Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar: World Premiere of FLIES! THE MUSICAL! Through June 10, 2018

FLIES! THE MUSICAL!

By Cindy O'Connor and Larry Todd Cousineau

Directed by Michael Driscoll

WORLD PREMIERE

 All Photos by Paul Goyette

Through June 10, 2018

The Broadway, Pride Arts Center

4139 N. Broadway

A new musical about an ill-fated high school musical adaptation of LORD OF THE FLIES

In a twisted mash-up of WAITING FOR GUFFMAN and GLEE, FLIES! THE MUSICAL! follows the drama kids from Lovely Valley Performing Arts Magnet High School. The students are left behind in an abandoned forest preserve during a “research” retreat for an unauthorized teacher-written musical production of LORD OF THE FLIES. Gradually, things turn savage in a couple of unsupervised hours as the plot points of the novel begin to come true one by one, in song, until eventually the kids are “rescued” by an astonished park ranger (who happens to love musicals) but it’s much too late for them to go back to who they were before. 

 Missy Wise, Mario Aivazian

FLIES! THE MUSICAL! is an original musical by Chicagoan Larry Todd Cousineau (book and lyrics) and Cindy O’Connor (music).  It was developed in 2016-2017 in a series of readings in Chicago at Uptown Underground and Pride Arts Center. This 2018 production is its world premiere. It's directed by Michael Driscoll, who directed the Jeff nominated productions of CARRIE: THE MUSICAL (Bailiwick Chicago) and BAREFOOT IN THE PARK (Step Up Productions), the Jeff recommended DESPERATE DOLLS (Strawdog Theatre), and many others. Sawyer Smith, whose credits include HEATHERS (Kokandy Productions, Jeff Award winner for Best Choreography) and recently, ALTAR BOYZ (Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre) will choreograph. J.D. Caudill will be music director.

Left: Joey Fontanetta, Right: Ryan Armstrong

The cast includes Mario Aivazian, Ryan Armstrong, Jayla Williams Craig, Joey Fontanetta, Nicky Mendelsohn, Jeff Meyer, Christea Parent, and Missy Wise. The production team will include John Nichols (Sound Designer), Sarah Watkins (Scenic Designer), Paul Kim (Costume Designer), Shelby Arndt (lighting design), Adam McAleavey (Puppet Designer), Jamie Karas (Properties Designer), Michael Starcher (Stage Manager) and Anna Zerwer (Assistant Director).

Tickets are $25 general admission, $20 students and seniors and are on sale now at www.pridefilmsandplays.com or by phone at 866-811-4111 or 773-857-0222.


Through June 10, 2018
Regular performances Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 5:00 pm.
The Broadway, Pride Arts Center
4139 N. Broadway

Jayla Craig and Jeff Meyer

In a twisted mash-up of WAITING FOR GUFFMAN and GLEE, FLIES! THE MUSICAL! follows the drama kids from Lovely Valley Performing Arts Magnet High School. The students are left behind in an abandoned forest preserve during a “research” retreat for an unauthorized teacher-written musical production of LORD OF THE FLIES. Gradually, things turn savage in a couple of unsupervised hours as the plot points of the novel begin to come true one by one, in song.

BIOS
Cindy O’Connor (composer) and Larry Todd Cousineau (bookwriter/lyricist) have a long history together. Their works include 40 IS THE NEW 15, which had a critically-acclaimed run at the NoHo Arts Center in Los Angeles, receiving Best New Musical award from Stagescene LA and a GLAAD Media Award Nomination for Outstanding Los Angeles Theatre. Their musical drama, ALL THAT HE WAS, earned them the Kennedy Center National Playwright's Award and the ACTF Musical Theater Award and is available for license through Samuel French. Several of their songs have been featured in concerts by the Gay Men’s Choruses of Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. O’Connor's music can be heard in ONCE UPON A TIME (ABC), CRASH (Starz), DOLPHIN TALE, and FORGIVING THE FRANKLINS (Sundance). Cousineau’s writing has been featured in animated series including YIN, YANG, YO! (Disney), THE NEW CARE BEARS, and ANGELA ANACONDA. His SONGS FROM MY CLOSET cabaret series is an annual hit at Uptown Underground.

Michael Driscoll directed the Jeff nominated productions of CARRIE: THE MUSICAL (Bailiwick Chicago) and BAREFOOT IN THE PARK (Step Up Productions), the Jeff recommended Desperate Dolls (Strawdog Theatre), PEN: A MUSICAL (Chicago Musical Theatre Festival), BLITHE SPIRIT (GoodLuck Macbeth Theatre Company), UP FOR IT, FOR ANOTHER (American Theater Company), and A PLANK IN REASON (Prologue Theatre). He assistant directed the Jeff Award winning production of THE ORIGINAL GREASE, RENT (American Theater Company), OH COWARD! (Writers’ Theatre), SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE (Bailiwick Chicago/Steppenwolf Garage Rep), DETECTIVE PARTNER HERO VILLAIN (Strawdog Theatre), SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (Porchlight Music Theatre), and THE COMPLETE WORKS… (ABRIDGED) (Illinois Shakespeare Festival). Michael curates “MAP Reading,” a monthly play reading series that asks participants to consider the power and effectiveness of a playwright’s words through the use of non-traditional casting and cold reading. Michael is also dedicated to arts education, working as a teaching artist and program manager in Chicago for over a decade. He has taught, directed, or managed education programs for American Theater Company, Northlight, Stage School, Bailiwick Chicago, StageCoach Theatre Arts School, Stage School, Changing Worlds, and Project AIM at Columbia College Chicago. Michael is an alumnus of the Teaching Artist Development Studio at Columbia College Chicago and the Teaching Artists Development Lab at the Lincoln Center. He is a graduate of Illinois State University where he studied theatre education and directing.



ABOUT PRIDE FILMS AND PLAYS

Pride Films and Plays creates diverse new work (or work that is new to Chicago) with LGBTQ+ characters or themes that is essential viewing for all audiences. We accomplish this mission through fully-staged productions, writing contests and staged readings, and filming one short film each season.

PFP is the primary tenant in the Pride Arts Center (PAC), which connects and promotes other artists who share our values, creating a safe environment for all. PAC books one-night events or limited runs, cabaret, film, dance, comedy, and other events. PAC opened in 2016 and consists of two performance spaces: The Buena at 4147 N. Broadway which has 50 seats and The Broadway at 4139 N. Broadway which has 85 seats.
                                                                                                  
Pride Films and Plays is supported by The MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at The Richard Driehaus Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council, City of Chicago’s City Arts Fund, the Elliott Fredland Charitable Trust, Proud to Run, the AmazonSmile Foundation, Arts and Business Foundation, Tap Root Foundation and Alphawood Foundation. 

PFP is a member of the Smart Growth Program of the Chicago Community Trust. Pride Films and Plays is a member of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois and The League of Chicago Theatres.

For more information, visit www.pridefilmsandplays.com or call 1.800.737.0984 or 1.773.857.0222.

ABOUT PRIDE ARTS CENTER
PRIDE ARTS CENTER has become an important part of the arts environment in the Buena Park neighborhood and beyond. In addition to performances by PFP, (www.pridefilmsandplays.com), PAC hosts monthly events including play readings, film screenings, cabaret nights, and variety shows (PAC the House).

Guest productions are also included in the PAC schedule. Find a full calendar of everything happening at PAC here. http://pridefilmsandplays.com/calendar/

OPENING: WORLD PREMIERE OF BENNETT FISHER’S DAMASCUS at STRAWDOG THEATRE COMPANY Through June 23rd, 2018

STRAWDOG THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES WORLD PREMIERE OF BENNETT FISHER’S 

DAMASCUS, 

MAY 11 – JUNE 23

Cody Estle Directs this New Thriller about Privilege and Paranoia 

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we love to see so many world premieres happening right her in Chi, IL and we're eager to catch Strawdog's latest. I'll be out for  opening night Monday, May 21st, so check back soon for my full review. 

Strawdog Theatre Company is proud to announce the cast and creative team for the final production in the 2017 – 2018 season, Bennett Fisher’s Damascus directed by Cody Estle, May 11 – June 23, at Strawdog Theatre, 1802 W. Berenice Ave. Previews are Friday, May 11 and 18, Saturday, May 12 and 19 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 13 and 20 at 4 p.m. The Board of Directors’ preview, including hosted food and beverage is Saturday, May 19 at 8 p.m. 

The Access Performance, featuring audio description, open captioning and a Touch Tour is Sunday, June 3 at 4 p.m., with Industry Night Monday, June 4 at 8 p.m. Regular run performances are Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. Preview tickets are $18 and regular run tickets are $35-$40. Single tickets go on sale Sunday, April 1 at 10 a.m. and are available at www.strawdog.org. 

Bennet Fisher’s is a claustrophobic thriller about privilege, paranoia and the assumptions we make about one another. This moving play centers on Hassan, a Somali-American airport shuttle driver, in Minneapolis, struggling to make ends meet as more and more of his customers switch to Uber and Lyft. When a stranded teenager at the airport pays Hassan to take him to Chicago, it seems on the surface like it is worth the risk and the fare. 

The Damascus cast includes Strawdog ensemble member Sam Hubbard, “Lloyd;” Eleni Pappageorge, “Diaz/ Whitacker/ Maynard/ Conklin” and Terence Sims, “Hassan.”

The Damascus creative team includes Strawdog ensemble member John Kelly, lighting designer, with guest artists Bennett Fisher, playwright; Cody Estle, director; Eli Newell, assistant director; Olivia Wallace, stage manager; Lauren Brady, assistant stage manager; R&D Choreography (Rick Gilbert and Victor Bayona), violence design; Regina Fields, dramaturg; Jeff Kmiec, set designer; Izumi Inaba, costume designer; Sarah Espinoza, sound designer; Lacie Hexon, props designer; Becca Venable, technical director and Andy Kloubec, master electrician.

ABOUT BENNETT FISHER, PLAYWRIGHT 
Bennett Fisher is an artistic associate and former Shank Fellowship Playwright in Residence at Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago and a company member of Campo Santo, People of Interest, and the Cutting Ball Theater. His plays include Damascus (Samuel Goldwyn Award, O'Neill Conference finalist), Borealis (Alliance/Kendeda Prize finalist), Don't Be Evil, Candlestick, Campo Maldito and the dialogue for the immersive theater experience The Speakeasy, in San Francisco. His work has been presented and produced by the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Strawdog Theater Company, La Jolla Playhouse's WOW Festival, the Alliance Theater, the Kennedy Center MFA Playwrights Workshop, Florida Repertory Theater, the Martin E. Segel Center, Burbage Theater Company, People of Interest, Ubuntu Theater Project, Theater Emory, the Unicorn Theater, Sleepwalkers Theater, New Conservatory, the Cutting Ball Theater, Custom Made Theatre Company, and others. Fisher has been commissioned by The House Theater of Chicago, Theater Emory, Campo Santo and others. His screenplay version of Damascus was optioned by Bill Mechanic and Pandemonium, and he is currently developing work with e1 based on the experience of the former CIA officer-turned-whistleblower John Kiriakou. As an actor, dramaturg and director, he has collaborated with California Shakespeare Theatre, Stanford Summer Theatre, Just Theater, Crowded Fire, Pear Ave Theatre, Adirondack Shakespeare Company, Marin Shakespeare Company and many others. He received his MFA from UC San Diego in 2016.

ABOUT CODY ESTLE, DIRECTOR
Cody Estle is making his Strawdog debut directing Damascus. He is the newly appointed artistic director of Raven Theatre. His directing credits include The Assembled Parties, A Loss of Roses (named by Chicago Tribune honorable mention as one of the Year’s Best in 2016), Dividing the Estate, Vieux Carre (named by Chicago Tribune as one of the Year’s Best in 2014), Good Boys and True, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Boy Gets Girl and Dating Walter Dante at Raven Theatre; Five Mile Lake at Shattered Globe Theatre; By The Water (named by Chicago Sun-Times honorable mention as one of the Top Theatre Productions of 2017) at Northlight Theatre; American Hero at First Floor Theatre; Scarcity at Redtwist Theatre; The Seagull and Watch on the Rhine at The Artistic Home; Don’t Go Gentle at Haven Theatre; Uncle Bob at Mary-Arrchie Theatre and Hospitality Suite at Citadel Theatre. He’s had the pleasure of assistant directing at Steppenwolf Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Marriot Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, Court Theatre, Writers Theatre, Next Theatre and Strawdog Theatre. Estle is an associate member of SDC and a graduate of Columbia College Chicago.



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 is supported in part by The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Alphawood Foundation, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and the annual support of businesses and individuals.

OPENING: Cry It Out Via Northlight Through June 17th, 2018

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Northlight Theatre concludes its 2017-18 season with

Cry It Out

Written by Molly Smith Metzler

Directed by Jessica Fisch

Featuring Laura Lapidus, Gabriel Ruiz, Darci Nalepa,

and Kristina Valada-Viars

May 10 – June 17, 2018

I'll be out for the press opening on May 18th, so check back soon for my full review. Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we've long enjoyed Northlight Theatre's acclaimed productions and new work. There's still a gender gap in the theatre world, so we're elated this show is written and directed by women and deals with an intense and all too common collective experience. We're eager to catch Cry It Out.

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, concludes its 2017-18 season with Cry It Out, written by Molly Smith Metzler and directed by Jessica Fisch.  Cry It Out runs May 10 – June 17, 2018 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie.   

Cooped up on maternity leave and eager for conversation, Jessie invites the funny and forthright Lina for coffee on their neighboring patios. They become fast friends, quickly bonding over their shared “new mom” experience—and arousing the interest of a wealthy neighbor hoping for a similar connection. This insightful comedy takes an honest look at the absurdities of new motherhood, the dilemma of returning to work versus staying at home, and how class impacts parenthood and friendship.

“Northlight has always been interested in new work. Last year one of the hits of The Humana Festival was Cry It Out, the story of young women struggling with the exhausting adjustment to one of the most difficult jobs of all—motherhood. The work/life balance is a challenge for all of us, but it becomes a psychological battle for women who prepare for their careers, only to have to make a choice, to stay home or leave their babies with caregivers. The guilt inherent in the latter is so powerful it can distract from focusing on their professional career,” comments BJ Jones. “At the helm is director Jessica Fisch whose husband is also our lighting designer Paul Toben. Their daughter Olivia is not yet a year, but she is already broken in as a green room baby. Jess knows the geographical and emotional territory because she is living it in real time. And Molly Smith Metzler's writing is both familiar and surprising, fresh and resonant, the kind of conversations that I hear in my home, between my children and their friends.”

Dates:
Previews: May 10 – 17, 2018
Regular run: May 19 – June 17, 2018

Schedule: Tuesdays: 7:30pm (May 15 only)
Wednesdays: 1:00pm (except May 30) and 7:30pm
Thursdays: 7:30pm
Fridays: 8:00pm
Saturdays: 2:30pm (except May 12) and 8:00pm
Sundays: 2:30pm and 7:00pm (May 13 and June 3 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


Cry It Out premiered at The Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville where dramaturg Lauren Shouse brought it to the attention of BJ Jones.  Jessica Fisch also saw it at Humana. Then in her first trimester with her daughter, Jessica immediately connected with the play and said, “I was seeing so much of my future self on stage. I ended up laugh-crying through the whole play. So much so that the man next to me put his hand on me and asked, ‘Are you okay?’ To which I exclaimed, ‘Yes, I’m pregnant!’ I wasn’t showing yet and I think he was afraid I was having a nervous breakdown. I just felt so immediately seen by the play because those characters were having conversations that at that point I was only having with myself. It was surreal, I felt like I knew these people.”

Cry It Out was commissioned by Actors Theatre of Louisville and premiered at the Humana Festival of New American Plays in spring 2017. Northlight's production, directed by Jessica Fisch, will be the first outside of the Festival.

The cast of Cry It Out includes Laura Lapidus (Lina), Gabriel Ruiz (Mitchell), Darci Nalepa (Jessie) and Kristina Valada-Viars (Adrienne).
The creative team includes Andrew Boyce (Scenic Design), Stephanie Cluggish (Costume Design), Paul Toben (Lighting Design) and Kevin O’Donnell (Sound Design). The stage manager is Rita Vreeland.

Northlight’s production of Cry It Out is supported in part by Room & Board, Edward Jones, Plante Moran, MB Financial, Coldwell Banker, John J. Cahill Inc., Uline, Mary Ann and David Grumman, and Greg and Anne Taubeneck Fund at Chicago Community Trust.

The entire cast including Laura Lapidus (Lina), Gabriel Ruiz (Mitchell), Darci Nalepa (Jessie) and Kristina Valada-Viars (Adrienne) will be making their Northlight debuts in Cry It Out.  This also marks the first production at Northlight for playwright Molly Smith Metzler and director Jessica Fisch.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Molly Smith Metzler (Playwright) is the author of Cry it Out, Elemeno Pea, The May Queen, Carve, Training Wisteria and Close Up Space. Regional credits include Actors Theatre of Louisville/Humana Festival, South Coast Repertory, The Kennedy Center, The O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Chautauqua Theater Company, City Theatre, Play Makers Rep, Geva Theatre Center, and many more. Off-Broadway credits include Manhattan Theatre Club. Metzler’s awards include the Lecomte du Nouy Prize from Lincoln Center, the National Student Playwriting Award from The Kennedy Center, the Association for Theatre in Higher Education’s David Mark Cohen Award, the Mark Twain Comedy Prize, and a finalist nod for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.  She is currently under commission at Manhattan Theatre Club and South Coast Repertory. In television, Metzler has written for Casual (Hulu), Orange Is the New Black (Netflix), Codes of Conduct (HBO), and is currently a writer/co-producer on Shameless (Showtime). She is also a screenwriter, currently adapting Ali Benjamin’s award-winning novel The Thing About Jellyfish into a film for OddLot and Pacific Standard (Reese Witherspoon’s company). Metzler was educated at SUNY Geneseo, Boston University, New York University’s Tisch School for the Arts, and The Juilliard School.  She lives in Los Angeles.

Molly Smith Metzler is currently under commission at Manhattan Theatre Club and South Coast Repertory. In television, Metzler has written for Casual (Hulu), Orange Is the New Black (Netflix), Codes of Conduct (HBO), and is currently a writer/co-producer on Shameless (Showtime). She is also a screenwriter, currently adapting Ali Benjamin’s award-winning novel The Thing About Jellyfish into a film for OddLot and Pacific Standard (Reese Witherspoon’s company).

Jessica Fisch (Director) has previously directed You Across From Me (Actors Theatre of Louisville, Humana Festival); Late Company (Cor Theatre); The Firebirds Take The Field (Rivendell);  Straight White Men (Associate Director, Steppenwolf); Trudy, Carolyn, Martha and Regina Travel to Outer Space (Actors Theatre of Louisville, Humana Festival); The Rosenkranz Mysteries: An Evening of Magic (The Royal George); Fefu and Her Friends (Goodman /Rivendell Latinx Celebration); Opulent Complex and That Thing That Time (Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Tens); Psychodramatic (A Red Orchid, Incubator Series); and Traces (Feast Productions/Jackalope). Select New York credits include The Realm (The Wild Project); strive/seek/find (Abingdon Theatre); the 2009 Playwrights Horizons’ Stories on 5 Stories Benefit, Personal History (Ensemble Studio Theatre); The Redheaded Man (Barrow Street Theatre/Fringe NYC/Fringe Encores); Dressed In Your Dreams (Public Theater/Emerging Writers Group); and an adaptation of the cult 1960’s gothic vampire soap opera Dark Shadows (Williamstown Theatre Festival). Jessica was a resident director at Ensemble Studio Theater, the Playwrights Horizons Directing Resident, and a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab. She holds an MFA from Northwestern University.

Laura Lapidus (Lina) previously appeared at the North Shore Center as Daphna in Theater Wit’s Bad Jews. She later reprised the role in other productions at DC’s Studio Theatre and New Jersey’s George Street Playhouse. Other credits include Stay Lit (Steppenwolf LookOut Series); Balm in Gilead, Golden Boy, Port (Griffin Theatre); The Seagull (The Artistic Home); Pains of Youth (Odradek/Oracle); and breaks & bikes (Pavement Group). Film/Television credits include Chicago PD and The Two (co-writer, producer). She holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Michigan. Laura is the winner of a 2018-19 Fulbright Award and will pursue a Masters in Classical Acting at LAMDA this fall.

Gabriel Ruiz (Mitchell) is a proud ensemble member of Teatro Vista, Chicago credits include You Got Older, The Rembrandt, The Way West, How Long Will I Cry? and The Motherfucker with the Hat (Steppenwolf); Native Gardens (Victory Gardens); Agamemnon and Man in the Ring (Court); Arcadia and Company (Writers); City of Angels and Singin’ in the Rain (Marriott); The Upstairs Concierge (Goodman); The Wolf at the End of the Block and White Tie Ball (Teatro Vista); Creditor (Remy Bumppo); Sita Ram (Chicago Children’s Choir); Working: The Musical (Broadway Playhouse); Richard III and Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Chicago Shakespeare) and Arabian Nights (Lookingglass). His regional credits include Native Gardens (Cincinatti Playhouse), Harvey (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre), Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them (Forward Theatre Company), and Blood and Gifts (Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York). He has composed music and lyrics for Don Chipotle performed at DCASE, and Epic Tale of Scale for Chicago Children’s Theater. He has appeared on television in Boss, APB, Electric Dreams, Chicago Fire, Chicago Justice, and Chicago PD.

Darci Nalepa (Jessie) is a proud ensemble member of The Gift Theatre where she has appeared in A Swell In the Ground, A Life Extra Ordinary, and Good for Otto. Other Chicago credits include: Queen (Victory Gardens), Kill Floor (American Theatre Company), Northanger Abbey (Remy Bumppo), and The Drunken City (Steppenwolf). Darci appeared in Stephen Cone’s film Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party and is the co-creator of the upcoming web series The Force. Television credits include Patriot, Shameless and Chicago Fire. She is a graduate of The School at Steppenwolf and proudly works as an Instructor at Black Box Acting. Darci is represented by Gray Talent Group.

Kristina Valada-Viars (Adrienne) is a theatre artist living in Chicago. As an actor and director, her work has been primarily devoted to new work development and first and second productions of new American plays. Most recently, she was seen in Steppenwolf for Young Audience’s production of The Crucible, the independent web series The Force, and served as Assistant Director on The Doppleganger (Steppenwolf). Acting credits include: Steppenwolf (Jeff Nomination, Time Stands Still), Goodman, New Dramatists, The New Group, 13P, Writers, Theater Wit, Route 66, About Face. Film/TV credits include Molly’s Girl (Best Actress in a Feature, Iris Prize), Black Box, Shameless, Empire. She is an activist, freelance writer, teacher and a member of the Chicago Green Theatre Alliance. She is working to foster artist-led exchange with performer-based communities outside of traditional commercial theatre circuit cities and actively works to expand casting boundaries within traditional narrative forms. She is the recipient of the 2017 Princess Grace Award and Fellowship in residence with Steppenwolf Theatre Company for the 2017-2018 season.

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 (May 15 only); Wednesdays: 1:00pm (except May 30) and 7:30pm; Thursdays: 7:30pm; Fridays: 8:00pm; Saturdays: 2:30pm (except May 12) and 8:00pm; and Sundays: 2:30pm and 7:00pm (May 13 and June 3 only).

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

Backstage with BJ: Cry It Out
Friday, May 4 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 Cry It Out 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: Cry It Out
Tuesday, May 22
at Wilmette Public Library
1242 Wilmette Ave, Wilmette, IL
and Wednesday, May 30
at Highland Park Public Library
494 Laurel Ave, Highland Park, IL
Explore the context of Cry It Out through a discussion and Q&A session with artists related to the production.

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 207 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and 36 Awards, as well as nine Edgerton Foundation for New Play 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.

OPENING: Chicago Premiere of The Originalist Via Court Theatre Through June 10th, 2018

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

Court Theatre concludes 63rd Season with the Chicago Premiere of

The Originalist

The Asolo Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage, Pasadena Playhouse Production

By John Strand

Directed by Molly Smith

with Associate Director Seema Sueko

Featuring Edward Gero as Antonin Scalia

May 10 - June 10, 2018

Here at ChiIL Live Shows we've long enjoyed Court Theatre's eclectic line ups and make a point to catch everything they produce. The Chicago premiere of The Originalist sounds like fascinating premise and a timely tale, and we're eager to see it. I'll be out for the press opening on Saturday, May 19th, so check back soon for my full review.

Court Theatre, under the continuing leadership of Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director, concludes its 2017/18 season with the Asolo Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage, Pasadena Playhouse production of The Originalist by John Strand, directed by Molly Smith with Associate Director Seema Sueko, and featuring Edward Gero as Antonin Scalia. The Originalist runs May 10 – June 10, 2018 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. 

When a Harvard Law School graduate with decidedly different views takes on a clerkship with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, one of America’s most brilliant and polarizing figures, she discovers in him an infuriating opponent and an unexpected mentor. Their relationship faces the ultimate test as they confront one of the most polarizing cases to reach the nation’s highest court.

Written by Charles MacArthur Award winner John Strand, this daring new work shows just how much passion for the law and risk it takes to defend one’s version of the truth. Court is thrilled to introduce this brilliant play to Chicago, with Edward Gero at its center. Molly Smith’s production is a sensation in Washington, D.C., where it premiered and has been revived twice.

The cast of The Originalist includes Edward Gero (Justice Antonin Scalia), Jade Wheeler (Cat) and Brett Mack (Brad).

The creative team includes Misha Kachman (scenic design), Joseph P. Salasovich (costume design), Collin K. Bills (lighting design), and Eric Shimelonis (sound design). The production stage managers are Susan R. White and Amanda Weener-Frederick.

About the Artists

JOHN STRAND (Playwright) has had works commissioned for Arena Stage including Snow Child, The Originalist, The Miser, Lovers and Executioners (MacArthur Award), and Tom Walker. Recent works include the book and lyrics for Hat! A Vaudeville (South Coast Reperatory); Lincolnesque (Old Globe); Lorenzaccio (Shakespeare Theatre Company), and the book for the musical The Highest Yellow (Signature Theatre). Additional plays are The Diaries (Signature Theatre) and The Cockburn Rituals (Woolly Mammoth). Strand spent 10 years in Paris, where he worked as a journalist and drama critic, and directed NYU’s Experimental Theater Wing in Paris. His novel Commieland was published by Kiwai Media, Paris in 2013. He is currently at work on a new play about President Teddy Roosevelt for Arena Stage and on the film adaptation of The Originalist.

MOLLY SMITH (Director) has served as Artistic Director of Arena Stage in Washington DC since 1998. Her more than 30 directing credits at Arena Stage include Carousel, Oliver!, The Originalist, Fiddler on the Roof, Camp David, Mother Courage and Her Children, Oklahoma!, A Moon for the Misbegotten, My Fair Lady, The Great White Hope, The Music Man, Orpheus Descending, Legacy of Light, The Women of Brewster Place, Cabaret, South Pacific, Agamemnon and His Daughters, All My Sons, and How I Learned to Drive. She recently directed Our Town at Canada’s Shaw Festival. Her directorial work has also been seen at The Old Globe, Asolo Repertory, Berkeley Repertory, Trinity Repertory, Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre, Montreal’s Centaur Theatre and Perseverance Theater in Juneau, Alaska, which she founded and ran from 1979-1998. Molly has been a leader in new play development for over 30 years. She is a great believer in first, second and third productions of new work and has championed projects including How I Learned to Drive; Passion Play, a cycle; Next to Normal; and Dear Evan Hansen. She has worked alongside playwrights Sarah Ruhl, Paula Vogel, Wendy Wasserstein, Lawrence Wright, Karen Zacarías, John Murrell, Eric Coble, Charles Randolph-Wright and many others. She led the re-invention of Arena Stage, focusing on the architecture and creation of the Mead Center for American Theater and positioning Arena Stage as a national center for American artists. During her time with the company, Arena Stage has workshopped more than 100 productions, produced 39 world premieres, staged numerous second and third productions and been an important part of nurturing nine projects that went on to have a life on Broadway. In 2014, Molly made her Broadway debut directing The Velocity of Autumn, following its critically acclaimed run at Arena Stage. She was awarded honorary doctorates from American University and Towson University.

SEEMA SUEKO (Associate Director) joined the Arena Stage staff in July 2016 as Deputy Artistic Director and made her Arena Stage directorial debut with Smart People. She previously served as Associate Artistic Director at Pasadena Playhouse and Executive Artistic Director of Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company. Her directing and acting credits include Pasadena Playhouse, People’s Light, The Old Globe, San Diego Repertory, Yale Repertory, 5th Avenue Theatre, and Native Voices, among others. As a playwright, she received commissions from Mixed Blood Theatre and Center Stage. Her work has been recognized by the California State Assembly, NAACP San Diego, Chicago Jeff Awards, American Theatre Wing and American Theatre magazine. Seema developed the Consensus Organizing for Theater methodology, has done research on the neuroscience of acting and serves on the Diversity Committee of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

EDWARD GERO (Justice Antonin Scalia) is a four-time Helen Hayes Award winner and 15-time nominee. Regional credits include The Originalist (Arena Stage, Asolo Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse); The Little Foxes and Red (Arena Stage); Red and Gloucester in King Lear (Goodman); Nixon’s Nixon and Night Alive (Round House); Sweeney Todd (Signature Theatre); Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (Ford’s Theatre); and American Buffalo, Shining City and Skylight (Studio Theatre). In 32 seasons with Washington DC’s Shakespeare Theatre Company, his over 70 roles include Helen Hayes turns in Henry IV, Richard II and Macbeth. Film/TV credits include House of Cards, TURN: Washington’s Spies, Die Hard 2, Striking Distance and narrations for Discovery Channel and PBS. He is a Ten Chimneys 2015 Lunt-Fontanne Fellow and associate professor of theater at George Mason University.

JADE WHEELER (Cat) returns to the role of Cat in The Originalist following productions at Pasadena Playhouse and Asolo Repertory. Jade has performed extensively along the east coast from Massachusetts to Florida. Most recently she appeared in The Legend of Georgia McBride at GableStage. Her one-woman show Who is Eartha Mae? played Off-Broadway at the 2016 United Solo Fest and won for Best Cabaret. Local credits include Debbie Allen’s Alex in Wonderland and Lost in the Stars (the Kennedy Center); An Octoroon (Woolly Mammoth); The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Shakespeare Theatre Company); and Ruined (Everyman Theatre). Regional credits include GableStage, Central Square Theatre and Stoneham Theatre. She received her B.A. in theater and French from George Mason University and additional training from La Ferme de Trielle and The Actors Space.

BRETT MACK (Brad) has appeared in The Originalist (Arena Stage), The Great Society (Asolo Repertory); Mezzulah 1946 and The Muckle Man (Pittsburgh City Theatre); Leveling Up and The Tempest (The Hippodrome Theatre); Twelfth Night and Julius Caesar (Orlando Shakespeare Theatre); and The Illusion (Chautauqua Theatre). Brett is a recent M.F.A. graduate from Florida State University. He can be seen in season two of Scandal on ABC.


Court Theatre will be hosting a number of events related to The Originalist. Upcoming events are as follows:

The Originalist Discussion Series
May 10 – June 3, 2018
In the spirit of The Originalist, a play about listening to and engaging in civil discourse with those who have opposing viewpoints, Court is pleased to host a series of post-play discussions to delve deeper into the art and its related themes.  Even if you are attending the production on a different day, we invite Court patrons to attend any of the discussions. The production runs approximately 100 minutes and discussions begin promptly at the end of the performance.

Thursday, May 10: First Preview Tasting with CHANT and Discussion
Enjoy samples from Dining Partner CHANT pre-show in the lobby, and a post-play discussion led by Seema Sueko, Arena Stage Deputy Artistic Director.

May 11-17: Preview Performances with Post-Play Discussion
Following all preview performances, Seema Sueko, Arena Stage Deputy Artistic Director, or Edward Gero who portrays Justice Scalia, or other members of the artistic team lead a discussion with the audience.

Friday, May 18: The Originalist Playwright John Strand
Following the Friday 8:00pm performance, Charles MacArthur Award winning playwright John Strand leads the audience discussion.

Sunday, May 20: Martha Nussbaum and John Corvino on Religion, Law, and LGBT Rights
Following the Sunday 2:30pm matinee, Martha Nussbaum, Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago, joins John Corvino, Professor of Philosophy at Wayne State University and author of Debating Same-Sex Marriage, to discuss Supreme Court decisions on religious liberty and LGBT rights.

Thursday, May 24, 2018: David Bevington Discussion
Following the 7:30pm performance, join us for a discussion with theatre scholar David Bevington and members of Court Theatre's artistic staff.

Saturday, May 26: Elliot Feldman, Attorney and Legal Advisor for The Originalist
Following the Saturday 3:00pm matinee, enjoy a discussion led by Elliot Feldman, Senior Partner at Baker & Hostetler LLP in Washington, D.C., UChicago Alumnus, and Legal Consultant for The Originalist.

Sunday, June 3: Alison LaCroix and Jason Merchant on Rhetoric and Legal Interpretation
Following the Sunday 2:30pm matinee
In celebration of Alumni Weekend at the University of Chicago, the discussion will be led by Alison LaCroix, Robert Newton Reid Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School, and Jason Merchant, Lorna Puttkammer Straus Professor, Department of Linguistics and Humanities Collegiate Division at the University of Chicago.

Staged Reading of Thurgood
By George Stevens, Jr.
Featuring A.C. Smith as Justice Thurgood Marshall
Directed by Charles Newell
Saturday, June 2 at 5:30pm and Monday, June 4 at 7:30pm
Thurgood is a one-man tribute to Justice Thurgood Marshall’s pioneering career and legacy as the first African-American to sit on the Supreme Court. Justice Marshall revisits landmark civil rights victories, like Brown v. Board of Education, and the moments in history that are still charged with a moral urgency today.  For a short time, Thurgood Marshall served on the Supreme Court with Antonin Scalia who is the subject of the final production in Court’s 2017/18 season, The Originalist. Court favorite A.C. Smith (Gem of the Ocean, Waiting for Godot, Fences) will bring to life this vivid portrait of a civil rights icon in a special staged reading event. Subscribers enjoy free tickets as part of their benefits. All other tickets are $10 general admission.

Open-Captioned Performance of The Originalist
Sunday, June 3 at 2:30pm
Please call the Box Office at (773) 753-4472 to purchase tickets, as we may have seating suggestions.

Dates:              
Previews: May 10 – 18, 2018
Press Opening: Saturday, May 19, 2018 at 8:00pm
Regular Run: May 20 – June 10, 2018

Schedule: 
Wed & Thurs: 7:30 p.m.
Fridays: 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays: 3:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.
Sundays: 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Location:
Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave.

Tickets:
$38-$48 previews
$44-$74 regular run

Box Office: Located at 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472 or www.CourtTheatre.org.




The Originalist is sponsored by The University of Chicago Women's Board and Charles Custer.

Court Theatre is guided by its mission to discover the power of classic theatre. Court endeavors to make a lasting contribution to American theatre by expanding the canon of translations, adaptations, and classic texts. Court revives lost masterpieces, illuminates familiar texts, and distinguishes fresh, modern classics. Court engages and inspires its audience by providing artistically distinguished productions, audience enrichment activities, and student educational experiences.

SAVE THE DATES: Firebrand Partners With TimeLine Theatre Company To Launch 2018-19 Season

Firebrand Theatre Announces 2018-19 Season: 

CAROLINE, OR CHANGE

Music by Jeanine Tesori

Book & Lyrics by Tony Kushner

Directed by Lili-Anne Brown

Featuring Rashada Dawan

Presented in Partnership with TimeLine Theatre Company

Chicago Premiere!

QUEEN OF THE MIST

Book, Music & Lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa

Directed by Elizabeth Margolius

Firebrand Theatre, the first musical theatre company committed to employing and empowering women by expanding opportunities on and off the stage, is pleased to announce its second season, featuring two fully-produced musicals, including a Chicago premiere. 

This fall, Firebrand partners with TimeLine Theatre Company for a revival of the Tony Award-nominated Best Musical CAROLINE, OR CHANGE, featuring music by Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Violet), book and lyrics by Tony Kushner (Angels in America) and direction by Lili-Anne Brown. Rashada Dawan stars in the title role as Caroline.


 Pictured: Rashada Dawan

The season concludes in spring 2019 with the Chicago premiere of QUEEN OF THE MIST, featuring book, music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa (The Wild Party, Marie Christine) and direction by Elizabeth Margolius.

Firebrand’s 2017-18 Season will be presented at its resident home, The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. Season subscriptions are currently available at firebrandtheatre.org.

Firebrand Theatre’s current season continues with 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL, playing through May 20, 2018 at the Den Theatre’s Janet Bookspan Theatre. Tickets are available at firebrandtheatre.org.

Firebrand Theatre’s 2018-19 Season:

September 2018
CAROLINE, OR CHANGE – Presented in partnership with TimeLine Theatre Company
Music by Jeanine Tesori
Book and Lyrics by Tony Kushner
Directed by Lili-Anne Brown
Featuring Rashada Dawan as Caroline 
The Den Theatre’s Heath Main Stage, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago

CAROLINE, OR CHANGE is set in Lake Charles, Louisiana: the end of 1963. America is changing. Caroline Thibodeaux is a mother of four and a maid, working for the southern Jewish Gellman family. Caroline struggles with changes monumental and mundane, and her relationship with the young, grieving boy who lives in the house she cleans. Riveting, moving and awe-inspiring, CAROLINE, OR CHANGE features a virtuosic score by Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Violet) and a breathtaking book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner (Angels in America), the music ranges from Motown to Klezmer, the storytelling from political to magical.

May 2019
QUEEN OF THE MIST
Book, Music and Lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa
Directed by Elizabeth Margolius
at The Den Theatre’s Janet Bookspan Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago

QUEEN OF THE MIST is based on the astounding and outrageous true story of Anna Edson Taylor, who in 1901 set out to be the first woman to shoot Niagara Falls in a barrel of her own design. Navigating both the treacherous Falls and a fickle public with a ravenous appetite for sensationalism, this unconventional heroine vies for her legacy in a world clamoring with swindling managers, assassins, revolutionaries, moralizing family, anarchists and activists. With a soaring score that incorporates turn of the century themes with LaChiusa’s signature complexity and insight, QUEEN OF THE MIST is the story of a single great fall, and how one woman risked death so that she could live.

About the Artists
Lili-Anne Brown (Director – Caroline, Or Change) is a native Chicagoan, who works as a director, actor and educator, both locally and regionally. She is the former artistic director of Bailiwick Chicago, where she directed Dessa Rose (Jeff Award), Passing Strange (BTA Award and Jeff nomination for Best Director of a Musical), See What I Wanna See (Steppenwolf Theatre Garage Rep) and the world premiere of Princess Mary Demands Your Attention by Aaron Holland. Other directing credits include Ike Holter's The Wolf at the End of the Block (16th Street Theatre), Lottery Day (Goodman Theatre New Stages Festival), Marie Christine (BoHo Theatre), Peter and the Starcatcher (Metropolis Performing Arts), The Wiz (Kokandy Productions), Xanadu (American Theatre Company), Jabari Dreams of Freedom by Nambi E. Kelley (world premiere, Chicago Children’s Theatre), American Idiot (Northwestern University); the national tour of Jesus Snatched My Edges; and Little Shop of Horrors, Hairspray, Unnecessary Farce, Cabaret, Sweet Charity, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story at Timber Lake Playhouse. She is a member of SDC, SAG-AFTRA, and a graduate of Northwestern University.

Rashada Dawan’s (Caroline – Caroline, Or Change) previous works include Dreamgirls (Charles Winter Wood Theatre), Once On This Island (Yellow Alligator), Dynamite Divas (Black Ensemble Theatre), Black White Love Play (Black Ensemble Theatre), Nutcracker (Lincolnshire Marriott), Madagascar (Lincolnshire Marriott), Elf (Paramount Theatre), Aida (Bailiwick Chicago), Winner of Our Discontent (Second City), A Red Line Runs Through It (Second City). National productions include: Disney’s The Lion King (Las Vegas Company and Gazelle Tour). TV/Commercial credits include Employee Woman (ComEd). www.RashadaDawan.com

Elizabeth Margolius (Director – Queen of the Mist) is a Chicago-based stage and movement director with a primary focus in developing and directing new and rarely produced musical theatre, operetta and opera. Stage/movement directorial credits include: James and the Giant Peach (Viterbo University, WI), Machinal (Greenhouse Theater Center), The Bridges of Madison County (Peninsula Players, WI), Uncle Philip’s Coat (Greenhouse Theater – Jeff nomination for Best Solo Performance), Haymarket: The Anarchist’s Songbook (Underscore Theatre – 3 Jeff nominations, including Best New Musical), Sitayana (Gift Theatre’s TEN Festival), The Girl in the Train (Chicago Folks Operetta), Goldstar, Ohio (ATC), The Merry Wives of Windsor (Chicago Shakespeare Theater, asst. director to Barbara Gaines), The Mikado (the Savoyaires), The Last Cyclist (Genesis Theatrical), The Land of Smiles and The Cousin from Nowhere (Chicago Folks Operetta), Opus 1861 (City Lit Theater – 3 Jeff nominations, including Best Adaptation), Violet (Bailiwick Chicago –5 Jeff nominations, including Best Musical and Best Director), Bernarda Alba and Songs for a New World (BoHo Theatre). Elizabeth is an alumna of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab in New York, a recipient of a full directorial scholarship at the Wesley Balk Opera-Music Theater Institute in Minneapolis, a respondent and workshop artist for the Kennedy Center’s American College Theatre Festival and a finalist for the Charles Abbott Fellowship. She is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus of DirectorsLabChicago; a forum for emerging nationally and internationally based stage directors. Elizabeth is a proud member of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC).



About the Companies
Firebrand Theatre is a musical theatre company committed to employing and empowering women by expanding their opportunities on and off the stage. Firebrand is a 501(c)(3) Equity theatre.

Company members: Artistic Director: Harmony France, Advisory Board: Lili-Anne Brown, Emjoy Gavino, Kate Garassino, Amber Mak, Danni Smith, Company Members: Kasey Alfonso, Sydney Charles, Heather Clark, Adelina Feldman-Schultz, Amanda Horvath, Jon Martinez, Eric Martin, Amelia Jo Parish and Andra Velis-Simon.

TimeLine Theatre Company was founded in April 1997 with a mission to present stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. To date over 21 seasons, TimeLine has presented 75 productions, including 10 world premieres and 33 Chicago premieres, and launched the Living History Education Program working with Chicago Public Schools. TimeLine is led by Artistic Director PJ Powers, Managing Director Elizabeth K. Auman and Board President Eileen LaCario. Company members are Nick Bowling, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Behzad Dabu, Lara Goetsch, Juliet Hart, Mildred Marie Langford, Mechelle Moe, David Parkes, Ron OJ Parson, PJ Powers, Maren Robinson and Benjamin Thiem. More information at timelinetheatre.com.

Lili-Anne Brown will direct Firebrand Theatre’s production of CAROLINE, OR CHANGE
Rashada Dawan will star as Caroline in Firebrand Theatre’s production of CAROLINE, OR CHANGE

Elizabeth Margolius will direct Firebrand Theatre’s Chicago premiere of QUEEN OF THE MIST.

FEST ALERT: Pivot Arts FESTIVAL June 1 – 10, 2018 Ten Days of Innovative Performances Featuring Chicago Premiere of Rude Mechs

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Pivot Arts Presents 6th annual

PIVOT ARTS FESTIVAL

June 1 – 10, 2018

Ten Days of Innovative Performances

Featuring Chicago Premiere of Rude Mechs

Pivot Arts is pleased to present the 6th annual PIVOT ARTS FESTIVAL, a celebration of contemporary performances and multi-disciplinary works presented throughout Chicago’s Uptown and Edgewater neighborhoods from June 1 – June 10, 2018. Tickets, ranging from free to $30, are currently available at www.pivotarts.org/festival. Three-show Festival passes are available for $40.

Pivots Arts Festival 2018 Montage – The 2018 Pivot Art Festival will include (top, l to r) Rude Mechs, The? Unicorn? Hour?, Shannon Stewart (bottom, l to r) BraveSoul Movement, Walkabout Theater and the Celebrate Community! Parade.

This year, the ten-day Festival features the Chicago premiere of Rude Mechs, a theater collective from Austin, TX, who have performed at major venues across the country – joined by top artistic innovators from Chicago and beyond. Performances include theater, dance, puppetry, multidisciplinary works, site-specific performances, performances for youth, discussions and showings of new works-in-progress from the Pivot Arts Incubator program, which has developed works such as Isaac Gomez’s La Ruta, to be performed at Steppenwolf Theatre next season. 

2018 Pivot Arts Festival Trailer from Pivot Arts on Vimeo.

The Festival also features the 4th annual “Celebrate Community!” Parade on Saturday, June 2 at 3 pm, kicking off at the Senn Park (1501 W. Thorndale Ave.) and culminating in performances and interactive workshops at Senn Playlot (1501 W. Elmdale Ave.) 


Festival Preview Party
Join Pivot Arts for a sneak peek of this year’s Festival at the Festival Kick-Off Party on Thursday, May 17 at Francesca’s Bryn Mawr, 1039 W. Bryn Mawr in Chicago. Tickets are $45 in advance and $50 at the door and include appetizers, drinks, entertainment, plus a silent auction. Tickets are available at www.pivotarts.org/festival. All proceeds support the festival.

The full 2018 PIVOT ARTS FESTIVAL Line-Up includes:


Nire Nah (pictured) Music artist Nire Nah will perform at the Festival Launch Party. Photo by Matthew Gregory Hollis.

Friday, June 1
Festival Launch: A Night That Pops! 
8 pm, FLATSstudio, 4612 N. Clifton St.
Tickets: $10 suggested donation. Ages 21+

The 2018 Festival kicks off with live music by Nire Nah, a visual art exhibition curated by FLATSstudio, and a series of eclectic pop-up performances including a hip-hop opera by Chicago Fringe Opera with BraveSoul Movement and Cassie Bowers’ one-on-one tarot readings in Arcana Obscura, along with other artists. Dance to a DJ following the performances. The celebration includes food and drinks.


Walkabout Theater (pictured) Walkabout Theater’s stilt walkers will perform Monuments following the Celebrate Community! Parade. Photo by Tria Smith.

Saturday June 2
Celebrate Community! Parade 
Featuring Walkabout Theater’s Monuments
3 pm, meet at Senn Park Baseball Diamond (Thorndale & Greenview Aves.)
3:30 pm, Parade to Senn Playlot (1501 W. Elmdale Ave.)
Tickets: FREE.

Pivot Arts 4th annual Celebrate Community! Parade culminates in a site-specific performance of Walkabout Theater’s Monuments, a stilt performance created with artistic buoys designed by Studio Gang architectural firm. The parade includes sculptural puppets, stilt-walkers and free theater and art workshops. This year’s participants include CircEsteem, Barrel of Monkeys, Dream Big Performing Arts Workshop, Merry Music Makers, Storytown Improv, Walkabout Theater, and more! 


Corey Smith Presents The New Prairie School
7 pm, Creative Co-Working/Colvin House, 5940 N. Sheridan Rd.
Tickets: $20/$15 with student ID ($30 for both The New Prairie School and You’re His Child).

Equal parts architectural tour, immersive theater and musical performance, The New Prairie School at the Colvin House brings audience members on a fantastical journey through an historic Sheridan Road Mansion. 


Emmy Bean Presents You’re His Child
Vanessa Valliere opens with The Life and Times of Terry
9 pm, Chicago Filmmakers, 5720 N. Ridge Ave.
Tickets: $20/$15 with student ID ($30 for both You’re His Child and The New Prairie School).

A heartfelt exploration of religion, family and song. Emmy Bean brings the history of her great-grandfather to life through archival recordings of his hymns, joining his voice and her own in live musical performance. Vanessa Valliere opens with The Life and Times of Terry, the tale of one woman’s search for love through clowning, puppetry, drawings, photos and audience participation. 

Sunday, June 3
Corey Smith Presents The New Prairie School
4 pm, Creative Co-Working/Colvin House, 5490 N. Sheridan Rd.
Tickets: $20/$15 with Student ID ($30 for both The New Prairie School and You’re His Child).
Enjoy a special $15 fixed price festival menu at The Growling Rabbit (5938 N. Broadway) in between performances. Reserve for the dinner by emailing marketing@pivotarts.org. 

Equal parts architectural tour, immersive theater and musical performance, The New Prairie School at the Colvin House brings audience members on a fantastical journey through an historic Sheridan Road Mansion.

Emmy Bean Presents You’re His Child
Vanessa Valliere opens with The Life and Times of Terry
7 pm, Chicago Filmmakers, 5720 N. Ridge Ave.
Tickets: $20/$15 with student ID ($30 for both You’re His Child and The New Prairie School).  
Enjoy a special $15 fixed price menu at The Growling Rabbit (5938 N. Broadway) in between performances.

A heartfelt exploration of religion, family and song. Emmy Bean brings the history of her great-grandfather to life through archival recordings of his hymns, joining his voice and her own in live musical performance. Vanessa Valliere opens with The Life and Times of Terry, the tale of one woman’s search for love through clowning, puppetry, drawings, photos and audience participation. 

 
Monday, June 4
Broad Night: Demystifying Women’s Health 
Hosted by Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health and Katy Collins
7:30 pm, Chicago Filmmakers, 5720 N. Ridge Ave.
Tickets: $15.

Broad Night kicks off with a showing from This Boat Called My Body, a play from the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health about the abortion experiences of youth across the state, and a preview of Katy Collins’ web series The Doula Is In directed by Sarah Fornace and Julia Miller of Manual Cinema. Collins, doula to the internet, will field questions about women’s health. Post-performance discussion includes artists and Melissa Widen, Chair of the Board of Directors at Personal PAC.

Wednesday, June 6
A Discussion with Rude Mechs
6 pm, Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St.
Tickets: FREE.

Meet Rude Mechs, who arrive from Austin, TX for their Chicago premiere as part of the Pivot Arts Festival. Tanya Palmer, Goodman Theatre’s Director of New Play Development, moderates a discussion co-hosted by Pivot Arts and the Goodman about this nationally-celebrated theater company. Rude Mechs have performed at major venues across the country including Yale Repertory Theatre, Actors Theater of Louisville, Walker Arts Center, Wexner Center and more. 


Thursday, June 7
What’s Next: Anna Martine Whitehead / Shannon Stewart and Aurora Nealand
7 pm, The Mundelein Center at Loyola University, 1020 W. Sheridan Rd.
Tickets: $15 suggested donation.

A sneak peek at in-progress performances from Pivot Arts’ Incubator program at Loyola University. Anna Martine Whitehead premieres Notes On Territory, a multi-disciplinary movement piece on the history of containment architecture from prisons to gothic cathedrals. New Orleans-based dance and music artists Shannon Stewart and Aurora Nealand present their movement opera Hysteria and the Body Electric. Evening includes discussion with artists led by Tara Aisha Willis, Associate Curator of Performance at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Friday June 8
Rude Mechs Present Not Every Mountain
7:30 pm, The Mundelein Center at Loyola University, 1020 W. Sheridan Rd.
Tickets: $30/$20 with student ID ($35 for both Not Every Mountain and The? Unicorn? Hour?)

The Chicago premiere of nationally-renowned theatre collective Rude Mechs’ debuting their new work Not Every Mountain, reflecting on change, permanence and our place in the natural world. Using pulleys, cranks, magnets and string, Rude Mechs simulate the life cycle of mountains on stage – an invocation of tectonic force and geological time.

The? Unicorn? Hour? (pictured) Leah Urzendowksi will present The? Unicorn? Hour? with Anthony Courser. Photo by Joe Mazza.

Leah Urzendowksi & Anthony Courser Present The? Unicorn? Hour?
9 pm, Bar 63, 6341 N. Broadway St.
Tickets: $15 ($35 for both The? Unicorn? Hour? And Not Every Mountain).



Inspired by childhood favorites Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Pee-wee’s Playhouse, The? Unicorn? Hour? is a creative experiment in unrestrained playfulness and joy. Get ready to say “yes” to an unbridled uplifting of the spirit!


Saturday, June 9
Arts and Activism
6:30 pm, Loyola University’s Institute for Environmental Sustainability, 6349 N. Kenmore Ave.
Tickets: FREE

Join Rude Mechs’ playwright, Kirk Lynn, along with Natural Resources Defense Council and Chicago Community Climate Partners in a discussion about art, climate change and environmental activism moderated by Rachel Bronson, President and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Then head to Rude Mechs’ Not Every Mountain for the 7:30pm show. Discussion takes place in Loyola’s new LEED certified, sustainable building. 




Rude Mechs (pictured) Rude Mechs will make their Chicago premiere with the new work Not Every Mountain. Photo by Bret Brookshire.


Rude Mechs Present Not Every Mountain
7:30 pm, The Mundelein Center at Loyola University, 1020 W. Sheridan Rd.
Tickets: $30/$20 with student ID ($35 for both Not Every Mountain and The? Unicorn? Hour?)

The Chicago premiere of nationally-renowned theatre collective Rude Mechs’ debuting their new work Not Every Mountain, reflecting on change, permanence and our place in the natural world. Using pulleys, cranks, magnets and string, Rude Mechs simulate the life cycle of mountains on stage – an invocation of tectonic force and geological time.

Leah Urzendowksi & Anthony Courser Present The? Unicorn? Hour?
9 pm, Bar 63, 6341 N. Broadway St.
Tickets: $15 ($35 for both The? Unicorn? Hour? and Not Every Mountain).

Inspired by childhood favorites Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Pee-wee’s Playhouse, The? Unicorn? Hour? is a creative experiment in unrestrained playfulness and joy. Get ready to say “yes” to an unbridled uplifting of the spirit!

 
Sunday, June 10
Ice Cream and Improv with Storytown Improv
11 am, Lickity Split Custard and Sweets, 6056 N. Broadway St.
Tickets: $10 (custard not included).

The 6th annual tradition of ice cream (well, custard…) with Storytown Improv! An all ages show where kids design the setting and help shape the story.

Community Courtyard Kick-Off
2 pm – 7 pm, Old Bethany Church Courtyard, 5944 N. Magnolia Ave.
Tickets: FREE.

Come early and enjoy family fun throughout the afternoon. The old Bethany Lutheran Church will be having its grand re-opening. The partners at Parish House are excited to show you what's to come of this historic building. Come meet the new owners, take a history-meets-future tour of the 50,000 square foot space, and have fun with your neighbors and neighboring businesses. All ages welcome.

 
What’s Next: Ginger Krebs Performance Project / Chicago Fringe Opera & BraveSoul Movement
7:30 pm, Parish House, 5944 N. Magnolia Ave.
Tickets: $15 suggested donation.

A sneak peek at in-progress works from Pivots Arts Incubator program. Ginger Krebs Performance Project presents Escapes and Reversals, reveling in the exertion of striving bodies through dance. 

Bravesoul Movement (pictured) BraveSoul Movement will team up with Chicago Fringe Opera for The Rossini Project, transforming The Barber of Seville into a hip hop dance party.

About Pivot Arts

Pivot Arts produces and presents contemporary, multidisciplinary performance. They develop new work and present performances throughout the year culminating in a multi-arts festival. Their vision is that of a vibrant community where unique collaborations between artists, businesses and organizations lead to the support and creation of innovative performance events. For additional information, visit www.pivotarts.org.

Shannon Stewart (pictured) Dance and music artists Shannon Stewart and Aurora Nealand will present their movement opera Hysteria and the Body Electric. Photo by Diogo De Lima.