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Monday, January 6, 2020

FEST ALERT: LIFELINE THEATRE PRESENTS THE 23RD ANNUAL FILLET OF SOLO FESTIVAL, JANUARY 10– 26, 2020

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar
Lifeline Partners with 15 Chicago Storytelling Collectives


Former Lifeline Theatre Artistic Director Dorothy Milne and former Live Bait Theater Artistic Director Sharon Evans are pleased to announce the 23rd Annual Fillet of Solo Festival, running January 10–26, 2020. Celebrating the breadth of Chicago’s enduring storytelling and live lit scene, Lifeline brings 15 storytelling collectives and nine solo performers together for a three-week, multi-venue selection of powerful personal stories.

The 2020 Fillet of Solo festival will perform January 10-26, 2020, in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood at Lifeline Theatre (6912 N. Glenwood Ave.) and The Teal Room (6956 N. Glenwood Ave. – new location this year). Free parking and shuttle available. Performance times are Fridays at 7 and 8:30 p.m. at both venues; Saturdays at 4, 5:30, 7, and 8:30 p.m. at both venues; and Sundays at 4 and 5:30 p.m. at both venues. Ticket prices are $10 for regular single tickets, and $60 for a Festival Pass (allows admission to any performance). Tickets may be purchased at the Lifeline Box Office, 773.761.4477, or by visiting www.lifelinetheatre.com.

FREE KICK-OFF NIGHT

The 23rd Annual Fillet of Solo Festival offers easy access to 15 Live Lit groups and numerous solo performers that perform regularly throughout Chicago. On Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020 at 7 p.m., at The Teal Room, 6956 N. Glenwood Ave. Dorothy Milne of Lifeline Theatre will lead a conversation with numerous local storytellers and share a taste of things to come in the festival.

Discounted Passes: Fillet of Solo Festival Passes will be offered at a special discounted rate of $30 at the free kick-off event (regularly $60).

The Kick-Off Night is free, no reservations required. Contact the Lifeline Theatre Box Office, 773.761.4477, for more information.
FEATURED PERFORMERS

The 23rd Annual Fillet of Solo Festival will feature solo performances by:

·         Jamie Black: “It’s My Penis and I’ll Cry If I Want To”
·         Shelby Marie Edwards: “Lost Home, Win Home”
·         Kristina Lebedeva: “It’s Easy to be a Hero: Disability in Exile”
·         Arlene Malinowski: “A Little Bit not Normal”
·         Janki Mody: “Hear Me, See Me”
·         Anne Purky: “The Fixer (Notes from a Helicopter Mom on Steroids)”

·         Victoria Reeves: “Brassy + Intrepid”
·         R.C. Riley: “Take It Easy on the Left Hand, Please”
·         Shannon Wright: “LOVE, SHANNON XO”

Plus the work of the following storytelling collectives:
·         80 Minutes Around the World: Immigration Stories (http://www.nestorgomezstoryteller.com/immigration-stories.html) – Curated and produced by Nestor Gomez. Celebrated storyteller and 20-time Moth Slam winner Nestor Gomez has assembled a group of local performers to help illuminate the voices of immigrants in our city.
·         Back Room Stories (https://www.facebook.com/Backroomstories/) The Back Room is a curated show that features voices from across the spectrum of storytelling.  Margaret Burk co-produces and co-hosts three monthly storytelling events in Oak Park/River Forest: Back Room Stories at Hamburger Mary’s, Illinois Storytelling’s series at Dominican University, and Do Not Submit Oak Park at the Eastgate Cafe.
·         GeNarrations (www.goodmantheatre.org/Engage-Learn/For-Community/GeNarrations/): A personal narrative performance workshop hosted at the Goodman Theatre and in senior centers around Chicago.
·         Is This a Thing? (https://www.facebook.com/isthisathing/) Produced by Jake Cowan, Damian Raszewski, and Suzy Kahn Weinberg. Is this a thing? is a storytelling show that features new and experienced writers and tellers of true personal tales in a welcoming and nurturing space and place. Since 2014, our theme-inspired monthly show happens in the warm embrace of a Northside neighborhood pub, O’Shaughnessy’s at Ravenswood and Wilson on the second Monday of the month, February-July and September-December.  The stories all benefit from a super helpful and supportive workshop for the performers and producers to listen to each other and share ideas. Is this a thing? Yes. Yes it is.
·         the kates (www.thekates.org): An all-female comedy showcase that provides an intimate night of comedy dedicated to showcasing talented and hilarious female-identified performers by creating inclusive and positive environments. Artists are encouraged to express their comic point of view in unique and non-apologetic ways - proving that women are equal in the eyes of comedy.
·         The Lifeline Storytelling Project (www.lifelinestorytellingproject.com): The Lifeline Storytelling Project produces live music & storytelling events designed to develop and showcase artists affiliated with Lifeline Theatre.
·         Loose Chicks (loosechicks.robertamiles.com): Before #MeToo began empowering women, there was Loose Chicks. Loose Chicks is a collection of courageous women who share experiences that most women keep to themselves. Each show features six exceptional writers and performers who allow themselves to be vulnerable as they share with uncommon honesty.
·         Serving the Sentence (www.facebook.com/servingthesentencechicago): Serving the Sentence is a live lit show in which different storytellers take the same first sentence -- each in their own direction. At the end of the show, a new sentence is drawn that the next show's storytellers will embark from!
·         Stir-Friday Night! (www.stirfridaynight.org): A 23-year-old Asian-American comedy group, based in Chicago and performing at Second City, iO, Annoyance, Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, and at festivals all over the country. Stir-Friday Night! alumni include Danny Pudi from Community, and Steven Yeun from The Walking Dead. Stir-Friday Night! is a nonprofit theater company, specializing in sketch comedy and improvisation, and offers touring shows and workshops for schools, companies, and organizations        .  
·         The Stoop (www.facebook.com/StoopStyleStories): The Stoop is hosted by Moth GrandSLAM champion Lily Be. Featured storytellers are given a theme and each share a short story related to that theme. The Stoop is a platform to bring Chicagoans to a better understanding of each other and to inspire change. Performing regularly at Rosa's Lounge in Humboldt Park, it is as much about community and survival as it is about entertainment.
·         Story Sessions (http://storysessionschicago.com/) Produced and hosted by Jill Howe. Story Sessions is a monthly show in Edgewater featuring a collection of curated performers and open mics sharing true personal stories that will tug at your heart strings, tickle your funny bone and take your mind on a wild adventure. First Fridays at Sauce and Bread Kitchen also feature delicious fresh pizza and BYO. The show is an hour long without intermission, so there is plenty of time to hang out with fellow story lovers. The show is free and always will be.
·         Sweat Girls (www.sweatgirls.org): With 26 years of shared history, the Sweat Girls represent the greying edge of Chicago's Live Lit community.  Known for their "contagious gusto" the Sweat Girls have been called "the undisputed tribal elders" of the solo performance scene (Chicago Reader, 2014).
·         Tellin’ Tales Theatre, featuring Tekki Lomnicki (tellintales.org): Tellin' Tales Theatre shatters the barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through personal story — adult solo performances as well as "Six Stories Up,” a mentoring program and show featuring kids and adults, with and without disabilities. Tekki Lomnicki is a solo performer, playwright, director and educator. 
·         Universal Sound (https://www.facebook.com/Universal-Sound-a-storytelling-event-226119884926759/) Hosted by Vincent Greco. Universal Sound is a storytelling event that is part curated and part open mic, designed for people to tell their stories their way.  It is sponsored by Voice Power Chicago on the ·         We Met at Nine (https://www.facebook.com/wemetatnine/?modal=admin_todo_tour) Hosted and Produced by Lindsay Eanet and Lindsey Schroeder. We Met at Nine is a quarterly storytelling show at Chicago’s Laugh Out Loud Theater involving true stories told by pairs. Each show features five pairs (partners, parent and child, coworkers, siblings, best friends, exes).  Stories might be about a first date, an ill-fated road trip, a science fair experiment gone awry—whatever memory speaks to both parties. The name of the show comes from the Lerner & Loewe song “I Remember It Well,” where an old married couple go back and forth, each recalling their first date very differently.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

WEEK ONE (January 10-12):

Friday, January 10
Lifeline Theatre                                                     The Teal Room
7:00 p.m.    Lifeline Storytelling Project                     7:00 p.m.    Universal Sound
8:30 p.m.    80 Minutes Around The World                8:30 p.m.    Is This A Thing?


Saturday, January 11
Lifeline Theatre                                                     The Teal Room
4:00 p.m.    GeNarrations                                        4:00 p.m.    Janki Mody
5:30 p.m.    Tellin’ Tales Theatre/Tekki Lomnicki       5:30 p.m.    Serving the Sentence
7:00 p.m.    Story Sessions                                      7:00 p.m.    the kates
8:30 p.m.    Sweat Girls                                           8:30 p.m.    Stir-Friday Night!

Sunday, January 12
Lifeline Theatre                                                     The Teal Room
4:00 p.m.    Arlene Malinowski                                 4:00 p.m.    Back Room Stories
5:30 p.m.    Anne Purky                                           5:30 p.m.    Loose Chicks
WEEK TWO (January 17-19):

Friday, January 17
Lifeline Theatre                                                     The Teal Room
7:00 p.m.    Lifeline Storytelling Project                     7:00 p.m.    the kates
8:30 p.m.    80 Minutes Around The World                8:30 p.m.    Victoria Reeves

Saturday, January 18
Lifeline Theatre                                                     The Teal Room
4:00 p.m.    GeNarrations                                        4:00 p.m.    Kristina Lebedeva
5:30 p.m.    Tellin’ Tales Theatre/Tekki Lomnicki       5:30 p.m.    Serving the Sentence
7:00 p.m.    Sweat Girls                                           7:00 p.m.    Loose Chicks
8:30 p.m.    Shannon Wright                                    8:30 p.m.    Universal Sound

Sunday, January 19
Lifeline Theatre                                                     The Teal Room
4:00 p.m.    Shelby Marie Edwards                           4:00 p.m.    The Stoop
5:30 p.m.    R.C. Riley                                             5:30 p.m.    We Met at Nine 
WEEK THREE (January 24-26):

Friday, January 24
Lifeline Theatre                                                     The Teal Room
7:00 p.m.    Shelby Marie Edwards                           7:00 p.m.    Is This a Thing?
8:30 p.m.    80 Minutes Around the World                 8:30 p.m.    Lifeline Storytelling Project                    
Saturday, January 25
Lifeline Theatre                                                     The Teal Room
4:00 p.m.    Jamie Black                                          4:00 p.m.    Janki Mody
5:30 p.m.    Tellin’ Tales Theatre/Tekki Lomnicki       5:30 p.m.    The Stoop
7:00 p.m.    Sweat Girls                                           7:00 p.m.    Back Room Stories
8:30 p.m.    R.C. Riley                                             8:30 p.m.    Stir-Friday Night!


Sunday, January 26
Lifeline Theatre                                                     The Teal Room
4:00 p.m.    GeNarrations                                        4:00 p.m.    Victoria Reeves
5:30 p.m.    Shannon Wright                                    5:30 p.m.    Kristina Lebedeva


Lifeline Theatre presents the 2020 Fillet of Solo festival will perform January 10-26, 2020, in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood at Lifeline Theatre (6912 N. Glenwood Ave.) and The Teal Room (6956 N. Glenwood Ave. – new location this year). Free parking and shuttle available. Performance times are Fridays at 7 and 8:30 p.m. at both venues; Saturdays at 4, 5:30, 7, and 8:30 p.m. at both venues; and Sundays at 4 and 5:30 p.m. at both venues. Ticket prices are $10 for regular single tickets, and $60 for a Festival Pass (allows admission to any performance). Tickets may be purchased at the Lifeline Box Office, 773.761.4477, or by visiting www.lifelinetheatre.com.

Now in its 37th season, Lifeline Theatre is driven by a passion for story. Our ensemble process supports writers in the development of literary adaptations and new work, and our theatrical and educational programs foster a lifelong engagement with literature and the arts. A cultural anchor of Rogers Park, we are committed to deepening our connection to an ever-growing family of artists and audiences, both near and far. Lifeline Theatre – Big Stories, Up Close.

Lifeline Theatre’s programs are partially supported by Alphawood Foundation; A.R.T League Inc.; Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; Chicago CityArts, a grant from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events; The Common Cup; Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; FGMK LLC; Flex Print, Inc.; Lloyd A. Fry Foundation; Illinois Arts Council Agency;  MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince; The Polk Bros. Foundation; Rogers Park Social; S&C Electric Company Fund; The Shubert Foundation; and the annual support of businesses and individuals.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Filament Theatre Presents FORTS: Adult Night Every Saturday Night Jan 4, 2020 - Feb 22, 2020

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Filament Theatre’s hit immersive play experience, 
FORTS: Build Your Own Adventure, 
is back at Filament Theatre, 4041 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago. 
*NOW EXTENDED THROUGH MARCH 1*

Participants in FORTS: Adult Night must be 21 or older. Performances are BYOB.

Photo Credit: Christian Libonati

As part of the performance offerings, Filament is offering FORTS: Adult Night, a version of the family friendly experience that is specifically for adults to reconnect with the imagination of their youth. FORTS: Adult Night welcomes adults into an environment that inspires good old fashioned play. Tickets are now available at www.filamenttheatre.org/adultforts



The Adult Night Experience:
Enter a world of play and creation as Filament Theatre transforms into a fort building fantasy. With towers of cardboard boxes, baskets of sheets, buckets of clothespins, adults step back into the imagination of their childhood. With theatrical design elements of sound and lights working together to inspire creativity, friends old and new are swept away in the adventure! 

The production team for FORTS includes Julie Ritchey (conceiver), Eleanor Kahn (space designer), Jeffrey Levin (sound designer), Carley Walker (lighting design), and Andrew Marikis (experience design).

FORTS: Adult Night Research Study
On Friday, January 24th @ 7:30pm Lisa Siciliano, doctoral student in Learning Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago will research how people learn through theatre and play at a performance of FORTS: Adult Night. Learn more about the study and how to participate here: www.filamenttheatre.org/fortsstudy

FORTS: Build Your Own Adventure
FORTS: Build Your Own Adventure is the family focused version of this experience. FORTS: Build Your Own Adventure is now playing Saturdays & Sundays at 1pm & 3pm and has been extended through February 23, 2020. Learn more about FORTS: Build Your Own Adventure here: www.filamenttheatre.org/forts

Chicago Theatre Week
FORTS: Build Your Own Adventure & Adult Night will be participating in Chicago Theatre Week. Chicago Theatre Week is an annual celebration of the rich tradition of theatre-going in Chicago during which visitors and residents can access value-priced tickets. As a program of the League of Chicago Theatres, in partnership with Choose Chicago, CTW is heading into its eighth year and will take place February 13-23, 2020. More than 100 theatre productions are expected to participate in neighborhoods throughout the city and suburbs. Find more information at ChicagoTheatreWeek.com.

FORTS: Adult Night Dates:
Performance run: January 4, 2020 to February 22, 2020. 
Curtain Times: Saturdays at 7:30pm
Important info: participants must be 21+
Adult Night Ticket Prices: $15. (Price includes all ticketing fees). 

Tickets are now available at www.filamenttheatre.org/adultforts. For questions call the Filament Theatre office at (773) 270-1660.

To learn more about FORT: Build Your Own Adventure, visit www.filamenttheatre.org/forts



About Filament Theatre:
Filament Theatre creates immersive and site-specific theatre that inspires, empowers, and activates young people and their communities. Filament envisions a future in which the leaders of tomorrow approach others with radical empathy, serving as ambassadors for their communities and stewards of the Earth. 

The company’s staff is comprised of Julie Ritchey (Artistic Director) and Christian Libonati (Managing Director).

Filament Theatre’s programs are supported in part by the Alphawood Foundation, the Chicago Community Trust, the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Illinois Art Council, the MacArthur Foundation, the Saints, Wintrust Community Banks and more!

For additional information visit www.filamenttheatre.org 


Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Chicago Theatre Week To Return February 13 – 23, 2020

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar
League of Chicago Theatres, in partnership with Choose Chicago, 

Present Chicago Theatre Week 2020
February 13 – 23

**Tickets on Sale January 14th. Get 'em before you hear the words "sold out".**


Chicago Theatre Week (#CTW20), an annual celebration of the rich tradition of theatre-going in Chicago during which visitors and residents can access value-priced tickets, will take place

February 13-23, 2020. From joy to heartache and every feeling in between, Chicago theatre tells stories that evoke big emotions. Stories that take risks, inspire awe, ask tough questions – and dare audiences to do the same. From musicals to plays to comedy, theatre is for everyone in Chicago. Chicago Theatre Week is a celebration of the stories we share.

Chicago Theatre Week, spanning a week and two full weekends, is heading into its eighth year. As a program of the League of Chicago Theatres, in partnership with Choose Chicago, over 100 theatre productions are expected to participate in neighborhoods throughout the city and suburbs.

The value-priced CTW tickets will be $30, $15, or less. In early January 2020, tickets will go on sale and a list of participating productions will be available at ChicagoTheatreWeek.com.

A small sample of the many productions expected to participate are:

An American in Paris – Drury Lane Theatre
Bug – Steppenwolf Theatre
Chicago Musical Theatre Festival – Underscore Theatre Company
Emma – Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Freedom Ride – Chicago Opera Theater at The Studebaker Theater
How a Boy Falls – Northlight Theatre
Ivy + Bean – Emerald City Theatre at the Athenaeum Theatre
Madama Butterfly – Lyric Opera of Chicago
The Mousetrap – Court Theatre
Roe – Goodman Theatre
Sophisticated Ladies – Porchlight Music Theatre
Spoken Word – MPAACT at the Greenhouse Theater Center
Stick Fly – Writers Theatre
SUMMER: The Donna Summer Musical – Broadway In Chicago at the James M. Nederlander Theatre

Last year, in February 2019, 139 participating productions offered value-priced tickets to 593 individual performances during Chicago Theatre Week. The initiative continues to see increased sales year over year, with 12,700 Theatre Week tickets sold in 2019. Chicago Theatre Week brings in new audiences to area theatres with an average of 63% of attendees visiting their chosen theatre for the first time. Theatre Week also proved to be a draw for visitors from outside Chicago with 17% of patrons coming from beyond 50 miles of the city, spanning 36 states and several countries.

“Each year, Chicago Theatre Week introduces audiences to incredible shows at great prices. It presents an opportunity for every visitor and every resident to experience new work, fresh talent, musicals, improv, and more,” comments Deb Clapp, Executive Director of the League of Chicago Theatres. “Theatre is something that sets Chicago apart from other cities and Chicago Theatre Week celebrates that distinction and welcomes everyone in.”

“Chicago, which is home to over 250 dynamic theatres, provides visitors more variety and creative platforms than any destination in the United States,” said David Whitaker, President and CEO of Choose Chicago. “Perhaps more importantly, Chicago Theatre Week helps create a greater understanding of the year-round programming, opportunities and the amazing venues that call Chicago home.”

Chicago Theatre Week is presented by the League of Chicago Theatres in partnership with Choose Chicago. Subscribe to the Theatre Week email newsletter or follow @ChicagoPlays on Twitter for more. The official hashtag for Chicago Theatre Week 2020 is #CTW20.

About Chicago theatre
Chicago theatre is the leader in the U.S. with more than 250 theatres throughout Chicagoland, comprising a rich and varied community ranging from storefront, non-union theatres to the most renowned resident theatres in the country, including 5 which have been honored with Regional Tony Awards, and the largest touring Broadway organization in the nation. Chicago’s theatres serve 5 million audience members annually and have a combined budget of more than $250 million. Chicago produces and/or presents more world premieres annually than any other city in the nation. Last year alone Chicago theatre companies produced more than 100 world premiere productions and adaptations. Each year Chicago theatres send new work to resident theatres across the country, to Broadway, and around the world.

League of Chicago Theatres’ Mission Statement
Theatre is essential to the life of a great city and to its citizens. The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theatres which leverages its collective strength to support, promote, and advocate for Chicago’s theatre industry. Through our work, we ensure that theatre continues to thrive in our city.

For a comprehensive list of Chicago productions, visit the League of Chicago Theatres website, ChicagoPlays.com. Half-price tickets to the current week’s performances as well as future performances are available at HotTix.org and at the two Hot Tix half-price ticket locations: across from the Chicago Cultural Center at Expo72 (72 E. Randolph) and Block Thirty Seven (108 N. State).


Monday, December 16, 2019

OPENING: ROE and Graveyard Shift at Goodman Theatre

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

LISA LOOMER’S ROE (CHICAGO PREMIERE) AND KORDE ARRINGTON TUTTLE’S GRAVEYARD SHIFT (WORLD PREMIERE)


***TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FOR BOTH PRODUCTIONS***

I'll be out for opening night, so check back soon for my full reviews. I adore director, Vanessa Stalling's work, and I'm particularly eager to catch the all too timely, ROE.

Goodman Theatre continues its 2019/2020 Season this winter with two new plays. A Chicago premiere, Roe by Lisa Loomer, directed by former Goodman Maggio Fellow Vanessa Stalling (The Wolves), illuminates the complex young women behind the landmark trial of Roe v. Wade. graveyard shift by korde arrington tuttle, directed by Danya Taymor, is a world premiere that was developed in the Goodman’s New Stages Festival last year. Roe appears January 18 – February 23 in the 856-seat Albert Theatre; tickets are $20 - $70 (subject to change). graveyard shift appears February 7 – March 8 in the 350-seat flexible Owen Theatre; tickets are $15 – $45 (subject to change). Visit GoodmanTheatre.org, call 312.443.3800 or purchase at the Goodman Theatre box office (170 N. Dearborn).

Goodman Theatre is grateful for the support of its sponsors of Roe, including Goodman Theatre Women’s Board and the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation (Major Production Sponsors), Winston and Strawn LLP (Major Corporate Sponsor) and WBEZ 91.5 (Media Sponsor).

Roe
By Lisa Loomer
Directed by Vanessa Stalling

"You didn’t give a damn about Roe the person—all you cared about was Roe the case!”-Norma, Act II, Scene II. Conceived in a pizza parlor and argued in the highest court in the land, 1973’s Roe v. Wade legalized abortion—and is hotly debated still today. The complex young women behind the trial—attorney Sarah Weddington and plaintiff Norma McCorvey (“Jane Roe”)—embark upon separate journeys that mirror the current polarization over the landmark decision. “Full of nuance and complexity" (NPR), Roe illuminates the heart and passion that each side has for their cause.

Kayla Carter………………………………………………Roxy
Jazmín Corona……………………………...……………Ensemble
Julia Dale…………….……………………………………Melissa/Emily
Stephanie Diaz……………………………………………Ofelia/Connie
Kirsten Fitzgerald…………………………………………Molly/Mary/Ensemble
Raymond Fox…………………………..…………………McCluskey/Ensemble
Christina Hall……………………………………...………Sarah Weddington
Carolyn Hoerdemann………………….…………………Ensemble
Maura Kidwell……………….......................……………Helen/Ronda/Ensemble
Ryan Kitley………………………..………………………Flip/Ensemble
John Lister………………..………………………………Justice Blackmun/Ensemble
Kate Middleton……………………...……………………Norma McCorvey
Eliza Stoughton………………………………….……….Ensemble
Jessica Dean Turner…………………............…………Barbara/Aileen/Ensemble
Meg Warner………………………………………………Judy/Linda Coffee/Ensemble

The creative team includes Collette Pollard (Set Design), Jessica Pabst (Costume Design), Keith Parham (Lighting Design) and Mikhail Fiksel (Sound Design). Briana J. Fahey is the Production Stage Manager.



graveyard shift
By korde arrington tuttle
Directed by Danya Taymor

Janelle, poised to reap the fruits of her labor, relocates from Illinois to Texas in order to give love a chance. Meanwhile, a small-town police officer wrestles with the harsh realities of change. When their worlds collide, both are forced to confront the consequences of an imbalance of power. Inspired by the legacy of Sandra Bland, graveyard shift is an unflinching, open-hearted experience rooted in navigating a world full of fear.

Keith D. Gallagher…………………………………………Brian
Rae Gray…………….………………………………………Elise
Aneisa Hicks…………………………………………………Janelle
Lia Mortensen………………………………………………Trish
Kyle Vincent Terry…………………………………………Kane
The creative team includes Kristen Robinson (Set Design), Montana Levi Blanco (Costume Design), Marcus Doshi (Lighting Design) and Richard Woodbury (Sound Design). Rebekah Heusel is the Production Stage Manager.


ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE
Chicago’s theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit arts and community organization in the heart of the Loop, distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and community 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. Artists and productions have earned two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and more than 160 Jeff Awards, among other accolades. The Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” Its longtime annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, now in its fourth decade, has created a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production and program partner with national and international companies and Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters.

As a cultural and community organization invested in quality, diversity and community, Goodman Theatre is committed to using the art of theater for a better Chicago. Using the tools of the theatrical profession, the Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand the cultures and stories of diverse voices. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of these programs, which are offered free of charge for Chicago youth—85% of whom come from underserved communities—schools and life-long learners.

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, Kimberly Senior, 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.

Monday, December 9, 2019

Steep Theatre Casting Announced for The Leopard Play, or sad songs for lost boys

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar
The Leopard Play, or sad songs for lost boys
By Isaac Gomez
Directed by Laura Alcalá Baker
January 24 – February 29, 2020


Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we're excited for the upcoming Isaac Gomez Commission at Steep Theatre. He's a favorite Chicago playwright of ours, and this year I got to know him personally when I had the honor of being accepted for a playwriting intensive he co-led. I'll be out for the press opening, January 24th, so check back soon for my full review.


Isaac Gomez

All families have secrets, but some live in an underbelly too dark to even whisper about. After ten years of walking away, Son returns to his home along the U.S./Mexican border searching for answers about his uncle’s mysterious death, but what he finds there are the men he tried to escape and the memories he thought he left behind. The Leopard Play, or sad songs for lost boys is an excavation of truth amidst lies, intimacy amidst violence, and a reckoning of learning how to love the very thing you hate the most. 

Laura Alcalá Baker will direct Steep’s second commissioned play, Isaac Gomez’ The Leopard Play, or sad songs for lost boys, opening January 24. Gomez has quickly become one of Chicago’s, and the nation’s, most exciting playwrights with productions being staged throughout the country. Alcalá Baker and Gomez recently collaborated on the world premiere production of his the way she spoke, and both are making their Steep Theatre debuts.

The Leopard Play, or sad songs for lost boys will feature Steep Company Member Brandon Rivera with Sebastian Arboleda, Alec Coles Perez, Eduardo Curley-Carrillo, Arash Fakhrabadi, Dennis Garcia, Victor Maraña, and Juan Muñoz, all making their Steep debuts.

This new work is the fifth Steep world premiere in as many years. Steep has premiered work from Hamish Linklater and notable Chicago playwrights Alex Lubischer, Calamity West, Ike Holter, and now Gomez. “It’s been a dream to collaborate with Isaac throughout this development process,” said Artistic Director Peter Moore. “He and Laura have an inspiring partnership and they’ve assembled a brilliant team to bring this powerful story to life.”

About the Playwright
Isaac Gomez is an award-winning Chicago-based playwright originally from El Paso, Texas / Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. His play La Ruta received its world premiere at Steppenwolf Theater Company this past Winter. His one-woman show the way she spoke premiered Off-Broadway at the Minetta Lane Theatre (produced by Audible) in Summer 2019. He is currently under commission from South Coast Repertory, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and Steep Theatre. His plays have been supported by Steppenwolf, Primary Stages, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, Albany Park Theater Project, WaterTower Theater, Haven Theater, Greenhouse Theater Center, Pivot Arts, and many others. He is the recipient of the 2018 Dramatists Guild Lanford Wilson Award, the 2017 Jeffry Melnick New Playwright Award at Primary Stages, an inaugural 3Arts “Make A Wave” grantee, a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists, an Artistic Associate with Victory Gardens Theater, Ensemble Member with Teatro Vista, Artistic Associate with Pivot Arts, and an advisory committee member of the Latinx Theatre Commons (LTC). He is a Professional Lecturer at The Theatre School at DePaul University, and is represented by The Gersh Agency and Circle of Confusion.

About the Director
Laura Alcalá Baker is a Chicago-based director and casting director. She served as the Casting Director and Artistic Programs Manager at Victory Gardens Theater from 2016-2019 leading programs such as The Access Project and Directors’ Inclusion Initiative. While at working at B Street Theatre, CA, as an Artistic Associate, she directed Equivocation, The Giver, 11:11, Collapse and assistant directed May Adrales on Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them.  Shifting her focus to new play development, Laura directed the world premiere of Isaac Gomez’s The Way She Spoke: A Docu-mythologia (DCASE, Greenhouse Theater Center). Other select Chicago pieces include: There is No Message in the Message, Shamed (The Gift Theatre’s TEN), Project Potential (Broken Nose Theatre’s Bechdel Fest), Jets, Sharks, and Beckys (Collaboraction's Peacebook Festival) and assistant directing Seth Bockley on the world-premiere of Samsara by Lauren Yee (Victory Gardens Theater). Most recently, she directed the audio drama BRAVA by Nancy Garcia Loza (Make-Believe Association) which is available on all podcast platforms. Laura has continually sought out creative means for accessibility in the theatre through directing programs such as Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium’s Access Live, which provides theatre leaders a live example of growing practices integrated with accessibility in mind. Laura is a proud member of the Alliance of Latinx Theatre Artists and was nominated for 'Best Casting Director' at the 2018 ALTA Awards.



About Steep Theatre
Housed in what was once a small grocery store, steps from the Berwyn Red Line stop, and lead by an ensemble of 41 actors, directors, designers, writers, and other theatre artists, Steep is the quintessential storefront theatre. Described by Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune as "the most fearless theater in town," Steep creates powerful productions of plays by today's most exciting writers and features the work of Chicago's hottest theatre artists in an intimate, accessible space. Currently in its 19th season, Steep is known as a home for hard-hitting, finely tuned ensemble work. With each production, the company has shepherded a growing community of audiences and artists into bold new territories of story and performance.

Steep Theatre is conveniently located by the Berwyn Red Line stop and is within blocks of the #92, #36, #146, #147, and #151 buses.

About Chicago Theatre Week
Chicago Theatre Week is an annual celebration of the rich tradition of theatre-going in Chicago during which visitors and residents can access value-priced tickets. As a program of the League of Chicago Theatres, in partnership with Choose Chicago, CTW is heading into its eighth year and will take place February 13-23, 2020. More than 100 theatre productions are expected to participate in neighborhoods throughout the city and suburbs. Find more information at ChicagoTheatreWeek.com.

WHERE:                 
Steep Theatre
1115 West Berwyn Ave., Chicago, IL 60640

WHEN:
January 24 – February 29, 2020
Previews: January 18 – 23, 2020
Press Opening: Friday, January 24, 8:00pm
Schedule:
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8pm
Sunday matinees at 3pm
Accessible Performances:
-Audio Description: Saturday, February 15, 8pm
-Open Captioning: Saturday, February 22, 8pm & Sunday, February 23, 3pm
Chicago Theatre Week: February 15 – 23

BOX OFFICE:
General Admission Tickets: $27
Reserved Seat Tickets: $39
Access Tickets: $10 (Steep’s universal discount for students, artists, whomever)
(773) 649-3186
www.steeptheatre.com

GENERAL INFORMATION:
www.steeptheatre.com
773-649-3186
info@steeptheatre.com
Twitter: @SteepTheatre
Facebook: SteepTheatre



CAST:
Sebastian Arboleda*
Alec Coles Perez 
Eduardo Curley-Carrillo 
Arash Fakhrabadi 
Dennis Garcia 
Victor Maraña 
Juan Muñoz 
Brandon Riveraˆ

PRODUCTION TEAM:
Director – Laura Alcalá Baker
Stage Manager – Jon Ravenscroftˆˆ
Set Designer – Arnel Sancianco
Lighting Designer – Alexander Ridgers
Sound Designer – Thomas Dixonˆ
Costume Designer – Uriel Gomez
Props Designer – Emma Cullimore
Intimacy & Violence Director – Micah Figueroa
Choreographer – Breon Arzell
Dramaturg – Lucas Garcia
Production Manager – Catherine Allenˆˆ
Technical Director – Evan Sposato
Assistant Director – Ismael Lara

ˆ Steep Company Member
ˆˆ Steep Artistic Associate
* Appearing through an Agreement between Steep Theatre and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States


Martyna Majok

Ironbound
By Martyna Majok
Directed by Jonathan Berryˆ 
April 17 – May 23, 2020
Press Opening: April 17 at 8:00

Twenty-two years, three relationships, and one New Jersey bus stop tell the story of Darja’s journey through the American Dream. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martyna Majok’s Ironbound navigates the murky waters of love, security, immigration, and mobility with heartbreaking humor.


Cast:
Lucy Carapetyanˆ 
Jeffery Freelon, Jr
Joel Reitsmaˆ*
Brandon Riveraˆ

ˆ Steep Company Member
* Member of Actors' Equity Association


SEASON ANNOUNCED: RIVENDELL THEATRE ENSEMBLE'S 25th ANNIVERSARY SEASON

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RIVENDELL THEATRE ENSEMBLE ANNOUNCES
THE 25th ANNIVERSARY SEASON 




Season includes the World Premieres of

The Tasters 
by Meghan Brown, directed by RTE member Devon de Mayo, Spay by Madison Fiedler, directed by RTE member Hallie Gordon
and 
45 Plays for America’s First Ladies 
by Chloe Johnston, Sharon Greene, Genevra Gallo-Bayiates, Bilal Dardai, and Andy Bayiates in a co-production with Chicago’s The Neo-Futurists


Rivendell Theatre Ensemble proudly announces its 2020 Season including the World Premieres of The Tasters by Meghan Brown, directed by RTE member Devon de Mayo and Spay by Madison Fiedler and directed by RTE member Hallie Gordon, as well as 45 Plays for America’s First Ladies by Chloe Johnston, Sharon Greene, Genevra Gallo-Bayiates, Bilal Dardai, and Andy Bayiates, in a co-production with Chicago’s The Neo-Futurists. All productions will be performed at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, 5779 N. Ridge Avenue in Chicago.

This year, Rivendell celebrates its 25th anniversary season during what may be the most important and divisive election cycle in U.S. history. To mark the occasion, Rivendell has selected three plays that wrestle with some of the key issues driving this nation’s discourse: the rise of authoritarianism, the chaos and challenge of the opioid crisis, and the rising role of women in our political and social culture

Founder and Artistic Director Tara Mallen comments, “We can trace a straight line from WRENS, to The Walls, to Women at War, through Scientific Method and all the way to Something Clean. 25 years of new plays inspiring imperative conversations that spark change. Plays that lift up women and offer them a voice...a female service member returning home after a lengthy deployment, only to have her young daughter no longer recognize her; or a young woman battling to finish her PhD and stay afloat in a sexist and racist research lab, or how, in the ripple effects of a sex crime, one mother grapples with the pervasiveness of guilt and tries to rebuild her world. As we approach what may be the most critical election in U.S. history, Rivendell is committed to meeting the future head-on and with 2020 vision—as we have for the past 25 years—with ingenuity, with resolve, and with women right up front and center." 

The Rivendell 2020 Season is as follows:



The World Premiere of

THE TASTERS 
Written by Meghan Brown 
Directed by RTE member Devon de Mayo 

Featuring ensemble members Paula Ramirez and Eric Slater with Shariba Rivers, Daniella Pereira, and Collin Quinn Rice

January 10 - February 16, 2020

With so many government leaders getting poisoned these days, the Tasters have a critical job to do. They sample mouthwatering gourmet meals…then wait to see if they die in agony. When government forces capture renowned resistance leader Elyse, they make her a Taster and assume they've won. But Elyse has a plan of her own, which kicks off a series of events that might just alter the course of history—and put all the other Tasters' lives at risk. Fresh out of Victory Garden’s 2019 IGNITION Festival, Meghan Brown’s chilling and sharply observed new play examines the nuances of political resistance, self-interest, and individual action that creates hope in the face of oppression. 



The World Premiere of

SPAY 
Written by Madison Fiedler 
Directed by RTE member Hallie Gordon featuring RTE member Rae Gray

April 23 – June 7, 2020

Twenty-year-old Noah has been an addict ever since the birth of her son five years ago when her half-sister, Harper, assumed custody of the child. When an organization shows up in their tiny West Virginia town offering to sterilize Noah and other addicts for pay, the sisters clash over the question of who deserves to be a mother in a nation hooked on pills. This provocative world premiere by recent Northwestern grad Madison Fiedler takes an unblinking look at addiction, poverty, and the families our system has failed. Selected from a field of over 150 new plays, SPAY is one of the six new plays featured in the National New Play Network's Annual Showcase of New Plays this December in Atlanta, Georgia.


45 Plays for America’s First Ladies
by Chloe Johnston, Sharon Greene, Genevra Gallo-Bayiates, Bilal Dardai, and Andy Bayiates

In a co-production with Chicago’s The Neo-Futurists

September 24 - October 31, 2020 

Forty-five plays. Fifty First Ladies. A 100-minute journey through American history, 45 Plays for America’s First Ladies leaps from comedy to tragedy and back again as it surveys the lives of the women who have served (and avoided serving) as First Lady. 45 Plays is a biographical, meta-theatrical, genre-bending ride through race, gender, and everything else your history teacher never taught you about the founding (and the confounding) of America.

Following the enormous success of 45 Plays for 45 Presidents, members of the Neo-Futurists ensemble bring their trademark wit and style to tell the other side of the story. They'll partner with Chicago's premiere women's company, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, where women's lives and perspectives have always been the main event. 



NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT
SOLO VOICES WORKSHOP
April 1 - 12, 2020

Curated by new RTE member Kristen Osborn, this festival of solo voices features thee one-woman performance pieces. Projects will be announced in February 2020. 

Subscription Packages

Subscription packages may be purchased at any time and include one ticket to the next three Rivendell mainstage productions. The Preview Pass is priced at $59 and the Performance Pass is $80. Benefits include: no-fee ticket exchange up to 48 hours prior to the performance, reserved seating, exclusive invites to Rivendell events, and a 10% discount for additional family and friends tickets purchased through the box office.

Single Tickets
General Admission
Previews: $28
Regular Run: $38

Student, Senior, Active Military, Veteran
Preview: $18
Regular Run: $28

Pay What You Can: Five seats (10% of the house) are available for each performance. Reservations are made on a first come, first served basis.

Location: Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, 5779 N. Ridge Avenue in Chicago.

Box Office: (773) 334-7728 or www.RivendellTheatre.org

Parking and Transportation: Free parking is available in the Senn High School parking lot (located a block and a half from the theatre behind the school off Thorndale Avenue). There is limited paid and free street parking in the area. The theatre is easily accessible via the Clark (#22) or Broadway (#36) bus, and is a short walk from the Bryn Mawr Red Line El Station.



About Rivendell Theatre Ensemble 

Founded in 1994, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble advances the lives of women through theatre. Rivendell cultivates the talents of women artists—writers, actors, directors, designers and technicians—by seeking out innovative plays that explore unique female experiences and producing them in an intimate salon environment. 

Rivendell fills an important role in the Chicago region as the only Equity theatre dedicated to producing artistically challenging and original plays created by and about women. After years of being an itinerant company, Rivendell moved into its own theater space in 2011 in Edgewater. The company is focused on becoming an integral community partner and serving as a catalyst to engage audiences in a discussion of local social issues. 

For more information about Rivendell Theater Ensemble, visit http://rivendelltheatre.org. Follow Rivendell on Facebook at Facebook.com/rivendelltheatre, on Twitter @RivendellThtr, and on Instagram at rivendelltheatre. 

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble is supported by generous grants from: The Alphawood Foundation;   Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; The Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development; The Chicago Community Trust; The Chicago Foundation for Women; The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; The MacArthur Funds for Arts and Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation; The League of Chicago Theatres and ComEd; The Reva and David Logan Foundation; The Luria Family Foundation; The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust; The Alfred Pick Jr. Fund; Shubert Foundation; SIF Fund at The Chicago Community Trust; Cultural Outreach Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events; and the Illinois Arts Council Agency.  



Blue Man Group Chicago Announces Winter Performance Schedule And Andy Warhol Ticket Pairing with Art Institute of Chicago

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BLUE MAN GROUP 
ANNOUNCES WINTER PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE AT CHICAGO’S BRIAR STREET THEATRE


New Limited-Time-Only Art Institute of Chicago Ticket Package Available Through January 23

Blue Man Group, continuing its open run at Chicago’s Briar Street Theatre (3133 N. Halsted), is delighted to announce its winter 2020 performance schedule. The expansive calendar includes added performances on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Valentine’s Day and President’s Day.

Audiences looking to beat the winter blues can take advantage of Blue Man Group’s newest ticket package with the Art Institute of Chicago. The special ticket package is $79 and includes a main floor seat to Blue Man Group at Chicago’s Briar Street Theatre and a FastPass admission ticket to the Art Institute including a pass to Andy Warhol – From A to B and Back Again, on view through January 26, 2020.

Blue Man Group ticket buyers are invited to use code WARHOL when purchasing full price Blue Man Group Chicago tickets to receive an equal number of FastPass admission and Andy Warhol – From A to B and Back Again exhibition passes at the Art Institute of Chicago.  Art Institute tickets must be picked up at the Briar Street Theatre box office and do not need to be used on the same day as the Blue Man Group performance.

Blue Man Group Ticket Information

Tickets are available from $49-$104. Tickets may be purchased by calling 1-800-BLUE-MAN (1-800-258-3626) or visiting www.blueman.com. A full show schedule and ticket pricing, can also be found at www.blueman.com.

VIP Experience ticket packages are also available starting at $150 per person and include a three-course dinner at Drew’s on Halsted, premium seat and one pre-show beverage at the Briar Street Theatre, souvenir lanyard and a post-show meet-and-greet with a Blue Man. 

Special rates are available for groups of 10 or more, varying from $46.50- $79.50 per person. For groups of 10 or more, call the group sales department to book at: 773-348-3300 or email chicagogroups@blueman.com to request information.

2020 Winter Performance Schedule:

January
Wednesday, Jan. 1 – 2, 5 and 8 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 2 – 2, 5 and 8 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 3 – 2, 5 and 8 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 4 – 11 a.m. and 2, 5 and 8 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 5 – 1 and 4 p.m.
Thursday, January 9 – 8 p.m.
Friday, January 10 – 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 11 – 2, 5 and 8 p.m.
Sunday, January 12 – 1 and 4 p.m.
Thursday, January 16 – 8 p.m.
Friday, January 17 – 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 18 – 2, 5 and 8 p.m.
Sunday, January 19 – 1, 4 and 7 p.m.
Monday, January 20 – 2 p.m. (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)
Thursday, January 23 – 8 p.m.
Friday, January 24 – 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 25 – 2, 5 and 8 p.m.
Sunday, January 26 – 1 and 4 p.m.
Thursday, January 30 – 8 p.m.
Friday, January 31 – 8 p.m.

February
Saturday, February 1 – 2, 5 and 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 2 – 1 p.m.
Thursday, February 6 – 8 p.m.
Friday, February 7 – 8 p.m.
Saturday, February 8 – 2, 5 and 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 9 – 1 and 4 p.m.
Thursday, February 13 – 8 p.m.
Friday, February 14 – 6 and 9 p.m. (Valentine’s Day)
Saturday, February 15 – 1, 4, 7 and 10 p.m.
Sunday, February 16 – 1, 4 and 7 p.m.
Monday, February 17 – 1 p.m. (President’s Day)
Thursday, February 20 – 8 p.m.
Friday, February 21 – 8 p.m.
Saturday, February 22 – 2, 5 and 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 23 – 1 and 4 p.m.
Thursday, February 27 – 8 p.m.
Friday, February 28 – 8 p.m.
Saturday, February 29 – 2, 5 and 8 p.m.


About Blue Man Group
Blue Man Group is an award-winning show and entertainment phenomenon seen by more than 35 million people worldwide since 1991. A dynamic combination of art, music, comedy and technology, the show’s euphoric celebration of human connection has universal appeal for a broad range of age groups and cultural backgrounds. The show is continually refreshed with new music, fresh stories, custom instruments and state-of-the-art technology. Blue Man Group has permanent theatrical productions in New York, Las Vegas, Boston, Chicago, Orlando, Berlin and a World Tour. Blue Man Group is owned and operated by Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group.

This creative collective has become part of the pop culture zeitgeist. Blue Man Group has served as the face of branding campaigns for Intel and TIM/Brasil and appeared countless times on hit shows like “The Tonight Show,” “Arrested Development,” “Ellen,” “Schlag den Raab” (Germany), “WOWOW” (Japan), and “Caldeirão do Huck” (Brasil).

Beyond the stage show, they are Grammy-nominated recording artists, known for their contributions to various film and TV scores and multiple Blue Man Group albums, including their most recent, THREE. Their “Megastar World Tour” rock concert parody played arenas across the globe. The group’s recently published first-ever book, Blue Man World, is a visually stunning anthropological exploration of the curious bald and blue character.

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