EXTENDED: Trap Door Theatre's Medea Material Extended by Popular Demand June 23-July 2, 2022

Get excited for 2 more weeks of Medea Material! 

Join us June 23-July 2 for our extension!

Medea Material

Written by: Heiner Müller Translated and Adapted by: Sarah Tolan-Mee Directed by: Max Truax

Music Composed by: Jonathan Guillen

Heiner Müller (Playwright) was one of the most important playwrights of the twentieth century European theater; he was also one of the most controversial and outspoken artists of his time. He was born in 1929 in Saxony, a state in eastern Germany and, apart from writing plays and directing shows, he was a journalist, critic, poet, and philosopher. He received many literary prizes including the Lessing Prize, Germany’s highest literary honor. Müller’s work emerged from the rubble of postwar Europe and its political and economic decay. The division of Germany, the Cold War, and the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961 were important events that contributed to his literary oeuvre. His theatrical models include the ancient Greek tragedians, Shakespeare, and Brecht, but he will be best remembered as the creator of the post-dramatic, non-linear, image-driven synthetic fragment intended to disintegrate the “fourth wall.” Müller’s themes concern human beings in a state of flux due to sociopolitical displacement and, like Brecht, he wanted his audience to ponder and, if necessary, to choose. His best-known plays are Cement (1972), The Hamletmachine (1977), The Mission (1979), Quartet (1981), Medea Material (1982) and Death Destruction Detroit II (1987). Müller died in 1995.

Medea Ensemble. Photo by J. Michael Griggs

Max Truax (he/him/his) has been a Resident Director at Trap Door since 2008. For Trap Door, he has directed many critically acclaimed productions, including No Matter How Hard We Try, The Balcony, They Are Dying Out, A Couple of Poor Polish-Speaking Romanians, and No Darkness Round My Stone. His production of A Couple of Poor Polish-Speaking Romanians went on to perform in both Poland and Romania. He also directed Trap Door's 2011 production of Heiner Muller's Hamletmachine, which he conceived as an opera in collaboration with composer Jonathan Guillen. Max served as Artistic Director for Oracle Productions from 2011 to 2016, where he directed No Beast So Fierce, The President, The Mother, Woyzeck, Ghost Sonata, and Termen Vox Machina. His production of The Mother received 7 Jeff Awards, including awards for “Best Production”, “Best Adaptation”, and “Best Ensemble”. In addition to Chicago, Max has directed for multiple stages in Los Angeles and at the Krannert Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He studied visual art, performance art, and choreography at Oberlin College and he received his MFA in theater directing from California Institute of the Arts. Max currently serves as Artistic Director for Red Tape Theatre.

Assistant Director and Choreography: Claire Bauman / Set Designer: J. Michael Griggs / Lighting Designer: Hannah Wein / Music Composer: Jonathan Guillen / Costume Designer: Rachel Sypniewski / Sound Designer: Danny Rockett / Make-up Designer: Zsofia Otvos / Graphic Designer: Michal Janicki / Stage Manager: Audrey Ney / Assistant Stage Manager: Shannon Rourke

Steven Schaeffer, Miguel Long, Keith Surney, and Emily Nichelson. Photo by J. Michael Griggs

Runs: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8PM, and Sundays at 7PM beginning May 15

Admission: $25, with 2 for 1 admission on Thursdays. https://trapdoor.ticketleap.com/medea-material/

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

What: Resident Director Max Truax returns to Trap Door to direct another Heiner Müller piece, after his triumphant production of Hamletmachine, which “calculated chaos and mastered madness with purpose, conviction, theatrical artistry, and artistic integrity.”

Medea Material explores the story of Euripedes’ Medea and its surrounding mythology, and will engage Müller’s poetry and complex intersectionality in a dance theatre spectacle.

Alexis DawTyne and Miguel Long. Photo by J. Michael Griggs

“Under Max Truax’s able direction, this group of actors makes often complicated feelings utterly palpable. I don’t know how they did that and don’t want to ask, but I’m grateful to them for working their dark magic.” -Dmitry Samarov, Chicago Reader  

Featuring: Venice Averyheart, Alexis DawTyne, Catrina Evans, Miguel Long, Emily Lotspeich, Laura Nelson, Emily Nichelson, Steven Schaeffer, and Keith Surney.

Chicago and Trap Door COVID-19 Protocol:

To view the current Trap Door COVID-19 protocol, please visit:

https://trapdoortheatre.com/chicago-and-trap-door-covid-19-protocol/

This protocol is subject to change as the League of Chicago Theaters updates their recommendations for indoor theater performances.

Chicago Premiere Of LIFE AFTER At Goodman Theatre on stage now through July 17

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LIFE AFTER 

BY PLAYWRIGHT/COMPOSER BRITTA JOHNSON

ON STAGE NOW IN ITS CHICAGO PREMIERE AT GOODMAN THEATRE

DIRECTED BY ANNIE TIPPE

***SUMMER’S MUST-SEE NEW MUSICAL APPEARS THROUGH JULY 17***

This production marks the third for Life After in five years—following its American debut at San Diego’s The Old Globe (2019) on the heels of an extended, multiple Dora Award-winning world-premiere with Toronto’s Musical Stage Company and Canadian Stage (2017). Samantha Williams (Broadway’s Caroline, Or Change and Dear Evan Hansen) leads the cast as teenaged Alice—a young woman who, in search of facts, uncovers a more complicated truth as she pieces together events of the fateful night that changed her family forever. Life After is on stage now through July 17. I'll be out for opening night, Wednesday, June 22, so check back soon for my full review. Tickets ($25 - $80, subject to change) are available at GoodmanTheatre.org/LifeAfter or by phone at 312.443.3800. The Goodman is grateful for the support of JP Morgan Chase & Co. (Lead Corporate Sponsor) and Winston & Strawn LLP (Corporate Sponsor Partner).

A Toronto-based playwright/composer/lyricist, Johnson began writing Life After as a teenager, informed by her own experiences as a young person grappling with grief. With big humor and bittersweet wit, this “luminous new musical…lush, poetic and surprisingly funny” (The San Diego Union-Tribune) explores how we move through and live with loss. In addition to Samantha Williams (Alice), the cast of nine includes Ashley Pérez Flanagan (Fury), Lauryn Hobbs (Fury), Paul Alexander Nolan (Frank), Lucy Panush (Hannah), Bryonha Marie Parham (Beth), Jen Sese (Mrs. Hopkins), Skyler Volpe (Kate) and Chelsea Williams. The production features Choreography by Ann Yee and Music Supervision, Arrangements and Orchestrations by Lynne Shankel.

THE COMPANY OF Life After

Fury……………………Ashley Pérez Flanagan
Fury……………………Lauryn Hobbs
Frank…………………..Paul Alexander Nolan
Hannah………………..Lucy Panush
Beth…………………….Bryonha Marie Parham
Ms. Hopkins……….Jen Sese
Kate…………………….Skyler Volpe
Fury……………………Chelsea Williams
Alice………...............Samantha Williams

Understudies for this production include Ariana Burks (Alice/Kate); Alanna Chavez (Furies/Ms. Hopkins); Antoinette Comer (Beth); Ashley Pérez Flanagan (Second Ms. Hopkins); Lauryn Hobbs (Second Kate); Claire Kwon (Furies/Hannah); Stef Tovar (Frank); and Chelsea Williams (Second Hannah).

ENHANCED AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES

Visit Goodmantheatre.org/Access for more information about Goodman Theatre’s accessibility efforts.

Touch Tour and Audio-Described Performance: Saturday, July 9, 12:30pm Touch Tour; 2pm performance – The action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset. NOTE: Touch Tours for the 2021/2022 Season will not have access to the stage due to current health and safety protocols, but will feature alternate pre-show sensory introductions.

Sensory-Friendly/Relaxed Performance: Tuesday, July 12 at 7:30pm

ASL-Interpreted: Friday, July 15 at 8pm – An American Sign Language interpreter signs the action/text as played.

Spanish Subtitles: Saturday July 16 at 8pm.

Open-Captioned: Sunday, July 17 at 2pm – An LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.

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 earner 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 fifth 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.

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.

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. Goodman Theatre’s Action Plan for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism and Access (IDEAA) was born out of the belief that progress means action, which includes building on the decades-long commitment to using art, assets and resources to contribute to a more just, equitable and anti-racist society.

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 on the new Goodman center in 2000.

Today, Goodman Theatre leadership also includes the distinguished members of the Artistic Collective: Rebecca Gilman, Dael Orlandersmith, Henry Godinez, Steve Scott, Kimberly Senior, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor and Mary Zimmerman. Jeff Hesse is Chairman of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Fran Del Boca is Women’s Board President and Craig McCaw is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.

FREE STAGED READINGS OF THE FLOWER AND THE FURY VIA ARTEMISIA THEATRE, JULY 14-17 AT FILAMENT THEATRE

 ARTEMISIA THEATRE SWITCHES TO THE FLOWER AND THE FURY FOR FREE STAGED READINGS, JULY 14-17 AT FILAMENT THEATRE

The fight for women’s rights is ON, and Chicago’s Artemisia Theatre is going on offense. 



The Flower and The Fury by Alexa Juanita Jordan, directed by Artemisia founder and artistic director Julie Proudfoot, has been substituted for the previously announced Roe v US.

Jordan is an award-winning New York playwright making her Artemisia debut with The Flower and The Fury. She is a fiercely feminist writer with a provocative new work that follows three pregnant women as they contemplate abortion.

While Jessica swiftly and resolutely comes to the decision to terminate her pregnancy alone, Kennedy and Rachel both wrestle with their choices in individual yet similar circumstances. Throughout the play, the women’s interactions with each other, their partners, and the nurse at the abortion clinic, greatly impact their decisions and futures. The main action takes place during a brief stretch of time, at most a few weeks, before jumping 10 years ahead in the last three scenes, showing where the women end up. 

Reading times are 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July 14-16, and 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 17. Each reading will be followed by a dedicated talkback to inspire compassion and social justice for women. Jordan, the playwright, will be in Chicago to lead the talkbacks on Thursday, July 14, and Sunday, July 17. Admission is free (excluding a $1.50 processing fee.) Reserve now at artemisiatheatre.org. 

Filament Theatre is located at 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Portage Park neighborhood, on the first floor of the Portage Arts Lofts building.

Filament is accessible via the Irving Park exit on 90/94. Turn west on Irving Park Ave. and at the six corners turn slight right onto Milwaukee Ave. Filament is on the right across from the Portage Theatre.

Metered street parking is available in front of the theater. Street parking is free on Sundays. Additional parking is available at the Laporte Ave. Public Parking Lot one block west of the theater via West Cuyler Ave.

Public transit: Take the Blue Line to Irving Park and transfer to the Irving Park Bus (#80) headed west. Get off at Cicero and Milwaukee. A Divvy station is also located across the street from Filament on West Cuyler Ave. For more information, including local dining options, go to filamenttheatre.org/plan-your-visit.

For more information, visit artemisiatheatre.org or follow the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

The Flower and The Fury: Meet the playwright

Alexa Juanita Jordan is a playwright and actor based in New York City. She received her B.A. in Drama at Vassar College, and a Classical Acting Diploma at the London Academy of Performing Arts (LAMDA.) Her newest work, The Flower and The Fury, was recently named a semifinalist (35 out of 655 submissions) in the Premiere Stages Play Festival this past spring. A monologue from the play will also appear in Smith and Kraus’ “Best Women’s Monologues 2022” later this year.

Jordan has written multiple full length and one-act plays about mental health, the grey area of the #metoo movement, reproductive justice, and the COVID-19 pandemic. She was awarded the Marilyn Swartz Six Playwriting Award in 2017 for her first play, Fine, at Vassar College. She then went on to receive her first New York Times review in 2018 for her performance in There’s Blood at the Wedding at La MaMa Experimental Theater Club.

In addition to writing and acting, Jordan serves as the executive director of the Juanita James Memorial Scholarship Foundation (JJMSF), in memory of her late grandmother. JJMSF provides mentoring and financial support to college-bound students from the Bronx housing projects. She is also on the board at CultureHub, a global art and technology community born out of decades of collaborating between La MaMa and The Seoul Institute of the Arts. For more, visit alexajuanitajordan.com.

The fight for women’s rights continues this fall with Julie Proudfoot’s Title X

 

In the fall, Artemisia follows up The Flower and The Fury with the world premiere docudrama Title X by Artemisia’s founder, Julie Proudfoot.

Title X documents the fight for abortion rights in America from 1978 to now. The play is told through the lens of eight radically different female characters: A 17-year-old wrestles with her choices under Title X. The director of a women’s clinic defends her patient’s right to reproductive justice. A member of Operation Rescue protests in front of an abortion clinic. An asylum officer interviews detainees, victims of the refugee crisis, at the Texas-Mexico border. A woman in her twenties confronts haunting memories of sexual harassment by her professor during a visit to her former college campus. A conservative congresswoman urges her pro-life supporters to fight the battle for the unborn with Christian love. A survivor of sexual assault reclaims her life after taking her boss to trial for rape. A lesbian exposes her complicated but loving relationship with her partner, who died of AIDS. In the end, the 17-year-old, now a mature woman, discovers the empowering life lessons she has learned.

“I wrote Title X over the course of a year while sheltering at home, while Trump was succeeding in reverse funding under Title 10 via coercion tactics," said Proudfoot, who will also direct. "It exposes the way the system works against women and keeps women from having autonomy and agency.”

Title X debuts November 25-December 18, 2022 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. First preview and press opening is Friday, November 25 at 7:30 p.m. Performances continue through December 18: Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale September 9 via Theater Wit’s box office, TheaterWit.org or (773) 975-8150. 

About Artemisia Theatre

Artemisia Gentileschi was a great feminist painter, forgotten by history. Now, she’s celebrated as the greatest female artist prior to the modern period. It shows why women’s stories are important. They change our perspective, on the past, the present and the future.

That’s why Chicago’s Artemisia Theatre was founded, to share women’s untold stories. Since 2011, Artemisia has enriched Chicago’s culture by taking creative risks, achieving artistic excellence, and engaging the audience directly to inspire compassion and social justice for women. Through its celebrated productions of classic and all-new feminist plays, its past Fall Fest of staged readings, and its current virtual works, and upcoming world premieres, Artemisia creates career-altering opportunities for African American, Latinx, Asian, Arab and Native American (ALAANA), Caucasian and LGBTQ theater artists.

Artemisia’s leadership team is 100 percent women, because “women still struggle to find a place where they can share their stories and be their true selves as artists,” said board president E. Faye Butler. “That’s what I love about Artemisia. It’s a sisterhood of leaders, who empower women as writers, directors, performers. A place where women can bring their fire, passion and lived experience and share true stories from their perspective.”



 Artemisia Board President E. Faye Butler



Artemisia Theatre is a recent recipient of a Chi Biz Strong Grant and is also supported by the Arts for Illinois Relief Fund, Arts Work Fund, DDT Law Group, Echo Limousine, Fox Pest Control, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, HKM Employment Attorneys LLP, Illinois Arts Council Agency, Illinois Humanities, The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity and the Arts at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Rebellious Magazine for Women and Salvi Schostok & Pritchard Trial Lawyers.

For more, visit artemisiatheatre.org.

Chicago Premiere of MARIE ANTOINETTE AND THE MAGICAL NEGROES Via The Story Theatre June 30 – July 17, 2022 at Raven Theatre

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Chicago Premiere!

The Story Theatre Presents

MARIE ANTOINETTE 

AND THE MAGICAL NEGROES

Written & Directed by Governing Ensemble Member Terry Guest

June 30 – July 17, 2022 at Raven Theatre

 

The Story Theatre is pleased to welcome back audiences with the Chicago premiere of Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes, written and directed by Chicago playwright and Governing Ensemble Member Terry Guest*. This new play, which explores rebellion and Black liberation through the lens of the French Revolution, will play June 30 – July 17, 2022 on Raven Theatre’s Schwartz Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at thestorytheatre.org or by calling (773) 338-2177. I'll be out for the press opening July 2nd, so check back shortly after for my full review. 

The production will feature Nathaniel Andrew, Brenna DiStasio*, Keith Illidge, Danyelle Monson, Maya Vinice Prentiss, David Stobbe and Amber Washington. Understudies include Cat Christmas, Caitlin Dobbins, Jourdan Lewanda, Dylan Rogers and Marlene Slaughter.

 *Denotes a member of The Story Theatre Governing Ensemble

This is a play about rage. Revolt. Revolution. Revenge. It is about what happens when Black people grow tired of sitting down and turning the other cheek. What are we left to do? Do we scream? Pray? Should we be peaceful? Should we riot? Can the tools we have used in the past possibly work for the future or do we need to write a new script? Using trap music, fashion shows and the backdrop of the French Revolution, Governing Ensemble member Terry Guest’s Marie Antoinette & The Magical Negroes reimagines the myth of the lost monarchy and puts it into the hands and mouths of Black people.

The production team includes Jordan Dell Harris (Scenic Designer), Isaac-Jay Pineda (Costume Designer), Levi Wilkins (Lighting Design), Andrew Littleton (Sound Designer), Willow James(Composer), Ayanna Bria Bakari* (Choreographer), Thomas Russell (Violence Designer), Elijah Miller (Associate Sound Designer), Kenny-Finch Collymore-Williams (Dramaturg), Paul Michael Thomson*(COVID Safety Manager), Lucy Whipp* (Production Manager), Stina Taylor (Technical Director), Liz Gomez (Master Electrician), Brittney Brown (Associate Director), Sydney Ha (Community & Outreach Coordinator), Ariel Beller (Assistant Stage Manager), Lucy Whipp* (Stage Manager) and Meagan Dilworth and Paul Michael Thomson* (Producers).

COVID Protocols: The Story Theatre is proudly in residence at Raven Theatre and follows all COVID safety protocols accordingly. The Story and Raven currently require proof of vaccination and masking at all performances. Protocols subject to change closer to date of event. For all of Raven’s current COVID- 19 and vaccination information, visit raventheatre.com/covid-19.

 

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Cast: (in alphabetical order): Nathaniel Andrew (Savage), Brenna DiStasio* (Marie Antoinette), Keith Illidge (Jim Crow), Danyelle Monson (Sapphire), Maya Vinice Prentiss (Sambo), David Stobbe (King Louis XVI) and Amber Washington (Mammy).

Understudies: Cat Christmas, Caitlin Dobbins, Jourdan Lewanda, Dylan Rogers and Marlene Slaughter.

 

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

Dates: Previews: Thursday, June 30 at 7:30 pm and Friday July 1 at 7:30 pm

Press opening: Saturday July 2 at 7:30 pm

Regular run: Sunday, July 3 – Sunday July 17, 2022

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

Tickets: Previews $15. Regular run $20. Students/active military and veterans $10. Tickets are currently available at thestorytheatre.org or by calling (773) 338-2177.

Group tickets: Special group rates are available. For information, call (773) 338-2177 or e-mail paulmichael@thestorytheatre.org.

 

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 Playwright/Director

Terry Guest is an award-winning playwright, actor, producer, poet and teaching artist based in Chicago. His play At The Wake of a Dead Drag Queen has been workshopped, read and performed all over the country and was the 2018 recipient of Out Front Theatre's Spectrum Series Grant. He is currently a member of the 2020/21 Goodman Theatre Playwrights Unit and is commissioned to write new plays by several other Chicagoland companies. As an actor Terry has worked at regional theaters around the country including Steppenwolf, Goodman Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Actors Express, and others. Terry is a Governing Ensemble Member at The Story Theatre and is signed by DDO Chicago. Inspired by: Whitney Houston, Stephen Sondheim, My grandma in the kitchen, Spike Lee, Tennessee Williams, Black Queer people, Black Women, Bob Mackie costumes, Kerry James Marshall, Liza Minelli and the creativity and resilience of Black people around the world.

 

About The Story Theatre

Founded in 2018, The Story Theatre will pose questions rather than provide answers. We develop and produce new work that is whimsical, melancholic, mythic in vision, and intimate in scale. We are run by a Governing Artistic Ensemble, who ensures our work is actively dismantling racism and inequity, while cultivating community through activism and catharsis.

The Story Theatre is funded in part by The Michael and Mona Heath Fund, Chicago Bulls Charities, Illinois Arts Council Agency, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, and The Cliff Dwellers.

The Chicago Premiere of Walk on the Wild Side Via Pale Horse Playhouse June 10-25, 2022

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The Chicago Premiere of

Walk on the Wild Side

by John Patrick Shanley

Pulitzer Prize, Tony & Academy Award winning John Patrick Shanley has written a collection of four stunning new one acts ;  The Dark, Im Going to Touch Your Neck, Glamour, & After the Deluge. 

I'll be out for opening night on June 10th, so check back soon for my full review. 

These four acts are a hilarious, tender surreal journey from psychological self- destruction to collective healing.

THE WHO

The Dark; directed by Kayla Adams featuring Adriel Irizarry, Max Stewart, Katherine Shwartz

Im Going to Touch Your Neck; directed by Monet Felton featuring David Stobbe & Monage Jean

Glamour; intimacy directed by Carolyn Hoerdemann featuring Rossana Disilvio, Tim Weinert, Sarah Brooks

After the Deluge; directed by Rashaad Bond featuring Lydia Moss & Barbara Burns

SUMMER SHOW HOURS

June 10th  -  25th 

Fridays & Saturdays:  8pm Curtain

 

LOCATION

3325 W Wrightwood Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

basement of Grace Church, enter on N. Kimball Ave.

CONTACT US

info@palehorseplayhouse.org

Pale Horse Playhouse

For tickets and more information, check out: https://www.palehorseplayhouse.org

Free: Midwest Premiere of Paris Now Playing at Steep Theatre Through July 23rd

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PARIS

By Eboni Booth

Directed by Jonathan Berry

A Midwest Premiere

Running Time: 1:30 with no intermission

Content Advisory: This production is intended for adult audiences. For more information about the content of this show, please click here.

Masks and vaccines are required at Steep Theatre. Please review our COVID safety protocols prior to reserving your tickets. 

All performances of Paris are currently sold out. We are working to increase seating capacity, but in the meantime, we encourage you to sign up for the wait list.

Ticket Price: In celebration of Steep’s return to Edgewater, this production will be free to attend. Donations are accepted.

Returning home to the small town of Paris, Vermont, Emmie tries to make ends meet while navigating the challenges of being Black in a predominantly white community. After finally landing a second job at a retail giant, her search for connection and identity leads her to a stark realization. Eboni Booth’s Paris, an off-beat workplace comedy, explores the impacts of race and economics on the wage-earners of rural America.

All Photos by Randall Starr

“A master class in putting on a play in a raw space.”

”It’s a heck of a reminder of what we have been missing.”

-Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

Performance Schedule

Previews: June 11 - June 16

Press Opening: Friday, June 17

Performances: June 17 - July 23

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm

Sunday afternoons at 3 pm

Performance Location

Steep Theatre

At the corner of Berwyn & Kenmore in Chicago

Please visit our Location Page for more details.

COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS

Accessibility

Audio Description and a Touch Tour will be available on Sunday, June 26. Open Captioning will be available on Sunday, July 3. 

Contact us at access@steeptheatre.com or 773-649-3186 for more information or to reserve tickets.

Production Sponsors: Dr. Susan Burland & George Plumb, Ken Burlington, James T. O’Neill, Barbara & Randy Thomas, Lisa & Randy White, Jan Willer & Mark Osing, Martha Anne & Stephen Yandle

Ticketing: We use a paperless ticketing system, and there are no physical tickets to pick up. When you arrive at the theatre, your reservation will be under your last name at the Box Office.

The Box Office will open 45 minutes prior to show time

The house will open for seating 15 minutes prior to show time

Late Seating: Please note that late seating is not possible and that all tickets not claimed by the scheduled performance time may be released to the waitlist. For questions about this, please contact our box office.

About the Venue: 1044 W Berwyn Ave is our new home, and we couldn’t be more excited, but it’s not quite a theatre yet. We have a renovation project in the works, but in the meantime Paris will give you the chance to join us in exploring the space pre-renovation. The former church is ADA accessible and offers ample restrooms, but some of the trappings of the Steep experience (such as beverage service in the lobby lounge) are still waiting in the wings. The art we create and the community we bring together will be 100% Steep, but the physical space is still somewhere between church and theatre. 

CAST

Alex Gillmor^

Alex Levy

Josh Odor

Michaela Petro

Amber Sallis^*

Lynda Shadrake

Terence Sims

Norm Woodel (voiceover)

CREATIVE TEAM

Director – Jonathan Barry^

Stage Managers – Jennifer Aparicio*, Hannah Weiss

Costume Designer – Alexia Rutherford

Co-Lighting Designers – Conchita Avitia, Heather Gilbert

Sound Designer – Daniel Etti-Williams

Props Designer - Carol-Delaney Gibson

Scenic Consultant – Eleanor Kahn

Intimacy Choreographer - Tristin Hall

Production Manager – Julie Siple^

Production Electrician – Mark Brown

Technical Director  – Evan Sposato

Assistant Director –Lisa Troi Thomas^

Assistant Stage Managers – Ender Collins, Andrea Enger, Rachel Silver

Makeup Assistant - Liz Sharpe

Casting Director – Lucy Carapetyanˆ

Photographer - Randall Starr

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

In the Press

“…what comes across clearly in this work—the first live production from Steep since 2020, and the first in their new space on Berwyn—is that Booth is a fierce and funny writer to watch.”

-Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader

Eboni Booth

Eboni Booth is a writer and actress from New York City. Her play Paris had its premiere at the Atlantic Theater Company. Her work has been developed with Victory Gardens Theater, Ojai Playwrights Conference, Cape Cod Theater Project, WP Theater, Two River Theater, Clubbed Thumb, and Northern Stage. Eboni is a resident playwright at New Dramatists and the recipient of a Steinberg Playwright Award, a Helen Merrill Award for Playwriting, and a John Gassner award. She is a graduate of Juilliard’s playwriting program and the University of Vermont.

Queer Eye: The Musical Parody Now Playing at The Second City

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Queer Eye: The Musical Parody 

Follow everybody's fave Fab Five as they help an Average Joe manifest their full potential through aggressive self-love, laugh-out-loud comedy, and more songs than you can handle, henny! Watch a live "episode" of the show we all thought we knew... until now. Written by Evan Mills and Heidi Joosten, Queer Eye: The Musical Parody features all the avocados, plenty of pompadours, and maybe even a puppet or two. Say "YASS, and" to this hilarious experience where things just keep on getting better...and funnier!

Queer Eye: The Musical Parody plays Thursdays-Sundays in UP Comedy Club at Second City. 

Legendary Chicago comedy institution The Second City is excited to announce the cast and crew of Queer Eye: The Musical Parody, beginning June 3, 2022. Co-created and co-written by Second City Mainstage ensemble member Evan Mills and Heidi Joosten, the show is co-directed by Mills and Stephen Schellhardt, who is also choreographer. Joosten, the composer, lyricist and orchestrator for the show, will fill the role of musical director. Cast members include Bridget Adams-King, Tina Arfaee, Jordan Dell Harris, Bryson Howard, Dakota Hughes, Eddie Ledford, Evan Tyrone Martin, Dominic Rescigno, and Evan Starkweather. Shannon Golden-Starr is stage manager.

Inspired by the hit Netflix show Queer Eye, Second City audiences will follow everybody's fave Fab Five as they help an Average Joe manifest their full potential through aggressive self-love, laugh-out-loud comedy, and more songs than you can handle, henny! Watch a two-act "episode" of the show we all thought we knew... until now. Queer Eye: The Musical Parody features all the avocados, plenty of pompadours, and maybe even a puppet or two. Say "YASS, and" to this hilarious experience where things just keep on getting better...and funnier!

Tickets for Queer Eye: The Musical Parody start at $39.00 and are available by phone at 312-337-3992 or online at secondcity.com. The show schedule is as follows beginning June 3, 2022: Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 7pm in UP Comedy Club.

About the Artists

Bridget Adams-King (“Claire/Rachel”) (she/her) is thrilled and so grateful to be making her Second City debut! Some of the theaters she has previously worked with include Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Kokandy Productions, Northlight Theatre, and Griffin Theatre. She is a two-time Jeff-nominated performer for her portrayal of “Kate” in If/Then at Brown Paper Box Co. and “Lucy Parsons” in Underscore Theatre Company’s 2018 production of Haymarket: A New Folk Musical. She has also appeared in an episode of NBC’s hit show Chicago PD. She is repped by Gray Talent Group. @badamsking www.bridgetadamsking.com

Tina Arfaee (“Tan”) (they/any) has been writing and performing in Chicago since 2012, most notably at The Annoyance Theater with Matt Damon Improv. With MDI, she wrote and starred in the web series In-Diana. She has also appeared on an episode of Chicago Fire, Centered the web series, and short film The Sweatshirt. Tina is a graduate of The Second City/NBC Universal Bob Curry Fellowship. She is repped by Big Mouth Talent. @tinatwocats

Shannon Golden-Starr (Stage Manager) (she/they) CHICAGO: I, Banquo, Short Shakespeare: The Comedy of Errors, Q Brothers' Christmas Carol, Shakespeare in the Parks production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), Frankenstein, Act(s) of God, Plantation!, Hard Times, Moby Dick, Thaddeus and Slocuum: A Vaudeville Adventure (Lookingglass Theatre Company); The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Frederick (Chicago Children’s Theatre); The King of the Yees, Uncle Vanya, Carlyle, Soups Stews and Casseroles: 1976, Feathers and Teeth (Goodman Theatre); The Mutilated, Simpatico (A Red Orchid Theatre); This Wonderful Life (American Blues Theater); Betrayal (Raven Theatre).

Jordan Dell Harris (“Sam #2”) (he/him) is making his Second City debut! He was last seen onstage as “Donald” in Windy City Playhouse’s The Boys in the Band (Jeff Award winner, Best Ensemble). Other Chicago credits include work with Goodman Theatre, Raven Theatre, Griffin Theatre, The Story Theatre, BoHo Theatre and more. TV credits include 4400 (CW) and Next (Fox).  www.JordanDellHarris.com

Bryson Howard (“Sam #1”) (he/him) is a Chicago transplant from South Carolina by way of Nashville, TN, and Paris, France. After four and a half years of performing improv and scripted comedy around Chicago, the city thankfully has not yet rejected the transplant. He has been fortunate enough to perform in several shows at The Annoyance Theatre; he was part of the cast of The Queer Eye: The Musical Parody at the Playground Theater; he is an ensemble member of Baby Wants Candy, and he can be found performing improv at various venues in Chicago with his comedy partner Cassidy Russell. Twitter: @BrysonHoward. Instagram: @BrysonDallasHoward.

Dakota Hughes (“Bev/Executive Producer”) (they/them) is ecstatic to make their Second City debut! Dakota is a Los Angeles native and graduate of Columbia College Chicago, where they earned a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance. Some favorite credits include Kinky Boots, Cinderella (Paramount Theatre), American Idiot (The Hypocrites), Lizzie (Firebrand), Thrones! The Parody Musical! (The Apollo Theater), and [title of show] (Open Door Rep).

Heidi Joosten (Music Director/Composer/Lyricist/Orchestrator) (she/her) is thrilled and grateful to be making her Second City debut with this show that is so near and dear to her heart. A multi-hyphenate performing artist, Heidi has collaborated on over 100 new theatrical, comedic, and concert works in the Chicagoland area since her arrival in 2014. Notable writing credits include: Queer Eye: the Musical Parody (The Second City), Saint Hildegard: the Rupertsberg Tour (Theo Ubique), Micro (Music Theatre of Madison), and The Bone Harp (Underscore Theatre Company). Joosten is a highly-sought after composer with over 200 works to her name, and her award-winning music has been performed across the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. Heidi holds a Bachelors of Music from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Masters of Music from Roosevelt University - Chicago College of Performing Arts. Proud member of ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild. www.heidijoosten.com

Eddie Ledford (“Bobby”) (he/him) is a Chicago-based actor, singer and comedian. He is a graduate of The Second City’s Conservatory, an ensemble member of the queer comedy group Baby Wine, and has performed in theaters, festivals and digital projects around the city including The Annoyance, Rhino Fest, Chicago Sketch Fest, Ordinary Peepholes, Commercial Appeal and web series Guilty. He originated the role of “Bobby” in the show’s initial run at The Playground Theatre and is very happy and grateful to reprise it at The Second City. Instagram: @_eddele

Evan Tyrone Martin (“Karamo”) (he/him) is excited to be making his Second City debut! Most recently, Evan could be seen in Blues In The Night at Porchlight Music Theatre opposite Broadway star Felicia P. Fields. Regional credits: “Jim” in Roundabout Theatre's digital reading of Zora Neale-Hurston's musical SPUNK (directed by Lili-Ann Brown); The Black Clown (Ensemble) at American Repertory Theater/Lincoln Center's 2019 Mostly Mozart Festival; Hair (“Hud”) at Mercury Theater; Jesus Christ Superstar (“Jesus,” BTAA Nomination) at Paramount Theatre; Dreamgirls (“Curtis,” BTAA Nomination) and Far From Heaven (“Raymond,” Jeff nomination) at Porchlight Music Theatre; and The Little Mermaid (“King Triton”) at Arkansas Rep. Evan has worked with Godspeed, Arkansas Shakes, Chicago Shakes, Chicago Humanities Festival, and many others. He also toured starring in the hit revues Unforgettable: Falling in Love with Nat King Cole and An Unforgettable Nat King Cole Christmas. Next up, Evan will play “Mister” in The Color Purple at the legendary MUNY in St. Louis. Instagram: @3vanMart1n. He is repped by Paonessa Talent.

Evan Mills (Co-Director/Writer/Creator) (he/him) is incredibly grateful to be co-directing the original musical he wrote with his writing partner Heidi Joosten, Queer Eye: The Musical Parody. He is currently an ensemble member in The Second City’s 110th Mainstage Revue and was previously an ensemble member of The Second City’s Mainstage Revue Together at Last. Evan has toured with Second City’s RedCo and is a recipient of the Bob Curry Fellowship Program. He spent a summer in Washington D.C., performing at the Kennedy Center in Generation Gap and has also performed at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. He has been featured in the Break Out Comedy Festival, LA Laughter Comedy Fest, and the Comedy Central Showcase. You can check out his original music on Spotify (“A Little Bit Alexis” cover and “Sissy Boy”) and follow him on all social media platforms @awkvanmills.

Dominic Rescigno (“Antoni”) (he/him) is experiencing a dream come true doing this show with these people on this stage. He is a graduate of Second City’s Comedy Studies program and is currently finishing the Conservatory. He has performed for Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Onion, ClickHole, Walt Disney World, and starred in Chicago's long-running comedy Tony N' Tina's Wedding. His two webseries The Dominics and Dominic Tonight! have been critically ignored. www.dominicrescigno.com | @dominicrescigno

Stephen Schellhardt (Co-Director/Choreographer) (he/him) is thrilled to be a part of the Queer Eye: A Musical Parody family. He is a Jeff Award-winning director and actor, as well as choreographer, producer, educator, and casting director. In Chicago, Stephen has worked with the Marriott Theater, Writers Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, Mercury Theater, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, About Face Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Chicago’s Lyric Opera, The Goodman Theatre, Porchlight Music Theatre, Ravinia Festival, Northwestern University, and BoHo Theatre, where he served as a company member and Artistic Director for six years. National tours include Altar Boyz. International credits include Jane Austen’s Persuasion at The Royal Winchester Theatre in England and the Shanklin Theatre on The Isle of Wight (Chamber Opera Chicago). From 2014-2017, Stephen served as Associate Producer and Casting Director at Writers Theatre in Glencoe before becoming a visiting professor at Northwestern University and then moving to The Chicago College of Performing Arts, where he now holds the title of Head of Musical Theatre. Stephen is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama and a proud member of the Actors Equity Association. 

Evan Starkweather (“Jonathan”) (he/they) is a Chicago-based performer and writer making their Second City debut. They were last seen performing karaoke at a bar in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, but before that, they wrote and performed numerous sketch and musical variety shows at The Annoyance, The Playground, and The Second City Training Center. They are a graduate of The Second City Conservatory, and their music video “Platonic Gay Best Friend” has been featured on Funny or Die. @evanspelledellen

 

About The Second City

The Second City opened its doors in 1959 as a small comedy cabaret and has since grown to become the world’s most influential name in improv and comedy. Second City's stages, Touring Companies, and Training Centers across North America have proudly been the launch pad for many of the funniest names on the planet, including John Belushi, John Candy, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Chris Farley, Tina Fey, Keegan-Michael Key, Eugene Levy, Tim Meadows, Bill Murray, Mike Myers, Suzy Nakamura, Catherine O’Hara, Amy Poehler, Gilda Radner, Sam Richardson, Joan Rivers, Amber Ruffin, Jason Sudeikis, and Steven Yeun, among many more.