|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Monday, September 18, 2023
Theater Wit To Stage World Premiere of Household Spirits Oct. 6-Nov. 11, 2023
Friday, September 15, 2023
Goodman's THE NACIREMA SOCIETY To Kick Off Citywide “PEARL CLEAGE FESTIVAL” Starting September 16th, 2023
ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar
THE NACIREMA SOCIETY
STARTS TOMORROW, KICKS OFF CITYWIDE “PEARL CLEAGE FESTIVAL”
AND LAUNCHES SUSAN V. BOOTH’S FIRST SEASON AS
GOODMAN THEATRE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
***LILI-ANNE BROWN DIRECTS THE CHICAGO-PREMIERE PRODUCTION OF MS. CLEAGE’S ROMANTIC COMEDY***
I'll be out to review at the press opening for The Nacirema Society on September 26th, so check back soon for my full review. I'm also eager to review Remy Bumppo Theatre Company's Blues for an Alabama Sky on September 18th at Theater Wit.
Artistic Director Susan V. Booth launches her first curated Goodman Theatre season with Pearl Cleage’s The Nacirema Society. The season-opening production directed by Lili-Anne Brown kicks off the month-long celebration honoring the prolific playwright’s distinguished career, which spans 40 years and more than 30 plays, novels, poems and essays. The festival, conceived by Booth, curated by Goodman Theatre BOLD Artistic Producer Malkia Stampley and produced in partnership with Chicago’s famed Off-Loop companies, features the following 10 works by Ms. Cleage:
The Nacirema Society (Goodman Theatre)
Blues for an Alabama Sky (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company)
Mad at Miles featuring music by Chicago West Community Music Center (Black Ensemble Theater)
Angry, Raucous and Shamelessly Gorgeous (Congo Square Theatre)
A Song for Coretta (Definition Theatre)
Chain (eta Creative Arts Foundation)
Bourbon at the Border (MPAACT)
Letters, Potions and Promises (Remy Bumppo and American Writers Museum)
Pointing at the Moon (Goodman Theatre)
What I Learned in Paris (Goodman Theatre)
Pearl Cleage is currently the Distinguished Artist in Residence at Atlanta’s Tony Award winning Alliance Theatre. Her new play Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous, had its world premiere as a part of the theatre’s 50th anniversary season in 2019 and recently completed a successful run at Hartford Stage. Both productions were directed by Susan V. Booth. Her other plays premiered at the Alliance include What I Learned in Paris, Blues for an Alabama Sky, and Flyin’ West. Cleage’s latest play Something Moving: A Meditation on Maynard was commissioned by Ford Theatre’s Lincoln Legacy Project and will premiere at Ford’s Theatre this fall—September 22 – October 15. Her first of eight novels, What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day, was an Oprah Book Club pick and spent nine weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Ms. Cleage currently serves as Atlanta’s first Poet Laureate.
THE 2023 “PEARL CLEAGE FESTIVAL”
PRODUCTIONS, READINGS, WORKSHOPS, EVENTS AND CONVERSATIONS
SEPTEMBER 14 – OCTOBER 15, 2023
For tickets and more information about each event, visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Pearl
PRODUCTIONS
Blues for an Alabama Sky
Directed by Mikael Burke
Through October 15
Remy Bumppo Theatre Company at Theater Wit (1229 W. Belmont)
It’s Summer 1930 in Harlem, and jazz singer Angel has just been fired from The Cotton Club. As she hopes for her next big break, her flatmate friends pursue their own dreams amidst daily realities: costume designer Guy imagines sewing dresses in Paris while Delia brings family planning centers to the community. But sparks fly when Angel encounters Alabama-transplant Leland, tossing all of their aspirations into jeopardy. The Harlem Renaissance is the backdrop of Pearl Cleage’s poignant drama, and though “the Great Depression has crashed the party, the creative spirit is not easily quelled” (Los Angeles Times).
The Nacirema Society
Directed by Lili-Anne Brown
September 16 - October 15
Goodman Theatre (170 N. Dearborn)
It’s 1964 Montgomery, Alabama, and the Nacirema Society prepares for its annual introduction of six elegant African-American debutantes to a world of prosperity, privilege and social responsibility. This centennial year, the Society’s grande dame, Grace Dunbar, will have nothing less than perfection for her granddaughter Gracie’s debut. And with young love brewing, old family skeletons rattling, national media attention abounding and a blackmail plot bubbling…what would dare go awry? The Goodman is grateful for the support of JP Morgan Chase & Co. (Lead Corporate Sponsor) and Allstate (Major Corporate Sponsor). For images, bios and additional information about the artists, visit the Play Detail Page
STAGED READINGS
Bourbon at the Border
Directed by Lauren Wells-Mann
September 19 at 7:30pm
MPAACT at the Greenhouse Theater Center (2257 N. Lincoln)
When May and Charles join hundreds of Americans in a massive voter registration drive in 1964 Mississippi, they could not imagine the violence that would meet them there. Years later, they are still searching for healing after that "Freedom Summer." Bourbon at the Border remembers the unsung heroes of the civil rights movement and honors the sacrifice and price they paid.
Pointing at the Moon
Directed by Lydia R. Diamond
September 28 at 7pm
Goodman Theatre (170 N. Dearborn)
Jenny Anderson is a well-respected 50-something scholar, literary critic and tenured college faculty member who finds herself reluctantly drawn into the swirl of change post-2016 American Presidential election. Despite best intentions to stay above the fray, she suddenly finds everything she’s worked for threatened by efforts to censor and suppress creative work—including her own. Late one night, a young activist shows up on her doorstep with an urgent request for help, and Jenny must choose between her own comfort and her deeply held beliefs about the nature of freedom.
Mad at Miles
Directed by Daryl D. Brooks
October 2 at 6pm (cocktail reception, cash bar) 7pm performance featuring Chicago West Community Music Center
Black Ensemble Theater (4450 N. Clark)
Distinguished performer, playwright and producer Jackie Taylor stars in a reading of Cleage’s Mad at Miles—a moving choreopoem that gives voice to the difficult subject of women abuse and empowerment—with appearances from other Chicago spoken-word artists and featuring music by Chicago West Community Music Center, led by Darlene Sandifer and Howard Sandifer.
Chain
Reading + Art Exhibit
Directed by Ted Williams III
October 6 at 7pm
eta Creative Arts Foundation (7558 S. South Chicago)
Rosa Jenkins is 16-years-old, foul-mouthed and addicted to crack–and currently chained to a radiator, in a desperate intervention attempt from her parents. Inspired by real-life events, Chain presents the realities of addiction from a clear-eyed, unsentimental and startlingly humorous perspective. Following the staged reading, stay for a discussion and the opportunity to browse artwork in the gallery. Content Advisory: Adult language and frank descriptions of drug abuse, sexual content and abusive relationships between parents and children.
Angry, Raucous and Shamelessly Gorgeous
Directed by Ericka Ratcliff
October 8 at 2pm
Congo Square Theatre (Location TBA)
Following a 25-year self-imposed exile, actress Anna Campbell returns to the U.S. when her ground-breaking Black feminist theater piece—monologues performed in the nude—is announced for a major revival. But what promises to be a triumphant homecoming goes sideways when the diva discovers that a younger actress (and adult entertainer) has been cast to recreate her legendary performance. In this bold and funny story of ambition, post-feminism and who has a right to tell our stories, two women of different generations must confront assumptions about each other, and themselves, in time for opening night.
A Song for Coretta
Directed by Malkia Stampley
Definition Theatre (Location TBA)
It’s close to midnight as five determined, disparate Black women at the end of a long line of mourners at Ebenezer Baptist Church share stories while waiting to pay respect to the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. An inspiring tribute to Coretta Scott King (1927 - 2006), “Pearl Cleage’s lovely, image-soaked testament to the civil rights icon brims with wit, personality and life-affirming energy” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
What I Learned in Paris
Directed by TaRon Patton
October 14 at 6pm
Goodman Theatre (170 N. Dearborn)
Pearl Cleage’s funny and insightful tangled web of romantic intrigue is set against the backdrop of Maynard Jackson’s historic win as Atlanta’s first African American mayor. Lawyer J.P. Madison is riding high after his hard-fought election victory, celebrating with his new wife, his stalwart campaign manager and his junior partner. But when his ex-wife sweeps back into town, bringing with her the temptation of knowledge from far-flung corners of the world, each character must confront their expectations, obligations and human emotions—with the pull and tug that destiny has on our lives.
WORKSHOPS, EVENTS AND CONVERSATIONS
“Chicago’s Black Jewels”
Pre-Show Affinity Space and Reception
September 16 at 6pm
Goodman Theatre (170 N. Dearborn)
Pearl Cleage’s body of work offers roles and opportunities of all genres for Black actresses. Hosted by artist Kelcey Anya, the Goodman invites these talented women–Chicago’s jewels–to gather, uplift and celebrate prior to the first preview of The Nacirema Society. Light appetizers and drinks will be served. The reception is free with RSVP (space is limited) and discounted $30 tickets to the performance are available for purchase.
Divine 9 Night
Pre-Show Reception and Performance
September 23 at 6pm followed by The Nacirema Society at 7:30pm
$50 (Reception and Performance)
Goodman Theatre (170 N. Dearborn)
Celebrate the dynamic culture and legacy of the Black Greek Letter Organizations of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, collectively known as The Divine 9. Represent in your organization’s apparel while you mingle with other sororities and fraternities at a pre-show reception, including complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks, followed by the performance.
Behind the Curtain: The Nacirema Society
Presented by Goodman Theatre
September 24 at 5pm
Goodman Theatre (170 N. Dearborn)
Join the creative forces behind The Nacirema Society for a lively, wide-ranging discussion about this Chicago-premiere production’s journey to the stage, and the enduring relevance of Pearl Cleage’s work in our city and beyond.
In Conversation with Pearl Cleage: Playwright, Poet, and Author
A Zoom Discussion
Presented by Remy Bumppo Theatre Company and American Writers Museum
September 26 at 6pm
In partnership with the American Writers Museum, Remy Bumppo hosts a conversation with Pearl Cleage over Zoom. Artistic Director Marti Lyons sits down with Ms. Cleage for a chat about her career and impact.
Between the Lines
A lecture presented by Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
October 1 at 1:30pm
Theater Wit (1229 W. Belmont)
Dr. Martine Kei Green-Rogers, dramaturg for Blues for an Alabama Sky, presents a lecture on the themes related to the play, and participates in a talkback with artists and audience following the performance.
Letters, Potions and Promises
A Writing Workshop presented by Goodman Theatre and Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
Led by Dr. Martine Kei Green-Rogers and Lachrisa Grandberry
October 3 and 7 at 6pm at Remy Bumppo (3759 N. Ravenswood)
October 10 at 6pm at Goodman Theatre (170 N. Dearborn)
Twelve early-career and emerging women and femme BIPOC writers are invited to a three-day deep-dive into the work of Pearl Cleage, with each day led by a different facilitator. Apply now to join this affinity space for writers of all disciplines to find community, inspiration and discover new ways of approaching work through the lineage of a Black American writer.
From Delia’s Clinic to CARLA: The Fight for Reproductive Rights
A panel discussion presented by Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
October 14 at 5pm
Theater Wit (1229 W. Belmont)
Journalist Natalie Moore and members of the Chicago Abortion Fund join Remy Bumppo Creative Producer Christina Casano for a discussion, delving into Blues for an Alabama Sky, the history of reproductive rights and the work currently being done in Illinois and beyond.
ABOUT THE PEARL CLEAGE FESTIVAL PARTNERS
As one of the most unique Chicago museums downtown, the American Writers Museum’s mission is to celebrate the enduring influence of American writers on our history, identity, culture, and daily lives. As the only museum devoted to American writers and their works, AWM connects visitors with their favorite authors and writings from more than five centuries, while inspiring the discovery of new works of every type – poetry, lyrics, speeches, drama, fiction, nonfiction, journalism, and more.
Black Ensemble Theater (BET), founded in 1976 by the phenomenal actress, producer, and playwright Jackie Taylor, has grown from a small community arts organization to a vibrant nationally and internationally renowned arts institution. A leader and innovator in the African-American and mainstream arts communities, Black Ensemble Theater is recognized as one of the most diverse theaters in the country, producing excellent musical theater.
Chicago West Community Music Center, a 501c3 non-profit organization located in East Garfield Park, provides music education and performance opportunities to children and families in underserved communities in Chicago and the Western Suburbs. The mission of CWCMC is to "Enhance Lives and Community Through Music." Our goal is to reduce the music related achievement gaps between minority and non-minority students and between economically disadvantaged students and their more advantaged peers.
Congo Square Theatre Company is an ensemble dedicated to producing transformative work rooted in the African Diaspora. Congo Square is a haven for artists of color to challenge and redefine the theatrical canon by amplifying and creating stories that reflect the reach and complexities of Black Culture and is one of only two African American Actors’ Equity theater companies in Chicago. Founded in 1999 with a mission to provide a platform for Black artists to present work that exemplified the majesty, diversity, and intersectionality of stories from the African Diaspora, Congo Square’s guiding principles are radical generosity, radical community, and radical expansion.
eta Creative Arts Foundation was incorporated in 1971 as a non-profit, tax exempt organization to provide training and performance opportunities for youth and adults. In the past 52 years, eta has evolved to become a recognized cultural treasure not only in the city of Chicago, but nationally and internationally. The organization has a commitment to the production of new works that “tell our story” in the first voice. eta houses a 200-seat theater, art studio and event space with stage. Our annual programming features five plays, 8-week Summer Arts camp for the youth, Multiple pop-up workshops, acting, dance and playwriting classes for young adults and a host of community events and performances.
The Ma’at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theater (MPAACT) is a professional, not-for-profit theater association founded in 1990. Our mission is to develop, nurture, and sustain original Afrikan Centered Theater (ACT) as a multi-disciplinary art form of American Theater. ACT is a genre of artistic expression grounded in the many cultures and traditions of the Afrikan continent and its diaspora. With a vision focused upon new works and collaborative art, MPAACT shall produce and educate with the goal of bringing forth an understanding and appreciation of Afrikan Centered Theater and its inter-related disciplines.
Definition Theatre celebrates stories created with, inspired by, and intended for people and communities of color. Through the act of making, Definition expands perspectives, stewards resources, and bridges the possibility found at the intersection of art, innovation, and education.
Remy Bumppo Theatre Company expands and enriches our community’s view of the world, and our own, by producing both the great plays of the past and the important plays of today. Our critically and publicly respected reputation is built on our consistent, high-quality presentations of the works of seminal playwrights, staged intimately and with the focus on expressing complex ideas in a clear, entertaining and moving manner. An ensemble theatre founded in 1996, we author a more humane culture as we listen to, and seek to understand, the voices, the ideas, and the stories of one another.
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 Susan V. Booth and Executive Director/CEO 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 theatrical practice, the Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand and empathize with 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 for Chicago youth—85% of whom come from underserved communities—schools and life-long learners.
Goodman Theatre was built on the traditional homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi Nations. We recognize that many other Nations consider the area we now call Chicago as their traditional homeland—including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo and Mascouten—and remains home to many Native peoples today. While we believe that our city’s vast diversity should be reflected on the stages of its largest theater, we acknowledge that our efforts have largely overlooked the voices of our Native peoples. This omission has added to the isolation, erasure and harm that Indigenous communities have faced for hundreds of years. We have begun a more deliberate journey towards celebrating Native American stories and welcoming Indigenous communities.
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. Julie Danis is Chair of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Lorrayne Weiss is Women’s Board President and Kelli Garcia is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre's Assassins Onstage October 27 through December 17, 2023
ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar
THEO UBIQUE CABARET THEATRE ANNOUNCES CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM OF STEPHEN SONDHEIM AND JOHN WEIDMAN’S AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL
ASSASSINS
The award-winning company begins its trio of Sondheim favorites with Assassins onstage October 27 through December 17, 2023
Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre announced today the cast and production team of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s provocative musical Assassins which will be at the Howard Street Theatre October 27 through December 17, 2023. I'll be out for the press opening November 6th, so check back soon after for my full review.
Winner of 5 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical, Assassins lays bare the lives of nine individuals who assassinated or tried to assassinate the President of the United States, exploring the dark side of the American experience. From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, writers Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman bend the rules of time and space, taking us on a nightmarish roller coaster ride in which figures from different historical periods meet, interact, and inspire each other to harrowing acts in the name of the American Dream.
“Assassins brings into focus a couple of big challenges we are facing in America today: guns and mental health,” says Artistic Director Fred Anzevino. “Through Sondheim and Weidman’s brilliance, we experience a glimpse into the minds and motivations of what brings a person to take such extreme measures in their own pursuit of the American Dream. It is a complex story, and we are thrilled to have this talented company bringing it to life.”
Jeff-nominated multi-hyphenate artist Daryl Brooks (he/him), who’s directing work includes credits at Black Ensemble Theater, Porchlight Music Theatre, The Mercury Theatre, and Phoenix Theatre Company, leads the team as Director making his Theo debut. Fresh off her summer as the Orchestrator and Assistant Music Director on Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Heidi Joosten (she/her) makes her Theo debut as Music Director. Jeff Award winner and Theo’s Producing Director Christopher Pazdernik (any) will choreograph.
Theo’s intimate cabaret space will be transformed by Bek Lambrecht’s (they/them) set design and Denise Karczewski’s (she/her) lighting design. Serving as assistant lighting designer will be Jackson Mikkelsen (he/him) with costume design by Marquecia Jordan (she/her), properties design by Isa Noe (they/them), and sound design by Matthew R. Chase (he/him).
The all-star cast features Neala Barron (she/her; John Wilkes Booth), Patrick O’Keefe (he/him; Balladeer/Lee Harvey Oswald), Jon Parker Jackson (he/they; Samuel Byck), Amanda Rodriguez (she/her; Lynette ‘Squeaky’ Fromme), Nick Arceo (he/him; Charles Guiteau), Josh Pablo Szabo (they/he; Giuseppe Zangara), Will Koski (he/him; John Hinkley, Jr.), Laura Sportiello (she/her; Sara Jane Moore/Dance Captain), and Mack Spotts (they/he; Leon Czolgosz). The Ensemble includes Liz Bollar (she/they; Proprietor/Ensemble, understudy John Wilkes Booth), Tyler DeLoatch (he/they; Ensemble, understudy Samuel Byck and Leon Czolgosz), Simon Keiser (he/him; Herold/Ensemble, understudy Charles Guiteau and Giuseppe Zangara), Evan Morales (he/him; Ensemble, understudy Balladeer/Lee Harvey Oswald and John Hinkley, Jr.), and Brittney Brown (she/her; Emma Goldman/Ensemble and understudy Lynette ‘Squeaky’ Fromme). Michael Penick and Stephanie Boyd will serve as swings for the production.
A theatrical tour-de-force, Assassins combines Sondheim’s signature blend of intelligent lyrics and impressive music with a sweeping story of our nation’s culture of celebrity and deep conflicts between those who have and those who don’t. Bold, original, disturbing, and alarmingly funny, Assassins has been called “the most controversial musical ever written.”
“Assassins has only grown more relevant since the day it premiered,” comments Producing Director Christopher Pazdernik. “Although the conversation about gun control has shifted away from presidential assassins, the anger of marginalized citizens realizing the American Dream is just an illusion remains as potent as ever. We are looking forward to the meaningful conversation this musical can generate with our audiences.”
Tickets can be purchased online at theo-u.com/assassins or via phone at 773-939-4101. Ticket prices range from $35-$59. Box office hours are Wednesday-Sunday 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Theo continues to offer its one stop dinner and a show experience, offering a pre-fixed dinner menu before performances courtesy of The Blue Horse Tavern for an additional $33. All performances take place at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre located at 721 Howard Street in Evanston.
October 27-December 17, 2023
Tickets are $35-$59, pre-fixe dinner available for an additional $33.
Performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 6:00pm
Please note no performance on Thursday November 23.
All performances will be held at the Howard Street Theatre, 721 Howard Street, Evanston, IL 60602.
More information at www.theo-u.com or by phone at 773-939-4101 Wed.– Sun. Noon – 5 p.m.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
ABOUT ASSASSINS
A multiple Tony Award-winning theatrical tour-de-force, Assassins lays bare the lives of nine individuals who assassinated or tried to assassinate the President of the United States, exploring the dark side of the American experience. From John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald, writers Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman bend the rules of time and space, taking us on a nightmarish roller coaster ride in which figures from different historical periods meet, interact, and inspire each other to harrowing acts in the name of the American Dream.
ABOUT THEO UBIQUE
Theo was founded in 1997 by Artistic Director Fred Anzevino. Productions were first staged at the Heartland Studio Theatre, and from 2004 to May 2018, at No Exit Café, where the company began focusing on musicals and revues, reigniting the cabaret theatre trend in Chicago. The company moved to the Howard Street Theatre, a venue owned and developed for Theo by the City of Evanston, in fall of 2018. Theo has produced more than 60 shows and won 68 Jeff Awards, having received 173 nominations. Learn more at www.theo-u.com
Sunday, September 10, 2023
INCOMING: Margaret Glaspy To Play Chicago's Sleeping Village 10/7; New Album Echo The Diamond Out Now
|
|
|
|
Friday, July 21, 2023
About Face Theatre's 2023-2024 Season To Feature Two Regional Premieres
ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar
About Face Theatre
Announces 2023-2024 Season
AFT’s 29th season will feature two regional premieres alongside
touring workshops and community building
About Face Theatre announces plans for its 29th season. Dedicated to advancing LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance, About Face will present two regional premiere productions at The Den Theatre in Wicker Parker, as well as the return of its popular workshop reading series Re/Generation Studio and touring performances and workshops.
About Face’s 2023-2024 season will begin in October with Re/Generation Studio, a free three-week reading workshop series charting the future of LGBTQ+ theatre. AFT first presented Re/Generation Studio in its 2022-2023 season and featured such plays as Roger Q. Mason’s Lavender Men, Steven Strafford’s The Model Congressman, and Derek Lee McPhatter’s underdrown, among others. Plays and workshops in this season’s Re/Generation Studio will be announced in August. The season will continue in 2024 with the Midwest premiere of The Brightest Thing in the World by Leah Nanako Winkler, directed by AFT Artistic Associate Keira Fromm. The Brightest Thing in the World charts the evolution of a lesbian couple’s rom-com courtship through struggles with honesty and addiction. The season will conclude with the Midwest premiere of Lavender Men by Roger Q. Mason, directed by Lucky Stiff, starting in April 2024. In Lavender Men, contemporary gender non-conformist Taffeta plays post-mortem matchmaker to Abe Lincoln and his queer legal assistant Elmer Ellsworth, only to realize she is the one who needs real love healing. During the season, About Face will also offer customized touring workshops and performances throughout Chicagoland designed to increase a sense of belonging, invite brave dialogue, and move individuals and groups toward equity and action.
“We are at a fraught moment in history where it is vital that we continue elevating LGBTQ+ stories and amplifying queer voices,” says AFT Artistic Director Megan Carney. “About Face’s mission is all about advancing LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance. And this season features some truly unique stories that will bring audiences together and incite our imaginations in the ways that only great theatre can.”
ABOUT FACE THEATRE’S 2023-2024 SEASON
The Brightest Thing in the World
Written by Leah Nanako Winkler
Directed by AFT Artistic Associate Keira Fromm
March 14 – April 13, 2024 | Press opening: Friday, March 22
Showtimes: Thurs & Fri @ 8:00pm, Sat @ 3:00pm & 8:00pm, Sun @ 3:00pm
All performances will take place at The Den Theatre, 1331 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
Pay-what-you-can tickets ($5 – $35) on sale September 15, 2023, at The Den Theatre box office or About Face Theatre’s website.
Charmingly free-spirited barista Lane is determined to win over her new regular, the reserved and intellectual Steph. Delightful romantic comedy ensues with poetry, homemade desserts, and sparks flying. But both women are carrying life-changing secrets involving addiction, past relationships, and family. What happens when the giddy romance wears off and Lane and Steph must do the work of building a lasting relationship out of honesty, compassion, and courage? The Brightest Thing in the World is a funny, heartfelt new play delving into the people we think we know and the people we know we love.
“I love Leah Nanako Winkler’s use of language and the smart, messy, recognizable women at the center of the story,” says director Keira Fromm. “She has created a play that manages to be both a funny queer rom-com and a devastating portrait of addiction and the ways we’re all constantly in a state of recovery.” The Brightest Thing in the World was commissioned by Yale Repertory Theatre in 2019, where it received its world premiere in 2022. About Face’s production will be the play’s Midwest premiere.
Lavender Men
Written by Roger Q. Mason
Directed by Lucky Stiff
May 9 – June 8, 2024 | Press opening: Friday, May 17
Showtimes: Thurs & Fri @ 8:00pm, Sat @ 3:00pm and 8:00pm, Sun @ 3:00pm
at The Den Theatre, 1331 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
Pay-what-you-can tickets ($5 – $35) on sale September 15, 2023, at The Den Theatre box office or About Face Theatre’s website.
Taffeta is a fat, multi-racial femme with a unique form of queer magic: she can conjure dead historical figures. In this energetic and surreal play, Taffeta invites audiences along as she summons none other than President Abraham Lincoln and his handsome young law clerk Elmer Ellsworth to her stage. Playing every other character in Abe and Elmer’s gay narrative, Taffeta uses this fantasia to confront issues of visibility, race, and LGBTQ+ inclusion. But is any of this historically accurate? Sit down, honey, that’s not what we’re here for. Lavender Men is an embrace to every queer, fat person of color who has been ignored, neglected, or erased for unapologetically being themselves.
Lavender Men was first produced at Skyline Theatre in Los Angeles in 2022 with playwright Roger Q. Mason in the role of Taffeta. About Face Theatre introduced the play to audiences last season through our Re/Generation Studio workshop series, featuring playwright Roger Q. Mason and director Lucky Stiff. Audience reaction was so enthusiastic that About Face is now thrilled to present a full production of this new work in our 29th season.
“Lavender Men was born from my time living and studying in Chicago, almost 10 years ago,” says playwright Roger Q. Mason. “The city's vibrant embrace of LGBTQIA+ life liberated me personally and artistically, and I emerged a proud plus-sized, queer, POC playwright in the American Theatre. About Face Theatre is a leader, locally and nationally, in queer storytelling, and I am honored to partner with them to bring Lavender Men home to its birthplace—Chicago.”
Re/Generation Studio
An intergenerational workshop series building the future of queer theatre
Nov 30 – Dec 16, 2023
Individual workshop days & times TBD
at The Den Theatre, 1331 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
All workshops are free and open to the public.
Re/Generation Studio is About Face Theatre’s invitation to build the future of queer theatre together. This welcoming series of public workshops is shaped as a collective dreaming space for connecting with each other, learning about new plays, world-building, and exploring new production models. Each workshop will be grounded by staged readings of sections of new plays designed to invite conversation, collaboration, and creation in a shared space. Facilitators will offer key questions and considerations raised by the playwrights and directors and encourage participants to work together to brainstorm and develop creative solutions.
About Face premiered Re/Generation Studio in February 2023 as a vehicle for reconnecting, restoring, and recreating with audiences and artists after the pandemic. The overwhelming response from participants proved to us that these kinds of creative events are necessary to build and rebuild our communities. AFT is thrilled to be bringing the series back to continue engaging audiences and artists directly with up-and-coming new LGBTQ+ plays.
“Re/Generation Studio is all about taking the risk of coming together and sharing experiences,” says co-curator Pen Wilder. “The perspective I gained through the workshops as an artist, a playwright, and a person were invaluable. Every great play was once a new play, and being there for so many different beginnings, middles, and ends is something really special. I’m thrilled to be involved and look forward to dreaming bigger this upcoming season.”
Touring Workshops and Performances
About Face teaching artists offer fun and accessible workshops for groups throughout the year. In collaboration with schools, churches, workplaces, clubs, and community groups, these sessions can increase a sense of belonging, invite brave dialogue, and move groups toward equity and action goals. The company’s facilitators work with group leaders to identify key goals and then present activities in mindfulness, listening, and storytelling. Interested parties can learn more at AboutFaceTheatre.com/education/touring-programs.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Keira Fromm (she/her): The Brightest Thing in the World director
Keira is a Chicago-based, Jeff Award-nominated director. She is also an Artistic Associate with About Face Theatre where she directed Bull in a China Shop, Significant Other, Bright Half Life, and A Kid Like Jake. Other directing credits include: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Milwaukee Chamber Theatre), The Moors, A Phoenix Too Frequent, and A Doll’s House (American Players Theatre), The Last Match (Writers Theatre); At the Wedding and Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (TheatreSquared); Top Girls and hang (Remy Bumppo); The Columnist (American Blues Theater); Charles Ives Take Me Home (Strawdog); The How and the Why (TimeLine Theatre); Broadsword (The Gift Theatre); and Fallow (Steep Theatre.) She received her MFA from DePaul University, her BFA from Boston University, is an alumna of Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, and a member of SDC, the professional directors union. Keira will be directing The Liar at American Players Theatre this upcoming summer. www.keirafromm.com
Leah Nanako Winkler (she/her): The Brightest Thing in the World playwright
Leah Nanako Winkler is an award-winning playwright and TV Writer from Kamakura, Japan, and Lexington, Kentucky. Her plays include God Said This, Two Mile Hollow, Kentucky, Hot Asian Doctor Husband, and The Brightest Thing in the World, as well as many short plays all produced Off-Broadway and regionally. Accolades and fellowships: Yale Drama Series Prize, Mark O’Donnell Prize from The Actors Fund and Playwrights Horizons, Audible’s Emerging Playwrights Fund, Jerome New York Fellow at the Lark, Francesca Primus Prize, and a 2020 Steinberg Playwright Award. She is published by American Theater Magazine, Nanjing University’s Stage and Screen Reviews, Yale University Press, Backstage, Smith and Krauss, Samuel French, and Dramatists Play Service. TV credits include Michael Moore’s TV NATION, New Amsterdam, A24’s Ramy on Hulu (where she along with the other writers won a Peabody Award), Love Life on HBO MAX, and currently on projects at Apple, Warner and Amazon.
Roger Q. Mason (they/them): Lavender Men playwright
Roger Q. Mason is a writer and performer who uses the lens of history to disrupt the biases that divide rather than unite us. Their playwriting has been seen on Broadway (Circle in the Square Reading Series); Off and Off-Off-Broadway; and regionally. Mason's world premiere of Lavender Men was lauded by the Los Angeles Times as "evoking the mingled visions of Suzan-Lori Parks, Jeremy O. Harris, and Michael R. Jackson." As a filmmaker, Mason has been recognized by the British Film Institute, Lonely Wolf International Film Festival, SCAD Film Festival, AT&T Film Award, and Atlanta International Film Festival. Their films have been screened in the US, UK, Poland, Brazil, and Asia. Mason holds degrees from Princeton University, Middlebury College, and Northwestern University. They are a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and Ma-Yi’s Writing Lab, and are an alum of Page 73’s Interstate 73 Writers Group and Primary Stages Writing Cohort. Mason has co-hosted the podcast Sister Roger’s Gayborhood and hosted This Way Out Radio's Queerly Yours: Portraits in Courage. They are a lead mentor of The Marsha P. Johnson Institute’s Starship Fellowship, the New Visions Fellowship, and the Shay Foundation Fellowship. Instagram: @rogerq.mason
Lucky Stiff (they/them): Lavender Men director
Lucky Stiff is a trans and nonbinary director, writer, and performer working in Chicago and New York. They build original experiences that combine nightclub culture and performance art which have been featured at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Blue Man Group Chicago, Boy Friday Dance Company, and Bushwig Festival of Drag, among many others. They hold an MFA in Directing for Theater from Northwestern University and have lectured in performance and directing at UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara, Northwestern University, University of Illinois at Chicago, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. luckystiffdrag.com
Pen Wilder (they/them): Re/Generation Studio co-creator
Pen is a playwright, aspiring dramaturg, and artist with a focus in queer storytelling. They contribute to various literary publications and have been seen in journals such as Mulberry Literary and the ChillFiltr Review. In their free time, they also can be seen performing as part of indie rock group Cowboy Neal. Their play Switch Hitta was featured in last season’s Re/Generation Studio, and they are currently working on their next full-length play, Earthshine.
Megan Carney (she/her): AFT Artistic Director, Re/Generation Studio co-curator
Megan’s work thrives at the intersection of making theatre and building community. As the Artistic Director for About Face Theatre she combines her love for directing, producing, and teaching. Prior to working with About Face in this role, Megan served as the Director of the Gender and Sexuality Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago and was one of the founders of About Face Youth Theatre. She is a certified mediator with the Center for Conflict Resolution, earned an MFA in Theatre with a focus on Directing and Public Dialogue from Virginia Tech, and a BA from Kalamazoo College, where her ideas about art and activism began to take shape. Recent Chicago directing credits include The Gulf, 20/20, and Time Is On Our Side (About Face), Winter, Grizzly Mama, Danielle Pinnock’s Body/Courage, American Wee Pie, and The Walls (Rivendell). Plays based on extended oral history projects including Women At War (Rivendell); Open Systems (Goodman Theatre); and Let Them Eat Cake (Dixon Place, NYC). Megan designed and teaches a Queer Theatre class for Columbia College Chicago and has been an adjunct instructor at DePaul University. Her work has been recognized with multiple After Dark Awards, the GLSEN Pathfinder Award, an APA Presidential Citation, induction into Chicago’s LGBT Hall of Fame, and a Rockefeller Foundation MAP Grant, among others.
Logan Jones (he/him): AFT Managing Director
Logan is a Chicago-based artist, administrator, and consultant. He has frequently collaborated with multiple theatre companies while utilizing his artistic and technical skills, organizational capabilities, and highly-collaborative working style. Logan has worked with Ensemble Consulting as Facilitator and Project Manager on various leadership transitions and organizational development projects since 2015. As a stage manager and production manager, he has helmed multiple productions for About Face Theatre, American Theater Company, The House Theatre of Chicago, Windy City Playhouse, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, 13Exp, and the American Music Theatre Project, among others. Logan holds a BA in Theatre and BA in Modern Languages from Kansas State University, a certificate in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Workplace from University of South Florida, and is a graduate of the Axelson Center Bootcamp for Nonprofit CEOs at North Park University.
ABOUT FACE THEATRE advances LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance. AFT envisions an affirming and equitable world in which all LGBTQ+ individuals are thriving and free from prejudice and discrimination. About Face Theatre is also dedicated to being an intentionally and increasingly anti-racist organization. Due to the intersectionality of our identities, we understand our work to advance LGBTQ+ equity as directly connected to movements for racial justice.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)