REVIEW: Midwest Premiere of LANGUAGE ROOMS Via Broken Nose Theatre

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

All Performances Pay-What-You-Can!

Midwest Premiere!

Broken Nose Theatre Presents

LANGUAGE ROOMS

(left to right) Salar Ardebili and Bilal Dardai 

All Photos by Austin D. Oie.

By Yussef El Guindi

Directed by Kaiser Zaki Ahmed

April 19 – May 18, 2019 at The Den Theatre

Review
by bonnie kenaz-mara

I spent last night in a cinder block institution, where disorientation, deprivation, intimidation, bullying, embarrassment and lactose intolerance were used as weapons against suspected terrorist sympathizers. Under the guise of national security, a host of normally benign objects took on sinister overtones, as sanctioned US translators turned torturers, unpacked everything from baseball bats, pliers and tubing, to clown noses, honey, and deprivation suits.

(left to right) Bradford Stevens and Salar Ardebili

When loyalties are questioned, lines blur between the detainers and detainees, and thing get even more interesting. Language Rooms is fanciful and frightening; a delightfully dark comedy, as disturbing as it is absurd. It's easy to believe the world of this dystopian detention center could truly exist in our present political climate. It's hapless inhabitants are suspect for a lack of love of sports, a shyness for group showers, and guilt by association. 

(left to right) Bilal Dardai and Salar Ardebili

Throw in a dose of immigrant struggles, parental sacrifice and screw ups, hidden infidelity, and infidel associates, and you have one masterful mashup. In this catacomb of coerced confessions, an Egyptian translator works who barely knows his native language or culture, a black boss suspects everyone, coverups and leaks abound, and big brother is always watching. Meanwhile, higher powers are gunning for dissolving the entire division. So the pressure's on for the facility to justify their own existence and success rates, to stay in the interrogation business. The entire cast is compelling with Salar Ardebili (Ahmed) and Bilal Dardai (Samir) as particular standouts, 

Yussef El Guindi’s thought provoking piece is recommended. Best of all, tickets for all performances are Pay-What-You-Can! Book now for best availability. Tickets are currently available at www.brokennosetheatre.com.

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

(left to right) Bradford Stevens, Bilal Dardai and Salar Ardebili

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. The press opening is Monday, April 22 at 7:30 pm.

(left to right) Salar Ardebili and Bassam Abdelfattah

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      

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.

(left to right) Bilal Dardai and Salar Ardebili

(left to right) Bradford Stevens and Salar Ardebili 

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.

 (pictured) Bilal Dardai 

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.


(left to right) Bassam Abdelfattah, Bradford Stevens and Salar Ardebili in Broken Nose Theatre’s Midwest premiere of LANGUAGE ROOMS. Photo by Austin D. Oie.


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 THE UNDENIABLE SOUND OF RIGHT NOW Via Raven Theatre May 2 – June 16, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Chicago Premiere!

Raven Theatre Presents

THE UNDENIABLE SOUND OF RIGHT NOW

By Laura Eason

Directed by BJ Jones

May 2 – June 16, 2019 

Raven Theatre is pleased to conclude its 2018-19 season with the Chicago premiere of Laura Eason’s THE UNDENIABLE SOUND OF RIGHT NOW, a poignant and potent portrait of those who can change with the times and those who get left behind. Directed by BJ Jones, THE UNDENIABLE SOUND OF RIGHT NOW will play May 2 – June 16, 2019 on Raven’s 99-seat East Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.raventheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177. The press opening is Monday, May 6 at 7:30 pm.

THE UNDENIABLE SOUND OF RIGHT NOW features Christopher Acevedo, Dana Black, Henry Greenberg, Jeff Mills, Casey Morris and Lindsay Stock.

Chicago, 1992. The city and its culture are changing, but grungy old Hank’s Bar isn’t. The “soulless” noise of electronic music is on the rise. Hank, proprietor of a legendary rock club, must battle the rising tide of The Next Big Thing as it threatens to destroy his legacy and fracture his family.

Comments Artistic Director Cody Estle, “The Undeniable Sound of Right Now is a Chicago story – set in Chicago and written by fourth generation Chicagoan Laura Eason. The play is a somewhat poignant look at the fall of rock music and the rise of house music in the early 1990s. This is a topic Laura knows well, as she was the singer, songwriter and bass player for the Chicago power pop band Tart. I am pleased to present this play about the inevitable changes which come with the passage of time and the coming of age of a new generation.”

The production team for THE UNDENIABLE SOUND OF RIGHT NOW includes: Jeffrey D. Kmiec (scenic design), Izumi Inaba (costume design), Heather Gilbert (lighting design), Lindsay Jones (sound design), Lacie Hexom (props design), Kanome Jones (casting director), Eli Newell (assistant director), Eric Backus (assistant sound designer), Eileen Rozycki (scenic artist), Cole von Glahn (production manager), Bek Lambrecht (technical director), Wilhelm Peters (stage manager) and Sapier Weinglass (assistant stage manager).

Cast (in alphabetical order): Christopher Acevedo (Toby), Dana Black (Bette), Henry Greenberg (Nash), Jeff Mills (Hank), Casey Morris (Joey) and Lindsay Stock (Lena).

Location: Raven Theatre East Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville), Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, May 2 at 7:30 pm, Friday, May 3 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, May 5 at 3 pm

Press performance: Monday, May 6 at 7:30 pm

Regular run: Thursday, May 9 – Sunday, June 16, 2019

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm.

Tickets: Previews $32 ($29 if purchased online). Regular run $46 ($43 if purchased online). Seniors/teachers $41 ($38 if purchased online). Students/active military and veterans $15. Every Thursday is “Under 30 Thursday,” when patrons under age 30 can purchase tickets for $15. Tickets are currently available at www.raventheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177.

Touch Tour/Open Captioned performance: Sunday, June 2 at 3 pm. Touch tour begins at 1:45 pm.

Group tickets: Groups of 10 or more are $30 per person for Thursday and Friday performances and $35 per person for Saturday and Sunday performances. Student groups are $15 per person.

Plan Your Visit:
Free parking is provided in a lot adjacent to the theatre – additional street parking is available. Nearest El station: Granville Red Line. Buses: #22 (Clark), #36 (Broadway), #151 (Sheridan), #155 (Devon), #84 (Peterson).

About the Artists:
Laura Eason (Playwright) is a Brooklyn-based screenwriter and playwright. She is best known for four seasons as a writer/producer on the Netflix drama House of Cards (WGA nomination for outstanding writing in a drama series, three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for drama series) and her play Sex With Strangers (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago; Second Stage, NY; Hampstead Theatre, London; Sydney Theatre, AU; Blackwing Productions, Buenos Aires, AR; one of the most produced plays in the U.S. of the ’15-’16 and ’16-’17 seasons with more than 50 separate productions). Her award-winning stage adaptations for family audiences include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Hartford Stage, CT; New Victory, NY; and more than thirty productions around the U.S.) and Around the World in 80 Days (Lookingglass Theatre, Chicago and many productions in U.S. and London/UK). Eason is an ensemble member and the former Artistic Director of Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago (2011 Regional Theatre Tony Award), and a Dramatists Guild, WGAE, AEA, SAG, and SDC member. Laura is an alumna of Northwestern University and WP Playwright’s Lab. More information at www.lauraeason.com or @LEasonNYC


BJ Jones (Director) is in his 20th season as Artistic Director of Northlight Theatre, where he has commissioned and directed the world premieres of Faceless, Charm, White Guy on the Bus, Chapatti, Stella & Lou, The Outgoing Tide (Jeff Nomination – Best Director), Better Late and Rounding Third. Notably he has directed productions of Outside Mullingar, Grey Gardens, The Price (Jeff Nomination – Best Director), A Skull in Connemara, The Cripple of Inishmaan, and The Lieutenant of Inishmore. As a producer he has guided the world premieres of Shining Lives, The Last Five Years, The Gamester and Studs Terkel’s The Good War. From Second City to Shakespeare, BJ has directed Pitmen Painters (Jeff Nomination – Best Director, TimeLine), A Number (Next), 100 Saints You Should Know (Steppenwolf) and The Dresser (Body Politic). Regional: Glengarry Glen Ross (Suzie Bass Nominee – Best Director, Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre), Enchanted April (Asolo Theatre), and productions at Cherry Lane Theatre NY, Galway International Arts Festival, Baltimore Center Stage, and Utah Shakespeare Festival. As a performer, Mr. Jones is a two-time Joseph Jefferson Award winner and has appeared at Northlight, Goodman, Steppenwolf, Court and other theatres throughout Chicago. Film/TV credits include The Fugitive, Body Double, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Early Edition, Cupid and Turks, among others.



About Raven Theatre
Raven Theatre tells stories of today and the past that connect us to our cultural landscape. Through its plays as well as its educational programming, Raven is committed to serving our communities’ needs through the arts.

Raven Theatre Company is funded in part by the Alphawood Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, Polk Bros Foundation, Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, S&C Electric Company Fund, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

SAVE THE DATES: Black Button Eyes Productions 2019-20 Season

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Chicago Premiere!

GHOST QUARTET

Book, Music & Lyrics by Dave Malloy

Directed by Ed Rutherford

Music Direction by Nick Sula

Choreography by Derek Van Barham

Chicago Premiere!

WHISPER HOUSE

Music & Lyrics by Duncan Sheik

Book & Additional Lyrics by Kyle Jarrow

Directed by Artistic Director Ed Rutherford

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we love the macabre stylings of Black Button Eyes Productions. Even my zombie-phobic son adored their last production, the smash hit Chicago Storefront Premiere of Evil Dead the Musical. It was an epic bloodbath and too much fun. We've got their upcoming season on the calendar and can't wait to see them make more magic invade reality! 

Black Button Eyes Productions is pleased to announce its 2019-20 Season, featuring two Chicago premiere musicals! The season kicks off this summer with GHOST QUARTET by Broadway composer Dave Malloy (Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812). This intriguing and entertaining song cycle is directed by Artistic Director Ed Rutherford, with music direction by Nick Sula and choreography by Derek Van Barham.

  (left to right) Kevin Webb and Matt McNabb in Black Button Eyes Productions’ 2018 Chicago premiere musical NEVERMORE – The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe. Photo by Cole Simon.

Next winter, Black Button Eyes concludes its season of “Ghost Stories” with WHISPER HOUSE featuring music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening) and book and additional lyrics by Kyle Jarrow, also directed by Rutherford.

GHOST QUARTET will be presented at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Tickets ($30) go on sale Friday, March 1, 2019 at www.stage773.com, in person at the Stage 773 box office or by calling (773) 327-5252. WHISPER HOUSE will be staged at The Athenaeum Theatre (Studio Two), 2936 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago. Tickets ($30) will go on sale at a later date.

 Nightmares&Nightcaps-3 (pictured) Kevin Webb in Black Button Eyes Productions’ 2018 world premiere of NIGHTMARES AND NIGHTCAPS: The Stories of John Collier. Photo by Cole Simon.

Black Button Eyes Productions’ 2019-20 Season:

July 12 – August 17, 2019

GHOST QUARTET – Chicago Premiere!

Book, Music and Lyrics by Dave Malloy

Directed by Ed Rutherford

Music Direction by Nick Sula

Choreography by Derek Van Barham

at Stage 773 (The Box), 1225 W. Belmont Ave. Chicago

Press opening: Friday, July 19, 2019 at 7:30 pm

From the mind of Broadway composer Dave Malloy (Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812) comes a musical ghost story of four friends who love each other, kill each other, and drink whiskey across centuries and lifetimes. GHOST QUARTET delightfully mashes up Grimms’ fairy tales, Edgar Allan Poe, Arabian Nights, Sondheim, Thelonious Monk and more.

January 10 – February 15, 2020

WHISPER HOUSE

Music and Lyrics by Duncan Sheik

Book and Additional Lyrics by Kyle Jarrow

Directed by Artistic Director Ed Rutherford

at The Athenaeum Theatre (Studio Two), 2639 N. Southport Ave.

Press opening: Friday, January 17, 2020 at 7:30 pm

When Christopher's father is shot down in the Pacific during World War 2, the young boy is sent to live with his foreboding aunt in her very remote - and very haunted – lighthouse. Despite any lurking spirits, the most fearsome demons Christopher will need to confront lie within.

ShockheadedPeter-1 (left to right) Anthony Whitaker, Kat Evans, Gwen Tulin and Pavi Proczko in Black Button Eyes Productions’ 2017 Chicago storefront premiere of SHOCKHEADED PETER. Photo by Cole Simon.

About the Artists:

Ed Rutherford (Director, Ghost Quartet & Whisper House) Directing credits for Black Button Eyes include Evil Dead the Musical, Nightmares & Nightcaps: The Stories of John Collier, Nevermore, Shockheaded Peter, Amour, Goblin Market, and Coraline. He is an artistic associate with Promethean Theatre Ensemble, where he directed The Liar, his own adaptation of Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn, Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle and the company's inaugural production, Christopher Durang’s Beyond Therapy. Directing with Brown Paper Box Co: The Baltimore Waltz. As an actor, he's performed with Drury Lane Oakbrook, Porchlight, Theater Wit and many others. A graduate of Northwestern's theater program, he recently completed his MBA at Kellogg.

Nick Sula (Music Director, Ghost Quartet) Nick is a pianist, arranger and award-winning music director for theater and cabaret. He is proud to return to Black Button Eyes Productions, where he was music director for Coraline, Amour and Nevermore. Other music direction credits include productions with Porchlight Music Theatre, Bohemian Theatre Ensemble, Pride Films and Plays, Chicago Theatre Workshop, Chicago Musical Theatre Festival. Nick performs with vocalists at theaters and cabaret venues such as Davenport’s, Petterino’s, Drew’s on Halsted, Stage 773, Victory Gardens, and the Park West. He is an instructor, music director and vocal coach at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

Derek Van Barham (Choreographer, Ghost Quartet) is the Producing Artistic Director of Kokandy Productions, and a member of the Red Tape Theatre ensemble. He previously served as Associate Artistic Director of Pride Films & Plays. For PFP, he directed Perfect Arrangement, Angry Fags (Steppenwolf Garage), Songs from an Unmade Bed (Jeff nomination), and (co-directed) PRISCILLA, Queen of the Desert. Choreography credits include The CiviliTy of Albert Cashier and BITE (PFP), all Black Button Eyes productions, and Salonathon. Other directing credits include The View Upstairs (Circle Theatre), Three Days of Rain (Boho), and Miracle! by Dan Savage (Hell in a Handbag). He was named one of Windy City Times 30 Under 30, recognizing Chicago's LGBTQ+ community.   

About Black Button Eyes Productions

The 2019-20 season continues Black Button Eyes Productions' mission to bring to Chicago premieres and seldom-seen works containing elements of fantasy, in which the magical and surreal invade reality. The company was founded in 2014 with the acclaimed Midwest premiere of the musical Coraline, followed by Goblin Market, Amour, Shockheaded Peter, Nevermore-The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe, and the world premiere Nightmares and Nightcaps: The Stories of John Collier. Most recently the company presented the smash hit Chicago Storefront Premiere of Evil Dead the Musical.

OPENING: Barrie Cole's Reverse Gossip To Launch Walnut Spaceship Studio, Bridgeport Arts Center April 26-May 11, 2019

AUDIENCE EAVESDROPS ON SECRET PHONE CONVERSATIONS IN NEWEST PRODUCTION BY PLAYWRIGHT BARRIE COLE

“Reverse Gossip” opens April 26; Premiere Production in

Walnut Spaceship Studio, Bridgeport Arts Center

Barrie Cole pictured, Photo credit: Jen Moniz

Playwright Barrie Cole was intrigued by one-sided phone conversations in public spaces, but felt they could be juicier for those who enjoy eavesdropping (who doesn’t?). That is the inspiration for “Reverse Gossip” written by Cole and directed by Jen Moniz. “Reverse Gossip” opens April 26 and is the inaugural production at and by Walnut Spaceship Studio, Bridgeport Arts Center, 1200 W. 35th Street, Suite 1430 “Reverse Gossip” runs through May 11 with performances on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are available at ReverseGossip.BrownPaperTickets.com.

“Reverse Gossip” began in 2014 when Cole wrote a series of monologues meant to function as one side of a telephone conversation. Working with her longtime collaborator and director Moniz, they enlisted dozens of actors, photographers and videographers to participate in the public performance of these monologues on the city’s transit system. They took to the trains and conducted a wide ranging live performance experiment multiple times over the course of a two year period. In 2017, the first staged version of this monologue project premiered at the Prop Theatre as part of the Rhinoceros Theater Festival.

“Riding public transit, it’s impossible to not overhear phone conversations,” Cole said. “But usually those conversations were about mundane things. I wanted to hear conversations that were funny or strange, conversations about looking, feeling, and being human, conversations about making sense of the world so I decided to write some and I thought they might make an interesting performance. I thought what if phones, which usually distance people on the train from each other, could be used to bring people together instead?”

For this production of “Reverse Gossip” the audience is seated as if on a train to submerse the viewers into the voyeuristic experience. “Reverse Gossip” is performed by Brook Celeste, KellyAnn Corcoran, Cat Jarboe, T-Roy Martin, Ira Murfin, Briavael O’Reilly, Robert Puccinelli, Miles Oliver Sennett, and Vicki Walden.

Walnut Spaceship Studio is a new performance venue and production company operating out of Bridgeport Arts Center. The venue is curated and operated by Paul Leisen, who is also the producer for “Reverse Gossip”.

Tickets are $20 and are available at ReverseGossip.BrownPaperTickets.com There is free parking in a lot and on the street. There is an industry night on Monday, May 6 at 8 p.m. and a pay-what-you-can option at the door. 

BIOS
Brook Celeste (actor) performs regularly at Prop Thtr and with Curious Theater Branch. She recently played the deranged and spectacular Hosty Bodine in Savannah Reich’s “Pestilence: Wow!”

Barrie Cole (playwright) is a playwright, writer, and performer. Some of her plays include: “Reality is an Activity”, “Meaning is Tricky”, “Elevator Tours”, “Fruit Tree Backpack”, “I Love You Permanently”, “Clumsy Sublime”, “To Relax and Laugh”, “Something Made Up”, “Peacock Jazz” and many others. Also a writer of multiple essays, short stories, and performance works, she has performed or read her work at many live literary events and venues around town including: Write Club, Story Sessions, Essay Fiesta, Paper Machete, This Much is True, Truth or Lie, and more. Earlier this year she performed a collection of solo pieces, entitled “Language Can Fly” at the Prop Theatre. 

KellyAnn Corcoran (actor) has been acting directing and writing in Chicago theater since 1992. Most recently she directed, “The True Cost” for Still Point Theater Collective and is currently performing in “BiPolar Bitch.” Her essays can be found on Wattpad.com and Medium.com.

Cat Jarboe (actor) a performer that uses public transportation on a frequent basis with wildly mixed feelings. She can usually be seen walking to stations and scowling. She is very humbled to be a part of this production with such a talented group of rascals.

Paul Leisen (producer) is a designer, academic philosopher, and developer. He carries a BS in Speech/Theatre from Northwestern University, and has a background in Chicago fringe theatre performance, and design. He has worked with the Curious Theatre Branch, Theatre Oobleck, and the Rhinoceros Theatre Festival. He recently designed and built the Dollop Coffee empire, and earned his PhD in social political Philosophy from Loyola University.   

T-Roy Martin (actor) is a musician and actor. He is a founding member of The Billy Goat Experiment Theatre Company, a member of The Curious Theatre Branch, and has worked with Theatre Oobleck, Prop Theatre, Teatro Vista, and other companies around the city. He strums and sings with the bands 80 Foots and The Crooked Mouth.

Jen Moniz (director) is a theatrical director, producer, and stage manager. She has collaborated with Barrie Cole on a number of projects, including the original productions of “Reality is an Activity”, “Meaning is Tricky”, “Elevator Tours”, “Clumsy Sublime”, and a remount of “To Relax and Laugh”. In 2015, she began collaborating with Cole on a guerilla performance art project which evolved into this staging.

Ira S. Murfin (actor) is a theatre and performance scholar, artist, and public programmer. He is currently Assistant Director for Programming with the Guild Literary Complex, a PreAmble Scholar at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and performance editor for the journal Requited. Critical and scholarly publications include Performance Research, Journal of American Drama & Theatre, Theatre Topics, andTheatre Journal. His performance work has been presented by MCA Chicago, Links Hall, Rhinoceros Theatre Festival, Chicago Cultural Center, Block Museum of Art, Tritriangle, and Sector 2337, among other places. He holds the Interdisciplinary PhD in Theatre & Drama from Northwestern University and an MFA in Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Briavael O’Reilly (actor) has been doing theater in some form for most of her life and was most recently seen in “The Skriker” at the Rhinoceros Theater Festival. She invites you to eavesdrop on her weekly as Bri the Barefoot DJ on CHIRP Radio. Catch O’Reilly next onstage this fall with Curious Theater Branch.

Robert Puccinelli (actor) has been involved in this project since it was performed on trains throughout the city. He is an actor, stand-up comedian, filmmaker, photographer, and adjunct professor of digital media at Depaul University where he also received his MFA.

Miles Oliver Sennett (actor), originally from the Pacific Northwest, has close ties with Prop Thtr where he most recently house managed "2 Unfortunate 2 Travel" directed by Zach Wineberg. On stage he often performs under the name Steak Richardson, a pseudonym for his self described "Neo Western" found text performance art act. Steak has performed in Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Chicago and has collaborated with Adult Swim's David Lieba Hart. Additionally, he currently hosts "I Hate Mondays", a monthly presentation of short new experimental work by a variety of up and coming artists.

Vicki Walden (actor) is an ensemble member of Curious Theatre Branch, where her most recent credits include: “(Not) Another Day”, “One Boppa”, “Ionesco’s Rhinoceros”, and “March!”. She appeared in Cole’s “Reality is an Activity” and “Clumsy Sublime”. Walden has performed in a host of shows as an ensemble member of Cook County Theatre Department, Lucky Pierre, and DOG, a theater company. She also plays bass in The Crooked Mouth.

OPENING: Into the Breeches! at Northlight Theatre May 9 – June 16, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Northlight Theatre concludes its 2018-19 season with

Into the Breeches!

Written by George Brant

Directed by Jessica Thebus

Featuring Mitchell Fain, Molly Hernandez, Annie Munch, Darci Nalepa, Hollis Resnik, Penny Slusher, Penelope Walker and Fred Zimmerman

May 9 – June 16, 2019

I'll be out to review in mid May, so check back with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often. Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, concludes its 2018-19 season with Into the Breeches!, written by George Brant and directed by Jessica Thebus. Into the Breeches! runs May 9 – June 16, 2019 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. 

It’s 1942 and with the men off at war, the Oberon Play House is lacking its director and leading men. The season will be canceled…until the director’s wife rallies the troops at home for an all-female production. With the opportunity to move from the sidelines to centerstage, the women forge ahead with a spirit of collaboration, dauntless enthusiasm, and a belief in the power of art to move us forward. This surprisingly modern comedy proves that the show not only must, but will go on.

“Playwright George Brandt is a Morton Grove native and alumnus of Northwestern. In fact, George has set the play against the backdrop of Evanston during the Second World War,” comments BJ Jones. “In Shakespeare's time as you know, women's roles were played by young men, as women on stage were deemed scandalous and inappropriate. Brandt has flipped this around, casting women in men's roles through necessity during the Great War, and not just in service of humor, but taking the opportunity to discuss issues of gender we focus on today. In fact, theatrical funding, racial issues, class structure all are examined through the lens of history. The celebration of theatre that is Into the Breeches! is a refreshing finish to this wonderful 44th season.”

The cast of Into the Breeches! includes Mitchell Fain (Stuart Lasker), Molly Hernandez (June Bennett), Annie Munch (Grace Richards), Darci Nalepa (Maggie Dalton), Hollis Resnik (Celeste Fielding), Penny Slusher (Winifred Snow), Penelope Walker (Ida Green) and Fred Zimmerman (Ellsworth Snow).

The creative team includes Arnel Sancianco (set design), Samantha C. Jones (costume design), JR Lederle (lighting design) and Kevin O’Donnell (sound design). The dramaturg is Lauren Shouse and the stage manager is Rita Vreeland.

Northlight’s production of Into the Breeches! is supported in part by John J. Cahill, J. Douglas Gray/Marshall Street Capital, Carol & Steve Mullins, The Pauls Foundation, Plante Moran, and Room & Board.

Into the Breeches! is the first of George Brant’s plays to be presented at Northlight. Brant is from Morton Grove and is a graduate of Northwestern University. The play is set in Evanston, IL.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
George Brant (Playwright) has had plays produced in the Chicago area including Grounded (produced at American Blues Theatre, Theater of Thought, ETOPiA, and Northwestern’s Jewish Theatre Ensemble), Any Other Name  (Williams Street Rep) and Grizzly Mama (Rivendell Theatre).  His work here in the ‘90s included One Hand Clapping, Tights on a Wire and Night of the Mime. His plays have been produced internationally and received a Lucille Lortel Award, an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, and the Keene Prize for Literature. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and received his MFA in Writing from the Michener Center at UT-Austin. Upcoming work includes the world premiere of The Prince of Providence at Trinity Repertory Company and an operatic version of Grounded at The Met.

This is Director Jessica Thebus’s seventh production with Northlight Theatre. She is Director of the Graduate Directing Program at Northwestern University.

Jessica Thebus (Director) is a director of theater and an educator based in Chicago. Past Northlight credits include The Book of Will, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, Shining Lives: A Musical, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Inherit the Wind and Red Herring. At Steppenwolf, she has directed Sex with Strangers, Intimate Apparel, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, No Place Like Home, When the Messenger is Hot (also at 59 E 59th in NYC) and Sonia Flew. Other favorite projects: Richard III (Gift), In the Garden by Sarah Gmitter (Lookingglass), Buzzer by Tracy Scott Wilson (Goodman), Welcome Home Jenny Sutter (Next), As You Like It (Oregon Shakespeare), and The Feast: an intimate Tempest (Chicago Shakespeare with Redmoon). She is Director of the Graduate Directing Program at Northwestern University.

Mitchell Fain (Stuart Lasker) was born in Providence, Rhode Island and moved to Chicago 25 years later to grow up. He has had the opportunity to work with many wonderful people and companies here in Chicago including the Bailiwick, The Factory, Streetsigns, Roadworks, Chicago Shakespeare, Second City Theatricals, Eclipse, Pegasus Players, Northlight, and many more. He has appeared in a number of TV shows and commercials and several independent films. In addition, he is a member of Chicago’s own celebrated Midnight Circus where he flips, flops, and occasionally flies with his best friends and colleagues. Mitchell won an After Dark award for his performance as William Shakespeare in the Circus’s production of All the World’s a Stage. Most recently, Mitchell played Puck in Indiana Repertory’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Theatre Guy in the premiere of Stilettos, Circus, and Soul at Northlight Theatre. Favorite roles include Henry VI, Horatio, Allen Ginsberg, Frank O’Hara, Stephen Daedelus, Peter Van Daan, and a killer cheerleader named Pepper in the long running hit Bitches.

Molly Hernandez (June Bennett) has enjoyed performing for others since the age of 9 when she debuted as Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird. Shortly after, she worked professionally with the Court Theater in Wait Until Dark and has since worked in film, video, voice over, print ads and commercials. Regionally, Molly portrayed Maria Elena Santiago in American Blues Theater’s production of The Buddy Holly Story. Molly also played Rosabella in the Jeff Recommended production of The Most Happy Fella at Theo Ubique, for which she was nominated for the Best Actress in a Principal Role in a Musical. She has also appeared in multiple productions with Collaboraction Theatre Company and played Julie Jordan in Carousel as a member of the 2017 Resident Company at Timber Lake Playhouse. On television, Molly can be seen as Elisa Rodriguez on episode 512 of Chicago PD and as Maya Ruiz on episode 105 of APB. She has also been featured in a number of films and commercials.

Molly Hernandez (June Bennett) and Annie Munch (Grace Richards) are making their Northlight debuts in Into the Breeches!

Annie Munch (Grace Richards) is making her Northlight Theatre debut. Previous credits include Mary Page Marlowe (Steppenwolf), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? (Indiana Repertory Theatre), The Wolves (TheatreSquared), The Antelope Party (Theater Wit), as well as work with Strawdog Theatre Company, Next Theatre, and Awkward Pause Theatre. Television credits include Sense8, Proven Innocent, Chicago PD, Crisis, and Underemployed. Annie is an instructor with the Actors’ Training Center in Wilmette and is a proud graduate of Northwestern University. 

Darci Nalepa (Maggie Dalton) is a proud ensemble member of The Gift Theatre where she has appeared in A Swell In the Ground, A Life Extra Ordinary, and Good for Otto. Other Chicago credits include: Cry It Out (Northlight), Queen (Victory Gardens), Kill Floor (American Theatre Company), Northanger Abbey (Remy Bumppo), and The Drunken City (Steppenwolf). Darci appeared in Stephen Cone’s film Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party and is the co-creator of the upcoming web series The Force. Television credits include Patriot, Shameless and Chicago Fire. She is a graduate of The School at Steppenwolf and works as an Instructor at Black Box Acting.

Hollis Resnik (Celeste Fielding) returns to Northlight after having been seen in Grey Gardens as Big/Little Edie, You Can’t Take It With You, The Immigrant and Enter the Guardsman. She was last seen as Miriam in Court’s The Good Book. National tours include: Les Miserables, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Sister Act. Recipient of the 2012 Lunt/Fontaine Fellowship, several Jeff awards, 2 Sarah Siddons Awards and a Helen Hayes Award. 

Penny Slusher (Winifred Snow) last appeared at Northlight in By the Water. Other Northlight productions include You Can’t Take It With You, Chapatti, Sense & Sensibility and A Life. Chicago credits include: Sweet Bird of Youth (Goodman); Uncle Vanya (After Dark Award), The Importance of Being Earnest, James Joyce’s “The Dead” (Court); Old Glory, Another Part of the Forest (Jeff Award), Bus Stop, The Subject Was Roses (Writers). Regional credits include: Chapatti and The Hollow (Peninsula Players), My Fair Lady (Asolo Repertory), and Sense & Sensibility (Actors Theatre of Louisville and Saint Louis Repertory). International Theatre credits include: Chapatti and Stella & Lou (Northlight at Galway International Arts Festival, Ireland), August: Osage County (Steppenwolf at Sydney Theatre, Australia). Film and television credits include: Virginia, Meet the Browns, Grace is Gone, and The Connie Banks Show.

Penelope Walker (Ida Green) returns to Northlight after previously appearing in Curve of Departure, Eclipsed, Gee’s Bend, and Bee Luther Hatchee. Other Chicago credits include Life Sucks, Black Diamond, The Years the Locusts Have Eaten (Lookingglass); The House That Will Not Stand, No One As Nasty (Victory Gardens); A Christmas Carol, The Story, Crowns, (Goodman); Love & Information (Remy Bumppo); We’re Gonna Be Okay, The Projects, Agnes of God, Doubt, People’s Temple (American Theatre Company); Will You Stand Up (Erasing the Distance Theatre Company); Seven Homeless Mammoths Wandering New England (Theatre Wit); Love Lies Bleeding (Steppenwolf); 10 Virgins, Voyeurs de Venus (Chicago Dramatists); and The Clink (Rivendell Theatre). She created and performed her own solo show How I Jack Master Funked The Sugar in My Knee Caps. Film/Web/TV credits include: Dubious Ruffians, Olympia, Flowers, Matching Pursuit, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Chicago Justice, and Boss.

Fred Zimmerman (Ellsworth Snow) has appeared at Court, Northlight, and Goodman, and around the country in the National Touring Companies of Show Boat, Ragtime, and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular Starring the Rockettes (as Santa, of course).  You may also have caught him last season on NBC’s Chicago Fire, or you may have had your mind read during one of his regular corporate-event appearances as Fred Zimmerman – The Chicago Mentalist.

Written for the ensemble of Trinity Repertory Company it is a perfect vehicle for the amazing ensemble that is the Chicago theatre community. Northlight welcomes back some favorite artists, as well as some exciting new faces, under the gifted direction of Jessica Thebus, who guided Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, The Book of Will and next season The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley.

Curtain times are: Tuesdays: 7:30pm (May 14 only); Wednesdays: 1:00pm (except May 29); and 7:30pm; Thursdays: 7:30pm; Fridays: 8:00pm; Saturdays: 2:30pm (except May 11); and 8:00pm; and Sundays: 2:30pm; and 7:00pm (May 12 and June 2 only).

Backstage with BJ: Into the Breeches!
Friday, May 3 at noon 
at Northlight Theatre 

Backstage with BJ is a mid-day discussion with Artistic Director BJ Jones, featuring special guest artists, actors, directors and designers, offering behind-the-scenes insight into each production while it is still in rehearsal. Backstage with BJ for Into the Breeches! will last approximately one hour. The event is free, but reservations are required. Visit https://northlight.org/events/backstage-with-bj/ to reserve your spot. 

Post Show Discussions will be held after the following performances:
May 14, May 30 and June 6 following the evening performances and May 12, May 22, May 26, and June 5 following the matinees.

An Open Captioning performance will be held on Saturday, June 8 at 2:30pm.


Dates: 
Previews: May 9 – 16, 2019
Regular run: May 18 – June 16, 2019

Schedule: 
Tuesdays: 7:30pm (May 14 only)
Wednesdays: 1:00pm (except May 29); and 7:30pm
Thursdays: 7:30pm 
Fridays: 8:00pm
Saturdays: 2:30pm (except May 11); and 8:00pm
Sundays: 2:30pm; and 7:00pm (May 12 and June 2 only)

Location: Northlight Theatre is located at the North Shore
Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd,
Skokie

Tickets:
Previews: $30-$60
Regular run: $30-$88
Student tickets are $15, any performance 
(subject to availability)

Box Office:
The Box Office is located at 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie.

847.673.6300; northlight.org

Northlight Theatre aspires to promote change of perspective and encourage compassion by exploring the depth of our humanity across a bold spectrum of theatrical experiences, reflecting our community to the world and the world to our community. 

Now in its 44th season, the organization has mounted over 200 productions, including more than 40 world premieres. Northlight has earned 207 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and 36 Awards, as well as ten Edgerton Foundation for New Play Awards. As one of the area’s premier theatre companies, Northlight is a regional magnet for critical and professional acclaim, as well as talent of the highest quality. 

Northlight is supported in part by generous contributions from Allstate Insurance; the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Robert & Isabelle Bass Foundation; BMO Harris Bank; Henrietta Lange Burk Fund; The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; The Chicago Community Trust; ComEd, An Exelon Company; The Davee Foundation; Edgerton Foundation for New American Plays Award; Evanston Community Foundation; Full Circle Foundation; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; Kirkland & Ellis Foundation; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Melvoin Award for Playwriting; Modestus Bauer Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; Niles Township; The Offield Family Foundation; The Pauls Foundation; Room & Board; Sanborn Family Foundation; Dr. Scholl Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust; The Sullivan Family Foundation; and Tom Stringer Design Partners.

2019 Year of Chicago Theatre  
Northlight Theatre 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.  

OPENING: STYLE AND GRACE: IN TRIBUTE TO LENA HORNE AND NANCY WILSON AT BLACK ENSEMBLE THEATER May 11 – June 30, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

BLACK ENSEMBLE THEATER CONTINUES 2019 SEASON WITH

STYLE AND GRACE: IN TRIBUTE TO 

LENA HORNE AND NANCY WILSON

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY KYLAH WILLIAMS

May 11 – June 30, 2019

Black Ensemble Theater continues its 2019 Season (Legends and Lessons) with Style and Grace: In Tribute to Lena Horne and Nancy Wilson, written and directed by Kylah Williams. Style and Grace: In Tribute to Lena and Nancy will be performed May 11 – June 30, 2019 at the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark Street in Chicago. 

Impeccable style, enduring grace, and a special way with words, Lena Horne and Nancy Wilson helped define these very phrases. In Black Ensemble Theater’s new musical Style and Grace we take an intimate look at the cost of fame through the years, and how these phenomenal women left such lasting marks on the world.

The cast of Style and Grace: In Tribute to Lena and Nancy includes Aeriel Williams (Young Lena Horne), Chante Joy (Older Lena Horne), Jayla Craig (Young Nancy Wilson), Rhonda Preston (Older Nancy Wilson), Ryan Armstrong (Ensemble), Kelvin Davis (Ensemble), Lemond Hayes (Ensemble), Vincent Jordan (Ensemble) Jenna Fawcett (Ensemble) and Linnea Norwood (Ensemble).

The creative team includes Jackie Taylor (producer), Denise Karczewski (lighting design), David Samba (sound), Breon Jones (projection design), and Rueben Echoles (costumes). The Stage Manager is Jessica Moore and the Producing Managing Director is Daryl Brooks. As with all Black Ensemble Theater productions, Style and Grace: In Tribute to Lena and Nancy features live musicians led by musical director Robert Reddrick.

Tickets are available at www.blackensemble.org, (773) 769-4451 or at the Black Ensemble Theater Box Office, 4450 N. Clark Street in Chicago. Single tickets for regular season performances are priced at $55 on Thursdays, and Saturday matinees; and $65 on Fridays, Saturday evenings, and Sunday matinees. A 10% discount is available for students, seniors, and groups. Previews are priced at $45.

The Black Ensemble Theater will sell the Five Play Season Card which represent a $45.00 ticket price that can be used up to five times in the Season.  For more details or to purchase a Five Play Season Card contact the box office at 773-769-4451. 

Dates: 
May 11 – June 30, 2019
Previews: 
May 11, 12, and 17
                                      
Schedule:                        
Thursdays: 7:30
 Fridays: 8:00 pm
Saturdays: 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm
Sundays: 3:00 pm

Location: Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 
4450 N. Clark Street, Chicago
Valet parking is available.

Ticket prices:  $45 Previews
$55 on Thursdays and Saturday matinees;
$65 on Fridays, Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees
A 10% discount is available for students, seniors, and groups.

Box Office: 
Buy online at www.blackensemble.org or call (773) 769-4451

The Black Ensemble Theater  
Founded in 1976, by the phenomenal producer, playwright and actress Jackie Taylor, Black Ensemble Theater is the only African American theater located in the culturally, racially and ethnically diverse north side Uptown community. Through its Five Play Season of Excellence, The Black Ensemble Theater dazzles audiences locally, nationally and internationally with outstanding original musicals that are entertaining, educational and uplifting. The Black Ensemble Theater has produced more than 100 productions and employed over 5,000 artists. 

The mission of the Black Ensemble Theater Company is to eradicate racism and its devastating effects upon society through the theater arts.  For more information on the Black Ensemble Theater Company, visit www.BlackEnsembleTheater.org or call 773-769-4451. 

Haven Theatre Announces New Artistic Director and Managing Director

Haven Theatre announces the appointment of Ian Damont Martin as the company’s new Artistic Director and Angela Salinas as its Managing Director. Martin, who previously served as Associate Artistic Director, succeeds Josh Sobel, who has helmed the company as AD since August 2014. Sobel, who has been accepted into the MFA Directing Program at California Institute of the Arts, will serve as Associate Artistic Director through the season’s end and will remain active with Haven as an Artistic Associate thereafter. Salinas, who previously worked as General/Production Manager, succeeds Executive Director Carol Cohen, who will now serve as Haven’s Board President.

PHOTO CREDIT: (left to right) Haven Theatre’s new Artistic Director Ian Damont Martin and new Managing Director Angela Salinas.

Comments Ian Damont Martin, “I am thrilled to be taking the reins of Artistic Director of Haven, joining a small but powerful network of arts and culture leaders of color. I look forward to stewarding the continued growth of the company, building on the remarkable foundation laid by my predecessor, Josh Sobel, and the whole Haven family. Haven’s mission is Next Generation, New Canon, Social Profit. I look forward to further realizing that mission. I look forward to the future of Haven and to the opportunity to help define the future of the American theatre.”

Managing Director Angela Salinas adds, “For the past two years since being a part of Haven, I truly have grown into someone that I never knew was possible. Both professionally and personally I am better because of this company, predominantly because of the culture that embodies it. There is no place like Haven. No place I have found such a feeling of home and security, yet the freedom to create change in my community. No place that celebrates more of who I am, where I’ve come from, and the type of leader I want to be. I am grateful and humbled by the opportunity given to me, especially from Carol Cohen, who believed in me, and trusted me fully to lead her company that I can only dream to be a part of.”

Outgoing Artistic Director Josh Sobel comments, “I am grateful to those who laid the foundation for this company, and in particular Carol Cohen, for empowering me to build upon that foundation in a way that was intensely personal to me. Haven has been a passion project, one rooted firmly in a belief in the power of the Event and a faith in the next generation of our industry, and I am so deeply proud of what we have achieved here over the past several years. In selecting Ian as the next Artistic Director, Haven is investing in the vision of someone with deeply held values, an exhilarating creative point of view, and a Future-oriented mentality to what we make, how we make it and why. I am overjoyed that he will be joined by Managing Director Angela Salinas, whose contributions to the health, growth and development of this company since joining Haven are simply incalculable. Working with them on this transition process has been a journey of inspiration, of shared beliefs and new ideas, and of a commitment to fostering the Future within Haven. I look forward to the continued evolution of this company.

BIOGRAPHIES

Ian Damont Martin is a theatre/filmmaker currently based in Chicago. He leverages his experience as an artist, arts administrator, and facilitator to build transformative spaces for positive change. Alongside Haven, Ian is the Program Manager of Enrich Chicago, a non-profit that works to realize anti-racism and racial equity in the Chicago arts community. Ian has worked with a number of arts and cultural institutions in varying capacities, including Goodman Theatre, where he completed an Artistic Producing Apprenticeship funded by the Joyce Foundation. Ian has also worked with Middle Coast Film Festival, Sideshow Theatre Company, The Gift Theatre, Jackalope Theatre, The DuSable Museum, the National Society of Arts and Letters, Indiana University, Ivy Tech Community College, Midsommer Flight, Bloomington Playwrights Project, Youth Theatre Journal, and the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati. He received his BA in theatre and drama from Indiana University and his diploma in drama from the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati, OH.

Angela Salinas moved to Chicago in 2017 for the prestigious, year-long Production Management Apprenticeship at the Goodman Theatre. Before then she had previously worked in several regional theaters including: The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, and Cal Shakes. Later that same year, Angela joined Haven Theatre serving as the Assistant Production Manager for that season's Director’s Haven.  In January 2018, she was hired on as Haven’s General/Production Manager, and finally as of January 2019, Angela officially took the reigns as the full-time Managing Director of Haven. She couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunities Haven has given to her, especially Carol, Josh, and Krista. Angela wishes to thank her parents first and foremost for the unconditional support, and to her chosen family in Chicago who continue to inspire and give strength to persevere as a woman of color in this industry.

During his tenure as Artistic Director, Josh Sobel oversaw the re-articulation of Haven's mission and vision, and from that foundation curated the production of eight world, U.S. and area premieres in five seasons, earning praise and recognition from the Jeff Awards, Time Out Theater Awards and Alliance of Latinx Theater Artists Awards as well as common appearances amongst the "Best Of The Year" listings in the Chicago Tribune and Newcity Stage, among others. Haven's hit production of Young Jean Lee's We're Gonna Die (directed by Sobel) was invited to be remounted as part of Steppenwolf Theatre Company's LookOut Series in their 1700 venue and sold out its engagement. In 2015, Sobel founded the Director's Haven program, now entering its fifth year and recently featured online in American Theatre Magazine, with a focus on providing institutionally supported creative opportunities for directors at the very earliest moments of their careers. In 2016, Haven partnered with The Den Theatre to build out a new accessible venue, which became Haven's resident space and is named for renowned opera director (and Sobel's aunt) Janet Bookspan. Most recently Sobel has overseen a doubling of the company's staff (including Haven's first full-time Managing Director), facilitated Haven's first producing partnership with an outside organization (with About Face Theatre on The Total Bent), and in January of 2019 was named alongside Carol Cohen as one of Newcity Stage's "50 Players Who Perform for Chicago" in recognition of their accomplishments at Haven. 



About Haven Theatre
NEXT GENERATION. NEW CANON. SOCIAL PROFIT.

We exist to be a Haven for The Future. We achieve this through championing the next generation of playwrights, directors and actors by producing and promoting plays and performances that are staking their claim as the immediate future of this art form, and by investing in those at the very beginning of their professional journeys. Through this inspiration, we seek to ignite in each audience member a hope for the Future - the Future of theatre and performance, the Future of each other, the Future of our community.

To support Haven Theatre, please visit haventheatrechicago.com/support.