World Premiere of The Infinity Play Via Curious Theatre Branch Now Playing Through May 18th at Jarvis Square Theatre

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CURIOUS THEATRE BRANCH CONTINUES ITS 36th SEASON WITH THE WORLD PREMIERE OF PAUL WILLIAM BRENNAN’S

THE INFINITY PLAY

NOW PLAYING THROUGH MAY 18, AT JARVIS SQUARE THEATER

This Play of Fables is Directed by Brennan and Maya Odim.

Curious Theatre Branch, is proud to present the world premiere of The Infinity Play, written by Paul William Brennan and directed by Brennan and Maya Odim, now playing through May 18, at Jarvis Square Theatre, 1439 W. Jarvis Ave. The performance schedule of Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 5 p.m. The running time is 90 minutes with no intermission. Tickets for The Infinity Play are on sale at CuriousTheatreBranch.com. Tickets are priced on a “pay what you can” scale, with a suggested price of $20. 

In ten scenes of different times, places and proportions, a pair of players take turns to clean up the mess the preceding players made, but end up making a bigger mess for the players after them. 

The cast of The Infinity Play includes Curious Theatre ensemble members Julie Williams (she/her), Vicki Walden (she/her) and Leny Brün (he/they), as well as returning Curious players Kristin Garrison (she/her), Lola Zimmerman (she/her), Maya Odim (she/her), Shaun Rosten (he/him) and new Curious players Lynda Cortez (they/she), John Francis Klingle (he/they) and Douglas Levin (he/him).

The production team includes Paul William Brennan (he/him, director); Maya Odim (she/her, director); Charlotte Lastra (she/her, scenic designer and stage manager). Produced with Jenny Magnus (she/her), Stefan Brün (he/him), Chris Bower (he/him) and Beau O Reilly (he/him).

ABOUT PAUL WILLIAM BRENNAN, playwright/director

Paul William Brennan is a Chicago filmmaker, playwright, transgressor to the rule of three, and performer. Under Curious Theatre Branch's banner, he wrote and produced Daughter (2013), Subjective is Beauty (2018) and Beckett: a Show About Nothingness (2020), none of which you've heard of. Other theater companies for whom he's written, performed and/or produced include Prop Thtr, Silent Theatre Company, Labyrinth Arts Collective, Sweetback Productions, Hate/Lab, and The Meat Machine. His comedic endeavors include membership in the Uploose Odditorium troupe and one half of Chicago revisionist comedy duo John & Paul. His work consistently attempts to consolidate ties between the mediums of theatre and film. Due to the childhood experience of spending three years in a washing machine, almost everything he writes accidentally involves comically tragic and inevitable cycles.

ABOUT MAYA ODIM, director

Maya Odim has an interdisciplinary practice rooted in places where writing and dance meets. Odim anchors an artistic approach in spaces where phrases of language and phrases of movement can overlap (exploring how words move and what bodies they are a part of). She is a poet in residence with the Chicago Poetry Center and a lecturer in Theater and Performance Studies at the University of Chicago.

ABOUT CURIOUS THEATRE BRANCH

Curious Theatre Branch is dedicated to the creation of new plays and performances and to the production of the annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival. Curious aims to promote innovative works of the imagination in the performing arts from a broad and inclusive spectrum of artists and are also devoted to mentoring programs that engage emerging artists as a way to enrich and expand our artistic community.  We are committed to creating and producing new plays and performances in a collaborative manner, encouraging our members as artists to share decision making and responsibilities, while expanding their skills as writers, actors, designers, directors and arts administrators.  Curious also is committed to the idea that a pay what you can pricing policy is sustainable and will suffice over the long term as an economic model.

WORLD PREMIERE OF THE OSTRICH MAY 2 - 17, AT BERGER PARK’S NORTH MANSION

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THE TERROR COTTAS AND CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT ANNOUNCE THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE OF

THE OSTRICH

MAY 2 - 17, AT BERGER PARK’S NORTH MANSION

 The Ostrich, a Site-Specific Piece Featuring the Wright Brothers 

Written by Wendy A. Schmidt and directed by Eileen Tull

This show looks like a ton of affordable fun... in a mansion no less! Sadly I'm booked solid and can't squeeze this one in. But here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows, we're huge fans of the Chicago Park District and adore Berger Park. So we're happy to spread the word. 

The Terror Cottas and Chicago Park District are pleased to announce the cast and creative team for the world premiere of The Ostrich, written by Wendy A. Schmidt and directed by Eileen Tull, May 2 - 17 at Berger Park’s North Mansion, 6205 N. Sheridan. Opening night is Friday, May 2 at 7 p.m. with the press opening Saturday, May 3 at 7 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays – Saturdays at 7 p.m. with an Industry performance on Monday, May 12 at 7 p.m. The runtime is 100 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are $5 - $10 and go on sale April 18 at  TheTerrorCottas.org.

Please Note: This venue is not handicap accessible, as the only entrance is via stairs. The audience will move six to ten times throughout the performance. Chairs will be provided in each setting, with the exception of two five-minute scenes. For any accommodations needed, please contact TheTerrorCottas@gmail.com.

Orville and Wilbur Wright, the Wright Brothers, have arrived in present-day Ostrich, Indiana, to build an airstrip. Chuck, a farmer, and his sister, the mayor and proprietor of a tacky bed and breakfast called The Ostrich Feather, must grapple with tradeoffs in the effort to do what’s best for the place they love. Can technological progress finally get Ostrich off the ground? The first floor of an old mansion is transformed into an ostrich-themed bed and breakfast for this site-specific dark comedy, about the human cost of invention in bed with capitalism, and the audience is seated in the middle of the action. Early reactions include “So timely,” “That is f’d up,” “The Cherry Orchard boiled down to five minutes” and “Oh noooo!”

The cast of The Ostrich includes Jorge Salas (he/him/el, Chuck); Shellie DiSalvo (they/sidhe); Pete Wood (he/him, Orville Wright); Donaldson Cardenas (he/they, Wilbur Wright); Ellen Adalaide (she/her, Gidgitomy/ensemble); Jonathan Crabtree (he/him, Hasty/ensemble); Paul Kaufmann (he/him, U/S Chuck and Orville); Debra FitzGerald (she/her, U/S Incandescence and Gidgitomy) and Ted Dayton (he/him, U/S Wilbur and Hasty).

The creative team of The Ostrich includes Eileen Tull (she/her, director); Wendy A. Schmidt (she/her, playwright); Sallie Anne Young (she/her, stage manager); Mary Aurora Moore (she/her, properties and set designer); Annie A. (she/they, costume designer); Daniel “Taz” Stahlnecker (he/him, assistant director) and Lou McNaughton (they/them, assistant stage manager).

ABOUT EILEEN TULL, DIRECTOR

Eileen Tull is a Chicago-based theatremaker, poet, educator, and one-woman-show person. Her work has been seen all over Chicago in bookstores, art galleries, bars, non-traditional spaces, and sometimes in theaters. Directing credits include Funny, Like An Abortion (Fat Theatre Project/Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble), Household Spirits (Theater Wit), STEPS (Improv Playhouse), and dozens of productions with the Chicago Park District including The Phantom Tollbooth, Cheerleaders VS. Aliens, Jason and the Argo-NOTS, Big Smoke, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and The Witches with elementary aged children and No Exit and Happy Days with adults. Eileen is the producer of both The Alice Gerstenberg Play Festival with the park district and The Gloria Bond Clunie New Playwrights Festival with Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre. She is a drama instructor with the Chicago Park District, where she has taught creative classes to folks of all ages for almost 10 years. Eileen founded Fat Theatre Project in 2024 where she teaches, produces, writes, and directs. She is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago and is currently working towards an MFA in Directing & Playwriting at Randolph College. www.eileentull.com

ABOUT WENDY A. SCHMIDT, PLAYWRIGHT

Wendy A. Schmidt is a playwright, theatre producer, and visual artist. Past lives as a devout Christian and as a painter inform her work today. She is fascinated with perception and how people construct worlds to live in together. She usually writes about how Capitalism directly conflicts with every Christian value she’s ever had. Productions include This Music Should Not Be at RhinoFest (2024), about the self-alienation of technology; her one-woman play Maker of Worlds starring Amy Gorelow at Theater for the New City’s Dream-Up Festival (NYC) (2019), about the toxic marriage of Capitalism and religion; and Marvelous Madeleines at Berger Park Coach House (2016), a rom-com about two companies who fall in love and get married now that Citizens United has made it legal. She once almost won an award, and was rejected for many other things. She formed The Terror Cottas in 2022 to build audience and create performance opportunities for the work of experimental playwrights. Educational highlights include a BFA in drawing from Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, philosophy classes at Marquette and DePaul, the La MaMa Umbria Playwrights Retreat x3, playwriting at Chicago Dramatists, and acting at Piven Theater Workshop, Green Shirt Studios, and TUTA.

ABOUT THE TERROR COTTAS

The Terror Cottas is an experimental playwright-driven theatre group based in Chicago. Its mission is to build audience and performance opportunities for experimental playwrights by sharing resources and networks among member playwrights and associate artists, applying for funding, and educating and welcoming audiences with radical hospitality.

Berger Park Cultural Center offers classes and cultural programming for kids, adults, and seniors all year round. The theatre for adults programs have presented original solo performances, as well as productions of Happy Days by Samuel Beckett and No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre. 

Citadel Theatre to Present Chicago Premiere of A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN, April 18 – May 18, 2025

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A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN

By Paul Stroili

Directed by Scott Westerman

April 18 – May 25, 2025 (Now extended due to popular demand)

"A GRAND COMEDIC ADVENTURE…that wittily navigates the highs and lows of aging with laughter, nostalgia and rebellion.“  Denver Gazette

Citadel Theatre will close its 2024-25 season with the Chicago premiere of A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN, by Chicago/Skokie-based actor and playwright Paul Stroili. Stroili’s comedy received its world premiere in 2023 at The Purple Rose Theatre, the Equity-affiliated theatre in Chelsea, Michigan founded by actor Jeff Daniels, that is dedicated to developing new American plays. 

A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN is set in the Placid Pines Senior Care Center. Some of the residents really want a jukebox for their recreation room, called The Algonquin. When the jukebox they have in mind – a vintage Wurlitzer, like the kind they remember from earlier years - costs more than the center can raise, a small band of residents hatch an unusual plot to come up with the money. 

Stroili’s comedy, which he describes as being “not a play about old people; it's a play about people who have just lived longer," was one of the most popular and successful plays at the Purple Rose Theatre. It recently concluded a successful engagement at Miner’s Alley Performing Arts Center in Denver and six more productions in addition to Citadel’s have been scheduled in theaters across the US. The DENVER GAZETTE called it “a deeply affecting comedy that reveals a major playwriting talent in Paul Stroili… A GRAND COMEDIC ADVENTURE…that wittily navigates the highs and lows of aging with laughter, nostalgia and rebellion.“ A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN will open on Friday, April 18, following previews on April 16 and 17, and play through May 25th, 2025. Tickets priced at $45 are now on sale at www.citadeltheatre.org.

A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN will be directed by Chicago actor and director Scott Westerman, who previously directed Citadel’s THE MOUSETRAP, THE CHRISTIANS, and SEX WITH STRANGERS. Westerman will direct an ensemble cast of seven. Johnnie, the longtime Placid Pines resident who is the primary instigator of the drive to buy the jukebox, will be played by Kenneth Johnson, whose credits include Sheldon in TROUBLE IN MIND with TimeLine Theatre and Pops Washington in BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY with Redtwist Theatre. His fellow resident Dennis, a gay man who uses a wheelchair, will be Bob Sanders, a veteran of several Citadel productions who is currently appearing as Arvide in GUYS AND DOLLS for Music Theatre Works.  Cast as Annie, a visually impaired resident who has taken on the responsibility of ensuring Placid Pines is a “bigot-free” zone, is Citadel co-founder Ellen Phelps. Phelps’ many credits at Citadel include Sharon in THE ROOMMATE and Miss Hannigan in ANNIE.

Peg, a recently divorced woman who has just moved into the independent living unit of Placid Pines and devises the scheme to raise the money to buy the juke box, will be Elizabeth Rude. Rude last appeared at Citadel in the company’s Jeff Award-winning THE EXPLORERS CLUB and later this year will reprise her role as Anne Smith in BILL W. AND DR. BOB with Theatre 68. Karla Corona, a member of The Artistic Home ensemble who had the title role in TAH’s production of EURYDICE, will play the no-nonsense Placid Pines manager Josefina. Patrick Thornton, an instructor with The Artistic Home’s Training Studio who appeared in that company’s DYING FOR IT, has been cast as Chuck, a maintenance worker with a troubled past. Chuck’s young co-worker Tyler will be Joshua Thomas, who understudied the leading role of Clayton Boone in GODS AND MONSTERS at Theatre Wit.  Understudies are Valerie Gorman (Annie), Adrian Campbell (Johnnie), Kim Buck (Peg), Gustavo Duran (Tyler), Laura Quinones. (Josefina), and Sean Harklerode (Dennis).

L-R, back: Elizabeth Rude, Ellen Phelps, Kenneth Johnson, Joshua Davis, Karla Corona.

Front: Bob Sanders. Photo by Ralph Durham. 

The production team includes Catalina Nino (Set Designer), Danielle Reinhardt (Costume Designer), Michael Trudeau (Lighting Designer), Hannah Kwak (Sound Designer), Ellen Markus (Properties Designer), Connor Windle (Stage Manager), Mitchell Pollitt (Master Carpenter), Alex Trinh (Stage Crew), and Scott and Ellen Phelps (Production Managers).

Citadel Theatre is in residence in the West Campus of the Lake Forest School District at 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. Further information and ticketing is available on the company’s website at www.citadeltheatre.org.

Friday April 18 - Sunday May 18, 2025

(Previews April 16-17 @ 7:30 pm)

Press Opening Friday, April 18 at 7:30 pm

Thursdays*, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sunday matinees at 3 pm. Wednesday matinees at 1 pm on April 23 and May 7. No performances on Thursdays, April 24 and May 8.

Preview ticket prices $20. Regular run prices $45.00. Discounts available for groups, seniors and students.

Citadel Theatre, located in the West Campus building of the Lake Forest School District 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, IL

Tickets available online at www.citadeltheatre.org. or by phone at 847-735-8554, ext. 1

The residents of Placid Pines Senior Care Center really want a jukebox for their recreation room, called The Algonquin. When the jukebox they have in mind – a vintage Wurlitzer like the kind they remember from earlier years -  costs more than the center can raise, a small band of residents hatch a plot to come up with the money.

 

BIOS

Scott Westerman (Director) makes, does, and teaches theatre and film in and around Chicago. At Citadel, he has directed THE MOUSETRAP, THE CHRISTIANS and SEX WITH STRANGERS. Scott is the founding Artistic Director of Go To Productions, a 501©3 nonprofit which develops projects that explore the nexus between theatre and film. He created and directed the web series HAMLET & OPHELIA which won Best Picture at the New York Film Awards, Best Web Series at the LA Film Awards, and Best Mobile Series at the 2022 New Media Film Festival. Scott has directed stage productions for The Artistic Home, ChiArts, City Lit Theatre, Chimera Theatre Company, Citadel Theatre, Beyond This Point, Barter Theatre, Stage Left Theatre, The Smithsonian Institution, American Theatre Company (Bridge), National High School Institute (Cherubs), and Reverie Theatre Company. Scott is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, an ensemble member with The Artistic Home, represented by Gray Talent Group, and a teaching artist with Writers Theatre and The Theatre School at DePaul University. He has an MFA from The Shakespeare Theatre Academy. As an actor, Scott has worked with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Lookingglass, Northlight, The Shakespeare Theatre and Ford’s Theatre in DC, Everyman Theatre in Baltimore, the Warehouse Theatre in South Carolina, and the Barter Theatre in Virginia to name a few. On Camera credits include MACHINE GUN PREACHER, PRISON BREAK, and HEIST 88 which will premiere in 2023. More about Scott can be perused at www.ScottWesterman.org.

Paul Stroili (Playwright).  A resident artist at The Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, Michigan, Paul Stroili’s writing includes the plays CHEESE LOUISE (with Maureen Morley), MY DINNER WITH ARLECCHINO, PLANE CRAZY (with Cissy Conner), A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN (which was a finalist in the Austin Film Festival Playwriting competition, and LAST CALL AT THE AARDVARK. A member of the original Chicago cast of TONY ‘N TINA’S WEDDING, Paul directed the critically acclaimed revival 25 years later. As an actor, his television credits include EMPIRE, CHICAGO P.D., and UNDERCOVER BRIDESMAID,  MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, BROTHER’S KEEPER, GETTING PERSONAL, CHANCE OF A LIFETIME, HELP ME and THE UNTOUCHABLES, His film credits include ONLY DANCE CAN SAVE US, THE BEATING, GRATITUDE, COLD JUSTICE, THE WRONG PROFILE and THE REAL WHATEVER. Paul was nominated for an Ovation Award for Best Solo Performance and an LA Weekly Award for PAUL STROILI’S STRAIGHT UP WITH A TWIST, which enjoyed over 1000 performances nationwide and culminated in a twice extended Off Broadway run.

Scott Phelps (Artistic Director) is in his 23rd year as the Artistic Director at Citadel. He’s acted in and directed dozens of Citadel productions over the nearly two and one-half decades since founding this North Shore theatre in 2002 with his friend and lifelong companion, Ellen. In 2023, he starred in the leading role of Pastor Paul in THE CHRISTIANS. He has acted/directed in NYC, and in his home state of California, trained as an actor at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Santa Maria, CA, received his BFA from the University of Utah, and did an apprenticeship at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in KY. For 18 years Scott worked for a promotional company and raised his three daughters and his son in Lake Forest. Recently he has been taking on the next chapter of his life — the role of “Beepa” to his grandchildren. Although he is unsure if he is old enough to play that part, he’s been enjoying the challenge.

Citadel Theatre is one of Chicagoland’s premier live theatres, producing hundreds of performances annually and inspiring audiences for nearly 23 years. Founded by Scott and Ellen Phelps in 2002, Citadel Theatre is comprised of its Main Stage performances and its theatre acting classes for children. A proud member of the League of Chicago Theatres and the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff ArtsLink, Citadel Theatre offers a unique intimate theatre experience that transports you to another setting and leaves you feeling exhilarated and wanting more. A recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Citadel can accept tax-deductible donations. 

For more information, ticketing, and to donate, please visit Citadel online at www.citadeltheatre.org. or call 847.735.8554.

City Lit Theater's World Premiere Adaptation of R.U.R (ROSSUM’S UNIVERSAL ROBOTS) Playing May 2 – June 15, 2025

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R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots)

WORLD PREMIERE ADAPTATION

by Bo List

Freely adapted from the play by Karel Čapek

Directed by Executive Artistic Director Brian Pastor

Brian Pastor to direct new adaptation of the prescient 1920 play considering 

the wonders and dangers of artificial intelligence

City Lit Theater will follow up its three Jeff Award wins announced on March 31 - including the top award of “Production - Play” for last fall’s August Wilson’s SEVEN GUITARS - with its season-closing production of R.U.R. (ROSSUM'S UNIVERSAL ROBOTS), a world premiere adaptation of the 1920 science-fiction play by the Czech writer Karel Čapek. R.U.R. (ROSSUM’S UNIVERSAL ROBOTS) introduced the term “robot” and looked ahead to the wonders and dangers of artificial intelligence decades before Arthur C. Clarke imagined HAL 9000 in his 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY or George Lucas gave us STAR WARS’ C3PO and R2D2. 

“Rossum’s Universal Robots” (“R.U.R.” for short) is a mysterious island factory run by the eccentric scientist Harry Rossum that manufactures artificial human beings. When Helena Glory arrives to advocate for the rights of these machines, a series of events is set into motion that sees Harry and Helena married against the backdrop of a global robot uprising. This “freely adapted” version of  R.U.R. by the playwright and director Bo List, adds some perspective from the present, in which AI is now a reality. R.U.R. (ROSSUM'S UNIVERSAL ROBOTS) will open to the press on Sunday, May 11, 2025, following previews from May 2 and play through June 15, 2025.

Cast and production team announced for R.U.R (ROSSUM’S UNIVERSAL ROBOTS)

Executive Artistic Director Brian Pastor, who will direct, announced their cast today. Harry Rossum will be played by Bryan Breau, who has been seen at City Lit as Stan Lee in THE HOUSE OF IDEAS and as the menacing Preacher in THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. Brian Parry, veteran of such iconic roles as King Lear, Richard Nixon, and Willy Loman, has been cast as Rossum’s trusted accountant and financial manager Alquist. Madelyn Loehr, of Redtwist Theatre’s recent TITUS ANDRONICUS and City Lit’s PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD, will be Helena Glory. Shawna Tucker, who for City Lit has appeared in Brian Pastor’s adaptation of THIRTEEN DAYS and her own adaptation of THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, is playing Helena’s chaperone Nana.

Cast in the role of Sulla, the robot who sparks an uprising of Rossum’s robots, is Alex George. George’s recent credits include A SHADOW BRIGHT AND BURNING for Black Button Eyes and AYN RAND’S IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE…. for The Conspirators. Mary Ross has been cast as the chief engineer Dr. Gall. Playing robots, who will have a human appearance more like Disney World animatronics than like C3PO, are Brendan Hutt (Marius), Claudia Sevilla (Tibia), and Sean Kelly (Radius)

Top Row L-R: Bryan Breau, Alex George, Brendan Hutt, Sean Kelly, Madelyn Loehr.

Lower Row L-R: Brian Parry, Mary Ross, Claudia Sevilla, Shawna Tucker.

The production team includes Jeremiah Barr (Scenic Designer), Beth Laske-Miller (Costume Designer), Liz Cooper (Lighting Designer), Meghan X McGrath (Properties Designer), Maureen Yasko (Violence/Intimacy Designer), Jonathan Guillen (Sound Designer/Composer), CJ Day (Assistant Director/Dramaturg) and Hazel Flowers-McCabe (Stage Manager).

 Single tickets are priced at $30 for previews and $35 for regular performances and are on sale now at www.citylit.org. Senior prices are $25 for previews and $30 for regular performances. Students and military are $12.00 for all performances.

May 2 – June 15, 2025

Previews May 2 – 10, 2025

Press opening Sunday, May 11 at 3 pm

Regular run May 16 – June 15, 2025

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3 pm

Mondays, June 2 and 9, 2025 at 7:30 pm

Tickets $30 for previews and $35 for regular performances. Senior prices are $25 previews and $30 regular performances. Students and military are $12.00 for all performances.

Tickets available online at www.citylit.org or by phone at 773-293-3682.

All performances at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, on the second floor (accessible via elevator) of the Edgewater Presbyterian Church.

In 1920, Karel Čapek’s early science fiction classic R.U.R. coined the term “robot” and looked ahead to the wonders and dangers of artificial intelligence decades before it was cool to worry about such things. “Rossum’s Universal Robots” (“R.U.R.” for short) is a mysterious island factory that manufactures artificial human beings, run by the eccentric scientist Harry Rossum. When Helena Glory arrives to advocate for the rights of these machines, a series of events is set into motion that sees Harry and Helena married against the backdrop of a global robot uprising.

BIOS

Bo List (Adapter) is thrilled to return to City Lit, 13 years after their "electrifying" production of his FRANKENSTEIN, adapted from Mary Shelley’s novel. Other plays include the WWII-era comedy LADIES OF LIBERTY, his other spooky adaptation - THE LAST DRACULA, his one-acts CANARY YELLOW (winner of the Father Jeff Hamblin Playwriting Award at Abingdon Theatre in NYC) and I LEFT MY HEART IN KISSIMMEE, and his historical dramas for the Kentucky Humanities Council based on the lives of Abraham Lincoln, Henry Clay, Daniel Boone, and Nancy Green. He is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America.

Brian Pastor (they/them, Director) is a trans/non-binary director, actor, playwright, and Jeff Award-winning producer (Production – Play, August Wilson’s SEVEN GUITARS) in Chicago and the Executive Artistic Director of City Lit Theater. Brian previously spent ten and a half years on staff at City Lit, including nine as Managing Director. From 2019 to 2024, Brian served as City Lit’s Resident Director, where they directed GLASSHEART, THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD, George Bernard Shaw’s ARMS AND THE MAN, Archibald MacLeish’s J.B., and their own acclaimed adaptation of Robert Kennedy’s THIRTEEN DAYS. Brian is a founder and Emeritus Artistic Director of Chicago’s Promethean Theatre Ensemble, where they directed THE LION IN WINTER, THE WINTER’S TALE, and GROSS INDECENCY: THE THREE TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE (all Broadway World Award Nominated- Best Director), as well as HENRY V and THE DARK SIDE OF THE BARD. Brian also directed the world premiere of THE BLACK KNIGHT by Angeli Primlani, the inaugural show for Lifeboat Productions. As an actor, Brian has worked with Strawdog, Raven, WildClaw, Promethean, Accomplice, and City Lit, among others. Brian is the former Executive Director of Sideshow Theatre and the former Executive Director of Raven Theatre. They also served as a board and company member of The Mime Company and as a founding company member of Chicago dell’Arte. A Pittsburgh native, Brian has called Chicago home since their graduation from Northwestern University in 2003.

 

ABOUT CITY LIT THEATER COMPANY

City Lit is the eighth oldest continuously operating theatre company in Chicago, behind only Goodman, Court, Northlight, Oak Park Festival, Black Ensemble Theatre, Steppenwolf, and Pegasus theatres.  It was founded in 1979 with $210 pooled by Arnold Aprill, David Dillon, and Lorell Wyatt.  For its current season, its 44th , it operates with a budget slightly over $200,000.  It was the first theatre in the nation devoted to stage adaptations of literary material.  There were so few theatres in Chicago at the time of its founding that at City Lit’s launch event, the founders were able to read a congratulatory letter they had received from Tennessee Williams.

For four decades and counting, City Lit has explored fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoirs, songs, essays and drama in performance. A theatre that specializes in literary work communicates a commitment to certain civilizing influences—tradition imaginatively explored, a life of the mind, trust in an audience’s intelligence—that not every cultural outlet shares.

City Lit is located in the historic Edgewater Presbyterian Church building at 1020 West Bryn Mawr Avenue. Its work is supported in part by the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency,  and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events CityArts program.  An Illinois not-for-profit corporation and a 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt organization, City Lit keeps ticket prices below the actual cost of producing plays and depends on the support of those who share its belief in the beauty and power of the spoken written word.

The Story Theatre Presents At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen April 26 – May 25, 2025 at Raven Theatre

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The Story Theatre Presents

At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen

By Governing Ensemble member Terry Guest

Directed by Mikael Burke

Pictured: Governing Ensemble member Terry Guest in a publicity image for The Story Theatre’s At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen. Photo by David Hagen.

Featuring Governing Ensemble members

Terry Guest and Paul Michael Thomson

Twice Extended Due to Popular Demand.Now Playing Through May 25th, 2025 

The Story Theatre is over the moon to kick off Season V with a reimagined production of At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen by Governing Ensemble member and Joseph Jefferson Award-winning playwright Terry Guest, directed by Joseph Jefferson Award-winning director Mikael Burke. This critically-acclaimed play about Black queer life, death and drag in the rural South will run April 26 – May 25, 2025 on Raven Theatre’s Schwartz Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago, with multiple possible extensions. Tickets are now on sale at thestorytheatre.org/tickets, ci.ovationtix.com/34415/production/1234667  or by calling (773) 338-2177. 

The production will feature Governing Ensemble members Terry Guest and Paul Michael Thomson reprising their roles from The Story’s world premiere production of At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen in Season II during the summer of 2019. In a moment when the art of drag has taken on increased political risk and resonance, when federal funding for HIV and AIDS resources hangs precariously in the balance and when the right to express oneself freely without fear of persecution is under attack, The Story is proud to reimagine this vital, deeply compassionate work.

About the Production:

Courtney Berringers would like to welcome you to her wake! But – make no mistake – this ain’t your grandma’s funeral. Loosely based on the life and death of playwright Terry Guest’s Uncle Anthony, At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen is a one-act, two-hander play set in 2004 that centers Blackness, southern queerness and the fine art of drag. From African gods and goddesses to Trina and Whitney Houston, At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen thoughtfully uses storytelling, drama and drag to explore identity, illness and the narratives we construct for ourselves. Come party at the wake. Bring your own heels!

Playwright and actor Terry Guest comments, "When I wrote this play at the start of the first Trump presidency, I hoped and assumed that it would be irrelevant by now. Drag was popular and mainstream, queer artists were becoming household names and it seemed like we were on the edge of curing HIV for good. Almost 10 years later, at the dawn of the second Trump presidency, the play is sadly more relevant than ever.”

Guest adds, “I had a lot to say when I first wrote this play, but I didn't always know how to say it. Now, I have the craft, tools, life experience and resources to create the production I always believed was possible. Finally, the community of theatregoers has shifted so dramatically since we first premiered this play in 2019. I am so excited to share this play with a cohort of audiences and artists who have heard rumblings about our past production, but who never got to see it for themselves. I can't wait for them to laugh, lean in and mourn with us at the wake."

The Story Theatre’s Governing Ensemble states, "When we first produced this play in Season II, it was Terry Guest's first professional production. But we knew then what the national theatre community has come to know now: Guest is a singular talent, a once-in-a-generation voice in the American theatre and a damn good performer to boot. At that time, as a grassroots nonprofit founded by working artists and not funded by generational wealth, we put on our smash hit world premiere with a couple thousand dollars, borrowed wigs and a fervent belief in this story. We still have that belief in this story. Now, we have the resources to share this reimagined production with more audiences than ever before. Under Mikael Burke's genius direction and this duo of talented actors, this reimagined production is, to quote protagonist Courtney Berringers, 'bigger than life, bigger than death,' but ultimately just about telling the truth.

Then and Now:

The Story Theatre’s critically-acclaimed Season II production of At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen put the young company, the production’s creative team and this magnificent play on the map. Since its world premiere production, At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen has been produced seven times across the U.S. to sold-out houses, stunning reviews and prestigious accolades. Playwright Terry Guest has gone on to receive productions and commissions from some of the biggest companies in Chicago and beyond, including: Nightbirds and The Madness of Mary Todd at Goodman Theatre; The Magnolia Ballet at About Face Theatre (Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Production); and Marie Antoinette & the Magical Negroes at The Story Theatre (Joseph Jefferson Awards for Best New Work, Best Director, and Best Ensemble). In 2022, Guest was awarded the David Goldamn Best New American Play Award from the National New Play Network for The Magnolia Ballet and was featured in the NPR article “Where Will the Next Hamilton Come From?”

Director Mikael Burke has also gone onto achieve critical acclaim and accolades after directing the 2019 production of At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen. His 2023 production of Tambo & Bones at Refracted Theatre Company garnered the Joseph Jefferson Awards for Best Production and Best Director. And The Story Theatre has since been named 2021’s “Best New Theatre Company” by Chicago Reader, as well as receiving the support of the Chicago Bulls Charities, DCASE CityArts and the Illinois Arts Council.

The production team for At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen includes Alyssa Mohn (Scenic Design), Racquel Postilgione (Costume Design), Brenden Marble (Lighting Design), Ethan Korvne (Sound Design, Original Composition), Danyelle Monson (Choreographer), Spencer Diaz Tootle (Prop Design), Victoria Nassif (Intimacy Direction), Stina Taylor (Technical Direction/Assistant Scenic Design), Olivia Sullam (Stage Manager), Tessa Huber (Assistant Stage Manager), Shelbi Weaver (Production Manager), David Hagen (Director of Design), Ayanna Bria Bakari* (Wig Design), Brenna DiStasio* (Associate Director) and Brenna DiStasio* and Ayanna Bria Bakari* (Producers).

*Denotes a member of The Story Theatre’s Governing Ensemble

Content Advisory: If you would like content details before purchasing your ticket, please feel free to email production@thestorytheatre.org. The Story recognizes that individual sensitivities are myriad, and we encourage you to reach out with any questions.

Production Details:

Cast (in alphabetical order): Terry Guest* (Courtney Berringers/Anthony Knighton) and Paul Michael Thomson* (Vickie Versailles/Hunter Grimes)

Understudies: Winter Olamina (Courtney/Anthony) and D. Shea Petersen (Vickie/Hunter)

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

Dates: Previews: Saturday, April 26 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, April 27 at 3 pm

Press Opening: Monday, April 28 at 7:30 pm

Regular run: Saturday, April 26 – Sunday, May 25, 2025 (with multiple possible extensions)

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

Tickets: $10 – 40 (tiered options) Tickets are now on sale at thestorytheatre.org/tickets, ci.ovationtix.com/34415/production/1234667 or by calling (773) 338-2177

Group tickets: Special group grates are available. For more information, call (773) 338-2177 or email brenna@thestorytheatre.org

Plan Your Visit:

Free parking is provided in a lot adjacent to the theatre—additional street parking is available.

Nearest El station: Granville Red Line. Buses: #22 (Clark), #36 (Broadway), #151 (Sheridan), #155 (Devon), #84 (Peterson).

About the Artists:

Terry Guest (Director) is a three-time Jeff Award winning playwright, actor, director and teaching artist. His play The Magnolia Ballet had its National New Play Network (NNPN) rolling world premiere in 2022 and has since gone on to win two Jeff Awards, the NNPN Best New American Play Award and was featured on NPR. Terry went on to direct his play Marie Antionette and the Magical Negros at The Story theater which won three Jeff Awards (including Best Director and Best New Play for Terry). Other works include: Milo Imagines The World, At The Wake of a Dead Drag Queen, OAK, Nighbirds (Goodman New Stages Residency) and A Ghost in Satin (Williamstown Theatre Festival). As an actor, Terry has worked at regional theaters including Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, Alliance Theatre, About Face Theatre and Actors Express. He is a Governing Ensemble member at The Story Theatre, a Hermitage Fellow and a teaching artist at Jackalope, Goodman Theatre, Writers Theatre and Chicago Children’s Theatre.

Mikael Burke (Director, he/him) is a black queer director, deviser and educator based in Chicago. A Princess Grace Award recipient in Theatre (2017) and Joseph Jefferson Award-winning Director (2024), Mikael has also been recognized with a Black Theatre Alliance Award for Directing (2022), and as one of New City Magazine’s “50 Players of Chicago” in 2023 & 2025. Mikael is an Artistic Associate at Remy Bumppo Theatre Company in Chicago, as well as at About Face Theatre, where he also previously served as Associate Artistic Director. He’s is an adjunct faculty member at DePaul University and Roosevelt University, and is a proud member of SDC. He holds an MFA in Directing from The Theatre School at DePaul University, and you can learn more about him at mklburke.com.

Recent directing credits at the Story Theatre include: At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen by Terry Guest (World Premiere); Who’s Afraid of Deepak Chopra by Tyla Abercrumbie (The (W)rights of Summer). Additional credits include: Milo Imagines the World by Christian Magby, Christian Albright and Terry Guest (World Premiere, Chicago Children’s Theatre, Chicago); King James by Rajiv Joseph (Forward Theatre, Madison, WI); Oak by Terry Guest (World Premiere, Urbanite Theatre, Sarasota, FL); Othello by William Shakespeare (Theatreworks Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO); Short Shakes! Romeo & Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Chicago); Notes from the Field by Anna Deveare Smith (TimeLine Theatre, Chicago); The Salvagers by Harrison David Rivers (World Premiere, Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, CT); Tambo & Bones by Dave Harris (Refracted Theatre Company, Chicago, winner of 8 Jeff Awards); Blues for an Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, Chicago); Clyde’s by Lynn Nottage (Theaterworks Hartford, Hartford, CT, winner of 1 CCC Award); The Magnolia Ballet by Terry Guest (About Face Theatre, Chicago, IL, winner of 2 Jeff Awards).

About The Story Theatre:

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

Our Emerging Playwright Residency Program fosters the growth of playwright at the beginnings of an exciting career. After an intensive application and interview process, the Governing Ensemble chooses one playwright-in-residence and offers them: a fully-produced run of a completed full-length play; the development of a new script through our unique inquiry-based workshop process; a free public staged reading of this new script; and our trusted advocacy with industry professionals every step of the way.

The Story Theatre is funded in part by The Michael and Mona Heath Fund, The Illinois Arts Council, and The Cecilia, Marcia, and Jay Iole Foundation.

GARY: A SEQUEL TO TITUS ANDRONICUS VIA REDTWIST THEATRE APRIL 24 - JUNE 1

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

REDTWIST THEATRE ANNOUNCES CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR 

GARY: A SEQUEL TO TITUS ANDRONICUS 

WRITTEN BY TAYLOR MAC AND DIRECTED BY STEVE SCOTT

APRIL 24 - JUNE 1

Award-Winning Artist, Pulitzer Prize Finalist and MacArthur “Genius” Taylor Mac Pens the Aftermath to Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus 

Award-winning Redtwist Theatre, currently presenting, the recently extended through April 6, Titus Andronicus, one of the top rated plays in Chicago, according to TheaterInChicago.com, is proud to announce the cast and creative team for Taylor Mac’s Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus, April 24 - June 1, at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave, directed by Steve Scott. Previews are Thursday, April 24 - Saturday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. 

I'll be out for the press opening April 27th, so check back soon after for my full review. The performance schedule is Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. The running time is currently 95 minutes with no intermission. Two understudy performances will occur on Thursday, May 15 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 25 at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 for general admission, with pay-what-you-can pricing every Friday and are available now at RedtwistTheatre.org. 

Taylor Mac’s singular world view intersects with Shakespeare’s first tragedy, Titus Andronicus. Set just after the blood-soaked conclusion of that sensationally gruesome tale, the years of battles are over, the country has been stolen by madmen, and there are casualties everywhere. And two very lowly servants are charged with cleaning up the bodies. It’s the year 400—but it feels like the end of the world.

Top Row, L to R: William Delforge and Hannah Rhode

Bottom Row: Cameron Austin Brown

The Gary cast includes William Delforge (he/him, Gary); Hannah Rhode (she/her, Janice); Cameron Austin Brown (he/him, Carol);  Hannah Rhode (she/her, Janice) with understudies TBA (U/S Gary); Madison Bacino (she/her, U/S Janice);  and Hannah McCauley (she/her, U/S Carol). 

The Gary creative team includes Steve Scott (he/him, director); Maria Reyes (she/her, stage manager); Ashley O’Neill (she/her, stage manager); Eric Luchen (he/him, set design); Korey Joseph (he/him, assistant director); kClare McKellaston (she/her, costume design); Robin Manganaro (she/her, props design); Jeff Brain (he/him, technical director); Seth Eggenschwiller (he/him, fight/violence director); Piper Kirchhofer (she/her, lighting design); Rain DeDominici (they/she, production manager); Eileen Dixon (she/her, casting director/co-artistic director) and Dusty Brown (they/them, co-artistic director).

Productions, participants and dates are subject to change. 

ABOUT TAYLOR MAC, playwright

Taylor Mac (who uses “judy”, lowercase sic, not as a name but as a gender pronoun) is a playwright, actor, singer-songwriter, performance artist, director and producer. “A critical darling of the New York scene” (New York Magazine), TimeOut NY has called Mac “One of the most exciting theater artists of our time” (naming judy a future theater legend). Judy’s work has been performed at New York City’s Lincoln Center, The Public Theatre and Playwrights Horizons, Los Angeles’s Royce Hall, Minneapolis’s Guthrie Theater, Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, the Sydney Opera House, Boston’s American Repertory Theatre, Stockholm’s SodraTheatern, the Spoleto Festival, San Francisco’s Curran Theater and MOMA and literally hundreds of other theaters, museums, music halls, opera houses, cabarets and festivals around the globe. Judy is the author of 17 full-length plays and performance pieces including HIR (placed on the top ten theater of 2015 lists of The New York Times, New York Magazine and Time Out NY; published by North Western University Press and in American Theater Magazine), The Lily’s Revenge (Obie Award), The Walk Across America for Mother Earth (named “One of the Best Plays of 2011” by The New York Times), The Young Ladies Of (Chicago’s Jeff Award nomination for best solo), Red Tide Blooming (Ethyl Eichelberger Award), The Be(a)st of Taylor Mac (Edinburgh Festival’s Herald Angel Award) and in collaboration with Mandy Patinkin, Susan Stroman and Paul Ford, Mac created The Last Two People on Earth: An Apocalyptic Vaudeville. Mac is the recipient of multiple awards including the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a Guggenheim Award, the Herb Alpert Award in Theater, the Peter Zeisler Memorial Award, the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award and an Obie. An alumnus of New Dramatists, judy is currently a New York Theater Workshop Usual Suspect and the resident playwright at the Here Arts Center.

ABOUT STEVE SCOTT, director

Steve Scott has directed eleven previous productions for Redtwist Theatre, including King Lear, Death of a Salesman, Clybourne Park and A Delicate Balance. During his career he has directed more than 300 productions locally and nationally; recent credits include Royko: The Toughest Man in Town at the Chopin Theatre and Native Gardens at Buffalo Theatre Ensemble. He is a member of the Redtwist ensemble and is an artistic associate and board member at the Goodman Theatre, where he served as producer for more than 30 years. For three decades Scott was on the faculty of the Theatre Conservatory of the Chicago College of Fine Arts at Roosevelt University and is the recipient of six

Jeff nominations, an After Dark Award, a special Jeff Award for career achievement and the League of Chicago Theaters’ Lifetime Achievement Award. He is currently the artistic director of the Dunes Arts Foundation in Michigan City, Indiana.

ABOUT REDTWIST THEATRE

Redtwist, now celebrating its 20th anniversary, is an award-winning theatre company that stages up close and personal contemporary dramas annually in its intimate black box theatre housed proudly within the heart of Edgewater’s Bryn Mawr Historic District. 

Intimate performances at Redtwist are designed to place the theatre patron in the midst of the stories being told, making them accessible and riveting. Redtwist strives for excellence with every project and endeavors to take risks while offering opportunities for up-and-coming actors, designers and directors to work with established talent. Redtwist provides the very best Chicago storefront theatre experience from excellence on stage, to warm hospitality in a clean, friendly environment.

Rolling World Premiere of KAIROS Via Red Theater April 23 - May 18, 2025 at The Edge Off Broadway

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Red Theater Announces Cast, Creative Team for 

KAIROS 

by Lisa Sanaye Dring

Kairos will be Red’s fourth premiere from a living female playwright since returning to production post-lockdown in 2022. 

Red Theater is thrilled to announce the cast and creative team for their premiere production of Lisa Sanaye Dring’s Kairos, directed by Artistic Director Clare Brennan, running April 23 - May 18, 2025 at The Edge Off Broadway in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave.

The production features Tamsen Glaser as Gina and Johnard Washington as David, understudied by Mindy Shore and Thomas Russell.

“Two people fall in love during a tectonic shift in society. Their nascent relationship is tested by the advent of Prometheus, a procedure that grants immortality to a select few. What happens to commitment, meaning and care when linear time breaks open?” - New Play Exchange

Playwright Lisa Sanaye Dring makes her Chicago debut at an exciting moment in her career. Her play Sumo received its New York premiere at The Public Theater with Ma-Yi Theater Company in March 2025, while Kairos is in the midst of its rolling world premiere with the National New Play Network. Comments Lisa, “The development and conversations I’ve had with Red Theater have made the script better than it’s ever been. I trust fully in Clare’s leadership and the work of this wonderful ensemble, and am so excited to share this piece with you.”

Kairos will be Red’s fourth premiere from a living female playwright since returning to production post-lockdown in 2022. Comments Artistic Director Wyatt Kent, “We are so excited to bring Lisa’s writing to Chicago for the first time. She’s crafted an often funny, always heart-wrenching story of a relationship that Johnard and Tamsen bring to life with incredible depth and chemistry. We can’t wait to hear what you think.” 

Tickets are on sale now at www.redtheater.org. General admission tickets are $30. As part of Red’s mission to make theater by putting people first, a limited number of $10 access tickets are available for students, artists, or anyone on a tight budget. Purchasing a ticket at our $50 pay-it-forward tier helps us sustain Red’s accessibility efforts. Use code ACCESS at checkout for $10 tickets.

Cast: Tamsen Glaser (Gina), Johnard Washington (David), Mindy Shore (Gina U/s), Thomas Russell (David U/s)

Production Team: Jessica Love (assistant director), Nole Beran (stage manager), Manuel Ortiz (scenic design), Evy Burch (props design), James Arakas (lighting design), Jamie Macpherson (intimacy design), Haleigh Kent (costume design), Jay Black (sound design), Skyler Simpson (poster design), Faith Decker (photographer), Andy Cahoon (technical director), Becca Holloway (casting director), Wyatt Kent (production manager), and Mary T. Cahoon (company manager). 

Location: The Edge Off Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave, Chicago

Opening night: Friday, April 25, 2025 @ 7:30P

Previews: Wednesday, April 23 & Thursday April 24, 2025 @ 7:30P

Run dates: Wednesday, April 23 - Sunday, May 18, 2025

Curtain times: Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays @ 7:30P, Sundays @ 3P; Saturday 5/10 @ 2P

Box Office link: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35021/production/1214205 

 

ABOUT RED THEATER

Red Theater’s mission is to make theater by putting people first. Founded in 2013, Red’s productions have included 9 Chicago premieres and 8 world premieres. We work from our core values of radical transparency, community care, and meaningful experience. These ideals drive us to bring access to theater to anyone who wants it, with an intentional focus on those restricted by financial and physical disability. Red Theater is funded in part by the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Clinton Family Fund, and the Illinois Arts Council.