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Monday, April 13, 2015

EXTENDED: THE GIFT THEATRE EXTENDS RUNAWAY HIT THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ANTARCTICA BY FOUR WEEKS


Special “Come Closer” matinee on Sunday, April 19 offers theatergoers the chance to mingle with writer, director and cast


To accommodate demand for tickets, The Gift Theatre has added performances and extended the run of its critically acclaimed new play, The Royal Society of Antarctica, written by Mat Smart and directed by Gift ensemble member John Gawlik. Originally scheduled to close April 26, The Royal Society of Antarctica, will now continue through Sunday, May 24, 2015. Performances are Thursday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Please consult the Gift’s website at thegifttheatre.org or call the box office at 773-283-7071 for the most current schedule and ticket availability.



In addition to the extension, The Gift Theatre will host “Come Closer,” a special one-day event on Sunday, April 19 featuring a post-show conversation and drinks with playwright Mat Smart, director John Gawlik, the cast and crew of The Royal Society of Antarctica, and special guest Jeanne Ropollo, author of Grandma Goes to Antarctica: A Journey of Discovery who was with Mat Smart during his time at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. A Performance ticket, food and drinks inspired by the play and continent are included in the $50 ticket price.

The Royal Society of Antarctica, follows Dee (Aila Peck) as she returns to her birthplace at the blindingly bright McMurdo Station in Antarctica to work as a janitor and seek answers to her mother’s disappearance in this wonderfully weird and touching new play perfectly suited to The Gift’s intimate space.

Sheldon Patinkin, Gift ensemble member and vital figure in the development of improv in Chicago, was originally set to direct The Royal Society of Antarctica before his passing in September.

“Sheldon loved the play, but he wanted to push me further,” says Smart. “It's a three-act play, and he felt that the end of the second act needed more of a cliffhanger. I knew he was right, and that prompted me to do a big rewrite this summer.

“I went to the bottom of the world to find this play—working as a janitor for three months at McMurdo Station in Antarctica.  It’s perfect that it will premiere in my hometown at The Gift.”

“We are thrilled to give Mat's quirky and beautiful play its premiere,” says Thornton. “For more than 12 years, Sheldon taught The Gift how to be an ensemble, and it's painfully bittersweet but also kind of perfect that Mat's play—about unlikely ensembles—was the last play Sheldon ever worked on. I'm overjoyed they got a chance to collaborate. There is no artist at The Gift better suited to take over the reins than ensemble member John Gawlik. John has been a keen nurturer and director of our most blazing premieres, a staunch advocate for new voices, and together he and Mat will bring our audience on an unforgettable journey.” 

Cast
Brittany Burch – Tamara
John Connolly – Ace
Paul D'Addario – UT Tom
Brian Keys – Miller
Lynda Newton – Pam 
Aila Peck – Dee
Jay Worthington – UT Tim
Kyle Zornes – Jake

About The Gift Theatre
The Gift Theatre is dedicated to telling great stories on stage with honesty and simplicity. Most recent productions include: Bethany, Othello, Thinner Than Water, TEN 2014; Broadsword, Mine, and Vigils. The company also sponsors the giftED Ensemble, a rigorous two-year afterschool course for creative and motivated high school students on Chicago’s Northwest side, and the literary program/Salon Series giftLIT.

The 2015 Season began in January with TEN, The Gift’s annual kickoff celebration of ten-minute plays curated by artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton and associate artistic director Paul D'Addario. Following Mat Smart’s The Royal Society of Antarctica (March 5-April 26), director Marti Lyons (Bethany) returns for Body & Blood written by Gift Co-Founder, William Nedved (June 15- August 9). The season closes with David Rabe’s (Hurlyburly, Streamers) Good For Otto (September 25-November 23) directed by Gift Co-Founder and Artistic Director, Michael Patrick Thornton. Subscriptions for the entire 2015 season, which includes three world premieres, are available for as little as $75. The Gift subscribers ("Gifters") receive admission to three shows, free parking at Gale Street Inn, free admission to all Wednesday night “Natural Gas” improv shows and invitations to special subscriber-only special events. Subscribe at http://thegifttheatre.org/ or call 773-283-7071.


The Gift Theatre is conveniently located at 4802 N. Milwaukee in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood, and is easily accessible by the CTA Blue Line, the Lawrence and Milwaukee Avenue buses and the Kennedy Expressway. For more information about The Gift Theatre’s productions and programs, visit www.thegifttheatre.org.

OPENING: “UNDER THE STREETLAMP” RETURNS TO THE ECC ARTS CENTER MAY 9 AND 10 #MothersDay #ChicagoTheatre

Elgin Community College (ECC) Arts Center presents a Mother’s Day weekend engagement of the smash hit “Under The Streetlamp.”  Exuding the rapport of a modern-day Rat Pack, the Streetlamp quartet delivers an electrifying evening of doo-wop, Motown, and rock ‘n’ roll, including favorites from The Drifters, The Beach Boys, The Beatles and a show-stopping salute to the Four Seasons. “Under The Streetlamp” will perform on Saturday, May 9 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 10 at 3 p.m. at the ECC Arts Center, located at ECC’s Spartan Drive Campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.



“Under the Streetlamp” harmoniously blends the diverse talents of Michael Cunio, Michael Ingersoll, Christopher Kale Jones and Shonn Wiley—all recent leading cast members of the Tony Award-winning musical “Jersey Boys.” Together the group has filmed two PBS Specials, recorded three albums, performed to packed houses throughout the U.S., and appeared as musical guests on TV’s “Access Hollywood” and “Extra.” The four first met while performing in “Jersey Boys,” during which time they also performed on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The Primetime Emmys,” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”



“We’re so excited to have the guys back,“ says Steve Duchrow, ECC Arts Center director of performing arts. “We were one of the first venues to book ‘Streetlamp’ and it’s been a joy to see the hard-earned, well-deserved success that has come their way. Our audiences feel like this is a homecoming—we’re welcoming back old friends.”

Tickets for the performances are $55. On Saturday, May 9, a three-course, pre-show dinner prepared by ECC’s award-winning Culinary Arts and Hospitality program can be purchased for an additional $29. Dinners must be ordered on or before Monday, May 4. For performance and dinner tickets or more information, visit tickets.elgin.edu or call 847-622-0300.

ECC Arts Center box office hours are noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday.


The ECC Arts Center, located in Building H on the Elgin Community College Campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin, presents amazing artists in intimate theater settings. Delicious dinners prepared through a partnership with the ECC's award-winning culinary arts program often accompany events. Parking is plentiful and free.


For more information about the ECC Arts Center, visit tickets.elgin.edu or call 847-622-0300. The arts center also can be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/ECCArtsCenter. Become a fan of the arts center on Facebook at facebook.com/ECCArtsCenter.
  

RECORD STORE DAY IS THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 18! WARNER BROS. RECORDS AND AFFILIATED LABELS ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE VINYL RSD RELEASES #RSD15



EXCLUSIVE VINYL PACKAGES AND T-SHIRTS AVAILABLE FROM
TEGAN AND SARA, THE FLAMING LIPS, ROBERT PLANT, MASTODON,
BUILT TO SPILL, THE PRODIGY, ECHOSMITH, BEN LEE AND OTHERS



BUILT TO SPILL WILL PERFORM FREE LIVE IN-STORE TODAY - NOON AT
ZIA RECORDS IN PHOENIX, AZ.


Record Store Day is this Saturday, April 18th! To celebrate
Warner Bros. Records (an official sponsor of Record Store Day), has an impressive series of vinyl albums, singles, T-shirts and more exclusively available for this year's Best Day Ever!  After all, RSD is a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 1,000 independently owned record stores in the U.S. and thousands of stores around the globe. 

JUST ANNOUNCED: For those of you in the Phoenix, AZ area, Built To Spill will perform live in-store at Zia Records on Camelback TODAY at noon for free in celebration of Record Store Day. Details as follows:

Built To Spill In-Store Performance
Noon on 4/18/2015
Zia Records on Camelback
1850 W. Camelback
Phoenix AZ 85015
602-241-0313



Our very special, limited-edition, Record Store Day exclusive sonic delights and delightful curios are described below:

Ben LeeBig Love - Black Vinyl 7" single
Limited to 3000 copies
Australian singer/songwriter Ben Lee celebrates his Warner Bros. Records debut release with an exclusive RSD 7" single comprised of a brand new track from his forthcoming album, LOVE IS THE GREAT REBELLION, to be released in the U.S. on June 2nd.  B-Side, "Follow That Feeling" is an exclusive non-album track.  

Big Data: Dangerous - Black Vinyl 7" Single
Limited to 2000 copies
Side-A:  Dangerous Side-B: Dangerous (Oliver Remix)
This exclusive floppy disc inspired 7" vinyl features Big Data's chart-topping hit "Dangerous (feat. Joywave)," alongside the HypeMachine favorite "Dangerous (Oliver Remix)." The paranoia-inflected electronic pop track was performed on Late Night Seth Meyers and has won Big Data the acclaim of Rolling Stone, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, etc., and will be featured on the band's debut album 2.0, out March 24.

 
Built To Spill: Untethered Moon - Album on Transparent Blue or Black Vinyl.
Transparent Blue Limited to 500 copies
Untethered Moon is the first Built To Spill album recorded with new band members Steve Gere (drums) and Jason Albertini (bass), who join guitarist/vocalist Doug Martsch. BTS's creative process continues to ebb, flow and evolve in its own orbit, reemerging on record for the first time since 2009's There Is No Enemy with ten new songs that fit at once into the band's resonant catalog while infusing fresh energy into that signature sound. The transparent blue vinyl will be randomly distributed into the initial run of pressings. This is the first chance to buy Untethered Moon just for RSD as the CD and digital editions will be released on April 21st.

Echosmith: Acoustic Dreams EP   - White Colored Vinyl 12"
Limited to 3000 copies 
Acoustic Dreams EP is a Record Store Day exclusive comprised of four acoustic versions of songs from their wildly popular debut album Talking Dreams, including their hit song "Cool Kids", plus one additional song exclusive to this collection, "Terminal."

The Flaming Lips: Clouds Taste Metallic Era EP's: Series of Three Colored Vinyl 10" Vinyl 
Bad Days - on Solid White & Transparent Green & Transparent Yellow Mixed Vinyl
This Here Giraffe -  on Clear & Solid Orange Mixed Vinyl
Brainville - on Solid Yellow Vinyl
Limited to 5000 copies each                                
2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the critically worshipped Clouds Taste Metallic, The Flaming Lips 7th studio album originally released in 1995. THE LIPS love RSD and to celebrate, they offer a series three Limited Edition 10" EP's on different colored vinyl that contain tracks previously released on only CD overseas...until now. These rarities will now become available for the first time EVER in any format in the US. Later in the year the band will be releasing expanded anniversary editions of Clouds Taste Metallic  with previously unreleased recordings from the sessions including demos, outtakes, radio sessions, live performances and more. Further details to be announced soon. Until then, feast on this:

 
BAD DAYS EP 
SIDE A:
Bad Days (Edit) & She Don't Use Jelly (Primitive Demos)          
SIDE B:
Girl With Hair Like An Explosion (Non LP Track), Giraffe (Demo)       

THIS HERE GIRAFFE EP
SIDE A:
This Here Giraffe & Jets Part 2 - My Two Days As An Ambulance Driver (Live Peel Session Version)
SIDE B:
Life On Mars (Bowie) (Live Peel Session Version)   

BRAINVILLE EP 
SIDE A:
Brainville & Evil Will Prevail         
SIDE B:
Waterbug    

Limited Edition
Record Store Day Exclusive Fashion Statement to celebrate THE LIPS 1995 EP. 100% cotton, printed on front and back. You will weep with joy. 
Limited Edition
Records Store Day Exclusive Clouds Taste Metallic T-shirt. 100% cotton, printed on front and back.
20 years in the making!

Mastodon: Atlanta  - 12" Vinyl Picture Disc
Limited to 3500 copies
The mighty Mastodon lavishly present "Atlanta," previously available online only via Adult Swim's Single Series. Now available on full-sized, eye-popping picture disc featuring the stunning artwork by Mastodon's Brent Hinds. "Atlanta" features vocals from Gibby Haynes from Butthole Surfers. Side-B is an instrumental version of "Atlanta." exclusive to this release. As previously announced, Don't miss Mastodon on tour this spring as part of THE MISSING LINK TOUR with Clutch, Graveyard and Big Business

The Prodigy: Ibiza - Glow In The Dark 7" Vinyl Single
Limited to 1500 copies
The Prodigy are back! This limited edition Record Store Day Exclusive package includesa non-album instrumental release of "Ibiza" and the single "Ibiza" feat. Sleaford Mods from The Prodigy's forthcoming 6th studio album The Day Is My Enemy, to be released in the U.S. on March 30th, 2015 via Three Six Zero Music/Warner Bros. Records.
Tracks: Side A - "Ibiza" feat. Sleaford Mods. Side B - "Ibiza" (non-album exclusive)

Limited Edition (# of pressings n/a)
Nonesuch re-issues the Steve Reich masterpiece Music for 18 Musicians, performed by Steve Reich and Musicians, on two 180-gram vinyl LPs. The alum was pressed at Pallas Manufacturing in Diepholz, Germany and is packaged in a vintage-style double pocket gatefold jacket with poly sleeves. The original 1998 recording was released on CD and has been mastered for vinyl by Robert C. Ludwig. Each limited-edition record will be individually numbered.

Robert Plant: More Roar - Black Vinyl 10" EP
Limited to 10,000 copies
Nonesuch/Warner Bros. Records releases three tracks recorded live during Robert Plant & the Sensational Space Shifters World Tour 2014: Side A is "Turn It Up" / "Arbaden" and side B is "Poor Howard" and "Whole Lotta Love (Medley)"

Tegan and Sara: Live at Zia Records - DC & Vinyl album - Aqua Blue, 4500 copies & Grimace Purple, 500 copies as a ZIA Records Exclusive
Limited to 4500 & 500 copies respectively
On Tuesday September 10, 2013, Tegan and Sara recorded the music featured on this Record Store Day exclusive at ZIA Record Exchange in Phoenix, Arizona. This special LP includes tracks from their most recent release, Heartthrob (2013) and their hit album The Con (2007). Pick up a limited edition grimace purple vinyl from ZIA Records locations only - 500 units available. Tegan and Sara's 14-year career has seen them build an avid global following of fans and fellow musicians alike. Their unique ability to bridge the pop and indie worlds has allowed their music to cross all traditional boundaries of genre, from being covered by The White Stripes to collaborating with superstar DJs such as Tiesto and David Guetta.

Tegan and Sara: Vendiagram Tote Bag:  Limited Edition RSD Exclusive
Let's face it, you're gonna need something to carry around all the vinyl you're getting on RSD. Thankfully,  Tegan And Sara and have thought about that already so you don't have to. Made from 6 ounce, 100% cotton canvas,  15" x 16" to hold all your exclusives. Thank You, Tegan And Sara!

The Used:  Shallow Believer -  Royal Blue Colored Vinyl Album
Limited to 3000 copies
Shallow Believer is a compilation of B-sides from the band's first three studio albums, recorded between 2001-2007. Released digitally in 2008, the album peaked at #13 on the iTunes albums chart. This is the album's first ever physical release.

But wait there's more: We will offer a full line of Exclusive T-Shirts to compliment Record Store Day 2015 experience. You're gonna like the way you look... in these:








Record Store Day is managed by the Department of Record Stores and organized in partnership with the Alliance of Independent Media Stores (AIMS), the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS), celebrating the culture of independent record stores by playing host to in-store events/performances, signings and special product releases on a global scale.

For more about Record Store Day, please visit www.recordstoreday.com

Sunday, April 12, 2015

OPENING: World Premiere of Look, we are breathing by Rivendell Theatre Ensemble #Theatre #Chicago

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble
presents the World Premiere of
Look, we are breathing
by Chicago playwright Laura Jacqmin

April 2 – May 16, 2015



Photo credit: Michael Brosilow

ChiIL Live Shows will be there for the press opening on Tuesday, so check back for our full review shortly.

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble (RTE), Chicago’s only Equity theatre dedicated to producing new work with women at the core, announces the second production of its 20th Anniversary Season, the world premiere of Look, we are breathing, written by Chicago playwright Laura Jacqmin and directed by Megan Shuchman. The production runs April 2-May 16, 2015, at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, 5779 N. Ridge Avenue in Chicago.  

Those who die young are mourned for their lost potential. But what if Mike, a high school hockey player killed while driving drunk, never really showed much potential? While sorting through their own deeply conflicted feelings in the aftermath of the accident, his mother Alice, his AP English teacher Leticia, and his one-time hookup, Caylee, try to understand who Mike was - and who he might have become. In Look, we are breathing, Chicago playwright Laura Jacqmin turns her unblinking eye on the grieving process as the three most important women in Mike’s life realize that in order to move on, they might first have to confront some hard truths about themselves. 

Look, we are breathing was developed at the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab on Governors Island, NYC.

Over the past 20 years, Rivendell has emerged as a haven for new work with women at the core here in Chicago. When Laura and Megan first approached me with Look, we are breathing, I knew immediately it would be the perfect centerpiece in our 20th Anniversary season as we focused on challenging our own personal biases and took a deep look into what lies behind our default societal perceptions and knee-jerk ideas about right versus wrong,” comments RTE Artistic Director Tara Mallen, who plays Alice. “The opportunity to collaborate with such a dynamic artistic team—and the incredible bonus of having Laura with us in the room developing the script alongside us—seemed an opportunity not to be missed. I am delighted to add Look We Are Breathing to list of world and regional premieres mounted by RTE over the years.”

The cast of Look, we are breathing includes: RTE Artistic Director Tara Mallen, Brendan MeyerBrenann Stacker, and Lily Mojekwu.

The core design team includes: RTE members Diane Fairchild (lighting) and Janice Pytel (costumes), as well as Chris Kriz (sound) Mike Mroch (scenic) and Jamie Karas (props).

The Look, we are breathing Production Sponsor is The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation.

Title:                            Look, we are breathing
Written by:                  Chicago playwright Laura Jacqmin
Directed by:                Steppenwolf Associate Director of Education Megan Shuchman
Featuring:                   RTE Artistic Director Tara Mallen, Brendan Meyer, Brenann Stacker, and Lily Mojekwu

Regular run: through May 16, 2015

Schedule: Wednesdays-Saturdays at 8:00pm
Saturdays at 4:00pm

Location:  Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, 5779 N. Ridge Avenue in Chicago
Tickets: General Admission
Pre-sale: $32
Walk-up: $35
                                    Student, Senior, Active Military, Veteran

                                                Pre-sale: $22
                                                Walk-up: $25

Pay What You Can: Five seats (10% of the house) are available for each performance. Reservations are made on a first come first served basis.
Flex Pass: $110 ($80 for Student/ Senior/ Active Military/ Veteran)
Includes four tickets to use in any combination for the season.

Box Office:                  (773) 334-7728 or www.RivendellTheatre.org

Parking and transportation: *Free parking is available in the Senn High School parking lot (located a block and a half from the theatre behind the school off Thorndale Avenue). There is limited paid and free street parking in the area and the theatre is easily accessible via the Clark (#22) or Broadway (#36) bus and is a short walk from the Bryn Mawr Red Line El station.

Notes of Interest
Look, we are breathing continues Rivendell’s 20th Anniversary Season.

Director Megan Shuchman and playwright Laura Jacqmin have been collaborating for seven years. This represents the fourth world premiere production they have staged in Chicago. (Pluto Was a Planet, Dental Society Midwinter Meeting and Dead Pile)
Laura Jacqmin has a career in television (staff writer, “Lucky 7,” ABC, 2013; story editor, “Grace and Frankie,” Netflix, 2015) and video games ("Minecraft: Story Mode," Telltale Games). She has consistently returned to Chicago to make theater, with the world premieres of Do-Gooder (16th Street Theater) and Ghost Bike (Buzz22 Chicago) in 2014, and now with the world premieres of Look, we are breaking at Rivendell Theater and We’re Going to be Fine at DePaul University.
Jacqmin is one of The Kilroys, a 13-member Los Angeles-based group of playwrights and producers agitating for gender parity in the American theater. Their first action was the release of The List, an industry-nominated list of their favorite unproduced or under-produced plays by women. The story was the subject of a New York Times feature and is continuing to garner attention.


Cast Bios
Brendan Meyer (Mike) is performing at Rivendell Theatre for the first time. His Chicago credits include Lord of the Flies (Steppenwolf Theatre), Julius Caesar (Chicago Shakespeare Theater) and Fallow (Steep Theatre). Other credits include American Buffalo, Alcestis, Romeo and Juliet, and Doctors Dilemma (American Players Theatre). He is a graduate of the Chicago College of Performing Arts.

Lily Mojekwu (Leticia) last performed with RTE in Self-Defense, or death of some salesmen at Steppenwolf Theatre’s Merle Reskin Garage Theatre as part of its Visiting Company Initiative (2005 After Dark Award - Best Ensemble).  Lily just appeared as Lorena in Amanda Peet’s new play The Commons of Pensacola (Northlight Theatre).  Some favorite Chicago credits include Welcome Home Jenny Sutter, The Overwhelming (Jeff Nomination – Best Production) and Well with Next Theatre Company, fml: How Carson McCullers Saved My Life, The Elephant Man, The Brother Sister Plays (Steppenwolf), Romeo and Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare), A Twist of Water (Route 66 Theatre Co), Greensboro: A Requiem (Steep Theatre, Non-Equity Jeff Nomination – Best Supporting Actress) and In Arabia We’d All be Kings (Steep Theatre, Non-Equity Jeff Award – Best Ensemble).

Brenann Stacker (Caylee) Brenann is making her Rivendell Theatre. Her most recent Chicago credits include Airline Highway at Steppenwolf Theatre, Bedroom Farce at Eclipse Theatre, Under Construction at Jackalope Theatre, Pretty, Smart, Poetic at Odradek Theatre, The Breadwinner at Citadel Theatre and ongoing roles at Walkabout Theatre and Redmoon Theater. Regional credits include The Williamstown Theatre Festival and Double Edge Theatre. TV/film credits include Sirens and films Washed, Persephone and The Origins of Wit & Humor. Brenann earned a BA in Drama at Tufts University and is a graduate of the O'Neill National Theater Institute, the St. Petersburg Theatre Academy and The School at Steppenwolf. 

Tara Mallen (Alice) is a founder and the current Artistic Director at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, now in its 20th season. Most recently she was seen on stage in Rivendell Theatre Ensemble’s Jeff Nominated world premiere production of Rasheeda Speaking. Prior to that she appeared in the Steppenwolf Theatre Company production of How Long Will I Cry: Stories of Youth Violence written by Chicago Journalist Miles Harvey.  For Rivendell, Tara has both produced and acted in over thirty productions as well as a myriad of productions regionally. She received a Joseph Jefferson award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Gwenyth in WRENS as part of that production’s Jeff-winning ensemble. She was nominated the following year for Best Actress in a Principal Role for her work in My Simple City.

Screen credits include Steven Soderbergh’s film Contagion opposite Kate Winslet , the Starz series Boss starring Kelsey Grammer, the NBC pilot of Chicago Fire, the CBS/Sony Pictures pilot Doubt,  the NBC series Chicago P.D. and the new Netflix series Sense8 directed by Lana and Andy Wachowski.

For Rivendell, Tara co-conceived and directed the World Premiere of Women At War, directed the Jeff nominated Midwest premieres of The Electric Baby by Stefanie Zadravec, 26 Miles (in co-production with Teatro Vista); Fighting Words by Sunil Kuruvilla; Psalms of a Questionable Nature by Marisa Wegrzyn; the co-production of Elliot, a Soldier’s Fugue with Stageworks/Hudson in Hudson, NY; and the brief and brilliant Shady Meadows by Lisa Dillman as part of the 2007 Chicago Humanities Festival. 

Megan Shuchman (Director) serves as Associate Education Director for Steppenwolf for Young Adults. As a director and dramaturg, she has worked with Goodman Theatre, Northlight Theatre, TimeLine Theatre, American Theatre Company, Chicago Dramatists and Lifeline Theatre and is a proud company member of 2nd Story. Most recently, Megan directed Philip Dawkins’ Jeff Award-winning play, Miss Marx or the involuntary side effect of living with Strawdog Theatre Company and the world premiere of Shayne Kennedy’s Agreed Upon Fictions at 16thStreet Theatre. meganshuchman.com

Laura Jacqmin (Playwright) is a Chicago-based playwright, originally from Cleveland. She’s the winner of the Wasserstein Prize, two NEA Art Works Grants, the ATHE-Kennedy Center David Mark Cohen Playwriting Award, two MacDowell Fellowships, an Illinois Arts Council Individual Artist Grant, and was a finalist for the Heideman Award, the Laurents/Hatcher Prize, the BBC International Playwriting Competition, and the Princess Grace Award. Plays: January Joiner (Long Wharf Theatre), Ski Dubai (Steppenwolf Theatre), We’re Going To Be Fine (DePaul University, May 2015, dir. Dexter Bullard), Two Lakes, Two Rivers (O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Royal Court Theatre’s International Residency), Dental Society Midwinter Meeting (Chicago Dramatists/At Play, remounted 16th Street Theater and Theater on the Lake), Do-Gooder (16th Street Theater), Ghost Bike (Buzz22 Chicago) and more. Commissions: South Coast Rep, Goodman Theatre, DePaul University, Arden Theater Company, InterAct Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater/NNPN, and Ensemble Studio Theatre/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science & Technology Project. Television: “Grace and Frankie” (Netflix, forthcoming 2015); “Lucky 7” (ABC, 2013). Jacqmin is also a video game writer, currently writing for “Minecraft: Story Mode” with Telltale Games. She received her BA from Yale University and earned an MFA in Playwriting from Ohio University.

RTE@20: You Are Here
This year Rivendell Theatre Ensemble turns twenty years old. When it came to planning the 20th season, we found ourselves at a crossroads, reflecting back on the journey so far...and looking ahead to the future. So in honor of this milestone anniversary, we've mapped out three exciting new plays as well as a remount of last season's Jeff-nominated world premiere. Each work explores the tricky topography of personal choice--and the often uncharted biases that drive how–and why–we make our most life-changing decisions.

The 20th season continues with How the World Began (September 3-October 17, 2015) by Catherine Trieschmann, featuring RTE member Rebecca Spence.

The previously announced remount of Rasheeda Speaking has been postponed. Tara Mallen explains, “Rasheeda Speaking was scheduled to be remounted at Steppenwolf, where cast member Ora Jones is an ensemble member. Unfortunately Ora has other conflicts this spring so  we look forward to revisiting Rasheeda Speaking again in the future.”

About Rivendell Theatre Ensemble
Founded in 1994, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble advances women’s lives through the power of theatre. Rivendell cultivates the talents of women artists -- writers, actors, directors, designers and technicians – by seeking out innovative plays that explore unique female experiences and producing them in intimate, salon environments. 

Rivendell fills an important role in the Chicago region as the only Equity theatre dedicated to producing artistically challenging and original plays created by and about women. After years of being an itinerant company, we moved into our own theater space in 2010 in Edgewater. As new members of the neighborhood, we are focused on becoming an integral community partner and serving as a catalyst to engage our audiences in a discussion of local social issues. 

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble is supported by generous grants from The Alphawood Foundation; The Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development; The Chicago Community Trust; The Chicago Foundation for Women; The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; The MacArthur Funds for Arts and Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation; The Reva and David Logan Foundation; The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust; Cultural Outreach Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events; and the Illinois Arts Council Agency. Rivendell Theatre Ensemble is also very grateful for the support received from 100 Women



Photo credit: Michael Brosilow



For more information about Rivendell Theater Ensemble, http://rivendelltheatre.org.  Follow RTE on Facebook at Facebook.com/rivendelltheatre and on Twitter @RivendellThtr

Saturday, April 11, 2015

SAVE THE DATES: A RED ORCHID THEATRE ANNOUNCES 2015-2016 SEASON


SHADE MURRAY DIRECTS THE WORLD PREMIERES OF PILGRIMS PROGRESS BY BRETT NEVEU AND SENDER BY IKE HOLTER; DADO DIRECTS THE MUTILATED BY TENNESSEE WILLIAMS

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we're elated to see long time fav of ours, Brett Neveu will be back in rotation at A Red Orchid along with a host of stellar selections. He'll be in great company with Tennessee Williams's The Mutilated and the World Premiere of Sender by Ike Holter. Save the dates. 

A Red Orchid Theatre announces its 2015-2016 Season, including the World Premieres of Pilgrims Progress by Ensemble Member Brett Neveu (The Opponent), and Sender by Ike Holter, both directed by Ensemble Member Shade Murray (Mud Blue Sky, Accidentally like a Martyr) and The Mutilated by Tennessee Williams, directed by Ensemble Member Dado (Simpatico).  
Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald comments, “We are twenty three and kickin’ hard. With two world premieres and a classic from arguably the most influential American playwright of the twentieth-century, I am thrilled to be digging ever deeper into the subjects of family, friendship and humanity at its most naked. There is truly nowhere to hide here at A Red Orchid Theatre. This season marks our first exploration of Williams, our eighth collaboration with Brett Neveu and our first with Ike Holter since his time as a box office volunteer many years ago. I could not be more excited about the challenges and the fun that each of these plays presents for our ensemble and our audiences alike.”  

A Red Orchid Theatre’s 2015-2016 Season includes:



World Premiere
PILGRIMS PROGRESS 
by Ensemble Member Brett Neveu 
Directed by Ensemble Member Shade Murray
Featuring Ensemble Member Kirsten Fitzgerald
October 15 – November 29, 2015
Previews October 15-18 
Press Opening Monday October 19 

It’s Thanksgiving Day and the McKee family is up to its eyeballs in hilarious drama. Between stirring the cranberries and debating pumpkin pie, parents Jim and Melissa relive their glory days. Meanwhile, their earth-poet Son and pregnant-teen Daughter navigate family contracts, holiday power grabs, and decades of thinly veiled deceit. For a family with such a strong appetite for tales, are their stories more important than the truth?  With homages to Albee, O’Neal, Williams and Shepard, the tension rides high and the carving knife does more than just cut the turkey.

THE MUTILATED 
by Tennessee Williams
Directed by Ensemble Member Dado
Featuring Ensemble Member Mierka Girten *additional ensemble casting TBA*
January 14 – February 28, 2016
Previews January 14-17
Press Opening Monday January 18

It’s Christmas Eve in New Orleans and Trinket Dugan is holed up at the Silver Dollar Hotel with a painful secret. Her only friend and confidant, Celeste, has just been released from jail and will stop at nothing to get back into her good graces, her pocket-book and her booze. Can their friendship survive the cruelty, the con men, hookers, cops, sailors and drunks? The Mutilated is one of Williams’ funniest and most moving plays, and according to Williams himself is “an allegory on the tragicomic subject of human existence on this risky planet.” -Esquire magazine 1965.

World Premiere
SENDER 
by Ike Holter  
Directed by Ensemble Member Shade Murray
Featuring Ensemble Member Steve Haggard
April 14 – May 29, 2016
Previews April 14–17
Press Opening Monday April 18

A World Premiere by one of Chicago’s hottest emerging playwrights. It’s summertime in Chicago. Over a year after his sensational death, a young man returns to his former apartment: alive, well, and with a new found ambition to fix what went wrong.  A miracle reunion turns into a catastrophic disaster as the past catches up with the present and old debts return, expecting payment in full.  What does growing-up mean and is it even desired in this day and age?

Ticket Information
A Red Orchid continues the FLASHPASS, giving subscribers a 20% ticket discount, reserved seats, ticket and date flexibility and invitations to special events, readings and more.  Three-show Flashpasses are $80 and include three tickets to use anyway during the regular run, excluding opening nights and Red Nights.  Three-show Red Night Flashpasses are $130 and include a ticket to each Red Night Opening and a post-show reception with the cast and creative team.  

Flashpasses may be purchased from the Box Office at 1531 N. Wells Street, Monday through Friday from 12 pm to 5:00 pm. Subscriptions may also be purchased by telephone during office hours by dialing (312) 943-8722, or online at www.aredorchidtheatre.org. Individual tickets will go on sale at a later date.

About A Red Orchid
A Red Orchid Theatre has served as an artistic focal point in the heart of the Old Town community of Chicago since 1993.  Chicago Magazine named Red Orchid Chicago’s Best Theatre Company of 2010. Over the past 22 years, its Resident Ensemble has welcomed into its fold an impressive array of award winning actors, playwrights and theatre artists with the firm belief that live theatre is the greatest sustenance for the human spirit. A Red Orchid is well known and highly acclaimed for its fearless approach to performance and design in the service of unflinchingly intimate stories. In addition to its professional season, the company also produces an annual OrKids (youth) project.


A Red Orchid Theatre is: Lance Baker, Kamal Angelo Bolden, Dado, Mike Durst, Jennifer Engstrom, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Joseph Fosco, Steve Haggard, Mierka Girten, Larry Grimm, Karen Kawa, Karen Kessler, Danny McCarthy, Shade Murray, Brett Neveu, Michael Shannon, Guy Van Swearingen, Doug Vickers and Natalie West

OPENING: The Project(s) by ATC #Theatre #Chicago

American Theater Company announces
the world premiere of
The Project(s)
A documentary play on Chicago’s public housing
from the writer of columbinus

April 24–May 24, 2015

American Theater Company (ATC) announced today casting for the third world premiere in its 30th Anniversary season: The Project(s), a documentary play about the history of public housing in Chicago, April 24-May 24, 2015. Conceived, co-written and directed by ATC Artistic Director PJ Paparelli and co-written by Joshua Jaeger, The Project(s) ensemble cast includes Linda Bright Clay, Stephen Conrad Moore, Omar Evans, Kenn E. Head, Joslyn Jones, Penelope Walker, Anji White and Eunice Woods. Single tickets for The Project(s) range from $38-$48 and are now on sale at the ATC box office at 773-409-4125 or www.atcweb.org.



The Project(s) innovatively combines documentary theater with a cappella music, body percussion and stepping to create a provocative examination of the successes and failures of public housing that poses the question, “What is America’s responsibility to its poor?” From 2010 until 2014, Paparelli conducted over 100 interviews with scholars, historians, and former and current residents of Chicago’s public housing, including Cabrini-Green, Robert Taylor Homes, Wentworth Gardens and Ida B. Wells Homes. The Project(s) interweaves verbatim material with a cappella music, body percussion, and stepping with choreography by Jakari Sherman, artistic director of Washington, DC-based Step Afrika!, the nation’s only professional dance company devoted to stepping. Paparelli previously conceived, co-wrote and directed the critically-acclaimed documentary play columbinus that premiered its third act at ATC, toured to ArtsEmerson in Boston in 2013, and has been produced around the country and internationally.


The Project(s) received two development opportunities at the Orchard Project, a national new play development retreat in New York; a Jentel Artist Residency in Wyoming, and a MacArthur International Connections Fund grant, through which Paparelli travelled to the United Kingdom to workshop the play at Citizens Theatre in Glasgow and the Lyric Hammersmith in London, in addition to interviewing public housing residents and city officials in Scotland. ATC also partnered with Howard University in Washington, DC, for a five-week workshop integrating stepping and body percussion.

Performance schedule for The Project(s):
Previews: Friday, April 24 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, April 25 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, April 26 at 2 p.m.
Press opening: Tuesday, April 28 at 7 p.m.
Regular run: April 30 through May 24: Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m.

The Project(s) was commissioned and developed by a generous grant from The Chicago Community Trust.

Additional grant support for The Project(s) was provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The Project(s) was developed through residencies with The Orchard Project; Jentel Artist Residency Program; Citizens Theatre Company, Glasgow, Scotland; Sheridan College & the Wyoming Theater Festival; and the Howard University Department of Theatre Arts.

Bios

PJ Paparelli (Director/Co-Writer/Artistic Director) is in his eighth season as Artistic Director of American Theater Company. He last directed ATC’s critically acclaimed world premiere of The Humans. Additional ATC directing credits include Hair, Sons of the Prophet, columbinus (Five Jeff Nominations), The Catholic Rep: Doubt & Agnes of God, The Original Grease (Jeff Award for Best Musical), Escape, The Amish Project, Distracted, Yeast Nation (the new musical from the writers of Urinetown), Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Black & White Rep: True West (Caucasian & African American casts), and the regional premiere of Speech & Debate (Jeff Nomination). His ATC writing credits include columbinus and Every Year is This Year, which was co-written by Maria Irene Fornes for ATC’s The Silver Project.

Joshua Jaeger (Co-Writer) served as the 2012 Artistic Projects Fellow at American Theater Company. During that time, he co-produced the 10X10 and Big Shoulders festivals of new short plays, and sat on ATC's Literary Circle. He assisted in producing Steppenwolf Theatre Company's inaugural After Party, a multi-disciplinary late-night series presented in tandem with the annual Garage Rep. Joshua has dramaturged and assistant directed for TimeLine Theatre Company, Victory Gardens and Chicago Dramatists. Alongside his work in theatre, Joshua performs as a percussionist with the international touring artist Angel Olsen. His drumming may be heard on her current release, "Burn Your Fire for No Witness."

Linda Bright Clay (Ensemble) is a native Chicagoan with credits at Victory Gardens (Dame Lorraine), Goodman Theatre (Joe Turner's Come and Gone) and Chicago Theatre Company (Home), winning a Black Theatre Alliance award for best performance. She has also worked at the Madison Repertory Theatre (Having Our Say and Permanent Collection), and in a program piece with Writers Theatre (For My Brothers...). Film credits include Seven Psychopaths, Halfway, Just Married, The Night Before the Morning After and Original Gangstas. TV series work includes the local Emmy-nominated television special "Martin Luther King Suite." Local and national TV and voice-over commercials include Sears, U.S. Bank, United Healthcare, Crest and McDonald's. Linda obtained both her B.A. and M.A. in Theatre at Northern Illinois University, and co-directed the Black Theatre Workshop there for three years. She has also directed and assisted at various theaters, educational and social service institutions in the Chicagoland area.

Stephen Conrad Moore (Ensemble) is a native of Kansas City, MO, currently living and working in New York City. Recent NY premieres include ANTHEM: An Original Musical at the NY International Fringe Festival, Ni**er/Fa**ot at the HERE Arts Center, and Ajax in Ajax in Iraq with the Flux Theatre Ensemble. Other NY credits include: Bone Orchard Theatre Company, The Civilians, Classical Theatre of Harlem, Columbia Stages, Company Cypher, Full Stop Collective, The Lark Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Works, The Playwright’s Theatre, Red Fern Theatre and Working Man's Clothes. Regional credits: Arizona Theatre Company, The Ensemble Company for the Performing Arts, Hope Repertory Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, O'Neill Theatre Center, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Shakespeare Theatre in D.C., Virginia Stage Company, Yale Repertory Theatre. Internationally, he appeared in a festival of The Lion King in Hong Kong. Film and TV credits: Margaret (dir. Kenneth Lonergan), Wedding Daze (dir. Michael Ian Black), The Painting, Yield and Sesame Street. Mr. Moore is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.

Omar Evans (Ensemble) was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. He studied acting and received his BFA from Marymount Manhattan College, and is a member of Theater for a New Generation. Omar’s theater credits include Freefall, Bombity of Errors, Pvt. Wars, Corner Wars; television credits include Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Law and Order: SVU, Third Watch; film credits include Carlito’s Way: Rise to Power, Explicit Ills, Blackout and Light and the Sufferer.

Kenn E. Head (Ensemble) returns to American Theater Company. He is a veteran of the Chicago theater scene and was last seen as Sissy NaNa in Airline Highway at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where he has appeared in numerous other productions. Additional Chicago credits include: Fish Men and The Convert (Goodman Theatre); Spunk and the critically acclaimed Invisible Man (Court Theatre); Romeo and Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); The Lost Boys of Sudan (Victory Gardens Theater); The Overwhelming (Next Theater); and Seven Guitars (Congo Square Theatre) where they garnered the coveted Jeff Award for Ensemble as well as Best Play. He has also worked at Yale Repertory Theatre. Television credits include ER and Early Edition as well as various commercials.

Joslyn Jones (Ensemble) has previously appeared in: The Delany Sisters: The First Hundred Years (Fleetwood Jourdain Theatre); Once On This Island (Marriott Lincolnshire); 12 Ophelias (Trap Door); Weekend (TimeLine Theatre); Bourbon At The Border (Eclipse Theatre); Escape (Live Bait); Flyin’ West and Raisin (Court Theatre); Spunk (Court Theatre’s Artist in School Program); Bee-Luther-Hatchee (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign); Fabulation: Or, the Re-Education of Undine (Next Theatre); Relevant Hearsay (MPACCT: Theater on the Lake); Bee-Luther-Hatchee and Smokey Joe's Café (Open Door Repertory); Meshuggah Nuns! (Chicago Jewish Theatre); The Kurt Weil Revue: Songs of Darkness and Light (Theo Ubique); To Kill A Mockingbird (Metropolis Performing Arts Centre). She is a graduate of the 2002 Class of The School at Steppenwolf. Understudy credits: Head of Passes and Carter’s Way (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); The Snow Queen (Victory Gardens Biograph); and Crumbs from the Table of Joy (Goodman Theatre).

Penelope Walker (Ensemble) most recently worked with Erasing the Distance theater company in Will You Stand Up? She has appeared in the last 10 seasons of A Christmas Carol at Goodman Theatre. Other Goodman credits include The StoryCrowns and Wit. She has also worked at Chicago Dramatists, Northlight Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Next Theatre Company, Ma'at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theatre, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble and Chicago Theatre Company. She created and has performed her solo piece How I Jack Master Funked the Sugar in My Knee Caps! across Chicago. Regional credits include Alliance Theatre, Arena Stage, Hartford Stage and the Alley Theatre. Film and television credits include Severed TiesSomething Better Somewhere Else and Boss.

AnJi White (Ensemble) returns to American Theater Company, where she last appeared in RENT. Recently she was seen in Collaboraction's remount of Forgotten Future as Felicia Tate. Other Chicago credits include Mud, River, Stone (Eclipse Theatre), ITHAKA (Infusion Theatre) and Soul Samurai (Infusion Theatre). She’s understudied for Timeline's production of A Raisin in the Sun, Clybourne Park (Steppenwolf Theatre); and Regina Taylor's Trinity River Plays (Goodman Theatre).

Eunice Woods (Ensemble) makes her American Theater Company debut. She is a proud Acting Ensemble member of Barrel of Monkeys. Other Chicago acting credits include: Dessa Rose (Bailiwick Chicago); Hey! Dancin'! Hey! Musical (The Factory Theater); The True History...of Julia Pastrana (Tympanic Theatre Company); Raskol (Vintage Theater Collective); Miami Nice (Gorilla Tango Theatre); and The Rose Parade (Body Project Ensemble & VOTC). She holds a BFA in Theatre Arts from Boston University.

About American Theater Company

American Theater Company (ATC) challenges and inspires its community by exploring stories that ask the question, "What does it mean to be an American?" ATC’s Ensemble includes Patrick Andrews, Kareem Bandealy, Jaime Castañeda, Kelly O’Sullivan, Tyler Ravelson, and Sadieh Rifai.


American Theater Company is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and CityArts grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, the MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, and the Shubert Foundation.

Friday, April 10, 2015

OPENING: Teatro Vista's Between You, Me and The Lampshade at Victory Gardens #Chicago #Theatre

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar

TEATRO VISTA PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
BETWEEN YOU, ME AND THE LAMPSHADE
BY RAUL CASTILLO OF HBO’S LOOKING AT
THE RICHARD CHRISTIANSEN THEATER AT THE VICTORY GARDENS BIOGRAPH THEATER, 
APRIL 11 – MAY 10






Teatro Vista Executive Artistic Director Ricardo Gutierrez Directs 
this Hilarious and Searing Production

Teatro Vista presents the World Premiere of Raúl Castillo’s Between You, Me and the Lampshade, directed by Teatro Vista Executive Artistic Director Ricardo Gutierrez, at The Richard Christiansen Theater at The Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., April 11 – May 10. Preview performances are Saturday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, April 12 at 3 p.m. and Tuesday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. Opening/Press night is Wednesday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m.  Regular performances are Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Preview performances are $20, regular run weeknight and matinee performances are $25 and Saturday night performances are $30. Half-price student rush tickets are available 30 minutes prior to each performance with valid I.D. Discounts are also available for groups of 10 or more and seniors (65+) with ID. Tickets may be purchased at the Victory Gardens box office at 773.871.3000 or by visiting www.victorygardens.org. For more information on Between You, Me and the Lampshade and Teatro Vista, please visit www.teatrovista.org

Note: There is an added 3 p.m. matinee performance on Saturday, May 9.
In Between You, Me and the Lampshade the lives of Jesse, a single mother (Sandra Marquez), and her teenage son (Tommy Rivera-Vega) are turned upside down one night when a wounded, undocumented immigrant (Ayssette Muñoz) breaks into their trailer home in rural South Texas. As Jesse covertly takes in the immigrant, she has to go to increasingly complicated lengths to hide her secret from the various people in her life, including a border protection agent (Jim Farruggio) with a crush and her web-addicted teenage son. Hilarious and searing, this play examines the consequences of secrets.

The cast for Between You, Me and the Lampshade includes: Sandra Marquez^* (Jesse), Tommy Rivera-Vega* (Woody), Steve Casillas+ (Meme), Ayssette Munoz+ (Amparo), Jim Farruggio^  (Max) and Bryce Gangel (Kristen).
The production team for Between You, Me and the Lampshade includes:  Ricardo Gutierrez* (Director), Stephanie Hurovitz^ (Stage Manager), Jennifer Aparicio+ (Production Manager), Jose Manuel Diaz (Scenic Designer) and Christine Pascaul+ (Costume Designer)
^ denotes member of Actor’s Equity Association, * denotes Teatro Vista Ensemble Member,
+ denotes Teatro Vista Artistic Associate

ABOUT PLAYWRIGHT RAÚL CASTILLO
Raúl Castillo was born and raised in McAllen, TX, with family ties in neighboring Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico.  A graduate of Boston University’s School for the Arts, his play Knives and Other Sharp Objects had its premiere at the Public Theater in March 2009 where he was a member of the initial Emerging Writers Group.  He is also a proud member of LAByrinth Theater Company, with whom he has developed Between You, Me and the Lampshade, City of Palms and Bus Accident Play

His one-act play, The Biggest Asshole Ever Born, premiered at Intar Theater as part of One Night in the Valley; Four Plays by South Texas Writers.  Another one-act, Death on my Mind, is published by Dramatic Publishing Best Student One-Acts, Vol. 5. 
Coming up, he is developing a script for the Museum of Man/La Jolla Playhouse Border Crossings project at Balboa Park in San Diego.  As an actor, you can see him as a series regular on HBO’s Looking. Theatre credits include Fish Men (Goodman Theater), A Lifetime Burning (Primary Stages), School of the Americas (LAByrinth/Public), and Open House (Foundry Theatre). His film credits include My Best Day, The Girl, Bless Me, UltimaCold WeatherDon't Let Me Drown and Amexicano
           
ABOUT DIRECTOR RICARDO GUTIERREZ
Ricardo Gutierrez is the executive artistic director of Teatro Vista where he recently directed the Jeff nominated production of A View From the Bridge. For Teatro Vista, he has also directed Momma’s Boyz, i put the fear of mexico in ’em, and La Magica Posada.  Gutierrez has served as the artistic director of Nostotros in Los Angeles, The Canterbury Theatre in Indiana, and Absolute Shakespeare in Chicago.  Regionally, Ricardo has guest directed at Theatre 40, Nosotros, the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts, The Double Image Theatre, Loyola University and the University of Texas Pan Am.  Gutierrez is the co-founder and director of the Alliance of Latino Theatre Artists Chicago (ALTAchicago), a service organization dedicated to promoting and fostering Latino/a theatre artists in Chicago. As an actor, Gutierrez most recently appeared in the world premiere of The Upstairs Concierge at the Goodman Theatre where he was also recently seen in the world premieres of Song For The Disappeared and Fishmen. Gutierrez has appeared on stage at the Actors Theatre in Louisville, The Denver Center Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre, and at Lookingglass Theatre.

ABOUT TEATRO VISTA
Teatro Vista, Theatre with a View, is firmly committed to sharing and celebrating the riches of Latino culture with Chicago theater audiences and beyond.
This commitment stems from the belief that there are as many similarities between people as there are differences, and perhaps the answer to breaking down the walls of prejudice and stereotypes lies in understanding these similarities and differences. Ultimately, it is through this “view” that Teatro Vista intends to bridge the gap between Latino and non-Latino cultures in Chicago.

The company believes in the transformative power of theater, inclusiveness through the idea that everyone is intricately connected to each other and that sharing stories through performance is an exceptionally potent way to bring people together.

Teatro Vista is the vanguard of Latino theatre in the United States, a place where Latino and non-Latino artists can expressively flourish and excel to the highest level of theatrical professionalism. It is dedicated to sharing new work by new playwrights in cutting-edge productions and presenting classic plays featuring artists of color.


Teatro Vista presents the World Premiere of Raúl Castillo’s Between You, Me and the Lampshade, directed by Teatro Vista Executive Artistic Director Ricardo Gutierrez, at The Richard Christiansen Theater at The Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., April 11 – May 10. .Preview performances are Saturday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, April 12 at 3 p.m. and Tuesday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. Opening/Press night is Wednesday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m.  Regular performances are Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Note: There is an added 3 p.m. matinee performance on Saturday, May 9. Preview performances are $20, regular run weeknight and matinee performances are $25 and Saturday night performances are $30. Half-price student rush tickets are available 30 minutes prior to each performance with valid I.D. Discounts are also available for groups of 10 or more and seniors (65+) with ID. Tickets may be purchased at the Victory Gardens box office at 773.871.3000 or by visiting www.victorygardens.org. For more information on Between You, Me and the Lampshade and Teatro Vista, please visit www.teatrovista.org

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