OPENING: TIMELINE THEATRE’S 2018-19 SEASON OPENER, A SHAYNA MAIDEL 8/22-11/4/18

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

TWO SISTERS ARE REUNITED AFTER THE HOLOCAUST IN 

A SHAYNA MAIDEL, 

TIMELINE THEATRE’S 2018-19 SEASON OPENER, 

AUGUST 22 – NOVEMBER 4, 2018

Lusia (Emily Berman, left) and Rose (Bri Sudia) are two sisters trying to reconnect after years of separation brought on by the rise of the Nazis.

Photo by Lara Goetsch

Vanessa Stalling to make her TimeLine directorial debut,

Emily Berman and Bri Sudia to star as separated sisters 

in Barbara Lebow’s moving exploration of 

family, faith, and forgiveness

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we're looking forward to Timeline's season opener and I'll be out for the press opening. Check back soon for my full review. I've enjoyed Vanessa Stalling's directing all over town, particularly at House Theatre and The Goodman, and I'm eager to see her Timeline directing debut. Timeline has long been a favorite of ours for thought provoking choices and stellar production values. We're also huge fans of their lobby installation tie-ins with each show. I can't wait to see what they have in store for us this season.

(Top, from left) Playwright Barbara Lebow, director Vanessa Stalling, and cast members Emily Berman, Carin Schapiro Silkaitis (bottom, from left) Charles Stransky, Alex Stein, Bri Sudia, and Sarah Wisterman. 

TimeLine Theatre Company announces the cast and creative team for the launch of its 22nd season—a revival of A Shayna Maidel, Barbara Lebow’s moving family drama about two sisters reunited after years of separation caused by the rise of the Nazis.

Director Vanessa Stalling, who recently helmed the Goodman Theatre’s critically acclaimed production of Sarah DeLappe’s The Wolves, makes her TimeLine debut with A Shayna Maidel.

Previews begin August 22. Press Night is Wednesday, August 29 at 7:30 p.m. Opening Night is August 30 and performances run through November 4 at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago. For tickets and information, visit timelinetheatre.com or call the TimeLine Box Office at (773) 281-8463 x6.

A powerful and poignant drama, A Shayna Maidel begins with the story of a daughter and her father, Rose and Mordechai Weiss, who escaped Poland shortly before World War II and have adapted to life as new Americans in New York City. In their escape, they were forced to leave behind Rose's sister Lusia and her mother. When Rose and Lusia are reunited, Rose struggles to engage with an older sister who, having survived the horrors of war overseas, now seems a stranger. And Lusia—haunted by vivid memories of her past—is uncertain about connecting with a family she’s never known.

Stalling’s revival of A Shayna Maidel for TimeLine will feature Emily Berman (she/her) as Lusia and Bri Sudia (she/her) as Rose. The cast also includes Carin Schapiro Silkaitis as Mama (she/her), Alex Stein as Duvid (he/him), Charles Stransky as Mordechai (he/him) and Sarah Wisterman as Hanna (she/her). Note: Carin Schapiro Silkaitis steps in for Hanna Dworkin, originally announced as Mama.

The production team includes TimeLine Associate Artist Collette Pollard (Scenic Designer, she/her); Samantha C. Jones (Costume Designer, she/her); Rachel K. Levy (Lighting Designer, she/her); Jeffrey Levin (Sound Designer and Composer, he/him); Elise Kauzlaric (Dialect Designer, she/her); and Deborah Blumenthal (Dramaturg, she/her).

Written in 1984, A Shayna Maidel was widely produced by America's leading regional theaters and became a long-running success Off Broadway from 1987 to 1989. The New York Times hailed A Shayna Maidel as “a tribute to the sustaining power of family,” The Hartford Journal Inquirer called the play “an emotional powerhouse of almost overwhelming proportions,” and the Atlanta Constitution raved that “anyone who sees it will not soon forget it.” The Chicago Reader, in a 2002 review, wrote that it presents “history as intimate as a snapshot,” underscoring the play’s fit with TimeLine’s history-based mission. 

Fast forward to this April, when The New York Times reported that 41 percent of Americans, as well as 66 percent of Millennials, “cannot say what Auschwitz was,” and lack “basic knowledge” about the Holocaust. 

“Don’t we know our own history?” responded Stalling. “It's disturbing to recognize our country's current ignorance about the Holocaust while at the same time witnessing rising anti-Semitism and white nationalism. Rather than shaping a world informed by the mistakes and traumas of our past, our lack of historical knowledge is shaping a country that feels like it's regressing. Simply put, our ignorance is dangerous.”



Vanessa Stalling (Director) most recently directed Joshua, by Ali Viterbi, for the Wagner New Play Festival. Prior to that, she directed Sarah DeLappe’s The Wolves at The Goodman, which earned a four-star review from Chicago Tribune critic Chris Jones, who called her “a specialist in immersive productions and a true artist.” Other productions include Lauren Yee's Hookman at Steep Theatre, and United Flight 232, a production she adapted from the book Flight 232 by Laurence Gonzales, for The House Theatre of Chicago, which received Jeff Awards for Outstanding Production – Midsize Theatre and Ensemble. Stalling was a primary artist at Redmoon Theater, serving as a director, performer, and Associate Artistic Director. As an artist at Redmoon, she directed several productions, including a remount of The Cabinet, which toured Brazil as part of the FILO Festival; Last of My Species; Winter Pageant; Princess Club; Twilight Orchard; and roaming performances for President Obama's Halloween celebrations at The White House. She has held teaching positions at Roosevelt University, Columbia College, University of Chicago, and is an assistant professor of directing at the University of California San Diego's Department of Theatre & Dance. She was the 2016 Michael Maggio Fellow at the Goodman Theatre and a Newcity 2018 Player. 



Barbara Lebow (Playwright) is a California resident who grew up in New York, moved to Atlanta in the 1960s and joined The Academy Theatre's developmental workshop, eventually becoming playwright in residence. Among her plays with first productions there are A Shayna Maidel (which ran Off Broadway 1987-89 and continues to receive regional and international productions), The Left Hand Singing, The Keepers, Cyparis, Little Joe Monaghan, The Adventures of Homer McGundy Revised, Trains, and Tiny Tim is Dead. In addition to her own writing, Lebow facilitates play creation with disenfranchised segments of the population including homeless and addicted individuals, youth at risk, developmentally and physically disabled persons, and women in prison. In recent years, she has worked with residents of Los Prietos Boys Camp, supported by a grant from the Fund for Santa Barbara. She has received a Guggenheim Fellowship in Playwriting, a TCG/Pew Theatre Artists Residency, an NEA/TCG Residency, an Atlanta Mayor's Fellowship in the Arts, a Georgia Governor's Award in the Arts, and a Distinguished Service Award from the Santa Barbara County Probation Department. Other recent plays include The Phenom; Plumfield, Iraq; La Niñera: The Nursemaid; and Killing Spiders. Her newest play, The Hebbles, deals with the effects of a mass shooting on one small American family.

A SHAYNA MAIDEL PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE/EVENTS

Previews of A Shayna Maidel are Wednesday, August 22 through Saturday, August 25 at
8 p.m.; Sunday, August 26 at 2 p.m.; and Tuesday August 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Press Night is Wednesday, August 29 at 7:30 p.m.

Opening Night is Thursday, August 30 at 7:30 p.m.

Regular performances continue through November 4: Wednesdays and Thursdays at
7:30 p.m. (except no performance on Wednesday, September 19, and additional matinee performance on Thursday, September 20 at 2 p.m.); Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at
4 p.m. and 8 p.m. (except no performance September 1 at 4 p.m.); and Sundays at
2 p.m.

DISCUSSION & ACCESSIBILITY EVENTS:

—    Post-Show Discussions: A brief, informal post-show discussion hosted by a TimeLine Company Member and featuring the production dramaturg and members of the cast on Wednesday, September 5; Thursday September 13; Sunday, September 16; Thursday, October 11; Sunday, October 14; and Wednesday, October 17.

—    Pre-Show Discussions: Starting one hour before these performances, a 30-minute introductory conversation hosted by a TimeLine Company Member and the production dramaturg on Sunday, September 30, and Wednesday, October 3.

—    Company Member Discussion: A post-show discussion with the collaborative team of artists who choose TimeLine’s programming and guide the company’s mission on Sunday, September 23.

—    Captioned Performance: An open-captioned performance with a text display of words and sounds heard during the performance on Saturday, September 29 at 4 p.m.

—    Sunday Scholars Panel Discussion: A one-hour post-show discussion featuring experts on the themes and issues of the play on Sunday, October 7.
                                     
All discussions are free and open to the public. For further details about all planned discussions and events, visit timelinetheatre.com.

BUYING TICKETS

The best way to secure seats to A Shayna Maidel is to purchase a 2018-19 TimeLine Theatre FlexPass Subscription, on sale now, offering four amazing shows, starting at only $88.

Single tickets go on sale July 10, 2018. Preview tickets are $25. Single tickets to regular performances are $40 (Wednesday through Friday), $49 (Saturday evenings) and $54 (Saturday and Sunday matinees). Student discount is 35% off regular price with valid ID. TimeLine is also a member of TCG’s Blue Star Theatre Program and is offering $25 tickets to U.S. military personnel, veterans, first responders, and their spouses and family.

Discounted rates for groups of 10 or more are available. Ticket buyers age 18-35 may join TimeLine’s free MyLine program to obtain access to discounted tickets, special events and more. Visit timelinetheatre.com/discounts for more about Blue Star, MyLine and other available discounts.

To purchase a FlexPass, single tickets or for more information, visit timelinetheatre.com or call the Box Office at (773) 281-8463 x6.

LOCATION/TRANSPORTATION/PARKING

A Shayna Maidel will take place at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave., in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, near the corner of Wellington and Broadway, inside the Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ building. TimeLine is served by multiple CTA trains and buses. TimeLine offers discounted parking at the Standard Parking garages at Broadway Center ($8 with validation; 2846 N. Broadway, at Surf) or the Century Mall ($9 with validation; 2836 N. Clark), with other paid parking options nearby, plus limited free and metered street parking.

ACCESSIBILITY

TimeLine Theatre is accessible to people with disabilities. Two wheelchair lifts provide access from street level to the theatre space and to lower-level restrooms. Audience members using wheelchairs or who need to avoid stairs, and others with special seating or accessibility needs should contact the TimeLine Box Office in advance to confirm arrangements. See DISCUSSION & ACCESSIBILITY EVENTS above for information about the open-captioned performance for patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing.

MORE ABOUT TIMELINE’S 2018-19 SEASON

In addition to A Shayna Maidel, TimeLine’s Theatre’s 2018-19, four-show subscription season includes: 

—    Master Class, Terrence McNally’s acclaimed play about the formidable opera star Maria Callas, inspired by a series of classes she taught at Julliard in the 1970s, directed by TimeLine Associate Artistic Director Nick Bowling, music directed by Doug Peck, and starring TimeLine Company Member Janet Ulrich Brooks (The Audience), presented at Stage 773, October 19 – December 9, 2018.

—    The Chicago premiere of Cardboard Piano by Hansol Jung, a powerful story of faith, love, and the human capacity for forgiveness set amidst violent conflict in northern Uganda, directed by TimeLine Company Member Mechelle Moe, January 9 – March 17, 2019.
                  
—    The Chicago premiere of Too Heavy for Your Pocket by Jiréh Breon Holder, a hopeful and moving story taking place at the height of the Civil Rights Movement that explores family, responsibility, and the personal sacrifices that enable progress, directed by TimeLine Company Member Ron OJ Parson, April 24 – June 29, 2019.

Save on tickets to TimeLine’s 2018-19 Season with a FlexPass Subscription. Four tiers, priced from $88 to $204, are now on sale. For more information and to purchase, call (773) 281-8463 x6 or visit timelinetheatre.com.

PLUS, TIMELINE PARTNERS WITH FIREBRAND THEATRE’S FALL PRODUCTION OF CAROLINE, OR CHANGE:

In addition to its 2018-19 four-show subscription series, TimeLine Theatre is excited to be partnering with Firebrand Theatre—Chicago’s new musical theatre company committed to employing and empowering women—on Firebrand’s upcoming fall production of the Tony Award-nominated musical Caroline, or Change, featuring music by Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Violet), book and lyrics by Tony Kushner (Angels in America), and direction by Lili-Anne Brown. Rashada Dawan stars in the title role as Caroline.

Riveting, moving and awe-inspiring, Caroline, or Change features music ranging from Motown to Klezmer, and storytelling from political to magical. This production will be presented at Firebrand’s resident home, The Den Theatre, located at 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood.

PLEASE NOTE: Caroline, or Change is not included in TimeLine’s 2018-19 FlexPass Subscription, but the partnership will include exclusive ticket opportunities for TimeLine subscribers and patrons.



ABOUT TIMELINE THEATRE COMPANY

TimeLine Theatre Company, recipient of the prestigious 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, was founded in April 1997 with a mission to present stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. To date over 21 seasons, TimeLine has presented 75 productions, including 10 world premieres and 33 Chicago premieres, and launched the Living History Education Program, now in its 12th year of bringing the company's mission to life for students in Chicago Public Schools. Recipient of the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence and the Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award from the Association for Strategic Planning, TimeLine has received 54 Jeff Awards, including an award for Outstanding Production 11 times.

TimeLine is led by Artistic Director PJ Powers, Managing Director Elizabeth K. Auman and Board President Eileen LaCario. Company members are Nick Bowling, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Behzad Dabu, Lara Goetsch, Juliet Hart, Mildred Marie Langford, Mechelle Moe, David Parkes, Ron OJ Parson, PJ Powers, Maren Robinson and Benjamin Thiem.

Major corporate, government and foundation supporters of TimeLine Theatre include Alphawood Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, The Crown Family, The Ensemble Studio Theatre/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science & Technology Project, Forum Fund, The Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Illinois Arts Council Agency, Laughing Acres Family Foundation, A.L. and Jennie L. Luria Foundation, MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, The Pauls Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, and The Shubert Foundation.

TimeLine is a member of the League of Chicago Theatres, Theatre Communications Group, Choose Chicago, Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce, Chicago Green Theatre Alliance, and Chicago’s Belmont Theater District.

FEST ALERT: 2nd ANNUAL DESTINOS, THE CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL LATINO THEATER FESTIVAL SEPTEMBER 20-NOVEMBER 4, 2018

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

DESTINOS, 

THE CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL LATINO 

THEATER FESTIVAL, 

RETURNS FOR ITS SECOND YEAR, 

SEPTEMBER 20-NOVEMBER 4, 2018

Travel the diaspora of new Latino theater via world-class, cutting-edge

artists and companies from Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Argentina,

Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Puerto Rico

Participating theaters and companies include Chicago Shakespeare,

Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf and Victory Gardens, with Aguijón Theater,

National Museum of Mexican Art, The Miracle Center, Teatro Vista, UrbanTheater and Water People

What is the current state of contemporary Latino theater, in a time when cross-cultural understanding has never been more important?

Find out when the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, known as Destinos, returns for its second annual outing, September 20-November 4, 2018.

Produced by the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), Destinos will bring together top Latino theater artists and companies from Chicago, the U.S. and around Latin America for seven weeks of shows, panels and student performances held throughout the city.

The second annual Destinos will celebrate homegrown Latino theater artists and companies, both emerging and established, from the host city, Chicago. Destinos will also showcase artists from Dallas and Los Angeles. Theater artists and companies from Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Puerto Rico round out the festival’s deep roster of international participants, helping underscore the growing reputation for Destinos as one of the country’s leading international Latino theater festivals.

Destinos presents in a range of marquee theaters like Chicago Shakespeare, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, and Victory Gardens, to theaters and cultural institutions in predominantly Latino neighborhoods like Aguijón Theater in Belmont Cragin, National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen, The Miracle Center in Logan Square/Hermosa, and UrbanTheater Company in Humboldt Park. Other participating Chicago companies include Teatro Vista and Water People Theater.

“I'm honored and excited to have been given the opportunity to lead CLATA,” said Myrna Salazar, executive director, Chicago Latino Theater Alliance. “Through Destinos, the second Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, we continue to fuel the vital connection of Chicago's enriching and exciting Latino theater community to their international counterparts, whose lives and stories mirror each other, and are very much embedded in today’s American kaleidoscope of cultures."

Likewise, Martin R. Castro, founding board chair of CLATA, states “I’m so proud of the great line up we have for our second year of Destinos! There is literally something for every interest! Now more than ever, we must stand and celebrate our rich artistic and cultural heritage as Latinos and support Latinx theatre in Chicago, in the United States and in the hemisphere.” 

The second annual Destinos festival launches with a kick-off reception on Monday, September 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. in downtown Chicago, in the GAR Hall & Rotunda. Leaders from the local Latino community will join the festival’s civic and philanthropic supporters, Chicago media, the city’s arts and theater community, and CLATA board, staff and volunteers to welcome and toast participating Latino theater artists from Chicago and around the world.

Stay tuned to the Destinos website, clata.org, in the coming weeks for the launch of online ticket sales, and news of other festival events including free roundtable discussions that will address political and identity issues within the Latino community.

To avoid hearing the words “sold out,” Chicago Latinos, Latinophiles and the city’s most avid cultural consumers are strongly encouraged to sign up for the Destinos weekly eblast at clata.org. Or, follow Destinos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to receive first notice of all festival events.



Following is an advance sampler of the shows, artists, companies and venues confirmed to participate (at press time) in Destinos, September 20-November 4, 2018:


Chicago
American Jornalero / American Day Laborer (Midwest Premiere) by Ed Cardona Jr., a drama about a collision between immigrant day laborers and white power vigilantes, is a Teatro Vista presentation in the Richard Christiansen Theater at Victory Gardens,
2433 N. Lincoln Ave., October 18-21.

Casa Propia / A House of Her Own (Midwest Premiere) by Dolores Prida, a lighthearted yet poignant comedy about a woman’s tireless quest for her American Dream, will run October 18-November 25 at Aguijón Theater, 2707 N. Laramie Ave. in Belmont Cragin.

Musas / Muses (Midwest Premiere) by Néstor Caballero (Chicago Premiere), presented by Water People Theater in a co-presentation with American Writers Museum and The Poetry Foundation, imagines an extraordinary encounter between two icons of contemporary art, Mexican painter Frida Kahlo and American poet Sylvia Plath. Performances are September 20-23 in Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre as part of the LookOut Series, 1700 N. Halsted St.

Not For Sale (World Premiere) by Guadalís Del Carmen tackling issues of gentrification and displacement in Humboldt Park. With new neighbors looking to make changes west of Western Avenue in a community rich with decades of culture, the question persists who gets to lay claim to the neighborhood? Performances are September 20-October 21 at UrbanTheater Company, 2620 W. Division St. in Humboldt Park.

The Real Life Adventures of Jimmy de la Rosas (World Premiere) by Chicago playwright Ricardo Gamboa. Jimmy’s just your average boy on the block — except he can move things with his mind. When his mother goes missing, joining the numbers of other people disappearing from the hood, Jimmy will have to turn up the heat on his mutant abilities to rescue her and find out who is behind the kidnappings. Performances are October 11-21 at Pulaski Park, 1419 W. Blackhawk St. in Noble Square.

There’s a Coqui in My Shoe! (World Premiere) by The Miracle Center’s Playwright, Roberto J. Negron, an adaptation of Marissa de Jesus Paolicelli’s children’s book about Puerto Rico’s national mascot, the Coquí (little tree frog). Performances are September 21-October 13 at The Miracle Center, 2311 N. Pulaski Rd. in Logan Square/Hermosa.


National 



An American Odyssey (Midwest Premiere), via Culture Clash from Los Angeles, the award-winning Chicano kings of comedy with a character study of real people and true stories from the shadows, borders and badlands of America. This is a timely co-presentation with Victory Gardens Theater, October 4-7 in the Richard Christiansen Theater.

WET: A DACAmented Journey (Midwest premiere) by Alex Alpharaoh via Cara Mía Theatre and Ignite/Arts Dallas chronicles the desperation and limitations DREAMers feel navigating a broken U.S. immigration system. This co-presentation with the Latino Policy Forum runs October 11-14 in the Richard Christiansen Theater at Victory Gardens.


International






Luna de Cristal / Crystal Moon (U.S. Premiere) from Puerto Rico’s Cuarto Blanco tells the story of a family of three confronting the realities of their lives and the unexpected event that unites them, October 11-14 at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, presented as part of the LookOut Series.


 


Mendoza (U.S. Premiere), an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s MacBeth reimagined against the 1910 backdrop of the Mexican Revolution, comes courtesy of Mexico’s Los Colochos Teatro in a co-presentation with the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., October 2-7. Mendoza is adapted by Antonio Zuniga and Juan Carrillo, directed by Carrillo.





El Patio / The Patio (North American Premiere), by Oscar Gonzàlez, David Korish and Janko Navarro via Costa Rica’s Teatro Abya Yala, offers glimpses of masculinity in different situations, exploring the impossibility of fulfilling the societal idea of what it means to be a man today. It runs September 27-29 at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, presented as part of the LookOut Series.

La Prietty Guoman / Pretty Woman (U.S. Premiere) from Teatro de la Ciudad Cabaret in Mexico City is a cabaret style narration of the life of an exuberant, brown and transgender girl who is a fan of the film Pretty Woman. It runs October 5-6 at the National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St. in Pilsen.

Quiero Decir Te Amo / I Want to Say I Love You (North American premiere) is a drama by Humo Negro from Argentina about a car accident and a chance encounter that leads to a series of love letters and an unexpected romance. Performances are October 4-7 at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, presented as part of the LookOut Series.




About Destinos, the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival

Now entering its second year, the Destinos festival is the signature program of the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), a transformative cultural engine helping drive the city’s local Latino theater community to a more prominent level.

“In Spanish, the word Destinos has multiple meanings: destinies, destinations or fate,” explains Myrna Salazar, executive director, CLATA. “Destinos, the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, shares the power of live theater to amplify ‘first-voice’ Latino artists and to create a cross-cultural experience.”

CLATA’s goal is to create the country’s leading international Latino theater festival with an emphasis on showcasing Chicago Latino theater artists and companies. Additionally CLATA provides local groups ongoing organizational support, is working diligently to create a permanent home for Chicago’s Latino theater artists, and ultimately works to underscore Chicago’s reputation as one of the most exciting and culturally diverse theater cities in the world.

CLATA was founded in 2016 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization by Myrna Salazar and the three most prominent Chicago Latino arts organizations: National Museum of Mexican Art (NNMA), International Latino Cultural Center (ILCC), and Puerto Rican Arts Alliance (PRAA), with the generous support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. 

The first annual Destinos festival in the fall of 2017 ran for five weeks, and presented 61 performances by 10 companies from Chicago, the U.S. and Latin America. In sum, last year’s inaugural festival engaged approximately 8,000 people, including more than 850 students who attended matinee performances and participated in post-show discussions with artists, directors and playwrights.

The second annual Destinos 2018 festival is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Field Foundation of Illinois, The Joyce Foundation, the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, Choose Chicago, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Illinois Humanities, Southwest Airlines, Allstate, ComEd and Corona Extra.

For more information, visit clata.org or call (312) 631-3112.

HELP OUT: CONSORTIUM OF ASIAN AMERICAN THEATERS & ARTISTS (CAATA) To Join Chicago “NO ALOHA, NO POKE! PEACEFUL RALLY”

CONSORTIUM OF ASIAN AMERICAN THEATERS & ARTISTS (CAATA) STANDS WITH NATIVE HAWAIIANS IN SUPPORT OF THE 

“NO ALOHA, NO POKE! PEACEFUL RALLY,” TO TAKE PLACE ON WEDNESDAY, AUG. 15 

Production Photo Via ConFest Chicago

The Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists (CAATA), the national organizers of ConFest 2018, supports the Hawaiian people’s indigenous language reclamation. CAATA condemns the actions of Aloha Poke Co. and supports the peaceful rally Wednesday, Aug. 15, near the restaurant’s Lincoln Park location at 818 W. Fullerton Ave, from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m.

The 6th National Asian American Theater Conference and Festival (ConFest) will take place in Chicago from August 13-18 at DePaul University and Victory Gardens Theater.  The event is a weeklong gathering of industry leading theater performances, new play readings, workshops, breakout sessions, networking, parties and more. 

On the eve of ConFest 2018, board members of the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA) were disturbed to hear of the actions of Aloha Poke Co., a Chicago-based business, demanding restaurants across the country “Cease and Desist” using the words “Aloha” and “Poke” in their names on the basis of copyright infringement. CAATA would like to express support for the Hawaiian people and the reclamation of the Hawaiian language. After a 90-year history of ‘olelo Hawai’i being banned from use in schools, CAATA supports the freedom of Native Hawaiians to use their own indigenous language as they see fit, without restriction from outside entities or fear of legal actions.

As Andi Meyer, CAATA board member and artistic director of Tradewind Arts (Kansas City, MO), said, “Speaking as an artist of mixed Native Hawaiian descent, I feel that reclamation of language and artistic self-representation are paramount to our ability to perpetuate the Hawaiian culture after years of forced decline. It seems a perfect confluence of events that these artists are scheduled to be in Chicago at this time, when the overall CAATA conference theme happens to be "Revolutionary Acts!" As a board member, I hope the greater Chicagoland audience will take advantage of this unparalleled opportunity to both support the voices of Native Hawaiian artists, and also to value the many underrepresented voices that exist in their own community.”

This year CAATA is proud to include a stellar roster of  Native Hawaiian theatre makers and an entire slate of Native Hawaiian conference offerings.

Participants and Hawaiian-themed events included in this year’s ConFest 2018 include:

OPENING NIGHT SHOWCASE
Hot Asian Everything: REVOLT
Monday, Aug. 13 at 8 p.m.
Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. 
Presented by CAATA
Directed by Victor Malana Moag
An evening of revolutionary proportions featuring a powerhouse mix of Chicago and national talent — all hosted by the illustrious Emi Macadangdang and Jasmine! Kick off ConFest 2018 in style with a collection of sketch comedy, musical performances and celebrity sightings by some of Asian American theater’s most noted artists. Lineup includes excerpts and performances from:
Moses Goods’ Kinolau
Comedy troupe Stir-Friday Night!
Anu Bhatt’s Hollow/Wave
Shishir Kurup's Merchant on Venice, Rasaka Theatre & Vitalist Theatre

Panelist and performer Moses Goods (pictured above). Goods is also the founder and artistic director of ʻInamona Theatre Company, an organization dedicated to reintroducing the native stories of Hawaiʻi to the community. Goods is one of Hawaiʻi’s most prominent theatre artists.  Originally from the island of Maui and now based in Honolulu he has traveled nationally and internationally performing his original work to a wide range of audiences.  His body of work ranges from full length plays to theatrical storytelling pieces most of which are strongly rooted in Native Hawaiian culture.

Opening Plenary Speaker Kumu Tammy Haili`ōpua Baker
And conversation with Native Hawaiian Theater Practitioners moderated by Sami L.A. Akuna aka Cocoa Chandelier
Tuesday, Aug. 14 at 9 a.m.
DePaul University - The Theatre School, 2350 North Racine Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614

Opening Keynote Speaker Kumu Tammy Haili`ōpua Baker, whose work centers on the development of an indigenous Hawaiian theater aesthetic and form, Hawaiian language revitalization, and the empowerment of cultural identity through stage performance. Baker is also a playwright and the artistic director of Ka Hālau Hanakeaka, a Hawaiian medium theater troupe. ​As an associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa she oversees both the Hawaiian Theatre and the Playwriting MFA programs. Originally from Kapa‘a, Kaua‘i, Baker now resides with her family in Kahalu‘u, Ko‘olaupoko, O‘ahu.

Cocoa Chandelier (pictured above) is the official artist-in-residence at the Leeward Community College after contributing her talents as a choreographer, costume design and artistic direction after several years of participation in both the Drama and Dance department. Chandelier holds two separate degrees in the Theatre and Dance program from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. She travels continuously as an advocate and spokesperson for H.I.V/AIDS and has taught Modern Dance at Leeward Community College and the Art of The Drag Performer at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Chandelier plans to graduate with a PhD in Performance Studies and would like to be addressed in the future as Dr. Chandelier. 

Panelists include Moses Goods and Christopher K. Morgan. 
Moses Goods bio is included in the Hot Asian Everything: REVOLT section above.

Christopher K. Morgan (pictured above) is the executive artistic director of Dance Place in Washington, DC, where he oversees performances and a school for youth and adults. He is the artistic and executive director of dance company Christopher K. Morgan & Artists (CKM&A) and the director of Dance Omi, an annual collaborative residency for international choreographers. Born in Orange County, CA, Morgan’s Native Hawaiian ancestry and a broad, international dance career influence his work as an administrator, choreographer, educator, facilitator, curator and performer. Morgan’s choreography has been presented in 18 countries on five continents, and was profiled as one of six breakout choreographers in the US in Dance Magazine 2011.

A Recipient of an NPN Creation Fund and NEFA National Dance Project Award, Pōhaku premiered in March 2016 at Dance Place and has toured nine other venues in Hawaii, California, New York and Minnesota.

TeAda Productions, Tradewind Arts & aetherplough present
International Drag Bingo 
Hosted by Cocoa Chandelier featuring surprise guests from near and far.
Benefiting the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artist (CAATA) on going advocacy and convening efforts

Tuesday, Aug. 14 from  9:30 p.m. - 12 a.m.
Fiesta Mexicana, 2423 N. Lincoln Ave.

Cocoa Chandelier’s bio is included in the Opening Plenary Speaker Kumu Tammy Haili`ōpua Baker section above. 

Pōhaku
Written, directed and performed by Christopher K. Morgan
Wednesday, August 15 at 8 p.m.
Thursday, August 16 at 3:30 p.m.
Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.

Pōhaku incorporates traditional Hawaiian chant, hula, contemporary dance, theater and storytelling to explore compelling universal themes in the story of Hawaii’s native people, including land loss and fractured identity. In this solo dance theater piece, Christopher K. Morgan connects his personal family story of outward migration away from Hawai’i to the illegal overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai’i, the islands’ colonial history and its present day status.

Christopher K. Morgan’s bio is included in Opening Plenary Speaker Kumu Tammy Haili`ōpua Baker section above. 

CASTING ANNOUNCED: HELLO, DOLLY! STARRING BROADWAY LEGEND BETTY BUCKLEY

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

CASTING ANNOUNCED 

FOR THE FIRST NATIONAL TOUR OF

THE TONY AWARD-WINNING BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL

TICKETS GO ON SALE FRIDAY, AUGUST 10

HELLO, DOLLY!

STARRING BROADWAY LEGEND BETTY BUCKLEY

ORIENTAL THEATRE

OCT. 23 - NOV. 17, 2018

Producer Scott Rudin and Broadway In Chicago are delighted to announce the cast for the first national tour of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Revival of HELLO, DOLLY! starring Broadway legend, Tony Award winner Betty Buckley. The first national tour of HELLO, DOLLY! will play Broadway In Chicago's historic Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph) for a limited four-week engagement October 23 through November 17, 2018.

“The best show of the year. ‘Hello, Dolly!’ must not be missed.” NPR, David Richardson

“This ‘Dolly!’ is classic Broadway at its best.” Entertainment Weekly, Maya Stanton

“It is, in a word, perfection.” Time Out New York, Adam Feldman

The previously announced Ms. Buckley will be joined by Lewis J. Stadlen (Horace Vandergelder), Nic Rouleau (Cornelius Hackl), Analisa Leaming (Irene Molloy), Jess LeProtto (Barnaby Tucker), Kristen Hahn (Minnie Fay), Garett Hawe (Ambrose Kemper), Morgan Kirner (Ermengarde), and Jessica Sheridan (Ernestina).

The ensemble will feature Maddy Apple, Daniel Beeman, Brittany Bohn, Giovanni Bonaventura, Elizabeth Broadhurst, Whitney Cooper, Julian DeGuzman, Wally Dunn, Alexandra Frohlinger, Dan Horn, Corey Hummerston, Madison Johnson, Nathan Keen, Beth Kirkpatrick, Ben Lanham, Ian Liberto, Kyle Samuel, Scott Shedenhelm, Timothy Shew, Maria Cristina Slye, Cassie Austin Taylor, Davis Wayne, Brandon L. Whitmore, and Connor Wince.

Led by four-time Tony Award-winning director Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle, the entire creative team of the Broadway production reprises their roles for the national tour of HELLO, DOLLY!, including four-time Tony Award winner Santo Loquasto (Scenic & Costume Design), six-time Tony Award winner Natasha Katz (Lighting Design), Tony Award winner Scott Lehrer (Sound Design), Andy Einhorn (Music Supervision), Robert Billig (Music Direction), Tony Award winner Larry Hochman (Orchestrations), Tony Award winner Don Pippin (Vocal Arrangements), David Chase (Dance Arrangements), and Telsey + Company (Casting).

HELLO, DOLLY! began performances on Broadway on March 15, 2017, and officially opened on April 20, 2017. Having broken the record for best first day of ticket sales in Broadway history, the box office record at the Shubert Theatre twelve times, and shattering The Shubert Organization's all-time record ten times, this production will end its historic Broadway run on August 25, 2018.

For more information, visit www.hellodollyonbroadway.com

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Tuesdays at 7:30PM

Wednesdays at 2PM & 7:30PM (no matinee performance on 10/24)

Thursdays at 7:30PM

Fridays at 7:30PM

Saturdays at 2PM & 8PM

Sunday, Oct. 28 at 7:30PM & Sunday, Nov. 4 & Nov. 11 at 2PM

TICKET INFORMATION

Individual tickets for HELLO, DOLLY! at the Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph) go on sale tomorrow and range from $27-$98 with a select number of premium seats available. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. Tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St., 18 W. Monroe St. and 175 E. Chestnut), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000 and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com. 

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO

Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 18 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country.  A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining over 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago's Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, Oriental Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and presenting Broadway shows at The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

Facebook @BroadwayInChicago Twitter @broadwaychicago Instagram @broadwayinchicago #broadwayinchicago

OPENING: World Premiere of NIGHTMARES AND NIGHTCAPS: The Stories of John Collier Via Black Button Eyes Productions August 17 – September 15, 2018

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

World Premiere!

Black Button Eyes Productions Presents

NIGHTMARES AND NIGHTCAPS: 

The Stories of John Collier

Adapted and Directed by Ed Rutherford

Choreography by Derek Van Barham 

August 17 – September 15, 2018 at The Athenaeum Theatre

Black Button Eyes Productions is pleased to launch its 2018-19 season with the world premiere of NIGHTMARES AND NIGHTCAPS: The Stories of John Collier, a non-musical adaption of British author and screenwriter John Collier’s phantasmagoric short stories, written and directed by Producing Artistic Director Ed Rutherford with choreography by Derek Van Barham. NIGHTMARES AND NIGHTCAPS will play August 17 – September 15, 2018 at The Athenaeum Theatre (Studio Two), 2936 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at athenaeumtheatre.org, by calling (773) 935-6875 or in person at The Athenaeum Theatre Box Office. 

NIGHTMARES AND NIGHTCAPS will feature Kevin Webb with Megan DeLay, Ellen DeSitter, Kat Evans, Caitlin Jackson, Shane Roberie, Joshua Servantez, Maiko Terazawa and Lee Wichman.

Before the Twilight Zone, there was British expatriate John Collier, writing humorous stories about the bizarre and fantastical for The New Yorker and sardonic screenplays in Hollywood throughout the first half of the 20th century. In this world premiere adaptation, an ominous host weaves together Collier's comic tales of love, loss and the mysterious for the audience's delight.

The production team for NIGHTMARES AND NIGHTCAPS includes: Jeremiah Barr (scenic design, props design, puppet design, technical director) Beth Laske-Miller (costume design), Liz Cooper (lighting design), Robert Hornbostel (sound design) and Kyle Bricker (stage manager).


Cast (in alphabetical order): Megan DeLay, Ellen DeSitter, Kat Evans, Jessica Lauren Fisher, Caitlin Jackson, Shane Roberie, Joshua Servantez, Maiko Terazawa, Kevin Webb and Lee Wichman.

Understudies: Jessica Lauren Fisher and Paul Gene Miller.

Location: The Athenaeum Theatre (Studio Two), 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago
Dates: Preview: Friday, August 17 at 7:30 pm
Regular run: Sunday, August 19 – Saturday, September 15, 2018
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will be an added performance on Tuesday, August 21 at 7:30 pm.

Tickets: $30. Students $15. Tickets are currently available at athenaeumtheatre.org, by calling (773) 935-6875 or in person at The Athenaeum Theatre Box Office.

About the Artists:
Ed Rutherford (Adapter/Director) For Black Button Eyes, Ed most recently directed the Jeff-Recommended production of Nevermore - The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe (Chicago premiere), preceded by Shockheaded Peter (Chicago storefront premiere), Amour (Chicago premiere), Goblin Market and Stephin Merrit's musical adaptation of Coraline (Midwest premiere). Recent directing credits elsewhere include the Jeff-Recommended productions of The Liar with Promethean Theatre Ensemble and Paula Vogel’s The Baltimore Waltz at Brown Paper Box Co. He is an artistic associate at Promethean, where he staged his own world premiere adaptation of the Peter S. Beagle fantasy novel The Last Unicorn, Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle and the company's inaugural production, Christopher Durang’s Beyond Therapy. As an actor, he has performed with Drury Lane Oakbrook, Porchlight, Theater Wit and many others. A graduate of Northwestern's theater program, he is currently completing his MBA at Kellogg. 

Derek Van Barham (Choreographer) is the Associate Artistic Director of Pride Films & Plays, a member of the Red Tape Theatre ensemble, and a former Artistic Director of The Ruckus. For PFP, he has directed Perfect Arrangement, Angry Fags (Steppenwolf Garage Repertory), Songs from an Unmade Bed (Jeff nomination), and PRISCILLA, Queen of the Desert: The Musical (co-directed with David Zak). He also wrote, directed and choreographed BITE: A Pucking Queer Cabaret and Kill Your Boyfriends. Other directing credits include Three Days of Rain (Boho), The View Upstairs (Circle Theatre), Miracle! by Dan Savage and Skooby Don't (Hell in a Handbag), Trash and HOT PINK (New American Folk Theatre) and From These Fatal Loins (The Ruckus). Choreography credits include The CiviliTy of Albert Cashier (Permoveo/PFP), Nevermore, Shockheaded Peter, Amour, Coraline, Goblin Market (Black Button Eyes). He was named one of Windy City Times 30 Under 30, recognizing individuals from Chicago's LGBTQ+ community. MFA: Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. Up next: Homos, or Everyone in America with PFP. 

NIGHTMARES AND NIGHTCAPS was made possible in part by a grant from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events’ (DCASE) Individual Artist Program.

About Black Button Eyes Productions

The 2018-19 season continues Black Button Eyes Productions' mission to bring to Chicago premieres and seldom-seen works containing elements of fantasy, in which the magical and surreal invade reality. The company was founded in 2014 with the acclaimed Midwest premiere of the musical Coraline, and continued in 2015 by producing the musical Goblin Market in its first Chicago production in over 15 years, attended by the author, Chicago native Polly Pen. In the past few seasons, the company has produced the Chicago premiere of the musical Amour, the Chicago storefront premiere of Shockheaded Peter, and the Chicago premiere of the musical Nevermore - The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe.

Bossa Blue will be presenting the James Taylor songbook at Fitzgerald’s on Thursday, August 23rd

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Bossa Blue, led by acclaimed singer-songwriter Brad Cole, performs a unique stylistic blend of Bossa/Samba, Cool Jazz, Dub, Soul and Blues interpretations of the songs that have become the soundtrack to our lives.

Bossa Blue will be presenting the James Taylor songbook at Fitzgerald’s on Thursday, August 23. Click here for full details. 




Bossa Blue Presents: A Tribute to the James Taylor Songbook
Thu, Aug 23 2018, 8:30pm - $10
Doors open at 7 pm.

Award winning singer-songwriter and band leader Brad Cole’s most recent project, Bossa Blue, has created quite a buzz with their multi-genre mash-ups of contemporary and classic rock tunes that run the gambit from Radiohead to The Beatles, from The Killers to Joni Mitchel, and now an entire set of James Taylor songs re-imagined and re-energized! Bossa Blue combines Latin rhythms, jazz, dub, rock and soulful blues along with intriguing vocal interplay to create their unique and intoxicating grooves. 


"The James Taylor Songbook is a treasure chest of gems and I’d put his songwriting in the same class as Cole Porter and Johnny Mercer, not to mention the ‘A list’ of his contemporaries. I decided to perform the JT songbook for a few reasons, primarily because these songs are so rich in melody and structure and, because there are so many classics. When I was in grade school I discovered Sweet Baby James in my sister’s record collection. This music was gentle and I never second guessed its honesty. From that day I have always felt a kinship to that young cowboy who lives on the range. The fun and/or challenge here is not to deliver the “James Taylor” version of his tunes, but to update each composition and performance in a compelling way with this extraordinary group of musicians. I immersed myself in the JT catalogue and pondered his headspace both musically and lyrically to better understand his pure and simple elegance.   Each tune has found its own blend of Bossa Nova, Samba, Jazz, Rock and Soulful Blues, all rich with vocal interplay and groove. Personally, the James Taylor set feels like an important body of work but, just as importantly, it is a lot of fun to perform.”

https://www.bossabluemusic.com/
http://www.bradcolemusic.com/

THEATRE NEWS: Kokandy Productions’ Producing Artistic Director Allison Hendrix To Step Down

Kokandy Productions announced today that Allison Hendrix will step down as the company’s Producing Artistic Director. Hendrix has served as PAD since the company was founded in 2010. Kokandy will launch a search for a new Producing Artistic Director this week.

Allison Hendrix is stepping down from her role at Kokandy to pursue her yoga career. 

(Popio Stumpf Photography)

Under Hendrix’s leadership, Kokandy has presented 13 musicals and numerous staged musical readings, establishing the company as a leader in the growth and visibility of storefront musical theatre in Chicago. During her tenure, Kokandy has earned over 40 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations, including four wins, and gained national recognition in publications such as American Theatre and The Sondheim Review. Hendrix’s credits with Kokandy include music direction for The Great American Trailer Park Musical, The Last Five Years and Bonnie and Clyde; direction of Loving Repeating and Little Fish; and acting in The Last Five Years and Assassins. 

Board President Scot Kokandy comments, “I can’t believe it was six years ago this summer that we produced our first musical and since have produced a total of 13 shows. Allison has been a great influence on Kokandy Productions from the very beginning and the company wouldn’t be what it is today without her. I want to thank Allison for her time, talent and contributions in the various roles she served over the last six years. Allison will remain on the board of directors and the board and I will be posting the position of Producing Artistic Director this week."

Adds Hendrix, “Working with Scot and so many of Chicago’s exceptionally talented actors and musicians has been one of the formative experiences of my lifetime. I’ve grown as a human and an artist, in ways I could never have expected. As so many storefront theatre makers know, the work is demanding and time-consuming, and I’ve reached a place where I need to take my energy and focus into my personal life and yoga teaching career.”

About Kokandy Productions
Founded in 2010, Kokandy Productions seeks to leverage the heightened reality of musical theater to tell complex and challenging stories, with a focus on contributing to the development of Chicago-based musical theater artists, and raising the profile of Chicago's non-Equity musical theater community.

For additional information, visit www.kokandyproductions.com.