OPENING: THE BALLAD OF LEFTY & CRABBE VIA Underscore Theatre Company at The Understudy Through July 14, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Underscore Theatre Company Presents

THE BALLAD OF LEFTY & CRABBE

Book and Lyrics by Brian Huther, Ben Auxier & Seth Macchi

Music by Ben Auxier and Brian Huther

Additional Music and Arrangements by Ryan McCall

Directed by Rusty Sneary 

Music Direction by Ryan McCall

Choreography by Jenna Schoppe

 June 8 – July 14, 2019 at The Understudy

Underscore Theatre Company is pleased to conclude its 2018-19 season with the musical comedy THE BALLAD OF LEFTY & CRABBE, playing June 8 – July 14, 2019 at Underscore’s newly-remodeled, permanent home, The Understudy, 4609 N. Clark St. in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. Named “Best of the Fest” at the 2018 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, LEFTY & CRABBE features book and lyrics by Brian Huther, Ben Auxier and Seth Macchi, music by Ben Auxier and Brian Huther, additional music and arrangements by Ryan McCall, direction by Rusty Sneary, music direction by Ryan McCall and choreography by Jenna Schoppe. Tickets are currently available at underscoretheatre.org. 

THE BALLAD OF LEFTY & CRABBE will feature Ben Auxier, Stephanie Boyd, Katy Campbell, Elisabeth Del Toro, Brian Huther, Mike Ott, Reagan Pender, Shea Pender, Natalie Rae and Kyle Ryan. Swings: Sophia Foldvari and Nate Hall.

Set at the death of vaudeville and the rise of Hollywood, THE BALLAD OF LEFTY & CRABBE tracks two ultra-talented but down-on-their-luck performers and friends as they navigate the ever-changing landscape of the entertainment world. Lightning-fast and "fall down funny," Lefty & Crabbe was born as part of the Kansas City Fringe Festival in 2015, received its first full production at The Living Room Theatre in 2017 and won “Best of the Fest” for its 2018 production at The Chicago Musical Theatre Festival.  

Comments Underscore Artistic Director Whitney Rhodes, “When I was living in Minneapolis, I worked for historic theaters that started as Vaudeville houses and spent years hearing truly magical stories about that history. The Ballad of Lefty and Crabbe sent me on a nostalgic journey that is pure joy; it is a smart and thoughtful piece of work. It's a nod to where the craft began and we can't wait to share it with audiences.”

The production team includes Nicholas Schwartz (scenic design), Christina Leinicke (costume design), Benjamin Carne (lighting design), Robert Hornbostel (sound design), Andy Lynn (production manager), Lacey Pacheco (stage manager) and Christine Lauer (assistant stage manager).


Cast (in alphabetical order): Ben Auxier (Ensemble), Stephanie Boyd (Ensemble), Katy Campbell (Ensemble), Elisabeth Del Toro (Lolo, Ensemble), Brian Huther (Ensemble), Mike Ott (Ensemble), Reagan Pender (Ensemble), Shea Pender (Crabbe), Natalie Rae (Evelyn, Ensemble) and Kyle Ryan (Lefty).

Swings: Sophia Foldvari and Nate Hall.

Location: The Understudy, 4609 N. Clark St., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Saturday, June 8 at 7:30 pm, Sunday, June 9 at 4 pm and Monday, June 10 at 7:30 pm
Press performance: Tuesday, June 11 at 7:30 pm
Regular run: Friday, June 14 – Sunday, July 14, 2019
Curtain Times: Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 4 pm; Mondays at 7:30 pm.
Tickets: Previews: $15. Regular run: $20 - $25. Tickets are currently available at underscoretheatre.org. 

About the Artists:

Brian Huther (Book, Music and Lyric) is a Chicago-based creator, performer and musician, and erstwhile radio producer and greeting-card writer. His projects with creative partners at Friend Dog Studios have accumulated millions of views on YouTube and Facebook (Drunk Trump, 2016 The Movie: The Trailer) and packed out theatres in Kansas City, Missouri (The Ballad of Lefty and Crabbe, Milking Christmas, Hacks). He has written two one-act plays, and is currently developing a five-act near-future epic because he likes the pain. Performing credits include Theatre Wit, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, KC Actors Theatre, The Living Room, Chicago PD and a cornucopia of storefront projects, sketch/improv shows, music projects and commercials. www.brianhuther.com www.frienddogstudios.com

Ben Auxier (Book, Music and Lyrics) is an actor, writer and comedian originally from Kansas City who moved to Chicago in late 2016. His other co-writing endeavors include the musical comedy Milking Christmas, which premiered in Kansas City in 2017, the dark comedy straight play HACKS, which won a Best of Fringe recognition in 2016, and loads and loads of sketch, including lot of work for the occasionally-viral online comedy channel Friend Dog Studios. His acting credits over the last few years include the original Chicago run of Lefty & Crabbe, Mozart in THEATREWORKS' production of Amadeus in Colorado, and several appearances with KC-based companies The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival and The Living Room Theatre. www.benauxier.com  

Seth Macchi (Book and Lyrics) is an actor, comedian and writer located in Kansas City. Previous acting appearances at New Theatre in Kansas City include Bernard in Boeing Boeing, Chris in Beau Jest, Paul in Over the Moon and Tony in You Can’t Take It With You. Seth was also in Our Town and A Christmas Carol at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, The Mistakes Madeline Made, H4CKS, The Ballad of Lefty & Crabbe and Milking Christmas at The Living Room, Not About Heroes at the MET and Fiddler on the Roof at Spinning Tree. Seth is also a co-creator of Friend Dog Studios, a creative collaboration he shares with Ben Auxier and Brian Huther. Together, they have made dozens of online comedy sketches, a podcast, and three world premiere stage productions, which they mounted at The Living Room. Check out some of the stuff they have created online at www.frienddogstudios.com

Ryan McCall (Additional Music, Arrangements, Music Direction) is a composer/arranger/performer currently serving as the Music Director/Accompanist for the Theater and Dance Department at the University of Kansas. KU credits include: Music Director for La Cage aux Folles, Spring Awakening, Company, Little Women, Into the Woods, Merrily We Roll Along, Anything Goes, The Adding Machine, My Fair Lady, Kiss Me Kate; Composer of And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi, Man Equals Man, Summer and Smoke, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (North American Premiere in it’s original pronunciation). Ryan has worked professionally with Kansas City Ballet, Second City, Improv Olympic, KC Rep, Giordano Dance Company and The Living Room Theater. Recently, Ryan joined forces with Friend Dog Studios as a composer and arranger for two new musicals, The Ballad of Lefty and Crabbe and Milking Christmas. He is also the composer of the family musical Noah’s Art, which he wrote with his longtime friend Nathan Tysen (Tuck Everlasting, Amelie), and the rock musical Stillwater with Tysen and their band, Joe’s Pet Project. Ryan has taught songwriting workshops at the Kansas, Florida and International Thespian Conferences and is one of the Music Directors for the Lovewell Institute for the Creative Arts, a program dedicated to teaching young artists how to write for the musical theater stage. Ryan is originally from Salina, KS.

Rusty Sneary (Director) graduated from Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre performance. In the spring of 2010, he co-founded The Living Room Theatre where he serves as the Artistic Director. Rusty has produced and served as Artistic Director on over 50 productions including over 25 world premieres. He has also served as a lighting designer, sound designer and the director of many productions, has acted in numerous productions at The Living Room, and continues to act on other professional Kansas City stages. Directing credits include the world premieres of The Ballad of Lefty & Crabbe, Trigger Happy and The Grave, as well as Annapurna, Some Girl(s), Talk Radio and Race.

Jenna Schoppe (Choreographer) is a choreographer, actor and dancer. She returns to Underscore after appearing in the Tiny Storefront Concert series. Her previous choreographic endeavors include Yank: A WW2 Love Story (Pride Films and Plays, Jeff Award – Best Choreography), Little Women (Brown Paper Box co.), Shrek (Windy City Performs), Book of Merman (Flying Elephant Productions), Bobbie Clearly (Steep Theatre) and The Producers (NightBlue Performing Arts). 



About Underscore Theatre Company

Founded in 2011, Underscore Theatre Company is a team of producing artists dedicated to exploring stories of power and resonance through a musical lens; fostering the development of new musicals; and bolstering Chicago’s role as a national leader in musical theatre. Since its creation, Underscore has produced or co-produced 65 new mainstage and workshop musicals in Chicago. Underscore is proud to be Chicago's home for new musicals.

PAY WHAT YOU CAN: WE ARE PUSSY RIOT (Or Everything Is P.R.)​ Via Red Tape Theatre

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Red Tape Theatre's final show (and cast) 

in our 15th season 

WE ARE PUSSY RIOT 

(Or Everything Is P.R.)​ 

by Barbara Hammond and directed by Kate Hendrickson.

Through Saturday, July 6th, 2019 at 8PM
Runs: Fridays, Saturdays at 8PM / Sundays at 7PM / Mondays (Industry Night) at 8PM

Admission:  FREE ADMISSION with RSVP thanks to our donors to the FREE THEATRE MOVEMENT

Where:  THE READY, 4546 N Western Ave

RSVP HERE for FREE or Pay What You Can Tickets

Captioned Performances: We will be having open captioned performances for this production, dates to be announced.



WHAT:
Following our sold out and critically acclaimed productions In The Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks and The Shipment by Young Jean Lee, Red Tape Theatre will proudly close out our 15th season with Barbara Hammond’s WE ARE PUSSY RIOT (or) Everything is P.R. directed by Kate Hendrickson. Pussy Riot is an anonymous collective of young Russian activists who protested the illegal 2012 presidential elections by marching into the Church of Christ the Savior in the center of Moscow and offering up a punk prayer to the Mother of God—“Virgin Mary, Chase Putin Away!” Their 48-second performance earned them a two-year prison sentence and jettisoned them to super-star status in the West. The spectacle was fueled by an unparalleled P.R. campaign from all sides that pitted church against state; East against West; and youth against tradition. We Are Pussy Riot (or) Everything is P.R. weaves together trial transcripts, letters, interviews, media coverage, and statements from celebrities and public officials, to re-imagine the story of Pussy Riot as told by a troupe of Yurodivy, 'Holy Fools,' who, in the Russian Orthodox tradition, strive with "imaginary insanity to reveal the insanity of the world.”



MEET THE CREATIVE TEAM:
Kate Hendrickson (DIRECTOR, she/her/hers) is a Chicago based director with a particular focus on premiering new plays by radical American playwrights. Over the years has Kate developed and sustained long-term collaborative relationships with several playwrights. She is a resident director at Trap Door Theatre where she has directed world premieres of FANTASY ISLAND FOR DUMMIES and ANGER/FLY by Red Tape Theatre company member Ruth Margraff and COOKIE PLAY, CHASTE and BEHOLDER (Jeff Award for Best New Work, After Dark Award for Best Original Music), by Ken Prestininzi. CHASTE received “Best of the Year″ nods in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Stage Review, and the Huffington Post. ANGER/FLY was recognized in the Chicago Reader’s “Best Of Year” edition as part of a Trap Door season presenting the “best string of theatrical stunners.”  Kate also directed Midwest premieres of Prestininzi’s AMERIKAFKA, Howard Zinn’s EMMA (After Dark Award for Best Ensemble), and 12 OPHELIAS by Caridad Svich. Additional work has included staged readings of MIGRAANTS by Matei Visniec at the International Voices Project and Caridad Svich’s, SPARK; creating and curating STAND UP! FIGHT BACK at Trap Door; the Midwest premiere of Ruth Margraff’s THREE GRACES at Pivot Arts’ Multi-Arts Festival; and Links Hall’s Physical Fest Chicago. Kate is also the founder and director of Summerdale Workshop Youth Theatre. Located in Andersonville, Summerdale Workshop provides children with high-quality acting instruction in a playful yet focused setting.

Barbara Hammond (PLAYWRIGHT, she/her/hers) is a New Dramatists resident playwright. She has been commissioned by the Royal Court Theatre, named one of the “Influential Women” by the Irish Voice, served as lyricist for the 25th anniversary concern of the AIDS Quilt Songbook at National Sawdust, completed residency at Duke University, has a continuing role as Yale Playwrights Festival mentor since 2010, among many other accolades. She was commissioned for the Contemporary American Theatre Festival for her play WE ARE PUSSY RIOT (Or Everything is P.R.). She is a member of the ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild. Her work has been funded by the National Endowment of the Arts, The Venturous Theatre Fund, the Laurents/Hatcher Foundation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

THE CAST
Dionne Addai, Casey Chapman*, Zoë DePreta*, Jalyn Green, Nora King*, Emilie Modaff, Emily Nichelson*, Alec Phan, Joseph Ramski*, William Rose, Stephanie Shum*, Ann Sonneville*

*indicates Red Tape Theatre Company Member

Dionne Addai (she/her/hers) is an actor and teaching artist, local to Chicago. She is looking forward to making her Red Tape debut! Recently she was seen in Breath, Boom (Eclipse Theater), What of the Night (Cor and Stage Left Theater), Aesops Fables (Raven Theater) and as an understudy with performances at Northlight Theatre, Writer's Theatre, and ETA Creative Arts.  She is a company member/performer with FYI, part of the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health.  For more info on her teaching artist work with youth check out icah.org/fyi. She is represented by Actor’s Talent Group. 


Casey Chapman* (he/him/his) is a proud company member of Red Tape Theatre where he also serves as Marketing Director. He was last seen onstage in In the Blood (Doctor/Trouble) and Round Heads and Pointed Heads (Missena) at Red Tape. He is also a company member with Trap Door Theatre where he was last seen in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Jeff Nomination – best ensemble). Casey is also an award-winning film actor as well, appearing in the feature films Mother’s Milk (Best Actor – New York City Independent Film Festival, Best Actor – International Film Awards Berlin), Canvas, Hell Town, City of Lust, and the upcoming Asymptotes, MyTube, and Not My Brother.


Zoë DePreta* (she/her/hers) is an actor, comedian, and musician from Stamford, CT. She is excited to be performing with Red Tape Theatre, where she is the Associate Marketing & Social Media Manager and a company member. Recent credits include work with Prop Thtr (2 unfortunate 2 travel), Underscore Theatre Company (Family Issues, Tiny Storefront Concert), Lifeline Theatre (Anna Karenina, u/s), and Rhinofest (May Day, 2018). Zoë holds a BA in Theatre and Creative Writing from Oberlin College. Up next: Much Ado About Nothing (Oak Park Festival Theatre).


Jalyn Greene (they/them/she/her) is so happy to be making their Red Tape debut with Pussy Riot! Recent credits include How to Pick a Lock as Zhara (Rhinofest), The Dark at the Top of the Stairs as Cora Flood (U/S) (Eclipse Theatre), The Adventures of Astroman as Dr. Robotica (Runaways Lab), Crumbs from the Table of Joy as Ermina Crump (U/S) (Raven Theatre) and Breathe, Boom as Angel (Eclipse Theatre). Jalyn is also an arts educator for several Chicago theatres including Lifeline Theatre and Emerald City Theatre, as well as CPS schools. Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, they received their BFA from Michigan State University.

Nora King* (she/her/hers) is an actor/improviser living in Chicago. You can see her performing all around town.   Her recent theater credits include; Round Heads and Pointed Heads (Red Tape Theatre Co), Thirteen’s Spring and Metamorphosis (Moving Art Collective-Hollywood Fringe Festival), Cem (UCLA Artist Residency/REDCAT), Cloud 9 (Moving Art Collective, festivals in the Czech Republic and Belgium).  She has studied with the Second City Conservatory and iO Chicago. If you spend time watching cartoons, you may have heard her voice telling you to buy cute dolls, each sold separately. Nora received her BFA in Acting from California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).She is stoked to be performing alongside this talented cast! Check out more info at noraking.net.


Emilie Modaff (they/them/theirs) is a Chicago-based multidisciplinary artist. They are grateful to be back at Red Tape Theatre after playing Amiga Gringa in Red Tape's most recent production, In The Blood. Other favorite projects include: In The Canyon (Jackalope Theatre), Les Innocents ((re)discover theatre), Little Flower of East Orange (Eclipse Theatre), Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical (Emerald City Theatre), and Bobby Pin Girls (Nothing Without A Company). They are represented by Shirley Hamilton. You can learn more about their work at www.emiliemodaff.com. Thank you Mom, Dad, Andy, Peter & Selena.


Emily Nichelson* (she/her/hers) is a proud company member at Red Tape Theatre where she also serves as the Director of Development. Past RT shows include Round Heads and Pointed Heads and I Saw Myself. Other Chicago credits include Macbeth (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), Tango, Old Woman Broods, Occidental Express, No Matter How Hard We Try, The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls (Trap Door Theatre), as well as work with Griffin Theatre, Strawdog Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Writer's Theatre, and more.


Alec Phan (he/him/they/them) is honored and delighted to be working with Red Tape for the first time. He hails from Wisconsin, where he was previously a founding member of Fermat's Last Theatre Co. Most recently, you may have seen him play an undead catholic priest or a moody punk rocker here in the Windy City. Love and thanks to Catherine Miller for building doors in all the walls.


Joseph Ramski* (he/him/his) is a native Chicago actor, writer, and visual artist with a BFA in Theatre and English from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. He is an Ensemble Member and the Associate Marketing Manager & Webmaster for Red Tape, and has worked with a number of theatres as an actor and designer, including Oracle Productions, Hobo Junction, The Arc Theatre, The Ruckus, MOZAWA, Organic Theatre Company, Reutan Collective, (re)discover theatre, The Runaways, Mudlark Theatre, The Prop Thtr, Chicago Slam Works, and the Right Brain Project, where he served as Managing Director and Graphic Designer from 2013 to 2017. Joe has also performed his poetry and other written work across the city, and had his first full-length play The Dancing Plague produced in the fall of 2016. Joe can be seen next in Prop Thtr’s 2 unfortunate 2 travel.


William Rose (he/him/his) is making his Red Tape Theatre debut. Previous credits include Gabriel Syme (u/s) in the Lifeline Theater’s The Man Who Was Thursday, Cal in Citadel Theater’s The Little Foxes, and Charlie Barker in Station Theater’s the Foreigner, as well as the solo show Every Brilliant Thing.


Stephanie Shum* (she/her/hers) is excited to be back at Red Tape where she is a company member and previously appeared in Mother of Smoke. Other credits include The Crucible (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Men on Boats (American Theater Company); A Story Told in Seven Fights (The Neo-Futurists); Plainclothes (Broken Nose); All Childish Things (First Folio); Harbur Gate (16th Street Theater); Second Skin (Wildclaw); The Adventures of Spirit Force Five (Factory Theater); Merge, Kin Folk, reWILDing Genius, and Kate and Sam Are Not Breaking Up (The New Colony); among others.  She is Co-Artistic Director of The New Colony, a graduate of the School at Steppenwolf and is represented by Shirley Hamilton Talent. She can be seen this spring in Small World at The New Colony. http://www.stephanieshum.com

Ann Sonneville* (she/her/hers) is excited to be back onstage at Red Tape, where she was last seen as Mme. Cornamontis in Round Heads and Pointed Heads. Most recently, she appeared as the title role in Lifeline's production of Frankenstein and as Bridget Cleary in Exit 63's Dark Matters. She is an ensemble member with Trap Door Theatre, where she has appeared in numerous productions, including Monsieur D'eon Is A Woman and Phèdre. Other credits include Dracula at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Venus at The Steppenwolf Garage, Thaddeus & Slocum (u/s) at Lookingglass, Kin with Griffin Theatre (Jeff Nomination - Supporting Actress) and work with Strange Tree, Oracle Productions, the side project, The Chicago Mammals and Bruised Orange. Film/TV credits include Miriam Is Going To Mars (BMA Award - Best Actress), Dig Two Graves (BMA Nomination - Best Actress), Chicago PD, Hunting God, and numerous shorts. She is a professional voiceover artist and instructor at the Vagabond School.

CASTING DIRECTOR: CATHERINE MILLER

In 2018, Red Tape Theatre adopted the FREE THEATRE MOVEMENT along with our sister company, Theatre Y. Red Tape believes that access to the arts is essential for our community's ability to engage in a free exchange of ideas. As an art form, the immediacy of theatre provides a powerful platform for this exchange. We strive to remove the barriers that exist between our community and an increasingly commodified culture. Starting in January of 2018, we have offered all of our quality theatrical productions to the public free of charge. We are thrilled to continue this tradition with WE ARE PUSSY RIOT.

SHOWS ON OUR RADAR: Chicago Premiere of If I Forget at Victory Gardens Theater July 7, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Victory Gardens Theater Presents the

Chicago Premiere of

If I Forget

By Steven Levenson

Directed by Devon de Mayo

Through July 7, 2019

Victory Gardens Theater continues its 44th season with the Chicago Premiere of If I Forget, written by Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen) and directed by Devon de Mayo. If I Forget runs June 7 – July 7, 2019, with press performance on Friday, June 14, 2019 at 7:30pm at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.

In the final months before 9/11, liberal Jewish studies professor Michael Fischer has reunited with his two sisters to celebrate their father’s 75th birthday. Each deeply invested in their own version of family history, the siblings clash over everything from Michael’s controversial scholarly work to the mounting pressures of caring for an ailing parent. As destructive secrets and long-held resentments bubble to the surface, the three negotiate—with biting humor and razor-sharp insight—how much of the past they’re willing to sacrifice for a chance at a new beginning. If I Forget tells a powerful tale of a family and a culture at odds with itself.

If I Forget “speaks to both the head and the heart.” – The New York Times, Critic’s Pick

"We are proud to give a Chicago home to Steven Levenson's poignant play, If I Forget. This explosive family drama deftly explores the power and complexity of history, legacy, gentrification and identity," says Chay Yew. "The play centers on a Jewish American family as they are forced to grapple with an ever-changing world, and how their histories inform the present, and how they embrace their past as they move towards the future. I'm thrilled to share this powerful and timely work with our Chicago audiences."

The cast of If I Forget includes Alec Boyd (Joey Oren), Daniel Cantor (Michael Fischer), David Darlow (Lou Fischer), Keith Kupferer (Howard Kilberg), Elizabeth Ledo (Sharon Fischer), Gail Shapiro (Holly Fischer), and Heather Townsend (Ellen Manning). 

The creative team includes Andrew Boyce (scenic design), Izumi Inaba (costume design), Heather Sparling (lighting design), Kevin O'Donnell (sound design), and Rachel Watson (props design).

About the Artists

Steven Levenson (Playwright) is the Tony Award-winning book writer of Dear Evan Hansen. His plays include If I Forget, The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin, Days of Rage, and The Language of Trees. Honors include the Obie Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama League Award, and the Helen Hayes Award. He worked for three seasons as a writer and producer on Showtime’s Masters of Sex and is a founding member of Colt Coeur and an alumnus of MCC’s Playwrights Coalition and Ars Nova’s Play Group. His work has been published by Dramatists Play Service and Playscripts. A graduate of Brown University, he is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Inc. and the WGA. Upcoming projects include the limited series Fosse/Verdon (FX) and the film adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s tick, tick…boom!

Devon de Mayo (Director) has directed twice at Victory Gardens as part of their Ignition Festival of New Plays. Most recently she directed the world premiere of The Scientific Method by Jenny Connell Davis at Rivendell Theatre and First Love is the Revolution at Steep Theatre. Other Directing credits include: Women Laughing Alone With Salad (Theatre Wit); The Burn (Steppenwolf Theatre), Harvey (Court Theatre), Sycamore (Raven Theatre), You on the Moors Now (The Hypocrites), Animals Out of Paper (Shattered Globe Theatre), You Can’t Take it With You, and Lost in Yonkers (Northlight Theatre), Jet Black Chevrolet (side project); Compulsion and Everything is Illuminated (Next); Roadkill Confidential, The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler, and Clouds (Dog & Pony). Directing and devising credits: Don’t Look Back/Must Look Back (Pivot Arts); Guerra: A Clown Play (La Piara, Mexico); The Whole World is Watching, As Told by the Vivian Girls and The Twins Would Like to Say (Dog & Pony). She received her MFA from Middlesex University in London and did further studies at the Russian Academy of Dramatic Arts in Moscow and the Indonesian Institute for the Arts in Bali, Indonesia.

Alec Boyd (Joey Oren) Victory Gardens debut. Chicago: The Cryptogram (Profiles Theatre), Damn Yankees (Music Theater Works). Film & TV: “Another Yesterday”, "Chicago Med".  Education/training: Interlochen Arts Camp.

Daniel Cantor (Michael Fischer) Victory Gardens: Relatively Close, Jacob and Jack. Chicago: Rabbit Hole, Fishmen, Chicago Boys (Goodman), Water by the Spoonful (Court,) Comedy of Errors (Chicago Shakespeare), Boeing Boeing, Deathtrap (Drury Lane), Paulus (Silk Road Rising), Return to Haifa (Next). Off-Broadway: Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight (Promenade) Tuesdays With Morrie (Minetta Lane), Strictly Personal (Soho Playhouse). National Production: Picasso at the Lapin Agile (San Francisco). Regional: A.C.T., Milwaukee Rep., Cincinnati Playhouse, Cleveland Playhouse, Studio Theater, Barrington Stage, Hartford TheatreWorks, Arkansas Rep., Contemporary American Theater Festival, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Notre Dame Shakespeare, Worcester Foothills Theater, Mill Mountain Theater, National Shakespeare. Film: The Auteur Theory, Alternative Universe: A Rescue Mission, Alchemy, Justice, House of Satisfaction. TV: "Empire," "Chicago Fire," "Chicago PD," "Law and Order," "Law and Order: CI," "Law and Order: SVU," "Conviction," "Sopranos" (Webisode), "As the World Turns," "Asphalt Man" (Korea). Education: Wesleyan, A.C.T.Teaching: Head of BFA Performance, University of Michigan.

David Darlow (Lou Fischer) Indecent, Among Friends (Victory Gardens). Chicago: Le Puff, Pygmalion, Heroes, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Best Man, Major Barbara (After Dark Award), The Father, A Delicate Balance, Power and Hapgood (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company); Endgame (American Theater Company, Jeff Award); Tug of War, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, Timon of Athens and Othello (Chicago Shakespeare Theater). Regional: Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., South Coast Repertory, Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Barter Theatre and Syracuse Stage. Film & TV: “The Fugitive”, “Road to Perdition”, “Hoodlum”, “Let’s Go to Prison”, and “High Fidelity”; “Empire”, “Chicago Fire”.

Keith Kupferer (Howard Kilberg) Victory Gardens: Hillary and Clinton, Never the Sinner, and Appropriate. Sweat, Support Group for Men, God of Carnage, Passion Play (Goodman Theater); The Mystery of Love and Sex, Death of a Streetcar Named Virginia Wolf (Writers Theatre); The Qualms, Good People, Middletown, Carter's Way, Things Being What They Are (Steppenwolf Theatre);The Humans (American Theatre Company); Gypsy (Chicago Shakespeare Theater);  The Legend of Georgia McBride (Northlight Theatre); Big Lake, Big City, Trust (Lookingglass Theatre). Dada Woof, Papa Hot (About Face). The Cake, Cal in Camo (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble). Film credits: “Widows”; “Monuments;” ”The Dilemma;” “Dark Knight;” “Public Enemies;” “The Express;” “Stranger Than Fiction;” “Road to Perdition;” “Finding Santa;” “Fred Klaus;” “The Last Rights of Joe May;” and “The Merry Gentleman.” TV credits: “The Chi”; “Proven Innocent”; “Better Call Saul”; “Empire”; “Chicago P.D.”; “Betrayal”; “Crisis”; “Chicago Fire”; and “Detroit 187”.

Elizabeth Ledo (Sharon Fischer) Victory Gardens Debut. Chicago: Mamma Mia, Barefoot in the Park, (Drury Lane Oakbrook) Tug of War: Civil Strife, A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, Amadeus (Chicago Shakespeare) One Man Two Guvnors, Secret Garden, Tartuffe, The Illusion, The Comedy of Errors, Titus Andronicus, Uncle Vanya (Court Theatre) The Matchmaker, Boleros for the Disenchanted, A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre) Homebody/Kabul, Morningstar (Steppenwolf Theatre) Charm, The Chalk Garden (Northlight Theatre) Bright Half Life, Le Switch, The Homosexuals (About Face Theatre) Isaac's Eye, Arms and the Man (Writers Theatre) The How and the Why (Timeline Theatre) The Old Curiosity Shop (Lookingglass Theatre). Regional: Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Renaissance Theaterworks, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Shakespeare at Notre Dame. Film & TV: "Boss", "Doubt", "Chicago Fire". "The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas". Elizabeth is a 2016 Lunt-Fontanne Fellow.

Gail Shapiro (Holly Fischer) Victory Gardens Debut. Diary of Anne Frank (Steppenwolf Theatre), The Book of Joseph (Chicago Shakespeare Theater). National: Los Angeles; Country Wife, Romeo and Juliet, The Seagull, Cymbeline, Major Barbara, The Importance of Being Earnest (A Noise Within). The Game of Love and Chance (San Jose Rep), Sidney Bechet Killed A Man (South Coast Rep). TV: “Chicago Med” recurring (ABC). Natalie Schaffer Award, numerous Ovation and Backstage West awards. MFA Yale School of Drama. Gail teaches acting at Northwestern University and is a private coach for actors and non-actors.

Heather Townsend (Ellen Manning) Victory Gardens Theater debut. Chicago:  Orpheus Descending (Shattered Globe), Roadkill Confidential (Dog & Pony), Macbeth (City Lit), On Golden Pond (Buffalo Theatre Ensemble), A Christmas Story (Theatre Wit); Icarus, Hello Again (BoHo), Company (Venus Cabaret Theatre), Hairspray (Paramount), Nine, Sunday in the Park with George, 1776, Gifts of the Magi (Porchlight), A Grand Night for Singing (Mercury), Boojum (Chicago Opera Vanguard).  Film & TV:  “Empire”.  

Full Performance Schedule:
Previews for If I Forget are June 7-13, 2019. Previews are $20-$45. The Press opening is Friday, June 14, 2019 at 7:30pm. Regular performances run June 15 – July 7, 2019: Tuesday – Friday at 7:30pm; Saturday at 3pm and 7:30pm; Sunday at 3pm. Regular performances are $27-$60. 

Accessible Performance Schedule:

ASL Interpreted Performance: Friday, June 21 at 7:30pm

Word for Word (open captioning): Friday, June 21 at 7:30pm, Saturday, June 22 at 3:00pm and Wednesday, June 26 at 2:00pm

Audio Description/Touch Tour: Friday, June 21 at 7:30pm (Touch tour at 6:00pm), Sunday, June 30 at 3:00pm (Touch tour at 1:30pm)

Performances are at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, in the heart of Chicago’s Lincoln Park Neighborhood. For tickets and information, call the Victory Gardens Box Office, 773.871.3000, email tickets@victorygardens.org, or visit www.victorygardens.org. Ask the Box Office about discounts for students, seniors, and those with access needs. Groups of 10 or more, call 773.634.9862 for discounted rates. 


Cast: Alec Boyd (Joey Oren), Daniel Cantor (Michael Fischer), David Darlow (Lou Fischer), Keith Kupferer (Howard Kilberg), Elizabeth Ledo (Sharon Fischer), Gail Shapiro (Holly Fischer), and Heather Townsend (Ellen Manning)

Creative Team: Andrew Boyce (scenic design), Izumi Inaba (costume design), Heather Sparling (lighting design), Kevin O'Donnell (sound design), and Rachel Watson (props design).

Previews: June 7 - 13, 2019
Press Performance: Friday, June 14, 2019
Regular run: June 15 – July 7, 2019

Schedule:      Tuesdays - Fridays: 7:30pm 
Saturdays: 3:00pm; 7:30pm
Sundays: 3:00pm

Accessible
Performances: Word for Word (open captioning): Friday, June 21 at 7:30pm, Saturday, June 22 at 3:00pm and Wednesday, June 26 at 2:00pm

ASL Interpreted: Friday, June 21 at 7:30pm

Audio Description/Touch Tour: Friday, June 21 at 7:30pm (Touch tour at 6:00pm), Sunday, June 30 at 3:00pm (Touch tour at 1:30pm)

Location: Victory Gardens Theater is located at 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, 
in the heart of Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood

Tickets: Previews: $20 - $45
Regular run: $27 - $60

Box Office: The Box Office is located at 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago.
773.871.3000; www.victorygardens.org.

2018/19 Season Sponsors: REAM Foundation, The Harvey L. Miller Supporting Foundation, Bill and Orli Staley Foundation, Helen Zell

Season Sponsor Partners: Conant Family Foundation; George A. Joseph; Marcelle McVay and Dennis Zacek; Jeffrey Rappin and Penny Brown; Jane M Saks, Nathan Cummings Foundation 

Major Production Sponsor: The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust

Production Sponsors: 
The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; Lois Morrison and Justin Daab



Playwright’s Society 
Sponsors: 
Bruce and Jacki Barron; Paul Lisnek; Linda Garrison, 
Brienne Letourneau and Richard Bailey, Tony and Anne Ruzicka; 
Anuradha Behari and Anjan Asthana, Chanel W. Coney, 
E. Patrick Johnson and Stephen J. Lewis

Student Matinee and 
Youth Engagement 
Sponsors:
Exelon, AllState, Capital Group Private Client Services

Travel Sponsor: Southwest Airlines


In-Kind Sponsor: Whole Foods Market

Major Season Support: Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Joyce Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Shubert Foundation, Venturous Theater Fund of the Tides Foundation, Wallace Foundation.



About Victory Gardens Theater
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Chay Yew and Managing Director Erica Daniels, Victory Gardens is dedicated to artistic excellence while creating a vital, contemporary American Theater that is accessible and relevant to all people through productions of challenging new plays and musicals.  Victory Gardens Theater is committed to the development, production and support of new plays that has been the mission of the theater since its founding, set forth by Dennis Začek, Marcelle McVay, and the original founders of Victory Gardens Theater.

Victory Gardens Theater is a leader in developing and producing new theater work and cultivating an inclusive Chicago theater community. Victory Gardens’ core strengths are nurturing and producing dynamic and inspiring new plays, reflecting the diversity of our city’s and nation’s culture through engaging diverse communities, and in partnership with Chicago Public Schools, bringing art and culture to our city’s active student population.  

Since its founding in 1974, the company has produced more world premieres than any other Chicago theater, a commitment recognized nationally when Victory Gardens received the 2001 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, Victory Gardens Biograph Theater includes the Začek-McVay Theater, a state-of-the-art 259-seat mainstage and the 109-seat studio theater on the second floor, named the Richard Christiansen Theater.

Victory Gardens Ensemble Playwrights include Luis Alfaro, Philip Dawkins, Marcus Gardley, Ike Holter, Samuel D. Hunter, Naomi Iizuka, Tanya Saracho and Laura Schellhardt. Each playwright has a seven-year residency at Victory Gardens Theater. 

Victory Gardens Theater receives major funding from Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Joyce Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The REAM Foundation, Shubert Foundation, Venturous Theater Fund of the Tides Foundation, Wallace Foundation. Additional major funding comes from Crown Family Philanthropies, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Polk Bros. Foundation.

Major funders also include: Allstate, Alphawood Foundation, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Edgerton Foundation, Exelon, Field Foundation of Illinois, The Harvey L. Miller Supporting Foundation, David Rockefeller Fund, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Time Warner Foundation, Inc.

Additional funding this season Robert and Isabelle Bass Foundation Inc., Charles H. and Bertha L. Boothroyd Foundation, Capital Group Private Client Services, Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, ComEd, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Golden Country Oriental Foods, Goldman Sachs, John R. Halligan Foundation, Illinois Humanities Council (with support from the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety + Justice Challenge), ITW, Mayer Brown LLP, The McVay Foundation, Metropolitan Capital Bank and Trust, National Endowment for the Arts, Negaunee Foundation, Roberta Olshansky Charitable Fund, Origin Ventures, Pauls Foundation, PNC Financial Services Group, Prince Charitable Trusts, Charles and M.R. Shapiro Foundation, Wrightwood Neighbors Foundation. 

In-kind support is provided by: Italian Village Restaurants, Southwest Airlines, Roy’s Furniture, Suite Home Chicago, Taco Joint, and Whole Foods Market. 

Capital improvement support from the Performing Arts Venue Fund at the League of Chicago Theaters, with funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; and Capacity Building support by Compass-Chicago.

Victory Gardens Theater 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.

For more information about Victory Gardens, visit www.victorygardens.org.  Follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/victorygardens, Twitter @VictoryGardens and Instagram @victorygardenstheater. 

REVIEW: Griffin Theatre Company's FOR SERVICES RENDERED May 19 – July 6, 2019 at The Den Theatre

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

Griffin Theatre Company Presents

FOR SERVICES RENDERED

By W. Somerset Maugham

Directed by Robin Witt

May 19 – July 6, 2019 at The Den Theatre

(left to right) Lynda Shadrake, Israel Antonio, Ella Pennington, Krystal Ortiz, Tim Newell 

and Cindy Marker 

All Photos by Michael Brosilow.

Review

by bonnie kenaz-mara

FOR SERVICES RENDERED is a great period piece with gorgeous costumes, a lovely set, compelling characters, and a biting message. Griffin Theatre's  excellent production not only crosses the pond, but spans nearly a century to remain eerily relevant. As long as homeless veterans line our highway on ramps, and an average of 22 US servicemen commit suicide daily, this production should awaken equal parts compassion and rage, and a burning passion to change the way we treat our returning soldiers. 

 

(left to right) Marika Mashburn and Robert Quintanilla 

Photo by Michael Brosilow.

We still live in an era where earmarking funds for caring for injured soldiers' physical and mental health is considered too expensive, and yet the military industrial complex gobbles up billions annually in an ever expanding budget. 

(left to right) Marika Mashburn, Ella Pennington and Krystal Ortiz 

Photo by Michael Brosilow.

FOR SERVICES RENDERED offers an array of interesting, nuanced, female roles with depth and insight unusual for the 1930's. They provide a glimpse into the lives and inner lives of those who bear the brunt of the caregiving when soldiers return injured and/or traumatized. These women have desires, dreams and schemes apart from the men in their lives, and it's refreshing to see them making unpredictable choices. 

Sure, some of the opportunities for women have improved since this play's 1932 inception, and the unmarried aren't automatically relegated to old maid purgatory. Yet a shocking amount of the abhorrent behavior of older, married men toward teenage girls is still occurring in our current #MeToo climate. And women are still too often held hostage to the economic and philandering whims of their partners. 

(left to right) Krystal Ortiz and Matt Fletcher

Photo by Michael Brosilow.

(left to right) Krystal Ortiz and Matt Rockwood

Photo by Michael Brosilow.

Kristal Ortiz as desirable daughter, Lois Ardsley, Israel Antonio as injured veteran, Sydney Ardsley, and Lynda Shadrake as matriarch, Charlotte Ardsley, are particular standouts among a superb cast. I caught the opening Memorial Day weekend, and this is an excellent and timely choice as Chicago's veterans in need become more visible in the spring and summer months. Highly recommended.

(left to right) Israel Antonio and Lynda Shadrake 

Photo by Michael Brosilow. 

Bonnie Kenaz-Mara is a Chicago based writer-theater critic-photographer-videographer-actress-artist-general creatrix and Mama to two terrific teens. She owns two websites where she has published frequently since 2008: ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) & ChiILMama.com (family friendly). 

(left to right) Ella Pennington and Krystal Ortiz

Photo by Michael Brosilow.

FOR SERVICES RENDERED

Griffin Theatre Company is pleased to continue its 31st season with W. Somerset Maugham’s classic war drama FOR SERVICES RENDERED, directed by ensemble member Robin Witt*, playing May 19 – July 6, 2019 at The Den Theatre (Upstairs Main Stage), 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. Tickets are currently available at www.griffintheatre.com or by calling (773) 697-3830. The press opening is Sunday, May 26 at 7 pm.

FOR SERVICES RENDERED features Israel Antonio, Eddie Dzialo, Matt Fletcher, Jennifer Huddleston, Cindy Marker, Marika Mashburn, Tim Newell, Krystal Ortiz, Ella Pennington, Robert Quintanilla, Matt Rockwood and Lynda Shadrake*.

Years ahead of its time, W. Somerset Maugham’s 1932 landmark play shows the impact of war on civilian life and suggests that the ideals of honor, patriotism and glory mean nothing if we show no care for the victims of conflict. A blistering portrait of the devastating aftermath of war and its effect on its survivors. FOR SERVICES RENDERED continues the Griffin’s exploration and mission to unearth rarely produced classic plays from the past (Men Should Weep, London Wall and Time and the Conways) with relevance to today and introduce them to Chicago audiences for the first time.

The production team for FOR SERVICES RENDERED includes Sotirios Livaditis (scenic design), Aly Renee Amidei (costume design), Brandon Wardell** (lighting design), Thomas Dixon (sound design), Rachel Watson (props design), Adam Goldstein (dialect coach), Lucy Carapetyan (casting director), Spencer Ryan Diedrick (assistant director), Emily Kefferstan (production manager), Derik Marcussen (technical director), Hannah Beehler (stage manager) and Rachelle ‘Rocky’ Kolecke (assistant stage manager).

*Denotes Griffin Theatre ensemble members   **Denote Griffin Theatre artistic associates

Cast (in alphabetical order): Israel Antonio (Sydney Ardsley), Eddie Dzialo (Leonard Ardsley), Matt Fletcher (Howard Bartlett), Jennifer Huddleston (Gertrude), Cindy Marker (Gwen Cedar), Marika Mashburn (Eva Ardsley), Tim Newell (Dr. Prentice), Krystal Ortiz (Lois Ardsley), Ella Pennington (Ethel Bartlett), Robert Quintanilla (Collie Stratton), Matt Rockwood (Wilfred Cedar) and Lynda Shadrake* (Charlotte Ardsley).

Understudies: Aida Delaz, Harrison Hapin, Darren Hill and Tom Jansson.

Location: The Den Theatre (Upstairs Main Stage), 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago

Dates: 
Regular run: Thursday, July 30 – Saturday, July 6, 2019

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be a performance on Thursday, July 4.

Tickets: Previews $28. Regular run $37. Students, seniors & veterans $32 ($23 previews). Group discount are available for groups of ten or more. Tickets are currently available at www.griffintheatre.com or by calling (773) 697-3830.

About the Artists
W. Somerset Maugham (Playwright) was an English novelist, playwright, and short-story writer whose work is characterized by a clear unadorned style, cosmopolitan settings, and a shrewd understanding of human nature. Maugham was orphaned at the age of 10; he was brought up by an uncle and educated at King’s School, Canterbury. After a year at Heidelberg, he entered St. Thomas’ medical school, London, and qualified as a doctor in 1897. He drew upon his experiences as an obstetrician in his first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897), and its success, though small, encouraged him to abandon medicine. In 1908 he achieved a theatrical triumph – four plays running in London at once – that brought him financial security. His reputation as a novelist rests primarily on four books: Of Human Bondage (1915), a semi-autobiographical account of a young medical student’s painful progress toward maturity; The Moon and Sixpence (1919), an account of an unconventional artist, suggested by the life of Paul Gauguin; Cakes and Ale (1930), the story of a famous novelist, which is thought to contain caricatures of Thomas Hardy and Hugh Walpole; and The Razor’s Edge (1944), the story of a young American war veteran’s quest for a satisfying way of life. Maugham’s skill in handling plot, in the manner of Guy de Maupassant, is distinguished by economy and suspense. In The Summing Up (1938) and A Writer’s Notebook (1949) Maugham explains his philosophy of life as a resigned atheism and a certain skepticism about the extent of man’s innate goodness and intelligence; it is this that gives his work its astringent cynicism.

Robin Witt (Director) For Services Rendered is the fifth play Robin has directed for Griffin where she is an ensemble member. Other Griffin productions: London Wall, Men Should Weep, Flare Path, and Stage Door. She is also an ensemble member at Steep Theatre where her productions include Linda by Penelope Skinner, Lela & Co. by Cordelia Lynn, and Wastwater by Simon Stephens. Robin recently directed A Doll’s House Part 2 for Steppenwolf and A Number at Writers Theatre. She is an Associate Professor at UNC Charlotte and she holds a BFA from NYU and a MFA from Northwestern. Next up: Alistair McDowall’s Pomona at Steep Theatre (July/Aug. 2019).

The Griffin Theatre Company's 2018/2019 Premiere Season Sponsors are Michael and Mona Heath.

The Griffin Theatre Company is a Blue Star Theater and is proud to support our military enlisted and veterans. 

About Griffin Theatre Company
Established in 1988. the mission of the Griffin Theatre Company is to create extraordinary and meaningful theatrical experiences for both children and adults by building bridges of understanding between generations that instill in its audience an appreciation of the performing arts. Through artistic collaboration the Griffin Theatre Company produces literary adaptations, original work and classic plays that challenge and inspire, with wit, style and compassion for the audience.

The Griffin Theatre Company is the recipient of 115 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations for theater excellence in Chicago. The Griffin was honored with four 2018 Jeff awards for Ragtime including Best Ensemble, Best Musical, Best Director-Musical and Best Performer in a Supporting Role-Musical. Additionally, the company was the repeat winner of the 2016 Jeff Award for Best Production of a Play for London Wall having won the same award in 2015 for its production of Men Should Weep.

The Griffin Theatre Company is partially supported by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

For additional information, visit www.griffintheatre.com.

(left to right) Eddie Dzialo, Israel Antonio, Krystal Ortiz, Marika Mashburn, Ella Pennington and Matt Fletcher in Griffin Theatre Company’s production of FOR SERVICES RENDERED. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

CASTING ANNOUNCED: U.S. Premiere of SONS AND LOVERS August 29 – September 29, 2019 at Greenhouse Theater Center

Greenhouse Theater Center & On The Spot Theatre

Announce Casting for the U.S. Premiere of

SONS AND LOVERS

Based on the novel by D.H. Lawrence

Adapted and Directed by Mike Brayndick

August 29 – September 29, 2019 at Greenhouse Theater Center

The Greenhouse Theater Center and On The Spot Theatre are pleased to announce casting for the U.S. premiere of the full-length drama SONS AND LOVERS, based on the novel by D.H. Lawrence and adapted and directed by On The Spot Artistic Director Mike Brayndick.

SONS AND LOVERS will play August 29 – September 29, 2019 in The Greenhouse Theater Center’s (Upstairs Studio), 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at greenhousetheater.org, in person at the box office or by calling (773) 404-7336. The press opening is Saturday, August 31 at 7:30 pm.

The cast includes Pete Blatchford, Brian Boller, Miles Borchard, Emma Brayndick, Baird Brutscher, Erika Caldwell, Heidi Drennan, Stephen Dunn, Amy Gray, Corrie Riedl, Andrew Rowson and Tina Shelley.

(top, l to r) Pete Blatchford, Brian Boller, Miles Borchard, Emma Brayndick, Baird Brutscher and Erika Caldwell with (bottom, l to r) Heidi Drennan, Stephen Dunn, Amy Gray, Corrie Riedl, Andrew Rowson and Tina Shelley.

Set in England during the first decade of the twentieth century, SONS AND LOVERS dramatizes the early years of the spirited and lyrically inspired writer D.H. Lawrence as he charted his course from a Midlands coal mining town into the larger world. The story portrays his parents’ turbulent, mismatched marriage, his own first affairs of the heart, and his mother’s jealousy about the women he brought into his life. In the process, Lawrence developed his views on the mystical role of sexuality in shaping the soul and the power of determined creativity to overcome dark circumstances.   

Comments Director Mike Brayndick, “D.H. Lawrence was rhapsodic about the glories of our physical and spiritual being. He also provided an unstinting vision of human flaws. Written in 1913, Sons and Lovers has a very modern resonance dynamically revealing the tension between the desire for love and the need for a fulfilled individuality. This play tells the story from the perspective of his older self who relives the past he must constantly rediscover, ruefully struggling to grow and be free in the present of a time-haunted life.”

The production team includes Emma Brayndick and Pat Henderson (scenic design), Casey Brayndick and Andy Long (sound design), Andy Long (stage manager) and Andrew Rowson (production assistant).


Location: The Greenhouse Theater Center (Upstairs Studio), 2257 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, August 29 at 7:30 pm and Friday, August 30 at 7:30 pm
Press Performance: Saturday, August 31 at 7:30 pm
Regular run: Sunday, September 1 – Sunday, September 29, 2019
Curtain times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 2:30 pm.

Tickets: Previews: $20 Regular run: $20 - $29. Discounts: $25 students/seniors/groups. On The Spot donates a limited number of tickets for each performance to Vet Tix, which provides free tickets to veterans. 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
Mike Brayndick (Adapter/Director) is the Artistic Director of On The Spot Theatre Company. He began as resident writer at the Chicago Playwrights’ Center with Fragments from the Permanent Collection, Connecting Flight, Anna Gerhardt and In the Garden of the Prison, also broadcast on WJUF. His adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers commissioned by Traffic of the Stage in Hampstead toured the UK and was performed at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre. Smithsonian and Luce Foundation grants led to How to Make a Rainbow, developed at the Juilliard, and directed by Mike at the 2005 St. Ives Festival in the UK and the Greenhouse Theater Center in Chicago in 2013. Also at the Greenhouse, On The Spot presented his adaptations of Turgenev's Home of the Gentry and Balzac's, Pére Goriot, as well as his original works, Pieces of Klee, Lisette Dances Divine and Scenes For A Green World.  Mike's contemporary comedies Only You Could Think That, What About Martha, All About Armando, Sex Lives of the Zebra Finch and Lost and Found have all been produced in Chicago. Most recently, his full-length romance set in 1950’s Cornwall, England, Called Home By the Sea, was performed at Berger Park Coach House Theatre along with his one-act farce set in contemporary London, Rondelay.

About the Companies

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), a remount of the Jeff Award-winning Rose 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.

On The Spot Theatre Company was created in 2003 by Mike Brayndick to develop and stage new plays for performance “on the spot” in a variety of venues. In the new play development process, Mike creates a collaborative space in which he works with actors to allow characters and stories to evolve out of a few initial scripted scenes or the exploration of a germ idea. Each week he brings in more scenes for the actors to play with as the script grows into a whole. Discussion of the play continues as it goes through multiple readings in the workshop from one draft to the next. On The Spot intends to continue to expand the ensemble and develop new plays in the evolving method outlined above. For additional information, visit onthespottheatrecompany.weebly.com. 

OPENING: WORLD PREMIERE OF SAVING THE WORLD VIA CHICAGO TAP THEATRE AT STAGE 773 JUNE 8 – JUNE 30, 2019

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

CHICAGO TAP THEATRE RETURNS TO STAGE 773 WITH THE WORLD PREMIERE OF

SAVING THE WORLD, 

JUNE 8 – JUNE 30 

 Photo Credit for all: Josh Hawkins

A Near-Future Apocalyptic Story Told through Tap Dance, Original Live Music and Narration by Slam Poetry Creator Marc Kelly Smith

Artistic Director Mark Yonally and Chicago Tap Theatre (CTT) are proud to present Saving The World, a science fiction tap dance story show set to all-original music composed and performed live by Diana Lawrence, directed by Raphael Schwartzman, written by Slam Poetry Creator Marc Kelly Smith and choreographed by Yonally, June 8 – June 30, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. Opening night is Saturday, June 8 at 7:30 p.m. The performance schedule is Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.  Tickets are $40 for adults, $30 for seniors, students and dancers. Group discounts are also available. For tickets, go to ChicagoTapTheatre.com or call the Stage 773 box office at 773.327.5252. 

Saving The World is Chicago Tap Theater’s first all new story show in three years since 2016’s award-winning Time Steps and 2017’s box office smash Changes. From the creative team behind Time Steps, comes a show about pride, arrogance and demagogues. CTT Writer-in-Residence (and creator of the world-wide Slam Poetry genre) Marc Kelly Smith weaves a brand new tale of the near future.  As a corporation begins to aid those hit by every-increasing natural disasters, a collision between helping those who need it most and profiting mightily from them is looming. Throughout the performance tap dancers, with the aid of video projection, will be embodying the natural disasters, including tornadoes and tsunamis.

“Marc Smith has really laid it all out there for this one,” said Yonally, “I feel since we first started working together there were themes that recurred through his work, and this show is, in many ways, is the culmination of all of his work with Chicago Tap Theatre.” Yonally continued, “We are working with a new director for this production, and he, along with the script by Marc, are pushing us to try truly new and innovative things. Even if you’ve seen every story show, you will see a LOT of new ideas on stage.”

That new director, Raphael Schwartzman, is a noted movement theater director creating his first tap opera with Chicago Tap Theatre. Schwartzman brings a fresh new approach to narrative dance, along with a stronger focus on emotional resonance and depth of character. CTT is proud to work with composer/Music Director Diana Lawrence, who is creating an all-original score for Saving The World that features live performances by her and two other musicians. This score veers from rock opera to folk to 80s chip tune.

The cast includes: Jennifer Pfaff Yonally, Kirsten Uttich, Isaac Stauffer, Aimee Chase, Mark Yonally, Christopher Matthews, Anabel Watson, Bailey Caves, Heather Latakas, Sterling Harris, Case Prime and Molly Smith .The production staff includes Sarah Lackner, production and stage manager; Dustin Derry, projection design; Emma Cullimore, costume design; Jimmy Jagos, set and prop design



ABOUT MARC KELLY SMITH, writer

Marc Kelly Smith is the creator of the international Poetry Slam movement and has performed weekly at the Uptown Poetry Slam (now the Uptown Poetry Cabaret) since 1986. He has chalked up over 3,000 national and international engagements and is highly sought after as the authority on performance poetry. In the past seven years he has created six all-original shows with Chicago Tap Theatre as their Writer-in-Residence, including Eyes Without a Face, LoveTaps, TightWire, Mama’s Boy and the award winning TimeSteps (Top 10 Dance Events of the Year, Chicago Tribune and Best New Production of 2016, Dance Magazine Reader’s Poll).

ABOUT RAPHAEL SCHWARTZMAN, director:

Raphael Schwartzman is over the moon to direct Saving the World with Chicago Tap Theatre. A graduate of Butler University in Indiana, Schwartzman has worked in the Chicago theatre scene for the better part of the last decade.  He's also trained and made theatre in the UK, Russia, and Italy.  Chicago directing credits include The Curse on Mordrake House (Chicago Fringe Festival), Thinking Sacks of Meat (Piccolo Theatre), and Visiting Hours (MadKap Productions). 

ABOUT MARK YONALLY, choreographer

Mark Yonally is the founder and Artistic Director of Chicago Tap Theatre, one of the most critically well-regarded dance companies in Chicago. They perform an annual three-show season in Chicago and tour both throughout America and Europe. Their performances have been chosen as the Top Ten Dance events of the year by the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, SeeChicagoDance and Windy City Media. Their 2016 Time Travel Story Shoe, “TimeSteps” was selected as the Best New Production of 2016 by the Dance Magazine Reader’s Poll. Yonally has developed a national and international reputation as a performer, with solo performances in Chicago, Helsinki, Barcelona, New York, Amsterdam and Paris. He has been blessed to have Sam Weber, Sarah Petronio, Dianne Walker, Bill Evans and Billy Siegenfeld as mentors. He has also recorded with live musicians, including an appearance with the Polyphonic Spree on their song “Mental Cabaret” and on stage with them at Lollapalooza.

ABOUT DIANA LAWERNCE, music director 

As a music director and improviser, Diana  Lawernce has worked with organizations such as The Second City, the Goodman Theatre, Porchlight Music Theatre and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Lawernce created original music for Steppenwolf Theatre’s 2016 premiere of Mary Page Marlowe, and her musical, Mill Girls, was granted a 2018/19 Incubator workshop at the O’Neill Theatre Center. Lawerence is also a teaching artist with Storycatchers Theatre, where she creates musical theater with incarcerated youth. L

ABOUT CHICAGO TAP THEATRE

Founded in 2002, Chicago Tap Theatre is a growing and vibrant dance company dedicated to preserving the quintessentially American dance form of tap while taking it to the next level of creativity, innovation and quality. CTT performs exclusively with live music provided by some of Chicago’s finest musicians playing everything from Duke Ellington to David Bowie and many artists in between. Under the dynamic direction of master teacher and performer Mark Yonally, CTT has gained a loyal and sizable following in Chicago and continues to tour both nationally and internationally. Having pioneered the “tap opera” format, which tells stories with compelling characters and intriguing plots, CTT has used the language of tap dance, live music and narration to move Chicago audiences for over 10 years.