Broken Nose Theatre Welcomes New Artistic Director and Managing Director

 New Leadership at Broken Nose Theatre:

Elise Marie Davis Named Artistic Director

Rose Hamill Named Managing Director

Elise Marie Davis. Photo Ian McLaren

Broken Nose Theatre announced two major leadership appointments this July. Associate Artistic Director Elise Marie Davis has been named the company’s new Artistic Director, succeeding Founding Artistic Director Benjamin Brownson. Brownson, who has led the company since its formation in 2012, is taking a brief sabbatical and will return as the company’s Executive Director in 2019. Additionally, Company Manager Rose Hamill will assume the newly created position of Managing Director.

Comments outgoing Artistic Director Benjamin Brownson, "Elise and Rose are amazingly talented theatre makers, administrators, leaders, collaborators and human beings. They have been pivotal to the company's success and growth in recent years, and I am thrilled for them to take on these roles and leadership of the company as we enter an exciting new chapter for Broken Nose."

BNT’s new Artistic Director Elise Marie Davis adds, “Broken Nose Theatre was my very first artistic home in Chicago, and I am honored to take on the mantle as its newest Artistic Director. I'm consistently reminded of how proud I am to be part of a company that strives for economic accessibility through our Pay-What-You-Can ticketing model, which opens the door wide to all potential patrons, regardless of socio-economic status. I'm also humbled to be joining the elite group of female-identifying artistic directors in our incredible city, many of whom I've looked up to for a great many years. I'm so excited to take this company into the next phase of its artistic growth.”

BIOGRAPHIES:

Elise Marie Davis has been a Broken Nose Theatre company member since 2013, after serving as an Associate Producer for their inaugural Bechdel Fest. She has served as both Casting Director and (since 2016) Associate Artistic Director. She works around town as an actor and playwright, and her credits include Lyric Opera, Strawdog, Route 66, Pride Films and Plays, Shattered Globe and The New Colony, among others. She also appears in Squid, a short-form comedy series premiering on Amazon Prime later this Summer. At BNT, she wrote and starred in her first full-length play A Phase, which has subsequently been taught at the University of Chicago, and was part of the cast of At The Table, which won four non-Equity Jeff Awards including Best Production/Play and Best Ensemble. Next at BNT, her short play Every Other Tuesday will be part of Bechdel Fest 6, opening at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre in late July, and she will be onstage this Fall in Plainclothes, a world premiere written and directed by company member Spenser Davis. She is also a Factory Theater ensemble member and is represented by Big Mouth Talent Agency.

Rose Hamill is a freelance stage and production manager. Rose believes that the creation of theatre is an exploration of humanity in all of its honest, not-always-tidy complexities, and she's driven by this constant sense of discovery. Previously, Rose has served as the Company Manager of Broken Nose Theatre, as well as stage managed their productions of A Phase, Bechdel Fest 4 and At the Table, the latter of which won four non-Equity Jeff Awards including Best Production of a Play. She has also worked with Windy City Playhouse (This), Cock & Bull Theatre (Lecherous Honey), The New Colony (PUNK), and Babes with Blades Theatre Company (The Good Fight), among others. Rose is a member of the United States Institute of Technical Theater, where she was fortunate enough to participate in the Stage Management Mentorship Program years 2016 and 2017. Rose holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Technical Theatre from Columbia College Chicago, with minors as a Teaching Artist and in Arts Administration. 

About Broken Nose Theatre:

Broken Nose Theatre is a Pay-What-You-Can theatre company. Founded in 2012, BNT was this year's recipient of the Emerging Theater Award, presented by the League of Chicago Theatres and Broadway in Chicago. The company has produced and developed 11 full-length plays (including 8 Chicago or World Premieres) and over 40 new womencentric short plays through their annual Bechdel Fest. We strive to spark conversation, cultivate empathy, and amplify underrepresented voices, and are committed to making new, exciting and relevant theatre that is economically accessible to all audiences. For more information, please visit www.brokennosetheatre.com.

3 Nights Only: Pay What You Can Tickets for Broken Nose Theatre's Bechdel Fest 6

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

 

Three Performances Only!

Broken Nose Theatre Announces Line-Up for

BECHDEL FEST 6: REVOLUTION

July 29, 30 & 31, 2018 

at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre

Parts of Steppenwolf’s LookOut Series

I'll definitely be out to see BECHDEL FEST 6: REVOLUTION. Here at ChiIL Live Shows we're all about works of film and theatre that pass the "Bechdel Test" and can't wait to see Broken Nose Theatre's annual festival of new short plays. With pay what you can ticket prices, nobody's excluded for a thin wallet or empty bank account. Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre is one of our favorite new venues and an excellent place to catch a show. Don't miss this!

Broken Nose Theatre, recipient of the 2018 Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theatre Award, is pleased to announce the full line-up for BECHDEL FEST 6: REVOLUTION, the company’s annual festival of new short plays featuring an ensemble of female-identifying and non-binary actors talking about things other than men. Presented as part of Steppenwolf’s LookOut Series, BECHDEL FEST will play three performances only July 29, 30 & 31, 2018 at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Tickets for all BNT productions are available on a “pay-what-you-can” basis, allowing patrons to set their own price and ensuring theatre remains economically accessible for all audiences. Suggested price is $25. Tickets are currently available at www.steppenwolf.org or by calling (312) 335-1650.

All the works in BNT’s perennial feminist festival are inspired by the famous Bechdel-Wallace Test. Created by cartoonist Alison Bechdel, the test asks whether a work of entertainment features at least two women in conversation about something other than a man. Since the fest's first iteration in 2013, Broken Nose has worked with some of the most exciting voices in the Chicago theater landscape on over 40 stories that, by design, do not revolve around men. This year's lineup includes both female-identifying and non-binary characters.



The full line-up for BECHDEL FEST 6: REVOLUTION includes: 

EVERY OTHER TUESDAY
Written by Elise Marie Davis* | Directed by Spenser Davis*

A suburban book club is on track to reserve a booth at their neighborhood's annual Community Cookout –until the cookout sponsors realize the book club focuses exclusively on lesbian erotica.

FOR THE CULTURE
Written by Michael Allen Harris+ | Directed by Martin Hanna*

The Society - a secret spy organization founded, funded, organized, and run by black women - is about to send their most skilled agent on a brand new mission: a covert infiltration with the potential to change the world.

GOLDSTAR
Written by Cleo Shine | Directed by JD Caudill^

A shy highschooler decides to reveal her true self to her girlfriend, even if it risks changing everything.

HOLY INAPPROPRIATE
Written by Allison L. Fradkin | Directed by Kim Boler^

A devout mother and her three daughters seem perfectly comfortable within the confines of the restrictive "Christian Patriarchy Movement."  That is, until sex education gets unexpectedly added to their home-schooled curriculum.

NO, JENNIFER
Written by Nancy Garcia Loza | Directed by Laura Baker

Two Mexican-American friends struggle with the ups and downs of seeking help, dealing with trauma – and setting boundaries with their hard-to-ignore families.

OCCUPY GAMBIER
Written by Beth Hyland | Directed by Brian Balcom

As the "Occupy Wallstreet" protests rage on the East Coast in 2011, several college students strive to be part of the movement... on their tiny liberal arts campus in Gambier, Ohio.

PORCH PROBLEMS
Written by Kristi Parker-Barnhart | Directed by Julia Skeggs

Two neighbors. One shared back porch. This means war.

PROM REBEL
Written by Loy Webb | Directed by Deanna Reed Foster

On the eve of her high school prom, a young woman decides to break the rules in her own special way.

TAKING A (ONE-NIGHT) STAND
Written by Benjamin Brownson* | Directed by Adrienne Matzen

Two strangers find their night of casual fun unexpectedly lengthened when a neighborhood riot erupts around them.

* BNT Company member       ^ BNT Artistic associate           + BNT Resident Playwright



About Broken Nose Theatre:

Broken Nose Theatre is a Pay-What-You-Can theatre company. Founded in 2012, BNT has produced and developed 11 full-length plays (including 8 Chicago or World Premieres) and over 40 new womencentric short plays through our annual Bechdel Fest. We strive to spark conversation, cultivate empathy, and amplify underrepresented voices, and are committed to making new, exciting and relevant theatre that is economically accessible to all audiences. For more information, please visit www.brokennosetheatre.com.

About Steppenwolf’s LookOut Series:

LookOut is Steppenwolf’s performance series that presents the work of artists and companies across genre and form, emerging artists and performance legends, quintessential Chicago companies and young aspiring ensembles, familiar Steppenwolf faces and new friends. steppenwolf.org/lookout

FREE With RSVP: Jeff Award Winning Chad Deity Returns to Theater on the Lake August 7-10th, 2018!

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Red Theater Chicago's Award Winning Production

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity

I missed Red Theater's run last year, as I had just had surgery. I'm elated to have another chance to catch this Jeff Award-winning production. I'll be reviewing opening night, but highly suggest booking your tickets ASAP, since they're free and will go fast. 

Red Theater Chicago announces that its Jeff Award-winning production of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity will receive a limited remount next month as part of the 2018 Theater on the Lake Summer Theater Festival. Written by Kristoffer Diaz and directed by company member Jeremy Aluma, performances will take place August 7-10, 2018 at The South Shore Cultural Center.

What people are saying about The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity: 

* 2017 Top 10 Best Off-Loop Productions – Chicago Tribune

* 3.5 STARS “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity shows exquisite staying power.” – Chicago Tribune 

* “Aluma’s production is, quite simply, all-inclusive & terrifically breathtaking.” – Chicago Theatre Review 

* “Aluma’s direction sizzles and his cast of actor/wrestlers are all outstanding.” – Third Coast Review

* 2017 Best Revival of a Play Nomination – Broadway World

Kyle Encinas won the 2018 Jeff Award for Fight Choreography for his work with The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, and Alejandro Tey (Mace) was nominated for Performer in a Principle Role. Don't miss this rare opportunity to check out the show that the Tribune said delivers a power slam!

Tickets for this return engagement are FREE and can be reserved through the Chicago Park District!

THE PLAY: 
How does one pursue the "American Dream" in a country that refuses to offer opportunity indiscriminately? That is the question at the heart of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, an American satire set in the professional entertainment wrestling world. We follow Macedonio Guerra, an excellent Puerto Rican wrestler, as he rises from the bottom of the pecking order. In this interactive physical comedy, Mace talks directly to the audience as fans in his arena. The play dissects race, xenophobia, ego, and our moral compass - topics even more relevant now than when it premiered nine years ago.

THE CAST: 
Alejandro Tey as MACE, Harsh Gagoomal as VP, Breon Arzell as CHAD DEITY, Frank Stasio as EKO, Will Snyder as THE BAD GUY, and Dave Honigman as REFEREE.

PRODUCTION TEAM: 
Stage Manager: Jamie Crothers 
Costume Designer: Hailey Rakowiecki 
Lighting Designer: Charles Blunt 
Sound Designer: Sarah D. Espinoza 
Technical Director & Set Designer: Becca Venable 
Projection Designer: Alberto Mendoza and Matt Hooks 
Fight Choreographer: Kyle Encinas 
Props Designer: Kat Moraros 
Assistant Director: Nathan Speckman 
Dramaturg: Joseph Galizia 
Associate Producer: Rory Jobst

DATES: 
Tuesday, August 7 at 7pm 
Wednesday, August 8 at 7pm 
Thursday, August 9 at 2pm 
Thursday, August 9 at 7pm 
Friday, August 10 at 7pm
South Shore Center

LOCATION: 
Robeson Theater, South Shore Cultural Center 
7059 S. South Shore Dr. 
Chicago, IL 60649

RSVP
Tickets are FREE. Secure yours now!
Click here or call 312.742.7994


ABOUT RED THEATER: Red Theater is a Jeff Award-winning company that asks dangerous questions, striving to deliver productions that go beyond entertainment, challenging an audience to interpret the themes and ideas presented on a personal level. Since 2008, our commitment to accessibility through every stage of the creative process also lowers the barriers of access, allowing all audiences to see new and reimagined works that broaden perspectives and inspire dialogue.

Shows On Our Radar: Rick Stone the Blues Man at Black Ensemble Theater Through August 26th, 2018

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

BLACK ENSEMBLE THEATER CONTINUES 2018 SEASON WITH

RICK STONE THE BLUES MAN

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY JACKIE TAYLOR

(from left) (obscured – Theo Huff) Rick Stone, Dwight Neal, Lamont ‘Harmonica Man’ Harris, Cynthia Carter and Rhonda Preston

Photo credit for all: Alan Davis

July 14 – August 26, 2018 

The summer's been flying by, and sadly I was already booked and had to miss the press opening last Sunday for Rick Stone the Blues Man. I adore the blues and I'm hoping to catch this soon. It's always a treat to see productions Jackie Taylor has written and directed. In the meantime, here are the details. This blues based original is only in town through August 26th, so don't miss this.

Black Ensemble Theater continues its 2018 Season (Movers and Shakers) with Rick Stone the Blues Man written and directed by Black Ensemble Theater Founder and CEO Jackie Taylor. Rick Stone the Blues Man will be performed at the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark Street in Chicago, July 14 – August 26, 2018. 

 (foreground) Theo Huff  (2nd line, from left) Dwight Neal, Cynthia Carter, Rick Stone, Rhonda Preston (musicians, from left) Adam Sherrod, Robert Reddrick, Mark Miller, Gary Baker

(from left) Theo Huff and Rick Stone

If you love the blues then you're going to love Rick Stone the Blues Man! Step on in to Ricky's Place, where the drinks are flowing, the dance floor is full and the band never stops. This is Ricky's Place and there is no other Blues Club like it on the planet! Join Ricky and his regulars Dwight Neal, Theo Huff, Rhonda Preston, Cynthia Carter, Kelvin Davis and Lamont 'Harmonic Man' Harris as they tear the house down singing the blues made famous by the greatest blues artists of all time like B.B. King, Bobby Blue Bland, KoKo Taylor, Johnnie Taylor, Etta James, Taj Mahal, Fleetwood Mac and Buddy Guy just to name a few. Of course Ricky and Dwight will perform their famous Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf song battle and there's always a surprise guest who will take the stage. This is a true blues lover's smorgasbord. Come on down to 4450 N. Clark Street at the Black Ensemble Theater and step into Ricky's Place, a blues lover's paradise!

 (from left) Adam Sherrod and Lamont ‘Harmonica Man’ Harris

 (from left) Adam Sherrod, Lamont ‘Harmonica Man’ Harris, Music Director - Robert Reddrick, Mark Miller, Gary Baker

(from left) – Theo Huff, Lamont ‘Harmonica Man’ Harris, Rhonda Preston, Rick Stone

The cast includes Rick Stone, Dwight Neal, Theo Huff, Rhonda Preston, Cynthia Carter, Kelvin Davis, and Lamont ‘Harmonica Man’ Harris.

The creative team includes Daryl Brooks (Production Manager), Jessica Moore (Stage Manager), Denise Karczewski (co-lighting design), Rachel West (co-lighting design), David Samba (sound), Kylah Frye (choreography), Jackie Taylor (costumes), and Evelyn Danner (wardrobe assistant).

As with all Black Ensemble Theater productions, Rick Stone the Blues Man features live musicians led by musical director/arranger Robert Reddrick (drums). Musicians include Mark Miller (base), Gary Baker (guitar) and Adam Sherrod (piano).

(from left) Rick Stone, Lamont ‘Harmonica Man’ Harris, Cynthia Carter, Rhonda Preston

Tickets are available at the Black Ensemble Box Office located at 4450 N. Clark St in Chicago, or online at www.blackensemble.org, or by phone at (773) 769-4451. Tickets are $45 for previews (July 14, 15, 20 and 21); $55 (Thursdays and Saturday matinees) and $65 (Fridays, Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees). A 10% discount is available for students, seniors, and groups.

  (from left) Theo huff, Rick Stone, Lamont ‘Harmonica Man’ Harris, Cynthia Carter, Rhonda Preston

  (from left) Lamont ‘Harmonica Man’ Harris, Rick Stone, Rhonda Preston, Dwight Neal, Cynthia Carter

The Black Ensemble Theater is also selling the Five Play Card which allows the holder to see all 5 plays of the 2018 Season or bring five friends to one play or any combination of 5. The Five Play Card is a great deal at $225 which represents a significant savings of $20.00 per full price ticket. For more details or to purchase a Five Play Card contact the box office at 773-769-4451. 

 (from left) Theo Huff, Lamont ‘Harmonica Man’ Harris, Rick Stone, Cynthia Carter, Rhonda Preston

(from left) Kelvin Davis, Cynthia Carter

Dates: 

July 14 – August 26, 2018

Previews: July 14, 15, 20 and 21, 2018

Press Performance: Sunday, July 22 at 3pm

Schedule:

Thursdays: 7:30 pm

Fridays: 8:00 pm

Saturdays: 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm

Sundays: 3:00 pm

Location: 

Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark Street, Chicago

Valet parking is available.

 Cynthia Carter

Dwight Neal

Ticket prices: 
$45 Previews
$55 on Thursdays and Saturday matinees;
$65 on Fridays, Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees
A 10% discount is available for students, seniors, and groups.
Box Office: Buy online at www.blackensemble.org or call (773) 769-4451



The Black Ensemble Theater
Founded in 1976, by the phenomenal producer, playwright and actress Jackie Taylor, Black Ensemble Theater is the only African American theater located in the culturally, racially and ethnically diverse north side Uptown community. Through its Five Play Season of Excellence, The Black Ensemble Theater dazzles audiences locally, nationally and internationally with outstanding original musicals that are entertaining, educational and uplifting. The Black Ensemble Theater has produced more than 100 productions and employed over 5,000 artists.

The mission of the Black Ensemble Theater Company is to eradicate racism and its devastating effects upon society through the theater arts.  For more information on the Black Ensemble Theater Company, visit www.BlackEnsembleTheater.org or call 773-769-4451.

SAVE THE DATES: 2018/19 Season Announced Interrobang Theatre Project

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Interrobang Theatre Project 

Announces Ninth Season: Identity/Crisis

Now in Residence at Rivendell Theatre!

THE GOAT, OR WHO IS SYLVIA?

By Edward Albee 

Directed by Co-Artistic Director James Yost 

Chicago Premiere!

I CALL MY BROTHERS

By Jonas Hassen Khemiri 

Translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles

Directed by Abhi Shrestha 

Midwest Premiere!

UTILITY

By Emily Schwend

Directed by Co-Artistic Director Georgette Verdin 

Chicago Premiere!

WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT

By Nassim Soleimanpour

Interrobang Theatre Project is pleased to announce its ninth season, featuring three knockout dramas presented at its new resident home, Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge Ave. in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. This season, Interrobang explores “identity/crisis,” with three plays featuring characters on the edge of something new, battling old demons and making room for fresh starts.

Interrobang’s 2018/19 season kicks off this fall with THE GOAT, OR WHO IS SYLVIA?, Edward Albee’s provocative portrait of a marriage in flux, directed by Co-Artistic Director James Yost. In winter 2019, guest director Abhi Shrestha stages the Chicago premiere of Jonas Hassen Khemiri's I CALL MY BROTHERS, a day in the life of an Arab-Swedish man who must dodge suspicion after a car bomb rattles Stockholm. ITP’s ninth season concludes in spring 2019 with Co-Artistic Director Georgette Verdin helming the Midwest premiere of Emily Schwend's UTILITY, an intimate look at an East Texas woman's struggle to make ends meet. Season subscriptions are currently on sale at www.interrobangtheatreproject.org.  

Also this fall, join Interrobang for a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience. One actor. No rehearsal. A different show every week. The Chicago premiere of Nassim Soleimanpour's acclaimed solo show WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT challenges the notion of performance with an experimental tour de force you have to see to believe. Join Interrobang at The Den Theatre (1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago) on Monday nights for this unforgettable artistic experiment.

“This season we landed on the unifying theme of ‘identity/crisis,’” comments Co-Artistic Director Georgette Verdin. “Across three plays and one special event we will tackle the elusive nature of self-definition. The characters in these dramas are desperately trying to discover who they are in a world that has already decided who they ought to be. What happens when this conflict is pushed to the breaking point, and how do we return to sanity once the dust settles?” 

Interrobang is also pleased to welcome Joe Lino as its newest Artistic Associate. Lino recently appeared in ITP’s production of Grace. In Chicago, he has worked with Steppenwolf, Goodman, Victory Gardens, Teatro Vista, Drury Lane, The New Colony, The Cuckoos Theater Project and The Agency Theatre Collective, where he can be seen next in the world premiere of Tres Bandidos. Regionally, he has credits with Actors Theatre of Louisville in shows such as Dracula, A Christmas Carol and That High Lonesome Sound, which premiered at the Humana Festival. He has also performed Off-Broadway at the BAM Harvey Theatre in Charles Mee’s world premiere of The Glory of the World. He is a proud alumni of Ball State University where he received a BFA in Acting. 

Finally, ITP announces THE PLAYWRITING INITIATIVE, in association with DePaul University. Each season, local playwrights will be invited to participate in an immersive and supportive partnership, including one graduate selected from DePaul's prestigious BFA Playwriting program. Each collaboration will be tailored to meet the needs of the individual playwright as the Interrobang Artistic staff aids in the development of the artist’s dramatic vocabulary and theatrical voice, culminating in a public reading of each playwright’s work.

Interrobang Theatre Project’s 2018/19 Season includes:

September 7 – October 7, 2018
THE GOAT, OR WHO IS SYLVIA?
By Edward Albee 
Directed by Co-Artistic Director James Yost
Press opening: Tuesday, September 11, 2018 at 8 pm

Martin is an accomplished architect living the American dream. He has a loving wife, a devoted son and an acclaimed career. But an explosive revelation threatens to destroy everything he has built, and forces Martin to reconcile the man the world has come to know with the man he has always been inside. Shocking theatregoers when it first premiered, The Goat deftly lambastes liberal acceptance, fidelity and family as one man painfully traverses the ultimate taboo.

January 5 – February 2, 2019
I CALL MY BROTHERS – Chicago Premiere!
By Jonas Hassen Khemiri
Translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles
Directed by Abhi Shrestha 
Press opening: Monday, January 7, 2019 at 8 pm

Stockholm, Sweden. An explosion rocks the peaceful city and the authorities need someone to blame. Amor is scared and confused, but he’s got places to be. Knowing that he could be targeted at any moment, he must cautiously navigate the city he calls home if he’s going to make it through the day in one piece. Balancing paranoia, humor and 21st century woes, Khemiri's nuanced account dares us to question our own perceptions and prejudices, while offering a singular and harrowing take on the Labyrinth of global identity politics.

April 5 – May 4, 2019
UTILITY – Midwest Premiere!
By Emily Schwend 
Directed by Co-Artistic Director Georgette Verdin
Press opening: Monday, April 8, 2019 at 8 pm

Amber is doing everything she can to keep her head above water, but no matter how hard she tries, it never seems to be enough. Money is tight, her marriage is in turmoil and she’s juggling two jobs just to make ends meet. As she struggles to plan her eight-year-old daughter’s birthday party, Amber begins to unravel in the face of tragic uncertainty. Meticulous and heartbreaking, Utility offers a glimpse into the American working class through empathic realism.   

Special Event:

September 24 – November 12, 2018
WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT
by Nassim Soleimanpour
Mondays at 8 pm at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago

What happens when you put one artist on a stage and hand them a script they’ve never read before? Pure theatrical magic. This acclaimed solo show creates an intimate exchange between actor and audience in a one-of-a-kind dramatic experience. No rehearsal. A new performer every night. An artistic experiment like you've never seen, and won’t soon forget.

About the Playwrights

Edward Albee (The Goat, Or Who is Sylvia?) was born on March 12, 1928 and began writing plays thirty years later. His plays include The Zoo Story (1958), The American Dream (1960), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1961-1962, Tony Award), Tiny Alice (1964), A Delicate Balance (1966, Pulitzer Prize; 1996, Tony Award), All Over (1971), Seascape (1974, Pulitzer Prize), The Lady From Dubuque (1977-1978), The Man Who Had Three Arms (1981), Finding the Sun (1982), Marriage Play (1986-1987), Three Tall Women (1991, Pulitzer Prize), Fragments (1993), The Play About the Baby (1997), The Goat, Or Who is Sylvia? (2000, 2002 Tony Award) and Occupant (2001). He was a member of the Dramatists Guild Council and president of The Edward F. Albee Foundation. Mr. Albee was awarded the Gold Medal in Drama from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1980, and in 1996 received the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts. Mr. Albee died September 16, 2016.

Jonas Hassen Khemiri (I Call My Brothers) is a celebrated author and playwright based in Stockholm. His novels have been translated into over 20 languages and his plays have been performed by over a hundred international companies on stages from Stockholm to Berlin to New York to London. Khemiri was awarded a Village Voice Obie Award for his first play Invasion!, which premiered in New York in 2011. His second play God Times Five toured Sweden and his third play The Hundred We Are received the Hedda Award for best play in Norway. Khemiri’s play ≈ [Almost Equal To] premiered at Dramaten in Stockholm in October 2014 to rave reviews and has been performed in Germany, Norway, Iceland and the U.S. His play I Call My Brothers began as an essay published in Dagens Nyheter in December 2010, one week after a suicide bombing in central Stockholm that shook the nation. The book was published to great acclaim and later became a lauded play that toured Sweden with Riksteatern in 2013 (directed by Farnaz Arbabi) and premiered in New York in January 2014. It has also been performed in Norway, Denmark, Germany (multiple theatres), Australia, San Francisco, France, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland and at the Gate Theatre in London, UK.

Emily Schwend (Utility) Emily Schwend's plays include Utility (The Amoralists in New York City, Orange Tree Theatre in London, 2016 Yale Drama Series Award, 2017 IT Award for Outstanding Premiere Production of a Play), The Other Thing (Second Stage Theatre Uptown), Take Me Back (Walkerspace), South of Settling (Steppenwolf's Next Up Rep) and Splinters (CUDC Source Festival). She was a 2016-2017 Radcliffe Institute Fellow at Harvard University and the inaugural 2014 Tow Foundation playwright-in-residence at Second Stage Theatre. Her work has been developed at The New Group, Roundabout Theatre Company, ACT Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, Partial Comfort Productions, Ars Nova, the Alliance Theatre, PlayPenn and the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, among others. She is a frequent contributor to Christine Jones’s Theatre for One booth. She is the recipient of a Bogliasco Fellowship, a MacDowell Fellowship, the ACT New Play Award, the David Calicchio Emerging American Playwrights Prize, the Lecomte du Nouy Prize, and the Heideman Prize. Her work has been commissioned by the Studio Theatre in D.C., the Ensemble Studio Theatre through the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Old Vic in London. She is a proud alumna of the playwriting programs at Juilliard and Tisch.

Nassim Soleimanpour (White Rabbit Red Rabbit) is an independent multidisciplinary theatre maker from Tehran, Iran. His plays have been translated into more than 20 languages. Best known for his play White Rabbit Red Rabbit, written to travel the world when he couldn’t, his work has been awarded the Dublin Fringe Festival Best New Performance, Summerworks Outstanding New Performance Text Award and The Arches Brick Award (Edinburgh Fringe), as well as picking up nominations for a Total Theatre and Brighton Fringe Pick of Edinburgh Award. By the time Nassim was permitted to travel for the first time in early 2013, his play White Rabbit Red Rabbit had been performed over 200 times in 15 languages. Since then, Nassim has facilitated workshops and panels in different countries including World Theatre Festival (Brisbane), Tolhuistuin (Amsterdam), SESC Vila Mariana (Sao Paulo), Schauspielhaus (Vienna), DPAC (Kuala Lampur), Theatretreffen (Berlin), British Council (London), Asia House (London) and University of Bremen (Germany). Nassim’s second play Blind Hamlet for the London based Actors Touring Company premiered at the 2014 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and has since toured extensively around the UK and was received well in Bucharest and Copenhagen. Blank, his third play, recently premiered in Amsterdam and has been performed in Utrecht, Edinburgh and London. Nassim now lives in Berlin with his wife Shirin.

About the Directors

James Yost (The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia?) is a Joseph Jefferson Award-nominated director and the Co-Artistic Director of Interrobang Theatre Project. He previously served as the producing Artistic Director for BareBones Theatre Group, a company he co-founded in 1998. Selected credits include: Mr. Marmalade, Psycho Beach Party, Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical, Skylight, The Graduate, The Play About the Baby, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Drift, bash; the latter-day plays, Squirrels, The Wizard of Oz, Lend Me A Tenor, Orson's Shadow, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Pitchfork Disney and Noises Off. For ITP, credits include Orange Flower Water (Jeff nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Joseph Wiens), Ibsen is Dead, The North Pool (Jeff nominated for Best Production and Best Director), Falling (Jeff nominated actors Justin Tsatsa and Amy Johnson) and the critically acclaimed REALLY REALLY (named one of the best shows of 2015 by the Chicago Tribune). Other credits include True West by Sam Shepard for Shattered Globe. This summer, he will direct Boeing Boeing for Davidson College. He teaches acting, directing, production design and film at the high school and collegiate level. He is published in Teaching Theatre Journal, a publication of Dramatics Magazine.

Abhi Shrestha (I Call My Brothers) Abhi Shrestha is a Chicago based director, movement dramaturge and educator originally from Kathmandu, Nepal. Working at the intersections of decolonization and queer brown narratives, they are the Literary Manager and Director of Public Programming for Haven Theatre, the Resident Dramaturg and Community Organizer for the Chicago Inclusion Project and a content curator for Rescripted. They are currently working on exploring a personal history of the world as told by brown grandmas, in a performance installation called The Brown Grandma Project (working title). 

Georgette Verdin (Utility) has been working with ITP since 2014 and has served as Co-Artistic Director since 2015. She is also a freelance director, theater and speech educator and arts integration specialist. She was the founding theater teacher at Polaris Charter Academy, an Expeditionary Learning School in West Humboldt Park, where she taught full-time for eight years. For Interrobang, Georgette directed last season's Jeff Recommended production of Grace by Craig Wright, season seven's production of the 2013 Yale Drama Series Winner Still by Jen Silverman, as well as season six’s Katrina: Mother-In-Law of ‘Em All by Rob Florence and the Jeff Recommended Recent Tragic Events, also by Craig Wright. Other recent directing credits include Jeff Recommended 20,000 Leagues Under The Seas (Assistant Director, Lookingglass Theatre Company) Time Stands Still (AstonRep), a staged reading of Launch Day by Michael J. Higgins (Chicago Dramatists) and Tennessee Williams’ Talk To Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen as part of AstonRep’s FOUR BY TENN festival. Georgette holds a Bachelor of Arts in theatre performance from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA and a Master in Directing from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

About Interrobang Theatre Project

Now in its ninth season, Interrobang Theatre Project, under the artistic leadership of Georgette Verdin and James Yost, has been hailed by the Chicago Tribune as a “company to watch” and by Time Out Chicago as “one of Chicago’s most promising young theatre companies.” Chris Jones called Foxfinder, which kicked off Interrobang’s 2017-18 season, “...a ripping good yarn,” earning it 3.5 stars from the Chicago Tribune. Foxfinder also garnered seven non-Equity Jeff Awards nominations including Best Director and Production of a Play, and took home two awards for Best Original Music and Set Design. The company also earned seven non-Equity Jeff Nominations for their seventh season, including Best Director, Production of a Play, Solo Performance and acting nominations for Lead Actor, Actress (win) and Actor in a Supporting Role (win). Productions have included the world premiere of Calamity West’s Ibsen is Dead (Jeff Recommended), the Jeff Recommended The Pitchfork Disney, Orange Flower Water, Recent Tragic Events, The North Pool, The Amish Project, Falling and Grace. Director James Yost’s critically-acclaimed Really Really was one of six shows chosen for Chicago Tribune’s “Best of 2015 in Chicago Fringe Theater.”

What’s an interrobang?
An interrobang is the combination of a question mark and an exclamation point, joining the Latin for “question” (interro) with a proofreading term for “exclamation” (bang). Through the plays we produce, Interrobang Theatre Project aims to pose worthwhile and exciting questions which challenge our understanding and assumptions of who we are and the world in which we live. 

For more information, please visit www.interrobangtheatreproject.org.

Jazz Shows On Our Radar: Shawn Maxwell’s New Tomorrow Residency at Jazz Showcase Thursday, July 26-Sunday, July 29th

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

SHAWN MAXWELL’S NEW TOMORROW

JULY 26, 2018 

8PM & 10PM

$20/$35 VIP PREFERRED SEATING

Shawn Maxwell’s New Tomorrow will be doing a residency at Jazz Showcase, Thursday, July 26-Sunday, July 29. Check the calendar HERE for specifics.

ALL NIGHTS:

SHAWN MAXWELL – ALTO SAX, FLUTE, CLARINET,VIJAY TELLIS NAYAK – PIANO/RHODES

JUNIUS PAUL – BASS & PHIL BEALE – DRUMS

SPECIAL GUESTS

THU JULY 26 – TRUMPETER VICTOR GARCIA

FRI JULY 27 – VOCALIST DEE ALEXANDER & TRUMPETER CHAD MCCULLOUGH

SAT JULY 28 – TRUMPETER COREY WILKES & VIBRAPHONIST STEPHEN LYNERD

SUN JULY 29 – TRUMPETER CHAD MCCULLOUGH

SHAWN MAXWELL’S NEW TOMORROW IS A QUINTET MADE UP OF FIVE OF CHICAGO’S FINEST MUSICIANS. PERFORMING ALL ORIGINAL MATERIAL, THEY SPECIALIZE IN A STYLE OF JAZZ THAT IS HEAVILY INFLUENCED AND BLENDED WITH SEVERAL OTHER MODERN GENRES. FOCUSING ON COMPOSITION JUST AS MUCH AS IMPROVISATION, THEY REVEAL STUNNING MELODIES HIDDEN WITHIN COMPLEX TIME SIGNATURES. THIS NEW APPROACH IN MAXWELL’S WRITING BRINGS A PERFECT BLEND OF COMPOSITION AND IMPROVISATION FOR A NEW DIRECTION IN JAZZ.

The band will be playing in support of their new album, Music in My Mind, which is now streaming. Check out Shawn Maxwell’s site for further information.

REVIEW: Victims of Duty at A Red Orchid Theatre With Michael Shannon

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Victims of Duty by Eugene Ionesco 

at A Red Orchid Theatre

1531 N. Wells Ave. Chicago, IL 60610

Review
By Catherine Hellmann, Guest Critic

Remember the old commercial for grape jelly that suggested: “With a name like Smuckers, it has to be good”? Well, I was reminded of this when watching Victims of Duty, “With a name like Ionesco, it’s got to be weird.” Absurdist theater makes me whimper, and to admit such a thing is like saying the Emperor has no clothes, or I am tragically unhip (which my teens can attest to anyway…)

PHOTO CREDIT FOR ALL PRODUCTION SHOTS: fadeout foto

Karen Aldridge (Madeleine), Michael Shannon (The Detective), and Guy Van Swearingen (Choubert)

cast

Ionesco’s play begins with a quiet couple onstage. The husband, Choubert, is reading the newspaper; the wife, Madeleine, is sewing. They chat about dog poop on the sidewalk in the neighborhood, how the government is encouraging citizens to be detached to conquer problems, and opinions on theater. The husband, played by Ensemble Member Guy Van Swearingen, bemoans how nothing new ever happens in theater; everything is a “thriller.” (Cue: a visitor who will shake things up in this tranquil home.) Oh, and there is a clawfoot bathtub, half-filled with water, between them. Oh, and a now-famous movie star is in the production, which is really why anyone, myself included, wants to see it.

Aldridge, Van Swearingen, Shannon

With Michael Shannon from the Academy-Award winning movie The Shape of Water in the role of The Detective, A Red Orchid Theatre has a hit show that sold out its entire run in minutes. Both Van Swearingen and Shannon were in the original production at A Red Orchid in 1995, along with director Shira Piven; ticket sales then involved some begging. The space is small and intimate, which adds to the thrill of being there. A Red Orchid could realistically sell “safe” versus “unsafe seats” if the audience doesn’t mind getting wet from the pool of water onstage which the actors swish around in. (I wondered if the actors have an alternate set of clothing for their second show later that evening.)

Rich Cotovsky (Nicolas D’eu)

cast

Shannon

The Detective is searching for “Mallot with a t” who lived in their building. The sedate couple is intrigued and invite the seemingly timid but soon-aggressive Detective into their home. The biggest laugh came when the couple referred to the “sweet face” of the Detective. His interrogation involves force-feeding Choubert bread and having him submerge in the pool, as our memories can be fleeting like liquid. (I had sympathy for the stage crew and the splashing they will have to clean up after every performance.)

Karen Aldridge is wonderful as the wife who is initially darning socks mildly, then playfully changes into a sexy dress to entice the Detective. When he asks her for a cup of coffee, she willingly obliges by frantically bringing out cup after cup after cup, lining them up along the edge of the stage. (Reminding me of “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” where T.S. Elliott observed: “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.”)

Mierka Gierten (The Lady)

Van Swearingen, Gierten,

In a time when the real/fake news is mind-boggling and our commander-in-chief is a former reality-tv star-Narcissist, do we need entertainment to be more absurd? As Ms. Piven writes in her Director’s Notes: “Now there is also a social/political resonance that we can’t escape, as much as we might want to. Themes of torture, blind compliance to authority and the absurdity (not to mention the insidiousness) of every aspect of our current political morass” was present in their rehearsals.

Aldridge, Van Swearingen

Shannon, Van Swearingen, Aldridge

Perhaps Ionesco was warning us to be citizens who are not detached by society’s problems, for innocent bystanders who are unaffected by turmoil around them are not helping.


Victims of Duty is running through August 5. Good luck scoring a ticket.

CLICK HERE for full show details and ChiIL Live Shows' past Victims of Duty coverage. 

Van Swearingen, Aldridge

Shannon, Gierten, Van Swearingen, Aldridge

Check www.aredorchidtheatre.org for last minute tickets, as some do become available. If you miss those, show up in person and try their standby lines. They are sometimes even able to get everyone in!

Ensemble Members Michael Shannon (The Detective) and Guy Van Swearingen (Choubert), as well as Karen Aldridge (Madeleine), Rich Cotovsky (Nicolas D’eu), and Ensemble Member Mierka Gierten (The Lady).

Title: Victims of Duty
Written By: Eugene Ionesco
Directed by: Shira Piven

Creative Team: Danila Korogodsky (Production Design), Ensemble Member Mike Durst (Lighting Design), and Brando Triantafilou (Sound Design)

Dates:
Regular Run: July 17 – August 5, 2018
Tuesday, July 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 21 at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 22 at 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, July 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 28 at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 29 at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 31 at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, August 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, August 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 4 at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 5 at 3:00 p.m.

Schedule: Tuesdays: 7:30 p.m. (July 17 & 31)
Wednesdays: 7:30 p.m. (July 11 & 25)
Thursdays: 7:30 p.m. (July 12, 19 & 26)
Fridays: 7:30 p.m. (July 13 & 20 and August 3)
Saturdays: 3:00 p.m. (July 21 & 28 and August 4)
and 7:30p.m. (July 14, 21 & 28 and August 4) 
Sundays: 3:00 p.m. (July 22, 29 and August 5)

Location: A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells Ave.
Tickets: $50

Box Office:Located at 1531 N. Wells Ave, Chicago, (312) 943-8722; or online www.aredorchidtheatre.org