THE JEFF AWARDS ANNOUNCES THE 50th ANNIVERSARY NON-EQUITY THEATER AWARDS NOMINATIONS

Celebrating its 50th anniversary 

awarding recognition for Non-Equity theater

the Joseph Jefferson Awards 

announces its nominations for theater excellence 

among Non-Equity theater during the 2023 season

A complete list of nominees can also be found online in the Non-Equity and News and Events sections at www.jeffawards.org

Celebrate Chicago -- literally the best theatre town in the world. Kudos to all the nominees for the 50th Non-Equity Jeff Awards (AKA: Theatre Prom), March 25th at Park West. NYC may have Broadway, but Chicago has 250+ theaters including a plethora of tiny storefronts and non-equity companies doing stunning work. Here at ChiIL Mama & ChiIL Live Shows I cover as many as humanly possible! The nominees in bold below are ones I had the great pleasure to see. Check back like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often, for original reviews, theatre news, interviews, ticket giveaways, and more.

This year’s Non-Equity awards spotlight 144 theater artists across 24 categories of excellence in theater production among shows from 32 companies. During the most recent season which ran from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023, Jeff Awards members attended 91 Non-Equity productions. From these, 46 productions became “Jeff Recommended” and, therefore, eligible for award nominations. 

Four theater companies are recognized for the upcoming Non-Equity awards with more than 10 nominations each. Kokandy Productions garnered the most honors, with 17 from two productions. Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre received 16 nominations, followed by Invictus Theatre Company and Refracted Theatre Company which both received 10. “Tambo & Bones” from Refracted Theatre Company drew the largest nominations for a single production (10).

Among New Work, eight world premiere plays are in award consideration. In addition, the Jeff Awards recently expanded award categories to recognize Short Run Productions (nine to 17 performances). Within this category, nominees are announced for Production, Ensemble, Director and Performer.

2024 NON-EQUITY JEFF AWARD NOMINEES

PRODUCTION – PLAY

"Cat's Cradle” - Lifeline Theatre  

"The Crucible” - Invictus Theatre Company  

"Dying For It” - The Artistic Home  

"Indoor Cats” - Red Theater  

"Right Now” - Facility Theatre  

"Tambo & Bones” - Refracted Theatre Company  

"We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, from the German Südwestafrika, Between the Years 1884 - 1915” - Theatre Y  

 

PRODUCTION – MUSICAL

"American Psycho" - Kokandy Productions   

"Assassins" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre   

"The SpongeBob Musical" - Kokandy Productions   

"The Threepenny Opera" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre   

"tick, tick… BOOM!" - BoHo Theatre   

 

ENSEMBLE – PLAY

"Cat's Cradle" - Lifeline Theatre   

"The Crucible" - Invictus Theatre Company   

"Jane: Abortion and the Underground" - Idle Muse Theatre Company   

“Panther Women: An Army for the Liberation” – Prop Thtr (i/a/w Perceptions Theatre)

"The Pragmatists" - Trap Door Theatre   

"Right Now" - Facility Theatre   

"We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, from the German Südwestafrika, Between the Years 1884 - 1915" - Theatre Y   

 

ENSEMBLE – MUSICAL 

"American Psycho" - Kokandy Productions   

"Assassins" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre   

"Promises, Promises" - Blank Theatre Company   

"The SpongeBob Musical" - Kokandy Productions 

 

NEW WORK

India Nicole Burton – “Panther Women: An Army for the Liberation” – Prop Thtr (i/a/w Perceptions Theatre)

Tina Fakhrid-Deen – “Dandelions” – MPAACT (Ma'at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theater)

Mora V. Harris – “Indoor Cats” – Red Theater

John Hildreth – “Cat’s Cradle” – Lifeline Theatre

Evan M. Jackson – “The Last Queen of Camelot” – Idle Muse Theatre Company

Shannon O’Neill – “The Kelly Girls” – The Factory Theater

Ed Rutherford & George Howe – “Murder, ReWrote” – Hell in a Handbag Productions

Micah Ariel Watson – “Alaiyo” – Definition Theatre

DIRECTOR – PLAY

Charles Askenaizer - "The Crucible" - Invictus Theatre Company

Mikael Burke - "Tambo & Bones" - Refracted Theatre Company

Heather Currie - "Cat's Cradle" - Lifeline Theatre

Dado - "Right Now" - Facility Theatre

Wyatt Kent - "Indoor Cats" - Red Theater

Tyrone Phillips - "Fairview" - Definition Theatre

Kezia Waters - "We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, from the German Südwestafrika, Between the Years 1884 - 1915" - Theatre Y

 

DIRECTOR – MUSICAL

Fred Anzevino - "The Threepenny Opera" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Derek Van Barham - "American Psycho" - Kokandy Productions

Daryl D. Brooks - "Assassins" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Bo Frazier - "tick, tick… BOOM!" - BoHo Theatre

 

PERFORMER IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE – PLAY

Brittney Brown (Regan Kelly) - "The Kelly Girls" - The Factory Theater

Laura Coover (The Woman) - "Heisenberg: The Uncertainty Principle" - Griffin Theatre Company

Ny'ajai Ellison (Camae) - "The Mountaintop" - Invictus Theatre Company

Julian Hester (Scratch) - "Witch" - The Artistic Home

Patrick Newson Jr. (Bones) - "Tambo & Bones" - Refracted Theatre Company

Felicia Oduh (Ariel) - "Alaiyo" - Definition Theatre

Aila Ayilam Peck (Layla) - "Hatefuck" - First Floor Theater

Soleil Pérez (Agnes) - "Agnes of God" - Redtwist Theatre

Mark Pracht (John Proctor) - "The Crucible" - Invictus Theatre Company

William Anthony Sebastian Rose II (Tambo) - "Tambo & Bones" - Refracted Theatre Company

 

PERFORMER IN A PRINCIPAL ROLE – MUSICAL

Neala Barron (John Wilkes Booth) - "Assassins" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Frankie Leo Bennett (SpongeBob SquarePants) - "The SpongeBob Musical" - Kokandy Productions

Britain Gebhardt (Bessica Feltcher) - "Murder, ReWrote" - Hell in a Handbag Productions

Carl Herzog (Macheath) - "The Threepenny Opera" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Brandy Miller (Fran Kubelik) - "Promises, Promises" - Blank Theatre Company

Patrick O'Keefe (Balladeer and Lee Harvey Oswald) - "Assassins" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Kyle Patrick (Patrick Bateman) - "American Psycho" - Kokandy Productions

Alec Phan (Jonathan) - "tick, tick … BOOM!" - BoHo Theatre

Rory Schrobilgen (Chuck Baxter) - "Promises, Promises" - Blank Theatre Company

 

PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – PLAY

Kristin Collins (Elizabeth Sawyer) - "Witch" - The Artistic Home

Shawna Franks (Juliette) - "Right Now" - Facility Theatre

Jada Jackson (Keisha) - "Fairview" - Definition Theatre

Patrick Newson Jr. (Kofi) - "Alaiyo" - Definition Theatre

Kathy Scambiaterra (Serafima) - "Dying For It" - The Artistic Home

Maria Stephens (Alice) - "Right Now" - Facility Theatre

James Turano (Deputy Governor Danforth) - "The Crucible" - Invictus Theatre Company

Michaela Voit (Abigail Williams) - "The Crucible" - Invictus Theatre Company

Sarah Wisterman (Panda) - "Indoor Cats" - Red Theater

Korinne Yonan (Maleficunt) - "Sleeping with Beauty" – PrideArts

PERFORMER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – MUSICAL

Megan Elk (Mrs. Peachum) - "The Threepenny Opera" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Parker Guidry (Sheldon J. Plankton) - "The SpongeBob Musical" - Kokandy Productions

Luke Halpern (Susan) - "tick, tick… BOOM!" - BoHo Theatre

Jon Parker Jackson (Samuel Byck) - "Assassins" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Chamaya Moody (Polly Peachum) - "The Threepenny Opera" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Caleigh Pan-Kita (Evelyn Williams) - "American Psycho" - Kokandy Productions

Quinn Rigg (Squidward Q. Tentacles) - "The SpongeBob Musical" - Kokandy Productions

Amanda Rodriguez (Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme) - "Assassins" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Nathe Rowbotham (Lucy Brown) - "The Threepenny Opera" - Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

 

PRODUCTION – SHORT RUN

"It's Only a Play” - Saint Sebastian Players  

"The Minutes” - Edge of the Wood Theatre

"Once on This Island” - PULSE Theatre Company  

"That Must Be the Entrance to Heaven” - Visión Latino Theatre Company  

 

ENSEMBLE – SHORT RUN

"It's Only a Play” - Saint Sebastian Players  

"The Minutes” - Edge of the Wood Theatre

"Once on This Island” - PULSE Theatre Company  

"That Must Be the Entrance to Heaven” - Visión Latino Theatre Company  

 

DIRECTOR – SHORT RUN

Xavier M. Custodio - "That Must Be the Entrance to Heaven" - Visión Latino Theatre Company

Melanie McNulty - "Cry It Out" - Theatre Above the Law

Janet Rourke - "The Minutes" - Edge of the Wood Theatre

Iraida Tapias - "North & Sur" - Water People Theater

 

PERFORMER – SHORT RUN

Manuel Duarte (Emcee) - "Lotería: Dichos, Proverbios, Albures" - Teatro Tariakuri

Jack Hradecky (Mr. Peel) - "The Minutes" - Edge of the Wood Theatre

Casey Huls (Frank Abagnale Jr.) - "Catch Me If You Can" - Surging Films and Theatrics

Gwen La Roka (Gwen La Roka) - "Mi Casa Es Tu Casa!" - UrbanTheater Company

Daniella Rukin (Lina) - "Cry It Out" - Theatre Above the Law

Carter Sherman (Amelia Carter) - "Miranda: A War-Torn Fable" - The Impostors Theatre Company

Billy Surges (Carl Hanratty) - "Catch Me If You Can" - Surging Films and Theatrics

Kris Tori (Alfonsina Storni) - "North & Sur" - Water People Theater

Allyson Womack (Jessie) - "Cry It Out" - Theatre Above the Law

 

SCENIC DESIGN

Kirk Anderson – “Right Now” – Facility Theatre

Kevin Hogan – “Dying For It” – The Artistic Home

Rose Johnson – “Agnes of God” – Redtwist Theatre

Sydney Lynne – “Tambo & Bones” – Refracted Theatre Company

Kevin Rolfs – “The Crucible” – Invictus Theatre Company

COSTUME DESIGN

Jakob Abderhalden – “The SpongeBob Musical” – Kokandy Productions

Natasha Vuchurovich Dukich – “Right Now” – Facility Theatre

Jessie Gowens – “The Crucible” – Invictus Theatre Company

Kotryna Hilko – “Tambo & Bones” – Refracted Theatre Company

Beth Laske-Miller & Rachel Sypniewski – “I Promised Myself to Live Faster” – Hell in a Handbag Productions

Cindy Moon – “The Threepenny Opera” – Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Rachel Sypniewski – “Princess Ivona” – Trap Door Theatre

 

SOUND DESIGN

Hannah Foerschler – “The Kelly Girls” – The Factory Theater

Ethan Korvne – “Tambo & Bones” – Refracted Theatre Company

Santiago Quintana – “Right Now” – Facility Theatre

Danny Rockett – “The Pragmatists” – Trap Door Theatre

Stefanie Senior – “Cat’s Cradle” – Lifeline Theatre

Sebby Woldt – “Indoor Cats” – Red Theater

 

LIGHTING DESIGN

Mark Bracken Jr. – “Dying For It” – The Artistic Home

Ellie Fey – “Witch” – The Artistic Home

Maggie Fullilove-Nugent – “The Threepenny Opera” – Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

G. “Max” Maxin IV – “American Psycho” – Kokandy Productions

Eric Watkins – “Tambo & Bones” – Refracted Theatre Company

 

PROJECTION DESIGN

DJ Douglass – “The Mountaintop” – Invictus Theatre Company

Alex Gendal – “Alaiyo” – Definition Theatre 

Eme Ospina-López – “Tambo & Bones” – Refracted Theatre Company

 

CHOREOGRAPHY

Breon Arzell – “American Psycho” – Kokandy Productions

Lauryn Schmelzer – “Promises, Promises” – Blank Theatre Company

Jenna Schoppe – “The SpongeBob Musical” – Kokandy Productions

 

MUSIC DIRECTION

Harper Caruso – “tick, tick… BOOM!” – BoHo Theatre

Heidi Joosten – “American Psycho” – Kokandy Productions

Heidi Joosten – “Assassins” – Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Aaron Kaplan – “Promises, Promises” – Blank Theatre Company

 

ORIGINAL MUSIC IN A PLAY

Natasha Bogojevic – “The Pragmatists” – Trap Door Theatre

Przemysław Bosak – “Princess Ivona” – Trap Door Theatre

Ethan Korvne – “Tambo & Bones” – Refracted Theatre Company

Petter Wahlbäck – “Dying For It” – The Artistic Home

 

ARTISTIC SPECIALIZATION

Henry Bender (Properties Design) – “Wise Guys: The First Christmas Story” – The Factory Theater

David Blixt (Fight Choreography) – “Witch” – The Artistic Home

Lolly Extract/Jabberwocky Marionettes (Puppet Design) – “I Promised Myself to Live Faster” – Hell in a Handbag Productions

Ele Matelan (Foley Design) – “The SpongeBob Musical” – Kokandy Productions

Patrick McGuire (Properties Design) – “The SpongeBob Musical” – Kokandy Productions

MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS

By Theater Company

Kokandy Productions 17

Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre 16

Invictus Theatre Company 10

Refracted Theatre 10

The Artistic Home 9

Facility Theatre 8

Definition Theatre 6

Blank Theatre Company 5

BoHo Theatre 5

Lifeline Theatre 5

Red Theater 5

Trap Door Theatre 5

Edge of the Wood Theatre 4

The Factory Theater 4

Hell in a Handbag Productions 4

Theatre Above the Law 3

Theatre Y 3

Vision Latino Theatre Company 3

Idle Muse Theatre Company 2

Prop Thtr (i/a/w Perceptions Theatre) 2

PULSE Theatre Company 2

Redtwist Theatre 2

Saint Sebastian Players 2

Surging Films & Theatrics 2

Water People Theater 2

By Production

"Tambo & Bones"                             10

"The SpongeBob Musical"                               9

"American Psycho"                               8

"Assassins"                               8

"The Crucible"                               8

"Right Now"                               8

"The Threepenny Opera"                               8

"Cat's Cradle"                               5

"Dying For It"                               5

"Indoor Cats"           5

"Promises, Promises"           5

"tick, tick… BOOM!"           5

"Alaiyo"           4

"The Minutes"           4

"Witch"           4

"Cry It Out"           3

"The Kelly Girls"           3

"The Pragmatists"           3

"That Must Be the Entrance to Heaven"           3

"We Are Proud to Present a Presentation …"           3

"Agnes of God"           2

"Catch Me If You Can"           2

"Fairview"           2

"I Promised Myself to Live Faster"           2

"It's Only a Play"           2

"The Mountaintop"           2

"Murder, ReWrote"           2

"North & Sur"           2

"Once on This Island"             2

"Panther Women: An Army for the Liberation"           2

"Princess Ivona"          2

 

By Individual

Heidi Joosten   2

Ethan Korvne 2

Patrick Newson Jr. 2

Rachel Sypniewski 2

  

ABOUT THE JEFF AWARDS

The Jeff Awards is one of the most active and engaged theater awards organizations in the country evaluating hundreds of theatrical productions annually and holding two awards ceremonies highlighting work over the past Equity and Non-Equity seasons. Through our recommendations, awards, and honors we help foster the growth of companies, encourage artists, bring new appreciation for diverse storytelling, and cultivate civic pride in the achievements of the Chicago theater community. Originally chartered in 1968 to recognize Equity productions, the Jeff Awards Non-Equity Wing was established in 1973 to celebrate outstanding achievement in non-union theatre. For more information, visit www.jeffawards.org.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON NOMINATIONS AND THE AWARDS PROGRAM

The Jeff Awards website lists all current nominees, previous recipients and nominations, and other Jeff Awards information and news. Visit www.jeffawards.org.

The 50th Anniversary Jeff Awards for Non-Equity Theater will be held Monday, March 25, 2024, at Park West in Chicago, IL. Doors will open at 6:00pm with a cash bar available, and the awards will begin at 7:00pm. General Admission tickets are $71 (includes $55 ticket + required fees) and  available now at www.jeffawards.org. A group rate of $60 (includes $45 ticket + required fees) is available for parties of 10 or more. Festive cocktail attire is suggested, and the public is cordially invited. An after-party will be held at Park West with light food and a cash bar. For more information, contact Johnny Buranosky, Non-Equity Wing Chair, at  nonequitywing@jeffawards.org.

Names of award recipients will be released immediately following the program on March 25th on the Jeff Awards website under Non-Equity Awards at www.jeffawards.org. 

PROOF Via Bluebird Arts at Theater Wit March 2 to April 6, 2024

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CASTING AND CREATIVES ANNOUNCED FOR

DAVID AUBURN’S 

PROOF 

AT BLUEBIRD ARTS

CASTING AND CREATIVES ANNOUNCED FOR DAVID AUBURN’S PROOF AT BLUEBIRD ARTS

Bluebird Arts, Chicago's only English–Russian Cross-Cultural Theatre is excited to announce their Cast and Creative Team for their upcoming production of PROOF by DAVID AUBURN, opening SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2024 at THEATER WIT, 1229 W. Belmont Ave, Chicago. Directed by Bluebird Arts Artistic Director LUDA LOPATINA SOLOMON. SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2024, to SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2024. Performances of the play are Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Sundays at 3pm, in Theater Three of Theater Wit.

Directed by Luda Lopatina Solomon, Bluebird Arts’ production will feature Dana Muelchi as Catherine, Geoff Isaac as Robert, Talia Langman as Claire, and Callahan Crnich as Hal, and Sarah Seidler at the Catherine/Claire Understudy. They will be joined by a Creative Team of Angela Kring (Stage Manager), Samantha Rausch (Set Design), Karina Osbourne (Lighting Design), Brandon Reed (Sound Design), Bisa (Costume Designer), Rachel Hartmann (Props Design), Laura Sturm (Intimacy Coordinator), Matt Ledajaks (Technical Designer), Kenny Behmer (Assistant T.D.), Dana Muelchi (Marketing and Media), Jaimelyn Gray (Press and Managing), and Emil Thomas (Production Manager).

ABOUT THE PLAY

Proof is the story of an enigmatic young woman, Catherine, her manipulative sister, their brilliant father, and an unexpected suitor. They are all pieces of the puzzle in the search for the truth behind a mysterious mathematical proof. In Proof, the young but guarded Catherine grieves over the loss of her father, a famous mathematician who had become a legend at the local university for solving complicated proofs, and for suffering from dementia. Just as Catherine begins to give in to her fear that she, too, might suffer from her father’s condition, Catherine’s older sister Claire returns home to help “settle” family affairs and Hal, one of the father’s old students, starts to poke around the house. What Hal discovers in an old speckle- bound notebook brings to light a buried family secret. It tests the sisters’ kinship as well as the romantic feelings growing between Catherine and Hal.

This poignant drama about love and reconciliation unfolds on the back porch of a house settled in a suburban university town, that is, like David Auburn’s writing, both simple and elegant. (pullizer .org)

Proof, by David Auburn runs Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Sundays at 3pm, in Theater Three of Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave, Chicago, from Saturday, March 2, to Saturday, April 6, 2024. Tickets are $12 – $40 and can be found at bluebirdarts.org, or by calling the Theater Wit Box Office at 773-975-8150.

Bluebird Arts was founded in 2014 and is a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization whose purpose is: “To enrich, educate and entertain our community by sharing intimate stories of the human condition, focusing on the genuine problems of real people.”

Cast and Crew Announced for BrightSide Theatre's DEATHTRAP March 8 - 24, 2024

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Cast and production team announced for BrightSide Theatre production of Ira Levin’s comedic thriller 

DEATHTRAP

March 8 - 24

Children under the age of 5 are not permitted in the theater

BrightSide Theatre Youth Theatre to additionally perform MEAN GIRLS JR. Saturday matinees and Sunday evenings during the first two weekends of DEATHTRAP

Full cast and crew have been announced for BrightSide Theatre’s upcoming production of Ira Levin’s DEATHTRAP, the longest-running comedic thriller in Broadway history, and the fifth-longest-running Broadway play of all time. In it, a playwright and his much younger former student each attempt to kill the other, so that one of them can claim sole authorship of the mystery play on which they’ve been collaborating. The humor and the many plot twists devised by Levin, author of the thrillers ROSEMARY’S BABY, THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL, and THE STEPFORD WIVES, kept Broadway audiences laughing and on the edge of their seats for over four years. It was adapted as a successful feature film starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve and continues to be a hit with audiences to this day.

The cast directed by Jason Harrington will be led by Scott Kelley of Schaumburg as the older playwright, Sidney Bruhl; and Tyler Szarabajka of Vernon Hills as Bruhl’s younger mentee, Clifford Anderson. Lisa Braatz of Naperville has been cast as their neighbor Helga ten Dorp, a noted psychic whose suspicions are aroused by the strange activity in the Bruhls’ Connecticut home. Marianne Embree of Arlington Heights will play Bruhl’s wife, Myra; and John Zimmerman of Carol Stream will be Bruhl’s attorney, Porter Milgrim.

Top row (l-r): Scott Kelley, Tyler Szarabajka

Second row (l-r): Lisa Braatz, John Zimmerman, Marianne Embree

The production team for DEATHTRAP, in addition to Harrington as director, will include Jeff Award winner Eric Luchen (Set Designer), Jeff Award nominee Kurt Ottinger (Lighting Design), Cheryl Newman (Costume Design), Jim Heatherly (Prop Designer), RJ Cecott (Fight Choreographer), Jeff Sand (Technical Director), and JJ O’Connell (Stage Manager).

DEATHTRAP will be performed at Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth, Naperville.  Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm.  Tickets are $37.00 for adults and $32.00 for students and seniors. Tickets are on sale now at www.BrightSidetheatre.com or by phone at 630-447-TIXS (8497).  

BrightSide Theatre Youth Theatre to perform musical MEAN GIRLS JR. March 9-17

The BrightSide Theatre Youth Project, which provides a professional and educational learning experience for students aged 8-18 interested in exploring musical theater, will stage MEAN GIRLS, JR. from March 9-17 on Saturdays at 11 am and 2 pm and on Sundays at 6 pm in the Theater at Meiley-Swallow Hall of North Central College.

The musical MEAN GIRLS, based on the hit 2005 film written by Tina Fey and Rosalind Wiseman, was a hit on Broadway, running from 2018 to 2020. MEAN GIRLS JR. is a condensed, author-approved version of the full musical. 

Special services and free admission for hearing or visually impaired patrons and their parties at selected performances of MEAN GIRLS, JR.

American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters will be present for the 11 am performance on Saturday, March 9. Patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing and their parties can attend this ASL-interpreted performance free of charge. For access to ASL seating, enter the promo code ASL when purchasing online or call the box office at 630.447.8497.=

The Saturday, March 16 performance at 2 pm will offer two services for the visually impaired – audio description and a touch tour. Throughout the performance, patrons can listen to an audio describer who will narrate all of the important visuals of the show (blocking, facial expressions, design choices, choreography) through a personal audio device. The performance will be preceded by a touch tour at 1 pm, in which patrons can explore, through touch, the costumes, props, and sets of a production to better experience the design of a show. It also gives tour attendees a chance to meet actors who will give physical descriptions of their characters and model a few lines of dialog to help patrons better identify the characters' voice during the show. For access to Audio-Described seating enter the promo code AUDIO when purchasing online or call the box office at 630.447.8497.

Free admission for hearing or visually impaired patrons and their parties to these performances is made possible through the generosity of the Naperville Lions Club.

BIOS

Jason Harrington (Director) is thrilled to be at BrightSide again after directing THE ODD COUPLE last season. He is a proud board member of Up and Coming Theatre where his directing credits include: SWEET CHARITY, Lippa's THE WILD PARTY, HAIR, FOOTLOOSE, and HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL (BroadwayWorld Award, best direction of a musical). Other directing credits include productions with: The Second City, Glenview Theatre Guild, Bailiwick, and the Library Theatre at Feltre. 

Ira Levin (Author) became a best-selling author with his first novel, 1953's A KISS BEFORE DYING. More thrilling works followed, including 1968's ROSEMARY'S BABY, 1972’s THE STEPFORD WIVES, and 1976's THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL, all of which were later turned into feature films. Levin served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps from 1953 to 1955. After being discharged, he spent much of his time devoted to the theater. Levin enjoyed some success with his adaptation of Mac Hyman's humorous novel NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS. His own original works included the 1958 mystery INTERLOCK, the comedy CRITIC'S CHOICE, and the 1965 musical DRAT! THE CAT!, a comedy about a thief.  He returned with another play, the mystery DR. COOK'S GARDEN, two years later in 1967.

March 8 – 24, 2024

Performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm

Press Opening Friday, March 8 at 8 pm

Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth, Naperville 

Tickets $35 - $40, available at www.BrightSideTheatre.com or at 630-447-TIXS (8497)  

Holding the record for the longest running comedic thriller on Broadway, DEATHTRAP is the story of the world-famous thriller playwright Sidney Bruhl  who is suffering from a chronic case of writer’s block. When one of his former students shows up at his doorstep with what might be the next Broadway hit, Sidney and his wife concoct a deadly plan to make the manuscript their own. DEATHTRAP is filled with twists and turns in a series of shocking events that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last moment!  

MEAN GIRLS, JR.

Book by Tina Fey, Lyrics by Nell Benjamin, Music by Jeff Richmond

Directed by De Haddad

Choreography by Amanda Vinson

Music Direction by Meghan Kessel

March 9-17, 2024

Saturdays at 11 am and 2 pm, Sundays at 6 pm

Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, North Central College, 31 S. Ellsworth, Naperville 

Tickets: $20 adults, $15 students, available online at www,brightsidetheatre.com or by phone at 630-447-TIXS (8497).

ASL-interpreted performance on Saturday, March 9 at 11 am. Admission to this performance is free for hearing impaired patrons and their parties with code ASL

Audio-described performance on Saturday, March 16 at 2 pm, preceded by a Touch Tour at 1 pm. Admission to this performance is free for hearing impaired patrons and their parties with code AUDIO.

A condensed, author-approved version of the Broadway musical based on the 2004 film. Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the wild and vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. How will this naïve newbie rise to the top of the popularity pecking order? By taking on the plastics, a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. Cady and her friends devise a "revenge party" to end Regina’s reign with Cady going undercover as an aspiring plastic. When the lines between the real Cady and her plastic-self get blurred, she must find her way back to herself and her true friends.    

ABOUT BRIGHTSIDE THEATRE

BrightSide Theatre (Jeffrey Cass, Artistic Director and Julie Ann Kornak, Executive Director) is committed to Enlighten, Educate, and Entertain through comedies and inspirational stories from across the globe.  A unique blend of award-winners, premieres, modern works and timeless classics meant to reflect upon and inform our community inhabit BrightSide’s stage.  For more information on BrightSide Theatre, please visit www.BrightSidetheatre.com.     

World Premiere of What the Weird Sisters Saw Via Idle Muse Theatre Company March 14 - April 14, 2024

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IDLE MUSE THEATRE COMPANY 

ANNOUNCES A NEW VERSION OF 

WHAT THE WEIRD SISTERS SAW

PREMIERING AT THE EDGE OFF-BROADWAY THEATER 

MARCH 14 - APRIL 14, 2024

 Top row (L to R) Caty Gordon (she/her, Murron); Jennifer Mohr (she/her, Dana); Jamie Redwood (she/her, Alastriona), Elizabeth MacDougald (she/her, Hecate) and Joel Thompson (he/him, Macbeth)

Second row (L to R) Mara Kovacevic (she/her, Lady Macbeth); Troy Schaeflein (he/him, Banquo); Brendan Hutt (he/him, Porter); Watson Swift (he/him, Macduff); Erik Schnitger (he/him, Duncan)

Third row (L to R) Orion Lay-Sleeper (he/him, Malcolm) and understudies Merrick McWherter (she/her), Katy Crow (she/her), Boomer Lusink (he/him) and John Wilson (he/him).

After 15 years; Idle Muse Returns to the Mists and Blasted Heaths of Medieval Scotland with a Reimagined Tale Based on The Tragedy of Macbeth filled with Mystery, Dark Fantasy and Horror

Idle Muse Theatre Company’s 2023 - 2024 season continues with an all-new version of What the Weird Sisters Saw at the Edge Off-Broadway Theater, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave., March 14 - April 14. This world premiere based on Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth as told from the perspective of the three witches is adapted by Artistic Director Evan Jackson and Tristan Brandon and directed by Jackson. The performance schedule for What the Weird Sisters Saw includes two preview performances Thursday, March 14 and Friday, March 15 at 8 p.m. with the press night Saturday, March 16 at 8 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. General admission tickets are on sale now for $30, general admission; $20, students and seniors, and $20, industry, at IdleMuse.org or the Idle Muse Theatre Company Box Office, 773.340.9438. 

In 2009, a three-year old Idle Muse Theatre Company produced its first adaptation of a Shakespeare text. Based on William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth and reframed from the perspective of the three witches, What The Weird Sisters Saw told the story of three young druidesses as they followed visions of bloody deeds to uncover the prophecy of a tyrant's ambition. 

From this small production at what is now the Jarvis Square Theater, the first ensemble of Idle Muse Theatre Company was born–as well as the company's long standing mission to create works of theater which transport audiences to worlds of magic and mystery. This year, the 15th anniversary of this landmark production, that same ensemble, now a broad collective of theater artists, returns to the stage in a new version.

“This is more than just a remount. The 2024 version of What The Weird Sisters Saw is a complete rewrite and workshop of the original text,” said Artistic Director Jackson. “The same creative team that produced Idle Muse's most beloved "graphic novels on stage" including The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde and The Last Queen Of Camelot are back together again for another tale of mystery and dark fantasy.”

The cast of What the Weird Sisters Saw includes Caty Gordon (she/her, Murron); Jennifer Mohr (she/her, Dana); Jamie Redwood (she/her, Alastriona); Elizabeth MacDougald(she/her, Hecate); Joel Thompson (he/him, Macbeth); Mara Kovacevic (she/her, Lady Macbeth); Troy Schaeflein (he/him, Banquo); Brendan Hutt (he/him, Porter); Watson Swift(he/him, Macduff); Erik Schnitger (he/him, Duncan); Orion Lay-Sleeper (he/him, Malcolm) and understudies Merrick McWherter (she/her), Katy Crow (she/her), Boomer Lusink(he/him) and John Wilson (he/him).

The creative team of What the Weird Sisters Saw includes Evan Jackson (he/him, director and co-adaptor); Tristan Brandon (he/him, co-adaptor; properties designer & health safety officer); Shellie DiSalvo (she/her, production manager); Libby Beyreis (she/her, assistant director and violence designer) Laura Wiley (she/her, lighting & projection designer); L.J. Luthringer (he/him, music & sound designer); Jennifer Mohr (she/her, costume designer); Stina Taylor (she/her, scenic designer); Breezy Snyder (she/her, scenic artist); Cori Lang (she/they, dramaturg); Becky Warner (she/her, stage manager); Line Bower (they/them, technical director); Lindsey Chidester (she/her, assistant stage manager); Michael Dalberg (he/him, iterary director); Mara Kovacevic (she/her, treasurer/box office manager); Kati Lechner(she/her, director of fundraising/health safety officer) and Jinni Barak (she/her, social media).

ABOUT EVAN JACKSON, ADAPTOR/DIRECTOR

Evan Jackson serves as the artistic director of Idle Muse Theatre Company, a position he has had the honor of holding since the company’s inception. He has directed 15 previous productions for Idle Muse Theatre Company, including last season's The Last Queen of Camelot and Upon this Shore: A Tale of Pericles and the Daughters of Tyre, Best for Winter, being a short Shakespeare adapted from the Winter’s Tale and other works and Equivocation,The Lion in Winter and Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure (both Jeff-Recommended), The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Talking Cure, Rites and Sacrifices, a world premiere by Chicago playwright Jennifer L. Mickelson, Enchanted April, The Scullery Maid. He was also director and co-adapter of Shotgun Shakespeare: What the Weird Sisters Saw with Idle Muse company member Tristan Brandon. Outside directing projects include several short plays in the Martin de Maat New Works Festival at Boxer Rebellion Theatre and two summers serving as assistant director for Shakespeare on the Green in Lake Forest. Jackson is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University, where he received his MFA in directing.

ABOUT IDLE MUSE THEATRE COMPANY

Idle Muse Theatre Company’s mission is to produce theatre that is transporting, timely and true. The company was established in 2006 by theatre artists interested in exploring the relationship between individuals and the worlds they inhabit. Seeking to create production opportunities for themselves and other artists, they established a modern ‘guild’ of players and environment where theatre artists of different experiences and backgrounds could develop their craft. Today, Idle Muse remains focused on the following core values: 

Transporting: We believe that great theatre removes both audience members and artists from their respective reality and transports them to another world. 

Timely: We believe that human connection can be accomplished through meaningful, relevant,and accessible storytelling here and now. 

True: We believe in unflinching honesty in the playing and storytelling. 

In 2022, Idle Muse Theatre Company also began a profit share model with artists and team members for each production. In addition to any stipend or payment for services, a full 50% of all box office revenue is reserved and divided evenly among the cast and production team.

COVID policy: At this time, Idle Muse is not requiring masks or proof of vaccination from audience members. However, Idle Muse is continuing to monitor the evolving public health situation and will update this guidance as necessary to protect the safety of our audience, cast and production team. 

Chicago Premiere of The Reclamation of Madison Hemings Via American Blues Theater February 16 – March 24, 2024

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

American Blues Theater continues its 2023-24 Season

with the Chicago Premiere of

The Reclamation of Madison Hemings

Written by Charles Smith

Directed by Ensemble Member Chuck Smith

Featuring Ensemble Member Manny Buckley and Jon Hudson Odom

February 16 – March 24, 2024

at American Blues Theater’s new home, 5627 N. Lincoln Ave.

Tickets on-sale now

American Blues Theater, under the continued leadership of Executive Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside, presents the Chicago premiere of The Reclamation of Madison Hemings, written by Charles Smith and directed by Ensemble Member Chuck Smith. The Reclamation of Madison Hemings will be presented in American Blues Theater’s new permanent home, located at 5627 N Lincoln Ave in Chicago, February 16 – March 24, 2024. The press opening is Thursday, February 22 at 7:30pm. Tickets are on sale now at www.americanbluestheater.com or by calling (773) 654-3103.

It’s 1866, and the Civil War has ended. Madison Hemings, son of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, and Israel Jefferson, formerly enslaved footman, return to Monticello in search of Israel’s long-lost brother. Their search gets sidetracked when Madison decides to claim what’s left of his birthright as the son of an American president. Together, the two men must face their conflicting feelings about the man who wrote “All men are created equal.” Slavery has been abolished, but what has changed? What do we need to keep with us as we move through this world and what should we leave behind?

Executive Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside comments, “Ensemble member Chuck Smith brought this incredible project to us. We immediately connected the poignant themes to our mission. We’re thrilled to work with celebrated playwright Charles Smith, and we’re honored for the opportunity to premiere this script to Chicago audiences.”

The Reclamation of Madison Hemings will play in the new home of American Blues Theater. The new venue, which had its first public performance on December 8, 2023, includes two theaters (137-seat proscenium and 40-seat flexible studio); an inviting lobby with box office, bar, and concessions; gendered and all-gendered restrooms; dressing rooms and greenroom; administrative offices; production spaces for scenery, props, and costumes; a small on-site parking lot with ample street parking.

The cast of The Reclamation of Madison Hemings includes Jon Hudson Odom (Madison Hemings) and Manny Buckley* (Israel Jefferson).

The creative team includes Jonathan Berg-Einhorn (scenic/props), Jared Gooding* & Rachel West* (co-lighting), Lily Walls* (costumes), Rick Sims* (sound), Warren Levon* (associate sound), and Richard Lundy (stage management).

*Denotes Ensemble member or Artistic Affiliate of American Blues Theater.

 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

CHARLES SMITH (Playwright) – Charles Smith’s plays include The Reclamation of Madison Hemings, Objects in the Mirror, Free Man of Color, Knock Me a Kiss, The Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues, Freefall, The Gospel According to James, Jelly Belly, Pudd’nhead Wilson, Les Trois Dumas, Denmark, Sister Carrie, The Sutherland, Black Star Line, Takunda, Cane, and City of Gold. His plays have been produced by Indiana Repertory Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, The Acting Company, People’s Light, The New Federal Theatre, Penumbra, Crossroads Theatre Company, Shakespeare & Company, Penguin Repertory Theatre, Ujima Theatre Company, The Colony Theatre, St. Louis Black Rep, Weissberger Theater Group, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Jubilee Theatre, Ensemble Theatre in Houston, Pegasus Theatre Chicago, Westcoast Black Rep., Robey Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theater, Ensemble Theatre in Cleveland, Independent Theatre in Adelaide, South Australia, the HBO New Writers Project, the International Children’s Theater Festival in Seattle, and The National Black Theatre Festival. He has been commissioned by Cleveland Play House and The Acting Company, and has received multiple commissions from Victory Gardens, Indiana Rep, and Goodman. His awards include a Joseph Jefferson Award, a John W. Schmid Award, two Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Awards, the Illinois Arts Council Governors Award, the Joyce Award, the Cornerstone National Playwriting Award, The National Black Theatre Festival’s August Wilson Playwriting Award, Princess Grace Fellowship, the Theodore Ward National Playwriting Award, two Black Theatre Alliance Awards for New Work, the NBC New Voices Award, and numerous other AUDELCO, Jeff, NAACP, and Black Theatre Alliance award nominations. He is an alumnus of New Dramatists, a graduate of the University of Iowa Playwrights Workshop, one of the founding members of the Playwrights Ensemble at the Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Presidential Research Scholar in the Arts and Humanities at Ohio University and has taught playwriting at Northwestern University, for the Prague Summer Program in Creative Writing in the Czech Republic, and for the Center for Dramatic Art in Groznjan, Croatia. His plays may be obtained through Dramatic Publishing, Samuel French, Northwestern Press, Smith and Kraus, Swallow Press, and Alexander Street Press. 

CHUCK SMITH (Director) is an Ensemble member of American Blues Theater where he directed Leroi Jones’ Dutchman and Flyin’ West. He is a member of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees and is a Goodman Theatre Resident Director. He is also a resident director at the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe in Sarasota, Florida. Goodman credits include the Chicago premieres of Pullman Porter Blues; By the Way, Meet Vera Stark; Race; The Good Negro; Proof and The Story; the world premieres of By the Music of the Spheres and The Gift Horse; James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner, which transferred to Boston’s Huntington Theatre Company, where it won the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Award for Best Direction; A Raisin in the Sun; Blues for an Alabama Sky; August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean, Two Trains Running and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; Objects in the Mirror, Having Our Say, Ain’t Misbehavin’ the 1993 to 1995 productions of A Christmas Carol; Crumbs From the Table of Joy; Vivisections from a Blown Mind and The Meeting. He served as dramaturg for the Goodman’s world-premiere production of August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean. He directed the New York premiere of Knock Me a Kiss and The Hooch for the New Federal Theatre and the world premiere of Knock Me a Kiss at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theater, where his other directing credits include Master Harold... and the Boys, Home, Dame Lorraine and Eden, for which he received a Jeff Award nomination. Regionally, Mr. Smith directed Death and the King’s Horseman (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Birdie Blue (Seattle Repertory Theatre), Jitney and Gem of the Ocean (Nashville Shakespeare Festival), The Story (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Blues for an Alabama Sky (Alabama Shakespeare Festival) and The Last Season (Robey Theatre Company). At Columbia College he was facilitator of the Theodore Ward Prize playwriting contest for 20 years and editor of the contest anthologies Seven Black Plays and Best Black Plays. He won a Chicago Emmy Award as associate producer/theatrical director for the NBC teleplay “Crime of Innocence” and was theatrical director for the Emmy-winning “Fast Break to Glory” and the Emmy-nominated “The Martin Luther King Suite”. He was a founding member of the Chicago Theatre Company, where he served as artistic director for four seasons and directed the Jeff-nominated Suspenders and the Jeff-winning musical Po’. His directing credits include productions at Fisk University, Vanderbilt University, Roosevelt University, Eclipse Theatre, ETA, Black Ensemble Theater, Northlight Theatre, MPAACT, Congo Square Theatre Company, The New Regal Theater, Kuumba Theatre Company, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre, Pegasus Players, the Timber Lake Playhouse in Mt. Carroll, Illinois, the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, and the University of Wisconsin in Madison. In 2019 he received an Honorary Ph.D. from his alma mater Governors State University and has received lifetime achievement awards from The African-American Arts Alliance of Chicago, the League of Chicago Theaters and the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee. He is a 2003 inductee into the Chicago State University Gwendolyn Brooks Center’s Literary Hall of Fame and a 2001 Chicago Tribune Chicagoan of the Year. He is the proud recipient of the 1982 Paul Robeson Award and the 1997 Award of Merit presented by the Black Theater Alliance of Chicago.

JON HUDSON ODOM (Madison Hemings) previously appeared at American Blues Theater in On Clover Road. Other Chicago credits include No Man’s Land, Describe the Night, The Seagull, Ms. Black For President (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Toni Stone, A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre); Witch (Writers Theatre). Regional credits include: Ain’t No Mo’, An Octoroon, Botticelli in the Fire, Shipwreck (Woolly Mammoth Theatre); Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Denver Center for the Performing Arts); The Magic Play (Actors Theatre of Louisville); Angels in America (Round House Theatre & Olney Theatre Center). TV credits include: “Lovecraft Country “(HBO), “Somebody Somewhere” (HBO Max), “South Side” (HBO Max), “Chicago PD” (NBC). Film credits include: “The Year Between”, “A Savage Nature”, “Reporting for Christmas.” He is a five-time nominee and recipient of the Helen Hayes Awards & Jeff Award nominee. He attended University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

MANNY BUCKLEY (Israel Jefferson) is an Ensemble member of American Blues Theater. He is a Chicago based actor, director, and writer. Directing credits include Driving Miss Daisy, The Bad Seed (Jedlicka Performing Arts), Kingdom, an audio play (Broken Nose Theatre), Uhuru, Cane, Origin Story, Mother of Pearl and The Reapers On Woodbrook Avenue (Blue Ink Festival), multiple short plays in the Ripped: The Living Newspaper, #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence, and The One Minute Play Festival. Acting credits include work with Chicago Shakespeare, Steppenwolf, Goodman, Court, Victory Gardens, Chicago Dramatists, Next Theater, House Theatre, Shattered Globe Theater, Cincinnati Children’s Theatre and Studio Theatre. Manny has numerous credits with American Blues Theater, including his critically-acclaimed, award-winning solo performance in Looking Over the President’s Shoulder. Film and TV credits include: Proven Innocent, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, The US Navy, Northwestern University, and The Onion. He has received nominations for the Joseph Jefferson Award, the Helen Hayes Award and the 3Arts Award; he is the recipient of both a Black Theater Alliance Award and Black Excellence Award. Mr. Buckley was recently seen in American Blues Theater’s sold-out production of Fences and annually in American Blues' annual production of It's a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!

Dates: 

February 16 – March 24, 2024

Previews: February 16, 71, 18 and 21

Opening: February 22 at 7:30pm

Regular Run: February 23 – March 24, 2024

 

Schedule:                    

Thursdays: 7:30pm

Fridays: 7:30pm

Saturdays: 7:30pm

Sundays: 2:30pm

 

Location: American Blues Theater, 5627 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago

Ticket prices: $25-$55, plus a $4.50 ticket fee

Box office:  Buy online at www.americanbluestheater.com or by calling (773) 654-3103.

About American Blues Theater

Winner of the prestigious National Theatre Company Award from American Theatre Wing (Tony Awards). American Blues Theater is an Ensemble of artists committed to producing new and classic American stories that ask the question: “What does it mean to be American?”

The diverse and multi-generational artists have established the second-oldest professional Ensemble theater in Chicago. As of 2023, the theater and artists received 232 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nominations that celebrate excellence in Chicago theater and 44 Black Theatre Alliance Awards. The artists are honored with Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize nominations, Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards and numerous other accolades. 

World Premiere of Judy’s Life’s Work Via Definition Theatre February 2–25, 2024

 ChiIL Mama’s ChiIL Picks List: 

Adult Shows With Family Themes On Our Radar

Definition Theatre Presents the World Premiere of

Judy’s Life’s Work 

by Loy A. Webb

Directed by Michelle Renee Bester

Definition Theatre opens its 2024 season with the world premiere of Judy’s Life’s Work by Loy A. Webb, directed by Michelle Renee Bester, running February 2–25, 2024 at the company’s newly announced storefront theater called Definition @ 55th at 1160 E 55th in Hyde Park. I'll be out for the press opening February 8th, so check back soon for my full review.

“To say it is an absolute honor to work with Definition Theatre and Loy A. Webb, would be an understatement. Both are such impactive engines of knowledge, creativity, and empowerment,” comments Director Michelle Renee Bester. “Definition Theatre has done some incredible work already in the city of Chicago, more specifically, the Southside, where there is an obvious void. Loy Webb has done tremendous work bringing to light Black legacy and Black excellence, and always writing beautiful Black stories for all to enjoy and learn from. The opportunity to direct such a piece as Judy’s Life’s Work with both entities is such a fulfillment for me, and I’m beyond excited to breathe life into this project along with the fantastically talented cast! My mission as a director is to not only entertain but to educate, and thankfully this project is allowing me to do just that plus more!” 

Loy Webb is a Chicago-born playwright, attorney, and theatre journalist. Her play The Light garnered an Outer Critics Circle nomination for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play and a Joseph Jefferson Award. 

ABOUT THE PLAY 

February 2—25, 2024 

Tickets: Starting at $25

Only a month after their mother’s death, Xavier, a highly praised ex-boxer, and his sister Charli, a brilliant pre-med student, fight to determine the future of their mother’s groundbreaking medical notes. As they work through the grief, heartbreak, pain, and unresolved trauma of their childhoods, we discover a story of the healing power of sibling love. 

Judy’s Life’s Work features actors Rashun Carter, Cereyna Jade Bougouneau, and Kenesha Kristine Reed. 

The production team for Judy’s Life Work  includes Jessica Moore (Assistant Director), Alyssa Moon Thompson (Scenic Design), Janelle Smith (Costume Design), David Goodman - Edberg (Lighting Design), Kyle Cortes (Co-Sound Design), ensemble member Willow James (Co-Sound Design), Mariah Bennett (Props Design), ensemble member Maya Vinice Prentiss (Intimacy & Fight Choreography), Kenya Hall (Dramaturg), ensemble member Julie Jachym (Production Manager), ensemble member Ariel Beller (Stage Manager), Octavio Montes De Oca (Assistant Stage Manager), Tesla Sokolin-Maimon (Technical Director), Louis Lothan (Lead Electrician), ensemble member, Devan Castle (Sound Engineer), Victor Hugo Jaimes (Scenic Painter), Megan O’Brien (Lighting Overhire), and PR Casting (Casting). 

ABOUT DEFINITION THEATRE

Definition Theatre is a culturally diverse theater dedicated to telling language-driven, relationship-oriented, socially relevant stories about and created with underrepresented communities in Chicago. Our ensemble is a collective of artists, art administrators, educators, and designers who prioritize working towards and representing a more equitable theatre industry. 

Definition has built its reputation on work that reflects its unique voice. It shared the words of Academy Award- Winner Tarell Alvin McCraney in The Brothers Size; it grooved with Amiri Baraka’s whirlwind story of a chance meeting on a train in Dutchman. In partnership with, The New Colony staged the world premiere of Byhalia, Mississippi, which starred Academy Award nominee ensemble member Kiki Layne. In association with the Goodman Theatre, Definition staged the Chicago premiere of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ An Octoroon, a subversive take on race in America that captivated audiences. Definition sent us all to the moon with ensemble member James Ijames’s Moon Man Walk, explored the challenges of America’s public-school system through Nilaja Sun’s No Child… and highlighted the first- generation experience in the world premiere of Sam Kebede’s ETHIOPIANAMERICA. The company returned to the stage and inspected white privilege, racial politics and the fine line between appropriation and opportunity in ensemble member James Ijames’s WHITE. In 2023, they examined the dark and sweet spots of Black American identity with the choreopoem, ALAIYO and is a searing examination of families, drama, family dramas, and the insidiousness of white supremacy in FAIRVIEW. 

Definition Ensemble members include: Adia Alli, Owais Ahmed, Ariel Beller, Jared Bellot, Carley Cornelius, Ari Craven, Danielle Davis, Julie Jachym, Willow James, Martasia Jones, Slick Jorgensen, Yeaji Kim, Kristy Hall, James Ijames, Kiki Layne, Kelson Michael McAuliffe, Victor Musoni, Neel McNeill, Sophiyaa Nayar, Karyn Oates, Alexandra Oparka, Julian Parker, Maya Vinice Prentiss, Tyrone Phillips, Ireon Roach, Jacqueline Rosas, Christopher Sheard, and Dujon Smith. 

Definition Artistic Advisory Board members include: director May Adrales, Steppenwolf ensemble member Alana Arenas, actress Shannon Cochran, Erica Daniels, actor Brandon Dirden, actor Jason Dirden, director Pam Mackinnon, Equity Quotient CEO Keryl McCord, professor JW Morrissette, director Ron OJ Parson, professor/lighting designer Kathy Perkins, media producer and host Troy Osborne Pryor, Tony Award-winning actress and stage director Phylicia Rashad, and Goodman Theatre director in residence Chuck Smith. Tyrone Phillips is the Artistic Director and Neel McNeill is the Executive Director. 

For tickets and additional information, visit definitiontheatre.org and @definitiontheatre on Facebook and Instagram #stayinit

Cast and Production Team for Porchlight in Concert: Sunday in the Park with George Saturday, May 11and Sunday, May 12 at the Studebaker Theater

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE ANNOUNCES CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR 

PORCHLIGHT IN CONCERT: 

SUNDAY THE PARK WITH GEORGE 

STARRING BROADWAY’S SEAN ALLAN KRILL AND KATHY VOYTKO, 

MAY 11 AND 12, AT THE STUDEBAKER THEATER

Tickets on Sale Now for this Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Stephen Sondheim’s Masterpiece Musical, Directed for Porchlight by Artistic Director Michael Weber and Music Directed by David Fiorello

Award-winning Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce the cast and production team for Porchlight in Concert: Sunday in the Park with George, starring Tony Award-nominated Sean Allan Krill and Broadway’s Kathy Voytko, Saturday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 12 at 2 p.m., at the Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave. This concert performance includes music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine and is directed by Artistic Director Michael Weber and music directed by David Fiorello. Tickets are now on sale with a $150 subscription to Porchlight’s 29th season that also includes Anything Goes starring Meghan Murphy, now playing through February 25. Single tickets for Porchlight in Concert: Sunday in the Park with George ($75 - $125, subject to change) are on sale at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by phone with the Studebaker Theater box office at 312-753-3210. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tuesday - Sunday.

Porchlight celebrates the 40th Anniversary of one of Stephen Sondheim’s most beloved works with a new special event concert staging. Audiences will experience Sondheim and James Lapine’s Pulitzer-, Tony- and Oliver-winning musical masterpiece with the original Broadway orchestrations performed by musicians live on stage with an all-star cast at Chicago's historic and beautifully restored Studebaker Theater. Based on Georges Seurat's painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” which is on display just down the street from the Studebaker Theatre at the Art Institute of Chicago, this limited engagement brings to life the rich score telling the story of the months leading to the completion of Seurat’s famous work in 1886 and the effects of the artist and the art on people over the following 100 years.

(L to R) Sean Allan Krill and Kathy Voytko star in Porchlight in Concert: Sunday in the Park with George

The cast includes: Sean Allan Krill (he/him, Georges Seurat/George) and Kathy Voytko (she/hers, Dot/Marie) and in alphabetical order, Neala Barron (she/her, female ensemble swing); Bella Branshaw (she/her, Louise); Daniel de Cranie-Pierre (he/him, Boatman/Charles Redmond); Devin DeSantis (he/him, Jules/Bob Greenberg); Billy Dwyer (he/him, male ensemble swing; Andres Enriquez (he/him, Mr/Lee Randolph); Veronica Garza (she/her, Nurse/Mrs/Harriet Pawling); Tiyanna Gentry (she/her, Celeste #1 /Waitress); Cory Goodrich (she/her, Yvonne/Naomi Eisen); Cecilia Iole (she/her, Celeste #2/Elaine); Samuel B. Jackson (he/him, Franz /Dennis); Chris Khoshaba (he/him, Soldier/Alex); Iris Lieberman (she/her, Old Lady/Blair Daniels); Chamaya Moody (she/her, Frieda/Betty) and David Moreland (he/him, Louis/Billy Webster).

(L to R) Artistic Director Michael Weber, director, and David Fiorello, music director, of Porchlight in Concert: Sunday in the Park with George

The creative team includes: Michael Weber (he/him, director); David Fiorello (he/him, music director/conductor); Rachel West (she/her, lighting designer & lighting director); Matthew R. Chase (he/him, sound designer); Bill Walters (he/him, stage manager); Drew Donnelly (he/him, asst. stage manager); Taylor Stageberg (she/they, asst. stage manager); John McTaggart (he/him, technical director); Tina Stasny (she/her, costume director); Samantha Anderson (she/they, assistant lighting supervisor/spot 2); Matt Reich (he/him, audio/ video director); Jack Zanger (he/him, wardrobe supervisor); Amanda May (she/her, hair & makeup supervisor); Heather Lynn Gervasi (she/her, production manager); Majel Cuza (she/her, director of production) and Frankie Leo Bennett (he/him, producing artistic associate).

 

PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE’S 29th SEASON

Porchlight’s 29th season includes Anything Goes, January 13 - February 25, at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St.  and Porchlight in Concert: Sunday in the Park with George, Saturday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 12 at 2 p.m. at the Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave. As well as the Cole Porter Festival - A Celebration of the Man and his Music and the return of Porchlight’s special fundraising event, Chicago Sings Broadway Pop II,  Monday, April 15 at 6 p.m. at the House of Blues Chicago, 329 N. Dearborn St. Subscriptions are on sale now for $150 which includes Anything Goes and Porchlight in Concert: Sunday in the Park with George. Chicago Sings Broadway Pop II may be added to the subscription at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or 773.777.9884.

Performances, dates and participants are subject to change.

ABOUT SEAN ALLAN KRILL, “Georges Seurat/George”

Sean Allan Krill was most recently seen on Broadway as “Governor Slaton” in the Tony-winning revival of Parade. In 2020, he was nominated for a Tony Award for his role as “Steve Healy” in Jagged Little Pill. The cast recording of the critically-acclaimed musical received the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Other Broadway credits include Honeymoon in Vegas, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever and Mamma Mia!. Off-Broadway: Joan of Arc: Into the Fire and The Brother/Sister Plays (The Public), Civil War Christmas (NY Theatre Workshop), Hit the Wall (Barrow Street Theatre). Regional: Sunday in the Park with George (Chicago Shakespeare and Skylight), Sense and Sensibility (Chicago Shakespeare - Jeff Award nomination & Old Globe - Craig Noel Award), Sideways (La Jolla Playhouse), Hot L Baltimore (Steppenwolf), Hamlet and Comedy of Errors (Chicago Shakespeare), Brigadoon (Marriott - Jeff Award nomination). Tours: Thoroughly Modern Millie, Mamma Mia! TV: “Dopesick," “Godfather of Harlem,” “Search Party," “Dr. Death," “Mr. Robot,” “Blacklist," “Blue Bloods," "Jentry Chau vs. the Underworld." Film: “Intermedium.”

ABOUT KATHY VOYTKO, “Dot/Marie”

Kathy Voytko made national news when Hugh Jackman praised her in a curtain speech that went viral, for jumping into the lead role of "Marian Paroo" (played by Sutton Foster) with only a few hours’ notice on the fourth Broadway preview of The Music Man.

Her Broadway debut was in the original cast of the Oklahoma! revival, starring Andrea Martin and Patrick Wilson. She then performed in the Tony Award-winning Nine starring Antonio Banderas and Chita Rivera. Voytko originated the role of "Ariadne" in Stephen Sondheim’s The Frogs opposite Nathan Lane at Lincoln Center. She appeared on Broadway in The Pirate Queen, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Next to Normal, the 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and the original Broadway cast of Tuck Everlasting.

She toured the United States as "Christine" in The Phantom of the Opera and was chosen by the legendary Hal Prince to play "Eva Peron" in the 25th anniversary tour of Evita. She was a frequent soloist in Boublil and Schonberg’s dream concert Do You Hear The People Sing? on its international tour, alongside Lea Salonga and Terence Mann. She was also a soloist in The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber on its USA tour.

At Carnegie Hall, Voytko sang in Oscar Hammerstein & Jerome Kern’s Showboat and also in the live concert recording of Kristina by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. The company then reprised the concert live at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

She is a featured soloist with symphonies across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. She has portrayed "Clara" in Passion, "Fantine" in Les Miserables and Fiona in Brigadoon. She was honored with her first Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Actress in a Musical as “Polly” in Crazy for You and her second as "Francesca" in The Bridges of Madison County and considers beautiful Chicago her alternate hometown.

She earned a BFA in musical theatre from Shenandoah Conservatory and grew up in lovely Johnstown, PA. She is married to Broadway and opera singer John Cudia; they are the proud parents of Alena and Evelyn.

ABOUT MICHAEL WEBER, director

Michael Weber is a nationally recognized, award-winning director, producer, actor and educator. He recently directed the Off-Broadway and European premieres of Call Me Elizabeth written by and starring Kayla Boye as Elizabeth Taylor. Under his artistic leadership, Porchlight Music Theatre was awarded Chicago’s Jeff Award for “Best Production” six times for A Class Act, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Sondheim on Sondheim, The Scottsboro Boys, Dreamgirls and Blues in the Night. Porchlight productions that he directed, include Cabaret, Gypsy, End of the Rainbow, Sweeney Todd, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Pal Joey, Assassins and Side Show, as well as Grand Hotel at Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place and She Loves Me at Theatre at the Center were each nominated for the Jeff Award for Best Production. He previously served as artistic director for the inaugural season of Chicago’s Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place (now Broadway in Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse) and at Theatre at the Center in Munster, Indiana (1998-2004). Directing credits include Living the History-125 Years of The Auditorium Theatre starring Patti LuPone and John Mahoney, Fifth of July and Talley’s Folly at the Oak Park Festival Theatre, The Petrified Forest at Theatre at the Center, Beauty and the Beast at Marriott Theatre, Over the River and Through the Woods at Mercury Theater, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Pheasant Run Theatre, and Cirque du Symphony at Sears Center Arena featuring stars of Cirque du Soleil with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. The recipient of two Joseph Jefferson Awards, he has been nominated for nine awards and he wrote and directed 14 Joseph Jefferson Awards ceremonies (2006-2018). Weber’s regional acting credits include The Merry Widow (starring Renée Fleming) at Lyric Opera, Annie Get Your Gun and Gypsy (both starring Patti LuPone) at Ravinia Festival, The Winter’s Tale and Henry V at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Around the World in 80 Days at Cleveland Playhouse, Disney’s My Son Pinocchio at First Stage Milwaukee, It Had To Be You (starring Cindy Williams and Eddie Mekka) at Little Theatre on the Square, Angel Street at First Folio Shakespeare, and The Gifts of the Magi at Indiana Repertory. He is author of the play, WAR of the WELLeS (about Orson Welles’ infamous radio broadcast) and he is a longtime pledge host for PBS station WTTW channel 11.

ABOUT DAVID FIORELLO, music director

David Fiorello is a music director, performer, director, composer and arranger who’s no stranger to Porchlight. He is the music director for the upcoming Chicago Sings Broadway Pop II and has served as music director most recently for Chicago Sings Broadway Pop, New Faces Sing Broadway 1951, Porchlight Revisits The Apple Tree and previously for Porchlight’s Blues in the Night, Gypsy, Do Re Mi, Woman of the Year, several seasons of New Faces Sing Broadway as well as several Chicago Sings and ICONS Gala benefits. He also appeared onstage as “Joe” in Merrily We Roll Along. Fiorello currently serves as founder and artistic director of “The Beautiful City Project,” a theatre company committed to raising funds for local Chicago charities and nonprofits, using some of the city’s finest musical theatre talents. He’s music directed national and international tours, including John Doyle’s re-imagining of Sweeney Todd. He also served as music director for the Off-Broadway hit Danny & Sylvia: The Danny Kaye Musical. His orchestrations and arrangements have been heard across the nation, and on several albums. He’s taught and directed/music directed as part of the International Lyric Academy in Italy and is adjunct faculty at Columbia College Chicago. An in-demand vocal coach, Fiorello Studios has also provided unique cabaret programming featuring the music of The Indigo Girls, Jason Mraz, Kelly Clarkson, Eva Cassidy, Sara Bareilles and Colbie Caillat.

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE

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

Porchlight's 29-year history includes more than 70 mainstage works with 16 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. Porchlight’s commitment to the past, present and future of music theatre led the company to develop the Porchlight Revisits and New Faces Sing Broadway program series, both quickly becoming audience favorites.

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

The company’s many honors include 192 Joseph Jefferson Award (Jeff) nominations and 48 Jeff awards, as well as 44 Black Theatre Alliance (BTA) nominations and 12 BTA awards. In 2019, Porchlight graduated to the Large Theatre tier of the Equity Jeff Awards, and was honored with eight nominations in both technical and artistic categories and won three awards in its inaugural year in this tier, most notably Best Ensemble for Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies.

Award-winning Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce the cast and production team for Porchlight in Concert: Sunday in the Park with George, starring Tony Award-nominated Sean Allan Krill and Broadway’s Kathy Voytko, Saturday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 12 at 2 p.m., at the Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave. This concert performance includes music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine and is directed by Artistic Director Michael Weber and music directed by David Fiorello. Tickets are now on sale with a $150 subscription to Porchlight’s 29th season that also includes Anything Goes starring Meghan Murphy, now playing through February 25. Single tickets for Porchlight in Concert: Sunday in the Park with George ($75 - $125, subject to change) are on sale at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by phone with the Studebaker Theater box office at 312-753-3210. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tuesday - Sunday.

Porchlight’s 2023-2024 season is dedicated to Jim Jensen in recognition of his outstanding generosity and 12 years of dedicated board service to Porchlight Music Theatre.

Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from Allstate Foundation; Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation; Byline Bank; Chicago Park District/Night Out in the Parks; Comcast/Xfinity; ComEd; James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation; Hearty Boys; The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity and the Arts at Prince; Mesirow Financial; the Pritzker Traubert Foundation; Ryan and Spaeth, Inc.; Daniel and Genevieve Ratner Foundation; The Saints; Dr. Scholl Foundation; the Shulman-Rochambeau Foundation; the Shubert Foundation and Uvae Kitchen and Wine Bar

The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce, Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency, and by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.

Porchlight Music Theatre wishes to thank members of the Matching Gift Corporate Program including Abbvie; Allstate; Baxter, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation; Peoples Gas; Pepsico; Polk Bros Foundation and The Saints.