Ave, 2nd Floor of Piper’s Alley, Chicago. Tickets, starting at $21, are available at The Second City Box Office (230 W. North Ave, 1st Floor, Piper's Alley), by phone at 312-337-3992 or online at www.secondcity.com. 

About the Artists
ATRA ASDOU (Ensemble; Pronouns: She/Her/Hers) is a home-grown Chicago performer. Some of her TV credits include South Side (Comedy Central) Chicago Med, and Chicago P.D. (NBC). She stars in the award-winning comedic web series Other People’s Children, is an artistic associate at Lookingglass Theatre, contributes weekly satire to The Paper Machete, wrote and performed her solo sketch show A Poodle in People Clothes and directed the critically acclaimed sketch show Teen Cudi Presents: Black Boy Joy. She improvises regularly at iO Chicago with Lil' Tooties and Whirled News Tonight. At The Second City, Atra has understudied for the e.t.c.’s 40th revue A Red Line Runs Through It, performed in Second City's She The People at Woolly Mammoth Theatre in D.C. and is a 2017 Bob Curry Fellowship recipient. Special thanks to Gary Pascal, Kela, and this outstanding cast and production team.

E.J. CAMERON (Ensemble; Pronouns: He/Him/His) is very excited to be a part of this show. He's lived in Chicago for six years, where he has graduated from and performed at The Second City, iO, Comedy Sportz. He was a recipient of The Second City Training Center’s Bob Curry Fellowship in 2016. Before moving to Chicago, E.J. received his BFA in Acting at Columbus State University (not Ohio!) and performed with multiple troupes. He is represented by Paonessa Talent and is an avid pro-wrestling fan who loves the color purple. Follow @Ej_Cam19.

MARK CAMPBELL (Ensemble; Pronouns: He/Him/His) is so grateful to be a part of The Second City! Originally from Glen Ellyn, he has performed all over the country with The Second City Touring Company and all over the ocean aboard the Norwegian Dawn and Gem. Mark is a member of The Improvised Shakespeare Company and is proudly represented by Paonessa Talent. Huge thank yous to his family, and he hopes Smitty is proud. Follow him on Twitter @themarkcampbell! 

ANDREW KNOX (Ensemble; Pronouns: He/Him/His) is originally from Shelburne, Vermont. An ensemble member in the e.t.c.’s 41st and 42nd revues, Fantastic Great Super Nation Numero Uno and Gaslight District, Andrew is also a Second City Touring Company alum and a member of the Improvised Shakespeare Company. He’d like to thank the many teachers, coaches, and directors he’s had over the years, as well as Mom, Dad, Amanda, Tyler, and his incredible wife Catherine for their unending love and support. And also his dog, Izzy, who is too young to see his shows. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @softknox.

LAUREL KRABACHER (Ensemble; Pronouns: She/Her/Hers) is very happy to be a part of The Second City! A Second City Touring Company alum, she is a Colorado native and a theater graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. If you want more Laurel, you can see her at CIC with Little Gary and at iO with Tone and Revolver. She is represented by BMG Talent.

CHUCK NORMENT (Ensemble; Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs) hails from Newport News, Virginia. They can also be seen performing at iO with Virgin Daiquiris, Your Fucked Up Relationship and Meridian. Chuck was a featured performer in The Second City and NBCUniversal's Break Out Comedy Festival in 2016. They are a proud alumni of Second City’s National Touring Company (BlueCo will forever be the best co). They are single as hell, so slip into their DMs on Instagram @masculinehair.

ANNELIESE TOFT (Director; Pronouns: She/Her/Hers) returns to direct her second resident stage production for The Second City after regularly contributing as a director for Second City Theatricals. Her recent projects include The Second City e.t.c.’s 42 revue Gaslight District, Fast, Loud, & Funny at UP Comedy Club, The Second City’s collaboration with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Longer! Louder! Wagner! and a four-year tenure with The Second City Touring Company. She also directs sketch comedy in venues all over Chicago, including the Annoyance, Theater Wit, Stage 773, The Public House Theatre, and iO.

JACOB SHUDA (Original Music, Sound Design, Musical Director; Pronouns: He/Him/His) is a moon worshiper from Wisconsin.  He started live-scoring improv when he was 16 years old, and since has traveled the world with The Second City Touring Company. This is his sixth resident stage revue. Outside of Second City, catch him leading the synth dance rock band Veil Surfer.

LAURA HUM (Stage Manager; Pronouns: She/Her/Hers) is thrilled to be a part of the e.t.c.’s 43nd revue, which is her fifth resident stage production with The Second City. Previous credits on this stage include Gaslight District, Fantastic Great Super Nation Numero Uno, A Red Line Runs Through It, and Soul Brother, Where Art Thou? She is an alumna of the Ohio State University and The Second City Touring Company.

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.

SAVE THE DATES: Victory Gardens Theater announces its 45th Anniversary Season

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Lineup for Victory Gardens Theater

2019-2020 Season 

under the leadership of Artistic Director Chay Yew and Executive Director Erica Daniels

Including the Chicago premiere of Tiny Beautiful Things by Nia Vardalos; the world premiere of The First Deep Breath by Lee Edward Colston II; the co-world premiere of How to Defend Yourself by Lily Padilla; the world premiere of Dhaba on Devon Avenue by Madhuri Shekar and the Chicago premiere of Right to Be Forgotten by Sharyn Rothstein

Victory Gardens’ 45th Season will include the Chicago premiere of Tiny Beautiful Things by Nia Vardalos; the world premiere of The First Deep Breath by Lee Edward Colston II; the co-world premiere of How to Defend Yourself by Lily Padilla; and the world premiere of Dhaba on Devon Avenue by Madhuri Shekar; and the Chicago premiere of Right to Be Forgotten by Sharyn Rothstein.

“I’m thrilled to announce our 45th season of incredible American plays that speak to our current times,” said Artistic Director Chay Yew. “From an African American family grappling with a daughter’s death, to a South Asian immigrant battling his children over the fate of their family restaurant in Chicago, we are also giving a home to powerful plays that courageously address the issues of our country’s rape culture, and the right to privacy on social media. These relevant works speak truth to power and celebrate the best in our diverse nation, and inspire us to be better citizens.”

Victory Gardens Theater’s 45th Anniversary Season up close:



Chicago Premiere
Tiny Beautiful Things
Based on the book by Cheryl Strayed
Adapted for the Stage by Nia Vardalos
Co-Conceived by Marshall Heyman, Thomas Kail, and Nia Vardalos
Directed by Vanessa Stalling
September 6-October 13, 2019
Press Opening: September 13, 2019

Based on the best-selling book by Cheryl Strayed and adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos, Tiny Beautiful Things personifies the questions and answers that “Sugar” was publishing online from 2010-2012. When the struggling writer was asked to take over the unpaid, anonymous position of advice columnist, Strayed used empathy and her personal experiences to help those seeking guidance for obstacles both large and small. Directed by Vanessa Stalling (Photograph 51 Court Theatre, A Shayna Maidel TimeLine Theatre, The Wolves Goodman) Tiny Beautiful Things is a story about reaching when you’re stuck, healing when you’re broken, and finding the courage to take on the questions which have no answers.



World Premiere
The First Deep Breath
By Lee Edward Colston II
Directed by Malika Oyetimein
November 15-December 22, 2019
Press Opening: November 22, 2019

Originally developed as part of Victory Gardens 2018 Ignition Festival of New Plays, The First Deep Breath tells the story of Pastor Albert Jones who is planning a special church service to honor his late daughter Diane on the sixth anniversary of her death. But when his eldest son, Abdul-Malik, returns home from prison, the First family of Mother Bethel Baptist Church is forced to confront a hornet’s nest of long-buried secrets. Written with a ferocious passion by Lee Edward Colston II and directed by Malika Oyetimein, The First Deep Breath finds each member of the Jones clan desperately fighting to stay afloat and disregarding the caution that sometimes a family that stays together drowns together.



Co-World Premiere with Actors Theatre of Louisville
How to Defend Yourself
By Lily Padilla
Directed by Marti Lyons
January 24-February 23, 2020
Press Opening: January 31, 2020

How to Defend Yourself circles around seven college students who gather for a DIY self-defense workshop after a sorority sister is raped. They learn how to “not be a victim", how to use their bodies as weapons, how to fend off attackers. The form of self-defense becomes a channel for their rage, trauma, confusion, anxiety, and desire--lots of desire. Challenged to determine what they want and how to ask for it, the students must ultimately face the insidious ways rape culture steals one's body and sense of belonging. Developed as part of Victory Gardens 2018 Ignition Festival of New Plays and the winner of the 2019 Yale Drama Series Prize, How to Defend Yourself is funny, raw and brutally honest - a triumph from playwright Lily Padilla. The production will be directed by Marti Lyons (Cambodian Rock Band, Native Gardens Victory Gardens, Witch Writers Theatre).



World Premiere
Dhaba on Devon Avenue
By Madhuri Shekar
Directed by Victory Gardens Artistic Director Chay Yew
March 27-April 26, 2020
Press Opening: April 3, 2020

Dhaba Canteen has been a Devon Avenue institution since the 60s, with their delicious Sindhi food transporting you back to the halcyon days of undivided India. Now it's on the verge of bankruptcy. And the family that has run it for generations is ready to go to war over its fate. Written by Madhuri Shekar, (Queen) and directed by Victory Gardens Artistic Director Chay Yew, it’s King Lear meets The Cherry Orchard in this Chicago story of fathers and daughters, of legacy, and of survival at all costs.  



Chicago Premiere
Right to Be Forgotten
By Sharyn Rothstein
Directed by Gary Griffin
May 29-June 28, 2020
Press Opening: June 5, 2020

The internet never forgets and a young man’s mistake at 17 haunts him online a decade later. Desperate for a normal life, he goes to extraordinary lengths to erase his indiscretion. But freedom of information is big business, and the tech companies aren’t going down without a fight. Secrets, lies and political backstabbing abound in this riveting new drama about one man’s fierce battle to reclaim his right to privacy. Playwright Sharyn Rothstein (By the Water, USA Network’s “Suits”), winner of the prestigious 2015 Primus Prize and whose work has been called “touching & affecting” (New York Times), has written a striking allegory about privacy, social media and human forgiveness in the age of the internet.

Subscriptions
Subscriptions start at just $99 and will soon be on sale at www.victorygardens.org and by phone at the Victory Gardens Box Office at 2433 N. Lincoln. Please call 773.871.3000 with any questions.

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



About Victory Gardens Theater
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Chay Yew and Executive 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.

Victory Gardens Theater is proud to be part of the 2019 Year of Chicago Theatre, presented by the City of Chicago and the League of Chicago Theatres. To truly fall in love with Chicago, you must go to our theatres. This is where the city bares its fearless soul. Home to a community of creators, risk-takers and big hearts, Chicago theatre is a hotbed for exciting new work and hundreds of world premieres every year. From Broadway musicals to storefront plays and improv, there’s always a seat waiting for you at one of our 200+ theatres. Book your next show today at ChicagoPlays.com.

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

Victory Gardens Theater receives major funding from 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, Wallace Foundation. Additional major funding comes from Crown Family Philanthropies, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Polk Bros. Foundation.

Major funders also include: Allstate, Alphawood Foundation, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Edgerton Foundation, Exelon, Field Foundation of Illinois, The Harvey L. Miller Supporting Foundation, David Rockefeller Fund, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Time Warner Foundation, Inc.

Additional funding provided by Robert and Isabelle Bass Foundation Inc., Charles H. and Bertha L. Boothroyd Foundation, Capital Group Private Client Services, Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, ComEd, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Golden Country Oriental Foods, Goldman Sachs, John R. Halligan Foundation, Illinois Humanities Council (with support from the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety + Justice Challenge), ITW, Mayer Brown LLP, The McVay Foundation, Metropolitan Capital Bank and Trust, National Endowment for the Arts, Negaunee Foundation, Roberta Olshansky Charitable Fund, Origin Ventures, Pauls Foundation, PNC Financial Services Group, Prince Charitable Trusts, Charles and M.R. Shapiro Foundation, Wrightwood Neighbors Foundation.

In-kind support is provided by: Italian Village Restaurants, Southwest Airlines, Roy’s Furniture, Suite Home Chicago, and Whole Foods Market.

Capital improvement support from the Performing Arts Venue Fund at the League of Chicago Theaters, with funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; and Capacity Building support by Compass-Chicago.

ADULT NIGHT OUT: FOUR CHORDS AND A GUN, The Story of Phil Spector and The Ramones

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

CHICAGO PREMIERE OF

FOUR CHORDS AND A GUN

TO PLAY BROADWAY IN CHICAGO’S

BROADWAY PLAYHOUSE AT WATER TOWER PLACE

PERFORMANCES BEGIN MAY 18, 2019

I spent my early adulthood adoring The Ramones and when I had kids of my own, the Ramones were in heavy rotation. Our anthem for getting two, stubborn, pint sized punks out of the house was “Hey Ho Let’s Go!”.  They could both spell "R-A-M-O-N-E-S... Ramones", right on key, before their own names. I even got summoned to see the teacher when my preschool age daughter was belting out inappropriate Ramones lyrics like "...beat on the brat with a baseball bat. Oh yeah." Can't wait to catch this Chicago premiere on tour. Theatre has tackled the hell out of the Elvis era, Jersey Boys, Motown, and even 80's metal hair bands, so it's about time the early roots of punk got a boot in the spotlights. Don't miss the stage version of the drama-filled 1979 recording session that led to The Ramones album, End of the Century, produced by Phil Spector.

Broadway In Chicago and Starvox Touring, Inc. are pleased to announce FOUR CHORDS AND A GUN will play at Broadway In Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut) beginning May 18, 2019. Individual tickets will go on sale to the public March 20, 2019.

Debuting in Toronto, FOUR CHORDS AND A GUN written by actor John Ross Bowie (The Big Bang Theory, Speechless) reveals the drama-filled 1979 recording session that led to The Ramones album, End of the Century, produced by Phil Spector.

Based on Bowie’s exhaustive research, the script delves into the personal tensions between the punk band members as well as their often-violent struggles with Spector. It’s a powerful story both funny and touching - which explores the Ramones, Linda Daniele (the woman who loved two of them) and the charismatic, destructive Spector.

“Hey Ho Let’s Go!” to a play about the Ramones followed by a concert. Not a f***ing musical.

TICKET INFORMATION
Individual tickets will go on-sale to the public on Wednesday, March 20, 2019 and range in price from $39.95 - $69.95 with a select number of premium tickets available. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing GroupSales@BroadwayInChicago.com. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com. 

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 19 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country.  A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining more than 1.7 million people annually in five theatres.  Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and presenting Broadway shows at the Auditorium Theatre. Broadway In Chicago proudly celebrates 2019 as the Year of Chicago Theatre. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

Facebook @BroadwayInChicago ● Twitter @broadwaychicago ● Instagram @broadwayinchicago ● #broadwayinchicago

Shows On Our Radar: HERLAND Rolling World Premiere at Redtwist Through April 14th

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

HERLAND

A queer coming of age comedy with a Bruce Springsteen

Rock n’ Roll soul.

After graduating from high school, Natalie gets a summer internship working for Jean, her elderly neighbor, on a special project: creating a DIY retirement home for Jean and her two best friends. They set up shop inside Jean's garage, the former home of Jean’s ex-husband’s Bruce Springsteen cover band, and plan for the next chapter of their lives. Herland is a comedy about women growing up, growing old, and rocking out to the beat of their own drums.

Previews $15: Mar 13-15, 7:30pm
Opens Sat Mar 16, 3pm
Runs thru April 14, 2019
(no evening show on Mar 16)
Thu, Fri, Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 3pm
Tickets: $35-40
(seniors/students: $5 off)

Top row: Valerie Gorman, Simi Bal, Kathleen Ruhl

Bottom row: Deanalis Resto, marssie Mencotti.

Photos by Gracie Meier

CAST (in alphabetical order)
Simran Bal (Natalie), Valerie Gorman (Terry), marssie Mencotti (Louise), Deanalís Resto (Becca), and Kathleen Ruhl (Jean)
Barbara Button (Jean U/S), Mishell Livio (Becca U/S), Julie Mitre (Louise U/S), Esme Perez (Natalie U/S), and Patricia Tinsley (Terry U/S)
Understudy Show Tuesday April 9, 7:30pm

STAFF 
Grace McLeod (Playwright), James Fleming (Director), Bex Ehrmann (Assistant Director), Kate Cuellar (Dramaturg), Julia Skeggs (Casting Director), Evan Sposato (Technical Director), Alyssa Mohn (Scenic Designer), Shelbi Ardnt (Lighting Designer), Joe Palermo and Stephen Severn (Sound Designers), Elle Erickson (Costume Designer), Erin Gautille (Props Designer), Tara Huffman (Scenic Charge), Zachary Payne (Fight and Intimacy Choreographer), Megan Chaney (Stage Manager) Ari Craven (Graphic Designer), Gracie Meier (Photographer), Jan Ellen Graves (Marketing), Brennan T. Jones (Producer)



Redtwist is located at 1044 W Bryn Mawr, 2 blks W of LSD, 2 blks E of the Red Line EL station. Valet parking for Redtwist is available across the street in front of Francesca’s Bryn Mawr for most performances—hours vary. Dining is not required. Limited FREE street parking is available on side streets. There is metered street parking via ParkChicago.com app or 3-hour Paybox on Bryn Mawr Av and 2-hour Paybox on side streets. Free on Sundays, and after 10pm Mon thru Sat. Parking & Policies

Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago, 773-728-7529, www.redtwist.org