REVIEW: World Premiere of The Last Pair of Earlies Via Raven Theatre Now Playing Through December 12, 2021

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar

Raven Theatre Presents the World Premiere of

THE LAST PAIR OF EARLIES

By Joshua Allen

Directed by Wardell Julius Clark

October 27 – December 12, 2021

(left to right) Jonny Morrison and Marcus D. Moore in Raven Theatre’s world premiere of The Last Pair of Earlies. All Photos by Michael Brosilow.

REVIEW:

By Bonnie Kenaz-Mara

Dozens of pairs of shoes line the walls and lay beneath the set of Raven Theatre's latest period piece drama, set in 1939, forming an apt foundation for this fabulous world premiere. Under the capable direction of Wardell Julius Clark, The Last Pair of Earlies gives us a glimpse into the quiet desperation of a forced relocation and the unresolved grief of losing a child. The fallout of systemic racism, sexism, and violence collides head-on with determination, desires, and conflicting life goals to make for a compelling storyline.

(left to right) Shadana Patterson and Marcus D. Moore in Raven Theatre’s world premiere of The Last Pair of Earlies. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

Alhough the narrative is split between the present in 1939 and flashbacks to 1921, this is one of the easiest productions to follow through timeline jumps. Staging of the early Mississippi years takes place on ground level, closest to the audience, while the later years are all set on stage, inside Wayland and Della Rose Early's Southside Chicago apartment. 

(left to right) Demetra Dee and Jonny Morrison in Raven Theatre’s world premiere of The Last Pair of Earlies. 

We were particularly struck by the complicated dynamic and friendship between Tarina Bradshaw (Myrna Lee Franklin) and Shadana Patterson (Della Rose Early). The casting, set design, and production as a whole is excellent. Despite a good smattering of toxic masculinity, overwhelming loss, and a run of tough luck, this production and makes for an enlightening and entertaining evening. 

(left to right) Tarina Bradshaw and Shadana Patterson in Raven Theatre’s world premiere of The Last Pair of Earlies.

(left to right) Tarina Bradshaw and Shadana Patterson in Raven Theatre’s world premiere of The Last Pair of Earlies. 

(left to right) Shadana Patterson and Tarina Bradshaw in Raven Theatre’s world premiere of The Last Pair of Earlies. 

Kudos to Raven Theatre for making space in their lineup to tell a more diverse variety of stories than the white male canon, with this stellar script by Joshua Allen, a black playwright raised in Chicago. Nineteen months after Raven Theatre's stage lights went dark as the pandemic raged, this indomitable company is back with an all too human tale of heartbreak, love, loss, betrayals, female friendship, entrepreneurial spirit, struggles, and strength. Here at ChiIL Live Shows we loved The Last Pair of Earlies. 

Bonnie is a Chicago based writer, theater critic, photographer, videographer, actress, artist and Mama. She owns two websites where she publishes frequently: ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) & ChiILMama.com (family friendly). 

(left to right) Keith Illidge and Shadana Patterson in Raven Theatre’s world premiere of The Last Pair of Earlies. 

Raven Theatre, Chicago’s newest Equity-affiliated theatre, is pleased to welcome back audiences this fall with the world premiere of Joshua Allen’s The Last Pair of Earlies, directed by Wardell Julius Clark. This new drama, which follows the hardships and hopes of Wayland and Della Rose Early as they chase a sweet Southern dream on the South Side of Chicago, will play October 27 – December 12, 2021 on Raven’s 85-seat East Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago. Single tickets and a variety of 2021-22 subscription packages are currently available at raventheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177. 

 

(left to right) Jonny Morrison, Demetra Dee, Keith Illidge, Marcus D. Moore, Tarina Bradshaw and Shadana Patterson in Raven Theatre’s world premiere of The Last Pair of Earlies. 

The production features Tarina Bradshaw, Demetra Dee, Keith Illidge, Marcus D. Moore, Jonny Morrison and Shadana Patterson.

Please note: Raven Theatre will require proof of vaccination and masking at all performances through the end of 2021. For all of Raven’s COVID-19 and vaccination information, visit raventheatre.com/covid-19.

 

Ever since he was a teenager in Mississippi, Wayland Early could count on two things – his talent for making handmade shoes, and the love of his bride, Della Rose. But danger forces them to flee north to Chicago. Before they know it, nearly two decades have passed, and both Wayland and Della find themselves increasingly unable to count on anything, including their marriage. As they each contend with the weight of their spent youth and unrealized dreams, a life-altering question comes to the surface: are we still enough for each other? Joshua Allen emerges from the award-winning writers’ room of Empire with a hometown world premiere. 

 

Comments Raven Artistic Director Cody Estle, “We are excited to welcome playwright Joshua Allen to our theater. Joshua is a Chicago native and will be joining us during the creative process and we look forward to introducing his work to Chicago's theater community and to our audiences. We are equally excited to open our doors and get back to doing what we do best – making plays!”

 

The production team includes Sydney Lynne (scenic design), Alex Rutherford (costume design), Sim Carpenter (lighting design), Christopher Kriz (sound design and original music), Caitlin McCarthy (props design), Jyreika Guest (intimacy director), Olivia Canaday (assistant director), Lorenzo Blackett (production manager), Alan Weusthoff (technical director), Liz Gomez (master electrician), Eileen Rozycki (charge artist) and Wilhelm Peters (stage manager).

Cast: Tarina Bradshaw (Myrna Lee Franklin), Demetra Dee (Young Della Rose), Keith Illidge (Jimmy Riley), Marcus D. Moore (Wayland Early), Jonny Morrison (Young Wayland) and Shadana Patterson (Della Rose Early).

 

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

 

Regular run: Through Sunday, December 12, 2021

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be a performance on Thursday, November 25 (Thanksgiving).

Tickets: Previews $30. Regular run $40. Students/active military and veterans $15. Tickets are currently available at raventheatre.com or by calling (773) 338-2177.

 

Touch Tour/Open Captioned performance: Sunday, November 28, 2021 at 3 pm. Touch tour begins at 1:45 pm.

 

Group tickets: Special group rates are available. For information, call (773) 338-2177 or e-mail info@raventheatre.com.

(left to right) Marcus D. Moore and Shadana Patterson in Raven Theatre’s world premiere of The Last Pair of Earlies. 

 

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

 

Joshua Allen (Playwright) is a Chicago native whose plays include The Last Pair of Earlies, The October Storm, Chrysalis and About Monday Morning. His work has been produced and developed at Hudson Stage, the Cape Cod Theater Project, Primary Stages, the Lark's Playwrights' Week and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. An alumnus of New Dramatists, he has also been a member of the Ars Nova Play Group and the Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers’ Group at Primary Stages. Joshua is a graduate of the University of Southern California and the Juilliard School. His television credits include In Treatment (HBO), Empire (FOX), Almost Family (FOX) and the upcoming From Scratch (Netflix).

 

Wardell Julius Clark (Director) is an award-winning actor, director, producer, activist who hails from Fairfield, Alabama but now calls Chicago home. He earned his BFA from The Theatre School at DePaul University. Wardell is a Company Member with TimeLine Theatre. He is also an Ensemble Member at Sideshow Theatre. Wardell recently returned from Williamstown Theatre Festival where he directed the world premieres of Black Moon Lilith, A Ghost in Satin and don't get got this summer a part of the Solo Play Festival Celebrating the Black Radical Imagination. Select Chicago directing credits include Michael Jackson and The Devil's Book, Whitney Houston and The Devil's Book (Jackalope Theatre Company), Kill Move Paradise (Timeline Theatre - 2020 Jeff Award Winner - Best Director (Large), Sheepdog (Shattered Globe), His Shadow (16th Street), The Shipment (Red Tape), Dutch Masters (Jackalope). Select acting credits include The Whisper's Apprentice and Once in a Bleu Moon (Sideshow Theatre), Flyin’ West (American Blues), Suddenly Last Summer (Raven), Silent Sky (First Folio), Othello (Theater at Monmouth) and The Gospel According to James (Victory Gardens). His television and film credits include Proven Innocent, Shameless and Chicago Fire seasons 1 & 4. wardelljuliusclark.com

 

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 The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity, and the Arts at Prince, Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, Polk Bros Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, S&C Electric Company Fund, Paul M. Angell Foundation, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

(left to right) Marcus D. Moore and Shadana Patterson in Raven Theatre’s world premiere of The Last Pair of Earlies. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

OPENING: US Premiere of Queen C at Trap Door Theatre October 28 through December 4, 2021

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

TRAP DOOR THEATRE 

is proud to present the US Premiere of... Queen C

Written by: Laura Ruohonen Translated by: David Hackston Directed by: Michael Mejia

Featuring: Maureen Azzun, Neema Lahon, David Lovejoy, Gavin Rhys, Faiz Siddique, Carl Wisniewski

Laura Ruohonen creates her own special world in her plays, whether depicting a seventeenth-century court or a modern apartment block. Ruohonen’s texts are both poetic and down-to-earth, combining humour and tragedy into an organic whole. In her plays, people are inextricably bound to their environment, and an individual’s inner and outer life reflect one another, sometimes getting blended in the process. Ruohonen writes on many levels, and her works can be interpreted in many different ways. At the heart of her works lies a strong ethical core. From 2008 to 2013 Laura Ruohonen was the Professor in Drama of the Theatre Academy Helsinki.

Michael Mejia (they, them, theirs) is extremely excited to be making their main stage directing debut with Trap Door Theatre! Michael studied acting and music performance at Indiana University before coming to Chicago. Michael is the Company Manager for Trap Door Theatre, where they are also a proud ensemble member. Trap Door Directing credits: ALAS and Decomposed Theatre Episode 3. Acting credits: The White Plague, Father; Love and Information, Actor; The Killer, Architect; The Old Woman Broods, Waiter; Monsieur d’Eon is a Woman, Beaumarchais/Wilkes (Trap Door Theatre); Proxy, Doug (Underscore Theatre); Kingdom, Alexander (Broken Nose Theatre); Little Shop of Horrors, Audrey 2 (Stoughton Village Players); Hair, Hud (Harper Ensemble Theatre). Michael is also a musician who plays guitar, piano and writes. Michael would like to thank Trap Door Theatre and this amazing cast for allowing them to take this beautiful journey. www.mejiah.com

Costume Designer: Rachel Sypniewski / Lighting Designer: Richard Norwood / Set Designer: Michael Griggs / Sound Designer: Deon Custard / Make-up Designer: Zsofia Otvos / Graphic Designer: Michal Janicki / Stage Manager: Anna Klos

Opens: Thursday, October 28th at 8PM (CST) Closes: Saturday, December 4th at 8PM (CST)

Runs: 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. No show on Thanksgiving day, with an added show at 7 p.m. on Sunday, November 28th.

Admission: $20 on Thursdays and Fridays, $25 on Saturdays, with two for one admission on Thursdays. https://trapdoor.ticketleap.com/queen-c/

Where: Trap Door Theatre is located at 1655 W. Cortland St.

What: In Queen C, a Queen pushes back against being defined by the obligations she was born to fulfill.

  

Chicago and Trap Door COVID-19 Protocol

PROOF OF VACCINATION FOR INDOOR PERFORMANCES

Trap Door Theatre has joined with a consortium of over 60 Chicago area performing arts venues and producers to follow safety protocols for protecting our patrons, artists, staff, and volunteers in the face of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting September 1st, all performances at Trap Door Theatre will be requiring patrons to be fully vaccinated and masked for entry into the theatre. Persons are considered “fully vaccinated” when 14 days have passed since receiving the second dose of FDA or WHO authorized double-dose vaccines (such as Moderna or Pfizer) or that 14 days have passed since receiving the single dose of FDA or WHO authorized single-dose vaccines (such as Johnson & Johnson).

Those who cannot be vaccinated due to a medical condition or closely held religious belief, or for those for whom the vaccine is not yet approved (i.e. children under 12), the theatre will require proof of a negative test from within 72 hours of the show.

Proof of vaccination can be showed at the door by showing a vaccination card or a photo of a vaccination card.

These protocols will remain in effect until December 31, after which they will be reevaluated based on current trends. The theatre has additionally required vaccination for all staff and artists working in the building.

Please direct any questions to 773-384-0494 or boxofficetrapdoor@gmail.com

STREAMING: LOVE IN THE TIME OF JONESTOWN – A Radio Play November 21 – December 12, 2021

 New Dates Announced!

The New Coordinates Present the World Premiere of

LOVE IN THE TIME OF JONESTOWN – A Radio Play

By Ensemble Member Omer Abbas Salem

Directed by Sophiyaa Nayar

Streaming November 21 – December 12, 2021

The New Coordinates, formerly The New Colony, has announced new dates for its world premiere Love in the Time of Jonestown – A Radio Play, streaming on demand from November 21 – December 12, 2021 at thenewcoordinates.org. Sinister and seductive, this brand-new audio experience by Ensemble Member Omer Abbas Salem and directed by Sophiyaa Nayar explores the splendid ache of acceptance and the profound bliss of betrayal. 

Tickets ($15) are currently available at thenewcoordinates.org. 

Love in the Time of Jonestown will feature Tina El Gamal (Reporter), Niko Kourtis (Henry), Tommy Malouf (Ahmed, Congressman Ryan), Omer Abbas Salem* (Rassoul), Stephanie Shum* (Wendy) and Mary Williamson (Jim Jones).

We want you to be safe – to feel supported. We want to create space for everything about you because we love you exactly as you are. We want to break oppressive systems and rebuild a world that not only accommodates all of us, but celebrates and fosters our beautiful individuality. All we ask is that you come with an open mind, an open heart, and a willingness to dialogue. Welcome to Jonestown, we hope you'll stay. 

The production team includes Eric Backus (sound design and original music), Nadya Naumaan, (associate director), Catherine Miller (dramaturg) and Devonte E. Washington (production stage manager).

*Denotes The New Coordinates Ensemble Member

About the Artists

Omer Abbas Salem (Playwright) is a Chicago actor and playwright. As an actor, he's worked with The New Coordinates, Jackalope Theatre, Steep Theatre, Silk Road Rising, Griffin Theatre, The House, Bailiwick Chicago, Actors Theatre of Louisville and The Atlantic Theater. His play Mosque4Mosque was developed through the National Queer Theater and then chosen for further development through Steppenwolf Theatre's SCOUT Program. The Secretaries was workshopped through The New Coordinates, a semi-finalist in Definition Theatre's Amplify Commission, and developed through the Goodman Theatre's Future Labs. Pretty Shahid was commissioned as part of Jackalope Theatre's 2020/21 New Frontier Series. He is a member of the 2021/22 Goodman Playwrights Unit and is the recipient of the 2021 Cunningham Commission through DePaul University. He was an apprentice of the Actors Theatre of Louisville (17/18) and a proud ensemble member with Steep Theatre and The New Coordinates. He is represented by DDO Artist Agency and the Gersh Agency. More at www.omerabbassalem.com.

Sophiyaa Nayar (Director) is from New Delhi, India. Most recently, she directed Shakuntala by Lavina Jadhwani (Future Labs, Goodman Theatre). She is a member of the Women’s Project Lab 2020-22, an ensemble member with Definition Theatre, member of Director's Lab Chicago 2017 and was a resident in Milwaukee Rep’s 2017/18 season. She is part of the SDC Foundation’s Observership Class, through which she worked on Soft Power by Jeanine Tesori and David Henry Hwang at The Public. Recent work includes: Good Years by Ada Alozie (Definition Theatre), Being Julia Roberts by Omer Abbas Salem (Jackalope Theatre), MLK Project by Yolanda Androzzo (Writers Theatre), EthiopianAmerica By Sam Kabede (Definition Theatre) which won BTA Awards for Best Play, Featured Actor and Actress and a Jeff Award for Fight Choreography. She just finished workshopping a screenplay with Sundance Collab under Jessica Sharzer. Learn more about her on sophiyaanayar.net

 

About The New Coordinates

The New Coordinates (formerly The New Colonyd) develops New Art and New Artists in order to educate and build New Audiences. Now in its 13th year, The New Coordinates has established itself as “one of Chicago’s essential off-Loop companies” (Chicago Tribune). Through the development of countless new plays and musicals, 32 world premieres, and a conscious shift toward becoming an anti-racist theatre, The New Coordinates has cultivated a diverse audience of theatergoers eager to have a voice in the storytelling. Conversation, collaboration and innovation remain at the heart of everything they produce. The New Coordinates' work has been honored with five non-Equity Jeff Awards, Broadway In Chicago’s 2011 Emerging Theatre Award, and their shows have gone onto productions across the country and beyond. Learn more at thenewcoordinates.org.

OPENING: PUMP BOYS & DINETTES VIA PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE AT THE RUTH PAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS, OCTOBER 30 - DECEMBER 12

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE 

ANNOUNCES CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR 

PUMP BOYS & DINETTES 

ITS RETURN TO LIVE PERFORMANCES AT THE RUTH PAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS, OCTOBER 30 - DECEMBER 12

 

Tickets are now on Sale for Pump Boys & Dinettes, Directed by Daryl Brooks+, Music Directed by Robert Reddrick+ and Choreographed by Rueben D. Echoles+

 

Award-winning Porchlight Music Theatre returns to live performances and the launch of its 27th Mainstage season with Pump Boys & Dinettes, October 30 - December 12 at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St. 

Created by John Foley, Mark Hardwick, Tony winner Debra Monk, Cass Morgan, John Schimmel, and Jim Wann

Pronoun Key: + (he/him/his); * (she/her/hers); ^ (they, them, theirs). = (any with respect)

Directed by Daryl Brooks+

Music Directed by Robert Reddrick+

Choreographed by Rueben D. Echoles+

October 30 - December 12

The Ruth Page Center for the Arts

1016 N. Dearborn Street, Chicago

Previews: Saturday, Oct, 30 at 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 31 at 2 and 6:30 p.m.,  Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. (Industry Night), Thursday, Nov. 4 at 1:30 p.m.

Press opening is Thursday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.

The regular run performance schedule is: 

Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.

Fridays at 8 p.m.

Saturdays at 3:00 and 8 p.m. and 

Sundays at 2 p.m. 

Weekday matinees:

Thursday, Dec. 2 at 1:30 p.m.

Ticket Price: $45 – 74

Website: PorchlightMusicTheatre.org

Created by John Foley+, Mark Hardwick+, Tony winner Debra Monk*, Cass Morgan*, John Schimmel+ and Jim Wann+, directed by Daryl Brooks+, music directed by Robert Reddrick+ and choreographed by Rueben D. Echoles+, Pump Boys & Dinettes’ previews are Saturday, Oct. 30 at 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 31 at 2 and 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. and Thursday, Nov. 4 at 1:30 p.m. with the press opening Thursday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. 

I'll be out to catch the show Sunday, November 21, so check back soon for my full review. The regular run performance schedule is Thursdays at 7:00 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3:00 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. with weekday matinee Thursday, Dec. 2 at 1:30 p.m. Single tickets are $45 - $74 and subscriptions to the entire 2021 - 2022 season are available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre box office, 773.777.9884.

One of the longest running shows in Chicago Theatre history, Pump Boys & Dinettes is a music theatre phenomenon filled with toe-tapping music on guitar, piano, bass and a kitchen utensil or two! This North Carolina dinette is your home off the highway and located just across the street from the filling station. Run by Prudie and Rhetta Cupp, beloved sisters who are always ready with a cup of Joe, a slice of pie, a homespun song and a “Welcome back!” The New York Times said “It doesn’t merely celebrate the value of friendship and life’s simple pleasures, it embodies them.”

“Being raised in Waynesboro, Virginia (a small town off of Highway 81), I relate to Pump Boys & Dinettes in a whole different way. The connection of community and values really strikes a chord with me. Today, times have changed and people have changed, but not the sense of community,” said Pump Boys & Dinettes Director Brooks+. “When Porchlight asked me to direct Pump Boys, I realized that it was time to show off the diversity not just in the people, but the music! At every turn, this show will be a slice of comfort and excitement, just like a piece of my grandma’s lemon meringue pie!” 

The cast of Porchlight Music Theatre’s Pump Boys & Dinettes includes: Rafe Bradford+ (Eddie - Bass); Shantel Cribbs* (Prudie Cupp); Ian Paul Custer+(Jim - Rhythm Guitar & U/S L.M); Frederick “Ricky” Harris= (L.M - Piano); Melanie Loren* (Rhetta Cupp) and Billy Rude+ (Jackson - Lead Guitar) with Caitlin Dobbins* (Standy by Rhetta and Prudie Cupp); J.J. Smith+ (Stand by Jim and Jackson); Kelan Smith+ (Stand by Jim and Eddie)

Pump Boys & Dinettes’ production team includes: Daryl Brooks+, (director); Robert Reddrick+, (music director), Rueben D. Echoles+, (choreographer/costume designer); Jennifer Aparicio*, (production manager/SM swing); Eric Backus+, (co-sound designer) Gianni Carcagno*/=, (assistant stage manager/assistant audio engineer); Matthew R. Chase+, (audio engineer); Andrea Enger=, (assistant stage manager/wardrobe manager); Deya Friedman*, (production stage manager, AEA); Denise Karczewski*, (lighting designer); Sydney Lynne*, (scenic designer); Caitlin McCarthy*, (properties designer); Johnnie Schleyer+, (technical director); Stefanie M. Senior*, (co-sound designer); Rachel West*, (lighting supervisor), Rashaad A. Bond+, (producing artistic associate); Alex Rhyan+, (production and operations director) and Michael Weber+, (artistic director).

ABOUT DARYL D. BROOKS+, director 

Daryl D. Brooks is a Chicago  based director, writer and actor who was born and raised in Waynesboro, Virginia. He is currently the producing managing director of the Black Ensemble Theater. His musical revue, You Can’t Fake the Funk: A Journey Through Funk Music, premiered at Black Ensemble Theater and earned him an African American Arts Award, Black Theater Alliance Award and the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Musical/Revue. His production Men of Soul also received multiple awards and nominations including the Chicago BroadwayWorld nomination for Best Director for a Musical/Revue, a Jeff Award Nomination for Best Director of a Review, and was selected for production at The National Black Theater Festival. He has directed over fifty productions and some credits include; Black Pearl: A Tribute to Josephine Baker, Women of Soul(Black Ensemble Theatre), Memphis (Porchlight Musical Theatre), Million Dollar Quartet(Theatre At the Center), Akeelah and the Bee and Fast Food Chain (Adventure Stage and Northwestern Settlement). In 2019 Brooks received the Chicago Defender’s “Men of Excellence Award” for building diversity and equity within the Chicago theater community. 

ABOUT ROBERT REDDRICK+, music director 

Robert Reddrick is the music director and drummer for Chicago’s Black Ensemble Theater. He is a seven-time recipient of the Black Theater Alliance award and five-time nominee for the Joseph Jefferson award for best music director.  Additionally, he has been music director for projects at Steppenwolf Theatre (Traffic series), University of Illinois, Free Street Theater, as well as drummer for many other productions throughout Chicago.  In the late 1990’s he toured with “The Platters featuring the Legendary Monroe Powell” and travelled worldwide with them.  He also has his own band, “The R2Project featuring Bonnie Phillips” with CD’s available online. Reddrick has performed, produced and engineered many recordings for local Chicago artists. 

ABOUT REUBEN D. ECHOLES+, choreographer/costume designer

Rueben D. Echoles is an accomplished playwright, director, choreographer and designer. He is an associate artistic director for Black Ensemble Theater and has been since 2005. Echoles has had the pleasure of working with many theater companies across the country and in the Chicagoland area such as ETA creative Arts Foundation (director/choreographer/costume designer, Showfolk TYA, Co playwright with Euseni Eugene Perkins Voices of HIV) Congo Square, Refuge, Porchlight Music Theater (costume designer), Paramount (asst. wig designer) and Studio One Dance Theater (playwright, director creative consultant 2003 – present), just to name a few. His most recent projects include Call Me Madam (costume design PMT), A New Attitude, In Tribute to Patti Labelle, My Brothers Keeper: The Story of the Nicholas Brothers and The Last Dancer Standing.

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE AS RUTH PAGE ARTIST IN-RESIDENCE

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to be a member of the vibrant Ruth Page Center for the Arts community and an In-Resident Organization. Central to the Ruth Page Center for the Arts’ programming is this program, which is designed to serve organizations looking for a home base while they grow or expand their artistic and organizational capabilities. The Center is committed to nurturing and assisting dance and other performing artists, allowing for exchange and collaborative relationships to develop within the artistic community. The Ruth Page Center for the Arts is a destination for quality performing arts, accessible to a wide community regardless of race, gender, age, education or disability. An incubator of artistic energy and excellence, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts carries forward the vision of its founder, legendary dance icon Ruth Page, to be a platform for developing great artists and connecting them with audiences and community.

 

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE

Porchlight Music Theatre is the award-winning center for music theatre in Chicago. Through live performance, youth education and community outreach we impact thousands of lives each season, bringing the magic of musicals to our theatre home at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts in the Gold Coast and to neighborhoods across the city. Porchlight has built a national reputation for boldly reimagining classic musicals, supporting new works and young performers, and showcasing Chicago’s most notable music theatre artists, all through the intimate and powerful theatrical lens of the “Chicago Style.” 

Now in its 27th season, Porchlight's quarter-century production history includes more than 70 Mainstage works with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. Porchlight’s commitment to the past, present and future of music theatre led the company to develop the Porchlight Revisits and New Faces Sing Broadway program series, both quickly becoming audience favorites. 

Porchlight's education and outreach programs serve schools, youth of all ages and skill levels and community organizations, most notably the ongoing collaboration with Chicago Youth Centers. Porchlight annually awards dozens of full scholarships and hundreds of free tickets to ensure accessibility and real engagement with this uniquely American art form. 

The company’s many honors include 178 Joseph Jefferson Award (Jeff) nominations and 45 Jeff awards, as well as 33 Black Theatre Alliance (BTA) nominations and 12 BTA awards. In 2019, Porchlight graduated to the Large Theatre tier of the Equity Jeff Awards, and was honored with eight nominations in both technical and artistic categories and won three awards in its inaugural year in this tier, most notably Best Ensemble for Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies. 

Through the global pandemic, Porchlight emerged as one of Chicago’s leaders in virtual programming, quickly launching a host of free offerings like Sondheim @ 90 Roundtables, Movie Musical Mondays, Porchlight by Request: Command Performances and WPMT: Classic Musicals from the Golden Age of Radio. For the 2020-2021 season, Porchlight’s fall schedule included all-new ticketed virtual programs including Broadway by the Decade, New Faces Sing Broadway 1987, Chicago Sings Rock & Roll Broadway, New Faces Sing Broadway 1961 and the return of The Ruffians’ Burning Bluebeard as well as collaborations with Hershey Felder and L.A. Theatre Works. Porchlight recently launched its first summer performance schedule including a sold-out performance of New Faces Sing Broadway 1979 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, the premiere of its outdoor music series Broadway in your Backyard, performed throughout Chicagoland this summer and special appearances at Sundays on State and Navy Pier’s Chicago Live Again.

Award-winning Porchlight Music Theatre returns to live performances and the launch of its 27th Mainstage season with Pump Boys & Dinettes, October 30 - December 12 at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St. Created by John Foley+, Mark Hardwick+, Tony winner Debra Monk*, Cass Morgan*, John Schimmel+ and Jim Wann+, directed by Daryl Brooks+, music directed by Robert Reddrick+ and choreographed by Rueben D. Echoles+, Pump Boys & Dinettes’ previews are Saturday, Oct. 30 at 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 31 at 2 and 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. and Thursday, Nov. 4 at 1:30 p.m. with the press opening Thursday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. The regular run performance schedule is Thursdays at 7:00 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3:00 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. with weekday matinee Thursday, Dec. 2  at 1:30 p.m. Single tickets are $45 - $74 and subscriptions to theentire 2021 - 2022 season are available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre box office, 773.777.9884. (Please note: complete performance schedule is available at the end of this release.) 

Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from ; Allstate; Michael Best & Friedrich LLP; Chapman | Spingola, LLP; Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation; Glimpse Vision; James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation; Hearty Boys; The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity and the Arts at Prince; the Pritzker Traubert Foundation; Ryan and Spaeth, Inc.; Daniel and Genevieve Ratner Foundation; The Saints and Dr. Scholl Foundation.

 The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency, and by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events with funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.. 

Porchlight Music Theatre wishes to thank members of the Matching Gift Corporate Program including abbvie; Allstate; CDW, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation; Peoples Gas; Pepsico; Polk Bros Foundation,The Saints, State Farm, U.S. Cellular and We Energies. 

OPENING: Return of the Chicago Premiere of HUNDRED DAYS November 7, 2021 – January 9, 2022 at The Chopin Theatre

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Kokandy Productions Presents the Return of the Chicago Premiere of

HUNDRED DAYS

Music & Lyrics by The Bengsons

Book by The Bengsons & Sarah Gancher

Directed by Lucky Stiff

Music Direction by Matthew Muñiz

Choreography by Collin Quinn Rice

November 7, 2021 – January 9, 2022 at The Chopin Theatre

 

HUNDRED DAYS was first presented by Kokandy Productions in March 2020. Due to the pandemic, the original run was shut down on opening night. The original cast (featured in the above photo) included Abigail Cline, Chris Farrell Jr., Lucas "Looch" Johnson, Royen Kent, Emilie Modaff and Melanie Vitaterna.

Kokandy Productions is proud to present the Chicago premiere of the bold new musical Hundred Days, featuring music and lyrics by The Bengsons, and book by The Bengsons and Sarah Gancher. After the pandemic forced the original Kokandy run to close on opening night, Hundred Days returns to make its Chicago debut, having enjoyed successful runs at La Jolla Playhouse and New York Theatre Workshop, Hundred Days will be helmed by director Lucky Stiff with music direction by Matthew Muñiz and choreography by Collin Quinn Rice. Hundred Days will playNovember 7, 2021 – January 9, 2022 at The Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.kokandyproductions.com, or in person at The Chopin Theatre box office. The press opening is Monday, November 15 at 8 pm.

 

Please note: Kokandy Productions will require proof of vaccination and masking at all performance.

 

The cast is led by Emilie Modaff as Abigail Bengson with Royen Kent and Alec Phan alternating in the role of Shaun Bengson, with Grace Bobber, David Gordon-Johnson, Lucas “Looch” Johnson, Brennan Urbi and Melanie Vitaterna. 

Hundred Days is an uncensored, exhilarating and heartrending true story about embracing uncertainty, taking a leap and loving as if you only had 100 days to live. With magnetic chemistry and anthemic folk-punk music, creators Abigail and Shaun Bengson explore a fundamental question: how do we make the most of the time that we have?

 A New York Times Critics’ Pick, Hundred Days was hailed as “a luminous musical memoir that celebrates and laments the elusive radiance of a shared life.” New York Magazine called the show “a series of ecstatic songs that make the case for living and loving. Hundred Days shines a light in the darkness. There’s something about that way of moving through the world – chest up, heart open, irony pushed firmly aside – that feels downright daring right now.”

Comments Producing Artistic Director Derek Van Barham, “Hundred Days is a celebration of life. The communal, ritualistic aspects of the show will invite us all to come together, to rejoin the living, and to be human again. It’s an invitation, a celebration, a well-earned reunion – closing the circle on a very trying time. The energy, the humor, the love and the care innate in the show are what I want to share with our audience.”

The production team includes Jackie Fox (scenic and original lighting design), Virginia Varland (original costume design), Mike J. Patrick (sound design), Patrick O'Brien (sound design, engineer), Noah Watkins(associate director), Abby Teel (stage manager), Irena Hadzi Dordevic (associate scenic designer),Nicholas Reinhart (production manager), Henry Muller (lighting design), Scot Kokandy (executive producer) and Derek Van Barham (producing artistic director). 

Cast (in alphabetical order): Grace Bobber (ensemble) David Gordon-Johnson (ensemble), Lucas Looch Johnson (ensemble), Royen Kent (Shaun Bengson, Saturdays & Sundays), Emilie Modaff (Abigail Bengson), Alec Phan (Shaun Bengson, Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays), Brennan Urbi (ensemble) and Melanie Vitaterna (ensemble).

Location: The Chopin Theater, 1543 W Division St. in Chicago

Dates: Previews: Sunday, November 7 at 5 pm, Monday, November 8 at 8 pm, Friday, November 12 at 8 pm, Saturday, November 13 at 8 pm and Sunday, November 14 at 5 pm

Press performance: Monday, November 15 at 8 pm

Regular run: Thursday, November 18, 2021 – Sunday, January 9, 2022

Curtain Times: Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 5 pm.

Tickets: Previews $25. Regular run $38. Students/senior $30. There will be a limited number of $15 tickets available for students and artists for each performance. Tickets are currently available at www.kokandyproductions.com, or in person at the Chopin Theatre box office.

About the Artists

The Bengsons (Book, Music, and Lyrics) have appeared at such venues as Joe’s Pub (NYC), MASS MoCA (North Adams, MA) and the Market Theater (Johannesburg, South Africa). Their music has been featured onSo You Think You Can Dance (FOX) and in The Lucky Ones (Ars Nova); Anything that Gives Off Light (National Theatre of Scotland/The Team); Sundown, Yellow Moon (Ars Nova/WP); Hurricane Diane(NYTW/WP, Two River Theatre); you’ll still call me by name (New York Live Arts, Jacob’s Pillow) andIphigenia in Aulis (Classic Stage Company). They have been nominated for the Drama Desk, Drama League and Lucille Lortel Awards. Abigail Nessen Bengson has toured as a member of tUnE-yArDs, including an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Sarah Gancher’s (Book) writing has been seen on such stages as London’s National Theatre, Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre, The Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Steppenwolf, Seattle Rep, Hartford Stage, RoundHouse, Ars Nova and The Flea. Honors include New York Stage and Film Founder’s Award, Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, AR Gurney Prize, Lortel and Drama League nominations. With The Bengsons, she also wrote The Lucky Ones. co-writer of The TEAM’s Mission Drift (Edinburgh International Festival Fringe Prize, Scotsman Fringe First, Herald Angel; international tour to Europe, Asia and Australia). Alumna: P73, Playwrights Realm Writing Fellows, Women’s Project Lab and Ars Nova Play Group. Resident playwright at New Dramatists. M.F.A.: NYU.

Lucky Stiff (Director) is a director and performer working in Chicago and New York. They build original experiences that often combine nightclub culture with performance art as well as classic stories, and their work takes inspiration from Weimar, Germany, Pierrot clowns and golden age musicals. They have been featured at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Disco Dining Club (Los Angeles), Boy Friday Dance Company and Bushwig Festival of Drag, among many others. They are a co-producer of the monthly shows GODDESS at Berlin Nightclub and Delirium: A Bohemian CabaRave at The Newport Theater, and they are a cohost of The Tea Podcast. They hold an MFA in Directing for Theater from Northwestern University.

Matthew Muñiz (Music Director) is a pianist, composer, songwriter and teacher. He's a company member with The House Theatre of Chicago, where his music direction and performance credits include The Nutcracker (2010-2018), Verböten (2020), United Flight 232 (2016), The Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz (2017) and Hatfield & McCoy (2018). As a composer, he most recently created music for The House Theatre’s production of Pinocchio (2019). His work has appeared in two short films and in one feature-length zombie horror flick, and in plays and podcasts. In 2013, he produced and released a full-length album of his songs with his band, The Live Debate! (available on all streaming services). His music can be heard in The Last Defender, an Escape created with Cards Against Humanity, and in the upcoming Escape, Nova to Lodestar. When Matthew isn’t making music, he’s probably making (or playing) games himself.www.matthewmunizmusic.com

Collin Quinn Rice (Choreographer) is a queer actor, dancer and multi-media artist based in Chicago. Recent movement credits include The Hilary Duff Project (2017 & 2020); The Dog, The Night, and The Knife; Disco Pigs (Silencio); and Big Love (Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts). They were most recently seen as an actor in The Tasters (Rivendell), All Quiet on the Western Front (Red Tape Theatre), Mike Pence Sex Dream (First Floor Theater), The Harvest (Griffin Theatre Co.), Hatfield & McCoy (The House), Le Switch (About Face Theatre), Masque Macabre (Strawdog Theatre Company), Going to a Place… (Redtwist Theatre) and The Ode at Pint's End (Birch House Immersive). Film credits include The Right Swipe and The Play Cycle. Collin is a graduate of Northwestern University, and they are represented by Big Mouth Talent. Collin also moonlights as a headshot photographer – their comprehensive work can be found at www.collinquinnrice.com.

About Kokandy Productions

Founded in 2010, Kokandy Productions seeks to leverage the heightened reality of musical theater to tell complex and challenging stories, with a focus on contributing to the development of Chicago-based musical theater artists, and raising the profile of Chicago's non-Equity musical theater community.

The company's artistic staff is comprised of Derek Van Barham (Producing Artistic Director), Scot T. Kokandy (Executive Producer) and Adrian Abel Azevedo & Leda Hoffman (Artistic Associates). The Board of Directors includes Preston Cropp, Katherine Smith, Allison Hendrix, Scot T. Kokandy, and Katie Svaicer.

For additional information, visit www.kokandyproductions.com.

A MICHAEL MARTIN TRIBUTE Via Curious Theatre Branch November 11 – 28, 2021 at Pride Arts Center

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar: 

Curious Theatre Branch Presents

A MICHAEL MARTIN TRIBUTE

Curated by Kelly Anchors

November 11 – 28, 2021 at Pride Arts Center

Curious Theatre Branch is please to host a three-week celebration of the solo performance monologues of the late Michael Martin, curated by Kelly Anchors. A Michael Martin Tribute will take place November 11 – 28, 2021 at Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway in Chicago. Tickets are available at dime.io/c/curious-theatre-branch or at the door ($15 or pay-what-you-can). For additional information, visit curioustheatrebranch.com.

Performance Schedule:

Thursdays: November 11 & 18 at 8 pm. Danne W. Taylor performs The Bearer and Max McKune performs Bachelor in New Orleans.

 Fridays: November 12, 19 & 26 at 8 pm. Chris Bower performs Justine Bateman.

 Saturdays: November 13, 20 & 27 at 8 pm. Mark Chrisler performs Hinckley on Foster.

*Please note: there will be an added performance of The Bearer and Bachelor in New Orleans on Sunday, November 28 at 7 pm.

Michael Martin was a playwright, actor, storyteller, social media maven, director and friend to hundreds of people in the Chicago and New Orleans fringe art scenes and beyond. His death in April 2021, while working the third shift in a New Orleans hotel, left a huge gaping hole. (And here Michael would have inserted a good joke as to how it should be filled.) Many of us who loved him and his work will come together for performances of four of his monologues.

  

OPENING: The Battlefields of Clara Barton a Workshop Production at Northwestern's Wirtz Center October 29–31, 2021

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar 

The Battlefields of Clara Barton

a workshop production

October 29–31, 2021

By Suzan Zeder & Jenn Hartmann Luck

Directed by Rives Collins

The Battlefields of Clara Barton is a modern folk/rock musical about the vibrant life of Clara Barton, a Civil War nurse, a political activist, and a revered founder of the American Red Cross. In a tumultuous life that spanned almost a century, Clara fought on many battlefields: historical, political, and emotional. Brought to life by an ensemble of women playing multiple roles where age and gender are fluid, the threads of Clara's story run from past to present with seamless synchronicity, creating a rich tapestry of themes as personal and potent today as they were then.

Since 2017, The Battlefields of Clara Barton has been under creative development here at Northwestern University, the University of Texas, and the Austin Playhouse at the Paramount Theatre in Texas. This workshop brings Northwestern's MFA and undergraduate programs together to develop the theatrical world of a brand-new musical, all with the writers in the room providing feedback throughout the month-long process. The creative team will elicit audience reactions after each performance to refine the piece before its ultimate premiere.

GET TICKETS

Fri., 10/29 @ 7:30 p.m.

Sat., 10/30 @ 7:30 p.m.

Sun., 10/31 @ 2 p.m.

Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts

Josephine Louis Theater

20 Arts Circle Drive



*Proof of vaccination or recent negative COVID test required.