EXTENDED: The Martyrdom of Peter Ohey Via Trap Door Theatre and the Polish Cultural Institute New York February 3rd – March 26th, 2022

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

Trap Door is back on stage!

With

The Martyrdom of Peter Ohey

Written by Sławomir Mrożek

Directed and Adapted by Nicole Wiesner

Associate Directed and Choreographed by Miguel Long

**The Martyrdom of Peter Ohey

Now Extended 2 Weeks Through March 26th**

One of Poland’s most celebrated playwrights, Sławomir Mrożek wrote this absurdist piece about a family, who's home life turns upside down when a tiger suddenly appears in their bathroom. As more and more absurd characters invade their home (a Scientist, a Government Official, a Circus Manager, and more), the family must decide whether or not to give in and join the circus.

Pictured: Venice Averyheart and Dennis Bisto. Photos by J. Michael Griggs

Experience sensational spectacle and twisted terrors as director Nicole Wiesner brings her signature Trap Door style to adapt and direct this obscure Mrożek farce!

Cast: Venice Averyheart, Dennis Bisto, Natara Easter, Matty Robinson, Keith Surney, Bob Wilson, and Carl Wisneiwski.

 

Pictured: Dennis Bisto, Carl Wisniewski, and Matty Robinson. Photos by J. Michael Griggs

The Martyrdom of Peter Ohey is Co-Presented with the Polish Cultural Institute New York

Playwright

Sɫawomir Mrożek (Playwright) was a Polish playwright born in 1930 in a small town near Kraków.  He started his professional career as a cartoonist and journalist, and later on wrote many grotesque stories.  His first play, The Police (1958) is a Kafkaesque parable, and was followed by a series of political, critical allegories cloaked in absurdist comedy such as Out at Sea (1961), Striptease (1961) and The Party (1963).  His most famous play from this period is Tango which had its world premiere in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in January 1965. That same year a famous Polish critic Jan Kott observed that while Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz and Witold Gombrowicz, Mrożek’s dramatic predecessors, were ahead of their time, Mrożek has arrived right on time both in Poland and in the West. Some perceived Mrożek as a kind of “Polish Ionesco” as his plays poke absurdist fun at contemporary mores and life in the 20th century communist-dominated Poland. Mrożek emigrated to France in 1963 and lived in Italy and Mexico before returning to Poland after the fall of communism. While his plays were periodically banned in Poland, they were performed in the cities around the world including New York City where they were produced several times off Broadway and at La MaMa Theatre Club. Among other plays written by Mrożek are Vatzlav (1972—produced at Trap Door Theatre in 2014), The Emigrés (1974), The Ambassador (1981), Alpha (1984) and Love in the Crimea (1994). Mrożek died in France in 2013.

Lighting Designer: Richard Norwood / Set Designer: Michael Griggs / Costume Designer: Rachel Sypniewski / Original Music and Sound Design: Danny Rockett / Make-up Designer: Zsofia Otvos / Graphic Designer: Michal Janicki / Understudy/Swing: David Lovejoy / Stage Manager: Anna Klos

The Martyrdom of Peter Ohey

February 3 @ 8:00 pm - March 12 @ 8:00 pm

Runs: 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Admission: $25 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, with two for one admission on Thursdays.

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

TICKETS

HELP OUT: Theo Ubique Cabaret Presents Viva La Diva January 29th To Help Amy Armstrong Fight Cancer

 With her powerful and soulful voice, Amy Armstrong mesmerizes listeners while her hilarious and sometimes risqué humor keeps them doubled over in laughter.

Amy has been one of Chicago’s favorite cabaret performers and an LGBTQ+ supporter, advocate and angel since moving here in 1995. In 2018, she was diagnosed with cancer and moved to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico permanently to receive medical care. 

Please join us for this one-night benefit to back to Amy and support her on her journey by hosting her to help raise funds for her treatment costs.

 "Choose Your Price for the Fight" 

100% of ticket sales will go directly to Amy for her medical expenses.

You can choose one of three ticket prices to support Amy. All seats are general admission.

Ally - $50.00

Friend - $75.00

Angel - $125.00

https://ci.ovationtix.com/35352/production/1092818

COVID-19 POLICIES

Everyone is required to be vaccinated to enter the building.

Each audience member must show photo ID & proof of vaccination at the door for admittance. (Scans, photos and copies of vaccination proof are acceptable.)

At this time, children under the age of 12 are not admitted.

If you forget proof of vaccination, we will reschedule your tickets at no charge.

If you are feeling ill, please do not attend. Contact our box office on the day of performance and we will reschedule your ticket at no cost.

North American Tour of The Tony Award-Winning Best Musical Moulin Rouge! The Musical Premieres in Chicago March 19, 2022

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

North American Tour of The Tony Award-Winning Best Musical 

Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Based on the 20th Century Fox Motion Picture by Baz Luhrmann

 North American Tour premieres in Chicago

March 19, 2022

Producers Carmen Pavlovic, Bill Damaschke and Gerry Ryan are pleased to announce the full cast for the North American Tour of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL when the show premieres March 19 in Chicago at the James M. Nederlander Theatre. Tickets are now on sale at BroadwayInChicago.com.

The cast is led by previously announced Courtney Reed as Satine and Conor Ryan as Christian, as well as Austin Durant as Harold Zidler, André Ward as Toulouse-Lautrec, David Harris as The Duke of Monroth, Gabe Martínez as Santiago and Libby Lloyd as Nini. Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer is the Satine Alternate. The cast includes Nicci Claspell, Harper Miles, Andres Quintero, Adrienne Balducci, Andrew Brewer, Jack Cahill-Lemme, Sam J. Cahn, Darius Crenshaw, Alexander Cruz, Alexa De Barr, Tamrin Goldberg, Alexis Hasbrouck, Jordan Fife Hunt, Justin Keats, Tyler Logan, Tanisha Moore, Brayden Newby, Kent Overshown, Amy Quanbeck, Adéa Michelle Sessoms, Jenn Stafford, Denzel Tsopnang, Travis Ward-Osborne, Sharrod Williams, Jennifer Wolfe and Ricardo Zayas.

Tony Award winning Director Alex Timbers said, “I’m thrilled and honored to welcome an extraordinary and vibrant group of actors to MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL as we begin our rehearsal process this week. After years of anticipation, we are all so excited to finally be taking this show on the road to audiences throughout North America.”

The full touring company is now in rehearsal at New 42 Studios and then travels to Chicago at the end of February to run technical rehearsals.

Following the multi-week engagement in Chicago (March 19 – May 14, 2022), MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL will play the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis (May 18 – June 5, 2022), the Buell Theatre in Denver (June 9 – 26, 2022), the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles (June 30 – September 4, 2022) and the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco (September 7 – November 6, 2022).  Additional tour stops will be announced soon. For more information, please visit: MoulinRougeMusical.com.

 

ABOUT MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL

MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL is the winner of ten 2021 Tony Awards including Best Musical, two Drama League Awards including Outstanding Production of a Musical, five Drama Desk Awards and ten Outer Critics Circle Award Honor citations including New Broadway Musical. 

MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL opened to critical acclaim at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in the Summer of 2019 and reopened in September 2021 following the shutdown of Broadway due to the pandemic.

“Spectacular! Euphoric! In MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL, life is beautiful,” raves The New York Times. “MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL is a fabulous new musical. The high begins the instant you walk into the theatre,” said the New York Post. Entertainment Weekly concludes that “it’s easy to believe that MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL could run for 50 years.”

MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL is directed by Tony Award winner Alex Timbers and with a book by Tony Award winner John Logan, choreography by Tony Award winner Sonya Tayeh and music supervision, orchestrations, and arrangements by Tony Award winner Justin Levine.

The design team for MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL includes Tony Award winner Derek McLane (sets), Tony Award winner Catherine Zuber (costumes), Tony Award winner Justin Townsend (lighting), Tony Award winner Peter Hylenski (sound), Drama Desk Award winner David Brian Brown (wig and hair design), Sarah Cimino (Make-up design) and Tony Award winner Matt Stine (Music Producer). Casting is by Jim Carnahan and Stephen Kopel.

Enter a world of splendor and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur, and glory! A world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment. Pop the champagne and prepare for the spectacular spectacular… Welcome to MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL.

Baz Luhrmann’s iconic film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza. MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL is a theatrical celebration of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and - above all - Love. MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL is more than a musical; it is a state of mind.

As in the film, MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL celebrates over 160 years of music – from Offenbach to Lady Gaga. The stage musical features many of the iconic songs from the movie, and also includes recent hits released since the movie premiered 20 years ago.

MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL is produced by Carmen Pavlovic and Gerry Ryan OAM for Global Creatures and Bill Damaschke. General management is by Foresight Theatrical.

Co-producers of the touring production include Aaron Lustbader, Hunter Arnold, Darren Bagert, Erica Lynn Schwartz/Matt Picheny/Stephanie Rosenberg, Adam Blanshay Productions/Nicolas & Charles Talar, Iris Smith, Aleri Entertainment, Sophie Qi/Harmonia Holdings, CJ ENM, Len Blavatnik, Ambassador Theatre Group, Endeavor Content, John Gore Organization, Spencer Ross, Gilad-Rogowsky/InStone Productions, AF Creative Media/International Theatre Fund, Nederlander Presentations/IPN, Cody Renard Richard, Jujamcyn Theaters, Eric Falkenstein/Suzanne Grant, Peter May/Sandy Robertson, Tom & Pam Faludy, Triptyk Studios, Carl Daikeler/Sandi Moran, Desantis-Baugh Productions, Red Mountain Theatre Company/42ND.CLUB, Candy Spelling/Tulchin Bartner, Roy Furman, Andrew & Ruby Ryan, Brent & Sarah Deboer and Michael Ryan.

Released by 20th Century Fox, Baz Luhrmann’s MOULIN ROUGE! premiered at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. At the 74th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture, and won two.

The Moulin Rouge of Paris, managed by Jean-Jacques Clerico (CEO), is a dazzling and spectacular universe, the symbol of the Parisian way of celebrating since 1889. Starting life as a popular cabaret and dance hall, the venue became an iconic music hall in the Roaring Twenties, and then a theatre where numerous famous French and international artists stepped out into the limelight. Today, the Moulin Rouge and its 60 artists present the Féerie revue show: two hours of amazement between cabaret and music hall styles where dance scenes and surprise acts intersperse – without forgetting the Moulin Rouge’s most emblematic dance, the French Cancan! Since its creation, the Moulin Rouge of Paris has always been an invitation to live and share all the emotions and effervescence of a unique party extravaganza. http://www.moulinrouge.fr/

The Grammy-nominated MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL Original Broadway Cast Recording, produced by Baz Luhrmann, Justin Levine, Matt Stine & Alex Timbers, is now available by Baz Luhrmann’s label, House of Iona, and RCA Records. The album debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Cast Album chart.

MAC is the Official Makeup Partner and Preciosa is the Official Crystal Partner of MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL.

TICKET INFORMATION

Individual tickets for MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL are now on sale and start at $52.50 with a select number of premium tickets available. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing GroupSales@BroadwayInChicago.com. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

 

COVID-19 PROTOCOL 

When entering the theatre, audience members will be required to provide their valid ticket, be masked, and provide valid I.D. (ages 16 and up). Guests, ages 5 and up, will be required to provide vaccination card that proves full vaccination, meaning 14 days after their second dose of a two-dose FDA authorized COVID-19 vaccine or at least 14 days after a single dose vaccine. Those with vaccine exemptions, including children 2 – 4, religious or medical, will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test along with a photo ID and valid ticket. Acceptable tests are either a PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance start time, or an antigen test taken within 6 hours of the performance start time. No home tests will be accepted. Due to COVID-19 protocol, children under the age of 2 will not be admitted to any Broadway In Chicago Theatre. We are currently not serving or allowing food and beverage inside the theatres to allow audience members to remain masked throughout the performance.

 

Follow MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok

MoulinRougeMusical.com

THE VIRGINIAN: A HORSEMAN OF THE PLAINS Via City Lit Theater through February 20, 2022

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THE VIRGINIAN: A HORSEMAN OF THE PLAINS 

City Lit Theater will open its 41st season with the world premiere adaptation of THE VIRGINIAN: A HORSEMAN OF THE PLAINS. Owen Wister’s novel, published in 1902, is said to have established the Western genre of narrative fiction and the cowboy ideal as an American icon. Its climactic gun duel is the first "showdown" in fiction and the novel has the first known use of the phrase "When you call me that, smile!" THE VIRGINIAN, which was a 1946 feature film and a TV series that aired from 1962-1971, has been adapted for the stage by Chicago playwrights L.C. Bernadine and Spencer Huffman. THE VIRGINIAN will play through February 20, 2022.

Artistic Director Terry McCabe, who will direct the production, announced the diverse cast today, saying "The value of any national myth lies in its availability to everyone." Robert Hunter Bry will appear in the title role – the character known simply as “The Virginian,” the cowpuncher from “back east” who struggles to uphold his code of honor while in conflict with the rustler who becomes his deadly enemy. Ben Auxier will play the rustler, Trampas; and Liz Falstreau will be Molly, the fiercely independent schoolteacher that The Virginian courts.

Left to right: Robert Hunter Bry, Liz Falstreau, Ben Auxier. 

The cast will also include DC Cathro (Honey-Wiggins/Medicine Salesman), Andie Dae (Mrs. Taylor), Tyler De Loatch (Chalkeye/Cigar Salesman), Tony DiPisa (Nebrasky), David Fink (Shorty), Hilary Hensler (Mother), Varris Holmes (Judge Taylor), Tom Lally (Balaam), marssie Mencotti (Great Aunt Agnes), Huy Nguyen (Scipio), Aaron Sarka (Steve), and Adèle Watel (Krista/Bride/Puppeteer).

The show will also feature a small herd of puppet horses, created for the show by The Puppet Company. Three quarters the size of real horses, the puppet horses will be able to do the things horses in Westerns do, from dodging the lariat to brushing away flies with their tails. The puppeteers will be Adèle Watel, Linsey Falls, Sarah Franzel, and David Weisenhahn.

Single tickets for the four-show 41st season (beginning with THE VIRGINIAN) are priced at $30 for previews and $34 for regular performances and are sale now at www.citylit.org . Senior prices are $25 for previews and $29 for regular performances. Students and military are $12.00 for all performances. Season subscriptions are available at $90.00, good for all performances, or $68.00 for preview performances. Subscriptions may be ordered online at www.citylit.org.

 

HEALTH PRECAUTIONS AT CITY LIT

Everyone at City Lit--casts, crews, and office staff alike--is fully vaccinated. We also require vaccination for anyone coming to see a show here; City Lit does not accept negative Covid tests, no matter how recent, as a substitute for proof of vaccination. We will also be following CDC ventilation guidelines on a daily basis to ensure a complete exchange of air in the theatre between performances. City Lit will of course comply with the full set of whatever official health guidelines are in place at any time.

January 7 – February 20, 2022

Previews January 7 - 15, 2022

Preview ticket prices $30.00, seniors $25.00, students and military $12.00 (all plus applicable fees)

Regular run Sunday, January 16 – February 20, 2022

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3 pm. Mondays February 7 and 14 at 7:30 pm.

Regular run ticket prices $34.00, seniors $29.00, students and military $12 (all plus applicable fees)

Performances at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Chicago 60660 (inside Edgewater Presbyterian Church)

Info and tickets at www.citylit.org and by phone at 773-293-3682.

A world premiere adaptation of the novel that originated the archetype of the American cowboy. Never named, rough-hewn but soft-spoken, living on the frontier between nature and civilization, The Virginian pursues his own singular code of honor. On a ranch near Sunk Creek, Wyoming, the cowpuncher from Virginia struggles to uphold this code in conflict with his deadly enemy, a former ranch hand turned rustler, as well as in his courting of the fiercely independent schoolmarm, whose own personal code is as strong as his. A study of the meaning of honor in the Old West, City Lit's production will feature a diverse cast. "The value of any national myth lies in its availability to everyone," McCabe stated. The show will also feature a small herd of puppet horses, created for the show by The Puppet Company. Three quarters the size of real horses, the puppet horses will be able to do the things horses in Westerns do, from dodging the lariat to brushing away flies with their tails.

L.C. Bernadine (Co-adapter, THE VIRGINIAN: HORSEMAN OF THE PLAINS) is a Chicago-based playwright who has worked with Underscore Theatre, the Writers Room program at New Colony Theatre, and the Playwrights Lab at Jackalope Theatre. In addition to THE VIRGINIAN for City Lit Theater, she is currently at work on a musical titled IS YOU IS, about false racial science and the 1933 “Races of Mankind” exhibit at The Field Museum. Past plays include YARD WORK (New Colony Theatre); WILL THE CIRCLE (Chicago Musical Theatre Festival); and BORDERLANDS, an adaptation of the book ‘A Guitar and A Pen’(Underscore Theatre). She is a member of the Dramatists Guild, and co-founder of a new play development support project for playwrights in Chicago, called Broken Bell Reads.

Spencer Huffman (Co-adapter, THE VIRGINIAN: HORSEMAN OF THE PLAINS) is a playwright, actor, and director based in Chicago. His plays include WHEN WE WERE LITTLE, SHINE DOWN ON US, THE SWAMP PLAY, LIKE SOME DEEP BOOMING, and IF ONLY WE WERE GHOSTS. His plays have earned finalist and semi-finalist nominations from The National Playwrights Conference, American Stage’s 21st Century Voices New Play Festival, and the Landing Theatre Co. New American Voices Festival among others and staged readings from Three Cat Productions (Chicago, IL) and Relative Theatrics (Laramie, WY). He was a member of the Writers Room 7.0 at the New Colony in Chicago and is currently a writer in residence at The Marble House Project in Dorset, VT. He is a member of the School at Steppenwolf class of 2019. 

Terry McCabe (Producer, Artistic Director, Director) has been City Lit’s artistic director since February 2005 and its producer since July 2016. He has directed plays professionally in Chicago since 1981. He was artistic director of Stormfield Theatre for four years, resident director at Wisdom Bridge Theatre for five years, and worked at Body Politic Theatre three separate times in three different capacities over a span of 14 years. His City Lit adaptations of HOLMES AND WATSON, GIDGET (co-adapted with Marissa McKown), THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, SCOUNDREL TIME, and OPUS 1861 (co-adapted with Elizabeth Margolius) were Jeff-nominated. He won two Jeff Citations for directing at Stormfield and has been thrice nominated for the Jeff Award for Best Director, for shows at Court Theatre, Wisdom Bridge, and Victory Gardens. He has directed at many Chicago theatres either long-gone or still with us, as well as off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre and at Vienna’s English Theatre. His book MIS-DIRECTING THE PLAY has been denounced at length in American Theatre magazine and from the podium at the national convention of The Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas but has been used in directing courses on three continents and is now available in paperback and Kindle e-book.

 

City Lit 41st Season

 

THE VIRGINIAN

Adapted by L.C. Bernadine and Spencer Huffman, from Owen Wister’s novel

Directed by Terry McCabe

January 7 – February 20, 2022

 

EMMA’S CHILD

By Kristine Thatcher

Directed by Terry McCabe

April 15 – May 29, 2022

 

THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD

By John Millington Synge

Directed by Brian Pastor

July 1 – August 14, 2022

 

AZTEC HUMAN SACRIFICE

By Kingsley Day and Philip LaZebnik

Directed by Terry McCabe

August 26 – October 9, 2022

 

ABOUT CITY LIT

For over forty-one years, City Lit Theater has been dedicated to the vitality and accessibility of the literary imagination. City Lit produces theatrical adaptations of literary material, scripted plays by language-oriented playwrights, and original material. City Lit Theater was founded with $210 pooled by Arnold Aprill (at the time the Body Politic Theatre’s box office manager), David Dillon, and Lorell Wyatt on October 9, 1979, and was incorporated on March 25, 1980. There were still so few theatres in Chicago that at City Lit’s launch event, they were able to read a congratulatory letter they had received from Tennessee Williams. 

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

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

A Red Orchid Theatre presents the Chicago premiere of The Moors January 6 – February 27, 2022

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

A RED ORCHID THEATRE WELCOMES AUDIENCES BACK WITH

THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF

THE MOORS

By JEN SILVERMAN

DIRECTED BY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR KIRSTEN FITZGERALD

January 6 – February 27, 2022

A Red Orchid Theatre presents the Chicago premiere of The Moors, written by Jen Silverman and directed by Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald. The Moors runs January 6 – February 27, 2022 at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N Wells in Chicago. Single tickets for The Moors are on sale now at www.aredorchidtheatre.org. 

On the wind-blown desolate moors two spinster sisters and their mastiff scheme to wrest their destinies from the savage land around them. When a governess is summoned and a moor-hen drops in, all three are forced to ask what price they might pay for love. Inspired (perhaps) by certain 19th-century gothic romances, and the sisters who wrote them, this savage comedy disrupts the conventions of visibility. 

The cast of The Moors includes Ensemble Members Karen Aldridge, Dado, Jennifer Engstrom and Guy Van Swearingen, with Audrey Billings and Christina Gorman.

The creative team includes Milo Bue (scenic design), Myron Elliott-Cisneros (costume design), Kaili Story (lighting design), Jeffrey Levin (sound design), Therese Ritchie (props design), Elenna Sindler (vocal/music direction), and Christina Gorman (fight/intimacy direction), and Kathleen Dickinson (stage manager).

Dates:                       

Previews: January 6-15, 2022

I'll be out for the Press Performance Saturday, January 15th, so check back soon at ChiILLiveShows.com for my full review. 

Opening: Sunday, January 16, 2022

 

Schedule:                    

Thursdays:    7:30 p.m.

Fridays:          7:30 p.m. 

Saturdays:     3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.  

Sundays:        3:00 p.m.  

                       

Location: 

A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells Ave.

Tickets: $15-$25 previews, $30-$40 regular run. ($30 Thurs, $35 Fri & Sat Matinee, $40 Sat evening &Sun matinee) 

Box Office: Located at 1531 N. Wells Ave, Chicago, (312) 943-8722; or online www.aredorchidtheatre.org

Ticket Information

FLASHPASS subscribers enjoy ticket flexibility and exchanges, additional ticket discounts, and reserved seating. The Two-show FLASHPASS is $60 and includes one ticket to each of the 2 shows in our 29th Season, excluding Opening Night.  The Preview FLASHPASS is $40 and includes one ticket to a preview performance of each of the 2 shows in our 29th season. 

FLASHPASSES and individual tickets may be purchased online at www.aredorchidtheatre.org.

A Red Orchid Theatre remains grateful for the support of our board, donors, and loyal audience who continue to champion our ambitious and powerful storytelling. And we welcome you to join our Red League, Founders Circle, or Orchid Visionary members. These philanthropic leaders foster the development of raw and relevant work—creating a platform for our talented Ensemble to reach new audiences, and ensuring that we remain a source for honest, compassionate, and aesthetically rigorous theatre. To learn more, please contact Managing Director Abigail Madden at abigail@aredorchidtheatre.org or 312-943-8722.

 

Covid 19 Policies

A Red Orchid is part of a growing coalition of more than 70 performing arts venues and producers across Chicagoland who have agreed upon Covid-19 Vaccination and Mask Requirements for audiences. This unified COVID-19 protection protocol requires audience members to provide proof of vaccination or negative test certification upon entry and to wear masks.  

These venues and their performers, backstage crew and staff will comply with vaccination requirements and testing protocols to further ensure the safety of all guests and company members. The current protocols were developed by the coalition in consultation with public health officials. They will be reviewed regularly and may include an extension or relaxation of certain provisions if the science dictates. 

All patrons will need to be masked and fully vaccinated with an FDA authorized vaccine in order to attend a performance at A Red Orchid Theatre and must show proof of vaccination and identification at their time of entry into the venue with their valid ticket. “Fully vaccinated” means the performance date must be at least 14 days after the second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, or at least 14 days after a single-dose vaccine. Where negative tests are accepted, guests may provide proof of a COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance start time, or a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within 6 hours of the performance start time. This includes accommodations for children under 12 and people with a medical condition or closely held religious belief that prevents vaccination. All patrons will have to wear a mask throughout the performance and during their time in the theatre. Refreshments and all concessions will not be served this season at A Red Orchid.  

About A Red Orchid

A Red Orchid Theatre has served as an artistic focal point in the heart of the Old Town community of Chicago since 1993 and was honored with a 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Over the past 29 years, its Resident Ensemble has welcomed into its fold an impressive array of award-winning actors, playwrights, and theatre artists with the firm belief that live theatre is the greatest sustenance for the human spirit. A Red Orchid is well known and highly acclaimed for its fearless approach to performance and design in the service of unflinchingly intimate stories.  

A Red Orchid Theatre is: Karen Aldridge, Lance Baker, Kamal Angelo Bolden, Dado, Mike Durst, Myron Elliott-Cisneros, Jennifer Engstrom, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Joseph Fosco, Steve Haggard, Levi Holloway, Mierka Girten, Larry Grimm, Karen Kawa, Karen Kessler, Travis A. Knight, Danny McCarthy, Shade Murray, Brett Neveu, Sadieh Rifai, Grant Sabin, Steve Schine, Michael Shannon, Guy Van Swearingen, Doug Vickers and Natalie West. 

World Premiere of MARY ROSE Via Black Button Eyes Productions January 7 – February 12, 2022 at The Edge Theater

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

Black Button Eyes Productions Presents the World Premiere of

MARY ROSE

January 7 – February 12, 2022 at The Edge Theater

Book & Lyrics by Producing Artistic Director Ed Rutherford

Music & Lyrics by Jeff Bouthiette

Adapted from the Play by J.M. Barrie

Directed by Producing Artistic Director Ed Rutherford

Music Direction by Nick Sula

Choreography by Derek Van Barham 

Black Button Eyes Productions is pleased to conclude its 2021-22 season this winter with the world premiere musical Mary Rose, featuring book and lyrics by Producing Artistic Director Ed Rutherford, music and lyrics by Jeff Bouthiette, adapted from play of the same name by J.M. Barrie (Peter Pan), directed by Ed Rutherford with music direction by Nick Sula and choreography by Derek Van Barham. The eerie musical faerie tale will play January 7 – February 12, 2022 at The Edge Theater (mainstage), 5451 N. Broadway Ave. in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. Tickets are currently available at maryrosemusical.eventbrite.com. 

Please note: Black Button Eyes will require proof of vaccination and masking at all performances. The entire cast and crew is vaccinated.

Mary Rose features Stephanie Stockstill as Mary Rose with Rosalind Hurwitz, Michael Reyes, Maxel Schingen, Jonathan Schwart, Maiko Terazawa and Kevin Webb. Understudies: Quinn Corrigan, Jessica Lauren Fisher and Joey Harbert.

PHOTO CREDIT: The cast of Black Button Eyes Productions’ world premiere musical Mary Rose includes (top, l to r) Rosalind Hurwitz, Michael Reyes and Maxel Schingen (bottom, l to r) Jonathan Schwart, Stephanie Stockstill, Maiko Terazawa and Kevin Webb.

This world premiere musical spins the tale of a haunted young woman named Mary Rose, and the mysterious supernatural connection between her, a manor house in Sussex and a misty island in the Scottish Highlands.

The production team includes Jeremiah Barr (scenic and properties design, technical director), Beth Laske-Miller (costume design), Liz Cooper (lighting design), Macy Kloville (sounds design), Elinor Keener (orchestrator) Carrie Hardin (dialect coach) and Cecilia Koloski (stage manager).

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Location: The Edge Theater (mainstage), 5451 N. Broadway Ave., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Friday, January 7 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, January 8 at 7:30 pm

Press performance: Sunday, January 9 at 3 pm

Regular run: Thursday, January 13 – Saturday, February 12, 2022

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

Tickets: $30. Tickets are currently available at maryrosemusical.eventbrite.com. 

 

About the Artists:

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

Jeff Bouthiette (Music & Lyrics) is a Chicago-based director, songwriter and performer, and currently serves as musical director for the Second City Mainstage. Jeff was also Head of the Music Program at the Second City Training Center for a decade. Jeff’s original musicals include Picture It! (MCL Chicago), Planted: A Song Cycle (Chicago Music Theatre Festival) and Miami Nice (Gorilla Tango). Previously with Black Button Eyes, Jeff has served as both actor (Mr. Bobo, Coraline) and musical director (Goblin Market).

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

Derek Van Barham (Choreographer) is the Producing Artistic Director of Kokandy Productions, and a member of the Red Tape Theatre ensemble. Recent directing credits: Head Over Heels (Kokandy), The View Upstairs (Circle), Poseidon (Hell in a Handbag) and Taylor Mac’s A Walk Across America for Mother Earth (CCPA/Roosevelt). Black Button credits include Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Ghost Quartet, Evil Dead The Musical (Jeff nomination), Coraline the Musical, Goblin Market, Amour, Nevermore and Shockheaded Peter. He has also choreographed for The Plagiarists, Inappropriate Theatre, The Ruckus, Brain Surgeon Theatre and Salonathon. He was named one of Windy City Times 30 Under 30, recognizing individuals from Chicago's LGBTQ community. www.derekvanbarham.com

About Black Button Eyes Productions

The 2021-22 season continues Black Button Eyes Productions' mission to bring to Chicago premieres and seldom-seen works containing elements of fantasy, in which the magical and surreal invade reality. The company was founded in 2014 with the acclaimed Midwest premiere of the musical Coraline, followed by Goblin Market, Amour, Shockheaded Peter, Nevermore-The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe, the world premiere Nightmares and Nightcaps: The Stories of John Collier, the smash hit Chicago Storefront Premiere of Evil Dead the Musical, the Chicago premieres of the musicals Ghost Quartet and Whisper House, and most recently, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

 

WELLESLEY GIRL VIA COMPASS THEATRE JANUARY 7 - FEBRUARY 5, 2022 AT THEATER WIT

 ChiIL Live Shows on our radar 

COMPASS THEATRE ANNOUNCES ITS RETURN TO THE STAGE WITH BRENDAN PELSUE’S 

WELLESLEY GIRL

JANUARY 7 - FEBRUARY 5, 2022 AT THEATER WIT

Directed by James Fleming, this Timely Play About Politics that’s Much like Politics, 

Funny, Until it Suddenly Isn't

Compass Theatre is proud to announce its LIVE return to stage with the production of Wellesley Girl, written by playwright Brendan Pelsue and directed by James Fleming, Friday, Jan. 7 - Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, at Theater Wit, 1229 W Belmont Ave. After postponing the original 2020 run due to COVID, Compass Theatre is thrilled to bring this play that directly addresses so many of the issues we are grappling with right now as a result of COVID and the past election. I'll be out to catch the Press Opening on Friday, Jan. 7th, so check back soon for my full review. 

The preview performance is Wednesday, Jan. 5 at 7:30 p.m. The regular performance schedule is Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Talk backs with the audience are scheduled for the Jan. 13, 20 and 30 performances. Tickets for Wellesley Girl are $40 for general admission, $35 for seniors and students and are on sale now. For more information or to purchase tickets please visit, CompassTheatre.org. 

It is 2465 and American politics hasn't changed much. Except that "America" is now only a handful of New England towns in a walled-in citadel and the population is so small that everyone is a member of Congress. There is an unidentified army encamping at the border and all members of Congress must move beyond personal agendas and petty bickering and decide the nation's fate. And it is snowing. 

Pelsue's Wellesley Girl examines the relationship between citizens and democracy and challenges the audience to consider whether it is wise or cowardly to refrain from voting when neither alternative is good. 

The cast for Wellesley Girl includes Brandon Boler (Max); Denise Hoeflich (Garth); Ted James (Hank); Darren Jones (RJ); Grant Lewis (Mick); Deanna Reed-Foster (Donna); Allyce Torres (Marie); Noah Villarreal (Donnie) and Todd Wojcik (Scott).

The Wellesley Girl production team includes James Fleming (director); Caitlin Body (stage manager); Cat Davis (lighting design); Rachel Sypniewski (costume designer); Sunniva Holmulund (assistant stage manager); Sotirios Livaditis (scenic design); Robert Salazar (production manager); Stefanie Senior (sound designer) and Evan Sposato (technical director).

POST-PERFORMANCE TALK BACKS CURRENTLY SCHEDULED:

Friday, Jan. 13

Envisioning A Post-Apocalyptic America with Chicago-based comics writer and artist Tim Seeley moderated by Robert Salazar

Join Chicago-based comics writer and artist Tim Seeley for a discussion about what a post-apocalyptic America might be like. Post-apocalyptic life is a popular theme in today's comic books. The storylines are often responses to changing socio-political landscapes and serve as both entertainment and warning of possible futures to come. Seeley leads this dynamic discussion and examines what parts, if any, are left of America after a catastrophic event devastates humanity. 

Thursday, Jan. 20

Leading During A Time of Crisis with Chicago Deputy Mayor Samir Mayekar

Join us as Samir Mayekar, Chicago's deputy mayor for neighborhood & economic development shares his experiences leading the City of Chicago through the initial outbreak of Covid-19 and subsequent shut-down of the city. Hear about the leadership lessons learned from the pandemic and Mayekar's thoughts on Chicago's recovery in a post-Covid world. This talk-back will include a short Q&A. 

Sunday, Jan. 30

Civil Discourse and the Responsibility of Voice with Leila Brammer, director of the Parrhesia Program for Public Discourse at the University of Chicago

How we talk about things matters. Director of the Parrhesia Program for Public Discourse at the University of Chicago Leila Brammer leads a discussion on one of the most important educational, political and social issues of today: how to have a civil conversation in a democratic society and leaving room for someone else's viewpoint. 

ABOUT BRENDAN PELSUE (playwright)

Brendan Pelsue is a playwright, librettist and translator whose work has been produced in New York and regionally. His play Wellesley Girl premiered at the 2016 Humana Festival of New American Plays. Hagoromo, a dance-opera piece for which he wrote the libretto, has appeared at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Pocantico Center. Other work includes New Domestic Architecture at the Yale Carlotta Festival, Read to Me at the 2015 Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Lost Weekend at the Actors Theatre of Louisville Professional Training Company, Parking Lot, Riverbank: a Noh Play for Northerly Americans and a translation of Moliere’s Don Juan at the Yale School of Drama, Visitors with Corkscrew Theatre Company, Petra and the Saints with the Telephonic Literary Union and Diagram of a Kidnapping with the Brown University New Play Festival. He has taught or mentored at Yale College, Wesleyan University and Lesley University. Originally from Newburyport, Massachusetts, he received his B.A. from Brown University, where he received the Weston Prize in Playwriting and his M.F. A. from Yale School of Drama.

ABOUT JAMES FLEMING (director)

James Fleming is a freelance director based in New York and Chicago. Fleming is currently pursuing his MFA in directing at Yale School of Drama and coming back to Chicago to direct for Compass Theatre.  Prior to Yale, he served as associate artistic director at Redtwist theatre and as director of New Works at The New Colony in Chicago. Recent credits include Grace McLeod's Scare Me (The New Colony) and Herland (Redtwist Theatre); Thornton Wilder's Our Town and MJ Kaufman's Sagittarius Ponderosa (Redtwist Theatre); Alexandra Matthews and Eric Shoemaker's adaptation of Kate Chopin's The Awakening (ArtsOnSite NYC). He has assistant directed at Goodman Theatre, Court Theatre and Greenhouse Theater Center. He holds a BA in Public Policy and Theatre & Performance Studies from the University of Chicago. 

ABOUT COMPASS THEATRE

Compass Theatre’s mission is to discover the understanding and compassion for others through challenging contemporary storytelling and open discussions. Fundamental to human connection is the ability to see, hear, understand and empathize with experiences different than our own. There is no better medium for that than live theatre. We invite the modern audience to lean in, ask questions, and share emotions, experiences and insights.