OPENING: Eugene O’Neill's A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN at Writers Theatre Through 3/18/18

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Writers Theatre presents

A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN

Written by Eugene O’Neill

Directed by WT Resident Director William Brown

February 7 – March 18, 2018

Running Time: 3 hours, including two intermissions.

Writers Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma, presents A Moon for the Misbegotten, written by Eugene O’Neill and directed by WT Resident Director William Brown. A Moon for the Misbegotten runs February 7 – March 18, 2018 in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. 

My husband and I will be spending Valentine's Day at the press opening on Wednesday, February 14, so check back soon for my full review. Writers Theatre has been a top favorite of mine for years and I'm excited to see their take on this O'Neill classic. 

In 1920s rural Connecticut, Phil Hogan cobbles together a living on rented farmland that he hopes to someday own outright, when his landlord Jim Tyrone comes into his inheritance. Hogan has driven away his three sons, but his towering daughter Josie understands her father and can hold her own. When the two learn that the land may be sold out from under them, they concoct a plan to save it that ultimately reveals the secret desires that two lonely souls have kept hidden for years.

This bittersweet elegy from four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and Nobel laureate Eugene O’Neill offers a moving and powerful exploration of humanity at its basest and most beautiful. Directed by WT Resident Director William Brown (Company, Doubt: A Parable, The Liar, A Little Night Music and many more), this soaring powerhouse of a play is simultaneously intimate and epic, touching on themes of desire, family and the things we sacrifice for those we love. 

        

“We’re all excited to be exploring Eugene O’Neil for the first time in our 26-year history,” said Artistic Director Michael Halberstam. “Bill Brown has articulated such a beautiful, passionate, personal and clear vision for the piece. At Writers, it is our mission to take classics down from the shelf and dust them off a breathe new life into them. AC Smith, Bethany Thomas and Jim DeVita (in fact the whole cast) are some of the finest actors in the city and therefore the country. They bring original and refreshing voices to the conversation about the play and their endless reservoirs of creativity and emotional sophistication will make for a compelling take on the narrative. Furthermore, Bill’s design team has created a wonderful connection between intimate and epic in the beautiful Nichols Theatre. The lives of these disenfranchised characters demand such an intimate and empathic engagement while their emotional turmoil lives at an epic scale. Lean forward and engage!"

Featuring: Jim DeVita*, Eric Parks*, Cage Sebastian Pierre, A.C. Smith* and Bethany Thomas*. 

*Denotes a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers  

       Returning to Writers Theatre are Eric Parks (T. Stedman Harder) who previously appeared in As You Like It; A.C. Smith (Phil Hogan) where he previously appeared in East Texas Hot Links; and Bethany Thomas (Josie Hogan) who was in She Loves Me. 

The cast includes: Jim DeVita (James Tyrone, Jr.), Eric Parks (T. Stedman Harder), Cage Sebastian Pierre (Mike Hogan), A.C. Smith (Phil Hogan) and Bethany Thomas (Josie Hogan).

Two cast members are making their Writers Theatre debuts in this production, including Jim DeVita (James Tyrone, Jr.) and Cage Sebastian Pierre (Mike Hogan).

The creative team includes Todd Rosenthal (scenic), Rachel Anne Healy (costumes), Jesse Klug (lighting), Andrew Hansen (sound), Regina Victor (dramaturg), Elizabeth Laidlaw (violence & intimacy director) and Karen Janes Woditsch (assistant director). The production stage manager is David Castellanos.

Tickets are priced $35 - $80. Subscriptions and individual tickets may be purchased online at www.writerstheatre.org, by phone at 847-242-6000 or in person at the box office at 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe.

       A Moon for the Misbegotten is a sequel to Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night, featuring an older and increasingly troubled version of James Tyrone, Jr. than seen in the previous play. The character is based on O'Neill's older brother, Jamie O'Neill.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Eugene O’Neill (Playwright) began writing for the stage early in the 20th century; the American theatre was dominated by vaudeville and romantic melodramas. Influenced by Strindberg, Ibsen and other European playwrights, O’Neill vowed to create a theatre in America, stripped of false sentimentality, which would explore the deepest stirrings of the human spirit. In 1914, he wrote: “I want to be an artist or nothing.” During the 1920s, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for three of his plays–Beyond the Horizon, Anna Christie and Strange Interlude. Other popular successes, including The Emperor Jones, The Hairy Ape, Desire Under the Elms, The Great God Brown and Mourning Becomes Electra, brought him international acclaim. In 1936, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature—the only American playwright to be so honored. O’Neill experimented with new dramatic techniques and dared tackle such controversial issues as interracial marriage, the equality of the sexes, the power of the unconscious mind, and the hold of materialism on the American soul. In each of his plays, he sought to reveal the mysterious forces “behind life” which shape human destiny. Three of his final works, written at Tao House, tower over the others: The Iceman Cometh, Long Day’s Journey into Night and A Moon for the Misbegotten. These autobiographical plays portray, with “faithful realism,” the haunting figures of his father, mother and brother who loom in the background of most of his other plays. He was awarded a fourth Pulitzer Prize, posthumously, in 1956 for Long Day’s Journey into Night. In a career which spanned three decades, Eugene O’Neill changed the American theatre forever.

        A Moon for the Misbegotten is Director William Brown’s 23rd production at Writers Theatre. He previously directed Company, Doubt: A Parable, Port Authority, The Liar, A Little Night Music, Heartbreak House, Do the Hustle, Old Glory, As You Like It, Another Part of the Forest, Arms and the Man, Our Town, Rocket to the Moon, Misalliance, Incident at Vichy, and The Glass Menagerie. As an actor he appeared in Writers Theatre productions of Bus Stop, Nixon's Nixon, Candida, Private Lives, Dear Master, and Butley.

William Brown (Director) returns to Writers where he previously directed Company, Doubt: A Parable, Port Authority, The Liar, A Little Night Music, Heartbreak House, Do the Hustle, Old Glory, As You Like It, Another Part of the Forest, Arms and the Man, Our Town, Rocket to the Moon, Misalliance, Incident at Vichy, and The Glass Menagerie. As an actor he appeared in Writers Theatre productions of Bus Stop, Nixon's Nixon, Candida, Private Lives, Dear Master, and Butley. Bill has directed 17 productions at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin, including Three Sisters, King Lear, Travesties, The Importance of Being Earnest, All My Sons, Troilus and Cressida, The Critic, Hay Fever, The Comedy of Errors, Night of the Iguana, Antony and Cleopatra, All’s Well That Ends Well, You Never Can Tell and The Matchmaker. He directed and wrote (with Doug Frew) To Master the Art for TimeLine Theatre Company where he is an Associate Artist and most recently directed the world premiere of Susan Felder’s Wasteland. He has directed four plays at Northlight, including his own adaptation with music of She Stoops to Conquers. He directed Skylight at Court Theatre and at Indiana Rep, Around the World in Eighty Days and Fallen Angels. Recently he directed Singing in the Rain at Marriott Lincolnshire. He is the Associate Artistic Director of Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, where he has directed and acted since 1980. He regularly teaches and directs at universities across the country, most recently University of Houston, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern. As an actor Brown has appeared in over a hundred productions. He appeared as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at Goodman Theatre where he also appeared in Light up the Sky, Sunday in the Park with George, The Misanthrope and Wings. At Court Theatre, he appeared as Falstaff in Henry IV, Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest and Almady in The Play's The Thing. He created the role of Jody in Steven Dietz’s Lonely Planet (Northlight Theatre). Brown received a Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Director for The Liar (Writers Theatre) and a Best Actor award for his portrayal of Henry Kissinger in Nixon’s Nixon (Writers Theatre).  He received a 2010 Spirit of Diversity Award from Actors’ Equity Association and was named Chicagoan of the Year for Theatre by the Chicago Tribune in 2003.

Jim DeVita (James Tyrone, Jr.) is a native of Long Island, NY, an author, actor and theater director. Jim is primarily based in Wisconsin where he has been a core-company member of American Players Theater (APT) for twenty-three years. Some directing credits include Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, Gift of the Magi, The Desert Queen and Cyrano de Bergerac. Recent acting credits Eddie in A View from the Bridge (APT), Poet in An Iliad (Milwaukee Reperatory, APT) and Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons (ACT Theater). Along with his novels, A Winsome Murder, The Silenced and Blue, Jim has also worked extensively as a playwright. Some of his adult plays include Learning to Stay, Christmas in Babylon, Gift of the Magi (musical adaptation), In Acting Shakespeare, The Desert Queen (the life of Gertrude Bell), Dickens in America and a new adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac. Jim has also worked for many years as a playwright for young audiences. His work in the field has been acknowledged with The Distinguished Play Award from The American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE), The Intellectual Freedom Award and The AATE honored his body of work with the Charlotte B. Chorpenning Award. Jim’s education began as a first mate on the charter boat JIB VII out of Captree Boat Basin, NY. He then studied theater at Suffolk County Community College, Long Island, and at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He also attended Madison Area Technical College where he was licensed as an Emergency Medical Technician. Jim is a member of The Dramatists Guild and Actors Equity Association, and a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship for Fiction.

Eric Parks (T. Stedman Harder) returns to Writers Theatre where he previously appeared in As You Like It. He has worked in Chicago at Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Northlight Theater and Drury Lane Oakbrook. Regionally he has worked with American Players Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theater, The Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Nebraska Shakespeare Festival and The Utah Shakespearean Festival.  Eric holds a BFA from Pacific Lutheran University and an MFA from University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.

Cage Sebastian Pierre (Mike Hogan) has appeared in Chicago in Short Shakes! Romeo and Juliet at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. His upcoming credits include Macbeth at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Regional credits include American Players Theatre. Mr. Pierre received his BFA from the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theatre BFA Actor Training Program.

A.C. Smith (Phil Hogan) returns to Writers Theatre where he previously appeared in East Texas Hot Links. In Chicago, Smith considers the Court Theatre to be his home where he has worked for the past eight years or so in productions ranging from Moliere to the great August Wilson and a host of other classic works. Smith received the Joseph Jefferson Award for his portrayal of Troy Maxson in Court Theatre’s production of Fences. Regional credits include Clarence Brown Theatre (Knoxville, TN), Portland Stage Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Geva Theatre Center, Peninsula Players Theatre and The Black Rep, where he has been a company member for 21 years and is a nine-time Woodie King, Jr. Award winner. National tour credits include The Piano Lesson directed by Lloyd Richards. Off-Broadway credits include the title role in Jelly Belly (Audelco Award Nomination—New Federal Theatre). Smith has appeared on film, television, radio, voice-over, commercials and in Ebony and Jet magazines.

Bethany Thomas (Josie Hogan) returns to Writers Theatre where she previously appeared in She Loves Me.  A Chicago-based actor and singer, her credits include Marry Me A Little, Into The Woods, Nine, In Trousers (Porchlight Music Theater), The Tempest (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Porgy and Bess (Court Theatre), Hairspray, Charlotte's Web (Drury Lane Oakbrook), Hair (Paramount Theatre), Fiorello! (TimeLine Theatre) also work with Second City, About Face Theatre, The Inconvenience, Theo Ubique, Congo Square, Theatre at the Center, Marriott Lincolnshire, Hell In A Handbag and American Theater Company. Regional credits include Iphigenia In Aulis (Getty Villa), The Color Purple, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Ragtime, Man Of La Mancha, A Christmas Carol (Milwaukee Reparatory Theatre) and Little Shop of Horrors (Geva Theatre). Bethany appeared in the second seasons of Empire (FOX) and You're So Talented (OpenTV). She is the proud recipient of a Joseph Jefferson Award, an After Dark Award and a Black Theatre Alliance Award. As a singer/songwriter, Bethany is a regular contributor at Salonathon and The Paper Machete, and has done several performance residencies at The Hideout and Steppenwolf's LookOut series. She's done concerts for WBEZ, WFMT, WTTW and the Chicago Humanities Festival, and was a featured local artist in Renee Fleming’s Chicago Voices Project at the Lyric Opera. Most recently, she's been touring the country as one quarter of the alt-country project on Langford's Four Lost Souls, (self-titled album out on Bloodshot Records) and she released an EP of her own music called First.

 The play has been produced five times on Broadway – the first production in 1957.  The 1973 revival starred Colleen Dewhurst (Tony-winner, Best Actress), Jason Robards (Tony-nominee, Best Actor), and Ed Flanders (Tony-winner, Best Featured Actor). The cast reprised their roles for ABC-TV in 1975, garnering five Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Special—Drama or Comedy, with Flanders also winning the award for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special.

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
Accessible Performances
ASL-Interpreted performance: Saturday, March 17, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Open-Captioned performance: Friday, March 16, 2018 at 7:30 pm

Sunday Spotlight— Sunday, March 4, 2018 after the matinee performance
Are you curious about the world that surrounds your favorite plays? Sunday Spotlight offers access to the finest speakers, scholars and cultural leaders. This one-hour event extends the conversation on our stages by featuring an expert in an area connected to the play. Seating is limited. RSVP is required. Save the date!

The Making of… Series—Monday, March 12, 2018 at 6:30 pm
Writers Theatre will once again host its popular The Making of… Series, providing insight into a different aspect of creating the productions seen on our stages. Enjoy a short and lively presentation by our actors, designers or other experts who will walk you through the process of preparing for and executing a production. The Making of… events are FREE and open to the public. Seating is limited. RSVP is required.

Post Show Conversation: The Word
Join us after every Tuesday evening performance (excluding previews and extensions) for a 15-minute discussion of the play, facilitated by a member of the WT Artistic Team.

Post Show Conversation: The Artist
Join us after every Wednesday evening performance (excluding previews and extensions) for a 15-minute talk-back featuring actors from the production, facilitated by a member of the WT Artistic Team.

Pre-Show Conversation: Up Close
Join us at 6:45pm before every Thursday evening performance (excluding previews and extensions) for a 15-minute primer on the context and content of the play, facilitated by a member of the WT Artistic Team.

For more information about Writers Theatre Audience Enrichment programs visit writerstheatre.org/events.

RIDE METRA TO WRITERS THEATRE
In an effort to promote taking public transit to the Theatre, Writers Theatre launched a new promotion in 2013. Any audience member who purchases a ticket to a Writers Theatre production and rides Metra’s Union Pacific North Line to the Theatre may snap a photo of themselves on the train and post it to their Facebook or Instagram page or their Twitter feed with a tag of @WritersTheatre and #[the title of the show], and upon showing the post at the Writers Theatre Box Office, receive $5 in cash to put toward the cost of your fare as a thank you for going green.

This promotion is available for a limited time only, and may end without warning. Ticket must have been paid for in advance. Not valid on comp tickets. More information available at writerstheatre.org/metra

WRITERS THEATRE PARTNERS
Writers Theatre is pleased to recognize BMO Harris Bank as the 2017/18 Season Sponsor, and ComEd as the Official Lighting Sponsor of the 2017/18 Season. The Corporate Sponsor for A Moon for the Misbegotten is Consolidated Electronic Wire & Cable.  Foundation Support provided by The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation. The Artists Council Sponsors are Karen and Jim Frank and Emily and Christopher N. Knight. Additional support for A Moon for the Misbegotten is provided by the Director’s Society Sponsors.

For more information about Writers Theatre’s 2017/18 partners, visit writerstheatre.org/our-supporters.



ABOUT WRITERS THEATRE
For 25 years, Writers Theatre has captivated Chicagoland audiences with inventive interpretations of classic work, a bold approach to contemporary theatre and a dedication to creating the most intimate theatrical experience possible.

Under the artistic leadership of Michael Halberstam and the executive leadership of Kathryn M. Lipuma, Writers Theatre has grown to become a major Chicagoland cultural destination with a national reputation for excellence, being called “America’s No. 1 theatre company” by The Wall Street Journal. The company, which plays to a sold-out and discerning audience of more than 60,000 patrons each season, has garnered critical praise for the consistent high quality and intimacy of its artistry—providing the finest interpretations of both classic and contemporary theatre in its two intensely intimate venues. 

In February 2016, Writers Theatre opened a new, state-of-the-art facility. This established the company's first permanent home—a new theatre center in downtown Glencoe, designed by the award-winning, internationally renowned Studio Gang Architects, led by Founder and Design Principal Jeanne Gang, FAIA, in collaboration with Theatre Consultant Auerbach Pollock Friedlander. The new facility has allowed the Theatre to continue to grow to accommodate its audience, while maintaining its trademark intimacy. The new facility resonates with and complements the Theatre’s neighboring Glencoe community, adding tremendous value to Chicagoland and helping to establish the North Shore as a premier cultural destination.

Find Writers Theatre on Facebook at Facebook.com/WritersTheatre or follow @WritersTheatre on Twitter. For more information, visit www.writerstheatre.org.


Dates: First performance: Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Press opening: Wednesday, February 14, 2018 at 7:30pm
Closing performance: March 18, 2018

Schedule:                         
Tuesdays – Fridays: 7:30pm
(with select 3:00pm Wednesday matinees)
Saturdays: 3:00pm and 7:30pm
Sundays: 2:00pm and 6:00pm

Location:                           
The Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre
325 Tudor Court, Glencoe
             
Prices:                             
Prices for all performances range from $35 - $80
Purchase early for best prices                                 
             
Box Office: 
The Box Office is located at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe;
847-242-6000; www.writerstheatre.org

OPENING: World Premiere 1960's “Southern Gothic” Immersive Theatrical Production Begins Open Run at Windy City Playhouse

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

IMMERSIVE THEATER COMES TO WINDY CITY PLAYHOUSE WITH THE WORLD-PREMIERE PRODUCTION OF “SOUTHERN GOTHIC” BY LESLIE LIAUTAUD

Directed by David. H. Bell and Featuring an All-Chicago Cast, “Southern Gothic” Begins Performances February 7

Windy City Playhouse is already on our short list for top favorite Chicago storefront theaters and we're beyond excited for their latest production. “Southern Gothic” is their first attempt at an immersive theatrical production and a world premiere too. Due to the small audience size, they're hosting press over a span of the first few weeks of the run, and we're slated to review “Southern Gothic” on February 28th. Back in the day, I was cast in a long  running series of immersive 1920's murder mysteries, so I have an affinity for the style, and can't wait to catch this!

Windy City Playhouse announces an expansion in programming with a world-premiere immersive theatrical production, “Southern Gothic,” premiering February 7, 2017 in an open-ended engagement. Written by Leslie Liautaud and directed by David H. Bell, “Southern Gothic” gives audiences the opportunity to be a “fly on the wall” at a cocktail party in Ashford, Georgia in the 1960s where four couples gather together to celebrate a birthday. As the evening progresses, tensions rise and longtime relationships are tested as they soon realize that even the best of friends keep the darkest of secrets. Due to the intimate nature of the show, audience size for each performance is limited to 25 patrons, giving audiences freedom roam every room of the home at will, exploring various spaces and eavesdropping on clandestine conversations, providing each audience member their own unique perspective on the evenings proceedings.

Tickets for “Southern Gothic” ($65 - $85) are now on sale and will be released on a rolling basis. To purchase, visit the Windy City Playhouse Box Office online or call the Box Office at (773) 891-8985. Windy City Playhouse is located at 3014 W. Irving Park Road. 

Unlike some immersive theater experiences, “Southern Gothic” is plot-driven, with each audience member experiencing various aspects of the party, yet still taking in the arc of the story line. The cast of “Southern Gothic” will not interact with the audience, leaving patrons free to watch the scenes happening around them like an invisible guest, traveling from room to room and sampling period-appropriate cocktails and canapes throughout the duration of the performance.

“Since the Playhouse’s debut in 2015, our goal has been to re-imagine the theater-going experience, always looking for ways to break down barriers between the audience and the performers. Immersive theater is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time, since it seems like such a natural extension of that mission,” noted Artistic Director and “Southern Gothic” Co-Creator Amy Rubenstein. “Immersive theater is just one way we are trying to deconstruct the formality of being at the theater, but it’s not our only tactic. Later in 2018 and beyond, you’ll see more of the plays you’ve come to know and love, always presented with the signature Playhouse twist.”

Following “Southern Gothic,” Windy City Playhouse transitions to a school-year aligned 2018-2019 season, which will run from September through June. The complete 2018 – 2019 season will be announced in the spring of 2018.

Four couples—who have known each other for decades—come together to celebrate Suzanne Wellington’s 40th birthday and as the evening progresses, celebration leads to disaster as relationships are heavily tested. The cast of “Southern Gothic” includes Brianna Borger as Suzanne Wellington, Paul Fagen as Jackson Wellington, Sarah Grant as Ellie Coutier, Brian McCaskill as Charles Lyon, Michael McKeogh as Tucker Alsworth, Mickey O’Sullivan as Beau Courtier, Christine Mayland Perkins as Lauren Lyon and Ariel Richardson as Cassie Smith. The creative team for “Southern Gothic” includes Carl Menninger (Dramaturg and Co-Creator), Amy Rubenstein (Co-Creator), Scott Davis (Scenic Design), Elsa Hiltner (Costume Design), Jeffrey Levin (Sound Design) and Logan Boyd Jones (Production Stage Manager).

The performance schedule for “Southern Gothic” is as follows: Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.  For a detailed performance schedule visit Windy City Playhouse’s Events Calendar. Capacity for each performance is limited; prices and showtimes are subject to change.

About the Artists in “Southern Gothic”

David H. Bell (Director) returns to Windy City Playhouse after directing last season’s Jeff Award-nominated “The Explorer’s Club.” He is a professor and Director of the Music Theatre Certificate program and Artistic Director of the American Music Theatre Project at Northwestern University. Bell has worked all over the world as a director, choreographer, and author. His work has received 44 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations, for which he has won 11; the Dramalogue Award (L.A.); the Helen Hayes Award (Washington, D.C.); five Carbonall Award nominations (Florida); a Laurence Olivier Award Nomination (London); seven Atlanta Journal and Constitution Awards; the Atlanta Circle of Dramatic Critics Award; and three National Endowment writing grants. He has served as Artistic Director for the historic Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and as Associate Artistic Director for Atlanta’s Tony Award-winning Alliance Theatre. He has had more than 40 new plays and musicals produced internationally, including the Laurence Olivier-nominated musical “Hot Mikado.” Recently, he collaborated with Northwestern University and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in presenting “Atlantic,” a pair of new musicals at the Edinburgh Festival last summer. He has collaborated on world premiere musicals with Craig Carnelia, Cy Coleman, Russell Baker, Jimmy Buffett, Herman Wouk, David Crane and Marta Kauffman, Bob Gaudio, Henry Marsh, Barry Mason, Jim Stafford, Eddie Seago, and Mike Leander, among many others. He directed and coauthored “Knute Rockne: All-American” at The Theatre at the Center. His adaptation of “The Boys From Syracuse,” for which he was nominated for three Jefferson Awards, played at the Drury Lane Oakbrook. He directed his musical “The Bowery Boys” at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire and directed and choreographed “Once On This Island” at Marriott and “Hot Mikado” at Drury Lane. In summer 2011, Bell directed his own “Fanny Brice” musical at Florida’s Asolo Rep Theatre; wrote a program of musicals to accompany the AIDS Memorial Quilt to Washington D.C.; directed “Hamlet” at Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival and a World Premiere of “Hero” at the Marriott Theatre and Asolo Repertory Theatre; and wrote “The Rules of Love” in Istanbul with Turkish rock stars Sertab Erener and Demir Demirkan. Bell opened “Shakin’ the Rafter”s for Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre in Atlanta; directed “South Pacific,” “9 To 5,” “Cabaret,” and “On the Town” for the Marriott Lincolnshire; and directed “The Comedy of Errors,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Pericles” for Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. For Northwestern University’s Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts, Bell has directed “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and six Waa-Mu Shows: “Another Way West,” “Beyond Belief, What’s Next?,” “Off The Map,” “Flying Home” and “Gold.” He is currently writing and directing “The Museum of Broken Relationships” with composer Daniel Green.

Leslie Liautaud (Playwright) has worked for more than 30 years in professional theater as actor, director, choreographer and playwright. She is the author of “Midnight Waltzes” (2006), “He is Us” (2008), “The Wreck” (2009), “Saligia” (2011) and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Millennial Edition” (2012). Her screenplays/webisodes include “Taj Mahal” (2006), “Web” (2010) and “Jimmy John’s/Whateverhollywood” (2010) parody web series. Liataud directed her one-act play, “The Mansion” (2010) and Tennessee William’s play “The Chalky White Substance” (2011) for the “Tennessee at 100” series in Champaign, IL. She wrote “Spectacle Lunatique” for Redmoon Theatre in Chicago in 2012. Liautaud’s plays have been produced throughout the Midwest and her plays “Midnight Waltzes” and “The Wreck” received translations for the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent where they are used as classroom curriculum and are archived at the Opendoek Library in Antwerp. She has performed and choreographed for various theatres and organizations such as Ibsen Theatre, Exposure Inc., Liberty Symphony Orchestra, Worlds of Fun and Westport Ballet Company. Liautaud co-founded the “People in Motion” high school youth performance program (1995) in Kansas City, MO. She is the author of the coming-of- age novel, “Black Bear Lake,” the psychological thriller, “Butterfly Pinned” and is currently writing her third novel.

Carl Menninger (Dramaturg and Co-Creator) has lived and worked in Chicago for many years and directed the 2016 production of “This” at Windy City Playhouse. Currently, he serves as an Artistic Associate to the Playhouse and is an Assistant Professor of Theatre at American University, in Washington, D.C., where he ran the Theatre and Musical Theatre programs for eight years. While in Chicago, Menninger worked with Victory Gardens and Chicago Dramatists. In addition to working at D.C.’s Studio Theatre and Adventure Theatre, his play “Everything But You: A Modern Romance” received a staged reading at the Keegan Theatre in D.C. His play “Dysfunction Spelled Backward Is Family” was also presented in D.C., and he is currently working on a play about the silent film stars Ramon Novarro and Billy Haines. Menninger is the author of “Minding the Edge: Strategies for a Fulfilling, Successful Career as an Actor.”

Amy Rubenstein (Co-Creator) is originally from Chicago and graduated from Brandeis University’s Department of Theater, Magna Cum Laude. Upon graduation, she worked as an actress in Chicago, Los Angeles, and regional markets, earning her Actors Equity Association membership at the Human Race Theater Company in Dayton, Ohio. She has been working in real estate for the past thirteen years specializing in development, adaptive reuse and financial and legal structuring of assets. Rubenstein was thrilled to have the opportunity to combine her business and artistic skills together to form Windy City Playhouse, which has produced ten shows in three seasons, six of which were Jeff Recommended. This fall, Rubenstein appears as Suzanna in “Becky Shaw.”

Brianna Borger (Suzanne Wellington) makes her Windy City Playhouse debut. Her Chicagoland credits include “Parade” and “A Little Night Music” (Writers Theatre); “The King & I” (Jeff Award Nomination - Best Actress) and “Into the Woods” (Porchlight Music Theatre); “The Christmas Schooner” and “The Bardy Bunch” (Mercury Theatre); “Billy Elliot” and “Bye Bye Birdie” (Drury Lane); “The Three Musketeers” (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); “Evita” (Marriott Theatre); “The American Girl Revue” (American Girl Place); and “The Secret Garden” (Light Opera Works). Borger’s regional credits include “The Full Monty” (Peninsula Players); “Always... Patsy Cline” and “Nunsense” (The Armory); “Beauty and the Beast” (Northern Stage); and “Assassins” and “Love's Labour’s Lost” (Alaska Shakespeare Festival). Borger’s touring credits include “The King & I” (Broadway Asia).

Paul Fagen (Jackson Wellington) makes his Windy City Playhouse debut. Chicago credits include “The Temperamentals” (About Face Theatre); “Feathers and Teeth” (u/s, Goodman Theatre); “Since, I Suppose” (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); “Fun Home” (u/s, Victory Gardens); “The Metal Children” (Next Theatre); “The Language Archive” (Piven Theatre Workshop); “Company” and “The Burnt Part Boys” (Griffin Theatre); “The Attempters” and “The Nutcracker” (The House Theatre of Chicago); “Late Company” (Cor Theatre); “Bright Room Called Day” and “The Crucible” (Speaking Ring Theater) and multiple performances at Quest Theatre Ensemble. Fagen has also been a proud member of Strawdog Theatre Company since his 2009 performance in “Red Noses.” Other Strawdog credits include “Quiz Show,” “Once In A Lifetime,” “The Good Soul of Szechuan,” “Petrified Forest,” “Big Love,” and “The Duchess of Malfi.” In 2008, Fagen received a CAAP grant from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs which he used to study in New York under Ruth Maleczech, founder of Mabou Mines. Film credits include the indie short “Making the Bed” and Stephen Cone’s “Princess Cyd.” Television credits include “Chicago Fire” (NBC).

Sarah Grant (Ellie Coutier) makes her Windy City Playhouse debut. Chicago credits include “The Upstairs Concierge” (Goodman Theatre, understudy): “A Very Merry Madrigal” (Theo Ubique); “Sleeping Beauty” and “Godspell” (Provision); “Hamlet is Dead: No Gravity” and “Hedda Gabbler” (Red Tape); and “Death and Harry Houdini” (House Theatre, understudy). Her regional credits include “The Dos and Don’ts of Time Travel” (Phoenix Theatre). She is an ensemble member at Red Tape Theatre and holds a master’s degree in the humanities from the University of Chicago.

Brian McCaskill (Charles Lyon) previously appeared at Windy City Playhouse in “Chapter Two.” Other theatrical credits include Court Theatre, Lyric Opera, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Shattered Globe Theatre, TimeLine Theatre, and Raven Theatre. He has received one Jeff Award, four Jeff Award nominations, and two After Dark Awards for his theatrical work. Film and television credits include “Chicago P.D.” (NBC); “Crisis” (NBC); “Prison Break” (FOX); and numerous commercials.

Michael McKeogh (Tucker Alsworth) makes his Windy City Playhouse debut. Other Chicago credits include “The Skin of Our Teeth” (Remy Bumpo); “A Wrinkle in Time” and “The Killer Angels” (Lifeline Theatre); “Pocatello” (Griffin Theatre); “The White Road” (Irish Theatre of Chicago); “Hamlet” (Oak Park Festival Theatre); “Concerning Strange Devices From The Distant West” (TimeLine Theatre); and “Freshly Fallen Snow” (Chicago Dramatists). In 2014, he co-hosted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s holiday show “Welcome Yule!” Other regional credits include “The 20th Century Way” (The Know Theatre, Cincinnati) and “The Importance of Being Earnest” (Play Phare Theatre, NYC).

Mickey O’Sullivan (Beau Courtier) makes his Windy City Playhouse debut. Chicago credits include “Chad Deity” (Red Theatre); “Dying City” (The Comrades); “D.O.A.” (Strawdog); “No Beast So Fierce” (Oracle); “Hair,” “The Royale,” “Humans,” “Mercy Strain” and “Javeneeh” (American Theatre Company); “Miracles in the Fall” (Pet); “3 Soldiers 4 Sisters” (Rtc); and

“Henry Moore is Melting” (Cold Basement). O’Sullivan is currently recurring on “The Chi” (Showtime), appeared recently on “Chicago PD” (NBC) and “APB” (Fox) and on the indie festival circuit in numerous films, and just wrapped on Rupert Wyatt's sci-fi thriller “Captive State.”

Christine Mayland Perkins (Lauren Lyon) makes her Windy City Playhouse debut. She was most recently seen as the Scarecrow in “The Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz” at the House Theatre, where she is a company member. House Theatre credits include: “Revel,” “Rose and the Time,” “Ploughed Under,” “Nutcracker” (‘12 and ‘13), and “Kitty Hawk.” Other Chicago credits include “Psychonaut Librarians” (New Colony); “Titanic: The Musical” (Griffin Theatre); “Pirates of Penzance” and “Princess and the Pea” (Marriott Lincolnshire); “Mill Girls” (Etopia); and “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” (Open Door Rep, Light Opera Works, and American Music Theatre Projects). She is a graduate of Northwestern University.

Ariel Richardson (Cassie Smith) makes her Windy City Playhouse debut. Richardson received her BFA-Acting from Oklahoma City University. Her recent credits include “An Octoroon” (Definition Theatre); “Twelfth Night” (Montana Shakespeare); and “Shaken” (Route 66 Theatre). Richardson currently plays Terry on Showtime's “The Chi.”

About Windy City Playhouse

Windy City Playhouse, Chicago's most sophisticated not-for- profit Equity theater, aims to expand beyond the traditional theatergoing experience by offering audience members a night of high-quality entertainment with a welcoming full-service bar in a lounge-like atmosphere with a fireplace and luxurious seating designed to foster pre and post-performance conversations.  Windy City Playhouse commits itself to audience-first programming and to presenting contemporary, diverse and humorous plays. Every aspect of the theater—the bar, décor and overall atmosphere—breaks down the formality and rigidity of the typical theater going experience. Lauded by audiences and critics alike, Windy City Playhouse promises to rock Chicago's theater scene.

For more information, visit WindyCityPlayhouse.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  

REVIEW: Women Steal The Show In Goodman's Reagan Era Political Drama Blind Date

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

BLIND DATE 

DIRECTED BY ROBERT FALLS

Review:

The scene opens on a utilitarian, blandly bureaucratic looking building with curved walls that opens to reveal worlds within worlds. This clever bit of set design is transformed by creative lighting into gorgeous interior and exterior spaces in The Whitehouse, Russia, and neutral ground. 

In a similar vein, the bland external trappings of past political talks between Ronald Reagan (Rob Riley) and Mikhail Gorbachev (William Dick) are revealed on stage with a compelling mix of fact and creative license. Expect a psychologist's treasure trove of nonverbal communication and power plays, and a Book of Mormon worthy dose of Hollywood pop culture wisdom reframed as life lessons.

My favorite characters were the wives, who come across as the true power players behind their infamous husbands. 






At least in this production, these two brilliant and scheming women, Nancy Reagan (Deanna Dunagan) and Raisa Gorbachev (Mary Beth Fisher ) call the shots on their ruling class husbands’ arrival times, dress, and nonverbal negotiations. I find it quite plausible that this was the power dynamic for these two couples in real life as well. 



Deanna Dunagan in particular, channels Nancy Reagan in a way that's eerily accurate.

Don't miss this fascinating foray into the drama of politics and the politics of drama. Recommended. Now playing on the main stage at Goodman Theatre through February 25th, 2018.

***TWO OF HISTORY’S ODDEST COUPLES GO HEAD-TO-HEAD IN ROGELIO MARTINEZ’S ORIGINAL WORK, FEATURING ROB RILEY AS FORMER US PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN AND WILLIAM DICK AS MIKHAIL GORBACHEV, PLUS DEANNA DUNAGAN AS NANCY REAGAN AND MARY BETH FISHER AS RAISA GORBACHEV AND MORE***

Blind Date is a participating production in Chicago Theatre Week (February 8-18); use promo code CTW18 

for specially discounted tickets. 

Approximate running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes 

including one intermission. 

Blind Date, Rogelio Martinez’s slyly comic, behind-the-scenes glimpse of two of the most powerful world leaders—Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev—directed by Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Robert Falls. Martinez, “a fresh and funny talent” (Backstage) who “finds new twists on old topics” (Variety), continues his multi-play exploration of the Cold War Era with this Goodman world premiere, which features as characters some of the figures who shaped the political landscapes of the 1980s and beyond. In an era before Twitter, Tinder and 24/7 news, Ronald Reagan (Rob Riley) and Mikhail Gorbachev (William Dick) seek to thaw the seemingly intractable tension between the United States and Soviet Russia. Despite their advisors’ best efforts to keep them on track, a crafty game of one-upmanship ensues, as the world’s two most powerful leaders eschew conventional protocols to discuss pop culture and old movies—while Nancy Reagan (Deanna Dunagan) and Raisa Gorbachev (Mary Beth Fisher ) mirror their husbands’ negotiations in a passive-aggressive tango over tea and fashion choices. 


Following Blind Date, Falls will direct a new production of Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People (March 10 – April 15, 2018) at the Goodman, and also remount his Lyric Opera of Chicago production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni for the Dallas Opera (April 2018). Most recently, Falls directed the world premiere of Jim McGrath’s Pamplona, starring Stacy Keach as Ernest Hemingway, and a new production of Annie Baker’s adaptation of Uncle Vanya at the Goodman.

Blind Date appears through February 25, 2018. Tickets ($20 - $75; subject to change) are available at GoodmanTheatre.org/BlindDate, by phone at 312.443.3800 or at the box office (170 N. Dearborn). 

JPMorgan Chase is the Major Corporate Sponsor, Goodman Theatre Women’s Board is the Major Production Sponsor and the Chicago Tribune is the Media Partner. Blind Date earned a New Play Award by the Edgerton Foundation. Time Warner is the Lead Supporter of New Play Development for the 2017/2018 season.



“My interest in the Cold War is, in some ways, my desire to understand who I was before arriving here, and who I became after,” said playwright Rogelio Martinez, who grew up in Cuba not long after the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and conducted countless hours of research to develop this production. “This is not speculative fiction, not a ‘what if’ story, the events in the play did occur, but maybe not exactly in the same way as they occur on stage. It’s my job to present a set of characters and let audiences arrive at a conclusion of their own. I hope audiences will leave the theater with some hope and not just hope but agency—they as individuals can do something about today’s problems.”



After receiving an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation New Science and Technology Initiative Grant, Martinez wrote When Tang Met Laika, a post-Cold War space exploration play that was subsequently produced by the Denver Center. This inspired him to bring the Cold War itself on stage in a three-play cycle about the time period—Ping Pong, the first play in the trilogy, is about U.S.-China relations during the Nixon administration and was presented at The Public Theater. The second play, Born in East Berlin, tackled the impact a Bruce Springsteen concert had on East Germans just prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The play was workshopped at the Atlantic Theater Company and has since been translated into both Hungarian and Romanian. The Goodman production marks the conclusion of the trilogy.

Falls’ cast also features Jim Ortlieb as former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz; Steve Pickering as former Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Soviet Union Eduard Shevardnadze; and Thomas J. Cox as Reagan biographer Edmund Morris. The ensemble includes Torrey Hanson, Gregory Linington and Michael Milligan and extras David Besky, McKinley Carter, Chris Daley, James D. Farruggio Sam Krey, Joe Lino, Guy Massey, Nathan Simpson, Craig Spidle and Emilio Tirri, who round out the cast as Soviet Citizens, KGB Officers, Politburo Members, White House Staff, Secret Service, American Military Officers, Journalists and others. The Creative Team includes Riccardo Hernandez (Set Designer), Amy Clark (Costume Designer), Aaron Spivey (Lighting Designer) and Richard Woodbury (Sound Designer).



TICKETS, DISCOUNTS AND SPECIAL EVENTS
Tickets ($20-$75) – GoodmanTheatre.org/BlindDate ; 312.443.3800; Fax: 312.443.3825; TTY/TDD: 312.443.3829
Box Office Hours –12noon - 5pm; on performance days, the box office remains open until 30 minutes past curtain
MezzTix – Half-price day-of-performance mezzanine tickets available at 10am online (promo code MEZZTIX) 
$10Tix – Student $10 day-of-performance tickets; limit four, with valid student ID (promo code 10TIX)
Group Sales are available for parties 10+; 312.443.3820
Gift Certificates – Available in any amount; GoodmanTheatre.org/GiftCertificates



Blind Date is a participating production in Chicago Theatre Week (February 8-18); use promo code CTW18 for specially discounted tickets. Theatre Week is coordinated through the League of Chicago Theaters and offers discounted tickets to 100 different productions throughout Chicago in one week. Visit ChicagoTheatreWeek.com for more information.

ICONS & ARTISTS – January 28 at 2pm | The Alice Center for Education and Engagement at Goodman Theatre
Tickets are $35 and includes a 2pm performance, reception, followed by an in-depth conversation with the playwright Rogelio Martinez and director Robert Falls about the production.

THE HALF-LIFE OF LEADERS – February 11 at 4:45pm | The Alice Center for Education and Engagement at Goodman Theatre
Join the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists and Goodman Theatre artists for a post-show discussion about the production and the divide between nuclear research and the leaders who decide foreign policy.

Audiences can save more with Goodman Theatre’s new MEMBERSHIP initiative. Audiences choose from three levels to suit their preferences, including  Classic, 6-play, 4-play or 2-play packages; Choice, a personalized package that can include both Owen and Albert productions; and Whenever—the ultimate flexible package, to be used at any time during the season. All Goodman members receive unlimited ticket exchanges, discounted parking, 15% savings at the Goodman bar and gift shop, restaurant discounts and more. To purchase a Membership visit GoodmanTheatre.org or call the Box Office at 312.443.3800.



ACCESSIBILITY AT THE GOODMAN
Touch Tour,  February 17 at 2pm – A presentation detailing the set, costume and character elements
Audio Described Performance, February 17 at 2pm – The action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset
ASL Interpreted Performance, February 21 at 7:30pm – Professional ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played 
Open Captioned Performance,  February 24 at 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.

ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE
AMERICA’S “BEST REGIONAL THEATRE” (Time magazine), Goodman Theatre is a premier not-for-profit organization distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and civic engagement. Led by Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, the theater’s artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics (celebrated revivals include Falls’ productions of Death of a Salesman and The Iceman Cometh). Goodman Theatre artists and productions have earned two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards, over 160 Jeff Awards and many more accolades. In addition, the Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle” and its annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this season, has created a new generation of theatergoers. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production partner with local off-Loop theaters and national and international companies by providing financial support or physical space for a variety of artistic endeavors.

Committed to three core values of Quality, Diversity and Community, the Goodman proactively makes inclusion the fabric of the institution and develops education and community engagement programs that support arts as education. This practice uses the process of artistic creation to inspire and empower youth, lifelong learners and audiences to find and/or enhance their voices, stories and abilities. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of such programming, most offered free of charge, and has vastly expanded the theater’s ability to touch the lives of Chicagoland citizens (with 85% of youth participants coming from underserved communities) since its 2016 opening.

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 also 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. David W. Fox, Jr. 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.

REVIEW: Skeleton Crew Skewers As Impressive Detroit Cycle Conclusion

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Northlight Theatre continues its 2017-18 season with

Skeleton Crew

Written by Dominique Morisseau

Directed by Ron OJ Parson

Featuring Bernard Gilbert, Kelvin Roston Jr., AnJi White and Jacqueline Williams

Skeleton Crew Photo credit: Charles Osgood Photography

Review:

Here at ChiIL Live Shows it's been a great pleasure to catch all 3 plays in Dominique Morisseau's acclaimed trilogy, directed by Ron OJ Parson. The concluding show, Skeleton Crew, did not disappoint. I was particularly struck by the amazing set design, sound design, and lighting that effectively evoke both the relentless, rhythmic cacophony of a Detroit auto stamping plant, and the desolate refuge of the break room, of a dying industry and it's desperate workers. The production is poignant, powerful and incredibly well cast. Jacqueline Williams (Faye) is a particular standout, well supported by Bernard Gilbert (Dez), Kelvin Roston Jr. (Reggie), and AnJi White (Shanita).

This is a rare glimpse into the struggle for survival so many blue collar workers face. With insufficient healthcare and precarious job security, most of these hardworking Americans are just a paycheck or less away from homelessness. The large and small indignities, acts of kindness, addictions, small comforts, and dynamics between coworkers evoke a rollercoaster of emotions, as we're privy to the lives of a scrappy, homeless cancer survivor, a pregnant single mom, an aspiring businessman, and their boss who is caught between management and his past, struggling to do right by everyone. 







Skeleton crew humanizes the unseen lives behind the ubiquitous cars we're surrounded by on a daily basis. Morisseau effectively skewers the sometimes heartless corporations that give and take livelihoods, and worship the bottom line, despite human casualties. Highly recommended. 

Through March 3, 2018

Skeleton Crew is part of a 3-part cycle of plays by Dominique Morisseau set in Detroit Previously, Detroit ‘67 was produced at Northlight and Paradise Blue was produced locally at TimeLine. Ron OJ Parson directed all of them.

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, continues its 2017-18 season with Skeleton Crew, written by Dominique Morisseau and directed by Ron OJ Parson. Skeleton Crew runs January 25 – March 3, 2018 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. 

At the start of the Great Recession, rumors of impending closure surround one of the last auto plants in Detroit. The nation’s financial crisis gets personal as each of the workers confronts the life-altering choices they must make if their plant goes under, while the supervisor is torn between allegiances to his makeshift family of co-workers and management’s “cost-saving” demands. When pushed to the limits of survival, how far over the lines are people willing to cross?

Playwright Dominique Morisseau was one of the Top 20 Most Produced Playwrights in America in 2015–16, with ten productions of her plays being produced. She is a two-time award winner of the NAACP Image Award, which celebrates the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts, as well as those individuals or groups who promote social justice through their creative endeavors.

The third play in Dominique Morisseau’s Detroit trilogy, Skeleton Crew was named one of Time Magazine’s 10 Best Shows of the Year. BJ Jones comments, “Several years ago Northlight introduced playwright Dominique Morisseau to Chicago with Detroit '67, the first installment of her Detroit trilogy. Paradise Blue was produced at Timeline Theatre in 2017, and Skeleton Crew completes the trio. 

Her triptych spans decades of a sociopolitical evolution in her home city. With Skeleton Crew, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Morisseau looks at life on the assembly line—which feels like a conveyor belt to oblivion. Set in 2008, the diminishing workers are in a race to stay ahead of the collapsing economy, fighting for their financial lives. While much of the country has their eyes set on Wall Street, more concerned with their portfolios than their neighbors, the working majority don’t own stock and struggle to pay the rent. Dominique re-focuses our gaze on the majority, whose hourly wage becomes more precious by the day.” 

The cast of Skeleton Crew includes Bernard Gilbert (Dez), Kelvin Roston Jr. (Reggie), Jacqueline Williams (Faye) and AnJi White (Shanita).

The creative team includes Scott Davis (Scenic Design), Samantha C. Jones (Costume Design), Keith Parham (Lighting Design), and Ray Nardelli (Sound Design). The production stage manager is Rita Vreeland.

Northlight’s production of Skeleton Crew is supported in part by The Chicago Community Trust, National Endowment for the Arts, The Pauls Foundation, Carol and Steve Mullins, Bill and Eleanor Revelle, Hagerty Consulting, and Alan Zunamon and Nancy Cunniff.



ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Dominique Morisseau (Playwright) is the author of The Detroit Project (A 3-Play Cycle) which includes the following plays: Skeleton Crew (Atlantic Theater Company), Paradise Blue (Signature Theatre), and Detroit ’67 (Public Theater, Classical Theatre of Harlem and NBT). Additional plays include: Pipeline (Lincoln Center Theatre), Sunset Baby (LAByrinth Theatre); Blood at the Root (National Black Theatre) and Follow Me To Nellie’s (Premiere Stages). She is also the book writer on the new musical Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations (Berkeley Repertory Theatre). Dominique is alumna of The Public Theater Emerging Writer’s Group, Women’s Project Lab, and Lark Playwrights Workshop and has developed work at Sundance Lab and Eugene O’Neil Playwrights Conference. Her work has been commissioned by the Hip Hop Theater Festival, Steppenwolf Theater Company, Women’s Project, South Coast Rep, People’s Light and Theatre, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival/Penumbra Theatre. She recently served as Co‐Producer on the Showtime series “Shameless.” Awards include: Stavis Playwriting Award, NAACP Image Award, Spirit of Detroit Award, Weissberger Award, PoNY Fellowship, Sky-­‐Cooper New American Play Prize, TEER Spirit Trailblazer Award, Steinberg Playwright Award, Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama (Detroit ’67), Audelco and OBIE Award (Skeleton Crew).

Ron OJ Parson (Director) is a native of Buffalo, New York and is a graduate of the The University of Michigan’s professional theatre program. He is a resident artist at Court and former co-founder and artistic director of The Onyx Theatre Ensemble. Chicago credits include Court, Timeline (Company Member), Victory Gardens, Northlight, Teatro Vista (Associate Artist), Goodman, Black Ensemble, ETA, Congo Square, Chicago Dramatist, Urban Theatre Company, Steppenwolf, Chicago Theatre Company, City Lit, and Windy City Playhouse. Regional credits include Virginia Stage Company, Portland Stage, Studio Theatre, Studio Arena Theatre, Roundabout, Mechanic Theatre, Center Stage Baltimore, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Milwaukee Rep, St. Louis Black Rep, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, Geva Theatre, Signature Theatre (New York), Alliance Theatre, South Coast Rep, Kansas City Rep, and Pasadena Playhouse. Ron has also directed at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Recent directing credits include Apt. 3A, East Texas Hot Links, Paradise Blue, Blues For An Alabama Sky, 5 Guys Named Moe, and Fences. Ron is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, AEA, and SDC.

Bernard Gilbert (Dez) makes his Northlight debut. His other theatre credits include The Royale (The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis; and City Theatre, Pittsburgh), the world premiere of Man in the Ring (Court), Letters Home (Griffin Theatre), and Our Lady of 121st Street (Eclipse Theatre). Bernard is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul.


Kelvin Roston, Jr. previously appeared at Northlight in Morisseau’s Detroit ’67. He most recently appeared in the acclaimed production of Five Guys Named Moe at Court Theatre. 

Kelvin Roston Jr. (Reggie) returns to Northlight where he was last seen as Sly in Dominique Morisseau’s Detroit ’67.  Kelvin most recently played Four-eyed Moe in Court’s Five Guys Named Moe. Chicago credits: Congo Square, Court, Paramount, Marriott, Goodman, ITC, Eta, Writers, Black Ensemble, Timeline, Northlight, and Steppenwolf. Regional: The Black Rep, Fulton, New Theatre Restaurant, MSMT, and Baltimore Center Stage. International: Orb, Festival Hall. TV: Chicago Med, Chicago PD, KFC, and Instant Care.  Film: Get a Job, Princess Cyd, and Breathing Room. He is a 4-time Jeff Award nominee, Jeff winner (Best Ensemble, East Texas Hotlinks, Writers), 3-time BTA Award winner, and 2-time Black Excellence Award winner. He wrote and performed the play Twisted Melodies for which he won the Light in the Darkness Public Education Award from NAMI. Kelvin is an Artistic Associate of Congo Square, a proud member of AEA, and represented by Paonessa Talent.

AnJi White (Shanita) makes her Northlight debut. Chicago credits include Monticello (Aurora Works Theatre); Great & Terrible Wizard of Oz (House); The Last Wife, Sunset Baby (Timeline); The Project(s), Rent (ATC); Fabulation, or the Re-education of Undine (Pulse Theatre); Forgotten Future Remount (Collaboraction Theatre); Mud, River, Stone (Eclipse Theatre); Ithaka (Infusion Theatre) and Soul Samarai (Infusion Theatre). TV & Film credits: Chicago PD, Empire, Home for the Weekend (Pilot), and Hope Springs Eternal. Represented by Paonessa Talent, AnJi has received 3 BTAA nominations, 1 Jeff nomination and received the BTAA for Best Actress for Timeline’s Sunset Baby. 

Jacqueline Williams recently returned from Los Angeles where she reprised her role of Mae, opposite Phylicia Rashad, in Academy Award winner Tarell McCraney’s Head of Passes at Mark Taper Forum.

Jacqueline Williams (Faye) returns to Northlight after reprising her role of Mae in Academy Award winner Tarell McCraney’s Head of Passes at Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles opposite Phylicia Rashad. Northlight appearances include The Miser, Gees Bend, and Po’ Boy Tango. Broadway: Young Man From Atlanta. Off Broadway: From The Mississippi Delta (Oprah Winfrey co-produced), Talented Tenth, Mill Fire. Select Chicago credits include The Christians, Airline Highway, Head of Passes, Brother/Sister Plays (Steppenwolf); Man in the Ring, Gem of the Ocean, Fences, Caroline, or Change (Court); The House That Will Not Stand, A Wonder In My Soul (Victory Gardens); Pullman Porter Blues, stop.reset, Camino Real, Trinity River Plays and many more (Goodman). She has worked extensively regionally including tours with the Johannesbug’s Market Theatre and Crowns. TV/Film: Turks, recurring on Chicago Fire, PD, and Med; Empire, Prison Break, Heartlock, The Break Up, The Lake House. Her many awards/nominations include Jeff, Helen Hayes, BTAA, American Arts Council, Lunt-Fontanne (Shakespeare) Fellow and Excellence in the Arts. 

The Box Office is located at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Boulevard, in Skokie. Box Office hours are Monday-Friday 10:00am-5:00pm, and Saturdays 12:00pm-5:00pm. On performance days, the box office hours are extended through showtime. The Box Office is closed on Sundays, except on performance days when it is open two hours prior to showtime.

Curtain times are: Tuesdays: 7:30pm (January 30 only); Wednesdays: 1:00pm (except February 21) and 7:30pm; Thursdays: 7:30pm; Fridays: 8:00pm; Saturdays: 2:30pm (except January 27) and 8:00pm; and Sundays: 2:30pm and 7:00pm (January 28 and February 25 only).



Northlight is continuing its popular special event series in conjunction with each production. All events are free.

Backstage with BJ: Skeleton Crew
Friday, January 19 at noon
at Northlight Theatre
9501 Skokie Boulevard, Skokie, IL
Backstage with BJ is a mid-day discussion with Artistic Director BJ Jones, featuring special guest artists, actors, directors and designers, offering behind-the-scenes insight into each production while it is still in rehearsal. Backstage with BJ for Skeleton Crew will last approximately one hour. The event is free but reservations are required. Visit https://northlight.org/events/backstage-with-bj/ to reserve your spot.

Inside Look: Skeleton Crew
Tuesday, February 6 at 2:00pm
 
Evanston Public Library
1703 Orrington Avenue, Evanston, IL
Explore the social and historical context of Skeleton Crew through a discussion and Q&A session with artists related to the production.

Community Panel Discussion
Saturday, February 10 at 3:00pm
Curt’s Café
 2922 Central St, Evanston, IL
The play portrays employees on the brink of probable unemployment, facing the pressures of mortgage payments, raising children, and potential homelessness. Northlight's Artistic team will engage with community organizations to discuss the relevance of the play's themes to Chicago's North Shore and what we can do to make a difference. Panelists include: Karen Tollenar Demorest, Executive Director, Youth Job Center; Andi Drileck, Vice President of Workforce Services, National Able Network; and Sue Loelbach, Manager of Advocacy, Connections for the Homeless.

Northlight Theatre aspires to promote change of perspective and encourage compassion by exploring the depth of our humanity across a bold spectrum of theatrical experiences, reflecting our community to the world and the world to our community. 

Now in its 43rd season, the organization has mounted over 200 productions, including nearly 40 world premieres. Northlight has earned 203 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and 34 Awards. As one of the area’s premier theatre companies, Northlight is a regional magnet for critical and professional acclaim, as well as talent of the highest quality. 

Northlight is supported in part by generous contributions from Allstate Insurance; the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Robert & Isabelle Bass Foundation; BMO Harris Bank; Henrietta Lange Burk Fund; The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; The Chicago Community Trust; ComEd, An Exelon Company; The Davee Foundation; Edgerton Foundation for New American Plays Award; Evanston Community Foundation; Full Circle Foundation; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; Kirkland & Ellis Foundation; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Melvoin Award for Playwriting; Modestus Bauer Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; Niles Township; The Offield Family Foundation; The Pauls Foundation; Room & Board; Sanborn Family Foundation; Dr. Scholl Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust; The Sullivan Family Foundation; and Tom Stringer Design Partners.

Dates:
Previews: January 25 – February 1, 2018
Regular run: February 3 – March 3, 2018

Schedule:
Tuesdays: 7:30pm (January 30 only)

Wednesdays: 1:00pm (except February 21) and 7:30pm
Thursdays: 7:30pm 
Fridays: 8:00pm
Saturdays: 2:30pm (except January 27) and 8:00pm
Sundays: 2:30pm and 7:00pm (January 28 and February 25 only)

Location: Northlight Theatre is located at the North Shore
Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd,
Skokie

Tickets: Previews: $30-$57
Regular run: $30-$81
Student tickets are $15, any performance 
(subject to availability)

Box Office:The Box Office is located at 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie.
847.673.6300; northlight.org