OPENING: THE CROWD YOU’RE IN WITH Via AstonRep Theatre Company at The Raven Theatre May 16 – June 16, 2019

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AstonRep Theatre Company Announces Casting for

THE CROWD YOU’RE IN WITH

By Rebecca Gilman

 Directed by Co-Artistic Director Derek Bertelsen

May 16 – June 16, 2019 at The Raven Theatre

AstonRep Theatre Company is pleased to announce casting for

Rebecca Gilman’s drama THE CROWD YOU’RE IN WITH, directed by Co-Artistic Director Derek Bertelsen*

The cast of AstonRep Theatre Company’s THE CROWD YOU’RE IN WITH includes (top, l to r) Co-Artistic Director Sara Pavlak McGuire with Maggie Antonijevic, Lynne Baker (bottom, l to r) Javier Carmona, Martin Diaz-Valdes, Nick Freed and Erin O’Brien.

THE CROWD YOU’RE IN WITH plays May 16 – June 16, 2019 at The Raven Theatre (West Stage), 6157 N. Clark St. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.astonrep.com or by calling (773) 828-9129. 

A backyard barbeque is the perfect place to tackle life's big questions: Is the chicken done? Does the band need a new tune? Is this the right time to have a baby? Gilman's fresh and moving play takes an intimate look at modern families, friendships and the ins and outs of love.

The cast includes AstonRep Co-Artistic Director Sara Pavlak McGuire* with Maggie Antonijevic, Lynne Baker, Javier Carmona, Martin Diaz-Valdes, Nick Freed and Erin O’Brien.

The production team for THE CROWD YOU’RE IN WITH includes Jeremiah Barr* (scenic/props design), Uriel Gomez (costume design), Samantha Barr* (lighting design), Melanie Thompson* (sound design), Aja Wiltshire* (assistant director) and Melanie Kulas (stage manager).

*Denotes AstonRep Company Members.

Cast (in alphabetical order): Maggie Antonijevic (Windsong), Lynne Baker (Karen), Javier Carmona (Tom), Martin Diaz-Valdes (Jasper), Nick Freed (Dan), Erin O’Brien (Darcy) and Sara Pavlak McGuire* (Melinda).

Understudies: Lara Caprini* and David Coupe

Location: The Raven Theatre (West Stage), 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago
Dates: Previews: Thursday, May 16 at 8 pm and Friday, May 17 at 8 pm
Press performance: Saturday, May 18 at 8 pm
Regular run: Sunday, May 19 – Sunday, June 16, 2019
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3:30 pm
Tickets: Previews: $12; Regular run: $25. Student/seniors $15. Tickets are currently available at www.astonrep.com or by calling (773) 828-9129.

About the Artists
Rebecca Gilman (Playwright) is an artistic associate at Goodman Theatre. Her plays include Luna Gale, A True History of the Johnstown Flood, Dollhouse, Boy Gets Girl, Spinning Into Butter, Blue Surge (all of which were originally produced by the Goodman), Soups, Stews, and Casseroles, 1976 and The Crowd You’re in With (also at the Goodman), The Glory of Living; The Sweetest Swing in Baseball and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. Boy Gets Girl received an Olivier nomination for Best New Play. Gilman was named a finalist for the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for The Glory of Living. She is a member of the Council of the Dramatists Guild of America and a board member of the ACLU of Illinois. A graduate of the MFA in playwriting program from the University of Iowa, Gilman is now a professor of playwriting and screenwriting at Northwestern University as part of its MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage program. In 2016, she was inducted into the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame.

Derek Bertelsen (Director) joined AstonRep in 2013 and he currently serves as Co-Artistic Director. Previous directing credits with AstonRep include Doubt, Next Fall, Wit, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Lyons, the world premiere of The Black Slot, The Laramie Project, and co-directing Eleemosynary with Jeremiah Barr. He produced the sold-out run of Four By Tenn, a festival of one-act plays by Tennessee Williams. He serves as Artistic Director of The Comrades. He's also directed for BrightSide Theatre, Wilmette Center for the Arts, Pride Films & Plays and assistant directed at Goodman, Bailiwick Chicago and Steppenwolf Garage. Regional credits include Festival 56, Shawnee Summer Playhouse, New Ground Theatre and five seasons at Timber Lake Playhouse.

About AstonRep Theatre Company:
AstonRep Theatre Company was formed in the summer of 2008. Since then, the company has produced 22 full-length productions and nine annual Writers' Series. AstonRep Theatre Company is an ensemble of artists committed to creating exciting, intimate theatrical experiences that go beyond the front door to challenge audiences and spark discussion where the show is not the end of the experience: it is just the beginning.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING: HER SMELL Opens at he Music Box Theatre on April 19, 2019

FILMS ON OUR RADAR:

Writer/director Alex Ross Perry’s 

HER SMELL 

opens at the Music Box Theatre on April 19, 2019. 

***Writer/director Alex Ross Perry will be in attendance at the Music Box Theatre for post-film Q&As following the Saturday, April 20, 8pm & Sunday, April 21, 1:45pm screenings. Both of these shows are on sale now!***

“[Elizabeth] Moss’ oscillating, energy-devouring performance and the real-time composition of Perry's scenes make it almost impossible to look away.” — Vulture

“Perry’s kinetic style and Moss’ explosive performance transform [the film] into something that feels more authentic than actual history.” — Consequence of Sound

About HER SMELL:
Becky Something is a ’90s punk rock superstar who once filled arenas with her grungy, all-female trio Something She. Now she plays smaller venues while grappling with motherhood, exhausted band mates, nervous record company executives, and a new generation of rising talent eager to usurp her stardom. When Becky's chaos and excesses derail a recording session and national tour, she finds herself shunned, isolated and alone. Forced to get sober, temper her demons, and reckon with the past, she retreats from the spotlight and tries to recapture the creative inspiration that led her band to success. Also starring Cara Delevingne, Dan Stevens, Eric Stolz, Dylan Gelula, and Virginia Madsen.

Anchored by a towering, unflinching performance from Golden Globe and Emmy winner Moss, and supported by a stellar ensemble cast, HER SMELL examines the grit, grace and gravitas of an unforgettable fictional rock star crashing down to earth into the harsh realities of mid-life. With his incendiary and deeply humane sixth feature, writer-director Alex Ross Perry (LISTEN UP PHILIP, GOLDEN EXITS) pumps up the volume and shines a light on the terrifying moment when superstardom wanes —and quiet becomes the new loud.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Production Year: 2018
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English
Run Time: 135 mins

Format: DCP

Pricing & Scheduling:
Tickets are $12 ($9 for Music Box Members)
Click here to find out how to become a member

For tickets and further information, please click here

About Music Box Theatre:

For the last two decades, the Music Box Theatre has been the premier venue in Chicago for independent and foreign films. It currently has the largest theater space operated full time in the city. The Music Box Theatre is independently owned and operated by the Southport Music Box Corporation. SMBC, through its Music Box Films division, also distributes foreign and independent films in the theatrical, DVD, and television markets throughout the United States.

Follow the Music Box Theatre on Facebook, Twitter (@musicboxtheatre), and Instagram (@musicboxchicago)

OPENING: Dark Comedy BELOW THE BELT at Red Twist May 17 through June 16, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

HUNDO4U PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES DARK COMEDY

BELOW THE BELT

By Richard Dresser Directed by Jon Dambacher

Redtwist Theatre announces an upcoming production of a bizarre dark comedy BELOW THE BELT, running May 17 through June 16. This Off-Broadway hit has been compared to NBC’s The Office as if written by Samuel Beckett and was named “Best American Play of 1996” by the Wall Street Journal. Since its debut it has found especially high popularity in Europe, with over 40 productions in Germany alone.

BELOW THE BELT takes place within the guts of an industrial compound sitting far off in an unknown location. Three men, a power-obsessed boss (played by David McNulty), an emotional middle manager (played by Michael Lomenick) and an eager newcomer (played by John Hundrieser) are isolated from their wives and the other unseen people occupying the factory. They must form a bond out of necessity, while battling sabotage, one-upmanship, and secret alliances among each other. But their need to compete is as strong as their need to connect. The play is about trust, betrayal, and the deep existential pettiness of people attempting to co-exist. Someone always wins and someone always retreats or loses.

Richard Dresser (Playwright) plays have been produced in New York, regional theater, and Europe. They include Rounding Third, which started in Chicago, appeared off-Broadway and has had hundreds of productions and BELOW THE BELT premiered at Actors Theatre of Louisville, moved Off-Broadway, then was made into the film “Human Error” which premiered at Sundance.

From May 17 through June 16 the performances are Thursdays at 8pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm and Sundays at 3pm. Individual tickets are $20 at the door and are available online at www.Hundo4u.com, or over the phone at (847) 906-3209.

About Redtwist Theatre  
Redtwist is located at 1044 W. Bryn Mawr – 2 blocks West of Lake Shore Drive & 2 blocks East of the Red Line station. Valet parking for Redtwist is available across the street in front of Francesca’s – Dining is not required.

I AM…FEST: A CELEBRATION OF WOMEN OF COLOR IN ARTS, ACTIVISM AND LEADERSHIP AT GOODMAN THEATRE APRIL 27 – 29

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BLACK LIVES, BLACK WORDS INTERNATIONAL PROJECT “I AM…FEST: A CELEBRATION OF WOMEN OF COLOR IN ARTS, ACTIVISM AND LEADERSHIP” AT GOODMAN THEATRE APRIL 27 – 29 

***THREE-DAY LINE-UP OF FILM SCREENINGS, PLAY READINGS AND MORE CONCLUDES WITH THE U.S. PREMIERE OF THE INTERROGATION OF SANDRA BLAND PERFORMED BY 100 WOMEN OF COLOR, DIRECTED BY SIMEILIA HODGE-DALLAWAY***

Black Lives, Black Words International Project, in partnership with Goodman Theatre and Artistic Directors of the Future, is proud to announce the festival line-up for “I AM…FEST: A Celebration of Women of Color in Arts, Activism and Leadership.” Curated by Black Lives, Black Words Co-founders Reginald Edmund and Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway, “I AM…FEST” is a first-of-its-kind international festival that shines a spotlights on female voices across the globe through three days of innovative and inspiring events. “I AM…FEST: A Celebration of Women of Color in Arts, Activism and Leadership” takes place at Goodman Theatre (170 North Dearborn), April 27 – 29. 

Admission for many events are FREE (first come, first served reservations required); reservations and tickets ($10 – 25) for the 10-minute play showcase on Monday, April 29, which includes The Interrogation of Sandra Bland can be purchased at GoodmanTheatre.org/IAMFest. 

"It felt fitting that this year's program celebrated women of color that are artists, activists and leaders in a bold and historic way, proactively opening the door for the discussion revolving around the arts about equity through our programming” said Reginald Edmund, Black Lives Black Words International Project Co-Founder and Managing Curating Producer. “Every program in this festival is entirely led by, produced by, directed and written and facilitated by women of color. Our hope is to encourage art organizations large and small across the globe to provide more artistic and decision-making opportunities to women of color both onstage and off-stage."

“It has been a joy to shape and design the festival and program some of the most talented women of color artists, leaders and activists to take part in this international celebration of voices, minds and experiences. I hope that this festival will continue to inspire as many people who encounter it and ignite a new approach to art, activism as well as increase the personal libraries and awareness of the richness of talent that exists within our community both locally and internationally,” said Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway, Co-Founder of Black Lives Black Words International Project and Executive Director and Creative Producer. “I am honored to be directing 100 Women of Color on the Goodman’s stage for the U.S. premiere of The Interrogation of Sandra Bland. At a time where we desperately need solidarity, healing and hope, this closing performance will not only pay homage to Sandra Bland and the many female victims of police brutality, but will showcase the strength that we possess when we come together to stand up to social and political injustice.”

Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Robert Falls added “We are proud to host I AM... Fest, a fantastically ambitious event that will serve activists and artists alike as it culminates in an Owen Theatre performance that highlights Black artistry, locally and globally. Reginald Edmund and Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway's work as leaders of Black Lives, Black Words has produced what I think will be a momentous occasion for Chicago's theater community and the city at large.”

EVENTS IN “I AM…FEST: A CELEBRATION OF WOMEN OF COLOR IN ARTS, ACTIVISM AND LEADERSHIP”

*all events take place at Goodman Theatre (170 N. Dearborn); unless otherwise noted

SATURDAY, APRIL 27

Film Screening | The Feeling of Being Watched
3 – 5pm

In the Arab-American suburban Chicago neighborhood where director Assia Boundaoui grew up, most of her neighbors think they have been under surveillance for over a decade. While investigating their experiences, Boundaoui uncovers FBI documents that prove her hometown was the subject of one of the largest pre-9/11 counterterrorism investigations ever conducted in the U.S.--code-named "Operation Vulgar Betrayal." With unprecedented access, The Feeling of Being Watched weaves the personal and the political as it follows the filmmaker's examination of why her community fell under blanket government surveillance. Assia Boundaoui is an Algerian-American journalist and filmmaker based in Chicago who has reported for the BBC, NPR, PRI, Al Jazeera, VICE and CNN. Her debut short film about hijabi hair salons for the HBO Lenny documentary series premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Her feature length debut, The Feeling of Being Watched, had its world premiere at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.

Workshop | Making the Artivist 
3 - 4:15pm

Hosted by Red Clay Dance Company, Making the Artivist trains community-minded participants in the practice of “Artivism,” which helps participants discover, develop and use their artistic voice to become a change agent in their community. Through movement and storytelling, participants begin to understand their identity, agency and power within societal frameworks and systems. Red Clay Dance Company lives to awaken “glocal” change through creating, performing and teaching dances of the African Diaspora–change that transforms cultural and socio-economic inequities in the local and global community.

Workshop | Surviving the Mic: Brave Space Making
4:30 - 6:30pm

What began as a 10-week workshop series for spoken word artists who identified as black, female and survivors of sexual violence, “Surviving the Mic” evolved into a groundbreaking survivor-led open mic and workshop series, led by Nikki Patin. Brave Space Making highlights the differences between holding safe space and brave space, “Surviving the Mic” community agreements, the impact of the series on the 2018 National Poetry Slam, and a discussion about how to center survivors and their work. Featured in The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, HBO's Def Poetry Jam and on international television and radio, multidisciplinary artist Nikki Patin has been writing, performing and educating for almost 15 years. She has performed at EXPO Chicago, the National Black Theater in Harlem, Brooklyn Museum, Black Artists Retreat, Arie Crown Theater, UIC Pavilion and many other spaces throughout the U.S., New Zealand and Australia. Nikkipatin.com

Reading | Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress (United States), directed by Lili-Anne Brown
7 – 9pm | VIP reception to follow

Broadway, 1957. An integrated theater company gathers to rehearse a new play—the one they hope will be the next big hit on the Great White Way. Against the backdrop of misperceptions and stereotypes within the company, veteran actress Wiletta Mayer grapples with the choice between an once-in-a-lifetime chance to play the lead role in a Broadway show, and the cost of compromising her principles. Trouble in Mind is a groundbreaking backstage story of egos and attitudes, and an insightful look at who we are and who we want to be. American novelist/playwright/actress Alice Childress (1916-1994) described her work as "attempt(ing) to interpret the 'ordinary' because they are not ordinary. Each human is uniquely different. Like snowflakes, the human pattern is never cast twice. We are uncommonly and marvelously intricate in thought and action, our problems are most complex and, too often, silently borne." Childress formed an off-Broadway union for actors, and her paper archive is at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, NY.

SUNDAY, APRIL 28

Film Screening | Chisholm '72: Unbought and Unbossed
12:30 – 2pm

In 1972, Shirley Chisholm, a brilliant black congresswoman from Brooklyn, became the first woman to boldly bid for the presidency--and demand that the body politic represent all Americans. Shola Lynch is an award-winning American filmmaker best known for the feature documentary, Free Angela & All Political Prisoners and the Peabody Award winning documentary, Chisholm '72: Unbought and Unbossed.

Workshop | Playwriting as Activism
Led by Mojisola Adebayo
11am – 12 Noon

Led by UK-based Playwright Mojisola Adebayo, who transcribed Sandra Bland's arrest to create The Interrogation of Sandra Bland which will premiere during the closing of the “I AM…FEST,” her bespoke workshop, inspired by her expertise in Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed, will provide participants with a tangible insight into how best to use their voice and writing talent to create activist-driven artistic work. Adebayo is one of the UK's most prolific activist playwright and will share her experience of the impact that her work has had on her personal life, career and audiences across the world.


Panel Discussion | Women Leaders of Color
12:30 – 2pm

Some of the most inspiring Black Female Artistic Leaders within the Chicago Art Community gather to share their journey, experiences, challenges and successes. This panel discussion will provide audiences with an insight into leadership as well as, provide tips and advice on how best to reach goals and achieve a sustainable trajectory in the arts industry.   

Reading | So What’s New? by Fatima Dike (South Africa), directed by Andrea Dymond
3 – 5pm | Panel discussion to follow


So What’s New? is a domestic South African comedy about four township women who work in and outside of the legal system. While revolution brews outside, the women watch soap operas, and their private lives acting as an increasingly powerful counterpoint to the forces of darkness at work beyond their garden wall.

Reading | Chiaroscuro by Jackie Kay (United Kingdom), directed by Kemati Porter
7 – 9pm | Panel discussion to follow

‘If you’re white, you’re alright, if you’re brown stick around, if you’re black stay back’. Beth and Opal are a couple, and Aisha and Yomi are very close friends. Aisha hosts a dinner--and as more wine gets poured, discussions get heated. The definition of “chiaroscuro” is “the treatment of light and shade in a drawing or painting.” Centering on four women of color (mixed race, Asian decent and black), Chiaroscuro explores issues around shadism, loss of the mother tongue and homosexuality within the black community.

MONDAY, APRIL 29

Black Lives Black Words International Project– 10-minute Play Showcase and The Interrogation of Sandra Bland
7pm

- Jezelle the Gazelle by Dominique Morrisseau, directed by Patrese McClain
- Yet to Be by Nambi E. Kelley, directed by Chika Ike
- #SuiteReality by TS Hawkins, directed by Nicole Michelle Haskins
- Revolt.Ing by Lisa Langford, Directed by Sydney Chatman
- Principles of Cartography by Winsome Pinnock, Directed by Veronda Carey
- His Life Matters by Yolanda Mercy, Directed by Melanie Thompson
- I Am Woman by Loy Webb, Directed by Am'Ber Montgomery

In addition to the 10-minute play showcase, the festival will conclude with the U.S. premiere of The Interrogation of Sandra Bland, by Mojisola Adebayo, directed by Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway.

“The Interrogation of Sandra Bland, performed by 100 women of color, is a righteous uprising and a solemn requiem; both testimony and witnessing, theatre art and activism, a memorial imagined through the Black Lives Matter movement,” said Playwright Mojisola Adebayo. “All 100 women speak the words of Sandra Bland, together, recalling the arrest that lead to her death in police custody. In this moment she is an ‘everyblackwoman’. We elevate her status and all those who have faced such racist atrocities, through the amplification of the voice, a magnification of the struggle.”

ABOUT BLACK LIVES, BLACK WORDS CO-FOUNDERS

Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway (Founder and CEO of Artistic Directors of the Future (www.adofthefuture.com) and Co-founder, Executive Producer and Creative Director at Black Lives, Black Words International Project), has been listed three consecutive years in the Stage Top 100 Power List and last year was named in the London Evening Standard The Progress 1000: London's most influential people 2018 - Performance: Theatre. She is also the Founder/CEO of Beyond The Canon (www.beyondthecanon.com), former troubleshooter and Manager of the National Theatre's Black Play Archive, Editor of the first monologue anthology for Black Plays inspired by black British Plays: The Oberon Book of Monologues for Black Actors: Classical and Contemporary Speeches from Black British Plays which was followed by a second monologue anthology published by Bloomsbury Methuen Drama: Audition Speeches for Black, South Asian and Middle Eastern Actors, interim Associate Producer at Theatre Royal Stratford East and former Trustee at the Directors Guild of Great Britain and Company of Angels Theatre Company. She also worked nationally and internationally as a theatre director, producer, dramaturg, teacher/guest lecturer, audience development consultant. Hodge-Dallaway is currently a member of the editorial team for the Backpages Selection of the Contemporary Theatre Review (Routledge/UK). 

Reginald Edmund (Co-Founder and Managing Curating Producer for Black Lives Black Words International Project) is a Resident Playwright at Tamasha Theatre in London, England and an Alumni Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists Theatre, an Artistic Associate at Pegasus Theatre-Chicago, and an Artistic Patriot at Merrimack Repertory Theatre and a ‘10-‘11 Many Voice Fellow with the Playwrights’ Center. His play Southbridge was runner up for the Kennedy Center’s Lorraine Hansberry and Rosa Parks National Playwriting Awards, and most recently named winner of the Southern Playwrights’ Competition, the Black Theatre Alliance Award for Best New Play, and the Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award. His nine play series titled The City of the Bayou Collection, which includes Southbridge, Juneteenth Street, The Last Cadillac, and All the Dying Voices were developed at esteemed theaters including Pegasus Theatre-Chicago, Deluxe Theatre, Actors Theatre of Charlotte, Bush Theatre (UK), Boston Court @ Theatre, the Landing Theatre, the Playwrights’ Center, and The National Theatre (UK). Edmund received his BFA in Theatre-Performance from Texas Southern University and his MFA in Playwriting from Ohio University. 

ABOUT BLACK LIVES, BLACK WORDS INTERNATIONAL PROJECT

Black Lives, Black Words is an international initiative that provides local creatives with an artistic platform across various art forms to respond to social injustices that impact on underrepresented communities, in particular- people of color and women. BLBW uniquely merges arts and activism to empower artists of color and women to view themselves as leaders, global citizens and ambassadors for change. By working in partnership with leading theatres, culturally diverse organizations and academia, BLBW has provided opportunities to artists and leaders from a wide range of ages, ethnicities, experiences and socio-economic backgrounds. Since its inception in 2015, our work has spread both nationally and internationally through forging strong relationships with organizations, such as; The Guthrie (Minneapolis), Buddies in Bad Times (Canada), Obsidian Theatre (Canada), Victory Gardens (Chicago), Bush Theatre (London), Black Ensemble (Chicago), as well as academia, including; Rose Bruford (London), Northwestern University (Chicago) and Western Michigan (Kalamazoo). Black Lives, Black Words International Project premiered at the Greenhouse Theatre in Chicago in 2015 and was heralded as “It’s a hopeful performance that comes from a place of love and optimism” by The Resident Magazine (UK).



ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE

AMERICA’S “BEST REGIONAL THEATRE” (Time magazine), Goodman Theatre is a premier not-for-profit organization distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and civic engagement. Led by Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, the theater’s artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics (celebrated revivals include Falls’ productions of Death of a Salesman and The Iceman Cometh). Goodman Theatre artists and productions have earned two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards, over 160 Jeff Awards and many more accolades. In addition, the Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle;” and its annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, which recently marked its 41st production, has created a new generation of theatergoers. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production partner with local off-Loop theaters and national and international companies by providing financial support or physical space for a variety of artistic endeavors.

Committed to three core values of Quality, Diversity and Community, the Goodman proactively makes inclusion the fabric of the institution and develops education and community engagement programs that support arts as education. This practice uses the process of artistic creation to inspire and empower youth, lifelong learners and audiences to find and/or enhance their voices, stories and abilities. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of such programming, most offered free of charge, and has vastly expanded the theater’s ability to touch the lives of Chicagoland citizens (with 85% of youth participants coming from underserved communities) since its 2016 opening.

Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family’s legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth’s family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation of the new Goodman center in 2000.

Today, Goodman Theatre leadership also includes the distinguished members of the Artistic Collective: Brian Dennehy, Rebecca Gilman, Henry Godinez, Dael Orlandersmith, Steve Scott, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor, Henry Wishcamper and Mary Zimmerman. David W. Fox, Jr. is Chairman of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Denise Stefan Ginascol is Women’s Board President and Megan McCarthy Hayes is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.

OPENING: Mad Beat Hip & Gone A newly re-imagined script by Steven Dietz Via Promethean Theatre Ensemble April 27 – June 1, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Mad Beat Hip & Gone

A newly re-imagined script by Steven Dietz

Directed by Jess Hutchinson

At The Edge Theater Off-Broadway

I'll be out for the Press Opening May 5th, so check back soon for my full review. Promethean Theatre Ensemble will close its 2018-19 season with MAD BEAT HIP & GONE, by Steven Dietz, author of LAST OF THE BOYS and PRIVATE EYES and over thirty other plays that have been produced by regional theatres across the country, internationally, and off-Broadway in New York.  MAD BEAT HIP & GONE, which had its world premiere in Austin, Texas in 2013, follows two young Nebraska men who meet beat generation writer Jack Kerouac.  Rejecting the established order of mid-1950s America, they follow Kerouac’s example and hit the open road in search of truth. Do they find it? And what can we learn from their travels?

Promethean’s production of MAD BEAT HIP & GONE will be just the second production of the play and the first to employ revisions Dietz has written since its 2013 world premiere. It will be directed by Jess Hutchinson, Artistic Director of Chicago’s late New Leaf Theatre, where her directorial credits included ARCADIA, THE DINING ROOM, and world premieres of BURYING MISS AMERICA, LIGHTHOUSEKEEPING, and THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY. MAD BEAT HIP & GONE will open on Saturday May 4, 2019. It will be one of the first productions to be staged in The Edge Theater Off Broadway, 1133 W Catalpa Avenue, a new performance space in The Edge Theater building.

Hutchinson’s cast will include Pat King and Michael Vizzi as Danny and Rich, the two young Nebraska men on the road; and Hilary Williams as Honey – the girl they meet along the way and both fall for. Ted Hoerl will play Albert and Promethean Ensemble member Elaine Carlson will be Mrs. Fergus. Understudies are Nick Stockwell (Danny) and Annie Cleveland (Honey). The production team also will include Rachel Sypniewski (costume designer), Bec Willett (set designer),  Rachel Watson (properties designer), Sarah Scanlon (intimacy/violence designer), Benjamin Carne (lighting designer), Colin Kovarik (sound designer), Charles Martin (technical director) and Alexa Berkowitz (stage manager).

Top row left to right: Pat King, Hilary Williams, Michael Vizzi.

Lower row left to right: Elaine Carlson, Ted Hoerl.

BIOS
Steven Dietz (playwright) Steven Dietz's thirty-plus plays and adaptations have been seen at over one hundred regional theatres in the United States, as well as Off-Broadway and in twenty countries internationally. His work has been translated into ten languages. 

Mr. Dietz premiered three plays in the 2015-16 season: ON CLOVER ROAD (NNPN rolling world premiere); BLOOMSDAY (Steinberg New Play Award Citation); and THIS RANDOM WORLD (Humana Festival of New American Plays). Mr. Dietz is a two-time winner of the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays Award, for FICTION (produced Off-Broadway by the Roundabout Theatre Company) and STILL LIFE WITH IRIS (the first play for Young Audiences to receive this award). He received the PEN USA West Award in Drama for LONELY PLANET; the Edgar Award for Best Mystery Play for SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE FINAL ADVENTURE; and the Edgerton New Play Award for RANCHO MIRAGE (NNPN rolling world premiere). His plays LAST OF THE BOYS and BECKY'S NEW CAR were both finalists for the American Theatre Critic's Steinberg New Play Award.

Other widely produced Dietz plays include YANKEE TAVERN (NNPN rolling world premiere), SHOOTING STAR, JACKIE & ME (from Dan Gutman), GOD'S COUNTRY, DRACULA (from Bram Stoker), PRIVATE EYES, INVENTING VAN GOGH and THE NINA VARIATIONS.

Jess Hutchinson (director) is a dramaturg, director, educator, and producer. As Artistic Director of Chicago’s New Leaf Theatre, her favorite projects included ARCADIA, THE DINING ROOM, and world premieres of BURYING MISS AMERICA, LIGHTHOUSEKEEPING, and THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY. After earning her MFA from UT Austin, she was proud to be the 2015-16 NNPN Producer in Residence at Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas, Texas. Since returning home to Chicago she has been delighted to collaborate on productions, readings, and new play development with 20% Theatre, Rivendell, Route 66, Chicago Dramatists, Remy Bumppo, TimeLine, Governors State, and North Park University.  

The Edge Theater Off Broadway, 1133 W Catalpa Ave. Chicago
April 27 – June 1, 2019
Previews:  April 27 – May 3, 2019

Regular Run:  Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm. Industry Performance Monday, May 13, 2019 at 7:30 pm
Ticket prices: $30.00 general admission, $25.00 seniors, $15.00 students and military.

Tickets available at https://dime.io/events/mad-beat-hip-gone
More info at www.prometheantheatre.org


Steven Dietz's play considers 1950s America, when magnificent poets roamed open highways, accompanied by jukebox jazz. The nation’s youth hit the road, high on full tanks of gas and brimming with unattainable dreams. Two magnificently average young men from Nebraska encounter Jack Kerouac and his friends in a bar. They respond by heading west themselves, trailing the Beat poets all the way to the golden land of California. Youthful exuberance is balanced by the untethered floundering of the older generation and their bittersweet knowledge that all dreams are fleeting. MAD BEAT HIP & GONE marries the realism and sharp dialogue for which Dietz is famous, with the achingly brilliant poetry of the Beat Generation. It’s a road trip you won’t want to miss.

Karen Mason: For the First Time at The Cabaret Room at Drury Lane May 17–19, 2019

The Cabaret Room at Drury Lane Announces 

limited engagement of

Karen Mason: For the First Time

May 17–19, 2019

Chicago favorite and Broadway star Karen Mason debuts at Drury Lane Theatre’s intimate Cabaret Room. Her newest cabaret, Karen Mason: For the First Time will run for only three performances: May 17 and May 18 at 7:30pm and May 19 at 6:30pm in Drury Lane’s beautiful and intimate Cabaret Room located at 100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased through the box office at 630.530.0111 or TicketMaster at 800.745.3000 or online at DruryLaneTheatre.com.  

Featuring uniquely showstopping numbers, For the First Time highlights Mason’s vocal prowess, moving charisma, and overall versatility – few performers transcend seamlessly between television, recording, Off-Broadway, and Broadway as has Karen Mason. This legend has graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Feinstein’s 54 Below, and more, and The Cabaret Room at Drury Lane is thrilled to welcome her back to Chicago.

The Cabaret Room features a special small plates menu including a shareable charcuterie and cheese platter and bacon wrapped dates in addition to cocktails and desserts. Doors open one hour prior to performance time, leaving plenty of time for guests to take advantage of this delectable menu. Gold Circle tickets include front row table seating at $70 and General Admission table seating is $60. There is a $25 food and beverage minimum per person.
The 2019 Cabaret Series will continue August 9-11, 2019, September 27-29, 2019, December 27-29, 2019, and February 14-16, 2020). Performers to be announced at a later date.

For more information or to make a reservation, call the Drury Lane Theatre box office at 630.530.0111 or visit DruryLaneTheatre.com. 

Also playing at Drury Lane
The 2019/2020 season will include two award-winning Regional Theatre premieres – the imaginative Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical (April 26 – June 23, 2019), based on the beloved novel, and the beautifully captivating Gershwin musical An American in Paris (January 31 – March 29, 2020). The thrilling season also includes Agatha Christie’s edge-of-your-seat murder mystery And Then There Were None (July 12 – September 1, 2019); the revival of the exhilarating The Color Purple (September 13 – November 3, 2019), based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel; and the magical musical for all ages Mary Poppins (November 15 – January 19, 2020). 
  
Subscriptions for the 2019/2020 Season are priced from $172 to $203.50 and are currently on sale. Subscribers receive special offers on dining, flexible ticket exchanges, and early notification and priority seating for added events and concerts. For more information, visit DruryLaneTheatre.com. 
  
The performance schedule for all productions during the 2019/2020 season is as follows: Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m., Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Student group tickets start as low as $35 and Senior Citizens start at $45 for matinees. Dinner and show packages are also available. For individual ticket on-sale dates and ticket reservations, call the Drury Lane Theatre box office at 630.530.0111 or TicketMaster at 800.745.3000 or visit DruryLaneTheatre.com.  



About Drury Lane Theatre    
Under the leadership of President Kyle DeSantis and Artistic Director William Osetek, Drury Lane Theatre is a major force in the Chicagoland theatre scene, presenting world-class productions in collaboration with some of the nation’s leading actors, artists, writers, and directors. Drury Lane has staged more than 2,000 productions and has been nominated for more than 360 Joseph Jefferson Awards. Drury Lane is committed to breathing new life into beloved classics and introducing audiences to exciting new works.   
   
Throughout its 50-year history, Drury Lane has employed more than 7,500 actors and 10,000 musicians, designers, and crew members to entertain upwards of nine million audience members. Originally founded by Anthony DeSantis, Drury Lane Theatre moved to its current Oakbrook Terrace home more than 30 years ago and remains a family-run organization known for producing breathtaking Broadway classics, top-rated musicals, bold new works, hilarious comedies, and unforgettable concert events.   

SAVE THE DATES: TIMELINE THEATRE COMPANY'S 23RD SEASON 2019-20

ChiIL Live Shows on Our Radar

TimeLine Theatre Company, acclaimed for presenting plays that explore today’s social and political issues through the lens of the past, is thrilled to announce its 23rd season

The company’s 2019-20 subscription season will feature the previously announced Chicago premiere of J.T. Rogers’ Tony Award-winning OSLO presented at Broadway In Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse. TimeLine’s 2019-20 season continues with an acclaimed but rarely performed 100-year-old play named one of the best of the 20th Century that has never been seen in Chicago, the Chicago premiere of a powerful and provocative play described by the playwright as “an expressionistic buzz saw through the contemporary myth that ‘all lives matter,’” and the world premiere of a new play developed through TimeLine’s Playwrights Collective. 

TimeLine Theatre’s upcoming 2019-20 subscription season includes: The Chicago premiere of the 2017 Tony Award winner for Best Play, OSLO by J.T. Rogers, directed by TimeLine Associate Artistic Director Nick Bowling, a political thriller about the behind-the-scenes negotiations that brought about the 1993 peace agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, presented at the Broadway Playhouse.

The Chicago premiere of RUTHERFORD AND SON by Githa Sowerby, directed by TimeLine Company Member Mechelle Moe, a rarely produced family drama written in 1912 that brings an ahead-of-its-time depiction of class, gender, and generational warfare.

The Chicago premiere of KILL MOVE PARADISE by James Ijames, directed by TimeLine Company Member Wardell Julius Clark, a contemporary portrait of those lost, inspired by the ever-growing list of slain unarmed black men and women.

And the world premiere of RELENTLESS by TimeLine Company Member Tyla Abercrumbie, directed by TimeLine Company Member Ron OJ Parson, a new play developed through TimeLine’s Playwrights Collective that presents a complicated tale of family, legacy, and progress.

Further casting will be announced at a later date.
Save on tickets to TimeLine’s 2019-20 Season with a FlexPass Subscription. Four different tiers, priced from $97 to $235, are now on sale. For more information and to purchase, call (773) 281-8463 x6 or visit timelinetheatre.com.

“On behalf of all of TimeLine’s Company Members I am excited to announce our next season, featuring a thrilling collection of four plays that are all new to Chicago,” said TimeLine Artistic Director PJ Powers. “As TimeLine furthers its mission of exploring today’s social and political issues through the lens of the past, we will take audiences on a journey through different centuries and continents while exploring topics that dominate contemporary headlines and conversations. The season includes acclaimed plays such as Oslo and Kill Move Paradise that have recently been heralded in New York and beyond, alongside the world premiere of Tyla Abercrumbie’s astonishing family drama Relentless, and the resurrection of a groundbreaking feminist play from the early 20th century, Rutherford and Son, marking the long-overdue Chicago premiere of this classic.”

THE 2019-20 TIMELINE THEATRE SEASON IS:
Chicago Premiere
OSLO
by J.T. Rogers
directed by Nick Bowling
September 18 – October 20, 2019 (previews 9/10 – 9/17)
presented at Broadway In Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse, 175 E. Chestnut St.

TimeLine presents the Chicago premiere of the 2017 Tony Award winner for Best Play—a remarkable story about the unlikely friendships, quiet heroics, and sheer determination that pushed two foes to reach something neither thought truly possible—peace. 

When the Israeli prime minister and the chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization shook hands on the White House lawn in 1993, the world had no idea what it took to orchestrate that momentous occasion. Behind the scenes, a Norwegian diplomat and her social scientist husband hatched an intricate, top secret, and sometimes comical scheme to gather an unexpected assortment of players at an idyllic estate just outside Oslo. Far from any international glare, mortal enemies were able to face each other not as adversaries, but as fellow human beings. 

J.T. Rogers’ OSLO is a humorous, surprising, and inspiring true story about the people inside politics, and the incredible progress that is possible when we focus on what makes us human—together.

OSLO received the 2017 Tony Award for Best Play, as well as New York Critics, Outer Critics, Drama Desk, Drama League, Lucille Lortel, and Obie awards—a sweep of the 2016-17 New York awards season—and was nominated for the Olivier and Evening Standard awards.

This “riveting political thriller” (Associated Press) is “fast-paced and quick-witted” (The Independent) and “a disarmingly funny masterpiece” (Huffington Post). The Washington Post raved that “its account of intractable foes finding common ground is irresistible and, ultimately, deeply moving,” and the New York Daily News wrote that OSLO is “smart, touching and spiked with spy-novel tension and wry humor.” Variety called it “gripping, compelling, and compulsively watchable,” and The New York Times declared that it is “the stuff of crackling theater.”

Chicago Premiere
RUTHERFORD AND SON
by Githa Sowerby
directed by Mechelle Moe
November 14, 2019 – January 12, 2020 (previews 11/6 – 11/13)
presented at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave.

Named one of the “100 plays of the century” by the Royal National Theatre, Githa Sowerby’s rarely produced family drama is a smart and absorbing twist on a woman’s “place” in a male dominated society.

In the industrial north of England in 1912, the patriarch of the Rutherford family has spent decades building a respected glass works company to pass on to his children, without any say from them. Caught between passion, purpose, and expectation, John, Richard, and Janet struggle to break free from an oppressive and narrow-minded father dead set on writing their stories himself. Less entangled by these family expectations and with ambitions to give her son the life he deserves, John’s young wife Mary is determined to upend the cycle, whatever it takes.  

Playing on the conventions of the period with wit and creative edge, RUTHERFORD AND SON is a play ahead of its time, asking us to question if our “place” in life should be anything but what we ourselves determine it to be.
Originally produced under the pen name K.G. Sowerby, RUTHERFORD AND SON premiered in 1912 at London’s Court Theatre with four performances. It soon re-opened at London's Little Theatre, where it became a massive, critical success. Literary critic Barrett Harper Clark, writing in 1915, declared it "among the most powerful works of the younger generation” and Sowerby’s writing was compared to that of Henrik Ibsen. It was also produced in New York, Canada and Australia, and translated into numerous other languages, including German, French, Italian, Russian, and Bohemian. 

It was only later revealed that the author of the hit play was a woman, which may have been a factor in its fall into obscurity until the 1980s. It has since had successful productions including at the National Theatre in 1994 and New York’s Mint Theatre in 2001, among others, and will be revived at the National Theatre again in May 2019. TimeLine’s production will be the play’s Chicago premiere and among only a handful of productions ever presented in the United States. 
The Globe and Mail has called RUTHERFORD AND SON “engaging and splendid … works magic ... as a family drama.” And the Ottawa Citizen wrote that “the reason it continues to intrigue us is that it is first and foremost a study in character, an examination of how patriarchal despotism and the prevailing culture of the day can ensnare human beings.”

Chicago Premiere
KILL MOVE PARADISE
by James Ijames
directed by Wardell Julius Clark 
February 20 – April 5, 2020 (previews 2/12 – 2/19)
presented at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave.

James Ijames' New York Times Critic Pick play is a powerful and provocative reflection on recent events, illustrating the possibilities of collective transformation and radical acts of joy.

Torn from the world they know without warning, Isa, Daz, Grif, and Tiny discover themselves stuck in a nebulous waiting room in the afterlife. While balancing the reality of their past and the uncertainty of their future, their souls try to find peace from senseless action and hope in the life they left behind. 
Inspired by the ever-growing list of slain unarmed black men and women, KILL MOVE PARADISE is a portrait of those lost—not as statistics, but as heroes who deserve to be seen for the splendid beings they are.   
         
Playwright James Ijames has described his play as “an expressionistic buzz saw through the contemporary myth that ‘all lives matter.’” KILL MOVE PARADISE has been seen at National Black Theatre in Harlem, The Wilma Theatre in Philadelphia, and Know Theatre of Cincinnati, among others. The New York Times wrote that the work “radiates an urgent and hypnotic theatrical energy.” Philadelphia Magazine called it “a deeply touching evening of theater” and wrote that “Ijames’ writing is vividly, singularly his own [and] has something profound and important to tell us. You shall be moved.” And the Cincinnati Inquirer advised audiences to “lean back and allow the impact of it all to wash over you.” 

World Premiere
RELENTLESS
by Tyla Abercrumbie
directed by Ron OJ Parson
May 14 – June 27, 2020 (previews 5/6 – 5/13)
presented at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave.
Developed through TimeLine’s Playwrights Collective, this world premiere is a startling and vibrant look at the secrets we keep to protect the ones we love most.

After the death of their mother, two sisters return home to Philadelphia in 1918 to settle her estate. Annelle is a happy socialite desperate to return to the safe illusion of a perfect life with her husband in Boston. Janet is a single, professional nurse, determined to change history and propel black women to a place of prominence and respect. Upon discovering a series of diaries left by their late mother, they find themselves confronted with a woman they never really knew, exposing buried truths from the pasts that are chillingly, explosively Relentless.

Playwright and TimeLine Company Member Tyla Abercrumbie weaves a mother’s past with her daughters’ present in a complicated tale of family, legacy, and progress.      

This world premiere play was developed through TimeLine’s Playwrights Collective, launched in 2013 to support Chicago-based playwrights in residence and create new work centered on TimeLine’s mission of presenting plays inspired by history that connect to today’s social and political issues. RELENTLESS is the second play developed through the Collective to receive a full production, following Brett Neveu’s To Catch a Fish, which was presented at TimeLine in 2018. RELENTLESS received its first public reading as part of TimeLine’s inaugural First Draft Playwrights Collective Festival in December 2018.

BIOGRAPHIES (in alphabetical order)
Tyla Abercrumbie (Playwright, RELENTLESS) is a TimeLine Company Member and 2016-2018 Playwrights Collective member who has appeared as an actor in PARADISE BLUE and IN DARFUR, served as assistant director of A RAISIN IN THE SUN, and directed the TimePieces reading of REPAIRING A NATION. Her plays include WHO’S AFRAID OF DEEPAK CHOPRA, ASYLUM (AKA LIFE), PSYCHOLOGICAL TERRORISM, NAKED AND RAW, THE STRAW, AFFAIR OF AMBIGUITY, and NORMALITY. Abercrumbie’s work has been produced by Pittsburgh Playwright’s Theatre, MPAACT Theatre and Chicago Cultural Center, and THE STRAW received a professional Staged Reading with Chicago Dramatists. As an actor in the Chicago area, she recently starred in productions of SWEAT (Goodman) and PIPELINE (Victory Gardens), and has also worked at Chicago Shakespeare, Court, Next, and Northlight, among others. She has also worked at Florida’s Asolo Repertory Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Milwaukee Rep and Actors Theatre of Louisville. Television credits include THE CHI (recurring role), PROVEN INNOCENT, CHICAGO PD, CHICAGO MED, SHRINK, EMPIRE, EASY, CRISIS, MOB DOCTOR, DETROIT 187, CHICAGO CODE, SHAMELESS, and PRIVATE PRACTICE. You may also have seen her at comedy clubs around town testing jokes for her stand-up show, NAKED & RAW 3 (The Takers and the Tooken). Her book RED WINE AND THE BLES’SED MONKEY, a collection of prose and poetry, established her as a respected poet invited to showcase her work around the country, and as an opener for keynote speakers like the Reverend Jesse Jackson. She has a BA degree with a focus in Theatre and Creative Writing from Columbia College Chicago, and is a member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA.

Nick Bowling (Director, OSLO) was the founding Artistic Director and is now Associate Artistic Director and a Company Member of TimeLine Theatre, where he has directed 30 productions. He is the recipient of eight Jeff Awards for Outstanding Direction (THE HISTORY BOYS, THE NORMAL HEART, FIORELLO!, THIS HAPPY BREED, and THE CRUCIBLE at TimeLine, RAGTIME at Marriott Theatre, SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM at Porchlight Music Theatre, and ANOTHER PART OF THE FOREST at Eclipse Theatre) and also received Jeff Award nominations for BLOOD AND GIFTS, THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION, HAUPTMANN, and THE LION IN WINTER at TimeLine; CLOSER THAN EVER at Porchlight Music Theatre; and CITY OF ANGELS, THE KING AND I, and Man OF LA MANCHA at Marriott Theatre. Other recent credits at TimeLine include MASTER CLASS, THE AUDIENCE, A DISAPPEARING NUMBER, THE LAST WIFE, DANNY CASOLARO DIED FOR YOU, JUNO, and BLOOD AND GIFTS. Other Chicago credits include Marriott’s THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, Paramount's A CHRISTMAS STORY, Northwestern University’s GUYS AND DOLLS and CABARET, Porchlight’s A CATERED AFFAIR, Writers Theatre's BACH AT LEIPZIG, and Shattered Globe Theatre's TIME OF THE CUCKOO and FROZEN ASSETS. His upcoming projects include OLIVER! (Marriott).
Wardell Julius Clark (Director, KILL MOVE PARADISE) is a TimeLine Company Member who will make his TimeLine mainstage directing debut with KILL MOVE PARADISE. He first appeared on stage at TimeLine in A RAISIN IN THE SUN, works as a Teaching Artist with TimeLine’s Living History Program in Chicago Public Schools, and directed the TimePieces play reading of NAT TURNER IN JERUSALEM and the First Draft Festival reading of KENT STATE JACKSON STATE. An actor, director, teaching artist, and social justice activist, Clark’s recent directing credits in Chicago include THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM–1963 (Chicago Children’s Theatre), DUTCH MASTERS (Jackalope), THE SHIPMENT (Red Tape), SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY (Redtwist), and INSURRECTION: HOLDING HISTORY (Stage Left). He was also Associate Director for GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER and Assistant Director for GEM OF THE OCEAN and SATCHMO AT THE WALDORF (Court). His Chicago acting credits include FLYIN’ WEST (American Blues); SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER (Raven); APARTMENT 3A (Windy City Playhouse); SILENT SKY (First Folio); INVISIBLE MAN (Court); THE WHIPPING MAN (Northlight); WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT… and THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JAMES (Victory Gardens); THE BEATS (16th Street); GHOSTS OF ATWOOD (MPAACT), for which he received the Black Theater Alliance Denzel Washington Award for Most Promising Actor; and TOPDOG/UNDERDOG (American Theater Company/Congo Square). Regional credits include OTHELLO, MACBETH, and THE LEARNED LADIES (Theater at Monmouth); THE WHIPPING MAN (Cardinal Stage); CYMBELINE (Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival); and FENCES (Carver Theatre). His television and film credits include SHAMELESS and CHICAGO FIRE. Originally from Fairfield, Alabama, Clark earned his BFA degree in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University. He is represented by Gray Talent Group.
James Ijames (Playwright, KILL MOVE PARADISE) is a Philadelphia-based performer and playwright. He has appeared regionally in productions at The Arden Theatre Company, The Philadelphia Theatre Company, InterAct Theatre Company, The Wilma Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, Mauckingbird Theatre Company, and People’s Light and Theatre. Ijames’ plays have been produced by Flashpoint Theater Company, Orbiter 3, Theatre Horizon (Philadelphia, PA), The National Black Theatre (NYC), Ally Theatre (Washington, D.C.) and have received development with PlayPenn New Play Conference, The Lark, Playwright's Horizon, Clubbed Thumb, Villanova Theater, The Gulfshore Playhouse, Wilma Theater, Azuka Theatre, and Victory Gardens Theater. He is the 2011 F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Artist recipient, and he also won two Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play for SUPERIOR DONUTS and ANGELS IN AMERICA, and one Barrymore for Outstanding Direction of a Play for THE BROTHERS SIZE with Simpatico Theatre Company. Ijames is a 2011 Independence Foundation Fellow, a 2015 Pew Fellow for Playwriting, the 2015 winner of the Terrance McNally New Play Award for WHITE, the 2015 Kesselring Honorable Mention Prize winner for THE MOST SPECTACULARLY LAMENTABLE TRIAL OF MIZ MARTHA WASHINGTON and a 2017 recipient of the Whiting Award. He is a founding member of Orbiter 3, Philadelphia’s first playwright producing collective and a mentor for The Foundry. He received a BA degree in Drama from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, and an MFA degree in Acting from Temple University in Philadelphia, Penn. Ijames is Assistant Professor of Theatre at Villanova University and resides in South Philadelphia.

Mechelle Moe (Director, RUTHERFORD AND SON) is a Company Member at TimeLine, where her credits include directing CARDBOARD PIANO and IN THE NEXT ROOM OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY. She has appeared on stage in many TimeLine productions, including BOY, THE APPLE FAMILY PLAYS, MY KIND OF TOWN, THE FRONT PAGE, THE CHILDREN’S HOUR, NOT ENOUGH AIR, and PARADISE LOST. She is co-artistic director of The Yard, a youth-based theater company that produces theater relevant to young people, performed by young people, with whom she directed last year's critically acclaimed production of COLUMBINUS as part of Steppenwolf's LookOut series. Other directing credits with The Yard include MILK LIKE SUGAR, THE 4TH GRADERS PRESENT AN UNNAMED LOVE SUICIDE, and SNACK BREAK (an annual short plays festival). She also recently co-wrote/co-directed a new TYA production of THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF AESOP IN THE LAND OF FABLES for Raven Theatre. Moe is a Jeff Award recipient for Actress in Principal Role for her performance in Machinal (The Hypocrites) and received a Jeff Award nomination for Actress in Principal Role for Stage Door (Griffin). She is an artistic associate of Griffin Theater and a founding member of The Hypocrites. Moe graduated with honors from the University of Illinois Chicago with both a bachelor’s degree in Theater as well as Anthropology.

Ron OJ Parson (Director, RELENTLESS) became a TimeLine Company Member in 2016. His TimeLine credits include Jiréh Breon HOLDER’S TOO HEAVY FOR YOUR POCKET, Brett Neveu’s TO CATCH A FISH, Dominique Morisseau’s PARADISE BLUE and SUNSET BABY, and Lorraine Hansberry’s A RAISIN IN THE SUN. He is a native of Buffalo, New York, and a graduate of the University of Michigan’s professional theater program. He is the co-founder and former Artistic Director of Onyx Theatre Ensemble of Chicago and a co-founder and co-director of Ripe ManGo Productions. Parson is a Resident Artist at Court Theatre and an Associate Artist with Teatro Vista, and an Associate Artist at Writers Theatre. Since moving to Chicago from New York in 1994, he has worked as both an actor and director. His Chicago credits include work with The Chicago Theatre Company, Victory Gardens, Goodman, Steppenwolf, Chicago Dramatists, Northlight, Court, Black Ensemble Theatre, Congo Square, Northlight Theatre, Urban Theatre Company, City Lit Theater, ETA Creative Arts, and Writers. Regionally, Parson has directed shows at Studio Arena Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Milwaukee Repertory, South Coast Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse, Geva Theatre, Virginia Stage, Roundabout Theatre, Wilshire Theatre, The Mechanic Theatre, CenterStage, St. Louis Black Repertory, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, Signature Theatre (New York), Kansas City Rep, and Portland Stage, among others. In Canada, he directed the world premiere of Palmer Park by Joanna McClelland Glass at the Stratford Festival. He is a member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and SDC. For further information, visit ronojparson.com.

J.T. Rogers (Playwright, OSLO) plays include OSLO (Lincoln Center Theater, then Broadway; National Theatre, London, then West End); BLOOD AND GIFTS (Lincoln Center Theater; National Theatre; Chicago premiere at TimeLine Theatre in 2013); THE OVERWHELMING (National Theatre, then UK tour with Out of Joint; Roundabout Theatre); WHITE PEOPLE (Off Broadway with Starry Night Productions); and MADAGASCAR (Theatre 503, London; Melbourne Theatre Company). For OSLO he won the Tony, New York Critics, Outer Critics, Drama Desk, Drama League, Lortel, and Obie awards, and was nominated for the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards. As one of the playwrights for the Tricycle Theatre of London’s THE GREAT GAME: Afghanistan he was also nominated for an Olivier Award. His works have been staged throughout the United States and in Germany, Canada, Australia, South Korea, and Israel. Rogers’s essays have been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, and the New Statesman.  He is a Guggenheim fellow and has received three NYFA fellowships in playwriting. Rogers is a member of the Dramatists Guild, where he is a founding board member of the Dramatists Legal Defense Fund. He is an alum of New Dramatists and holds an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. 

Githa Sowerby (Playwright, RUTHERFORD AND SON, 1876-1970), also known under her pen name K.G. Sowerby, was an English playwright, children's writer, and member of the Fabian Society. A feminist, she was well-known during the early 20th century for her play RUTHERFORD AND SON, which was received as a work of major importance and became a hit in England, New York, and elsewhere, but lapsed into obscurity in later decades. She spent her childhood in Tyne and Wear in northeast England, where her family was involved in the glass-making business. She moved to London in her early twenties, where it is believed that she wrote RUTHERFORD AND SON, which premiered in 1912. Her plays have been described as exploiting realist techniques to address social and economic problems, often from a feminist perspective. Her other plays include BEFORE BREAKFAST (1912), A MAN AND SOME WOMEN (1914), SHEILA (1917), THE STEPMOTHER (1924), and THE POLICEMAN’S WHISTLE (1934). She also wrote numerous books for children with her elder sister, Millicent, as well as some plays for young audiences.



ABOUT TIMELINE THEATRE COMPANY
TimeLine Theatre Company, recipient of the prestigious 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, was founded in April 1997 with a mission to present stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. Now in its 22nd season, TimeLine has presented 78 productions, including 10 world premieres and 34 Chicago premieres, and launched the Living History Education Program, now in its 12th year of bringing the company's mission to life for students in Chicago Public Schools. Recipient of the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence and the Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award from the Association for Strategic Planning, TimeLine has received 54 Jeff Awards, including an award for Outstanding Production 11 times.

TimeLine is led by Artistic Director PJ Powers, Managing Director Elizabeth K. Auman and Board President Eileen LaCario. Company members are Tyla Abercrumbie, Will Allan, Nick Bowling, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Wardell Julius Clark, Behzad Dabu, Charles Andrew Gardner, Lara Goetsch, Juliet Hart, Anish Jethmalani, Mildred Marie Langford, Mechelle Moe, David Parkes, Ron OJ Parson, PJ Powers, Maren Robinson and Benjamin Thiem.

Major corporate, government and foundation supporters of TimeLine Theatre include Alphawood Foundation, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Bayless Family Foundation, The Crown Family, Forum Fund, Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation, Illinois Arts Council Agency, Laughing Acres Family Foundation, A.L. and Jennie L. Luria Foundation, MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Pauls Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, and The Shubert Foundation.

New Uptown Home In The Works:



Now Playing:



For more information, visit timelinetheatre.com or Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (@TimeLineTheatre).