RESCHEDULED! THE MUSHROOM CURE at Greenhouse Theater Center Now Playing May 9 – June 9, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

RESCHEDULED!

New Dates Announced for the

THE MUSHROOM CURE

at Greenhouse Theater Center

Adam Strauss. Photo by David Allen

Now Playing May 9 – June 9, 2019

The Greenhouse Theater Center today announced Adam Strauss has postponed his hit one-man show THE MUSHROOM CURE, originally scheduled for April 4 – May 5, 2019. The engagement has been rescheduled for May 9 – June 9, 2019. For ticket exchanges and refunds, please contact the Greenhouse Theater Center box office at (773) 404-7336 or boxoffice@greenhousetheater.org. The new press opening is Saturday, May 11 at 8 pm.

Written and performed by Adam Strauss and developed with and directed by Jonathan Libman. THE MUSHROOM CURE is the true story of one Strauss’s attempt to treat his severe OCD with psychedelics. The Chicago premiere of the off-Broadway hit, presented in association with The Marsh, will play in The Greenhouse Theater Center’s Downstairs Main Stage, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. Tickets for the new engagement are currently available at greenhousetheater.org, in person at the box office or by calling (773) 404-7336.

Inspired by a scientific study showing that hallucinogenic mushrooms may cure obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Adam Strauss embarked on a program of vigilante psychopharmacology. The true tale of Strauss’ hilarious, harrowing and heartrending attempts to treat his debilitating OCD with psychedelics, THE MUSHROOM CURE was named a Critics’ Pick by Time Out New York, which praised it as “riveting… true-life tour de force” and hailed by The New York Times as “mining a great deal of laughter from disabling pain.”

THE MUSHROOM CURE first ran in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe garnering widespread acclaim. Critics called the show “hugely intelligent and incredibly engaging,” (The Scotsman) “outstanding,” (Edinburgh Festivals Magazine), and “a revelation” (Broadway Baby). Strauss’ riotous tale appeared next in the New York International Fringe Festival, winning the Fringe’s Overall Excellence Award for Solo Performance. It then was given its Off-Broadway premiere at New York’s Cherry Lane Theatre, where it had a sold-out, extended run, before transferring to The Marsh in San Francisco for its West Coast premiere with a sold-out, extended run. The show then moved to Theatre 80 St. Marks in New York, where it ran for over a year before closing in January.

THE MUSHROOM CURE is produced by the Greenhouse Theater Center, in association with The Marsh, a breeding ground for new performance. 

Location: The Greenhouse Theater Center’s Downstairs Main Stage, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, May 9 at 8 pm and Friday, May 10 at 8 pm

Press Performance: Saturday, May 11 at 8 pm

Regular run: Sunday, May 12 – Sunday, June 9, 2019

Curtain times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be a performance on Thursday, May 16; there will be an added performances on Saturday, May 18 at 2:30 pm.

Tickets: Previews: $25 Regular run: $29 - $35. Discounts: $19 students, seniors, teachers, military and industry. Group discounts are available. Tickets are currently available at greenhousetheater.org, in person at the box office or by calling (773) 404-7336.

About the Artists
Adam Strauss is a writer and performer based in New York City. He won the Leffe Craft Your Character Storytelling Competition and the New York Fringe Festival’s Overall Excellence Award for Solo Performance. He is also a stand-up comedian who performs throughout the US and the UK. Strauss received his BA in psychology from Brown University. His upcoming solo show The Uncertainty Principle will receive its world premiere at The Marsh in May 2019.

Jonathan Libman is currently directing and writing for Amy Schumer's ensemble company The Collective. As a member of the Actors Studio Playwrights/Directors Unit, Jonathan is directing Chazz Palminteri (A Bronx Tale) in Palminteri's new play The Bench, and National Endowment for the Arts recipient David Libman’s play The Townhouse, featuring Joey Collins. He recently worked with Christina Masciotti (2016 Guggenheim Fellow) on her play Raw Bacon From Poland, featuring Sean Carvajal (2018 Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards for Best Actor). Jonathan won a scholarship to write and direct at Tony Spiridakis' Manhattan Film Institute, and has just finished writing two original television pilots, The Little People and Accidents Waiting to Happen. In 2019-20 he will be directing new work by Nicole Pandolfo (2017 Dramatist Guild Fellow), Sam Kahn (Chatter), Eli Walker (Drunk Yoga) and Daniel Mitura (The Picture of Dorian Gray).

About the Greenhouse Theater Center
The Greenhouse Theater Center (GTC) is a producing theater company, performance venue and theatre bookstore located at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.

GTC began its producing life in 2014 with the smash hit Churchill, followed by 2016’s much-lauded Solo Celebration!, an eight month, 16 event series highlighting the breadth and depth of the solo play form. In 2017-18, the Greenhouse presented its first full subscription season, including Machinal (4 stars from Chicago Tribune's Chris Jones) and the Chicago premiere of Birds of a Feather. 

As a performance venue, the Greenhouse complex offers two newly-remodeled 198-seat main stage spaces, two 60-seat studio theaters, a newly-built 44-seat cabaret space, two high-capacity lobbies and an in-house rehearsal room. GTC also houses Chicago’s only dedicated used theatre bookstore, located on the second floor the complex. 

The Greenhouse Theater Center’s mission is first and foremost to grow local theatre. GTC seeks local theatre companies and artists to partner on co-productions, offering partners a multitude of resources including an equitable split of production costs, production manager, full-service box office and front-of-house staff, artistic consultation, marketing and public relations support and a full-service bar with concessions. For additional information, contact Nicholas Reinhart at (773) 404-7336, ext. 13.

About The Marsh
The Marsh, known as a "breeding ground for new performance," was launched in1989 by Founder and Artistic Director Stephanie Weisman, and now annually hosts more than 600 performances of 175 shows across the company's two venues in San Francisco and Berkeley. A leading developer and outlet for solo performers, The Marsh's specialty has been hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “solo performances that celebrate the power of storytelling at its simplest and purest.” The East Bay Times named The Marsh one of Bay Area's best intimate theaters, calling it “one of the most thriving solo theaters in the nation. The live theatrical energy is simply irresistible.”  For more info about The Marsh, visit www.themarsh.org or email artisticdirector@themarsh.org.

ADULT NIGHT OUT: Chicago Premiere of The Children at Steppenwolf Theatre Company April 18 - June 9, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Following Sold-Out Runs in London and New York

Steppenwolf Presents the Chicago Premiere of 

The Children

Written by Lucy Kirkwood

Directed by Jonathan Berry

April 18 - June 9, 2019 

Three nuclear scientists. A chilling and dangerous plan.

I'll be out for the press opening May 1st so check back soon for my full review. 

Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the Chicago premiere of The Children written by acclaimed British playwright Lucy Kirkwood and helmed by celebrated Chicago director Jonathan Berry. Filled with dark humor, this thought-provoking and haunting play features three of Chicago’s top actors tackling complex roles: ensemble members Ora Jones (Rose) and Yasen Peyankov (Robin) with Janet Ulrich Brooks (Hazel). Following sold-out runs in London and New York, Steppenwolf proudly presents this brave and profound work that confronts the responsibility each generation must face for the way it leaves the world.

Previews for The Children begin April 18, 2019 and the production runs through June 9, 2019 in the Downstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted St). Press performances are Monday, April 29, 2019 at 7pm and Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at 7:30pm; Opening night is Monday, April 29.. Tickets ($20-$99) are available through Audience Services at 312-335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.
Classic Memberships starting at $100 for the 2019/20 Season are now available. More info at steppenwolf.org/memberships.

On a summer evening in an isolated seaside cottage in the East of England, a pair of retired nuclear scientists are startled by a visit from a former colleague. As some crackers and wine are trotted out, so are various old jealousies, leading to the true reason for Rose's sudden reappearance: the revelation of a chilling and dangerous plan.

Playwright Lucy Kirkwood shares, “I had been trying to find a form for a long time to write about climate change in a way that was emotionally rather than intellectually driven. What is important and theatrical to me is not the facts of climate change – we all know the facts now, and most of the average theatre audience will believe in them too. What is interesting is this: if we know the facts, why are we failing so catastrophically to change our behaviors?”

“Lucy’s work powerfully interrogates the challenging space between our all too human desires and our shared responsibility to the generations to come. That she does this by creating rich, nuanced characters with a complicated history and a high-stakes problem to solve makes it a perfect fit for Steppenwolf. It's a taut 90-minute pressure cooker of a play,” comments Director Jonathan Berry.

About the Cast

Ensemble member Yasen Peyankov, who plays Robin, can currently be seen at Steppenwolf in A Doll’s House, Part 2 (through March 17). An ensemble member since 2002, he has performed in dozens of Steppenwolf plays, including the Broadway production of Superior Donuts. He translated and directed the Bulgarian premiere of August: Osage County at the National Theatre in Sofia. Currently he plays the Russian Foreign Minister on CBS’s Madam Secretary and will be seen in the upcoming feature film Captive State and the third season of Stranger Things.

Ora Jones, a longtime ensemble member, plays the role of Rose. In the past year she has portrayed a wide range of roles at Steppenwolf in Familiar, The Roommate and The Doppelgänger (an international farce). Her Broadway credits include Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Matilda The Musical as well as work at the Manhattan Theatre Club, the Public Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, and more. Film and television credits include Betrayal, Chicago Fire, Consumed, Were the World Mine and Stranger than Fiction.

Janet Ulrich Brooks, a celebrated Chicago actor, is a company member of TimeLine Theatre, where she was recently seen in Master Class. Other TimeLine credits include The Audience, Bakersfield Mist, The How and The Why, and Jeff-nominated performances in 33 Variations, A Walk in the Woods, All My Sons, When She Danced and Not Enough Air. Additional credits include Plantation (Lookingglass), Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Jeff Award nomination, Goodman), 2666, The Seagull, A True History of the Johnstown Flood and Teddy Ferrara (Goodman); Women Laughing Alone with Salad (Helen Hayes nomination Actress in Principal Role, Woolly Mammoth, D.C.); By The Water (Northlight); Failure: A Love Story and Native Gardens (Victory Gardens); Crazy For You (Drury Lane); and Golda’s Balcony (Jeff Award, Pegasus Players).

Playwright and Director Bios

Lucy Kirkwood is a playwright and screenwriter. In 2009, her play It Felt Empty When the Heart Went At First But It Is Alright Now was produced by Clean Break at the Arcola Theatre. Nominated for an Evening Standard Award for Best Newcomer, it made Lucy joint winner of the John Whiting Award. Chimerica premiered at the Almeida Theatre in 2013 and transferred to the West End, earning Best New Play at the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards, as well as the Critics Circle and Susan Smith Blackburn Award. Recent work includes Mosquitoes at the National Theatre in 2017, and The Children, which premiered at the Royal Court in 2016, and opened on Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2017.

Jonathan Berry is an Artistic Producer at Steppenwolf and a director and teacher in Chicago. Steppenwolf productions include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, You Got Older, Constellations, The Crucible, Gary and A Separate Peace. Berry is a Steep Theatre ensemble member where productions include Red Rex, Birdland, Earthquakes in London, Posh, If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet, The Knowledge, Festen, Moment and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. He’s also an ensemble member at Griffin Theatre where productions include the Harvest, Winterset, Pocatello, Balm in Gilead, Golden Boy, Spring Awakening, Punk Rock, Port and On the Shore of the Wide World. He has served as the Assistant Director for Anna D. Shapiro’s Broadway productions Of Mice and Men and This Is Our Youth. Other theatre credits include Dirty, Suicide, Incorporated, Othello (Gift Theatre); The Solid Sand Below, The World of Extreme Happiness for New Stages (Goodman Theatre); Kill Floor (American Theater Company); Little Shop of Horrors, Sideman (American Blues Theater); I am Going to Change the World (Chicago Dramatists); and The Casuals (Jackalope Theatre Company). He pursued his MFA in directing from Northwestern University. He has taught at University of Michigan, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, Columbia College and The School at Steppenwolf.

The Children production team includes Chelsea M. Warren (Scenic Design), Mara Blumenfeld (Costume Design), Lee Fiskness (Lighting Design), Andre Pluess (Sound Design), and Gigi Buffington (Company Voice and Text Coach). Additional credits include Laura Glenn (Stage Manager), Elise Hausken (Assistant Stage Manager), JC Clementz (Casting Director) and Greta Honold (Artistic Producer).

Ticket prices and schedule:
Preview ticket prices (April 18 – 28) range from $20 – $84; and the regular run (April 28 – June 9) are $20– $99. Prices subject to change.
20 for $20: Twenty $20 tickets are available for subscription shows on the day of the performance at 11am (Mon – Sat) and 1pm (Sun), by phone only at 312-335-1650. Limit 2 per person.
Rush Tickets: Half-price rush tickets are available one hour before each show.
Student Discounts: $15 student tickets are available online. (Limit 2 tickets. Must present a valid student ID for each ticket). For additional student discounts, visit steppenwolf.org/students.
Group Tickets: All groups of 10 or more receive a discounted rate for any performance.

Classic Memberships for the 2019/20 season offering guaranteed seats, great value and early access are now available. Packages start at $100.
Black Card Memberships are available for audiences interested in extreme flexibility and peace of mind with six tickets for use any time, are valid for one year with the option to add additional tickets as needed. Perks include free exchanges, access to seats before the general public, savings on single ticket prices and bar and restaurant discounts. RED Memberships are available for theatergoers under 30. Memberships options at steppenwolf.org/memberships.

Audience Services: For tickets or more information, contact Audience Services (1650 N Halsted St) at 312-335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.
Curtain Times: Tuesday – Friday at 7:30pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm and 7:30pm; Wednesdays at 2pm.


Accessibility

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

Accessible Performances:
American Sign Language Interpretation: Sunday, May 12 at 7:30pm.

Open Captioning: Thursday, May 9 at 7:30pm and Saturday, June 4 at 3pm.

Audio Description and Touch Tour: Sunday, May 26 at 1:30pm


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


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

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

Year of Chicago Theatre
Steppenwolf 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 ChicagoPlays.com.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation’s premier ensemble theater. Formed by a collective of actors in 1976, the ensemble represents a remarkable cross-section of actors, directors and playwrights. Thrilling and powerful productions from Balm in Gilead to August: Osage County and Pass Over—and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony Awards—have made the theater legendary. Steppenwolf produces hundreds of performances and events annually in its three spaces: the 515-seat Downstairs Theatre, the 299-seat Upstairs Theatre and the 80-seat 1700 Theatre. Artistic programing includes a seven-play season; a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season; Visiting Company engagements; and LookOut, a multi-genre performances series. Education initiatives include the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf for Young Adults, which engages 15,000 participants annually from Chicago’s diverse communities; the esteemed School at Steppenwolf; and Professional Leadership Programs for arts administration training. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, nearly 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director and David Schmitz is the Executive Director. Eric Lefkofsky is Chair of Steppenwolf’s Board of Trustees. Steppenwolf’s Board of Trustees. 

For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.   

OPENING: TWO DAYS IN COURT A DOUBLE-HEADER OF CLASSIC ONE ACTS at City Lit Theater April 12 - May 26, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

TWO DAYS IN COURT

A DOUBLE-HEADER OF CLASSIC ONE ACTS

The Devil and Daniel Webster 

by Stephen Vincent Benet

Trial by Jury

by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan

Directed by Terry Mc Cabe

Music Directed by Daniel Robinson

City Lit Theater's 2018-2019 season closer will be a double-bill of one-acts, dubbed TWO DAYS IN COURT, offering first a fantastic and then a silly and satiric look at the legal system. Artistic Director Terry McCabe will direct the bill, which will open with THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER –  the play by Stephen Vincent Benet based on his 1936 short story. 

It concerns a New Hampshire farmer who sells his soul to the Devil and when he seeks to get out of the deal is defended in “court” by Daniel Webster, a fictional version of the famous statesman, lawyer, and orator. The second half of the TWO DAYS IN COURT program will be Gilbert and Sullivan’s one-act operetta from 1875, TRIAL BY JURY. This short piece with a plot too silly to summarize was G & S’s first hit, leading to a career for their partnership that produced the classics THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, HMS PINAFORE, THE MIKADO and many others. Daniel Robinson will be music director for the double-bill.

The 17-person cast, each of whom will appear in both plays - will include Kingsley Day, Sarah Beth Tanner, Bill Chamberlain, Lee Wichman, Rob Chesler, Dylan Connelley, Elijah Cox, Frank Gasparro, Jimmy Hogan, Claire LaTourette, Carolyn Plurad, Justine Raczy, Laura Resinger, Sarah Rosenberg, Ryan Smetana, Nate Strain, and Maria Welser.

McCabe’s designers and production team are Evan Frank (Set Designer), Tom Keiffer (Costume Designer), Liz Cooper (Lighting Designer), Todd Rhoades (Choreographer), Carolyn Minor (Production Manager), Evan Sposato (Technical Director), Hazel Marie (Stage Manager), James Osorio (Pianist) and Oliver Townsend (Rehearsal Pianist).

Single tickets priced at $28 for previews and $32 for regular performances are now on sale soon at www.citylit.org. Senior prices are $23 for previews and $27 for regular performances. Students and military are $12.00 for all performances.

Previews Friday April 12 through Sunday April 14, Friday and Saturday April 19 and 20
PRESS OPENING Tuesday, April 23 – 7 pm
Regular run Tuesday, April 23 - Sunday, May 26
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3 pm., Mondays May 13 and 20 at 7:30 pm
Regular run ticket prices $32.00, seniors $27.00, students and military $12 (all plus applicable fees)
Performances at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Chicago 60660 (Inside Edgewater Presbyterian Church)



ABOUT CITY LIT

For thirty-nine years, City Lit Theater has been dedicated to the vitality and accessibility of the literary imagination. City Lit produces theatrical adaptations of literary material, scripted plays by language-oriented playwrights, and original material.

City Lit is in the historic Edgewater Presbyterian Church building at 1020 West Bryn Mawr Avenue. We are two blocks east of both the Bryn Mawr Red Line stop and the #36 Broadway and the #84 Peterson buses. We are one block west of the #147 Sheridan and #151 Sheridan buses. Divvy bike stations are located at Bryn Mawr & Lakefront Trail, and at Broadway & Ridge at Bryn Mawr. The metered street parking pay boxes on Bryn Mawr have a three-hour maximum duration and are free on Sundays. $10 valet service is available at Francesca's Bryn Mawr at 1039 W Bryn Mawr diagonally across the street from us on the SW corner of Kenmore and Bryn Mawr and is available whether you are dining at the restaurant or not. There are additional details about parking and dining options at www.citylit.org.

City Lit is supported by the Alphawood Foundation, the MacArthur Funds for Arts and Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Ivanhoe Theater Foundation, the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency and is sponsored, in part, by A.R.T. League.

Pay-What-You-Can At The Midwest Premiere of LANGUAGE ROOMS Via Broken Nose Theatre April 19 – May 18, 2019 at The Den Theatre

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Midwest Premiere!

Broken Nose Theatre Presents

LANGUAGE ROOMS

By Yussef El Guindi

Directed by Kaiser Zaki Ahmed

April 19 – May 18, 2019 at The Den Theatre

All Performances Pay-What-You-Can!

(left to right) Bradford Stevens, Bassam Abdelfattah, Salar Ardebili and Bilal Dardai in a publicity image for Broken Nose Theatre’s Midwest premiere of LANGUAGE ROOMS. Photo by Spenser Davis.

I'll be ChiILin' at The Den with Chi, IL's Broken Nose Theatre for the press opening April 22nd, so check back soon for my full review. Broken Nose Theatre is pleased to continue its seventh season with the Midwest premiere of Yussef El Guindi’s dark comedy LANGUAGE ROOMS, directed by Kaiser Zaki Ahmed, playing April 19 – May 18, 2019 at BNT’s resident home, The Den Theatre (2A), 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. Tickets are currently available at www.brokennosetheatre.com. Tickets for all Broken Nose Theatre productions are available on a “pay-what-you-can” basis, allowing patrons to set their own price and ensuring theatre remains economically accessible for all audiences. 

LANGUAGE ROOMS features Bassam Abdelfattah, Salar Ardebili, Bilal Dardai and Bradford Stevens.

Ahmed loves America, and he’s proud to prove his patriotism whenever possible. He pays his taxes, he dresses for success at the office, and he’s made a point to be the best interrogator at this particular government detainment facility. So when a rumor swirls around the water cooler calling his loyalty into question, he works to do whatever’s necessary to maintain his reputation as one of “the good ones.” But when you’re an immigrant, can you ever truly be at home in a country always ready to view you as an enemy? Part The Office, part 1984, LANGUAGE ROOMS examines the paranoia polluting our political climate.

Comments Artistic Director Elise Marie Davis, “We at Broken Nose are consistently looking for plays that center around characters, or are set in worlds, that rarely have the opportunity to make it onstage, and Yussef's play is no different. Language Rooms is a dark comedy about state-sanctioned torture, a hilarious and horrifying balancing act in which the belly laughs are immediately followed by gut punches. After admiring the work he's done at his home company of Jackalope Theatre for years, we're thrilled to be working with director Kaiser Zaki Ahmed for the first time. We cannot wait for Chicago audiences to see what this cast and production team have in store.”

* Denotes BNT company member   ^ Denotes BNT artistic associate      

Cast (in alphabetical order): Bassam Abdelfattah (Nassar), Salar Ardebili (Ahmed), Bilal Dardai (Samir) and Bradford Stevens (Kevin).

Location: The Den Theatre (2A), 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago
Dates: Previews: Friday, April 19 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, April 20 at 7:30 pm
Opening: Sunday, April 21 at 3 pm
Press performance: Monday, April 22 at 7:30 pm
Regular run: Thursday, April 25 – Saturday, May 18, 2019
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm
Industry night: Monday, May 6 at 7:30 pm
Understudy night: Wednesday, May 15 at 7:30 pm
Tickets: Pay-what-you-can. Tickets are currently available at www.brokennosetheatre.com.

About the Artists

Yussef El Guindi’s (Playwright) productions include The Talented Ones at Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland; Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat at Golden Thread Productions; An Evening with Activists at Cutting Ball Theater; Collaborator at Macha Monkey Productions; Threesome at Portland Center Stage, ACT and at 59E59 (winner of a Portland Drammy for Best Original Script); Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World (winner of the Steinberg/ American Theater Critics Association’s New Play Award in 2012; and the 2011 Gregory Award) also at ACT and at Center Repertory Company (Walnut Creek, CA) 2013; and Language Rooms (Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award), co-produced by Golden Thread Productions and the Asian American Theater Company in San Francisco; at the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia (premiere), and at the Los Angeles Theater Center. Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat was also produced by Silk Road Theater Project and won the M. Elizabeth Osborn award. His plays Back of the Throat, Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World, Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes, Such a Beautiful Voice is Sayeda’s and Karima’s City have been published by Dramatists Play Service. His play Ten Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith is included in Salaam/Peace: An Anthology of Middle Eastern-American Playwrights, published by TCG, 2009. Our Enemies: Lively Scenes of Love and Combat is included in the anthology Four Arab American Plays published by McFarland Books. And Threesome is published by Broadway Play Publishing Inc. Yussef is the recipient of the 2010 Middle East America Distinguished Playwright Award, and Seattle’s 2015 Stranger’s Genius Award.

Kaiser Zaki Ahmed (Director) is a Chicago-based theatre director, actor and teacher. An alum of Columbia College Chicago’s Theatre Directing program, Kaiser specializes in actor-driven new American plays. Most recently, he assistant directed Guards at the Taj (Steppenwolf) and Hand to God (Victory Gardens). Kaiser was the Founding Artistic Director of Jackalope, from its inception in May of 2008 through the end of 2011, and continues to serve as the Associate Artistic Director. At Jackalope, Kaiser has directed the Jeff-Nominated 1980 (or Why I'm Voting for John Anderson), The Raid, The Killing of Michael X, Long Way Go Down, Slaughter City, The Last Exodus of American Men, and countless readings and short plays. Kaiser is also an Artistic Associate at The Artistic Home Theatre Company. A member there since 2005, he directed the Jeff-Nominated Midwest Premiere of The Late Henry Moss, House of Yes and assistant directed several others. Kaiser also directed Vanya (or That’s Life!) and Washer/Dryer at Rasaka Theatre. Kaiser is a 2015-16 Eugene O’Neill National Directors Fellowship Finalist, a 2016-17 Victory Gardens Directors Inclusion Initiative recipient and an Associate Member of SDC. Favorite acting work includes Ideation and Lunacy! (Jackalope Theatre), A Nice Indian Boy (Rasaka Theatre) and The Seagull (Artistic Home Theatre), The Awake (First Floor Theatre) and several film and commercial spots. He is represented by Gray Talent.

About Broken Nose Theatre:

Broken Nose Theatre is a Pay-What-You-Can theatre company. Founded in 2012, BNT was this year's recipient of the Emerging Theater Award, presented by the League of Chicago Theatres and Broadway in Chicago. The company has produced and developed 15 full-length plays (including 8 Chicago or World Premieres) and over 40 new womencentric short plays through their annual Bechdel Fest. We strive to spark conversation, cultivate empathy, and amplify underrepresented voices, and are committed to making new, exciting and relevant theatre that is economically accessible to all audiences. For more information, please visit www.brokennosetheatre.com.

OPENING: Chicago Premiere of I’M GONNA PRAY FOR YOU SO HARD Via First Floor Theater April 20 – May 18, 2019 at The Den Theatre

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Chicago Premiere!

First Floor Theater Presents

I’M GONNA PRAY FOR YOU SO HARD

By Halley Feiffer

Directed by Cole von Glahn


April 20 – May 18, 2019 at The Den Theatre

Tim Kidwell and Amanda Caryl Fink in a publicity image for First Floor Theater’s Chicago premiere of I’M GONNA PRAY FOR YOU SO HARD. Photo by Sam Doyle Photography.

I'll be out for the press opening April 24th, so check back soon for my full review. First Floor Theater is pleased to conclude its seventh season with the Chicago premiere of Halley Feiffer’s blisteringly funny play I’M GONNA PRAY FOR YOU SO HARD, directed by Cole von Glahn, playing April 20 – May 18, 2019 at FFT’s resident home, The Den Theatre (2B), 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at firstfloortheater.com. 

Ella is a precocious and fiercely competitive actress with a desperate need to make her father David, a famous playwright, proud. Over the course of a boozy, drug-fueled evening, Ella and David pass the time digging into family history, artistic passion and unspoken fears as they wait for the reviews, but what is unearthed can't simply be reburied. This daring play pulls the audience into the middle of a deeply complicated relationship, exploring how we build and break idealized versions of our loved ones.

The production team for I’M GONNA PRAY FOR YOU SO HARD includes: Joy Ahn (scenic design), Alexis Chaney (costume design), Becca Jeffords (lighting design), Sarah Espinoza (sound design), Claire Stone (properties design), Carrie Hardin (dialect coach), Anastar Alvarez (stage manager) and Caitlin McCarthy (production manager).


Cast: (in alphabetical order): Amanda Caryl Fink (Ella) and Tim Kidwell (David).

Location: The Den Theatre (2B), 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago
Dates: Previews: Saturday, April 20 at 7:30 pm, Sunday, April 21 at 3 pm and Tuesday, April 23 at 7:30 pm.
Press Performance: Wednesday, April 24 at 7:30 pm
Regular Run: Friday, April 26 – Saturday, May 18, 2019
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm.
Industry Nights: Monday, April 29 at 7:30 pm and Monday, May 13 at 7:30 pm.
Tickets: Previews: $8. Regular Run: $25. Students $20. Tickets are currently available at firstfloortheater.com.

About the Artists
Halley Feiffer (Playwright) Halley Feiffer is a New York-based writer and actress. Her plays have been produced, commissioned and developed by Manhattan Theatre Club, Second Stage, New York Theatre Workshop, LAByrinth Theater Company, The O’Neill, The Orchard Project, Berkshire Theatre Group, Naked Angels, Cape Cod Theatre Project, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Keen Company, Partial Comfort Productions and the Amoralists. She is currently working on a stage adaption of THE BOY KINGS, Kate Losse's memoir about working at Facebook during its rising year. Halley is an alumna of terraNOVA’s Groundbreakers Playwrights’ Group, a former resident writer for Blue Man Group, former Playwright in Residence at Stella Adler Studio and a winner of the Young Playwrights Competition and the Lotos Foundation Prize. She is currently under commission by Manhattan Theatre Club/The Sloan Foundation, Jen Hoguet Productions and Playwrights Horizons. Her work is published by Dramatists Play Service, Overlook Press, Vintage Books, Applause Books, and Smith & Kraus. Halley co-wrote and starred in the 2013 film HE'S WAY MORE FAMOUS THAN YOU, and co-created and stars in the web series WHAT'S YOUR EMERGENCY for Stage17.tv (both directed by Michael Urie). She holds a BA from Wesleyan University.

Cole von Glahn (Director) Cole von Glahn is a Chicago-based director and production manager. He has been working with First Floor since moving to Chicago in 2015 before becoming the Director of Production in 2016. In that time, he has produced over a dozen company shows and events. Additionally, Cole serves as the Production Manager at Raven Theatre. In the past, he has administered and managed with Cherry Lane, Neverbird Project, Cleveland Play House, Northlight Theatre, and Marin Theatre Company. Outside of theatre, Cole is a board game designer and collaborative storyteller. He holds degrees in Drama and Sociology from Tufts University.

About First Floor Theater
Founded in 2012, First Floor Theater stages stories of individuals facing moments of radical change. Through a process of collaborative dramaturgy, FFT expands these stories to ask urgent social questions. For more information on First Floor Theater, visit firstfloortheater.com.

OPENING: HANNAH AND MARTIN Via Shattered Globe Theatre April 11 – May 25, 2019 at Theater Wit

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Shattered Globe Theatre Presents

HANNAH AND MARTIN

By Kate Fodor

Directed by SGT Ensemble Member Louis Contey

April 11 – May 25, 2019 at Theater Wit

Shattered Globe Theatre is pleased to conclude its 2018-19 Season with Kate Fodor’s drama HANNAH AND MARTIN, directed by SGT Ensemble Member Louis Contey*. This World War II drama in which a passionate love affair is abruptly interrupted by political realities will play April 11 – May 25, 2019 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Single tickets are currently available at www.shatteredglobe.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office. 

HANNAH AND MARTIN features SGT Ensemble Member Christina Gorman* as Hannah Arendt and guest artist Lawrence Grimm as Martin Heidegger with Ensemble MembersDoug McDade*, Daria Harper*, Cortney McKenna*, Steven Peebles* and Drew Schad*, and former Protégé Jazzma Pryor+.  

Based on the tumultuous love affair between German-Jewish political theorist Hannah Arendt and her mentor, the celebrated German philosopher Martin Heidegger, this emotionally intense drama focuses on the crisis that erupts when Arendt discovers that her former teacher is using his brilliance and fame to help further the goals of the Nazi Party. HANNAH AND MARTIN is a provocative exploration into the activity of thinking and its relation to passion, love, and politics.

Comments Director Louis Contey, “Is it a sin to take a hand outstretched for help or to refuse, if it comes from one who has sinned? This is the central question of Kate Fodor’s play Hannah and Martin. Since I saw the original production, it has been a passion of mine to explore Hannah Arendt’s question, that is also our question, a very personal one worthy of exploration. Is it a matter of forgiveness or of politics? What happens when we as human beings divorce our compassion from our ideas and philosophies about society and civilization? Add to the mix fame, ego, an illicit affair and cold intellect against the backdrop of the Nuremberg Trials and we have a powerful confrontation of moral conscience and elitism.”

The production team for HANNAH AND MARTIN includes: Nick Mozak (scenic design), Hailey Rakowiecki^ (costume design), Simean Carpenter (lighting design), Christopher Kriz^ (music and sound design), Jonathan Berg-Einhorn (props design), Lucille Schuh (production manager), Judy Anderson* (executive production manager), Denise Savas(stage manager) and Ayanna Wimberly^ (assistant stage manager). 

Cast (in alphabetical order): Christina Gorman* (Hannah Arendt), Lawrence Grimm (Martin Heidegger), Daria Harper* (Gertrud Jaspers, Judge), Doug McDade* (Karl Jaspers, Prosecutor), Cortney McKenna* (Elfride Heidegger), Steve Peebles* (Günther Stern, Radio Announcer), Jazzma Pryor+ (Alice, Seminar Student) and Drew Schad* (Baldur von Schirach).

Location: Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago
Dates: Previews: Thursday, April 11 at 8 pm, Friday, April 12 at 8 pm and Saturday, April 13 at 8 pm
Press Performance: Sunday, April 14 at 3 pm
Regular Run: Thursday, April 18 – Saturday, May 25, 2019
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be a performance on Friday, May 17; there will be an added matinee on Saturday, May 25 at 3 pm.
Touch Tour/Audio Description Performance: Friday, May 3 – 6:30 pm touch tour, 8 pm performance with audio description. $20 tickets available with code “ACCESS.”
Global Perspectives: SGT will be hosting post-show discussions immediately following 3 pm performances on Sundays.

Tickets: Previews: Pay-what-you-can (April 11), $20 (April 12-13) Regular Run: $15 - $39. Student Rush tickets available day of performance for $15. $15 industry tickets on Thursdays with code “INDUSTRY.” Single tickets are currently available at www.shatteredglobe.org, in person at the Theater Wit Box Office or by calling (773) 975-8150. Group discounts are currently available by contacting groupsales@shatteredglobe.org or by calling (773) 770-0333.

*Denotes SGT Ensemble Member  ^Denotes SGT Artistic Associate  +Denotes SGT Protégé Alumna

About the Artists:

Kate Fodor (Playwright) is a 2013 Guggenheim fellow in playwriting. Her comedy Rx was produced Off-Broadway by Primary Stages and will had its Los Angeles premiere in January 2014. Her plays have also been produced by Playwrights Horizons, Epic Theatre Ensemble, San Jose Repertory Theatre, London’s Courtyard Theatre and Chicago’s TimeLine Theatre Company, among others. She has been a resident playwright at New Dramatists since 2008. Kate’s play Hannah and Martin received the Kennedy Center’s Roger L. Stevens Award, a Joseph Jefferson Citation, an After Dark Award and a finalist position for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. 100 Saints You Should Know received the National Theatre Conference’s Stavis Award and was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award, as well as being named one of the 10 Best Plays of the year by Entertainment Weekly and Time Out New York. The plays are published by Dramatists Play Service and have been anthologized and excerpted in a number of volumes from Smith & Kraus. Kate’s work has been developed at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Hartford Stage and Centre Theater Group. She has been named one of “Eight to Watch” by The New York Times and has received commissions from Chautauqua Theater Company, Center Theater Group and The Playwrights’ Center, where she was the recipient of the 2011-2012 McKnight National Residency.  

Louis Contey (Director) marks his 24th SGT collaboration with Hannah and Martin. For SGT, Lou has also directed Crime and Punishment, The Heavens are Hung in Black ,The Tall Girls, In the Heat of the Night, A View From The Bridge, The Manchurian Candidate, A Streetcar Named Desire, All My Sons, Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, Peter Pan, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Warhawks and Lindberghs, Holy Ghosts, Judgment at Nuremberg, Requiem for a Heavyweight, The Whaleship Essex, Meet John Doe, The Lower Depths, Escape From Happiness, Real Classy Affair, Rocket to the Moon, Anna Karenina and Brilliant Traces. He has directed over 75 plays, among them The Master & Margarita, Marriage Play, The Diviners, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth and Hamlet. He is an Associate Artist at TimeLine Theatre, where he directed Frost/Nixon, Awake And Sing!, The General from America, Lillian, Copenhagen, It’s All True, Pravda, Paradise Lost, A House With No Walls, The Apple Family Plays and The Price. He has also worked at The Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Strawdog Theatre, Theatre at the Center, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, Provision Theatre, Eclipse Theatre and American Theater Company. He is a twelve-time Jeff nominee and has received seven Jeff Citations, as well as an After Dark Award. He teaches part-time at The Theatre School/DePaul University where he received his MFA in Directing.



About Shattered Globe Theatre

Shattered Globe Theatre (Sandy Shinner, Producing Artistic Director; Doug McDade, Managing Director) was born in a storefront space on Halsted Street in 1991. Since then, SGT has produced more than 60 plays, including nine American and world premieres, and garnered an impressive 42 Jeff Awards and 106 Jeff Award nominations, as well as the acclaim of critics and audiences alike. Shattered Globe is an ensemble driven theater whose mission is to create an intimate, visceral theater experience that challenges the perspective of audience and artist alike through passionate storytelling. Shattered Globe is inspired by the diversity of our city and committed to making the theater available to all audiences. Through initiatives such as the Protégé Program, Shattered Globe creates a space which allows emerging artists to grow and share in the ensemble experience.
Shattered Globe Theatre is partially supported and funded by generous grants from The Shulman-Rochambeau Charitable Foundation, The James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, Alphawood Foundation, The Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council, a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, The Shubert Foundation, The Bayless Family Foundation, The Blum-Kovler Family Foundation, and The Robert J. & Loretta W. Cooney Family Foundation.

For more information on Shattered Globe Theatre, please visit www.shatteredglobe.org.

$25 DIGITAL LOTTERY AND RUSH TICKET POLICY FOR JERSEY BOYS AT CHICAGO'S AUDITORIUM THEATRE APRIL 2-7, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

BROADWAY IN CHICAGO ANNOUNCES DIGITAL LOTTERY AND RUSH

TICKET POLICY FOR JERSEY BOYS

THE TONY® AWARD-WINNING BEST MUSICAL IS BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND FOR ONE WEEK ONLY

PRESENTED BY BROADWAY IN CHICAGO AT THE AUDITORIUM THEATRE

APRIL 2-7, 2019

I'll be out for the press opening, so check back soon for my full review. Broadway In Chicago is delighted to announce there will be a digital lottery and rush tickets for Tony Award ®- winning JERSEY BOYS. Back by popular demand, JERSEY BOYS will return to Chicago for a limited one-week engagement April 2 – 7, 2019. Broadway In Chicago presents the show at the Auditorium Theatre (50 E. Ida B. Wells Dr.).

The digital lottery will begin April 1 at 9AM, and 26 tickets will be sold for every performance at $25 each. The lottery will happen online only the day before each performance.  In addition, a limited number of day-of-show rush tickets will be offered for each performance at $39 each. These will be available at all performances of the run for purchase in-person at the Auditorium Theatre box office beginning when the box office opens daily.  Seat locations vary per performance for the digital lottery and day-of show tickets.

HOW TO ENTER THE DIGITAL LOTTERY
·Visit https://www.broadwayinchicago.com/show/jersey-boys/
·Follow the link “Click here for details and to enter the lottery”
·Click the “Enter Now” button for the performance you want to attend.
·Fill out the entry form including the number of tickets you would like (1 or 2). Patrons will receive a confirmation email once they have validated their email (one time only) and successfully entered the lottery.
·After the lottery closes, patrons will be notified via email within minutes as to whether they have won or not.
·Winners have 60 minutes from the time the lottery closes to pay online with a credit card.
·After payment has been received, patrons can pick up tickets at the Auditorium Theatre box office (50 E. Ida B. Wells Dr.) no sooner than 30 minutes before show time with a valid photo ID.

DIGITAL LOTTERY ADDITIONAL RULES
Limit 1 entry per person, per performance. Multiple entries will not be accepted. Patrons must be 18 years old and have a valid, non-expired photo ID that matches the names used to enter. Tickets are non-transferable. All lottery prices include a $3.50 facility fee. Ticket limits and prices displayed are at the sole discretion of the show and are subject to change without notice. Lottery prices are not valid on prior purchases. Lottery ticket offer cannot be combined with any other offers or promotions. All sales final - no refunds or exchanges.  Lottery may be revoked or modified at any time without notice. No purchase necessary to enter or win.  A purchase will not improve your chances of winning.

ABOUT JERSEY BOYS
Directed by two-time Tony® Award-winner Des McAnuff, JERSEY BOYS won the 2006 Tony® Award for Best Musical, the 2006 Grammy Award® for Best Musical Show Album, the 2009 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, the 2010 Helpmann Award for Best Musical (Australia). JERSEY BOYS is written by Academy Award® -winner Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and choreography by Sergio Trujillo.

JERSEY BOYS is the behind-the-music story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.  They were just four guys from Jersey, until they sang their very first note. They had a sound nobody had ever heard… and the radio just couldn’t get enough of. But while their harmonies were perfect on stage, off stage it was a very different story – a story that has made them an international sensation all over again. The show features all their hits including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Oh What A Night,” “Walk Like A Man,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “Working My Way Back To You.”

For more information, visit the JERSEY BOYS website at www.JerseyBoysTour.com.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Tuesday, April 2 at 7:30PM 
Wednesday, April 3 at 2PM and 7:30PM
Thursday, April 4 at 7:30PM 
Friday, April 5 at 7:30PM 
Saturday, April 6 at 2PM and 8PM
Sunday, April 7 at 2PM

TICKET INFORMATION
Individual tickets will are on-sale now and range in price from $30-$115, 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 the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander 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.

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