Chicago’s Martin Van Ruin Album Release Celebration at Fitzgerald’s 8/17/18

Chicago’s Martin Van Ruin will be following up their acclaimed 2014 debut Every Man a King with the sophomore album Current Day on Friday, August 17. They will be celebrating the release that evening with a show at Fitzgerald’s.

Current Day was recorded over a series of sessions in 2017 at the Music Garage and was recorded and engineered by Mike Lust (Tight Phantomz).

“Fans looking for Chicago’s next Wilco may want to check out Martin Van Ruin.”— American Songwriter

“The Bob Dylan and Neil Young comparisons are inescapable for this new folk rock supergroup.”— Chicago Sun-Times

Martin Van Ruin (Album Release), The Shams Band

Fri, Aug 17 2018, 8:30pm - $10 - Tickets



Doors open at 7 pm.

MARTIN VAN RUIN: 

“Seriously epic folk-pop chops” - Chicago Reader (Gossip Wolf)

“15 Chicago Artists to Watch in 2014” - Chicago Red Eye (Andy Downing)

“Undeniable chemistry reminiscent of Wilco and Uncle Tupelo” - Static Magazine (Kelly McGuire)

Check out their site HERE for more information.



THE SHAMS BAND: 

Drawing heavily from their Kinks, Rolling Stones, and Wilco influences, songwriters Donnie Biggins and Paul Gulyas create whiskey-driven blues, complete with four-part harmonies. It's whiskey-driven storytelling. It's a party. It's rock 'n roll with a banjo. The Shams Band has opened for Drive-By Truckers, Dawes, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes and Grace Potter & The Nocturnals and played to sold out crowds in their hometown of Chicago.

https://www.facebook.com/theshamsband/

INCOMING: The Church Announce 'Starfish' 30th Anniversary U.S. Fall Tour

The Church will be celebrating their breakout album Starfish with a North American tour kicking off October 1st at the Chapel in Berkeley, California.

A ringing 12-string guitar introduction. A dreamlike lyric that seems to hold the cosmos in its hands. It’s still the most recognizable, covered and widely beloved song in the catalogue of a band that’s released a remarkable 26 albums.

And it’s 30 years old this year.

The song is 'Under The Milky Way', from the church’s most successful album, the undisputed classic Starfish.

In 2018, the Australian paisley underground pioneers are enjoying a year of unique celebrations, which started with a sold-out appearance at the Meltdown Festival in London on the personal invitation of curator, The Cure’s Robert Smith, on June 15th.

Followed by a string of dates in the UK – including a sold-out fan convention in Shepherds Bush which saw the band perform their second album The Blurred Crusade in its entirety for the first time in that country – The Church arrive in the US on September 30th for a month’s worth of shows, with a return early in 2019 planned to complete the US circuit. Joining the band onstage once again is ex-Remy Zero guitarist Jeffrey Cain who is also Kilbey’s partner in side project Isidore.

For these shows, Starfish will likewise be performed in its entirety, along with a selection of other gems from the band’s career, which now spans an incredible 38 years. The band will return briefly to the UK in late October as very special guests of Fields of the Nephilim, a band whose music displays similar spectral soundscapes and whose leader, Carl McCoy, remains a big fan of the band. 

From there a flight home to a fast selling Starfish 30th Anniversary National Tour of homeland theaters in Australia awaits to conclude the year.

Starfish remains best known for its iconic singles Under The Milky Way and Reptile. But like all classic albums, it’s a journey – and it starts with Destination, the six-minute epic that opens the album. In between it takes you to all point of the compass: North, South, East and West.

The sound of Starfish is open and uncluttered. That was a change for the band after the dense orchestrations of the previous album, Heyday. All 10 songs are individually memorable, yet speak to one other, making for an entirely cohesive, satisfying listening experience.

From there, the list of hits, band and fan favourites is long. Myrhh, which leader Steve Kilbey described in his memoir Something Quite Peculiar as the definitive Church song. Ripple, from the masterful Priest=Aura. Almost anything from 1982’s The Blurred Crusade.

Expect songs from Hologram of Baal, itself celebrating its 20th anniversary. And, of course, there’s The Unguarded Moment, the single that launched the band onto world stages on its release on its release in 1981.

But this is not just a nostalgia trip. The Church have been revitalized since 2014 with the addition of guitarist Ian Haug, formerly of another iconic Australian band, Powderfinger. Haug’s first outing with the band was on the acclaimed Further/Deeper, which yielded a new dynamic set-closer,  the infinitely psychedelic and earth shaking Miami.

Last year’s Man Woman Life Death Infinity strengthened the bond, cementing Haug’s place with long-time fans, as well as with the rest of the band: singer, bass player and songwriter Kilbey, fellow guitarist Peter Koppes and longtime drummer Tim Powles. “Ian is a big part of the band now,” Koppes says. “He’s a consummate, intuitive musician with fantastic tones.”

Koppes goes on to sum up the band. “Music is like inner space and we’re astronauts,” he says. It’s a spellbinding thing, it’s hypnotizing. That’s why people like it. It takes them into another world and we’re here to open those doors.”

The Church’s strange journey remains an endless sea of possibilities. In 2018, it’s time for the band to celebrate one of their crowning glories, but always with an eye to the future. Further. Deeper. The Church truly are a rock band for the ages.

Tour Dates:

Sept. 30 - Long Beach, CA - Music Tastes Good Fest

Oct. 1 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel

Oct. 3 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater

Oct. 4 - Vancouver, BC - Fox Cabaret

Oct. 5 - Seattle, WA - The Triple Door

Oct. 6 - Seattle, WA - The Triple Door

Oct. 9 - Aspen, CO - Belly Up

Oct. 11 - Boulder, CO - The Fox Theatre

Oct. 12 - Fort Collins, CO - Washington’s FoCo

Oct. 14 - Kansas City, MO - recordBar

Oct. 15 -  St. Paul, MN - Turf Club

Oct. 16 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom

Oct. 17 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall

Oct. 19 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland, Ballroom

Oct. 20 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern

Oct. 21 - Montreal, QC - Cafe Campus

Oct. 23 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair

Oct. 24 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live

Oct. 25 & 26  - New York, NY - City Winery 

Site: https://thechurchband.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thechurchband
Instagram: www.instagram.com/the_church_band/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/thechurchband
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ZfogSsOWP4mVfEqfpLXCt

                                             

OPENING: Crime and Punishment Through October 20, 2018 at Theater Wit

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Shattered Globe Theatre Presents 

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

Adapted for the stage by Chris Hannan

Based on the novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

  Directed by SGT Ensemble Member Louis Contey

September 6 – October 20, 2018 at Theater Wit

Running time 2:45

PHOTO CREDIT: Crime and Punishment (left to right) Ilse Zacharias and Drew Schad in a publicity image for Shattered Globe Theatre’s production of CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, directed by Louis Contey. Photo by Nico Fernandez: A Little Photo Studio.  

I'll be ChiILin' with Chi, IL's Shattered Globe Theatre at Theater Wit, for the press opening of CRIME AND PUNISHMENT September 9th. Check back shortly after for my full review.

Shattered Globe Theatre is pleased to launch its 2018-19 season with Chris Hannan’s new stage adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s masterful novel CRIME AND PUNISHMENT. SGT Ensemble Member Louis Contey* directs an ensemble of eleven actors in this rich interpretation of one of the world’s great literary treasures, playing September 6 – October 20, 2018 at SGT’s resident home Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Single tickets are currently available at www.shatteredglobe.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office.

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT will feature SGT Ensemble Members Christina Gorman*, Rebecca Jordan*, Drew Schad*, Joe Wiens* and Brad Woodard*, SGT Artistic Associates Daria Harper^ and Darren Jones^ and SGT Protégé alum Jazzma Pryor+ with Christopher Acevedo, Patrick Thornton and Ilse Zacharias.

One of the great stories of world literature comes to life in this fresh, theatrical adaptation featuring an ensemble of eleven actors as chorus and conscience. As Raskolnikov plays a dangerous cat and mouse game with a mercurial investigating magistrate, a psychological thriller unspools and probes how far humanity might go when driven by disillusionment and whether any crime can be justified by a higher purpose.  

Comments Director Louis Contey, “Dostoyevsky is a master at creating complex and contradictory characters, and Chris Hannan has beautifully distilled the essential themes and motifs of this major 19th century novel. It has long been an ambition of mine to stage this classic, whose exploration of human isolation and disillusionment is so very timely.”

The production team for CRIME AND PUNISHMENT includes: Nick Mozak (scenic design), Hailey Rakowiecki (costume design), Shelley Strasser (lighting design), Christopher Kriz (sound design & original music) and Vivian Knouse (props design), Judy Anderson (production manager) and Tina M. Jach (stage manager). 

Cast (in alphabetical order): Christopher Acevedo (Skabichevsky, Lebezyatnikov, Doctor, Ilya Petrovich), Christina Gorman* (Dunya), Daria Harper^ (Pulkheria, Alyona), Darren Jones^ (Marmeladov, Nikolai), Rebecca Jordan* (Katerina, Darya), Jazzma Pryor+ (Nastasya, Lizaveta, Amalia), Drew Schad* (Raskolnikov), Patrick Thornton (Porfiry Petrovich), Joe Wiens* (Razumikhin), Brad Woodard* (Luzhin, Koch, Priest) and Ilse Zacharias (Sonya).

Location: Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave, Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, September 6 at 8 pm, Friday, September 7 at 8 pm, Saturday, September 8 at 8 pm and Sunday, September 9 at 3 pm.

Regular Run: Friday, September 14 – Saturday, October 20, 2018

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be a performance on Thursday, September 13; there will be an added performance on Saturday, October 20 at 3 pm.

Touch Tour/Audio Description Performance: Friday, October 12 – 6:30 pm touch tour, 8 pm performance with audio description. $20 tickets available with code “ACCESS.”

Global Perspectives: SGT will be hosting post-show discussions immediately following 3 pm performances on Sundays.

Tickets: Previews: $20 general admission (pay-what-you-can on Thursday, September 6). $10 students, $10 industry tickets with code “FRIEND”.

Regular Run: $39 general admission. Discounts: $15 students, $30 seniors, $20 under 30. $15 industry tickets on Thursdays with code “INDUSTRY.” Single tickets are currently available at www.shatteredglobe.org, in person at the Theater Wit Box Office or by calling (773) 975-8150. SGT’s VIP Season Traveler Memberships are on sale on at www.shatteredglobe.org. Group discounts are currently available by contacting groupsales@shatteredglobe.org or by calling (773) 770-0333. 

* Denotes SGT Ensemble Member

^ Denotes SGT Artistic Associate

+ Denotes SGT Protégé alumni

About the Artists:

Chris Hannan’s (Adapter) work as a playwright has been produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Old Vic, Shakespeare's Globe and the National Theatre of Scotland. His most recent play, What Shadows, opened at Birmingham Rep in October 2016 and was described by the Daily Telegraph as "the most provocative theatrical act of the decade." His 1990 play The Evil Doers was produced by the Bush Theatre in London and received a Time Out Award among other prizes, and in 1996 his highly-acclaimed Shining Souls won him a nomination for Lloyds Bank Playwright of the Year. In Scotland, he is best known for Elizabeth Gordon Quinn, which is widely studied and was re-mounted by the National Theatre of Scotland in the first year of its existence. In his plays, he often creates big central roles for women. The critic Joyce McMillan, writing in The Guardian, hailed Elizabeth Gordon Quinn as a "monstrous and magnificent heroine." The same critic described the central character of Shining Souls as a kind of Mother Courage cum Marilyn Monroe of the post-industrial wastelands and called the play a "funny and serious postmodern masterpiece."

Louis Contey (Director) marks his 23rd SGT collaboration with Crime and Punishment. For SGT, Lou has also directed The Heavens are Hung in Black ,The Tall Girls, In the Heat of the Night, A View From The Bridge, The Manchurian Candidate, A Streetcar Named Desire, All My Sons, Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, Peter Pan, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Warhawks and Lindberghs, Holy Ghosts, Judgment at Nuremberg, Requiem for a Heavyweight, The Whaleship Essex, Meet John Doe, The Lower Depths, Escape From Happiness, Real Classy Affair, Rocket to the Moon, Anna Karenina and Brilliant Traces. He has directed over 75 plays, among them The Master & Margarita, Marriage Play, The Diviners, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth and Hamlet. He is an Associate Artist at TimeLine Theatre, where he directed Frost/Nixon, Awake And Sing!, The General from America, Lillian, Copenhagen, It’s All True, Pravda, Paradise Lost, A House With No Walls, The Apple Family Plays and The Price. He has also worked at The Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Strawdog Theatre,Theatre at the Center, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, Provision Theatre, Eclipse Theatre and American Theater Company. He is a twelve-time Jeff nominee and has received seven Jeff Citations, as well as an After Dark Award. He teaches part-time at The Theatre School/DePaul University where he received his MFA in Directing. 

About Shattered Globe Theatre

Shattered Globe Theatre (Sandy Shinner, Producing Artistic Director; Doug McDade, Managing Director) was born in a storefront space on Halsted Street in 1991. Since then, SGT has produced more than 60 plays, including nine American and world premieres, and garnered an impressive 42 Jeff Awards and 106 Jeff Award nominations, as well as the acclaim of critics and audiences alike. Shattered Globe is an ensemble driven theater whose mission is to create an intimate, visceral theater experience that challenges the perspective of audience and artist alike through passionate storytelling. Shattered Globe is inspired by the diversity of our city and committed to making the theater available to all audiences.   Through initiatives such as the Protégé Program, Shattered Globe creates a space which allows emerging artists to grow and share in the ensemble experience.

Shattered Globe Theatre is partially supported and funded by generous grants from The Shulman-Rochambeau Charitable Foundation, The James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, Alphawood Foundation, The Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council, a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, The Shubert Foundation, The Bayless Family Foundation, The Blum-Kovler Family Foundation, and The Robert J. & Loretta W. Cooney Family Foundation.

For more information on Shattered Globe Theatre, please visit www.shatteredglobe.org.

Goodman Theatre FREE With RSVP: PlayBuild Youth Intensive and Musical Theater Intensive August 10th & 11th

GOODMAN THEATRE YOUTH PROGRAM 

PARTICIPANTS COMMEMORATE 1968 

HISTORICAL EVENTS IN PUBLIC SHOWCASES

***AUGUST 10 AND 11 PERFORMANCES FEATURE PARTICIPANTS FROM PLAYBUILD YOUTH INTENSIVE AND MUSICAL THEATRE INTENSIVE (RESPECTIVELY)*** 

More than 60 Chicagoland students make their Goodman Theatre debut on the mainstage to conclude summer programming—PlayBuild Youth Intensive and Musical Theater Intensive—on August 10 and 11 at 7pm. The free programs were taught over a course of seven-to-eight weeks in the Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement. This year’s theme is 1968, marking the 50th anniversary of the now historic year—Musical Theater Intensive will feature selections from the rock musical Hair and more. The PlayBuild final performance will also feature members of the Goodman’s InterGens program—participants who have previously participated in the Goodman’s education programs—to create a special opening piece for the August 10 performance. The final showcases takes place on Friday, August 10 and Saturday, August 11 at 7pm at Goodman Theatre (170 N. Dearborn). Tickets are free but reservations are required; call 312.443.3800. For more information, visit GoodmanTheatre.org/PlaybuildYouthFinal and GoodmanTheatre.org/MusicalTheaterFinal.

Now in its 11th year, PlayBuild Youth Intensive’s seven-week curriculum uses all elements in the creation of theater to cultivate participants own voice and potential for creativity through personal history and storytelling techniques. Led by Walter Director of Education and Engagement Willa J. Taylor and 11 teaching artists—Amanda Delheimer, Khanisha Foster, Charles Gardner, Brandi Lee, Airos Sung-En Medill, Tony Sancho, Paul Whitehouse and Walker Zupan—more than 600 students have participated in PlayBuild (formerly General Theater Studies) since its inception.

Musical Theater Intensive, now in its third year, is led by acclaimed Chicago-based musical director Doug Peck together with Goodman teaching artists—Breon Arzell, Mark Jacob Chaitin, McKenzie Chinn, Liam Collier, Mateo Hernandez and Darian Tene. The eight-week program designed for young artists wishing to pursue a musical theater career. Through skill-building workshops designed to refine skills in acting, dancing, singing, storytelling and ensemble work, participants build a final musical showcase of original creations, works of classic and contemporary musical theater, and pop.

The Goodman is grateful for the generous support of its Education and Engagement program sponsors. The James and Madeleine McMullan Family Foundation is the Major Supporter of the Musical Theatre Intensive. PepsiCo is the Official Nutrition Sponsor for PlayBuild | Youth Intensive. The Goodman Scenemakers Board is the Sponsor Partner for PlayBuild | Youth intensive. KPMG is the Supporter of PlayBuild | Youth Intensive. The Goodman Women’s Board is the Major Supporter of Education and Engagement.

ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE

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

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

Goodman Theatre was founded in 1925 by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family’s legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth’s family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation of the new Goodman center in 2000.

Today, Goodman Theatre leadership also includes the distinguished members of the Artistic Collective: Brian Dennehy, Rebecca Gilman, Henry Godinez, Dael Orlandersmith, Steve Scott, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor, Henry Wishcamper and Mary Zimmerman. David W. Fox, Jr.is Chair of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Denise Stefan Ginascol is Women’s Board President and Megan McCarthy Hayes is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.

SAVE THE DATES: Circolombia’s ACÉLÉRÉ To Play The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare October 23 – November 4, 2018

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Circus troupe combines jaw-dropping acrobatics with dance 

and music culminating 

Destinos – Chicago International Latino Theater Festival

Circolombia’s

ACÉLÉRÉ

Limited engagement in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare, 

October 23 – November 4, 2018

Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces a special theatrical event from celebrated Colombia circus troupe Circolombia’s Acéléré, presented for a limited engagement in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare, October 23–November 4, 2018.

 All Photos by Roberto Ricciuti

Here at ChiIL Live Shows and ChiIL Mama we've reviewed professional circus shows from around the world, and we're beyond excited to see Acéléré! Tickets are sure to be in high demand for this family friendly, short run, circus extravaganza. Don't miss this.

 



Packed with explosive power and raw skill, the high-energy spectacle features jaw-dropping circus feats from aerialists, acrobats, and contortionists—interwoven with the troupe’s signature live music and dance performances, spanning genres from hip-hop and electro cumbia to drum and bass. Straight from an acclaimed run on the Thames’ South Bank under the iconic London Eye and a sell-out engagement at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Acéléré makes its North American debut as the culminating event of the second annual Destinos – Chicago International Latino Theater Festival.

Acéléré is a “non-stop circus party,” according to UK’s The Stage. TimeOut London called it “an adrenaline-fuelled mix of strength, skill and daring… a great night out.” The Scotsman praises the show’s “high-flying acrobatics that make you gasp out loud…This is the circus performance that shows others how it’s done. Go.”

Direct from the Chicago Sister City of Bogotá, Colombia, Circolombia is no ordinary circus troupe. Taking inspiration from Colombia’s diverse communities, the majority of the company is comprised of top graduates from the country’s national circus school.



Circolombia's Acéléré culminates this year’s Destinos – Chicago International Latino Theater Festival (September 20 – November 4), spearheaded by the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA). CLATA was created in 2016 by Executive Director Myrna Salazar and a consortium of Chicago cultural institutions, led by the National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA), International Latino Cultural Center (ILCC), and the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance (PRAA). CLATA aims to celebrate and amplify the voices of Latino theater artists in Chicago. Throughout October 2018, Destinos (translated as destinies, destinations, or fate) will feature works by local Chicago Latino theater companies alongside international artists. The presentation of Acéléré marks the second year that Chicago Shakespeare has participated in the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival.



For more information, visit www.chicagoshakes.com/circolombia.

Circolombia's Acéléré is presented in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare, October 23–November 4, 2018. Single tickets ($30-$45) will be on sale later this summer. Special discounts are available for groups of 10 or more, as well as CST for $20 tickets for patrons under 35. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit the Theater’s website at www.chicagoshakes.com.



Circolombia's Acéléré joins previously announced productions in the 2018/19 Season:

Peter Pan, A Musical Adventure
CST’s Courtyard Theater | Now through August 19, 2018
music by George Stiles | lyrics by Anthony Drewe | in a new version by Elliot Davis based on the book by Willis Hall | adapted from the play by J.M. Barrie with permission from Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children | directed & choreographed by Amber Mak

CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARKS
A Midsummer Night's Dream
touring to neighborhood parks | Now through August 26, 2018
adapted and directed by Barbara Gaines

BIG IN BELGIUM | SKaGeN
BigMouth
Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare | September 12–22, 2018
directed & performed by Valentijn Dhaenens

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Nell Gwynn
CST’s Courtyard Theater | September 20–November 4, 2018
by Jessica Swale | directed by Christopher Luscombe

BIG IN BELGIUM | Ontroerend Goed
Fight Night
The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare | October 23–November 4, 2018
written by Alexander Devriendt, Angelo Tijssens, and the Cast | directed by Alexander Devriendt

Q Brothers Christmas Carol
The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare | November 20–December 30, 2018
written by Q Brothers Collective (GQ, JQ, Jax, Pos) | directed by GQ and JQ | developed with Rick Boynton

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
CST’s Courtyard Theater | December 6, 2018–January 27, 2019
by William Shakespeare | directed by Joe Dowling

BIG IN BELGIUM | BRONKS
Us/Them
Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare | January 22–February 3, 2019
written & directed by Carly Wijs

WORLDSTAGE FROM FRANCE | Compagnie Non Nova
L'après midi d'un foehn
The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare | January 23–27, 2019
created by Phia Ménard | co-presented with Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Short Shakespeare! Macbeth
CST’s Courtyard Theater | February 16–March 16, 2019
by William Shakespeare | adapted & directed by Marti Lyons

WORLDSTAGE FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM | National Theatre of Great Britain
An Inspector Calls
The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare | February 19–March 10, 2019
by JB Priestly | directed by Stephen Daldry

WORLDSTAGE WORLDSTAGE FROM IRELAND | Abbey Theatre
Two Pints
CST’s The Pub | March 6–31, 2019
by Roddy Doyle | directed by Caitríona McLaughlin

Hamlet
CST’s Courtyard Theater | April 17–June 9, 2019
by William Shakespeare | directed by Barbara Gaines

WORLD PREMIERE
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare | May 30–July 28, 2019
original music & lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman | book by Brian Hill | new songs & additional music & lyrics by Neil Bartram | based on the Walt Disney film


ABOUT CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER 
A global theatrical force, Chicago Shakespeare Theater is known for vibrant productions that reflect Shakespeare’s genius for storytelling, musicality of language, and empathy for the human condition. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Barbara Gaines and Executive Director Criss Henderson, Chicago Shakespeare has redefined what a great American Shakespeare theater can be, putting forward a company that delights in the unexpected and defies theatrical category. A Regional Tony Award winner, the Theater produces acclaimed plays at its home on Navy Pier, throughout Chicago’s schools and neighborhoods, and on stages around the world. In 2017, the Theater unveiled a new stage, The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare. Together with the Jentes Family Courtyard Theater and the Thoma Theater Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare, The Yard positions Chicago Shakespeare as the city’s most versatile performing arts venue.

CLUTCH "BOOK OF BAD DECISIONS" PRE-ORDER AND MERCH BUNDLES AVAILABLE NOW!

NEW ALBUM PRE-ORDER AND MERCH BUNDLES AVAILABLE NOW!

CLUTCH TO RELEASE THIRD SINGLE TRACK

FROM THE NEW ALBUM "BOOK OF BAD DECISIONS" TODAY

CLUTCH has been one of our favorites here at ChiIL Live Shows for decades. They're still cranking out jammin' new tunes and their live shows are incredible, with a different set list nightly. Band members take turns creating the set list. And their fans are also some of the nicest, most genuinely fun people out there. We're loving the new stuff they've released so far, off their upcoming album, and we're beyond excited to hear it in it's entirety.

Maryland rockers CLUTCH are now offering a variety of exclusive “Book of Bad Decisions” pre-order bundles such as the “Limited Edition Collectors Bundle” which includes rare picture disc vinyl, flask, flag, shirt, long sleeve, HATCHET with autographed box, and more!  Bundles will be delivered on or before the album release date of September 7th.

All “Book of Bad Decisions” pre-order bundles, music and merch options are available now exclusively at www.clutchmerch.com. 



CLUTCH are releasing the third single from their upcoming album Book of Bad Decisions as an instant gratification track at iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/book-of-bad-decisions/1376829212&app=itunes) and Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CNYD1R7).  Spotify has it here (http://open.spotify.com/album/7fJuTpSrV3TYbSExbo3emk)

Clutch’s song “Hot Bottom Feeder” is, in essence, a recipe for Maryland crab cakes set to Clutch’s inimitable style.  Watch the accompanying lyric video here.

Each of the single releases from Book of Bad Decisions is accompanied by a Spotify playlist put together by one of the band members. In this instance it's Dan Maines who asks you to “Check out our latest release Hot Bottom Feeder and beat the heat with these stone cold classics.” We checked it out and Dan's Spotify playlist is pretty sweet!

CLUTCH:
Neil Fallon - Vocals/Guitar
Tim Sult - Guitar
Dan Maines - Bass
Jean-Paul Gaster - Drums/Percussion
                                               

For more  information, check out the band’s website:
www.pro-rock.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/clutchband
Instagram: www.instagram.com/clutchofficial
Twitter: www.twitter.com/clutchofficial
Official: www.pro-rock.com
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/officialclutch

OPENING: VIETGONE at Writers Theatre August 15 – September 23, 2018

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Writers Theatre presents

VIETGONE

Written by Qui Nguyen

Directed by Lavinia Jadhwani

Original Music & Music Direction by Gabriel Ruiz

Choreographed by Tommy Rapley

Featuring Aurora Adachi-Winter, Rammel Chan, Emjoy Gavino

Ian Michael Minh and Matthew C. Yee

Pictured: Matthew C. Yee and Aurora Adachi-Winter. Photo by Saverio Truglia.

August 15 – September 23, 2018

**Warning, contains strong language and adult themes.**

Writers Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma, opens its 2018/19 season with Qui Nguyen’s Vietgone, directed by Lavina Jadhwani, featuring original music and music direction by Gabriel Ruiz and choreography by Tommy Rapley. Vietgone runs August 15 – September 23, 2018 in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. 

It's 1975 and two young survivors (who may or may not be the playwright's parents) meet in a Vietnamese refugee camp in mid-America shortly after the fall of Saigon. Will this strange new land of cowboys, hippies and bikers allow them to fall in love? Playwright Qui Nguyen’s wildly creative, irreverent style flips stereotypes on their head, remixing history and culture into a sexy, funny and energetic fantasia as he imagines how two soul mates might have found each other in a turbulent time.

Vietgone is a first-generation immigrant story told through a second-generation lens. As a result, this period piece about the 70s is infused with elements of modern American pop culture—rap music, ninja fights, movie montages, motorcycle chases—that playwright Qui Nguyen grew up loving.

Equal parts road-trip adventure, buddy film, romantic comedy and Hamilton-esque rap musical, this epic new play repurposes pop culture from the last forty years to tell its “probably-mostly-true” story. Directed by Lavina Jadhwani, Vietgone takes a no-holds-barred approach, transporting you through time and across the globe to put an innovative spin on a critical moment in our history.

Vietgone features an Asian American playwright, director and cast, and a significant portion of the creative team.

“Vietgone is one of the most creative, vibrant and entertaining plays to emerge on the American stage in the past few years,” said Artistic Director Michael Halberstam.” Qui Nguyen handles his subject matter with great originality and a generous eye towards keeping the audience engaged, while not shying away from a very sophisticated narrative. Furthermore, thanks in no small part to pioneers like Lin Manuel Miranda and The Q Brothers, hip-hop culture and rap music have become an organic part of the current theatrical conversation and Mr. Nguyen uses the vernacular to great effect. In fact, Vietgone feels somewhat like producing a musical. The piece fills the epic canvas of the Nichols stage with its integral musical score and choreographic sequences, while adhering to the intimacy that is a hallmark of the Writers Theatre experience.

Gabriel Ruiz has composed original music for the production. Like Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton, Vietgone uses contemporary music, including rap, to tell an historic story in an anachronistic way.

“Director Lavina Jadhwani has been collaborating with Writers Theatre in various capacities for more than a decade now, and her directorial debut is an organic extension of our ongoing relationship. Her national career has been well and truly launched with projects in development at Oregon Shakespeare Festival (where she first encountered this play), the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Florida and the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. She’s assembled an ideal cast and a bravura design team, and we all feel very lucky to be working together to tell such a dynamic and important story.”  

Director Lavina Jadhwani has a long-standing relationship with Writers Theatre starting as a script reader and progressing to serve as Dramaturg of Travels with My Aunt and the Director of the staged reading of Our Few and Evil Days.

The cast of Vietgone includes: Aurora Adachi-Winter (Tong), Rammel Chan (Asian Guy/American Guy/Nhan/Khue), Emjoy Gavino (Asian Girl/American Girl/Thu/Huong/Translator/Flower Girl), Ian Michael Minh (Playwright/Giai/Bobby/Captain Chambers/Redneck Biker/Hippie Dude) and Matthew C. Yee (Quang).

The creative team includes: Yu Shibagaki (scenic), Melissa Ng (costumes), Sarah Hughey (lighting), Kevin O’Donnell (sound), Rasean Davonte Johnson (projections), Dwight Sora (assistant director) and Carol Ann Tan (production dramaturg). The production stage manager is David Castellanos.

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



ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Qui Nguyen (Playwright) is a playwright, screenwriter, and co-founder of the OBIE Award-winning Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company of NYC. His plays include Vietgone (2016 Harold and Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award, 2016 LADCC Tim Schmitt Award, 2016 Edward M. Kennedy Prize finalist), War is F**king Awesome (Frederick Loewe Award), She Kills Monsters (2014 AATE Distinguished Play Award, 2012 GLAAD Media Award nom), Soul Samurai (2009 GLAAD Media Award nom) and the critically acclaimed Vampire Cowboys shows: The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G, Alice in Slasherland, Fight Girl Battle World, Men of Steel, Six Rounds of Vengeance and Living Dead in Denmark. Recent awards include a 2016 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Preschool Animated Program (Peg+Cat) and a 2015 New York Community Trust Helen Merrill Playwriting Award. He is proud member of the WGA, The Dramatists Guild, The Playwrights Center, Ensemble Studio Theatre and The Ma-Yi Writers Lab. He’s an alumni of New Dramatists and Youngblood. For television, he's written for PBS’s Peg+Cat and SYFY’s Incorporated. Currently, he’s a screenwriter for Marvel Studios.

Lavinia Jadhwani (Director) Lavina Jadhwani is a Chicago-based director, adaptor, and advocate. Favorite directing credits include Roe (Asolo Repertory Theatre), Human Rites (world premiere at the Phoenix Theatre, Indianapolis), Great Expectations (Silk Road Rising/Remy Bumppo Theatre Company), Gruesome Playground Injuries, Much Ado About Nothing, Yoni Ki Baat (Rasaka Theatre Company), Cherry Smoke (the side project), Romeo and Juliet (Teatro Vista—BroadwayWorld nomination, Best Production for Young Audiences), Hamlet and Twelfth Night (Oak Park Festival Theatre). Her adaptations include The Sitayana (a solo performance piece based on the Hindu epic, The Ramayana), Vanya (adapted from Chekhov) and Shakuntala: An East-Meets-West Love Story (an a cappella musical, adapted from Kalidasa). Lavina maintains relationships with Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Phil Killian Directing Fellow), the National New Play Network (Affiliated Artists Council), Silk Road Rising (Artistic Associate) and Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Artistic Engagement Associate). She was named Time Out Chicago’s “Best Next Generation Stage Director” in 2013. Lavina is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University (M.F.A., Directing), Carnegie Mellon University (B.F.A., Scenic Design; Masters, Arts Management) and the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy.

Gabriel Ruiz (Original Music/Music Director) Gabriel is a proud ensemble member of Teatro Vista. Chicago credits include: Agamemnon (Court Theatre), City of Angels (Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire), The Upstairs Concierge (Goodman Theatre), White Tie Ball (Teatro Vista), Creditors (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company), How Long Will I Cry?, The Motherfucker with the Hat (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), Sita Ram (Chicago Children's Choir), After (Profiles Theatre), Working: The Musical (Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place), Richard III, Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night's Dream (Chicago Shakespeare Theater) and Arabian Nights (Lookingglass Theatre Company). Regional credits include: Native Gardens (Cincinnati Playhouse), Harvey (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Why Torture Is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them (Forward Theater Company) and Blood and Gifts (Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts). He can also be seen as Dilip Singh in both seasons of Boss (Starz).

Tommy Rapley (Choreographer) Tommy Rapley is a proud Company Member with The House Theatre of Chicago where he has choreographed over 25 world-premiere productions including The Sparrow (Jeff Award), Cave With Man (Jeff Award), The Terrible Tragedy of Peter Pan, The Valentine Trilogy and Death and Harry Houdini. Directing credits for The House include: The Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz, All the Fame of Lofty Deeds, Hope Springs Infernal, DORIAN and their critically acclaimed productions of The Nutcracker. Other notable Chicago credits include: AIDA (Drury Lane Oakbrook), Detroit (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), One Hundred Dresses, A Year with Frog and Toad (Chicago Children's Theatre), Yeast Nation (American Theatre Company), Man in the Ring (Court Theatre), The King and I, City of Angels (Marriott Theatre) and A Christmas Carol (The Goodman Theatre). Tommy has worked regionally with Hartford Stage Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Kansas City Rep., Olney Theatre Center, St. Louis Rep., The Adrienne Arsht Center and Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Aurora Adachi-Winter (Tong) A Chicago native, Aurora grew up on the south side of the city, attended Walter Payton College Prep and graduated with her BFA in theatre from The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is a company member with First Floor Theater, where she appeared in their productions of Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them, peerless and Two Mile Hollow. Other past credits include: Bull In A China Shop (About Face Theatre), Put Your House In Order (The Roustabouts), The Burials (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), good friday (Oracle Productions, Jeff Nomination for Best Ensemble), Hinter (Steep Theatre Company), M. Butterfly (Court Theatre) and Miss Saigon (The Paramount). Upcoming productions include Red Rex (Steep Theatre) and Lottery Day (Goodman Theatre) both by Chicago playwright Ike Holter. Aurora has performed three consecutive years in The Fly Honey Show (The Inconvenience), including with her mother, aunt and cousin in their drum group Adachi Taiko.

Rammel Chan (Asian Guy/American Guy/Nhan Khue) Theatre credits include King of the Yees (Goodman Theatre, Kirk Douglas Theatre), Oblivion (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), A Red Line Runs Through It (u/s Second City), Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 (Next Act Theatre) and staged readings of Vietgone (Writers Theatre), The Supreme Leader (Roundabout Theatre Company), The Not-So-Accidental Conviction of Eleven Milwaukee Anarchists (Milwaukee Repertory) and The Oldest Boy (Goodman Theatre). He is an ensemble member of Stir Friday Night, a recipient of the 2015 Bob Curry Fellowship from the Second City and the 2018 Kundiman Fiction Fellowship. As a writer, his play Northern Michigan Trust premiered as part of TEN at The Gift Theatre and his short fiction has appeared in Riksha or is forthcoming in Asimov’s Science Fiction. His film and television credits include Cold War, End of the Tour, Red Line (CBS), Crisis, Chicago Justice (NBC), Patriot (Amazon) and The Jamz (Netflix).

Emjoy Gavino (Asian Girl/American Girl/Thu/Huong/Translator/Flower Girl) Representative Chicago credits include Steppenwolf Theatre (The Drunken City, You Got Older), Court Theater (Wait Until Dark, Electra, The Good Book, Iphigenia in Aulis, M Butterfly, The Hard Problem), About Face Theatre (Bull in a China Shop), The Hypocrites (You on the Moors Now), The Second City (The Realish Housewives—National tour), The House Theater of Chicago (Death and Harry Houdini, Wilson Wants it All), Northlight (4000 Miles), Victory Gardens (Failure: A Love Story), Remy Bumppo (Seascape, Fallen Angels, Love and Information), Paramount (Hair), Broadway Playhouse (Working), Lookingglass Theatre (Arabian Nights), The Neo-Futurists (Neo-Futurist Christmas Carol) and Goodman Theater (A Christmas Carol). Regional credits include Repertory Actors Theatre, Book-It Repertory, ACT, 5th Avenue Theatre and Village Theatre. Film/TV: The Exorcist, Mob Doctor, Empire (Fox), Chicago Fire and Chicago Med (NBC). Emjoy graduated from The School at Steppenwolf. She is the casting director of Gift Theatre, a teaching artist with Barrel of Monkeys, a 3Arts Make a Wave grantee and is the founder and producer of The Chicago Inclusion Project. She is represented by Stewart Talent.

Ian Michael Minh (Playwright/Giai/Bobby/Captain Chamber/Redneck Biker/Hippie Dude) is an artistic ensemble member of Midsommer Flight and has appeared in the company's productions of Twelfth Night, Hamlet and As You Like It. Other Chicago productions include Romeo and Juliet (Teatro Vista), The Last Dance, Shadow Boy (Commedia Beauregard), Art (Parlor Room Players) and Coriolanus (Commission Theatre).
Matthew C. Yee (Quang) Theatre credits include Once (Paramount Theatre), Treasure Island (Lookingglass Theatre Company), Alice’s Rock and Roll Adventure, The Year I Didn't Go to School, A Year With Frog And Toad (Chicago Children's Theatre) and The Wheel (Steppenwolf Theatre Company). Television credits include Chicago Fire, Chicago Justice (NBC) and Empire (Fox).

 The play explores the time during and immediately following the Vietnam War, told through the eyes of Vietnamese refugees, revealing a different perspective on a well-known piece of American history.

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
Sunday Spotlight
Sunday, September 16, 2018 at 11:30am
In Vietgone, playwright Qui Nguyen gives us a dynamic look at the Vietnam War and its aftermath from a rarely observed point of view. At this Sunday Spotlight event, we will be joined by a diverse panel of historians, activists and artists to discuss varying perspectives on this contentious time in history when the country—and the world—was undergoing great change. Seating is limited, RSVP is required.

The Making of... Vietgone
Monday, September 10, 2018 at 6:30pm
Music plays a huge role in Vietgone, and the styles are specific and intentional for each musical moment. At this Q&A, WT Associate Artistic Director Geoff Button moderates a discussion to break down the music in Vietgone, looking at the rich storytelling in rap and how popular music makes its way from radio waves to the stage. Seating is limited, RSVP is required.

Post-Show Conversation: The Word
Join us after every Tuesday evening performance (excluding First Week and any extension weeks) for a 15-minute discussion of the play, facilitated by a member of the WT Artistic Team.
Post-Show Conversation: The Artist
Join us after every Wednesday evening performance (excluding First Week and any extension weeks) for a 15-minute talk-back featuring actors from the production, facilitated by a member of the WT Artistic Team.

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

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

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

WRITERS THEATRE PARTNERS
Writers Theatre is pleased to recognize BMO Harris Bank as the 2018/19 Season Sponsor and ComEd as the Official Lighting Sponsor of the 2018/19 Season. The Major Corporate Sponsor for Vietgone is Northern Trust. The Major Production Sponsors are Maryellen and Richard Keyser, and the Artists Council Sponsors are Laurie and Michael Petersen. Additional support for Vietgone is provided by the Director’s Society Sponsors.

For more information about Writers Theatre’s 2018/19 partners, visit writerstheatre.org/our-supporters.

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

Under the artistic leadership of Michael Halberstam and the executive leadership of Kathryn M. Lipuma, Writers Theatre has grown to become a major Chicagoland cultural destination with a national reputation for excellence, being called the top regional theatre in the nation by The Wall Street Journal. The company, which plays to a sold-out and discerning audience of more than 60,000 patrons each season, has garnered critical praise for the consistent high quality and intimacy of its artistry—providing the finest interpretations of both classic and contemporary theatre in its two intensely intimate venues. 

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

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



Dates:                              
First performance: Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Press opening: Wednesday, August 22, 2018 at 7:30pm
                                    Closing performance: September 23, 2018

Open Captioning performance: Thursday, September 6 at 7:30pm
ASL-Interpreted performance: Saturday, September 22 at 7:30pm

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

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