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Thursday, February 9, 2017

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar: Shakespeare's Cymbeline at Strawdog Theatre Company

STRAWDOG THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S CYMBELINE
JANUARY 13 - FEBRUARY 25 AT FACTORY THEATER

Director Robert Kauzlaric Makes his Strawdog Directorial Debut with Shakespeare’s Dark Fairy Tale Filled with Hidden Identities, Extraordinary Schemes and Violent Acts 

Strawdog Theatre Company's second production in its 2016 - 2017 season, William Shakespeare’s CymbelIne, running now through February 25, 
directed by Robert Kauzlaric 
and performed at The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St. 



It's been a whirlwind year so far for Chicago's theatre scene and sometimes there's just too much of a good thing and multiple press nights happen simultaneously. Since I haven't mastered the art of cloning quite yet, we're finally getting out to see Shakespeare's Cymbeline at Strawdog Theatre Company tonight. It's been near the top of our must see list since it opened the final week of January. 

The performance schedule is Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. All performances have ground level access and are wheelchair accessible.

An industry performance is Monday, Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. for $18. Regular run tickets $30, they may be ordered online or by calling OvationTix toll-free: 866-811-4111. Subscriptions, group, rush, senior and student discounts are also available. 

Shakespeare’s Cymbeline has all the vicious insults, bloody blades, cross-dressed ladies and compromised bedchambers that has made the Bard famous. It is also a no-holds-barred epic, a dark fairy tale set off by a king's rash verdict and a princess who won't stand for her man's wrongful banishment. The acclaimed director of Lifeline Theatre's Hunger and Irish Theatre of Chicago's The White Road, recently seen onstage in Strawdog’s production of The Arsonists, makes his directing debut with the company.

Cast includes ensemble members Dan Cobbler, Scott Danielson, Andres Enriquez, Sarah Goeden, Sam Hubbard, Jose Nateras, Daniella Pereira, Michaela Petro, Shane Rhoades, Brandon Saunders, Dwight Sora, Gage Wallace.

The Cymbeline production team also includes Strawdog Company Ensemble Members Jordan Kardasz, lighting designer; Brittany Dee Bodley in addition to Robert Kauzlaric, director; Spencer Ryan Diedrick, assistant director; Alan Donahue, set designer and props designer; Andrew Hansen, sound designer; Matt Hawkins, fight choreographer; Emily Loppolo, assistant stage manager and Becca Levy, stage manager.

ABOUT ROBERT KAUZLARIC, DIRECTOR
Robert Kauzlaric is a Chicago based director and actor who appeared in Strawdog’s Season 27 production of The Arsonists. Recent directing credits include As You Like It, The Rivals (Wilde nomination: Best Play), Cymbeline (Wilde Award: Best of the Bard), She Stoops to Conquer, Love’s Labour’s Lost (Wilde Award: Best of the Bard), and Tartuffe for the Michigan Shakespeare Festival; the world premiere of Karen Tarjan’s The White Road for Irish Theatre of Chicago (nominated for seven Jeff Awards, including Best Production-Play, Midsize) and the world premieres of Chris Hainsworth’s adaptation of Hunger and John Hildreth’s adaptation of Treasure Island, both at Lifeline Theatre. 

ABOUT STRAWDOG THEATRE COMPANY
Since its founding in 1988, Strawdog Theatre Company has offered Chicagoland the premiere storefront theatre experience and garnered numerous Non-Equity Jeff Awards with its commitment to ensemble acting and an immersive design approach. The celebrated Company develops new work, re-imagines the classics, melds music with theatre, asks provocative questions and delivers their audience the unexpected.
*Strawdog Theatre Company’s 2016 - 2017 season will be produced in its itinerant home at the new Factory Theatre in Rogers Park, 1621 W. Howard St. on the Chicago-Evanston border in the historic Howard Theatre building. The theatre space is a newly created 70 seat three-quarters thrust just two blocks from CTA’s Howard Red Line terminal. Strawdog’s 29th Season may be viewed online at strawdog.org. 

RUSH TICKETS 
Strawdog Theatre Company offers six tickets at a 50% discount one hour before every production. The rush ticket must be purchased in person, exclusively at the Strawdog Box Office. Limit of two tickets per person, not applicable with other discounts, offers or on previously purchased tickets, first come, first served.

Strawdog Theatre Company is proud to announce the second production in its 2016 - 2017 season, William Shakespeare’s CymbelIne, January 13 – February 25, directed by Robert Kauzlaric and performed at The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St. The performance schedule is Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. Opening Night is Monday, January 23 at 8 p.m. All performances have ground level access and are wheelchair accessible, with an Access Project performance Sunday, Feb. 5 at 4 p.m. with a touch tour at 2:45 p.m.* An industry performance is Monday, Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. for $18. Preview tickets are $15 with regular run tickets $30, they may be ordered online at strawdog.org or by calling OvationTix toll-free: 866-811-4111. Subscriptions, group, rush, senior and student discounts are also available.

Strawdog Theatre Company is supported in part by The Alphawood Foundation, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and through the generous contributions of businesses and individuals.

REVIEW: Extended & Highly Recommended: Gloria Playing Through Feb 19th at Goodman


Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

BY POPULAR DEMAND, GOODMAN THEATRE ADDS TWO MORE PERFORMANCES OF ITS CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, 
GLORIA 
BY BRANDEN JACOBS-JENKINS, MUST CLOSE FEBRUARY 19

***UPCOMING ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES INCLUDE TOUCH TOUR/AUDIO DESCRIBED (2/11);
ASL INTERPRETED (2/15) AND OPEN CAPTIONED (2/18) OFFERINGS***




Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we had the chance to catch opening night and we were blown away by Gloria. This wickedly witty production touches on some serious touch points for our society today, from mass shootings to post traumatic stress disorder, and even tell all tomes that profit from pain. This production even explores our systemic business problem of overeducated gen x employees getting nowhere, as aging baby boomers live on in management positions. Gloria poignantly points out how magazines and print resources become obsolete in a pop culture obsessed Twitter and Snapchat world, and even culture itself. Loneliness and vicious adult bullying become normalized. And savvy millennials end up bosses to brilliant, degree holding office temps twice their ages. This dystopian reality was played out by the cast with impeccable timing. Gloria is highly recommended and truly a thought provoking "must see" show.

Audiences have two more opportunities to see the Chicago premiere of Gloria— a “shocking, hilarious and spectacularly honest play” (Chicago Tribune) and “tantalizing, darkly comic exposé of ambition and egoism” (Daily Herald) by MacArthur Foundation Fellow Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Directed by Evan Cabnet, Gloria originally premiered off-Broadway in 2015 and the six-member cast—Kyle Beltran, Catherine Combs, Michael Crane, Jennifer Kim, Jeanine Serralles and Ryan Spahn—remains intact for Chicago premiere. The additional performances include Thursday, February 16 at 2pm and Sunday, February 19 at 7:30pm (closing performance). See below for special discounts including Chicago Theater Week and $20 tickets for patrons aged 35 and under. 


UPCOMING ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES

February 11, Touch Tour – 12:30 - 1pm; a presentation detailing the set, costume and character elements; Audio Described Performance – 2pm; the action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset
February 15, Sign Interpreted Performance – 7:30pm; professional ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played.
February 18, Open Captioned Performance – 2pm; an LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance

Visit Goodman Theatre.org/Access for more information about Goodman Theatre’s accessibility efforts.

A group of ambitious twenty-somethings at one of New York’s most esteemed cultural magazines are pursuing it all—style, status and success. When a seemingly normal day at the office turns out to be anything but, these aspiring journalists recognize an opportunity to seize a career-defining moment. Tickets ($20 - $92; price subject to change) and special $20 discounted tickets (35 and younger, with promo code 20TIX) are available at GoodmanTheatre.org/Gloria, by phone at 312.443.3800 or at the box office (170 North Dearborn). Chicago Theater Week tickets ($15-30) for remaining performances are still available for purchase at ChicagoTheatreWeek.com.  Please note: Gloria contains scenes that may be disturbing; intended for mature audiences.
Abbott Fund is the Major Production Sponsor and JP Morgan Chase is the Major Corporate Sponsor.

In addition to Gloria, Jacobs-Jenkins’ playwriting credits include Appropriate (Signature Theatre, Obie Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nomination), Neighbors (The Public Theater), An Octoroon (Soho Repertory Theatre and Theatre for a New Audience, Obie Award) and War (Yale Repertory Theatre). He is currently a Residency Five playwright at the Signature Theatre, where his newest work, Everybody, makes its world premiere on January 31. His work has been seen at Actors Theater of Louisville, Victory Gardens Theater, Woolly Mammoth Theater, The Matrix Theater, Mixed Blood Theater, CompanyOne and the HighTide Festival in the U.K. He is under commission from LCT3/Lincoln Center Theater and Manhattan Theatre Club. Honors include a Paula Vogel Award, a fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the inaugural Tennessee Williams Award, the 2015 Steinberg Playwright Award and the 2016 “Genius” Fellowship from the MacArthur Foundation. He has taught at New York University and Queens University of Charlotte and holds an MA in performance studies from New York University and a BA from Princeton University. He is a graduate of the Lila Acheson Wallace Playwrights Program at The Juilliard School. 

Cabnet’s Broadway credits include Thérèse Raquin (Roundabout Theatre Company) and The Performers. Off-Broadway credits include Gloria and Outside People (Vineyard Theater), The Model Apartment and Poor Behavior (Primary Stages), A Kid Like Jake and All-American (Lincoln Center Theater), The Dream of the Burning Boy (Roundabout Theatre Company), Elizabeth Meriwether's Oliver Parker! (stageFARM), Warrior Class (Second Stage Theatre), Oohrah! (Atlantic Theater Company), The Mistakes Madeline Made (Naked Angels) and Do I Hear a Waltz? (Encores!). Additional credits include Henry V (Chautauqua Theater Company), An American Daughter and his own adaptations of Ubu Roi and Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and the Seas of Stories (Williamstown Theatre Festival) and Saigono Samurai (Ginka Theater, Tokyo). Cabnet is the Artistic Director of Lincoln Center Theater’s LCT3. He is also a former Associate Artist with the Roundabout Theatre Company and a performance consultant for the Metropolitan Opera (Die Fledermaus).



About Goodman Theatre

America’s “Best Regional Theatre” (Time magazine) and “Chicago’s flagship resident stage” (Chicago Tribune), Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit organization distinguished by the quality and scope of its artistic programming and civic engagement. Founded in 1925, the Goodman is led by Robert Falls—“Chicago’s most essential director” (Chicago Tribune ), who marks 30 years as Artistic Director this season—and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, who is celebrated for his vision and leadership over nearly four decades. Dedicated to new plays, reimagined classics and large-scale musical theater works, Goodman Theatre artists and productions have earned hundreds of awards for artistic excellence, including: two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards, nearly 160 Jeff Awards and more. Over the past three decades, audiences have experienced more than 150 world or American premieres, 30 major musical productions, as well as nationally and internationally celebrated productions of classic works (including Falls’ productions of Death of a SalesmanLong Day’s Journey into NightKing Lear and The Iceman Cometh, many in collaboration with actor Brian Dennehy). In addition, the Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” For nearly four decades, the annual holiday tradition of A Christmas Carol has created a new generation of theatergoers. 

The 2016 opening of the Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement (“the Alice”) launched the next phase in the Goodman’s decades-long commitment as an arts and community organization dedicated to educating Chicago youth and promoting lifelong learning. Programs are offered year-round and free of charge. Eighty-five percent of the Goodman’s youth program participants come from underserved communities.

Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family’s legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth’s family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation of the new Goodman center in 2000.

Today, Goodman Theatre leadership includes the distinguished members of the Artistic Collective: Brian Dennehy, Rebecca Gilman, Henry Godinez, Dael Orlandersmith, Steve Scott, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor, Henry Wishcamper and Mary Zimmerman. Joan Clifford is Chair of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Cynthia K. Scholl is Women’s Board President and Justin A. Kulovsek is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals. 

Visit the Goodman virtually at GoodmanTheatre.org—including OnStage+ for insider information—and on Twitter (@GoodmanTheatre), Facebook and Instagram.

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Gift Theatre Opens Season With World Premiere of Unseen

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

World Premiere
Unseen
Feb 16 - April 9


WRITTEN BY MONA MANSOUR
DIRECTED BY ENSEMBLE MEMBER MAUREEN PAYNE-HAHNER

The Gift Theatre, 4902 N. Milwaukee Avenue

ChiIL Live Shows will be out to review on February 24th, so check back shortly after for our full review. We're elated Gift Theatre is tipping the scales toward presenting more female written and directed shows this season. Unseen is the first of three world premieres written by women that comprise Gift's exciting 2017 season. This tiny but might theatre is big on presenting world class, professional productions in an incredibly intimate space. They're favorites of ours and we can't wait to catch their latest.

Unseen 
The Gift Theatre, 4802 N. Milwaukee Avenue, kicks off its 2017 Season with the world premiere of Mona Mansour’s play Unseen. Ensemble member Maureen Payne-Hahner directs a cast featuring ensemble members Brittany Burch (Mia) and Alexandra Main (Jane) with guest artist Ashley Agbay (Derya).  Unseen runs from February 10 – April 9, 2017 

Conflict photographer Mia wakes up in the Istanbul apartment of her on-again, off-again girlfriend after being found unconscious at the scene of a massacre she was photographing. Mia can’t even remember being there, but she wired photos of the site hours before being found. The two women resume their volatile push-pull when Mia’s well-meaning Californian mother arrives from the United States, trying to help unravel the mystery of what happened to her daughter.

“When I first read this play, it took my breath away,” says Artistic Director Michael Patrick Thornton. “To recognize each other’s humanity, to see each other’s pain and say ‘I love you completely for who you are’ is the highest gift we can give each other. As wars continue to rage on our planet, Unseen is a masterwork about love, trauma, and repair in the lives of those for whom war is not just a story, but real life. We are humbled and thrilled to tell this story at The Gift.”

Unseen’s design team includes Sarah Watkins (set), Rachel Sypniewski(costumes), John Kelly (lights), Sarah Ramos (sound), Sarahi Salazar (props) and Brock Alter (projections).


Performance schedule
Previews: Friday, February 10 – Wednesday, February 15
Press Opening: Thursday, February 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Regular Run: Friday, February 17 – Sunday, April 9

Curtain: Thursdays – Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets for Unseen range from $30-$40 and are available by calling the Gift’s box office at 773-283-7071 or visiting thegifttheatre.org. Season subscriptions are also on sale now and range from $75-$190, with special pricing available for members under the age of 30 



About The Gift Theatre
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 takes place in January. The all-new season consists of three world premieres and kicks off in February with Mona Mansour’s war-torn drama Unseen, directed by ensemble member Maureen Payne-Hahner (February 10–April 9), followed by Claire Kiechel’s futuristic Pilgrims, co-directed by ensemble member Michael Patrick Thornton and guest artist Jessica Thebus (June 2-July 30). The  season closes with Janine Nabers’ time-hopping love story A Swell in the Ground, directed by guest artist Chika Ike (October 13-December 10). Season subscriptions 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. 

Senior, Student, Veterans and Industry discounts available.
Come Closer on Sunday, April 2 for a talkback with the cast, drinks, and a couple of themed appetizers! Tickets to this special event are $55 and sell out quickly. Reserve your spot today.

Thursday, February 2, 2017

OPENING: JOHN KANDER AND FRED EBB’S THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar

PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE ANNOUNCES THE CHICAGO PREMIERE OF JOHN KANDER AND FRED EBB’S
THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS, 
FEBRUARY 3 – MARCH 12 AT STAGE 773

Directed by Samuel G. Roberson, Jr. and Music Directed by Doug Peck with James Earl Jones II, Mark Hood, Larry Yando, Cynthia Clarey and Others 

The Scottsboro Boys, Nominated for 12 Tony Awards, tells the Story of Nine African American Teenagers Put on Trial in Memphis for a Crime they did not Commit


Porchlight Music Theatre is a perennial favorite of ours here at ChiIL Live Shows. They've earned a well deserved reputation for world class musical productions in an intimate space. We're particularly excited to see Larry Yando, another favorite of ours, make his Porchlight debut. He's the king of the pregnant pause and can work a silence better than just about anyone on the Chicago scene. 

OPENING: Chicago premiere of the Broadway musical The Scottsboro Boys, February 3 – March 12, featuring music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, book by David Thompson, direction by Samuel G. Roberson, Jr, music direction by Doug Peck and choreography by Florence Walker-Harris with Breon Arzell as associate choreographer, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. 




Previews are Friday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 4 at 8 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. and Monday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. The performance schedule is Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. 

There is an added matinee performance Thursday, March 2 at 1:30 p.m. NOTE: *There are no Thursday 7:30 p.m. performances February 9 and March 2. Tickets for previews are $38 and for the regular run $45 - $51. Single tickets may be purchased at 773.327.5252 or at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org.

The thrilling, final collaboration by the creators of Cabaret, Chicago and Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Scottsboro Boys has been hailed as one of the most visionary and controversial musicals to grace the stages of Broadway and London. Nominated for 12 Tony Awards (including “Best Musical,” “Book of a Musical” and “Original Score”) and presented in the style of the notorious “minstrel show;” this true-life story of nine African American teenagers accused and put on trial in Memphis for a crime they did not commit is one of the most infamous events in our country’s history, igniting the start of the modern civil rights movement.

The Scottsboro Boys ensemble cast includes: Stephen Allen (Clarence Norris),
Jos N. Banks (Charles Weems), Cynthia Clarey (The Lady), Cameron Goode (Eugene Williams), Izaiah Harris (Willie Roberson), Mark Hood (Mr. Tambo), James Earl Jones II (Haywood Patterson), Maurice Randle (Andy Wright), Jerome Riley, Jr. (Roy Wright), Trequon Tate (Ozie Powell), Denzel Tsopnang (Mr. Bones), Travis Austin Wright (Olen Montgomery) and Larry Yando (The Interlocutor). Understudies include Susan P. Anderson, Patrick Perry, Jared Grant, Micheal Lovette and Nolan Robinson.

The Scottsboro Boys production team includes: Samuel G. Roberson, Jr. (director), Doug Peck (music director), Florence Walker-Harris (choreographer), Breon Arzell (associate choreographer), Jared Bellot (dramaturg), Aaron Benham (conductor/pianist), Samantha Jones (costume designer), Richard Norwood (lighting designer), Mealah Heidenreich (props designer), Andrei Onegin (scenic designer), Keegan Bradac (sound designer), Ross Hoppe (projections designer), Jessica Forella (stage manager) and Alex Rhyan (production manager).



ABOUT SAMUEL G. ROBERSON, Jr., director
This is Samuel G. Roberson Jr’s debut with Porchlight Music Theatre. Roberson is the artistic director of Congo Square Theatre. His Chicago acting stage credits include: Samuel J and K (Steppenwolf Theatre), Civil War Christmas (Northlight Theatre), The Colored Museum and Sanctified (Congo Square), Living Green and The Lost Boys of Sudan (Victory Gardens Theatre), and The Ballad of Emmett Till (Goodman Theatre). Roberson also founded an education and outreach initiative with Congo Square Theatre called Y-BOOM (Young Brothers Owning Our Mission). As a two-time leukemia survivor he has always had a passion for giving back and started a non-profit organization, called Make Me A Match Project, dedicated to saving the lives of patients in need of a bone marrow transplant.

ABOUT DOUG PECK, music director
Doug Peck is a Porchlight Music Theatre artistic associate where he previously music directed and conducted Dreamgirls and Pal Joey as well as being the co-host and co-creator of Porchlight’s annual fundraiser Chicago Sings. Peck is the winner of six Jeff Awards (The Jungle Book; Porgy and Bess; Caroline, or Change; Carousel; Fiorello! and Man of La Mancha). His work has been heard in Chicago at Court Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Goodman Theatre, Writers Theatre, TimeLine Theatre Company, Northlight Theatre, the Paramount Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, Ravinia Festival and the Chicago Humanities Festival. Peck can be heard on the recordings Bright Young People: The Songs of Noël Coward, Foiled Again Live and Loving Repeating: A Musical of Gertrude Stein.

ABOUT FLORENCE WALKER-HARRIS, choreographer
Florence Walker-Harris makes her Porchlight Music Theatre debut with The Scottsboro Boys. Walker-Harris is the artistic director at Studio One Dance Theatre and trained in a variety of dance disciplines including Classical Ballet, the modern technique of Lester Horton, Kather, the Dunham technique, Jazz (strongly influenced by Mr. Frank Hatchet,) traditional Haitian folklore, African, Tap and Hip-Hop. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology & Black and Latino Studies from the State University College at Oneonta in New York, and a Masters degree in Human Services Administration from National Louis University.

ABOUT BREON ARZELL, associate choreographer
Breon Arzell’s talents and choreography have been seen in the productions of Rutherford’s Travels (Pegasus Theatre), The House That Will Not Stand (Victory Gardens Theater) and The Hairy Ape (Oracle Productions), for which he received the 2016 Joseph Jefferson Award for “Artistic Specialization,” for his movement and step choreography. He specializes in hip hop, jazz, lyrical, contemporary and step and has choreographed for and danced with LaShelle's School of Dance and Twisted Dance Co. in Detroit and he has performed in And the Tony Goes To with Joel Hall Dancers & Center. Arzell teaches at Joel Hall Dancers & Center, Agassiz Elementary and Walter Payton High School. He has appeared in the film A Rose by Any Other Name and is television credits include: “Empire.” He specializes in hip hop, jazz, lyrical, contemporary and step.

ABOUT JAMES EARL JONES II, “Heywood Patterson”
James Earl Jones II returns to Porchlight Music Theatre where he was Jeff-nominated for his work in the award-winning Sondheim On Sondheim. Recently seen at The Goodman Theatre as the title character in the world premiere production of Carlyle, Chicago credits include October Sky, Elf, Dreamgirls and The Full Monty (Marriott Theatre); Satchmo at the Waldorf, The Secret Garden, The Good Book and Porgy and Bess (Court Theatre); Shrek (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Cymbeline (First Folio Theatre); Sweet Charity and Company (Writers Theatre) and Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting (Lookingglass Theatre Company). Jones’ national tour credits include The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. His television and film credits include “Pokerhouse,” “Chicago Fire” and “Empire.”

ABOUT MARK HOOD, “Mr. Tambo”
Mark Hood makes his Porchlight debut with this production. Recently seen in Sister Act at Marriott Theatre, Hood is a professional actor and recording artist most recently seen on NBC’s “The Voice” as a top 12 finalist. As an ensemble member of The Black Ensemble Theater, he has been seen in many productions including, Sounds So Sweet, At Last: A Tribute To Etta James, One Hit Wonders, The Curtis Mayfield Story, Chicago’s Golden Soul and Once Upon A People. Other credits include A Nativity Story (Congo Square Theatre); Hoodoo Love (The Collective Theater); Dreamgirls and The Color Purple (Theater 47).  Hood’s television credits include USA’s “Sirens” and NBC’s “Chicago Fire.” 

ABOUT LARRY YANDO, “The Interlocutor”
Larry Yando makes his Porchlight debut with this production. Renowned as “Scrooge” in A Christmas Carol, his other Goodman Theatre credits include The Little Foxes, The Jungle Book and Candide (Jeff Award). Chicago credits include The Tempest, King Lear, and The Two Noble Kinsmen, (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Angels in America (Jeff Award), Travesties, An Ideal Husband, and Ghosts (Court Theatre); Fake and Mother Courage and Her Children (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); The Dance of Death (Jeff Award), Bach at Leipzig, and Hamlet (Writers Theatre). Yando performed as “Scar” in the national tour of The Lion King for three years. He was honored as Chicago magazine’s “Best Actor in Chicago” and was the recipient of the 2014 Sarah Siddens Award for “Chicago’s Leading Man.” 

ABOUT CYNTHIA CLAREY, “The Lady”
Cynthia Clarey makes her Porchlight debut with this production. Her reputation as a consummate singing actress has led to engagements throughout the world. Highlights of her repertoire include Handel’s Ariodante, Thomas’ Mignon and Bellini’s La Straniera (Wexford Festival); Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea and Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (Glyndebourne Festival); Berg’s Lulu (Chatelet in Paris) and Offenbach’s Robinson Crusoe (Opera Comique). She sang leading roles in several premieres, including Thea Musgrave’s Voice of Ariadne, which was her New York City Opera debut and she played Broadway and toured in seven countries with Peter Brook’s innovative La tragedie de Carmen. The films of Porgy and Bess and L’incoronazione di Poppea are available on DVD.

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
Porchlight Music Theatre, now in its 22nd season, is nationally recognized for developing innovative new works, reimagining classic productions and showcasing musical theatre’s noted veterans and rising stars. Porchlight elevates the genre in Chicago by providing intimate and powerful theatrical experiences for its growing and diverse audiences. With the vision of Artistic Director Michael Weber, Porchlight builds on its role as Chicago’s only Equity not-for-profit company exclusively specializing in music theatre. Porchlight’s rich history includes the staging of more than 60 productions with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. Through Porchlight’s “Off the Porch” new works program, the musicals of the next generation are developed and given a first audience. The School at Porchlight is Chicago’s new center for music theatre training in the areas of performance, writing and appreciation. The company’s many accolades include 16 Black Theatre Alliance nominations and two awards, as well as a total of 126 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations resulting in 39 Jeff Awards including four consecutive Best Production awards for Dreamgirls (2016), Sondheim on Sondheim (2015), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (2014) and A Class Act (2013)

Tickets for previews are $38 and for the regular run $45 - $51. Single tickets may be purchased at 773.327.5252 or at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org.



Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from the Actors’ Equity Foundation, the Arts Work Fund at the Chicago Community Trust, the Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, Cooper’s: A Neighborhood Eatery, the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki, Family Foundation, the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Prince Foundation, the National Association of Realtors, The Saints and the Service Club of Chicago. The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency. 

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

GIVEAWAY: WIN A Pair of Tickets To First Folio Theatre's Captain Blood ($58 value)

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

“Captain Blood!”
presented by First Folio Theatre
now through Feb. 26
(Best Enjoyed By Ages 14+)


ChiIL Live Shows is partnering up with First Folio Theatre once again for a great giveaway.


through midnight Sunday, February 5th for your shot at a pair of free tickets good for any Wednesday or Thursday performance of Rafael Sabatini's Captain Blood! through February 19th. $58 value. Shows are at Mayslake Peabody Estate 1717 W. 31st Street in Oak Brook, Illinois.


Sundays and Thursdays: 3 p.m.
Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays: 8 p.m.
Plus Saturdays, Feb. 4, 11, 18 and 25: 4 p.m.


Unjustly sentenced to slavery on a Caribbean island, the bold Dr. Peter Blood falls in love with the lady of the plantation, the lovely Arabella Bishop. When Blood escapes and takes up the life of a pirate, it appears fate has separated them forever — or has it? Filled with sword fights and pirate battles, love and treachery, and even a song or two, this adventure is perfect for the whole crew! 

Recommended for Ages 14 and up; under 18 with an adult. $22 – $39 per person. Purchase tickets HERE or at (630) 986-8067.


Steppenwolf To Honor Phylicia Rashad and Salute Women In The Arts Monday February 6th

Help Out:
Support Women In The Arts At 
Steppenwolf's annual fundraiser luncheon

TONY AWARD-WINNING ACTOR, SINGER AND STAGE DIRECTOR 
PHYLICIA RASHAD TO BE HONORED AT 
STEPPENWOLF SALUTES WOMEN IN THE ARTS FUNDRAISER 
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6



Steppenwolf Theatre Company proudly announces stage director, singer and Tony Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad as the 2017 honoree at the annual Steppenwolf Salutes Women in the Arts fundraising luncheon on Monday, February 6, 2017 at 12noon at Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, 221 N Columbus Dr. Ms. Rashad joins Steppenwolf Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro for a riveting conversation about her multifaceted career and her role as a leader in the field.

Phylicia Rashad is a close collaborator with the Steppenwolf ensemble, having starred as Violet Weston in the Shapiro-helmed 2009 Broadway production of August: Osage County and more recently, in ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Head of Passes alongside ensemble member Alana Arenas and directed by ensemble member Tina Landau at the Public Theater. Her powerful work on stage has garnered much acclaim. Ms. Rashad was the first African American actor to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, which she received for her performance of Lena Younger in a revival of A Raisin in the Sun in 2004.
Best known to television audiences for her groundbreaking role of attorney Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show, for which she received two N.A.A.C.P. Image Awards and two Emmy nominations, Phylicia Rashad returns to television this season with a featured guest-starring role in Empire. Recent film credits include Tyler Perry’s For Colored Girls and the 2015 Rocky spin-off and sequel Creed.

The eighth annual Women in the Arts luncheon brings together nearly 400 leaders from Chicago’s business and civic communities to honor Ms. Rashad for her indelible contribution to the field. The event raises funds for Steppenwolf’s professional development programs, including Steppenwolf for Young Adults, the nationally recognized education program, the School at Steppenwolf, as well as the Professional Leadership Programs, providing apprenticeships, fellowships and internships for the next generation of arts managers and producers.

Table sponsorships, starting at $5,000 for Women in the Arts are currently available. Individual tickets, start at $200. To purchase tickets or learn about table sponsorship opportunities, contact Steppenwolf’s Special Events Department at 312-654-5632 or specialevents@steppenwolf.org.

Lead sponsor of the 2017 Women in the Arts luncheon is BMO Harris Bank. United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline Partner of Steppenwolf Theatre Company.
Previous honorees for Steppenwolf Salutes Women in the Arts include ensemble members Joan Allen, Laurie Metcalf and Martha Plimpton, along with Claire Danes, Juliette Lewis, Julianna Margulies, Margo Martindale, Julianne Nicholson and Mary-Louise Parker.
About the Honoree

Whether she is bringing laughter to millions of television viewers around the world, moving theatre-goers to tears, thrilling movie fans, offering new insights to students by teaching Master Classes at renowned learning institutions that include Howard University, Julliard, and Carnegie Mellon, serving on Boards of prestigious organizations, or breaking new ground as a director, Phylicia Rashad is one of the entertainment world's most extraordinary performing artists.

A native of Houston, Texas, Rashad graduated Magna Cum Laude from Howard University. A versatile performer, Rashad became a household name when she portrayed “Claire Huxtable” on The Cosby Show, a character whose appeal has earned her numerous honors and awards for over two decades. She teamed up with Bill Cosby again on television as “Ruth Lucas” on Cosby. Currently, she has a recurring role as “Diana Dubois'” on the popular Fox TV series Empire and is slated to appear in the upcoming Amazon series,Jean Claude Van Johnson.

While television was a catalyst in the rise of Rashad's career, she has also been a force on the stage, appearing both on and off-Broadway, often in projects that showcase her musical talent such as Jelly's Last Jam, Into The Woods, Dreamgirls and The Wiz.

Inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2016, Ms. Rashad received the 2016 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Play for her performance as “Shelah” in Tarell Alvin McCraney's Head of Passes at the Public Theater. She has performed on Broadway as “Violet Weston” in August Osage County, “Big Mama” in Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (a role that she reprised on the London Stage), “Aunt Ester” in August Wilson’s Gem Of The Ocean, (Tony Award nomination) and “Queen Britannia” in Shakespeare’s Cymbeline at Lincoln Center. Ms. Rashad received both the Drama Desk and the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her riveting performance as “Lena Younger” in the Broadway revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin In The Sun. She appeared in Ryan Coogler's Creed, Tyler Perry's Good Deeds and starred in Perry's highly acclaimed film version of Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf.

Ms. Rashad made her directorial debut at the Seattle Repertory Theater with August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean. Critics gave her first foray into the directing world rave reviews, saying "Rashad steers Seattle Rep's show with great sensitivity and understanding - for both the text and actors."

Of her work at the helm of The Ebony Repertory Theatre’s production of A Raisin in the Sun in the Spring of 2011, the Los Angeles Times hailed Rashad’s California directing debut by stating that she “…nails the play's rich humor in a solidly rendered production." She remounted the production at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles and at the Westport County Playhouse in Westport, Connecticut. Ms. Rashad has also directed August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles (2014 NAACP Theatre Award for Best Director) and Fences at the Longwharf Theatre and the McCarter Theatre. She returned to the Mark Taper Forum in 2015 to direct Paul Oakley Stovall's Immediate Family.

Respected in the academic world, Ms. Rashad is the first recipient of the Denzel Washington Chair in Theatre at Fordham University. She received an Honorary Doctorate from Spelman College where First Lady Michelle Obama delivered the 2011 commencement address. Ms. Rashad conducted Master Classes at the prestigious Ten Chimneys Foundation for the 2015 Lunt Fontanne Fellows. She also holds Honorary Doctorates from Fordham University, Carnegie Mellon University, Howard University, Providence College, Morris Brown College, Clark Atlanta University, Barber Scotia College, St. Augustine College and Brown University.

In 2015, Ms. Rashad received the BET Honors Theatrical Arts Award, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre's Spirit of Shakespeare Award and the Inaugural Legacy Award of the Ruben Santiago Hudson Fine Arts Learning Center. Among the other awards that decorate her walls and shelves are the 2014 Mosaic Woman Legend Award of Diversity Woman Magazine, the Texas Medal of Arts, the National Council of Negro Women's Dorothy L. Height Dreammaker Award, AFTRA’s AMEE Award for Excellence in Entertainment, the Board of Directors of New York Women In Film and Television's Muse Award for Outstanding Vision and Achievement, Dallas Women In Film Topaz Award, Peoples’ Choice Awards, several NAACP Image Awards, and the Pan African Film Festival's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Ms. Rashad serves on the Advisory Board of the PRASAD Project and the Board of Directors of True Colors Theatre, the Broadway Inspirational Voices, The Actors Center, the Center for African American Studies at Princeton University and the ADEPT Center which is steering the restoration of the historic Brainerd Institute.


Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation’s premier ensemble theater—redefining the landscape of acting and performance. Formed by a collective of actors in 1976, the ensemble has grown to 46 members who represent a remarkable cross-section of actors, directors and playwrights. Thrilling and powerful productions from Balm in Gilead to August: Osage County—and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony Awards—have made the theater legendary. Steppenwolf produces hundreds of performances and events annually in its three spaces: the 515-seat Downstairs Theatre, the 299-seat Upstairs Theatre and the 80-seat 1700 Theatre. Artistic programing includes a seven-play season; a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season; Visiting Company engagements; and LookOut, a multi-genre performances series. Education initiatives include the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf for Young Adults, which engages 14,000 participants annually from Chicago’s diverse communities; the esteemed School at Steppenwolf; and Professional Leadership Programs for arts administration training. Steppenwolf’s own Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks serves coffee, cocktails and a menu curated in partnership with the Boka Restaurant Group day and night. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, nearly 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director and David Schmitz is the Executive Director. Eric Lefkofsky is Chair of Steppenwolf’s Board of Trustees. 

For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr

OPENING: THE BODYGUARD at Oriental Theatre Staring Deborah Cox Through Feb 12


Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

NOW PLAYING THE ORIENTAL THEATRE
JANUARY 31 THROUGH FEBRUARY 12, 2017



THE BODYGUARD will play the Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph) for a limited two-week engagement January 31 through February 12, 2017.

Based on the smash hit film, the award-winning musical will star Grammy® Award-nominee and R&B superstar DEBORAH COX! 

Former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, is hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. Each expects to be in charge; what they don’t expect is to fall in love. A breathtakingly romantic thriller, THE BODYGUARD features a host of irresistible classics including Queen of the Night, So Emotional, One Moment in Time, Saving All My Love, Run to You, I Have Nothing, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and one of the biggest selling songs of all time – I Will Always Love You.

Based on Lawrence Kasdan’s Oscar-nominated Warner Bros. film and adapted by Academy Award-winner (Birdman) Alexander Dinelaris, THE BODYGUARD had its world premiere in London’s West End where it was nominated for four Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Musical and won Best New Musical at the Whatsonstage Awards.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for THE BODYGUARD at the Oriental Theatre range from $19-$85. A select number of premium tickets are available for many performances. Group tickets for 10 or more are available by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. Tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St., 18 W. Monroe St. and 175 E. Chestnut), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000, all Ticketmaster retail locations and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com.


ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 16 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country.  A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining well up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres.  Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including The PrivateBank Theatre, the Oriental Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place.

For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com

Facebook @BroadwayInChicago ● Twitter @broadwaychicago ● Instagram @broadwayinchicago ● #broadwayinchicago

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