OPENING: 3 Shows Only, Confessions of a P.I.M.P. Returns to Victory Gardens Theater

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

André De Shields’ 

Confessions of a P.I.M.P.

returns to Victory Gardens Theater

 

Three performances scheduled for August 25-27, 2016

Dennis Začek and Grippo Stage Co., Inc., will present Confessions of a P.I.M.P., written and performed by André De Shields, and directed by Samuel G. Roberson and Dennis Začek. The cast also includes Kim Lawson and Donica Lynn. Confessions of a P.I.M.P. runs August 25, 26 and 27, 2016 at 8pm at Victory Gardens Theater, located at 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at www.victorygardens.org or by calling the box office at 773-871-3000.

From the heat of urban insurrection in Baltimore, Maryland to the incandescent glare of New York’s Great White Way, “Jelly Belly” has many stories to tell. Through song, dance, and spoken word, join Victory Gardens Theater’s Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellow André De Shields in this riveting solo-performance as we follow this adventure from inner city impoverishment to self-actualization.

The creative team for Confessions of a P.I.M.P. includes Doug Peck (musical direction), Jake Ruppert (sound design) and Charles Smith (dramaturg). The band includes Tony Mhoon (bass) and Robert Reddrick (percussion). Tina Jach is the stage manager.

Confessions of a P.I.M.P. originally premiered as part of Victory Gardens’ 2015 IGNITION Festival of New Plays.

About the Artists

André De Shields In a career spanning forty-six years, André De Shields has distinguished himself as an unparalleled actor, director, choreographer and educator.  He is the recipient of three Jeff Awards, one as Director for Victory Gardens’ 1987 production of The Colored Museum, and two as Featured Performer in a Musical for the Goodman Theatre productions of Play On! (1998) and Mary Zimmerman’s The Jungle Book (2013).  In fact André’s professional career began at Chicago’s Shubert Theatre, now the Bank of America Theatre, in the 1969 production of Hair.  From there he moved on to The Me Nobody Knows at the Civic Opera House, and ultimately became a member of The Organic Theatre Company, where he created the role of Xander the Unconquerable, Ruler of the Sixth Dimension in the cult sensation Warp. A multiple Tony Award nominee, he is best known for his show-stopping performances in four legendary Broadway musicals: The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Play On! and The Full Monty. His numerous accolades include an Emmy Award for the NBC Special based on Ain’t Misbehavin’, the National Black Theatre Festival’s Living Legend Award, the Village Voice OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance and two Doctor of Fine Arts degrees honoris causa one each from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the State University of New York-College at Buffalo. A triple Capricorn, Mr. De Shields is the ninth of eleven children born and reared in Baltimore, Maryland. Ubuntu. 

Kimberly Lawson appeared in Confessions of a P.I.M.P. during the 2015 IGNITION Festival of New Plays. A current board member of Chicago Cabaret Professionals, her cabaret shows include WOZ: A Rock Cabaret, Why Can't a Woman: A Feminist Perspective of Broadway, Fancy Meeting You Here and Life, Love, and Faith: A Tribute to Faith Prince. She is currently a student of Nadine Gomes of the Chicago College of Performing Arts and Tony Award Winner Faith Prince. In her non-performing life, Kimberly is the Audience Services Manager at Lookingglass Theatre.

Donica Lynn was most recently see on stage in Porchlight Music Theatre’s Dreamgirls! Previous PMT credits include: Chicago Sings Motown, Chicago Sings Disney and Off the Porch’sGatecrashers. Chicago credits include: Confessions of P.I.M.P with Tony nominee Andre DeShields (Victory Gardens); The Color Purple, Barnum (Mercury Theater); Thoroughly Modern Millie, Hairspray, Aida (Drury Lane Oakbrook); Once On This Island and Seussical(Marriott Lincolnshire); Lady in Denmark, Crowns and Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Goodman Theatre); as well as works with Paramount, Court, Congo Square, Theatre at the Center and ETA Creative Arts. Film/TV credits include: Chicago Fire. She is also a featured vocalist on albums by Ramsay Lewis, Calvin Bridges, Justin Roberts and Cory Goodrich. Donica is a two-time Black Theater Alliance Award nominee, a Black Excellence Award nominee, an alumna of Soul Children of Chicago, proud AEA & AGMA member and represented by Stewart Talent.

REVIEW: Cathy Schenkelberg's “SQUEEZE MY CANS” at Greenhouse Theater's Solo Celebration

GREENHOUSE THEATER CENTER'S SOLO CELEBRATION PRESENTS  LIMITED ENGAGEMENT RUN OF 

“SQUEEZE MY CANS,” 

JULY 14 – JULY 24

Takes Audiences Through the No-Holds-Barred Tale of Surviving Scientology

It was my great pleasure to catch opening night of Cathy Schenkelberg's “Squeeze My Cans” last Thursday. She's a mom, actress, singer, writer, recovering Scientologist, and all around funny gal. This marks the 3rd show in Greenhouse Theater's excellent Solo Celebration series. 

One woman shows are challenging and intense to write and perform and Schenkelberg pulls it off with humor, grace and style. This piece is particularly compelling because it's even harder for someone to admit she's been conned, and speak of the vulnerability of losing her religion, a small fortune, and a support network of folks she thought were trustworthy long term friends. 

Cathy's brave and crazy enough to share her journey with us in this excellent production. Her downward spiral into the financial, and mental toll of an obsession with Scientology reminded me of a gambling addiction or a high stakes, real world claw game. The more time, money and energy she invested, the more she had to stay in the Scientology game, hoping for rewards and spiritual pay outs. We highly recommend “Squeeze My Cans,” as a must see, cautionary tale, and a highly entertaining and enlightening adult night out.

Tickets are affordable and the talent is terrific. “Squeeze My Cans,” is a short 10 show run, so don't miss this. Check back early and often for the scoop on the coolest theatre, arts and entertainment and more in Chi, IL and beyond. 

The Greenhouse Theater’s “Solo Celebration!” continues with “Squeeze My Cans,” a limited engagement autobiographical solo-play written and performed by Cathy Schenkelberg and directed by Shirley Anderson. Making its Chicago premiere, Schenkelberg shares a glimpse behind the velvet curtain of Scientology in this strangely hilarious and unbelievable story of resilience, loss, and extraterrestrials. “Squeeze My Cans” runs July 14 – July 24 at The Greenhouse Theater Center (2257 N Lincoln Avenue); the press performance is July 14 at 7:30 p.m.

“Cathy’s brave journey through Scientology is at once humorous and shocking, detailing her nearly 20-year experience with America’s foremost intergalactic faith. Through Cathy’s lens, audiences are offered a rare glimpse into this secretive religion, re-living her account of coming into and getting out of the Church of Scientology,” said Artistic Director of the Greenhouse Theater Center, Jacob Harvey. “Together with Shirley and their entire team, Cathy has crafted an intimate story of survival and the power of perseverance, refusing to stay silent.”

“Squeeze My Cans” asks audiences: What do you do if the “carrot of spiritual freedom” was dangled in front of you, waiting to be seized? In this cautionary tale, we learn what chasing the “carrot” got Cathy Shenkelberg, and how after studying and searching to become “more herself,” she could be found blowing alien life forms off her body farther than ever from the person who she had hoped to be.

”Squeeze My Cans” received its first developmental workshop production at Lifeline’s Filet of Solo Festival.

Performance Schedule: 

Thursday, July 14 at 7 p.m.; Friday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, July 16 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, July 21 and Friday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, July 23 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, July 24 at 2 p.m. For tickets and additional information, click here.

Flex passes to the Solo Celebration! series, which offers admissions to three plays for $99 or five plays for $164, are now on sale.  Single tickets, which range in price from $25 – $30 are also on sale.  Flex passes and tickets can be purchased by contacting the box office at 773-404-7336 or by visiting greenhousetheater.org.

Cathy Schenkelberg (Performer/Playwright) is a Nebraska native and Chicago/LA-based actress, singer, and voiceover talent. Early on in Chicago, she has been seen in productions such as "Jacque Brel," "Working," "Little Shop of Horrors,” "Noises Off" and "Moms the Word." Schenkelberg also played Chrissy in the National tour of “Hair” and Pepper the Clown on WGN’s “Bozo Show.” She has worked as a dancer/singer at clubs and cruise ships - even impersonating Dolly Parton, Madonna and Marilyn Monroe (all at the same time). In her recent return to the stage, she had the good fortune to play Madame Thenardier in “Les Misérables,” Violet, Zuzu and Ma Hatch in “It’s A Wonderful Life,” and Sue Ellen in “Honky Tonk Angels” at Sierra Repertory Theatre in Sonora CA, as well as Veronica in “God of Carnage” at American Stage in St. Petersberg, Fl. But it has been her work in spoken-word at such venues as Write Club LA, Spark off Rose, and Louder than a Mom where “Squeeze My Cans” was conceived.

Shirley Anderson (Director) is a Northwestern alum who spent the 90s in Chicago, adapting, producing and performing a solo adaptation of Dorothy Parker’s short story “Big Blonde,” at the Red Lion Pub, then in jazz clubs, colleges and theaters in Chicago, Edinburgh and Los Angeles.  Anderson has written and performed as a solo performer ever since in Chicago and Los Angeles.  In 1993, Anderson collaborated with Molly McNett on “Sculpture in Vitro: Growing Up Female in the Age of Liposuction” at Live Bait Theater after premiering the work in cooperation with Lookingglass Theatre and before touring the show to high schools and colleges. She has collaborated with Lookingglass Theatre Company, Plasticene and Studio 108 in Chicago and Sacred Fools, Theater Movement Bazaar, Zoo District, Son of Semele and Theater of NOTE in Los Angeles, where she currently lives and directs business operations for Blum & Poe art gallery. 

About Solo Celebration!

“Squeeze My Cans” is one of 12 plays featured in Greenhouse’s “Solo Celebration!,” which will include ten full productions and two limited engagements running June 2016 through February 2017. Among the other directors connected to solo series are Goodman Theatre Producer and Artistic Collective Member Steve Scott, Writer’s Theatre Resident Director Kimberly Senior, Directors Lab Chicago Artistic Director Elizabeth Margolius and Remy Bumppo Artistic Associate Linda Gillum. Some of the performers confirmed to star in solo works include Jeff Award-winner Kate Buddeke, acclaimed British actor Simon Slater, Karen Rodriguez and Carin Silkaitis.  Most productions will be produced in their entirety by Greenhouse, while other plays will be stated with co-producers including Sideshow Theatre Company and The Other Theatre Company.  Greenhouse’s “Solo Celebration!” is co-produced by Forum Productions and underwritten by the Wendy and William Spatz Charitable Foundation.

About the Greenhouse Theater Center

The Greenhouse Theater Center is a nonprofit performance venue located at 2257 N Lincoln Ave, in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Our complex offers two newly remodeled 190-seat main stage spaces, two 60-seat studio theaters, an in-house rehearsal room, and Chicago’s only dedicated used theatre book store.

Our mission at the Greenhouse is first and foremost to grow local theatre. We strive to cultivate a fertile environment for local artists, from individual renters to our bevy of resident companies, to develop and produce their work. In 2014 alone, The Greenhouse Theater Center provided space for almost 1,000 ticketed performances, serving more than 54,000 patrons. Among these events, were at least 30 productions by our resident companies, including the celebrated American Blues Theater and Remy Bumpo Theatre Company. Through our Trellis Program, we offer the community affordable access to our work by housing Chicago’s only dedicated used theatre bookstore, located on the second floor of our complex, as well as offering a free reading series each Tuesday night where local artists workshop their latest scripts. Additionally, we also continue to play an active role in cultivating and nurturing our community through continued partnerships with the League of Chicago Theaters and local Chambers of Commerce.

As of 2016, the Greenhouse Theater Center embraced the true spirit of growth and launched its producing entity. With the announcement of our 8 month long Solo Celebration Series, helmed by Artistic Director Jacob Harvey, we will produce 10 solo plays from June 2016 to February 2017. Through this inaugural effort, we hope to expand the solo play cannon while also cultivating a larger conversation about the possibilities of the one-person play.

With new ideas always incubating, the Greenhouse Theater Center is flourishing. Come grow with us!

OPENING: Dual ENGLISH-RUSSIAN Productions of THREE HOTELS at Athenaeum Theatre, Studio Two

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

DUAL ENGLISH-RUSSIAN PRODUCTIONS OF 

THREE HOTELS 

TO FILL BLUEBIRD ARTS SUMMER/FALL CALENDAR

Bluebird Arts – Chicago's only English-Russian Theatre Company – proudly announces dual productions of Three Hotels by Jon Robin Baitz to continue its cross-cultural mission this summer and fall. Artistic Director Luda Lopatina Solomon will direct both productions.

Three Hotels (English Production)

By Jon Robin Baitz

Directed by Artistic Director Luda Lopatina Solomon

Previews begin August 9, 2016

August 12 – September 17, 2016

Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm

Athenaeum Theatre, Studio Two, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago

Set in three different hotel rooms a husband and wife tell their story, separate and alone. Kenneth Hoyle, an American businessman, sells defective baby formula in third world markets. And his wife, Barbara, talks about him, their marriage, and the incident that made this story their reality. In a play that progresses from intellectual cynicism to heartbreaking honesty, Baitz reveals the emotional and physical wounds we all encounter in the face of adversity and heartbreak. Bluebird Arts’ production will feature Dave Belden (Kenneth Hoyle) and Jaimelyn Gray (Barbara Hoyle). The Production Team includes Ioana Manuela Rentea (Assistant Director), Carl Ulaszek (Lighting Design and Technical Direction), Brandon Reed (Sound Design), Bisa Peyankov (Costume Design), Meghan Principe (Hair and Makeup), and Rick Frederick (Set Design).

Three Hotels (Russian Production)

By Jon Robin Baitz

Translat ion by TBA

Directed by Artistic Director Luda Lopatina Solomon

Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, October 16, 2016

Location TBA

The Russian production of Three Hotels will be identical to the English production, save a Russian-speaking cast. More information regarding this production will be released as it becomes available.

Founded in 2014, Bluebird Arts is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to enrich, educate and entertain our community by sharing intimate stories of the human condition, focusing on the genuine problems of real people. Bluebird Arts showcases Chicago's talent by promoting cross cultural exchange, taking Chicago theatre and artists to Europe and bringing European theatre, to the Chicago community. They serve both the English and Russian speaking populations by producing plays in both English and Russian and translating English language plays into Russian and Russian language plays into English.

Bluebird Arts will continue to collaborate with Russian arts organizations such as Theatre Volhonka in Ekatirenburg, Russia. 

For more information about Bluebird Arts call 773.526.3628 or visit their website at www.bluebirdarts.org.

OPENING: “SQUEEZE MY CANS” Continues Solo Celebration at Greenhouse Theater

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

GREENHOUSE THEATER CENTER'S SOLO CELEBRATION PRESENTS  LIMITED ENGAGEMENT RUN OF 

“SQUEEZE MY CANS,” 

JULY 14 – JULY 24

Cathy Schenkelberg Takes Audiences Through the No-Holds-Barred Tale of Surviving Scientology

Tonight we'll be ChiILin' out at Greenhouse Theater for the 3rd show in their Solo Celebration series. Tickets are affordable and the talent is terrific. “Squeeze My Cans,” is a short 10 show run, so don't miss this. Check back early and often for the scoop on the coolest theatre, arts and entertainment and more in Chi, IL and beyond.

The Greenhouse Theater’s “Solo Celebration!” continues with “Squeeze My Cans,” a limited engagement autobiographical solo-play written and performed by Cathy Schenkelberg and directed by Shirley Anderson. Making its Chicago premiere, Schenkelberg shares a glimpse behind the velvet curtain of Scientology in this strangely hilarious and unbelievable story of resilience, loss, and extraterrestrials. “Squeeze My Cans” runs July 14 – July 24 at The Greenhouse Theater Center (2257 N Lincoln Avenue); the press performance is July 14 at 7:30 p.m.

“Cathy’s brave journey through Scientology is at once humorous and shocking, detailing her nearly 20-year experience with America’s foremost intergalactic faith. Through Cathy’s lens, audiences are offered a rare glimpse into this secretive religion, re-living her account of coming into and getting out of the Church of Scientology,” said Artistic Director of the Greenhouse Theater Center, Jacob Harvey. “Together with Shirley and their entire team, Cathy has crafted an intimate story of survival and the power of perseverance, refusing to stay silent.”

“Squeeze My Cans” asks audiences: What do you do if the “carrot of spiritual freedom” was dangled in front of you, waiting to be seized? In this cautionary tale, we learn what chasing the “carrot” got Cathy Shenkelberg, and how after studying and searching to become “more herself,” she could be found blowing alien life forms off her body farther than ever from the person who she had hoped to be.

”Squeeze My Cans” received its first developmental workshop production at Lifeline’s Filet of Solo Festival.

Performance Schedule: 

Thursday, July 14 at 7 p.m.; Friday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, July 16 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, July 21 and Friday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, July 23 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, July 24 at 2 p.m. For tickets and additional information, click here.

Flex passes to the Solo Celebration! series, which offers admissions to three plays for $99 or five plays for $164, are now on sale.  Single tickets, which range in price from $34 – 48 are also on sale.  Flex passes and tickets can be purchased by contacting the box office at 773-404-7336 or by visiting greenhousetheater.org.

Cathy Schenkelberg (Performer/Playwright) is a Nebraska native and Chicago/LA-based actress, singer, and voiceover talent. Early on in Chicago, she has been seen in productions such as "Jacque Brel," "Working," "Little Shop of Horrors,” "Noises Off" and "Moms the Word." Schenkelberg also played Chrissy in the National tour of “Hair” and Pepper the Clown on WGN’s “Bozo Show.” She has worked as a dancer/singer at clubs and cruise ships - even impersonating Dolly Parton, Madonna and Marilyn Monroe (all at the same time). In her recent return to the stage, she had the good fortune to play Madame Thenardier in “Les Misérables,” Violet, Zuzu and Ma Hatch in “It’s A Wonderful Life,” and Sue Ellen in “Honky Tonk Angels” at Sierra Repertory Theatre in Sonora CA, as well as Veronica in “God of Carnage” at American Stage in St. Petersberg, Fl. But it has been her work in spoken-word at such venues as Write Club LA, Spark off Rose, and Louder than a Mom where “Squeeze My Cans” was conceived.

Shirley Anderson (Director) is a Northwestern alum who spent the 90s in Chicago, adapting, producing and performing a solo adaptation of Dorothy Parker’s short story “Big Blonde,” at the Red Lion Pub, then in jazz clubs, colleges and theaters in Chicago, Edinburgh and Los Angeles.  Anderson has written and performed as a solo performer ever since in Chicago and Los Angeles.  In 1993, Anderson collaborated with Molly McNett on “Sculpture in Vitro: Growing Up Female in the Age of Liposuction” at Live Bait Theater after premiering the work in cooperation with Lookingglass Theatre and before touring the show to high schools and colleges. She has collaborated with Lookingglass Theatre Company, Plasticene and Studio 108 in Chicago and Sacred Fools, Theater Movement Bazaar, Zoo District, Son of Semele and Theater of NOTE in Los Angeles, where she currently lives and directs business operations for Blum & Poe art gallery. 

About Solo Celebration!

“Squeeze My Cans” is one of 12 plays featured in Greenhouse’s “Solo Celebration!,” which will include ten full productions and two limited engagements running June 2016 through February 2017. Among the other directors connected to solo series are Goodman Theatre Producer and Artistic Collective Member Steve Scott, Writer’s Theatre Resident Director Kimberly Senior, Directors Lab Chicago Artistic Director Elizabeth Margolius and Remy Bumppo Artistic Associate Linda Gillum. Some of the performers confirmed to star in solo works include Jeff Award-winner Kate Buddeke, acclaimed British actor Simon Slater, Karen Rodriguez and Carin Silkaitis.  Most productions will be produced in their entirety by Greenhouse, while other plays will be stated with co-producers including Sideshow Theatre Company and The Other Theatre Company.  Greenhouse’s “Solo Celebration!” is co-produced by Forum Productions and underwritten by the Wendy and William Spatz Charitable Foundation.

About the Greenhouse Theater Center

The Greenhouse Theater Center is a nonprofit performance venue located at 2257 N Lincoln Ave, in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Our complex offers two newly remodeled 190-seat main stage spaces, two 60-seat studio theaters, an in-house rehearsal room, and Chicago’s only dedicated used theatre book store.

Our mission at the Greenhouse is first and foremost to grow local theatre. We strive to cultivate a fertile environment for local artists, from individual renters to our bevy of resident companies, to develop and produce their work. In 2014 alone, The Greenhouse Theater Center provided space for almost 1,000 ticketed performances, serving more than 54,000 patrons. Among these events, were at least 30 productions by our resident companies, including the celebrated American Blues Theater and Remy Bumpo Theatre Company. Through our Trellis Program, we offer the community affordable access to our work by housing Chicago’s only dedicated used theatre bookstore, located on the second floor of our complex, as well as offering a free reading series each Tuesday night where local artists workshop their latest scripts. Additionally, we also continue to play an active role in cultivating and nurturing our community through continued partnerships with the League of Chicago Theaters and local Chambers of Commerce.

As of 2016, the Greenhouse Theater Center embraced the true spirit of growth and launched its producing entity. With the announcement of our 8 month long Solo Celebration Series, helmed by Artistic Director Jacob Harvey, we will produce 10 solo plays from June 2016 to February 2017. Through this inaugural effort, we hope to expand the solo play cannon while also cultivating a larger conversation about the possibilities of the one-person play.

With new ideas always incubating, the Greenhouse Theater Center is flourishing. Come grow with us!

Additional A-List Talent Announced for Greenhouse Theater’s Solo Celebration!

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

STELLAR LIST OF CHICAGO ACTORS 

COMPLETE CASTING IN 

GREENHOUSE THEATER CENTER’S 

“SOLO CELEBRATION!” 

PRODUCTIONS

Gene Weygandt, Linda Reiter and Will Allan Join Previously Announced “Solo Celebration!” Actors, Including Simon Slater, Carin Silkaitis, Philip Dawkins and Kate Buddeke  Casting is now complete for the Greenhouse Theater’s Solo Celebration!, as Artistic Director Jacob Harvey announced the remaining performers to be featured in solo works being presented now through February 2017. The A-list group of Chicago performers joining the Solo Celebration include: Linda Reiter as Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy in “Rose,” directed by Steve Scott and running August 19 – September 25; Gene Weygandt as Matty in “Uncle Phillip’s Coat,” directed by Elizabeth Margolius and running November 27 – December 31; and Will Allan as Chester in “Circumference of a Squirrel,” directed by Jacob Harvey and running January 13 – February 12, 2017.  “I am thrilled to complete the lineup of performers for Solo Celebration series with such a diverse and celebrated group of Chicago actors. Linda, Gene, and Will join a phenomenal group of collaboartors working to bring audiences innovative and challenging new solo plays,” said Artistic Director Jacob Harvey. “One of the greatest joys of curating this series has been the opportunity to bring artists from different companies and parts of the city together to create on our stages.” Starring in the Chicago premiere of the off-Broadway hit “Rose” in August, Linda Reiter portrays the stalwart Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy in the hours following the tragedy at Chappaquiddick. Reiter debuted in her first solo performance in “The Testament of Mary” at Victory Gardens Theater, for which she received a Jeff nomination for Best Solo Performance. Reiter is an ensemble member of Shattered Globe Theatre, where she has performed in 41 productions in their 25 years, last appearing as Bessie in “Marvin's Room.”  Reiter has garnered Jeff Awards in the non-equity category for the roles of Eleanor Iselin in “The Manchurian Candidate,” Martha in “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” Kate in “All My Sons,” Mme. De Merteuil in “Les Liaisons Dangereuses,” Dee Dee in “Invitation to a March” and Sarah in “Bondagers.” Gene Weygandt (a favorite of ours here at ChiIL Mama & ChiIL Live Shows!) stars as Matty in the Chicago premiere of “Uncle Phillip’s Coat,” this November, in a time traveling journey of self-discovery. Weygandt is best known as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in “Wicked” in Chicago, and on Broadway. More recently, he starred as Jean Shepherd in “A Christmas Story, The Musical.” Also on Broadway, Weygandt originated the role of Paul in “Big: The Musical.” He is a three-time Jeff Award recipient for “A Day in Hollywood/A Night in The Ukraine,” and “Me and My Girl” at The Marriott Theatre, and for “Little Shop of Horrors.” He received an After Dark Award for his role as Max in the long-running hit, “Lend Me a Tenor” at The Royal George Theatre. Other credits include “Inspecting Carol” at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, “The Taming of the Shrew” at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and principal roles in “Old Jews Telling Jokes,” “The Miser,” “Arthur: the Musical,” “The Light In The Piazza,” “Hairspray,” “The Music Man,” Don’t Dress for Dinner,” “Little Me,” and “The Man Who Came To Dinner.” Weygandt’s TV and film credits include “The Birdcage,” “The Babe,” and “The Pager,” “Chicago Fire,” “Betrayal,” “Boss,” “Mind Games,” “The Beast,” “Home Improvement,” “Cybill,” “Murphy Brown,” “Drew Carey,” and more. In January, Will Allan stars as Chester in “Circumference of a Squirrel,” a savagely comic story of growing up with a father who developed a rabid hatred for squirrels that eventually infected every aspect of his life. Allan was last seen in Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s production of Annie Baker's ”The Flick.” Previous Chicago credits include “Good People,” “The March,” “Animal Farm,” and “A Separate Peace” (Steppenwolf); “The Seagull” and “Dartmoor Prison”(Goodman); “The History Boys” (TimeLine Theatre); “The Whale” (Victory Gardens); “The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?” (Remy Bumppo); “Speech and Debate” and “It's a Wonderful Life” (American Theater Company); “Romeo and Juliet” and “Much Ado About Nothing” (First Folio); and “Red Noses” and “Good Soul of Szechuan” (Strawdog). Regional credits include The “Mousetrap” (Milwaukee Rep) and “Red” (Human Race Theatre Co.). Other actors appearing in Solo Celebration include Cathy Schenkelberg in “Squeeze My Cans,” July 14 -24, Cameron Pfiffner in “The Portrait,” July 15 – Aug. 4, Melinda Buckley in “Mother (and Me),” Aug. 4 – 14, Simon Slater in “Bloodshot,” August 10 – Sept. 10, Carin Silkaitis in “I Do Today,” Sept. 2 – Oct. 9, Phillip Dawkins in “The Happiest Place on Earth,” Sept. 17 – Oct. 23 and Kate Buddeke in “Miss America,” Jan. 6 – Feb. 12. About “Solo Celebration!” The Greenhouse Theater Center presents “Solo Celebration!,” includes ten full productions, two limited engagements and other special events running June 2016 through February 2017. Most productions will be produced in their entirety by Greenhouse, while other plays will be staged with co-producers including Sideshow Theatre Company and The Other Theatre Company. Greenhouse’s “Solo Celebration!” is co-produced by Forum Productions and underwritten by the Wendy and William Spatz Charitable Foundation. More information and the full lineup, click here.    About the Greenhouse Theater Center The Greenhouse Theater Center is a nonprofit performance venue located at 2257 N Lincoln Ave, in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Our complex offers two newly remodeled 190-seat main stage spaces, two 60-seat studio theaters, an in-house rehearsal room, and Chicago’s only dedicated used theatre book store. Our mission at the Greenhouse is first and foremost to grow local theatre. We strive to cultivate a fertile environment for local artists, from individual renters to our bevy of resident companies, to develop and produce their work. In 2014 alone, The Greenhouse Theater Center provided space for almost 1,000 ticketed performances, serving more than 54,000 patrons. At least 30 productions by our resident companies were produced, including works by the celebrated American Blues Theater and Remy Bumpo Theatre Company. Through our Trellis Program, we offer the community affordable access to our work by housing Chicago’s only dedicated used theatre bookstore, located on the second floor of our complex, as well as offering a free reading series each Tuesday night where local artists workshop their latest scripts. Additionally, we also continue to play an active role in cultivating and nurturing our community through continued partnerships with the League of Chicago Theaters and local Chambers of Commerce. As of 2016, the Greenhouse Theater Center embraced the true spirit of growth and launched its producing entity. With the announcement of our 8 month long Solo Celebration Series, helmed by Artistic Director Jacob Harvey, we will produce 10 solo plays from June 2016 to February 2017. Through this inaugural effort, we hope to expand the solo play cannon while also cultivating a larger conversation about the possibilities of the one-person play. With new ideas always incubating, the Greenhouse Theater Center is flourishing.  Come grow with us!

PRESALE: Reprise at Vittum Theater

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

REPRISE

An old man returns a violin to Northwestern Settlement. Ms. Harriet Vittum lent it to him 80 years earlier, with the promise that he bring it back when he was done. With original music and lyrics inspired by Chicago's cultural traditions, Reprise follows an immigrant story as we discover what he did with the instrument all those years, how he knew he was finished, and what it meant to keep his promise. The only North American company commissioned to participate in the National Theatre of Scotland's Home Away Festival, ASC will tell the story of this decades-long community connection during a limited 3-show engagement.

Friday, Sept. 16 at 7pm

Saturday, Sept. 17 at 4pm 

Use code PRESALE to unlock $12 tickets for youth and adults!

(Through July 31 only. Online, by phone, or at our box office.)

Tickets available now.

Solo Celebration Growing at Greenhouse Theater With Addition of Two More Special Events

GREENHOUSE THEATER CENTER ADDS TWO SPECIAL EVENTS TO “SOLO CELEBRATION!” LINEUP

“Greenhouse: LIVE” and “The Voice Bank” to be Presented This Summer

The Greenhouse Theater Center (2257 N. Lincoln Ave) announced two special events that have been added to the “Solo Celebration!” series. “Greenhouse: LIVE,” featuring the ensemble of The LIVINGroom in an evening of storytelling, will be presented for one-night-only on July 22 at 8 p.m. “The Voice Bank,” a new play written by and starring Andrea Caban, tells the story of a theatrical dialect coach who finds new meaning in her work when she is tasked with working with a woman who has been diagnosed with ALS to battle the loss of her voice to the disease.  “The Voice Bank” runs August 9 and 10 at 9 p.m.

“A key component of the Greenhouse’s mission is to support the development of new work and provide a platform that allows emerging artists to showcase their talents,” said Artistic Director Jacob Harvey.  “With this in mind, it was only fitting that we open our doors to allow the storytellers from The LIVINGroom and Andrea Caban of ‘The Voice Bank’ to utilize our theater to tell their compelling stories.”

“Greenhouse: LIVE,” produced by Greenhouse Theater Center's Artistic Apprentice, Nick Thornton and curated and directed by The LIVINGroom artistic director Laura Reitsma, is a night of highly theatrical Chicago stories, inspired by true events, and performed by Eileen Tull, Ian Randall, Anna Rose Wolfe, Ryan Howell, Carly Jo Geer, Reeny Hofrichter, Joel Reitsma and Rachel Copel.  The event will be recorded live on the “Your Chicago” podcast. “Greenhouse: LIVE” will be presented for one night only on Friday, July 22 at 8 p.m.

“The Voice Bank” tells the story of a woman who defies her ALS diagnosis to fight to keep speaking by working with a theatrical dialect coach.  Based on Caban’s experiences, the actress plays both herself and Terry, a woman with an indomitable spirit and a passion, as they work together to manage Terry’s progressing symptoms through voice and accent training. Written and starring Caban, and directed by Amanda McRaven, the play is based on more than 40 hours of actual transcriptions from voice and accent sessions between Caban and Terry, and real conversations between Terry and her doctors. “The Voice Bank” will be presented for two nights only, Tuesday, August 9 and Wednesday, August 10 at 9 p.m.  The Voice Bank is presented in partnership with terraNova Collective. In an effort to make this story as accessible as possible, two for one tickets are being made available to people and families affected by ALS.

Tickets for “Greenhouse: LIVE” are priced at $10.  Tickets for “The Voice Bank” are priced at $25. For tickets or Solo Celebration series flex passes, contact the box office at 773-404-7336 or visit greenhousetheater.org.

About The LIVINGroom

Some of the most intimate, truthful and exciting moments happen in living rooms. The LIVINGroom is an assembly of individual performances that blend true life with elements of theater to connect the performer’s experiences to the audience. The LIVINGroom shares living, breathing, highly theatrical stories about events that really happened.

About Your Chicago

Your Chicago is the podcast that gets to know the people who make Chicago go. Each month, Stefania (Sox fan) and Arden (Cubs fan) get to know the Chicagoans who bring the city legendary food, one-of-a-kind shows, unforgettable festivals, unique music and so much more.

About Andrea Caban

Caban is the Associate Director and designated Master Teacher of Knight-Thompson Speechwork™. She is Head of Voice & Speech at Cal State University, Long Beach, training mid-career actors in a unique Performance Pedagogy MFA program and serving an exciting and diverse undergraduate BA program. Prior to that, Caban was on the faculty at UC Irvine and CSU Fullerton, and has been an artist-in-residence at University of Cape Town, Penn State University, the MotherTongue Project-South Africa and SWEAT- South Africa (Sex-Workers Education and Task Force), among others. In 2016 she culminated a three-year documentary theatre collaboration with the Carpenter Center for Performing Arts in Long Beach, where she worked with CSULB Theatre Arts students and Long Beach high school students in created theatre pieces where they engaged their family, their communities and the world.

About “Solo Celebration!”

The Greenhouse Theater Center presents “Solo Celebration!,” which includes 12 full productions and other special events running through February 2017. Most productions will be produced in their entirety by Greenhouse, while other plays will be staged with co-producers including Sideshow Theatre Company and The Other Theatre Company. Greenhouse’s “Solo Celebration!” is co-produced by Forum Productions and underwritten by the Wendy and William Spatz Charitable Foundation. More information and the full lineup, click here.

About the Greenhouse Theater Center

The Greenhouse Theater Center is a nonprofit performance venue located at 2257 N Lincoln Ave, in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Our complex offers two newly remodeled 190-seat main stage spaces, two 60-seat studio theaters, an in-house rehearsal room, and Chicago’s only dedicated used theatre book store.

Our mission at the Greenhouse is first and foremost to grow local theatre. We strive to cultivate a fertile environment for local artists, from individual renters to our bevy of resident companies, to develop and produce their work. In 2014 alone, The Greenhouse Theater Center provided space for almost 1,000 ticketed performances, serving more than 54,000 patrons. Among these events, were at least 30 productions by our resident companies, including the celebrated American Blues Theater and Remy Bumpo Theatre Company.  Through our Trellis Program, we offer the community affordable access to our work by housing Chicago’s only dedicated used theatre bookstore, located on the second floor of our complex, as well as offering a free reading series each Tuesday night where local artists workshop their latest scripts. Additionally, we also continue to play an active role in cultivating and nurturing our community through continued partnerships with the League of Chicago Theaters and local Chambers of Commerce.

As of 2016, the Greenhouse Theater Center embraced the true spirit of growth and launched its producing entity. With the announcement of our 8 month long Solo Celebration Series, helmed by Artistic Director Jacob Harvey, we will produce 10 solo plays from June 2016 to February 2017. Through this inaugural effort, we hope to expand the solo play cannon while also cultivating a larger conversation about the possibilities of the one-person play.

With new ideas always incubating, the Greenhouse Theater Center is flourishing. Come grow with us!