Category: Season
Broadway in Chicago continues 2010-2011 Season
Broadway in Chicago’s 2010/2010 season to include:
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Wicked
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Next to Normal
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9 to 5
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Hair
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Spring Awakening
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Beauty and the Beast
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Working
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Peter Pan
TRACES
October 26, 2010 – January 1, 2011
7 Fingers (Les 7 doigts de la main) is an astonishingly talented French Canadian company that has pioneered a whole new brand of theatrical entertainment, and their smash-hit production, TRACES, will launch its U.S. tour in Chicago this fall. Combining awe-inspiring acrobatic training with infectious urban energy, seven performers deliver dazzling, gravity-defying displays of skill that produce “one of the most creative and inspiring pieces of entertainment I’ve ever witnessed” (Edinburgh’s The Sun)–balancing on each other’s heads, tumbling through hoops and leaping spectacularly up giant poles without using their hands. More than just a display of acrobatic brilliance, the audience is gradually drawn into the performers’ real life stories and, by the final, dramatic climax of the show, on the edge of their seats, willing them to pull off the seemingly impossible. “Mesmeric, spontaneous and unpretentious,” ( London ’s Metro), this thrill-a-minute show will leave you begging for more.
GOD OF CARNAGE
November 30 – December 12, 2010
The son of one couple has broken two teeth of the son of another. At first diplomatic niceties are observed, but as the couples meet to resolve things, and the rum begins to flow, huge tensions emerge and the gloves come off, leaving more than just their liberal principles in tatters. Winner of the 2009 Tony® Award for Best Play and Best Director (Matthew Warchus), GOD OF CARNAGE is “the funniest play on Broadway!” raves WOR radio.
WICKED
December 1, 2010 – January 23, 2011
Entertainment Weekly calls WICKED “the best musical of the decade.” WICKED, the longest-running Broadway musical in Chicago theatre history, is returning to Chicago . Winner of 26 major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony® Awards, WICKED is Broadway’s biggest blockbuster, a cultural phenomenon and was just named “the defining musical of the decade” by The New York Times. Long before that girl from Kansas arrives in Munchkinland, two girls meet in the land of Oz. One–born with emerald green skin–is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good makes for “the most ‘Popular’ piece of Chicago theatre in a generation” (Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune).
9 to 5: THE MUSICAL
January 18 – January 31, 2011
9 to 5: THE MUSICAL is a hilarious story of friendship and revenge in the Rolodex era. This new musical comedy, direct from Broadway, is based on the hit movie and features Dolly Parton’s original hit title song along with her new Tony® Award and Grammy nominated score. The book is by Patricia Resnick (co-writer of the original screenplay). 9 to 5: THE MUSICAL tells the story of three unlikely friends who conspire to take control of their company and learn there’s nothing they can’t do — even in a man’s world. Outrageous, thought-provoking and even a little romantic, 9 to 5: THE MUSICAL is about teaming up and taking care of business… it’s about getting credit and getting even… and it’s about to open in Chicago!
BURN THE FLOOR
February 1 – February 13, 2011
The international dance sensation BURN THE FLOOR visits Chicago direct from its record-breaking run on Broadway! You’ve seen Ballroom dance on shows like “Dancing with the Stars” and “So You Think You Can Dance.” Now, with BURN THE FLOOR, you will feel, live on stage, all the passion, the drama and the sizzling excitement of 20 gorgeous champion dancers, in a true theatrical experience, a performance with a grace and athleticism that The New York Times calls, “Dazzling!” From Harlem’s hot nights at The Savoy, where dances such as the Lindy, Foxtrot and Charleston were born, to the Latin Quarter where the Cha-Cha, Rumba and Salsa steamed up the stage, BURN THE FLOOR takes audiences on a journey through the passionate drama of dance. The elegance of the Viennese Waltz, the exuberance of the Jive, the intensity of the Paso Doble – audiences with experience them all, as well as the Tango, Samba, Mambo, Quickstep and Swing. It’s Ballroom. Reinvented.
LES MISERABLES
February 2 – 27, 2011
Cameron Mackintosh presents a brand new 25th anniversary production of Boublil & Schönberg’s legendary musical, Les Miserables, with glorious new staging and spectacular re-imagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo. This new production has already been acclaimed by critics, fans and new audiences and is breaking box office records wherever it goes. The London Times hails the new show “a five star hit, astonishingly powerful and as good as the original.” The Western Mail says “an outstanding success.”
RAIN: A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES
February 8 – February 13, 2011
Ford Center for the Performing Arts
RAIN, the acclaimed Beatles concert, returns by popular demand, direct from Broadway! They look like them and they sound just like them! “The next best thing to seeing The Beatles,” raves the Denver Post. All the music and vocals are performed totally live! RAIN covers The Beatles from the earliest beginnings through the psychedelic late 60s and their long-haired hippie, hard-rocking rooftop days. RAIN is a multi-media, multi-dimensional experience…a fusion of historical footage and hilarious television commercials from the 1960s lights up video screens and live cameras zoom in for close-ups. “A thrilling bit of time-warping nostalgia…Boomer Heaven!” raves The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Uncanny! RAIN are a quartet of fine musicians in their own right…as The Beatles, they triumph!” cheers the Boston Herald. “An adoring Valentine to The Beatles,” declares the Washington Post. Sing along with your family and friends to such favorites as “Let It Be,” “Hey Jude,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Come Together” and “Can’t Buy Me Love,” and relive Beatlemania from Ed Sullivan to Abbey Road!
WORKING
February 15 – May 8, 2011
WORKING is a vital new musical based on the book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Chicago ’s own Studs Terkel. Newly adapted by Stephen Schwartz (WICKED, PIPPIN and GODSPELL), WORKING is the working man’s A CHORUS LINE. It is a musical exploration of people from all walks of life, with twenty-six songs by all-star composers Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Tony Award™ winning Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Rodgers, Susan Birkenhead, Stephen Schwartz and Grammy Award™ winning James Taylor. WORKING celebrates everyday people, fills you with hope and inspiration and is the perfect musical for anyone who has ever worked a day in their lives.
HAIR
March 8 – 15, 2011
Ford Center for the Performing Arts
The Public Theater’s 2009 Tony-winning production of HAIR is an electric celebration on stage! This exuberant musical about a group of young Americans searching for peace and love in a turbulent time has struck a resonant chord with audiences young and old. Its ground breaking rock score paved the way for some of the greatest musicals of our time. HAIR features an extraordinary cast and dozens of unforgettable songs, including “Aquarius,” “Let the Sun Shine In,” “Good Morning, Starshine” and “Easy To Be Hard.” Its relevance is UNDENIABLE. Its energy is UNBRIDLED. Its truth is UNWAVERING. It’s HAIR, and IT’S TIME.
MERCHANT OF VENICE
March 15 – 27, 2011
From the acclaimed Theatre for a New Audience, the first U.S. theatre to be invited to the Royal Shakespeare Company, comes Shakespeare’s tragicomedy following command runs Off- Broadway and in Stratford-Upon-Avon . Starring Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham in his riveting portrayal of Shylock, and directed by Darko Tresnjak (former Artistic Director, Old Globe), the play has been arousing controversies for centuries with raucous and gentle comedy, tender poetry, and its struggle with mercy and justice. In this riveting update, religion, race and sexuality collide with love, family and justice and the currency of society and humanity has never been so changeable.
WISHFUL DRINKING
April 5 – 17, 2011
WISHFUL DRINKING, Carrie Fisher’s autobiographical solo show, follows Fisher’s life. Born to celebrity parents, Fisher lands among the stars when she’s picked to play a princess in a little movie called ‘Star Wars.’ But her story isn’t all sweetness and light sabers. As a single mom, she also battles addiction, depression, mental institutions, and that awful hyperspace hairdo. It’s an incredible tale–from having her father leave her mother for Elizabeth Taylor to marrying and divorcing singer/songwriter Paul Simon, from having the father of her baby leave her for a man to waking up one morning and finding a friend dead beside her in bed. Don’t miss this opportunity to see Carrie Fisher’s hit Broadway show.
NEXT TO NORMAL
April 26 – May 8, 2011
From the director of Rent comes the most talked about new show on Broadway, NEXT TO NORMAL, winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and three 2009 Tony Awards including Best Score. Alice Ripley who received the 2009 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, will reprise her acclaimed performance in Chicago . Having been chosen as “one of the year’s ten best” by major critics around the country, NEXT TO NORMAL is an emotional powerhouse of a musical with a thrilling contemporary score about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other. The New York Times calls NEXT TO NORMAL “a brave, breathtaking musical. A work of muscular grace and power. It is much more than a feel-good musical; it is a feel-everything musical.” Rolling Stone raves, “It is the best musical of the season – by a mile. It’ll pin you to your seat.”
PETER PAN
Begins April 29, 2011
Chicago Tribune Freedom Center North
Broadway In Chicago and threesixty° entertainment are excited to announce a unique event – a spectacular new production of J M Barrie’s classic story, PETER PAN, at the Chicago Tribune Freedom Center. Conceived by an award-winning creative team, the SMASH HIT Peter Pan features twenty-two actors, stunning puppets, epic music and dazzling flying sequences surrounded by breathtaking video projection using the world’s first 360-degree CGI theater set. Both cast and audience fly over Edwardian London. Performed in a state-of-the-art theater pavilion, this magical new “in-the-round” production of Peter Pan is an extraordinary experience for the whole family.
SPRING AWAKENING
May 3 – 8, 2011
The winner of 8 Tony Awards, including Best Musical – told by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater through “The most gorgeous Broadway score this decade” (Entertainment Weekly) – SPRING AWAKENING explores the journey from adolescence to adulthood with poignancy and passion you will never forget. The landmark musical SPRING AWAKENING is an electrifying fusion of morality, sexuality and rock & roll that is exhilarating audiences across the nation like no other musical in years. Join this group of late 19th century German students on their passage, as they navigate teenage self-discovery and coming of age anxiety in a powerful celebration of youth and rebellion in the daring, remarkable SPRING AWAKENING. “Broadway may never be the same again!” NY TIMES
DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
June 28 – July 10, 2011
The romantic Broadway musical for all generations, NETworks presentation of DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, the smash hit Broadway musical, returns to Chicago ! Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature film, this eye-popping spectacle has won the hearts of over 35 million people worldwide. Hailed by the Chicago Sun-Times as “warm and winning performances, a tuneful score, and real heart,” the classic musical love story is filled with unforgettable characters, lavish sets and costumes, and dazzling production numbers including “Be Our Guest” and the beloved title song. Experience the romance and enchantment of DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST!
TICKETS
Group tickets are currently available for all of the 2011 Season Series shows. Groups of 15 or more may receive a discount on most shows by calling (312) 977-1710. 2011 Season Series subscription packages will go on-sale to new subscribers on September 12, 2010. Broadway In Chicago gift certificates, which can be redeemed for any production or for season ticket packages, can be obtained at Broadway In Chicago box offices, www.BroadwayInChicago.com or by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 775-2000.
Theatre at the Center announces 2011 Season
Theatre at the Center
announces their
2011 Season
Coming off of a streak of some of the most successful seasons to date, Theatre at the Center Artistic Director William Pullinsi, announces their 2011 season, including Anthony Shaffer’s Sleuth, Nunset Boulevard, The Wiz, Guys and Dolls and Another Night Before Christmas.
February 17 – March 20, 2011
| Sleuth |
| The season opens with one of the greatest stage thrillers, the masterpiece of suspense, Sleuth. The play, written by Andrew Shaffer, won the Tony Award for Best Play and inspired two film versions. When an aging mystery writer lures his wife’s lover to his mansion, the younger man becomes unwittingly drawn into a tangled web of intrigue and gamesmanship, where nothing is quite as it seems. This edge-of-your-seat mystery filled with cunning plot twists is not only an exciting "whodunit" but a fascinating “whodunwhat." The New York Times says Sleuth is "Clever, intricate…good, neat, clean and bloody fun and I most cordially recommend it.” Sleuth will be directed by Theatre at the Center Artistic Director William Pullinsi and will run February 17 through March 20, 2011. |
April 28 – May 29, 2011
| Nunset Boulevard |
| Directed and choreographed by Stacey Flaster, Theatre at the Center presents the Chicago Area Premiere of the newest addition to Dan Goggin’s hilarious NUNSENSE line-up: Nunset Boulevard running April 28 through May 29, 2011. The Little Sisters of Hoboken have been invited to sing at the Hollywood Bowl. They are thrilled at the prospect until they arrive and realize that they are booked into the Hollywood Bowl-A-Rama, a bowling alley with a cabaret lounge; having to contend with announcements from the bowling alley public address system as well as the activity on the lanes. The light at the end of the tunnel comes when word arises that a famous movie producer is auditioning across the street roles for his new movie musical, "NUNSET BOULEVARD: A Song from the Hart," about the life of Dolores Hart, the famous movie star who became a nun. The Sisters, who think they are obvious naturals for parts, race off to audition. NBC News raves,"Talk about a happy habit. The "nuns" have done it again. Sinfully funny laughs for the entire two hours." |
July 7 – August 7, 2011
| The Wiz |
| The Tony Award-winning musical, The Wiz, plays Theatre at the Center July 7 through August 7, 2011. The R&B musical adaptation of the book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum first opened on Broadway in 1975. Dorothy’s adventures in the Land of Oz have been set in a dazzling, lively mixture of rock, gospel and soul music. Its Broadway run, for four years and over 1600 performances, was historic as a large-scale big-budget musical featuring an all-African American cast. The production features the music and lyrics of Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical and was later produced in the 1978 Motown/Universal motion picture adaptation starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Lena Horne, and Richard Pryor. Time Magazine says The Wiz is “a carnival of fun… a wickedly amusing show.” Stacey Flaster will direct and choreograph the production. |
September 15 – October 16, 2011
| Guys and Dolls |
| Based on “The Idyll of Sarah Brown” by Damon Runyon, Guys and Dolls is an exhilarating Tony Award-winning romantic comedy packed with gamblers, gangsters, missionaries, showgirls, and lively fun. Theatre at the Center Artistic Director William Pullinsi will direct the production running September 15 – October 16, 2011. Guys and Dolls is the story of a group of gamblers in New York and the ladies in their lives. Sky has been bet that he can’t make the next lady that he sees fall in love with him, and when that next lady happens to be the prim and proper neighborhood missionary Sarah Brown, the stage is set for an evening of high-spirited entertainment. Frank Loesser‘s toe-tapping score includes “Luck Be A Lady,” “Sit Down You’re Rocking The Boat” and “If I Were a Bell.” Guys and Dolls premiered on Broadway on November 24, 1950 and ran for 1,200 performances, winning five 1951 Tony Awards. In London it ran for 555 performances. In 1955 the acclaimed film version was released, starring Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons and Vivian Blaine. |
November 17 – December 18, 2011
| Another Night Before Christmas |
| From the writers of MARRIED ALIVE! and A DOG’S LIFE Sean Grennan and Leah Okimoto, comes Another Night Before Christmas, bringing holiday cheer to Theatre at the Center November 17 through December 18, 2011. Another Night Before Christmas tells the story of burnt-out social worker Karol Elliot, who is having a crisis of Christmas spirit. While heading home on a lonely Christmas Eve, she shares her groceries with a homeless man who decides to show his thanks and rekindle her holiday cheer by breaking into her apartment later that night insisting that he’s Santa Claus. Instead of stealing her belongings, he brings in a bag of goodies and transforms her downtown apartment into a blinking, red and green wonderland. Before long Karol begins to wonder, is this bearded stranger more than what he seems? Another Night Before Christmas is a delight for the whole family. This witty and tuneful holiday favorite, Directed by William Pullinsi, is a Chicago Area Premiere and is sure to win laughs from anyone who’s ever lost – or found – the holiday spirit. | |
Tympanic Ensemble announces their 4th Season
Daniel Caffrey, Artistic Director of Tympanic Theatre, has announced Tympanic Theatre’s fourth season, which will continue their residency at The Side Project. Tympanic’s upcoming season of new work features plays by long-standing Tympanic collaborator Joshua Mikel (writer of the NYC Fringe hit Good Good Trouble On Bad Bad Island) and Randall Colburn (Pretty Penny, Hesperia, and the upcoming Ghost Boxes and Half Shut). The company will continue joining exciting creative forces with Adam Webster, Artistic Director of The Side Project.
Tympanic Ensemble Theatre’s
2010-2011 Season
Muerte Del Maestro by Joshua Mikel
November 28th – December 22nd, 2010
Sundays at 7pm, Mondays through Wednesdays at 8pm at The Side Project (1439 W. Jarvis Ave.)
Set against the savage backdrop of the bullfighting world in Atlantia, Spain, Muerte Del Maestro tells the story of Arturo and Kay Kay, two best friends who are pushed to bitter ends after the death of famed matador La Muerte Negra, as they both seek the notorious matador’s vacant throne. This thrilling piece will be directed by Adam Webster, Artistic Director of The Side Project.
Verse Chorus Verse by Randall Colburn
April 7th – May 1st, 2011
Thursdays through Sundays at 8pm at The Side Project (1439 W. Jarvis Ave.)
Twenty years after the death of Kurt Cobain, media attention is drawn to an up-and-coming musical artist who may be the reincarnation of the deceased rock legend. When a former lover of Cobain’s emerges from the past, she pulls the musician and several others into another dimension in an attempt to revitalize Cobain completely, but instead uncovers unsettling truths about addiction, destiny, and rebirth. Verse Chorus Verse will be part of a unique workshop process this Winter, culminating in a publicly staged reading at the end of January 2011, prior to its full production in April, which opens on the anniversary weekend of Cobain’s death.
Next Theatre announces their 30th-Anniversary Season
Scene from last season’s “The War With the Newts” ★★★½
Next Theatre announces their
30th-Anniversary Season
Next Theatre Company announces their 30th anniversary season, complete with three main stage plays receiving their Midwest premieres, along with their What’s Next Series focusing on new Chicago artists. All productions, plus the What’s Next Series, are presented at Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes Street in Evanston.
Main Stage Shows
November 4 – December 5, 2010
| The Piano Teacher | |
| Written by Julia Cho Directed by Lisa Portes |
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| Midwest Premiere | |
| When the sweet, cookie loving Mrs. K, the epitome of the caring grandmotherly piano teacher, reaches out to her old students, she discovers a chain of startling secrets that she can no longer keep hidden inside her piano bench. With breath-taking theatricality and stunning language, Julio Cho takes us on a journey of discovery that brings international responsibility into the sanctity of our family kitchen. | |
January 20 – February 20, 2011
| Madagascar | |
| Written by J.T. Rogers Directed by Kimberly Senior |
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| Midwest Premiere | |
| Director Kimberly Senior and internationally recognized playwright J.T. Rogers, the pair who brought you The Overwhelming, team up again to offer audiences another gripping thriller. In the same hotel room overlooking the Spanish steps in Rome, three Americans across three different moments in time find themselves alone. A sister, a mother and a family friend grapple with loss, regret, and the nature of truth. Using his trademark cunning insight and grippingly eloquent characters, J.T. Rogers weaves a haunting story about the mysterious disappearance of a loved one, and the unexpected consequences that bring a family closer together. | |
April 14 – May 8, 2010
| The Metal Children | |
| Written by Adam Rapp Directed by Joanie Schultz |
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| Midwest Premiere | |
| What responsibility do artists have for the impact of their work? Provocative New York playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist Adam Rapp offers a powerful portrait of small-town censorship and the American divide over family values in his newest play fresh from a sold-out Off-Broadway run, The Metal Children. A gifted New York writer attempts to defend his young adult novel to the same small American town hell bent on banning his work, causing an explosive encounter from which no one in the small Midwestern town will recover. | |
Tickets
All tickets for Main Stage shows are $20 – $40 with subscriber and student discounts available. Tickets may be purchased at nexttheatre.org or by calling 847-475-1875 x2.
After the fold (click on “Read more”):
- 30th Anniversary Season new programming
- “What’s Next Series” schedule
- “What’s Next” Lab
- Panel Discussions
Dean Evans in last season’s “Magical Exploding Boy” ★★★
Chicago Shakespeare announces 2010-2011 Season
Taming of the Shrew, performed in the Courtyard Theater through June 2010
Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces their
2010-2011 Season
As Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) finishes the run of its acclaimed world-premiere family musical The Emperor’s New Clothes (our review ★★★½) this month, it looks forward to the season ahead. Further information for all of the productions listed below is available on the Theater’s website at www.chicagoshakes.com or by calling the CST Box Office at 312.595.5600.
Mainstage Shows
September 15–November 21
| Romeo and Juliet | |
| By William Shakespeare Directed by Gale Edwards In the Courtyard Theater |
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| Opening the 2010/11 Subscription Series, world-renowned Australian director Gale Edwards stages William Shakespeare’s iconic romantic tragedy in her CST debut. Edwards, whose work has been seen at the Royal Shakespeare Company and in theaters across America, has assembled a talented ensemble including Canada’s Dora Award winner Jeff Lillico and Joy Farmer-Clary in the title roles. CST veterans returning for Edwards’ production include: Ora Jones, last seen in Twelfth Night (our review ★★★½), as Nurse; Brendan Marshall-Rashid, who delivered Richmond’s memorable final soliloquy in Richard III (our review ★★★★), as Paris; Judy Blue as Lady Capulet; Steve Haggard as Benvolio; and David Lively as Friar Laurence, who previously played King Henry IV in CST’s Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, marking the Theater’s debut at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2006. An award-winning creative team joins Edwards for this landmark production, including Scenic Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge, Costume Designer Ana Kuzmanic, Lighting Designer John Culbert, Original Music and Sound Designer Lindsay Jones, Wig and Makeup Designer Melissa Veal, Properties Master Chelsea Meyers, Fight Director Rick Sordelet and Verse Coach Barbara Robertson. | |
 Jeff Lillico and Joy Farmer-Clary will play the title roles in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Romeo and Juliet from September 15–November 21, 2010. Photo by Peter Bosy. |
January 5 – March 6, 2011
| As You Like It | |
| By William Shakespeare Directed by Gary Griffin In the Courtyard Theater |
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| CST Associate Artistic Director Gary Griffin directs Shakespeare’s beloved pastoral comedy set in the magical Forest of Arden. This season marks Griffin’s ten-year anniversary with CST, an illustrious history that includes his acclaimed CST Olivier and Jeff Award-winning Sondheim musicals and productions of Private Lives (review ★★★) and Amadeus. | |
April 13 – June 12, 2011
| The Madness of George III | |
| By Alan Bennett Directed by Penny Metropolus In the Courtyard Theater |
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| The three-play Subscription Series concludes with The Madness of George III by Olivier and Tony Award-winning playwright Alan Bennett (The History Boys). This masterpiece of royal intrigue about a monarch’s slide into insanity will be directed by Penny Metropolus, whose work has been seen for nearly two decades at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The production marks Metropolus’ return to CST, where she staged The Two Gentlemen of Verona in 2000. | |
World’s Stage and CST Family
Below the Fold: World’s Stage productions from Scotland and Ireland, and a CST export to Australia. Additional CST Family programming includes an abridged Shakespeare production and family concerts.
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Adventure Stage Chicago announces 2010-2011 Season
Adventure Stage Chicago Announces 2010-2011 Season
for Young Audiences
Adventure Stage Chicago (ASC) proudly announces their 2010-2011 season for young audiences, comprised of three thrilling plays making their Chicago debuts: a moving Holocaust drama, an action-packed magical adventure and a comedic physical theater event.
October 30 – Dec. 9, 2010
And a Child Shall Lead by Michael Slade
Directed by ASC Producing Artistic Director Tom Arvetis
Chicago Premiere!
| Thirty miles outside Prague lies the city of Terezin, a Nazi-described "Jewish ghetto" and makeshift way station for millions of people awaiting transfer to death camps. Amid such bleak surroundings, a group of courageous children create stories, music, poetry, drawings, plays, puppets, and even an underground newspaper to craft a dream world of hope and beauty in a place where neither exist. Incorporating actual poems and other writings recovered from Terezin after the war, this exquisite play explores the strength, optimism and extraordinary resilience at the core of the human spirit. Recommended for ages 11 and older.
Performance Schedule:
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March 19 – April 16, 2011
Sinbad: The Untold Tale by Charles Way
Directed by Amanda Delheimer
U.S. Premiere!
| Ittifaq, the pampered daughter of famed sailor Sinbad of the Seven Seas, bristles under her father’s overprotective care and longs for an adventure of her own. Young Sinbad, an orphaned porter, lives on the streets and relies on his clever wit to survive. The two meet by chance just before a bitter sorceress casts a poison cloud over the city of Baghdad. Rendered sick by the witch’s curse, the elder Sinbad bids his daughter and the porter to set sail in search of the poison’s antidote. On their quest, the unlikely duo form a reluctant bond as they encounter good and evil genies, daring swordfights, magic boats and flying carpets. But can Sinbad and Ittifaq defeat the sorceress in time, or will their beloved city be destroyed forever? Recommended for ages 9 and older.
Performance Schedule:
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May 3 – May 21, 2011
500 Clown Nose
- A co-production between Adventure Stage Chicago and 500 Clown Theater
- Created by 500 Clown Theater, conceived by Adrian Danzig and directed by Paola Coletto
| World Premiere! | |
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Experience 500 Clown’s signature mix of high physicality, raw emotion and powerful storytelling with content accessible to an all-ages audience. In 500 CLOWN NOSE, three clowns stumble into a quagmire and soon find themselves jailed in a barren landscape. Their attempts at escape encompass slapstick mishaps, vaudevillian turns, clown acts and daring physical feats. Their desperate search for a way out relies on ingenuity and resilience. When they find the exit, freedom comes at the price of leaving the fun world they’ve created. Featuring 500 Clown founder Adrian Danzig with Timothy Heck and Lea Pascal.
Performance Schedule:
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Tickets for all shows are $17.00 for adults, $12.00 children aged 14 and under, $10.00 previews and $8.00 school groups. Other group discounts available. Passport to Adventure subscriptions are available beginning in mid-September. For tickets or more information, call (773) 342-4141 or visit www.adventurestage.org.
All shows are performed at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., in the heart of Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. Street parking is available, and the theater is close to the Noble St. stop on the #56 Milwaukee bus line and the Division stop on the CTA Blue Line. The theater is wheelchair accessible.
Each Adventure Stage Chicago production presents weekday performances primarily for school groups, as well as weekend matinees for the general public. Every performance includes a post-show audience talkback with the cast.
Raven Theatre announces 2010-2011 Season
Raven Theatre announces
A Season With The Masters
Williams, Wilson, Chekhov
Producing Artistic Director Michael Menendian and Co-Artistic Director JoAnn Montemurro announce Raven Theatre’s 2010/2011 Season, which includes Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams, Radio Golf by August Wilson and The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov. Each story illuminates intimate, personal conflicts amidst massive cultural shifts, whether it is within the family unit, the local African American community or the entire nation. (more info at the Raven Theatre website)
October 17 – December 19, 2010
| Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | |
| Written by Tennessee Williams Directed by Michael Menendian |
| Big Daddy’s birthday brings out the true colors of the wealthy Pollitt family. At the heart of the story is Maggie, the beautiful daughter-in-law, who struggles with a lack of emotional honesty from her husband, Brick, and with the judgment of Brick’s brother and his wife. Lies, deception, false loyalty, and greed play characters as big as Big Daddy himself in one of Williams’ most loved dramas. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955 and was made into a major motion picture in 1958. |
February 27 – April 9, 2011
| Radio Golf | |
| Written by August Wilson Directed by Aaron Todd Douglas |
| Radio Golf, written in 2005, was August Wilson’s last play before his untimely death (August 2005). It is also the final chapter in The Pittsburgh Cycle. In this stirring drama an Ivy League educated entrepreneur, Harmond Wilks, and his banking executive friend plan to convert a blighted neighborhood into an expansive shopping mall. Their ultimate goal is to use Wilks’ success as a developer to leverage him into becoming Pittsburgh’s first African American mayor. It’s a dirty political business that includes back room deals and zoning loop holes. When they discover that a building cited for demolition has a history that affects their heritage, these two modern men are forced to get in touch with their past. Radio Golf won the 2007 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. |
June 5 – July 23, 2011
| The Cherry Orchard | |
| Written by Anton Chekhov Directed by Michael Menendian |
| Chekhov’s last play tapped the history of his own family’s home and the fall of the aristocracy. In The Cherry Orchard, the Ranevsky family is facing financial ruin, largely due to the spendthrift ways of the family matriarch and her devotion to a parasitic lover. The family attempts to come up with a solution so that the estate won’t be sold, but none of the plans lead to action. | |
Character Dynamics
The dynamics that define the characters in these plays are similar to those that drive our own lives today. Williams’ masterpiece, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, centers on the legacy of Big Daddy’s enormous wealth, which was amassed by exploiting cheap labor to create one of the largest plantations in the South. Radio Golf, August Wilson’s final work in his ten-play cycle about the Black culture in Pittsburgh, delves into the ambitions of the rising middle class in pursuit of their American Dream. In the genteel comedy The Cherry Orchard, foreclosure of an estate threatens a family’s way of life that has remained unchanged for decades.
Photo from last seasons critically acclaimed Death of a Salesman (our review)
Photo from last season’s critically-acclaimed Twelve Angry Men. (our review)
American Blues announces 25th-Anniversary Season
announces its
* 25th-Anniversary Season Productions *
Includes the regional premiere of Rantoul & Die by Mark Roberts (“Two and a Half Men”) and the new annual Blue Ink Playwriting Contest.
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Pictures from most recent production, critically-acclaimed Tobacco Road |
November 26 – December 31, 2010
| It’s a Wonderful Life: Live at the Biograph! | |
| Directed by Marty Higganbotham In the Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln, Chicago Featuring ABT Ensemble members Kevin Kelly, Ed Kross, John Mohrlein and Gwendolyn Whiteside |
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| From the original director and Ensemble that brought this holiday tradition to Chicago in 2004. Join the American Blues family as we take you back to a 1940s radio broadcast of Frank Capra’s holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life, with live Foley sound effects, an original score, and a stellar cast of seven that bring the entire town of Bedford Falls to life. From the moment you walk through the doors, you will be transported back to the Golden Age of Radio, and experience the story of George Bailey like never before. Critics called this production “perfect Christmas theater” and “first class holiday fare.” |
March 2011
| American Blues – Collected One Acts | |
| by Tennessee Williams In the Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln, Chicago Directed by Dennis Zacek, Steve Scott, Brian Russell, Damon Kiely and Heather Meyers |
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| This one-night benefit performance celebrates American playwright Tennessee Williams’ 100th birthday. These five short plays were selected by Williams’ in the rarely produced 1948 collection entitled “American Blues” to showcase his commitment to the blue-collar worker. ABT is thrilled to work with directors who have made significant contributions to the success and livelihood of the Blues’ Ensemble theater throughout the 25 years. ABT will announce the winner of the first annual “Blue Ink” Playwriting prize at this event. |
April 15 – May 29, 2011
| Rantoul & Die | |
| Written by Mark Roberts i/a/w Stephen Eich and Don Foster In the Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln, Chicago Directed by Erin Quigley Featuring ABT Ensemble members Kate Buddeke, Cheryl Graeff, and Lindsay Jones. With guest artists Steppenwolf Ensemble members Francis Guinan and Alan Wilder. |
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| From the writer and executive producer of “Two and a Half Men” comes a new play with four of the funniest, ugliest, and most heartbreakingly real characters ever, all crammed together in a grimy little world that makes the local Dairy Queen and Dante’s Inferno seem one and the same. The Hollywood reporter calls Rantoul & Die “original and devastatingly funny!” Regional premiere. |
| from Tobacco Road (our review ★★★) |
Collaboraction announces 2010-2011 Season
Collaboraction announces their 15th-Anniversary Season
* including their 11th annual SKETCHBOOK Festival *
From the critically-acclaimed 2005 production of Guinea Pig Solo
Anthony Moseley, Collaboraction’s executive and artistic director, has announced the line-up for the company’s 15th season to be staged in its entirety at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division Avenue:
September 13 – October 10, 2010
1001
World premiere by Jason Grote
Directed by Seth Bockley
The Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division Street
Seth Bockley takes the directing reins of the season’s first production, Jason Grote’s ambitious 1001, a wild time-bending re-imagining of The Arabian Nights. Interweaving Scheherazade’s tales with contemporary Manhattan, 1001 examines East and West in the post-9/11 world.
This Chicago premiere takes the audience on a surrealist politically charged, Monty Python-esque journey through the precarious world of the 21st Century.
March 21 – April 17, 2011
Guinea Pig Solo
By Brett C. Leonard
Directed by Anthony Moseley
The Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division
The season continues with Collaboraction’s revival of its 2005 critically acclaimed production of Guinea Pig Solo by Brett C. Leonard. The play is loosely based on Buchner’s “Woyzeck” and follows the difficult return to society of Iraq War veteran Jose Solo. The remount will feature Dale Rivera and Sandra Delgado reprising their original roles as Jose and Marie. (pics below are from the 2005 production)
Anthony Moseley directs the revival as part of the “The Woyzeck Project”, a collaborative exploration around Buchner’s seminal work anchored by full length productions by Collaboraction, About Face Theatre and The Hypocrites, as well as featuring short plays, visual art and film.
From the critically-acclaimed 2005 production of Guinea Pig Solo
Jun18 – July 3, 2011
11th Annual Sketchbook Festival
Collaboraction rounds out the season with the 11th-annual SKETCHBOOK Festival of short plays, visual art, video and music, also at the Chopin Theatre. Since 2000, this unique festival has provided an incredible platform for emerging and established playwrights, actors, directors, videographers, musicians, artists and more.
SKETCHBOOK is Collaboraction at its best: breaking down the walls that divide theater, music, visual art, video, and the internet. Selected from hundreds of submissions, SKETCHBOOK once again brings together the collective talents of more than 200 pioneering directors, designers, actors, musicians, and artists from Chicago and around the country for a jaw-dropping evening of creativity, experimentation, and celebration.
Flex Pass Tickets Now Available
Collaboraction’s season Flex Pass, which grants tickets to every performance of the 2010-2011 season, is now available. If subscribers miss a production, the tickets can be applied to any of the performances in the rest of the season. A four-pack of tickets is available for $75 and a 10-pack for $150. Reservations must be made in advance and tickets are subject to availability. To purchase a Flex Pass, call 312.226.9633 or go to collaboraction.org.
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Pictures from Sketchbook 9
