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Thursday, April 4, 2019

SANDRA DELGADO’S HIT LA HAVANA MADRID RETURNING MAY 11-JUNE 22 AT THE DEN

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

CAST, PRODUCTION TEAM ANNOUNCED FOR RETURN OF 
LA HAVANA MADRID, 
SANDRA DELGADO’S LIVE THEATER+MUSIC SENSATION ABOUT AN ACTUAL 1960s CHICAGO NIGHTCLUB AND LATINO MELTING POT, 
MAY 11-JUNE 22 AT THE DEN

New Teatro Vista/Collaboraction co-production pairs
much of the original cast with rising new Latinx talent,
in an even more immersive nightclub setting

La Havana Madrid stars (top, from left) playwright Sandra Delgado as La Havana Madrid, Marvin Quijada as Carpacho, Tommy Rivera-Vega as Henry, Ayssette Muñoz as Maria, (bottom) Mike Oquendo as Tony, Ilse Zacharias as Myrna, Alix Rhode as Maruja and
Victor Musoni as Carlos. 

I caught the initial opening of La Havana Madrid, and was completely enchanted by Sandra Delgado's delightful, music filled immigrant story. It's a heartfelt ode to a beloved Chicago gathering space, where the displaced found community, support, love, and a melding of song and dance from numerous cultures. I'll be out again for the press opening of La Havana Madrid's enhanced remount May 17th. Check back soon after for my full review.


Anticipation is building for the spring return of 
La Havana Madrid, 
Chicago Latinx playwright and actor Sandra Delgado’s 
smash hit, all-immersive theatrical event 
inspired by true stories of a 1960’s Chicago nightclub 
and immigrant melting pot, La Havana Madrid.


La Havana Madrid, returning as an an enhanced co-production between Teatro Vista and Collaboraction, will be remounted May 11-June 22 in the Heath Mainstage at the Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. 

Tickets, $30-$60, are on sale now. Visit thedentheatre.com or call the Den Theatre Box office, (773) 697-3830, for tickets and information.

Back by popular demand, La Havana Madrid transports audiences back to a popular 1960s Chicago nightclub of the same name, where Latin0 immigrants new to Chicago found refuge to gather, meet, sing, dance, dine, find love and discover their destinies. Inspired by real stories of Cuban, Puerto Rican and Colombian immigrants, La Havana Madrid recreates a special time and place in Chicago history by immersing audiences in the lively music of that decade. Throughout, La Havana Madrid reveals how and why Latinos originally migrated to the shores of Lake Michigan, only to be pushed further west – away from the lake – by the forces of gentrification and racism.

Today, Collaboraction and Teatro Vista announced the cast and design team for the return of La Havana Madrid. Sandra Delgado, both a Teatro Vista ensemble member and a founding company member of Collaboraction, will reprise her role as La Havana Madrid, the evening’s lead singer and mystical mistress of ceremonies who channels audiences through a series of true stories of Latino immigrants in Chicago, how and why they arrived here, the barriers they overcame, and their lasting impact from generation to generation still today.

Teatro Vista ensemble members Tommy Rivera-Vega and Marvin Quijada will return as young immigrants new to Chicago who each met, danced, loved and lost at La Havana Madrid. Chicago actor and comedian Mike Oquendo also returns as Tony Quintana, the once owner of La Havana Madrid and host of the 1960s Chicago radio show “Tony’s Latin A-Go-Go.”

Also back is legendary Colombian-American musician Roberto "Carpacho" Marin and his band of 30 years, Carpacho y Su Super Combo. Together with Delgado and the cast, Carpacho y Su Super Combo chronicles the history of Caribbean Latino music, live, from mambo, to cumbia, to the birth of salsa. And yes, by the end of the show, audience members need little encouragement to get on their feet and dance right along.

New to the cast are Teatro Vista ensemble members Ayssette Muñoz as Maria, one of 14,000 unaccompanied minors who made a mass exodus to the U.S. in the early 1960s as part of Operation Peter Pan, and Ilse Zacharias as Myrna, a force-of-nature Puerto Rican beauty queen with big plans to break through the glass ceiling of Chicago’s Latino community. Victor Musoni is cast as Carlos, a streetwise Puerto Rican teen from Lincoln Park who has a political awakening through his photography. Alix Rhode will play Maruja, Henry’s long-distance Colombian bride who he saves and sends for to join him in Chicago.

Teatro Vista ensemble member Cheryl Lynn Bruce, who directed the 2017 world premiere, returns to re-stage Delgado’s theatrical, cinematic and musical history of Latino Caribbeans in Chicago.

Planned updates to the physical production include a reimagined, more immersive set and video design that will evoke an actual night out at a real Chicago 1960s Latino nightclub, complete with cabaret seating, a dance floor and a small stage for the live band.

Original designers returning to help Bruce, the cast and the band re-realize this enhanced immersive environment are Collaboraction company members Elsa Hiltner (costumes) and Liviu Pasare (projections), along with Heather Skye Sparling (lights) and Teatro Vista ensemble member Jennifer Aparicio (production manager). New to the La Havana Madrid production team are Jose Manuel Diaz (set), Robert Hornbostel (sound) and Collaboraction company member Caitlin Body (stage manager). 



Original Production Photos: credit Joel Maisonet

Teatro Vista’s 2017 world premiere of La Havana Madrid resonated deeply with Chicagoans from all different backgrounds and ages. It played to capacity crowds at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre and The Miracle Center in Hermosa and then transferred for an extended summer run in the Goodman’s Owen Theatre that drew record attendance.




Chicago’s leading Latinx newspaper Hoy wrote “La obra tiene la magia de conectar a la comunidad, de revivir recuerdos” (“the work has the magic of connecting to the community, of reliving memories.”) New City and Time Out Chicago hailed La Havana Madrid one of the “Best of 2017.” Time Out’s readers named it “Best New Work.” The Chicago Tribune hailed La Havana Madrid “heartfelt and fascinating…bursting with music and warmth." 

“I am thrilled that my two artistic homes are coming together to bring
La Havana Madrid back to life. Both companies have a long history of collaborating and La Havana Madrid fits perfectly into their complementary missions, that of telling Latinx stories and uniting Chicagoans,” said Delgado.




“I am especially excited to be in the Heath Mainstage at the Den Theatre for the evolution of the La Havana Madrid experience. This malleable space is exactly what I have always envisioned for La Havana Madrid. With the combined strength of two companies, we will be able to fully realize the vision I have always had in mind, complete with immersive staging and evocative projections, that will transport audiences back to 1960's Chicago.”


PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Previews of La Havana Madrid are Saturday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday,
May 12 at 3 p.m., and Wednesday and Thursday, May 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m. Press opening is Friday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. Performances run though June 22: Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m.

Tickets are $30 general admission, $50 table seat and $60 front row table seat. Tickets are on sale now at thedentheatre.com or call the Den at
(773) 697-3830. Group discounts available.

The Den Theatre is located at 1331 N. Milwaukee Avenue in the heart of Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. Metered street parking is available on Milwaukee and surrounding side streets. Street parking can be difficult to find, so arrive early to secure a spot and then come by The Den for a pre-show drink at the bar. The Den is close to the CTA Blue Line Division Street stop, and the 9 Ashland, 70 Division and 56 Milwaukee CTA bus lines. For more information, visit thedentheatre.com.

 Sandra Delgado | La Havana Madrid
"This is ultimately a Chicago story. This is our story, our story as a city." - Sandra Delgado

Flash back to Goodman Theatre's video trailer for La Havana Madrid, circa summer 2017:




ABOUT TEATRO VISTA

Teatro Vista shares and celebrates the riches of Latinx culture with Chicago audiences. The company provides work and professional advancement opportunities for Latinx theatre artists, with special emphasis on the company’s ensemble members, and seeks to enhance the curricular goals of Chicago students through theater.

Teatro Vista was founded in 1990 by Edward Torres and Henry Godinez with a primary focus to produce new works by Latinx theatre artists and classic plays featuring artists of color. The company’s current leadership team is Ricardo Gutiérrez, Executive Artistic Director, and Sylvia Hevia, Managing and Development Director.

Teatro Vista is supported by Alphawood Foundation, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events of the City of Chicago, Art Works, Illinois Arts Council, Lester and Hope Abelson, The Shubert Foundation, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, the Bayless Family Foundation and Vidal & Associates. Purple Group is Teatro Vista’s Headline Season Sponsor.

For more, visit teatrovista.org, or follow the company on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.


ABOUT COLLABORACTION

Collaboraction, Chicago’s social contemporary theater, collaborates with a diverse community of Chicagoans, artists and community activists to create original theatrical experiences that push artistic boundaries and explore critical social issues. Since the company’s founding in 1996, Collaboraction has worked with more than 3,000 artists to bring more than 60 productions and events to more than 150,000 audience members.

For the past five years, Collaboraction has partnered with the Chicago Park District through their Night Out in the Parks program, returning each year to cultivate relationships and theater in Englewood, Austin and Hermosa through the Crime Scene, PEACEBOOK and Encounter tours. Production highlights also include its series of Crime Scene productions responding to Chicago’s crime epidemic; 15 years of the SKETCHBOOK Festival; and the YO SOLO Festival of Latino Solo Shows, co-produced with Teatro Vista in 2012.

Collaboraction is led by Artistic Director Anthony Moseley, Managing Director Dr. Marcus Robinson, a company of 20 talented Chicago theater artists, and a dedicated staff and board of directors. The company’s vision is to utilize theater to cultivate dialogue and action around our most critical social issues throughout Chicago.

Collaboraction is supported by The Chicago Community Trust, The Joyce Foundation, The Field Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, DCASE and the Wicker Park & Bucktown SSA #33 Chamber of Commerce. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

For more, visit collaboraction.org, follow the company on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or Instagram, or call the Collaboraction box office, (312) 226-9633.

 
Sandra Delgado by Joe Mazza/brave lux. Photo 

Sandra Delgado is a Colombian-American actor, writer, and producer born and raised in Chicago. She wrote and starred in La Havana Madrid, a Teatro Vista production at both the Steppenwolf Theatre and The Goodman Theatre. La Havana Madrid, Teatro Vista’s best-selling show in its 25-year history, played to sold out houses, and deeply resonated with Chicagoans from all different backgrounds. La Havana Madrid received recognition as one of the best plays of 2017 by Time Out Chicago (including the audience award for Best New Work) and New City Chicago. It was nominated by the Alliance of Latinx Theatre Artists (ALTA) for the Maria Irene Fornes New Play Award and received an ALTA Award for Best Production.

In addition to her writing, Delgado is also a respected veteran of the stage, with a career spanning almost two decades. She most recently starred in La Ruta at Steppenwolf Theatre. Acting highlights include Jocasta in Oedipus El Rey at The Public Theater, the titular character in La Havana Madrid, the epic five-hour 2666 at The Goodman Theatre, her star turn as Veronica opposite Jimmy Smits in Motherf**ker with the Hat at Steppenwolf Theatre, and Mojada at Victory Gardens Theater, where her portrayal of Medea earned distinction as one of the Top Ten performances of 2013 by the Chicago Tribune.

Delgado is also deeply committed to mentoring, advocating, and creating opportunities for her fellow Latinx theatre artists as a producer. Her groundbreaking YO SOLO Festival of Latino Solo Shows, co-produced by Collaboraction and Teatro Vista in 2012, was the first of its kind in the country. She co-curated Steppenwolf’s LookOut series during the run of her show La Havana Madrid, bringing dozens of Latinx artists to perform at Steppenwolf for the first time, and in the process creating community and a cultural hub for Latinx Chicagoans. Saints and Sinners, her new storytelling and music series, is also an extension of her drive to create more opportunities for writers and performers of color and provide a space to cultivate connection and understanding. Her advocacy work also includes serving on the Actors’ Equity Association EEO Committee since 2005 and co-chairing their annual Spirit, A Celebration of Diversity for the last three years as well as serving on the Latinx Theatre Commons advisory committee, a national advocacy organization for Latinx Theatre artists, since 2014.

In addition to being an ensemble member of Teatro Vista (Associate Artistic Director from 2006-2008), Delgado is a founding ensemble member of Collaboraction (est. 1997), and is devoted to their mission of creating new works around Chicago’s most critical social issues. She is the recipient of a 2018 3Arts Award, the Joyce Award, The Theater Communications Group (TCG) Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowship in the Extraordinary Potential Category, a two-time Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events grantee, a 3Arts 3AP Project Grantee, and received the 2017 Latina Professional of the Year Award from the Chicago Latino Network. Delgado is a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists, a member of ALTA's Semillero Playwright's Circle, and a 2015/2016 member of the Goodman Theatre’s Playwright’s Unit. She is one of the 20 women of Chicago arts and culture honored in Kerry James Marshall's mural RUSH MORE on the facade of the Chicago Cultural Center. Her new play, Felons and Familias, the inaugural "In the Works" commission for Theatre on the Lake, received a workshop production as part of TOTL's 2018 season and was featured in The Goodman Theatre’s New Stages Festival this past fall under the new title, Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars. sandradelgado.net


Cheryl Lynn Bruce (director) is a Teatro Vista ensemble member, and like Delgado, she is one of the 20 women of Chicago arts and culture honored in Kerry James Marshall's mural RUSH MORE on the facade of the Chicago Cultural Center. She directed the world premiere of La Havana Madrid, and served as assistant director of Teatro Vista’s productions of Tamer of Horses and A View From the Bridge. She recently won the African American Arts Alliance Black Excellence Award and a 2018 Jeff nomination for directing Congo Square’s Jitney. She has performed on stages across the country and internationally, including recently at Steppenwolf Theatre in Familiar. Bruce created the role of Elizabeth Sandry for Steppenwolf’s Tony Award-winning production of The Grapes of Wrath, adapted and directed by Frank Galati for Broadway’s Cort Theatre, Britain’s National Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse. She also workshopped and premiered in RACE, Lookingglass Theatre’s inaugural production directed by David Schwimmer and Joy Gregory.

Bruce received a 3Arts Award (2010), a 3Arts fellowship to support a five-week Rauschenberg residency (2015), a Jane Addams Hull House Association’s Woman of Valor Award (2010) and a Yale Research Residency (2011). She was awarded the 2002 African American Arts Alliance Black Excellence Award and Black Theatre Alliance Award for Outstanding Direction of Endesha Ida Mae Holland’s From The Mississippi Delta at Congo Square Theater. Other directing credits include Resurrection by Daniel Beaty and Drip by Gloria Bond Clunie at eta Creative Arts Foundation, Milkweed: A Solo Play by Misty De Berry for Columbia College at Links Hall and Northwestern University, Spunk by Zora Neale Hurston at University of Illinois at Chicago and Congo Square Theater, Cage Rhythm by Kia Korthron for University of Illinois at Chicago and Theatre School at DePaul University, and Permanent Collection by Thomas Gibbons for Indiana University Northwest. In 2006 she was an Inaugural Fellow of the Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media at Columbia College. In 2007 Bruce traveled to Japan to study Bunraku puppetry for her staging of Rythm Mastr, Kerry James Marshall’s urban comic which premiered at the Wexner Center for the Arts.

 
Marvin Quijada (Carpacho) is a Chicago based electronic music producer/composer, iOS musician, DJ, theatrical actor, and a clown/mime. He's excited to return to the world of La Havana Madrid. His theatrical credits in Chicago include: Pericles, Short Shakespeare! The Comedy of Errors, Romeo and Juliet, and Othello (Chicago Shakespeare) Season on the Line (The House Theatre), The Dueling Gentlemen (Silent Theatre Company) which he wrote and directed, among others. His New York credits include: Lulu: A Black and White Silent Play (Silent Theatre) which won best play at the NY Fringe Festival in 2005. TV credits include Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. He is an ensemble member with Teatro Vista and Silent Theater. Follow him on soundcloud and instagram at SILENT MARVIN.

 
Tommy Rivera-Vega, Teatro Vista ensemble member, recently played Ezekiel in Goodman Theatre’s Lottery Day. Chicago credits include La Havana Madrid, Parachute Men, Between You Me and the Lampshade, A View From the Bridge and Momma’s Boyz (Teatro Vista); Support Group for Men, Mother Road (Goodman Theatre); Frederick (Chicago Children's Theatre); West Side Story (Drury Lane); In the Heights (Skylight Music Theatre); In the Heights and My Fair Lady (Paramount Theatre); Three Sisters (Steppenwolf); Kiss of the Spiderwoman (BoHo Theatre); Augusta & Noble (Adventure Stage); Pippin (Music Theatre Company) and CATS (Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre). Puerto Rico credits include Spring Awakening and Footloose (Black Box Theatre).

 
Ayssette Muñoz moved to Chicago in 2013 from a small Texas border town in the Rio Grande Valley. She was featured in the Chicago Tribune's “Top 10 Hot New Faces of Chicago Theatre” in 2015, due to her appearance as Catherine in A View From the Bridge with Teatro Vista. She quickly became an Artistic Associate with the company in 2014, and is now a proud ensemble member. Since then, she originated the role of Miranda in Ike Holter’s Wolf at The End of the Block, Amparo in Raul Castillo’s Between You, Me, and the Lampshade, and Maria Teresa in Caridad Svich's In the Time of the Butterflies. Other Chicago credits include Muriel McComber in Ah Wilderness (Goodman Theatre) and Mary Whitney in Alias Grace (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble). She understudied and performed in Steppenwolf’s critically acclaimed production The Doppelganger, alongside Rainn Wilson and fellow Teatro Vista ensemble member Sandra Marquez. Other understudy credits include Lookingglass Theatre's Plantation!, and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet. TV/film credits include Chicago P.D. and the award-winning feature En Algun Lugar (Iconoclast Films).


 
Mike Oquendo is a Chicago born comedy show host and theater producer who stages over 80 shows a year in Chicago and across the country. His shows have been featured on The View, Telemundo, Univision, People en Español, Broadway World and the Chicago Tribune. He is one a handful of Latinos to have trained in New York’s Commercial Theater Institute. His recent production of the off-Broadway hit Made in Puerto Rico with Comedian Eli Castro sold out seven weeks in New York City. He continues to host his Mikey O Comedy Shows in Chicago.

 
Ilse Zacharias (Myrna) is thrilled to be returning to Teatro Vista. Chicago credits include The Abuelas, The Madres and Wolf at the End of the Block u/s (Teatro Vista), Anna Karenina (Lifeline Theatre), Crime and Punishment (Shattered Globe); Into the Beautiful North (16th Street Theater); and Shrewish u/s (Artemisia Theatre). She has also worked with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Court Theater, American Blues Theater, Water People, The Bridge Theater and Something Marvelous. TV credits include The Exorcist. Zacharias received her BFA in Acting from Roosevelt University. She can currently be heard as the title role in BRAVA, a podcast produced by the co-author of Hamilton, Jeremy McCarter and the Make-Believe Association.

 
Alix Rhode, a Chicago native, is making her professional debut in La Havana Madrid. She is currently a junior at the Chicago College of Performing Arts pursuing her BFA in Musical Theatre.


Victor Musoni is a freshman at UIC studying to receive his BFA in theater. He is an ensemble member of The Yard Theatre Company. He was last seen in The Q Brothers Rome Sweet Rome (UIC main stage). He has recently appeared in Back The Night (UIC Studio Theatre), Fun Harmless War Machine (The New Colony), NO CHILD (Definition Theatre Company), Blood at the Root (Jackalope Theatre), Columbinus (Steppenwolf/The Yard),The Toilet (Haven Theatre), Race to the Finish (Kuumba Lynx), Snack Break 1&2 (The Yard), staged reading of Cardboard Piano (Timeline Theatre), How We Got On (Haven Theatre), staged reading of The Stories of us (Visión Latino Theatre Company). Film credits include Run Boy Run Girl, Brujos Web Series and 6x9 (Cinema Libertad). Music videos include Young Lost Love by Appleby and Sinner by Ric Wilson.

SAVE THE DATES: Citadel Theatre 2019-2020 Season to Explore the Meaning of Family

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar



Four-show subscription season will include two beloved musicals and two comedies about families lost, found and strengthened.

Citadel Theatre Company, an Equity-affiliated professional company performing in Lake Forest, IL, has announced its 17th season. The four-show subscription season will open in September with the Tony Award-winning adventure-comedy PETER AND THE STARCATCHER a “pre-quel” to the story of Peter Pan – the boy who, separated from his parents, refuses to grow up and forms a family among a group of lost boys. It will be followed for the holidays by the ever-popular family favorite ANNIE – the story of Little Orphan Annie and her new home with the uber-rich Daddy Warbucks. The season will continue in the new year with THE FANTASTICKS. The world’s longest running musical, THE FANTASTICKS tells the story of Matt and Luisa, young next-door neighbors who fall in love precisely because their scheming fathers, knowing the kids will do exactly what they’re told NOT to do, have been keeping them apart. The season will conclude with Neil Simon’s heartfelt BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS, a semi-autobiographical comedy inspired by Simon’s life at age 14 and his loving, but quirky family.


PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, opening on September 27 and running through October 27 is a pre-quel to PETER PAN, written by Rick Elice (author of the Broadway musicals JERSEY BOYS, THE ADDAMS FAMILY and THE CHER SHOW), based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. On Broadway, It was nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning five. PETER AND THE STARCATCHER is an action-packed and humorous take on the Peter Pan characters in which 13 actors will play more than 100 roles.

PETER AND THE STARCATCHER will be directed by Jeremy Aluma, who recently directed THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY for Red Theater. The production was remounted at Theater on the Lake, named a Top 10 Show of 2017 by the CHICAGO TRIBUNE, and won a Jeff Award for Best Fight Choreography. Aluma is also the founder of the internationally touring clown troupe, Four Clowns.




ANNIE, which the CHICAGO TRIBUNE once called “one of the best family musicals ever penned,” will be Citadel’s holiday show. This musical comedy based on the long-running comic strip LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE ran for nearly six years in its initial Broadway production and has twice been revived on Broadway. It was also adapted as a popular feature film and network television special.

Frequent Citadel director Robert D. Estrin, who helmed last year’s JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT and the Jeff Award-winning THE EXPLORERS CLUB, will direct a cast of professional musical theater performers alongside an ensemble of local children as the orphans. ANNIE will open on November 15 and run through December 22, 2019.



THE FANTASTICKS originally opened off -Broadway in New York City’s Greenwich Village in 1960 where it played until 2002. In 2006 it was remounted in a new theater in Times Square where it ran another 11 years, easily making its combined 53-year run the longest of any musical. It includes the song “Try to Remember,” which entreats audiences to remember a sweeter, gentler time.

Writers Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt adapted their story from a play by Edmund Rostand (CYRANO DE BERGERAC) in which two neighbors plot to make their children fall in love and marry each other by forbidding them to ever see each other, knowing that children will most want to do what they are told not to do. The boy and girl find a way to meet despite the fence that separates them, but they learn some hard lessons about romance and adventure vs. real life before the musical ends. Longtime Citadel collaborator Pat Murphy, who most recently directed LIGHT UP THE SKY for Citadel, will direct the production, opening on January 31 and running through March 1, 2020.



The season closer will be BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS, one of Neil Simon’s best-loved plays among his many hits. The first of an autobiographical trilogy that includes BILOXI BLUES and BROADWAY BOUND, BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS is a portrait of the writer as a young teen in 1937 living with his family in a crowded, lower middle-class Brooklyn walk-up.

Eugene Jerome, standing in for the author, is the narrator and central character. Dreaming of baseball and girls, Eugene must cope with the mundane existence of his family life in Brooklyn: his formidable mother, overworked father, and worldly older brother Stanley; as well as extended family members that include his widowed Aunt Blanche and her two young (but rapidly aging) daughters. The warm and funny BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS will open on Friday, April 24 and run through Sunday, May 24, 2020.  Citadel Founding Artistic Director Scott Phelps will direct.
Season subscriptions are available for the full four-show season at $120.00 or as flex passes that can be used for the patron’s choice of three shows for $100.00 or two shows for $70.00. Subscriptions and single tickets are now on sale at www.citadeltheatre.org.

Friday, September 20 – Sunday, October 20, 2019
(Previews September 18-19 @ 7:30 pm)
Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm, Sundays at 3 pm.
Preview ticket prices - $20.00. Regular run prices Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays $40.00; Saturdays and Sundays $45.00. Discounts available for groups, seniors and student.

Citadel Theatre, 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, IL
Tickets available online at www.citadeltheatre.org or by phone at 847-735-8554, ext. 1

The Tony Award-winning PETER AND THE STARCATCHER upends the century-old story of how a miserable orphan comes to be The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up (a.k.a. Peter Pan). A young orphan and his mates are shipped off from Victorian England to a distant island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They know nothing of the mysterious trunk in the captain’s cabin, which contains a precious, otherworldly cargo. At sea, the boys are discovered by a precocious young girl named Molly, a Starcatcher-in-training who realizes that the trunk’s precious cargo is starstuff, a celestial substance so powerful that it must never fall into the wrong hands. When the ship is taken over by pirates – led by the fearsome Black Stache, a villain determined to claim the trunk and its treasure for his own – the journey quickly becomes a thrilling adventure.

ANNIE
Music by Charles Strouse, Book by Thomas Meehan, Lyrics by Martin Charnin
Directed by Robert D. Estrin
Friday, November 22 – Sunday, December 22, 2019
(Previews November 20-21 @7:30 pm)
Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm, Sundays at 3 pm.
Preview ticket prices - $20.00. Regular run prices Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays $40.00; Saturdays and Sundays $45.00. Discounts available for groups, seniors and student.
Citadel Theatre, 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, IL
Tickets available online at www.citadeltheatre.org or by phone at 847-735-8554, ext. 1

With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone's hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. She is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City Orphanage that is run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. With the help of the other girls in the Orphanage, Annie escapes to the wondrous world of NYC. In adventure after fun-filled adventure, Annie foils Miss Hannigan's evil machinations... and even befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt! She finds a new home and family in billionaire, Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.

THE FANTASTICKS 
Music by Harvey Schmidt, Book and Lyrics by Tom Jones
Directed by Pat Murphy
Friday, February 7, 2020 - Sunday, Mar 8, 2020
(Previews February 5 and 6 @ 7:30 pm)
Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm, Sundays at 3 pm.
Preview ticket prices - $20.00. Regular run prices Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays $40.00; Saturdays and Sundays $45.00. Discounts available for groups, seniors and student.
Citadel Theatre, 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, IL
Tickets available online at www.citadeltheatre.org or by phone at 847-735-8554, ext. 1

THE FANTASTICKS is a funny and romantic musical about a boy, a girl, and their two fathers who try to keep them apart. The narrator, El Gallo, asks the audience to use their imagination and follow him into a world of moonlight and magic. The boy and the girl fall in love, grow apart and finally find their way back to each other after realizing the truth in El Gallo's words that, "without a hurt, the heart is hollow."

BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS
By Neil Simon
Directed by Scott Phelps
Friday April 24, 2020 - Sunday May 24, 2020
(Previews April 22-23 @ 7:30 pm)
Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm, Sundays at 3 pm.
Preview ticket prices - $20.00. Regular run prices Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays $40.00; Saturdays and Sundays $45.00. Discounts available for groups, seniors and student.
Citadel Theatre, 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, IL
Tickets available online at www.citadeltheatre.org or by phone at 847-735-8554, ext. 1

Part one of Neil Simon’s autobiographical trilogy: a portrait of the writer as a young teen in 1937 living with his family in a crowded, lower middle-class Brooklyn walk-up. Eugene Jerome must cope with the mundane existence of his family life in Brooklyn: formidable mother, overworked father, and his worldly older brother Stanley. Throw into the mix his widowed Aunt Blanche, her two young (but rapidly aging) daughters and you have a recipe for hilarity, served up Simon-style. This bittersweet memoir evocatively captures the life of a struggling Jewish household where, as his father states "if you didn't have a problem, you wouldn't be living here."

BIOS

Jeremy Aluma (Director, PETER AND THE STARCATCHER) is an award-winning, Jewish-American theatre director of Iraqi descent. He founded the internationally touring clown troupe Four Clowns and served as Artistic Director during their first seven years. Directing credits include: ABRAHAM & ISAAC (MuBe Cultural Theatre, São Paulo, Brazil); PINOCCHIO and ROBIN HOOD (South Coast Repertory, CA); SUBLIMITY (Theatre Row, NYC); THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY (Theater on the Lake, Chicago) AN OAK TREE (Red Theater, Chicago); CRUMBLE, LAY ME DOWN JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE (Sacred Fools, LA); THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT (Urban Theatre Movement, LA); HENRY’S POTATO (REDCAT, LA); IN ARABIA WE’D ALL BE KINGS (Alive Theatre, Long Beach); JONAH (Annenberg, Santa Monica) and HAMLET (American Coast Theater, CA). His original show, FOUR CLOWNS toured nationally to La MaMa (NYC); Chopin Theatre (Chicago); Gremlin Theatre (St. Paul, MN); Exit Theatre (San Francisco); Space 55 (Phoenix, AZ); and Insurgo Theater Movement (Las Vegas). Aluma is a company member at Red Theater, a Board Member for the Alliance for Jewish Theatre, and a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Union (SDC). He continues to teach and take classes at The Clown School and will graduate in June 2019 with an MFA in Directing from The Theatre School at DePaul University. jeremyaluma.com

Robert D. Estrin (Director, ANNIE) Robert’s directing credits include JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, THE EXPLORERS CLUB, A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER, CABARET, OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY, LEND ME A TENOR (Citadel); THE SUM OF US (1027 Productions). Director/Designer: SUCH A PRETTY FACE (Off Broadway Equity Showcase production, New York City). Designer: A CHRISTMAS CAROL, LITTLE WOMEN, THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE, THE BOARDING HOUSE, SOMETHING’S AFOOT (Citadel); CORPUS DELICTI, MR. SHAW GOES TO HOLLYWOOD, SIDE EFFECTS MAY INCLUDE (MadKap Productions). Retired in 2005 from New Trier High School after thirty-four years of teaching theatre. Visit Bob on his Facebook page. Education: Northern Illinois University (B.A.); University of Illinois (M.A.).

Pat Murphy (Director, THE FANTASTICKS) returns to Citadel Theatre as director for the winter production of THE FANTASTICKS. Last year he directed LIGHT UP THE SKY. Previous shows he directed at Citadel are, OLIVER!, A CHRISTMAS CAROL several years ago and DEATHTRAP. He has also acted in LEND ME A TENOR and OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY. Murphy was Director of Theatre for 35 years at Glenbrook North High School. Murphy directed over one hundred productions at Glenbrook North before retiring a number of years ago. He now directs, acts and coaches theatre students and actors.

Scott Phelps (Director, BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS) is in his 16th year as the Artistic Director at Citadel. He’s acted in and directed dozens of Citadel productions over the last decade and a half since founding this North Shore theatre in 2002 with his friend and lifelong companion, Ellen. He has acted/directed in NYC, and in his home state of California, trained as an actor at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Santa Maria, CA, received his BFA from the University of Utah, and did an apprenticeship at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in KY. For 18 years Scott worked for a promotional company and raised his three daughters and his son in Lake Forest. Recently he has been taking on the next chapter of his life — the role of “Grandpa”. Although he is unsure if he is old enough to play that part, he’s been enjoying the challenge.

Citadel Theatre is one of Chicagoland’s premier live theatres, producing hundreds of performances annually and inspiring audiences for over 16 years. Founded by Scott and Ellen Phelps in 2002, Citadel Theatre is comprised of its Main Stage performances, its On Tour programs, and its theatre acting classes for children. A proud member of the League of Chicago Theatres and the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff ArtsLink, Citadel Theatre offers a unique intimate theatre experience that transports you to another setting and leaves you feeling exhilarated and wanting more. A recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Citadel can accept tax-deductible donations. For more information, ticketing, and to donate, please visit Citadel online at www.CitadelTheatre.org or call 847.735.8554.

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

INCOMING: Alice Merton To Play Chicago's Bottom Lounge 4/26; Mint LP Out Now Via Mom+Pop Music

 Alice Merton Plays Bottom Lounge On 4/26
Mint LP Out Now Via Mom+Pop Music


Alice has announced Summer tour dates with Young The Giant and Fitz & The Tantrums. Last month, Alice released a new documentary centered around the making of her LP 'Mint'.  The LP was released on 1/18 on Mom+Pop Music. Critical acclaim has been coming in for the LP: Jon Pareles of the New York Times praised the LP in his weekly column. Nylon's Allison Stubblebine said,"...if I did have to assert one quality of Merton’s that I think will grow more and more evident over time, it’s the weird, the quirky, the way that she leaves mistakes in her songs, making them what they are, flawed and perfect, all at once." Town + Country also raved saying, "Alice Merton is About to Have the Breakout Album of 2019." 

Her single “Funny Business” is officially Top 20 on AAA, approaching Top 15 and officially Top 30 at Alternative radio.  Alice's video for "Funny Business" was shared on Refinery29. Along with the video, the site she also did an exclusive interview.  The track originally premiered on Nylon.  Along with the song premiere, Alice also sat down with Nylon and did an interview where she talked about both the song and the new album. Last year, Alice's breakout single "No Roots" was certified gold by the RIAA.

Photo Credit: Paper Plane Records

Amazon Music listeners can simply ask, "Alexa play "Funny Business" (Acoustic) by Alice Merton" in the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android and on Alexa-enabled devices. In addition to the new track, Amazon Music listeners can access hundreds of Amazon Originals featuring both emerging and established artists across numerous genres, available to stream and purchase only on Amazon Music.

Alice will be embarking on a U.S. tour in April around her new LP Mint. This tour will include dates at Coachella. She then will return to the U.S. this summer playing dates with Young The Giant and Fitz & The Tantrums. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.  

Tour Dates:
4/14/2019 - Indio CA - Coachella
4/16/2019 - Vancouver BC - Biltmore Cabaret
4/17/2019 - Seattle WA - The Crocodile
4/21/2019 - Indio CA - Coachella
4/23/2019 - Denver CO - Bluebird Theater
4/24/2019 - Kansas City MO - The Record Bar
4/26/2019 - Chicago IL - Bottom Lounge
4/27/2019 - Panama City Beach FL - SandJam 2019 Festival
8/4/2019 - Seattle, WA - Marymoor Park*
8/6/2019  - Troutdale, OR - Edgefield Ampitheater* 
8/8/2019  - Santa Barbara, CA  - Santa Barbara Bowl*
8/9/2019 - San Diego, CA - Open Air Theatre* 
8/10/2019 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum*
8/11/2019 - Phoenix, AZ - Comerica Theatre* 
8/14/2019 - Reno, NV - Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resort & Casino* 
8/15/2019 - San Francisco, CA - Greek Theatre at Berkeley* 
8/16/2019 - Las Vegas, NV - Downtown Las Vegas Event Center* 
*(Supporting Fitz and the Tantrums / Young the Giant)

ALICE MERTON BIOGRAPHY:
Alice Merton wants to know why you're being so damn serious. 

The chart-topping singer-songwriter wrote her most euphoric, pop-friendly track to date at a time when critics and hot-takers seemed intent on sucking the joy out of everything. 

“I kept getting asked in interviews, ‘Do you think you’re gonna be a one-hit wonder?’” Alice Merton laughs. “I went into the studio and said, ‘Music is supposed to be fun! We don’t write songs to be hits, we write songs so we feel good.’” 

Out came "Why So Serious," with Alice Merton shimmying circles around the noise and the nonsense with parade of jubilant hooks. It's the closing salvo on MINT, an 11-track cavalcade of such powerhouses, and a long-awaited, hard-fought triumph of a debut album (out Jan. 18 on Mom + Pop Music). There are anthems for self-reliance, growing up, lashing out, and finding home in a whirlwind of FaceTime conversations and passport stamps. 

“Some talk about growing up and moving around a lot,” the English-German artist (who once moved 12 times over 24 years) observes, “But a lot of others discuss the struggles we’ve had with starting a label, the feeling of trying to prove yourself to everyone.” While studying at University of Popular Music and Music Business, Alice Merton founded Paper Plane Records Int. with her best friend and manager Paul Grauwinkel, while crafting songs alongside co-writer and producer Nicolas Rebscher. Label and radio reps scoffed at “No Roots” - It’s a minute too long! Take the guitars out! - but by the time it topped Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart in the U.S. and amassed over 142 million YouTube streams, naysayers turned to supporters. 

Long safe from those one-hit wonder jabs (the fiery “Lash Out” followed “No Roots” as an alt radio staple) MINT finds Alice Merton progressing from the owner of a handful of hits to an accomplished album artist. On “Funny Business,” she ventures outside her usual circle of collaborators and enlists Grammy-nominated producer John Hill (co-producer and co-writer of Portugal. The Man’s “Feel It Still”) for a swaggering, bass-groovy joyride that's ready to duke it out with "Why So Serious" for the title of Alice Merton's next big hit. It also doubles as her own personal dos and don'ts checklist: "I don't break hearts / I don't do funny business / I just ride in cars / And watch them get hung up in it." Seriously, why so serious? 

For fans who have been there from the start, MINT is the full-length affirmation; for newcomers, it's a virtual greatest hits of two globetrotting years spent living, adapting, and creating. With extensive touring and one of 2019’s standout debuts on the way, Alice Merton’s metamorphosis from Hype Machine and Shazam sensation to bona fide stardom is starting to… take root. She has gone platinum in six countries, amassed over 261 million global streams, sold out headlining dates in New York and Washington, D.C., and has been championed by the likes of Billboard magazine, Rolling Stone magazine, Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show, James Corden's Late Late Show, and Live With Kelly and Ryan. "It feels really relieving,” she affirms. “I’m excited we can finally put these songs out and even start working on the next chapter.”

Mint - Tracklisting
1. Learn To Live
2. 2 Kids
3. No Roots
4. Funny Business
5. Homesick
6. Lash Out
7. Speak your Mind
8. Don't Hold A Grudge
9. Honeymoon Heartbreak
10. Trouble In Paradise
11. Why So Serious

RESCHEDULED! THE MUSHROOM CURE at Greenhouse Theater Center Now Playing May 9 – June 9, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

RESCHEDULED!
New Dates Announced for the
THE MUSHROOM CURE
at Greenhouse Theater Center

Adam Strauss. Photo by David Allen

Now Playing May 9 – June 9, 2019

The Greenhouse Theater Center today announced Adam Strauss has postponed his hit one-man show THE MUSHROOM CURE, originally scheduled for April 4 – May 5, 2019. The engagement has been rescheduled for May 9 – June 9, 2019. For ticket exchanges and refunds, please contact the Greenhouse Theater Center box office at (773) 404-7336 or boxoffice@greenhousetheater.org. The new press opening is Saturday, May 11 at 8 pm.

Written and performed by Adam Strauss and developed with and directed by Jonathan Libman. THE MUSHROOM CURE is the true story of one Strauss’s attempt to treat his severe OCD with psychedelics. The Chicago premiere of the off-Broadway hit, presented in association with The Marsh, will play in The Greenhouse Theater Center’s Downstairs Main Stage, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. Tickets for the new engagement are currently available at greenhousetheater.org, in person at the box office or by calling (773) 404-7336.

Inspired by a scientific study showing that hallucinogenic mushrooms may cure obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Adam Strauss embarked on a program of vigilante psychopharmacology. The true tale of Strauss’ hilarious, harrowing and heartrending attempts to treat his debilitating OCD with psychedelics, THE MUSHROOM CURE was named a Critics’ Pick by Time Out New York, which praised it as “riveting… true-life tour de force” and hailed by The New York Times as “mining a great deal of laughter from disabling pain.”

THE MUSHROOM CURE first ran in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe garnering widespread acclaim. Critics called the show “hugely intelligent and incredibly engaging,” (The Scotsman) “outstanding,” (Edinburgh Festivals Magazine), and “a revelation” (Broadway Baby). Strauss’ riotous tale appeared next in the New York International Fringe Festival, winning the Fringe’s Overall Excellence Award for Solo Performance. It then was given its Off-Broadway premiere at New York’s Cherry Lane Theatre, where it had a sold-out, extended run, before transferring to The Marsh in San Francisco for its West Coast premiere with a sold-out, extended run. The show then moved to Theatre 80 St. Marks in New York, where it ran for over a year before closing in January.

THE MUSHROOM CURE is produced by the Greenhouse Theater Center, in association with The Marsh, a breeding ground for new performance. 

Location: The Greenhouse Theater Center’s Downstairs Main Stage, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, May 9 at 8 pm and Friday, May 10 at 8 pm

Press Performance: Saturday, May 11 at 8 pm

Regular run: Sunday, May 12 – Sunday, June 9, 2019

Curtain times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be a performance on Thursday, May 16; there will be an added performances on Saturday, May 18 at 2:30 pm.

Tickets: Previews: $25 Regular run: $29 - $35. Discounts: $19 students, seniors, teachers, military and industry. Group discounts are available. Tickets are currently available at greenhousetheater.org, in person at the box office or by calling (773) 404-7336.

About the Artists
Adam Strauss is a writer and performer based in New York City. He won the Leffe Craft Your Character Storytelling Competition and the New York Fringe Festival’s Overall Excellence Award for Solo Performance. He is also a stand-up comedian who performs throughout the US and the UK. Strauss received his BA in psychology from Brown University. His upcoming solo show The Uncertainty Principle will receive its world premiere at The Marsh in May 2019.

Jonathan Libman is currently directing and writing for Amy Schumer's ensemble company The Collective. As a member of the Actors Studio Playwrights/Directors Unit, Jonathan is directing Chazz Palminteri (A Bronx Tale) in Palminteri's new play The Bench, and National Endowment for the Arts recipient David Libman’s play The Townhouse, featuring Joey Collins. He recently worked with Christina Masciotti (2016 Guggenheim Fellow) on her play Raw Bacon From Poland, featuring Sean Carvajal (2018 Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards for Best Actor). Jonathan won a scholarship to write and direct at Tony Spiridakis' Manhattan Film Institute, and has just finished writing two original television pilots, The Little People and Accidents Waiting to Happen. In 2019-20 he will be directing new work by Nicole Pandolfo (2017 Dramatist Guild Fellow), Sam Kahn (Chatter), Eli Walker (Drunk Yoga) and Daniel Mitura (The Picture of Dorian Gray).

About the Greenhouse Theater Center
The Greenhouse Theater Center (GTC) is a producing theater company, performance venue and theatre bookstore located at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.

GTC began its producing life in 2014 with the smash hit Churchill, followed by 2016’s much-lauded Solo Celebration!, an eight month, 16 event series highlighting the breadth and depth of the solo play form. In 2017-18, the Greenhouse presented its first full subscription season, including Machinal (4 stars from Chicago Tribune's Chris Jones) and the Chicago premiere of Birds of a Feather. 

As a performance venue, the Greenhouse complex offers two newly-remodeled 198-seat main stage spaces, two 60-seat studio theaters, a newly-built 44-seat cabaret space, two high-capacity lobbies and an in-house rehearsal room. GTC also houses Chicago’s only dedicated used theatre bookstore, located on the second floor the complex. 

The Greenhouse Theater Center’s mission is first and foremost to grow local theatre. GTC seeks local theatre companies and artists to partner on co-productions, offering partners a multitude of resources including an equitable split of production costs, production manager, full-service box office and front-of-house staff, artistic consultation, marketing and public relations support and a full-service bar with concessions. For additional information, contact Nicholas Reinhart at (773) 404-7336, ext. 13.

About The Marsh
The Marsh, known as a "breeding ground for new performance," was launched in1989 by Founder and Artistic Director Stephanie Weisman, and now annually hosts more than 600 performances of 175 shows across the company's two venues in San Francisco and Berkeley. A leading developer and outlet for solo performers, The Marsh's specialty has been hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “solo performances that celebrate the power of storytelling at its simplest and purest.” The East Bay Times named The Marsh one of Bay Area's best intimate theaters, calling it “one of the most thriving solo theaters in the nation. The live theatrical energy is simply irresistible.”  For more info about The Marsh, visit www.themarsh.org or email artisticdirector@themarsh.org.

ADULT NIGHT OUT: Chicago Premiere of The Children at Steppenwolf Theatre Company April 18 - June 9, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Following Sold-Out Runs in London and New York
Steppenwolf Presents the Chicago Premiere of 
The Children
Written by Lucy Kirkwood
Directed by Jonathan Berry



April 18 - June 9, 2019 
Three nuclear scientists. A chilling and dangerous plan.


I'll be out for the press opening May 1st so check back soon for my full review. 

Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the Chicago premiere of The Children written by acclaimed British playwright Lucy Kirkwood and helmed by celebrated Chicago director Jonathan Berry. Filled with dark humor, this thought-provoking and haunting play features three of Chicago’s top actors tackling complex roles: ensemble members Ora Jones (Rose) and Yasen Peyankov (Robin) with Janet Ulrich Brooks (Hazel). Following sold-out runs in London and New York, Steppenwolf proudly presents this brave and profound work that confronts the responsibility each generation must face for the way it leaves the world.

Previews for The Children begin April 18, 2019 and the production runs through June 9, 2019 in the Downstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted St). Press performances are Monday, April 29, 2019 at 7pm and Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at 7:30pm; Opening night is Monday, April 29.. Tickets ($20-$99) are available through Audience Services at 312-335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.
Classic Memberships starting at $100 for the 2019/20 Season are now available. More info at steppenwolf.org/memberships.

On a summer evening in an isolated seaside cottage in the East of England, a pair of retired nuclear scientists are startled by a visit from a former colleague. As some crackers and wine are trotted out, so are various old jealousies, leading to the true reason for Rose's sudden reappearance: the revelation of a chilling and dangerous plan.

Playwright Lucy Kirkwood shares, “I had been trying to find a form for a long time to write about climate change in a way that was emotionally rather than intellectually driven. What is important and theatrical to me is not the facts of climate change – we all know the facts now, and most of the average theatre audience will believe in them too. What is interesting is this: if we know the facts, why are we failing so catastrophically to change our behaviors?”

“Lucy’s work powerfully interrogates the challenging space between our all too human desires and our shared responsibility to the generations to come. That she does this by creating rich, nuanced characters with a complicated history and a high-stakes problem to solve makes it a perfect fit for Steppenwolf. It's a taut 90-minute pressure cooker of a play,” comments Director Jonathan Berry.

About the Cast

Ensemble member Yasen Peyankov, who plays Robin, can currently be seen at Steppenwolf in A Doll’s House, Part 2 (through March 17). An ensemble member since 2002, he has performed in dozens of Steppenwolf plays, including the Broadway production of Superior Donuts. He translated and directed the Bulgarian premiere of August: Osage County at the National Theatre in Sofia. Currently he plays the Russian Foreign Minister on CBS’s Madam Secretary and will be seen in the upcoming feature film Captive State and the third season of Stranger Things.

Ora Jones, a longtime ensemble member, plays the role of Rose. In the past year she has portrayed a wide range of roles at Steppenwolf in Familiar, The Roommate and The Doppelgänger (an international farce). Her Broadway credits include Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Matilda The Musical as well as work at the Manhattan Theatre Club, the Public Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, and more. Film and television credits include Betrayal, Chicago Fire, Consumed, Were the World Mine and Stranger than Fiction.

Janet Ulrich Brooks, a celebrated Chicago actor, is a company member of TimeLine Theatre, where she was recently seen in Master Class. Other TimeLine credits include The Audience, Bakersfield Mist, The How and The Why, and Jeff-nominated performances in 33 Variations, A Walk in the Woods, All My Sons, When She Danced and Not Enough Air. Additional credits include Plantation (Lookingglass), Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Jeff Award nomination, Goodman), 2666, The Seagull, A True History of the Johnstown Flood and Teddy Ferrara (Goodman); Women Laughing Alone with Salad (Helen Hayes nomination Actress in Principal Role, Woolly Mammoth, D.C.); By The Water (Northlight); Failure: A Love Story and Native Gardens (Victory Gardens); Crazy For You (Drury Lane); and Golda’s Balcony (Jeff Award, Pegasus Players).

Playwright and Director Bios

Lucy Kirkwood is a playwright and screenwriter. In 2009, her play It Felt Empty When the Heart Went At First But It Is Alright Now was produced by Clean Break at the Arcola Theatre. Nominated for an Evening Standard Award for Best Newcomer, it made Lucy joint winner of the John Whiting Award. Chimerica premiered at the Almeida Theatre in 2013 and transferred to the West End, earning Best New Play at the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards, as well as the Critics Circle and Susan Smith Blackburn Award. Recent work includes Mosquitoes at the National Theatre in 2017, and The Children, which premiered at the Royal Court in 2016, and opened on Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2017.

Jonathan Berry is an Artistic Producer at Steppenwolf and a director and teacher in Chicago. Steppenwolf productions include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, You Got Older, Constellations, The Crucible, Gary and A Separate Peace. Berry is a Steep Theatre ensemble member where productions include Red Rex, Birdland, Earthquakes in London, Posh, If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet, The Knowledge, Festen, Moment and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. He’s also an ensemble member at Griffin Theatre where productions include the Harvest, Winterset, Pocatello, Balm in Gilead, Golden Boy, Spring Awakening, Punk Rock, Port and On the Shore of the Wide World. He has served as the Assistant Director for Anna D. Shapiro’s Broadway productions Of Mice and Men and This Is Our Youth. Other theatre credits include Dirty, Suicide, Incorporated, Othello (Gift Theatre); The Solid Sand Below, The World of Extreme Happiness for New Stages (Goodman Theatre); Kill Floor (American Theater Company); Little Shop of Horrors, Sideman (American Blues Theater); I am Going to Change the World (Chicago Dramatists); and The Casuals (Jackalope Theatre Company). He pursued his MFA in directing from Northwestern University. He has taught at University of Michigan, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, Columbia College and The School at Steppenwolf.

The Children production team includes Chelsea M. Warren (Scenic Design), Mara Blumenfeld (Costume Design), Lee Fiskness (Lighting Design), Andre Pluess (Sound Design), and Gigi Buffington (Company Voice and Text Coach). Additional credits include Laura Glenn (Stage Manager), Elise Hausken (Assistant Stage Manager), JC Clementz (Casting Director) and Greta Honold (Artistic Producer).

Ticket prices and schedule:
Preview ticket prices (April 18 – 28) range from $20 – $84; and the regular run (April 28 – June 9) are $20– $99. Prices subject to change.
20 for $20: Twenty $20 tickets are available for subscription shows on the day of the performance at 11am (Mon – Sat) and 1pm (Sun), by phone only at 312-335-1650. Limit 2 per person.
Rush Tickets: Half-price rush tickets are available one hour before each show.
Student Discounts: $15 student tickets are available online. (Limit 2 tickets. Must present a valid student ID for each ticket). For additional student discounts, visit steppenwolf.org/students.
Group Tickets: All groups of 10 or more receive a discounted rate for any performance.

Classic Memberships for the 2019/20 season offering guaranteed seats, great value and early access are now available. Packages start at $100.
Black Card Memberships are available for audiences interested in extreme flexibility and peace of mind with six tickets for use any time, are valid for one year with the option to add additional tickets as needed. Perks include free exchanges, access to seats before the general public, savings on single ticket prices and bar and restaurant discounts. RED Memberships are available for theatergoers under 30. Memberships options at steppenwolf.org/memberships.

Audience Services: For tickets or more information, contact Audience Services (1650 N Halsted St) at 312-335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.
Curtain Times: Tuesday – Friday at 7:30pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm and 7:30pm; Wednesdays at 2pm.


Accessibility

Committed to making the Steppenwolf experience accessible to everyone, performances featuring American Sign Language Interpretation, Open Captioning and Audio Description are offered during the run of each play. Assistive listening devices and large-print programs are available for every performance and the Downstairs and 1700 Theatres are each equipped with an induction hearing loop. All theaters feature wheelchair accessible seating and restrooms, and Front Bar features a push-button entrance, all-gender restrooms and accessible counter and table spaces.

Accessible Performances:
American Sign Language Interpretation: Sunday, May 12 at 7:30pm.

Open Captioning: Thursday, May 9 at 7:30pm and Saturday, June 4 at 3pm.

Audio Description and Touch Tour: Sunday, May 26 at 1:30pm


Visitor Information
Steppenwolf is located at 1650 N Halsted St near all forms of public transportation, bike racks and Divvy bike stands. The parking facility ($12 or $14, cash or card) is located just south of our theater at 1624 N Halsted. Valet parking service ($14 cash) is available directly in front of the main entrance starting at 5pm on weeknights, 1pm on weekends and at 12noon before Wednesday matinees. Limited street and lot parking are also available. For last minute questions and concerns, patrons can call the Steppenwolf Parking Hotline at 312.335.1774.


Sponsor Information
United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf.

Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks
Connected to the main lobby is Steppenwolf’s own Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks, offering a warm, creative space to grab a drink, have a bite, or meet up with friends and collaborators, day or night. Open Tuesdays – Sundays from 8am to midnight, Front Bar serves artisanal coffee and espresso is provided by La Colombe and food prepared by Goddess and Grocer. The menu focuses on fresh, accessible fare, featuring grab-and-go salads and sandwiches for lunch and adding shareable small plates and desserts for evening and post show service. www.front bar.com.

Year of Chicago Theatre
Steppenwolf Theatre Company is proud to be part of the 2019 Year of Chicago Theatre, presented by the City of Chicago and the League of Chicago Theatres. To truly fall in love with Chicago, you must go to our theatres. This is where the city bares its fearless soul. Home to a community of creators, risk-takers, and big hearts, Chicago theatre is a hotbed for exciting new work and hundreds of world premieres every year. From Broadway musicals to storefront plays and improv, there’s always a seat waiting for you at one of our 200+ theatres. Book your next show today at ChicagoPlays.com.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation’s premier ensemble theater. Formed by a collective of actors in 1976, the ensemble represents a remarkable cross-section of actors, directors and playwrights. Thrilling and powerful productions from Balm in Gilead to August: Osage County and Pass Over—and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony Awards—have made the theater legendary. Steppenwolf produces hundreds of performances and events annually in its three spaces: the 515-seat Downstairs Theatre, the 299-seat Upstairs Theatre and the 80-seat 1700 Theatre. Artistic programing includes a seven-play season; a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season; Visiting Company engagements; and LookOut, a multi-genre performances series. Education initiatives include the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf for Young Adults, which engages 15,000 participants annually from Chicago’s diverse communities; the esteemed School at Steppenwolf; and Professional Leadership Programs for arts administration training. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, nearly 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director and David Schmitz is the Executive Director. Eric Lefkofsky is Chair of Steppenwolf’s Board of Trustees. Steppenwolf’s Board of Trustees. 

For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.   

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

OPENING: TWO DAYS IN COURT A DOUBLE-HEADER OF CLASSIC ONE ACTS at City Lit Theater April 12 - May 26, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar
TWO DAYS IN COURT
A DOUBLE-HEADER OF CLASSIC ONE ACTS

The Devil and Daniel Webster 
by Stephen Vincent Benet
Trial by Jury
by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan

Directed by Terry Mc Cabe
Music Directed by Daniel Robinson


City Lit Theater's 2018-2019 season closer will be a double-bill of one-acts, dubbed TWO DAYS IN COURT, offering first a fantastic and then a silly and satiric look at the legal system. Artistic Director Terry McCabe will direct the bill, which will open with THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER –  the play by Stephen Vincent Benet based on his 1936 short story. 

It concerns a New Hampshire farmer who sells his soul to the Devil and when he seeks to get out of the deal is defended in “court” by Daniel Webster, a fictional version of the famous statesman, lawyer, and orator. The second half of the TWO DAYS IN COURT program will be Gilbert and Sullivan’s one-act operetta from 1875, TRIAL BY JURY. This short piece with a plot too silly to summarize was G & S’s first hit, leading to a career for their partnership that produced the classics THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, HMS PINAFORE, THE MIKADO and many others. Daniel Robinson will be music director for the double-bill.

The 17-person cast, each of whom will appear in both plays - will include Kingsley Day, Sarah Beth Tanner, Bill Chamberlain, Lee Wichman, Rob Chesler, Dylan Connelley, Elijah Cox, Frank Gasparro, Jimmy Hogan, Claire LaTourette, Carolyn Plurad, Justine Raczy, Laura Resinger, Sarah Rosenberg, Ryan Smetana, Nate Strain, and Maria Welser.

McCabe’s designers and production team are Evan Frank (Set Designer), Tom Keiffer (Costume Designer), Liz Cooper (Lighting Designer), Todd Rhoades (Choreographer), Carolyn Minor (Production Manager), Evan Sposato (Technical Director), Hazel Marie (Stage Manager), James Osorio (Pianist) and Oliver Townsend (Rehearsal Pianist).

Single tickets priced at $28 for previews and $32 for regular performances are now on sale soon at www.citylit.org. Senior prices are $23 for previews and $27 for regular performances. Students and military are $12.00 for all performances.

Previews Friday April 12 through Sunday April 14, Friday and Saturday April 19 and 20
PRESS OPENING Tuesday, April 23 – 7 pm
Regular run Tuesday, April 23 - Sunday, May 26
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 3 pm., Mondays May 13 and 20 at 7:30 pm
Regular run ticket prices $32.00, seniors $27.00, students and military $12 (all plus applicable fees)
Performances at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Chicago 60660 (Inside Edgewater Presbyterian Church)



ABOUT CITY LIT

For thirty-nine years, City Lit Theater has been dedicated to the vitality and accessibility of the literary imagination. City Lit produces theatrical adaptations of literary material, scripted plays by language-oriented playwrights, and original material.

City Lit is in the historic Edgewater Presbyterian Church building at 1020 West Bryn Mawr Avenue. We are two blocks east of both the Bryn Mawr Red Line stop and the #36 Broadway and the #84 Peterson buses. We are one block west of the #147 Sheridan and #151 Sheridan buses. Divvy bike stations are located at Bryn Mawr & Lakefront Trail, and at Broadway & Ridge at Bryn Mawr. The metered street parking pay boxes on Bryn Mawr have a three-hour maximum duration and are free on Sundays. $10 valet service is available at Francesca's Bryn Mawr at 1039 W Bryn Mawr diagonally across the street from us on the SW corner of Kenmore and Bryn Mawr and is available whether you are dining at the restaurant or not. There are additional details about parking and dining options at www.citylit.org.

City Lit is supported by the Alphawood Foundation, the MacArthur Funds for Arts and Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Ivanhoe Theater Foundation, the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency and is sponsored, in part, by A.R.T. League.

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