Breaking multiple box office records since opening, Wicked is the top grossing and longest running Broadway show in Chicago history.  Chicago’s Wicked celebrated its 1000th performance in November 2007 and has performed to well over 2 million audience members.

Tickets for Wicked range in price from $25 - $90 and are available via the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (312) 902-1400, in person at all Broadway In Chicago box offices, all Ticketmaster ticket centers and online at ticketmaster.com.

Shattered Globe Theatre Announces 18th Anniversary Season and Kevin Hagan Appointed Artistic Director

Shattered Globe Theatre Artistic Director Kevin Hagan and the artistic ensemble announce their 18th anniversary, 2008-2009 season of presenting ensemble-driven theatre.  In keeping with its mission of "dissecting, challenging, and reveling in the American experiment; inspiring social discourse by raising questions rather than espousing philosophy; stimulating artistic growth for and broadening the perspectives of both artist and audience; and pushing the boundaries of excellence in ensemble theatre," SGT's 2008-2009 season will consist of productions which address some of the most complex themes at work in modern life, seen through the lens of realistic, carefully drawn characters by three influential American playwrights and plays that launched two of their careers.

The Season Includes:

• The Glass Menagerie: September 4-November 2, 2008
  
  
• The Little Foxes : January 8-March 8, 2009
  
  
• Buried Child : May 14-July 12, 2009

Also, Shattered Globe’s Suddenly, Last Summer will be remounted at Theatre on the Lake (July 30 - August 3, tickets at 312-742-7529).  

Just appointed SGT’s Artistic Director, Kevin Hagan said, "I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to accept the appointment of Artistic Director, and look forward to working with the ensemble and Board as we conclude our current season and move forward into the 2008-2009 season. I have done my best work as an artist at Shattered Globe Theatre - I am very proud of my past work with the ensemble, and I am pleased to help lead its future.  Our 2007-2008 season was a 'bridge' year, and I look for 2008-2009 to be a growth year, adding new ensemble and staff members to support our infrastructure.  We have a distinguished history in Chicago and continue to offer patrons something special and not found elsewhere in the community, mounting productions that folks can clearly say 'Only Shattered Globe Theater could have done that so well!.' I  often hear patrons ask (when talking with them about an upcoming show) is 'which ensemble members are going to be working on that?'   With SGT's resources, history, and value in mind, we have selected a season that focuses on well known works suited to our mission and artistic niche in the Chicago theater community, and most importantly plays that provide the best opportunities to feature ensemble members in roles as actor, designer, or director."

To purchase subscriptions to Shattered Globe's 18th anniversary season (starting at $42), call the Victory Gardens Box Office at 773-871-3000, Shattered Globe at 773-770-0333, or visit www.shatteredglobe.org  

Hizzoner Performances at the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame Have Been Postponed, But Show will Go On at the Beverly Arts Center

Gipeti Entertainment announces the return of the critically acclaimed production of Hizzoner: Daley the First to the Beverly Arts Center, Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St. beginning Saturday, June 14 at 8 p.m. Performances at the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame have been postponed until completion of the Frank Sinatra Performing Arts Center.

Hizzoner: Daley the First will be the first long-running production to have sit down performances at the Beverly Arts Center. The opening at the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame slated for May 18 is delayed until the space is completed. Ron Onesti of Onesti Entertainment said, "Construction of the new Frank Sinatra Center for the Performing Arts is currently happening at a rapid pace. We are excited to bring Hizzoner and its audience to Taylor Street at this amazing new venue as soon as possible."

Tickets for the June Beverly Arts Center performances may be purchased at 773-445-3838, ext 200 or purchased online at www.beverlyartcenter.org.

A Steady Rain Is Extended Through October 5

A Steady Rain, Chicago Dramatists’ smash hit production now playing at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted, is extended through October 5 announced producers Frank Gero, Ray Gaspard and Jono Gero.  A Steady Rain, which just celebrated its 100th performance, has enjoyed extraordinary ticket sales and huge critical acclaim.  

Critics have been touting playwright Keith Huff as the next David Mamet.  Huff’s new show Pursued By Happiness will open as part of Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s 4th annual First Look Repertory of New Work this summer.  A Steady Rain stars Randy Steinmeyer and Peter DeFarina, who were recently cast in the film Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale (but will continue with the play).

Steppenwolf Auxiliary Council Presents 6th Annual Red or White Ball To Benefit Steppenwolf for Young Adults

More than 600 of Chicagoland's young professionals will gather for a spectacular evening of cocktails, food, entertainment, a silent auction and raffle prizes at the Steppenwolf Auxiliary Council's sixth annual Red or White Ball on Friday, May 30, 2008 at 8:00 p.m. The premier event for Chicago's most influential young philanthropists will be held at the ultra-chic Chicago Illuminating Company, 19 E. 21st Street. Individual tickets, currently available to the public, start at $135 and can be purchased online at www.steppenwolf.org or by calling (312) 654-5672.

A limited number of $500 VIP packages are also available: each includes two event tickets, access for two to a private cocktail reception at 7:00 p.m. with Steppenwolf ensemble members, enhanced goody bags and a one-year membership in the Auxiliary Council.

"The Red or White Ball has been a sell-out event the past two years and we anticipate another great response again in 2008," comments Co-Chair Nancy Collins. "We have moved to a larger venue, allowed for additional bars and food stations, and shifted the format from a wine tasting to an expanded cocktail party to create more networking opportunities for Chicago’s young professional set," adds Collins.

The Red or White Ball serves as the primary fundraiser for the Steppenwolf Auxiliary Council - a community of dynamic young professionals who develop new financial resources and audiences for the creation and presentation of new work. In just eight years of operation, the Auxiliary Council has raised over $600,000 in contributions, enabling Steppenwolf to continue to advance artistic experimentation and collaboration. Last year’s event successfully attracted more than 550 attendees and raised over $110,000 for the theater's nationally recognized arts education program, Steppenwolf for Young Adults, which annually serves over 15,000 individuals through productions and programs specifically geared towards teachers, families and young adults.

Lookingglass Theatre's Hit Lookingglass Alice Returns This Summer

Lookingglass Theatre Company, in association with Actors Gymnasium, announced the triumphant return of Lookingglass Alice, July 2-August 31, 2008, at its home located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave at Pearson.  Lookingglass Alice returns to Chicago for a limited run after enjoying its world premiere production in 2006, followed by an east coast tour in 2007 and a sold-out run last summer at Lookingglass.

With a juggling Mad Hatter, a precariously balancing Humpty Dumpty, and a bumbling Knight who invents his way into Alice’s heart, Lookingglass Alice revisits the stories that inspired the founding of Lookingglass Theatre Company twenty years ago.  Adapted by Ensemble Member and Artistic Director David Catlin from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Lookingglass Alice is a muscular, acrobatic, and dizzyingly playful show for all ages.  This Alice falls, floats, flies, defies gravity and the rules of logic during her wonderland journey through the looking glass to become a queen. 

Tickets can be purchased online at www.lookingglasstheatre.org or by phone at 312-337-0665.

The Neo-Futurists Invite Audiences To Witness The Frustrations and Elations of Being 'Picked Up'

The Neo-Futurists announced a special panel discussion with Dino Stamatopoulos, Joe Janes and comedy troupe Schadenfreude following the Thursday, May 15 performance of Picked Up, a series of six never-before-seen television pilots performed live onstage. These successful comedy writers share their first-hand experiences with the television sitcom machine and controlled chaos of the writers’ room.  Hear stories of sitcom babies being killed or burned alive then rising again in the ashes of their very own afterbirth.  Bring questions for these hosts and have them properly answered, or at least creatively evaded.  After the discussion, Stamatopoulos will show his sitcom pilot, Saturday TV Funhouse, which was produced but never 'picked up'.

Dino Stamatopoulos is an American television comedy writer, actor and producer who has worked on Mr. Show, The Ben Stiller Show, TV Funhouse, Mad TV, The Dana Carvey Show, Late Night with David Letterman, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.  He was nominated for an Emmy in 1998 for "Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program" and in 1999 for "Outstanding Music and Lyrics.  His current project is Moral Orel on Adult Swim.  

Joe Janes is the Improv Program Coordinator and a part-time faculty member of the theater department at Columbia College.  He is a founding member of the WNEP Theater Foundation, Teatro Bastardo, and Robot vs Dinosaur - Chicago. For Second City, he has been a member of the national touring company, a director of the national Touring Company, Second City-Detroit and Second City-Las Vegas, and has taught for the training center since 1997.  He is a playwright and an Emmy Award-winning writer of a children's show in Cincinnati.

Schadenfreude, formed in 1997, has performed sketch comedy at countless venues around the world including The Goodman Theatre, The Second City, Steppenwolf, Lollapalooza, ImprovOlympic, ComedySportz, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (LA), Area 51 (LA), HERE (NYC), the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and the Chicago Improv Festival, where they were the first group to receive the "Festival Highlight Award." 

Special Performance Of Jersey Boys

The smash Broadway hit Jersey Boys, now running at the Bank of America Theatre (formerly called the LaSalle Bank Theatre), has added a special extra performance on Sunday, May 11th, at 7:30 pm.  This extra evening performance is being held to benefit The Actors Fund, the national non-profit that supports everyone in the entertainment industry.

Actors Fund Benefit Performances are a long-standing Broadway show business tradition.  At the Sunday, May 11th, performance of Jersey Boys, the cast and company are all donating their time and talents so that all proceeds from ticket sales will go to support the vital programs and services of The Fund.

The biggest need right now is help for those affected by the writer’s strike.  Though the strike has been settled, thousands remain unemployed as television series were cancelled, pilots were postponed and much film production has been put on hold.  Many are in danger of losing their homes, being evicted from their apartments, having their cars re-possessed or unable to afford basic health care.  In the last four months, The Actors Fund has given out over $1.1-million in assistance to those affected by the strike and the need continues to grow.  Every ticket purchased to this performance of Jersey Boys will help The Fund continue to help those who need it most.

Tickets can be ordered online at ticketmaster.com, which can be linked to through The Actors Fund web site at www.actorsfund.org, or at the LaSalle Bank Theatre box office which is located on Monroe at State Street in downtown Chicago.  Ticket prices range from $27.50 to $122.50.  For more information call the theatre box office at 312-977-1700.]]> http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=359 http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=359 Wed, 7 May 2008 17:56:06 -0500 Mamma Mia!, the smash hit musical based on the songs of ABBA, to Chicago for a limited engagement this September.  Performances begin on September 17 and run through September 28 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E Congress Pkwy, Chicago. 

Seen by over 30 million people around the world, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus’ global smash hit musical Mamma Mia! is celebrating 6 sold-out years at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway, and is currently playing a record-breaking engagement in Las Vegas.  The National Tour in the United States returns to Chicago for its 5th engagement this September.  The original West End production has played more than 3,500 performances, an international tour has played in more than 30 foreign cities, and the feature film of Mamma Mia!, produced by Judy Craymer and Gary Goetzman, will be released on July 18, 2008.

An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna (Chicagoan, Susie McMonagle) is about to let go of Sophie, the spirited daughter she’s raised alone. For Sophie’s wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends- practical and no-nonsense Rosie and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya - from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own.

On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna’s past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities.

Inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA’s songs from "Dancing Queen" and "S.O.S." to "Money, Money, Money" and "Take a Chance on Me Mamma Mia! is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and new family found.

Produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East and Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal, the creative team responsible for bringing Mamma Mia! to theatrical life includes some of the most gifted and celebrated talents of musical theatre and opera. With music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, Mamma Mia! is written by Catherine Johnson and directed by Phyllida Lloyd.

Tickets for Mamma Mia! are $30 - $85.  Group tickets are currently available.  Tickets will be available to the public beginning Friday, July 25 at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St., and 18 W. Monroe St.), through the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (312) 902-1400, at all Ticketmaster Retail Locations (including all Hot Tix, select Carson Pirie Scott, Coconuts and fye stores) or online at ticketmaster.com.]]> http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=358 http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=358 Mon, 5 May 2008 17:08:46 -0500 Chicago Theatre Opening Night Calendar.

Besides providing theatergoers with convenient, regularly updated listings of all opening nights, the calendar is also a valuable resource to theatre companies in Chicago, helping them determine when to schedule their show openings and coordinate their dates so as to avoid conflicts with other opening nights.

To view the dates, just click over to the Chicago Theatre Opening Night Calendar. All of the dates shaded in orange on the calendar have at least one opening scheduled for that day. To view a particular show, just click on the day that you are interested in, or click on the month name at the top of the calendar to view the entire opening night lineup for that month.

The calendar also has a dynamic search feature that allows you to search for an opening by play or theatre name. For example, let's say you're interested in seeing all of the opening nights this season for the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. Just type Marriott in the search box, hit the “Go” button, and the opening nights for their entire season will be listed.

The Chicago Theatre Opening Night Calendar is a valuable addition to the wealth of information that you can already access at TheatreInChicago. See what is playing, read theatre reviews, watch video previews, listen to podcast interviews, find nearby restaurants, search an interactive map for theatres, find half-price ticket deals, view seating charts, photo galleries, and more. Now, whether you're a theatergoer wondering what to see, or a theatre company wondering when to schedule an opening, you can easily navigate through all of the opening nights here in Chicago.

The goal of TheatreInChicago.com is to serve as a one-stop site to find all the happenings onstage in the Chicago area, and to support Chicago theatre. With well over 100 theatres and countless theatrical production companies in the Chicago area, TheatreInChicago makes your search for Chicago plays easy. So whether you're looking for a big Broadway In Chicago musical in the Loop, a cutting-edge production at a small storefront theatre, or anything in between, TheatreInChicago.com is the place to be.]]> http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=357 http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=357 Fri, 2 May 2008 00:55:19 -0500

Among individual nominees, Mike Tutaj received 3 nominations - one for Sound Design and two for Projections Design for his work on "columbinus" (Raven Theatre) and "Tesla’s Letters" (TimeLine Theatre Company). Vincent L. Lonergan was nominated twice - as Actor in a Principal Role - Play for his work in "Old Wicked Songs" and Actor in a Supporting Role - Musical for "1776" (both with Signal Ensemble Theatre). Also nominated twice was Jeremy Rill, as Actor in a Principal Role - Musical for "Can-Can" (Circle Theatre) and as Actor in a Supporting Role - Musical for his turn as the announcer turned devil in Bailiwick Repertory Theatre’s "Jerry Springer - The Opera." Additional double nominations were earned by Victoria DeIorio, Jared Moore, Kimberly G. Morris, and Kevin O’Donnell.

The 35th Anniversary Non-Equity Jeff Awards Ceremony will be held on Monday, June 9, 2008, at the Park West, 322 W. Armitage, Chicago, IL. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Light buffet at 6:30 p.m. Presentation at 7:30 p.m. Cash bar. Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 at the door. Purchase tickets on line with a credit card at www.jeffawards.org or by mail. A downloadable mail-order form is also available at the Jeff Awards web site.

The Jeff Awards are given annually by The Jeff Awards Committee to honor excellence in professional theatre produced in the immediate Chicago area. The Committee, organized in 1968, consists of up to 50 men and women with varying backgrounds in theatre, but united by their commitment to Chicagoland’s theatre community. The Committee evaluates over 250 theatrical productions and holds two awards ceremonies annually. Originally chartered to recognize only Equity productions, the Committee established the Non-Equity Wing in 1973 to celebrate outstanding achievement in non-union Chicago theatre. The 40th Anniversary Equity Awards Ceremony, honoring productions presented under union contracts, will be held on October 20, 2008, at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie.

2008 Non-Equity Jeff Award Nominees

Production - Play
"columbinus" - Raven Theatre
"Dolly West's Kitchen" - TimeLine Theatre Company
"An Ideal Husband" - Circle Theatre
"The Island of Dr. Moreau" - Lifeline Theatre
"Jitney" - Pegasus Players
"The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui" - Steep Theatre Company

Production - Musical
"Cabaret" - Theo Ubique Theatre Company i/a/w Beverle Bloch & Michael James
"Jerry Springer - The Opera" - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
"The Life" - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
"A Man of No Importance" - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" - Circle Theatre
"1776" - Signal Ensemble Theatre

Director - Play
Paul S. Holmquist - "The Island of Dr. Moreau" - Lifeline Theatre
Jessica Hutchinson - "The Dining Room" - New Leaf Theatre
Greg Kolack - "columbinus" - Raven Theatre
Coya Paz - "Machos" - Teatro Luna
Jim Schneider - "An Ideal Husband" - Circle Theatre
Jonathan Wilson - "Jitney" - Pegasus Players

Director - Musical
Fred Anzevino - "Cabaret" - Theo Ubique Theatre Company i/a/w Beverle Bloch & Michael James
Scott Ferguson - "A Man of No Importance" - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Ronan Marra - "1776" - Signal Ensemble Theatre
David Zak - "Jerry Springer - The Opera" - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre

Ensemble
"columbinus" - Raven Theatre
"Jitney" - Pegasus Players
"Machos" - Teatro Luna
"The Dining Room" - New Leaf Theatre
"Waiting for Lefty" - BackStage Theatre Company

Actor in a Principal Role - Play
Matt Kelly - "The Collector" - LiveWire Chicago Theatre
Vincent L. Lonergan - "Old Wicked Songs" - Signal Ensemble Theatre
Brian Parry - "Three Hotels" - redtwist theatre f/k/a Actors Workshop Theatre
Shawn Pfautsch - "Old Wicked Songs" - Signal Ensemble Theatre
Alfred H. Wilson - "Jitney" - Pegasus Players
Sam Wootten - "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde" - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble

Actor in a Principal Role - Musical
Don Denton - "bare" - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Kevin D. Mayes - "A Man of No Importance" - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Jeremy Rill - "Can - Can" - Circle Theatre
Jeremy Trager - "Cabaret" - Theo Ubique Theatre Company i/a/w Beverle Bloch & Michael James
Philip Winston - "1776" - Signal Ensemble Theatre

Actress in a Principal Role - Play
Caren Blackmore - "MiLK" - MPAACT
Tien Doman - "Tesla's Letters" - TimeLine Theatre Company
Vanessa Greenway - "The Constant Wife" - Griffin Theatre Company
Sabrina Kramnich - "Gidget" - City Lit Theater Company
Kelly O'Sullivan - "Mr. Marmalade" - Dog & Pony Theatre Company

Actress in a Principal Role - Musical
Elizabeth Lanza - "Can - Can" - Circle Theatre
Tawny Newsome - "The Life" - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
Rachel Quinn - "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" - Circle Theatre
Dana Tretta - "Cabaret" - Theo Ubique Theatre Company i/a/w Beverle Bloch & Michael James

Actor in a Supporting Role - Play
Hans Fleischmann - "In a Dark Dark House" - Profiles Theatre
Terry Hamilton - "Widowers' Houses" - TimeLine Theatre Company
Joel Stanley Huff - "Tesla's Letters" - TimeLine Theatre Company
Bradford R. Lund - "An Ideal Husband" - Circle Theatre
John Henry Roberts - "Aristocrats" - Strawdog Theatre Company
Ron Wells - "A Prayer for My Daughter" - Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co.

Actor in a Supporting Role - Musical
Vincent L. Lonergan - "1776" - Signal Ensemble Theatre
Rus Rainear - "Cabaret" - Theo Ubique Theatre Company i/a/w Beverle Bloch & Michael James
Jeremy Rill - "Jerry Springer - The Opera" - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre

Actress in a Supporting Role - Play
Janet Ulrich Brooks - "A Lie of the Mind" - Strawdog Theatre Company
Kate Harris - "The Constant Wife" - Griffin Theatre Company
Saren Nofs-Snyder - "An Ideal Husband ‘ - Circle Theatre
Kathleen Ruhl - "Dolly West's Kitchen" - TimeLine Theatre Company
Nicolle Van Dyke - "A View from the Bridge" - The GreyZelda Theatre Group
Rebekah Ward-Hays - "Waiting for Lefty" - BackStage Theatre Company

Actress in a Supporting Role - Musical or Revue
Danielle Brothers - "Cabaret" - Theo Ubique Theatre Company i/a/w Beverle Bloch & Michael James
Nancy Kolton - "A Man of No Importance" - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Bethany Thomas - "The Life" - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble

New Work
Mia McCullough - "Spare Change" - Stage Left Theatre
Mary Scruggs - "Missing Man" - Live Bait Theatre
Teatro Luna & Coya Paz - "Machos" - Teatro Luna
Teatro Luna & Tanya Saracho - "lunatic(a)s" - Teatro Luna

New Adaptation
Robert Kauzlaric - "The Island of Dr. Moreau" - Lifeline Theatre
Frederick Kohner - "Gidget" - City Lit Theatre Company
Terry McCabe - "The Hound of the Baskervilles" - City Lit Theatre Company
Jake Minton & Phillip C. Klapperich - "The Nutcracker" - The House Theatre of Chicago

Choreography
Kevin Bellie -"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" - Circle Theatre
Brenda Didier - "The Life" - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
Lisa Johnson-Willingham - "Trouble the Water" - MPAACT
Maggie Portman - "Cabaret" - Theo Ubique Theatre Company i/a/w Beverle Bloch & Michael James

Original Music
Victoria DeIorio - "The Island of Dr. Moreau" - Lifeline Theatre
Gregor Mortis & Mikhail Fiksel - "A Lie of the Mind" - Strawdog Theatre Company
Kevin O'Donnell - "The Nutcracker" - The House Theatre of Chicago
Kevin O'Donnell - "Desire Under the Elms" - The Hypocrites

Music Direction
Joshua Stephen Kartes - "Cabaret" - Theo Ubique Theatre Company i/a/w Beverle Bloch & Michael James
James Morehead - "bare" - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Robert Ollis - "A Man of No Importance" - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Gary Powell - "Jerry Springer - The Opera" - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Jon Steinhagen - "The Life" - Bohemian Theatre Ensemble

Scenic Design
Brian Sidney Bembridge - "Dolly West's Kitchen" - TimeLine Theatre Company
Tom Burch - "The Island of Dr. Moreau" - Lifeline Theatre
Bob Knuth - "An Ideal Husband" - Circle Theatre
Timothy Mann - "Jitney" - Pegasus Players
Michael Menendian & Leif Olsen - "The Night of the Iguana" - Raven Theatre
Tracy Otwell - "Desire Under the Elms" - The Hypocrites
Grant Sabin - "Mr. Marmalade" - Dog & Pony Theatre Company

Lighting Design
Charles Cooper - "Sueño" - Greasy Joan & Co.
Kevin D. Gawley - "The Island of Dr. Moreau" - Lifeline Theatre
Lee Keenan - "Hope Springs Infernal" - The House Theatre of Chicago
Jared Moore - "Jerry Springer - The Opera" - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Jared Moore - "Desire Under the Elms" - The Hypocrites

Costume Design
Laura M. Dana - "1776" - Signal Ensemble Theatre
Rachel Anne Healy - "Widowers' Houses" - TimeLine Theatre Company
Jeff Jones - "Jerry Springer - The Opera" - Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Kimberly G. Morris - "The Island of Dr. Moreau" - Lifeline Theatre
Jesus Perez - "Can - Can" - Circle Theatre
Elizabeth Shaffer - "An Ideal Husband" - Circle Theatre

Sound Design
Victoria DeIorio - "The Island of Dr. Moreau" - Lifeline Theatre
Michael Griggs - "Hope Springs Infernal" - The House Theatre of Chicago
Stephen Ptacek - "Faster" - the side project
Peter J. Storms - "The Night of the Iguana" - Raven Theatre
Mike Tutaj - "columbinus" - Raven Theatre

OTHER
Puppet Design - Allison Daniel - "The Nutcracker" - The House Theatre of Chicago
Mask Design - Kimberly G. Morris - "The Island of Dr. Moreau" - Lifeline Theatre
Projections Design - Mike Tutaj - "columbinus" - Raven Theatre
Projections Design - Mike Tutaj - "Tesla's Letters" - TimeLine Theatre Company

Multiple Nominees
Individuals
Mike Tutaj - 3
Victoria DeIorio - 2
Vincent P. Lonergan - 2
Jared Moore - 2
Kimberly G. Morris - 2
Kevin O’Donnell - 2
Jeremy Rill - 2

Companies
Bailiwick Repertory Theatre - 13
Circle Theatre - 12
Lifeline Theatre - 9
Theo Ubique Theatre Company i/a/w Beverle Bloch & Michael James - 8
TimeLine Theatre Company - 8
Raven Theatre - 7
Signal Ensemble Theatre - 7
Bohemian Theatre Ensemble - 6
The House Theatre of Chicago - 5
Pegasus Players - 5
Teatro Luna - 4
City Lit Theater Company - 3
The Hypocrites - 3
Strawdog Theatre Company - 3
BackStage Theatre Company - 2
Dog & Pony Theatre Company - 2
Griffin Theatre Company - 2
MPAACT - 2
New Leaf Theatre - 2

Productions
"The Island of Dr. Moreau" - 9
"Cabaret" - 8
"An Ideal Husband" - 6
"Jerry Springer - The Opera" - 6
"columbinus"- 5
"Jitney" - 5
"The Life" - 5
"A Man of No Importance" - 5
"1776" - 5
"Can - Can" - 3
"Desire Under the Elms" - 3
"Dolly West’s Kitchen" - 3
"Machos" - 3
"The Nutcracker" - 3
"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" - 3
"Tesla’s Letters" - 3
"bare" - 2
"The Constant Wife" - 2
"The Dining Room" - 2
"Gidget" - 2
"Hope Springs Infernal" - 2
"A Lie of the Mind" - 2
"Mr. Marmalade" - 2
"The Night of the Iguana" - 2
"Old Wicked Songs" - 2
"Waiting for Lefty" - 2
"Widowers’ Houses" - 2

For a limited time, cast members from Chicago's Jersey Boys team up with CAF docents to provide an entertaining and fact-filled commentary on Chicago’s architecture from the unique vantage point of the river.  Members of Chicago’s cast of Jersey Boys will welcome guests and share a little bit about why Jersey Boys has made its home in Chicago.  Back on land, guests can make their way to the LaSalle Bank Theatre for the complete Jersey Boys experience.

All CAF cruises depart from the lower level and southeast corner of the Michigan Avenue Bridge at Wacker Drive.  The cruise highlights 53 historic and architecturally significant sites along the Chicago River.  The staircase to the ticket window and dock is marked by a blue awning.  Tickets are $28 for weekday cruises and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com.

Steppenwolf Launches 2008-2009 Traffic Series With A Sandra Bernhard Halloween

Steppenwolf Theatre Company announced they will kick off their 2008-2009 Traffic Series with two hauntingly hilarious performances of A Sandra Bernard Halloween on Monday, October 27, 2008 in the Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. 

Actress, comedienne, author, singer and provocateur Sandra Bernhard promises plenty of "tricks and treats" as she storms the Steppenwolf stage for A Sandra Bernard Halloween.  Audience members are invited to attend in costume as the outrageous and outspoken star brings her band The Rebellious Jezebels for an unforgettable night of music, wit and social commentary.

Steppenwolf’s Traffic Series brings together artists of all disciplines and casts them as storytellers in one night only presentations on the Steppenwolf stage. Traffic provides an intimate and unique intersection of language, lyrics, poetry and music.

A Sandra Bernhard Halloween will have a one night performance on October 27 with curtain times at 7:00pm and 9:30pm. Tickets go on sale Thursday, June 19 at 11 a.m.  The full 2008-2009 Traffic Series lineup will be announced at a later date.

Chicago native and Tony-nominated Broadway performer John Herrera returns home for a special Father's Day concert to benefit Village Players Performing Arts Center in Songs for Fathers, Sons and Daughters.

John Herrera performed on the Village Players stage as John Dickinson in 1776 back in 1976 in a special bicentennial production, before embarking on a successful musical theatre career both on Broadway and across the United States.  Coincidentally, he went on to play Roger Sherman in the last Broadway revival of 1776.  As a special bonus at the concert, Herrera will perform a selection from 1776.  

Regarding his last appearance for the Village Players, John says "I had seen the touring production of 1776 at the Shubert Theater when I was at Lane Tech High School. I had never seen a professional musical before. It was magical and life transforming in a very spiritual way. When I heard Gary Beach sing 'Molasses to Rum,' I knew what wanted to do: sing onstage. The theatre bug had bitten!  So while a student at Loyola University, I heard about auditions for Oak Park Village Player's production. I took the 'El' all the way from Rogers Park.  The late Laurel Cronin directed the production, and I was so young I thought she'd cast me as the courier. She totally surprised me and cast me as John Dickinson, the major antagonist who doesn't sign the declaration because of his strong beliefs.  She felt although I was young I had the stage presence to play a much older man of such fervent convictions. It was a phenomenal experience. Most memorably, on opening night when John Adams was singing how the 4th of July would one day be celebrated with fireworks, the actual Bi Centennial fireworks could be heard in the distance. I get goose bumps just thinking about it."

Songs for Fathers, Sons and Daughters will feature John Herrera singing a mix of both pop and Broadway selections especially chosen for Father's Day, including songs written by Mr. Herrera as well as Amanda McBroom (composer of 'The Rose'), David Wilcox, The Beatles, Harry Chapin and Stephen Sondheim. He will be accompanied by pianist Rick Snyder and bass player Tom Mendel, both currently playing in the orchestra of Wicked in downtown Chicago.

John Herrera is perhaps best known in the Chicago area for playing Che in the original National tour of Evita at the Shubert Theater. He created the role of Neville in Drood on Broadway for which he was nominated for both the Tony and an Outer Critic's Circle awards for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

Songs for Fathers, Sons and Daughters will be presented in the Mainstage Theater of the newly renovated Village Players Performing Arts Center located at 1010 W. Madison St., Oak Park. Tickets available at www.village-players.org or by calling 866-764-1010.

The Smash Hit Drama A Steady Rain Celebrates National Police Week May 11 - 17

A Steady Rain, Chicago Dramatists' hit production now playing at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted, will celebrate National Police Week by offering all police officers special buy one get one free tickets to performances on Thursdays, May 8 and 15 and Sundays, May 11 and 18.  Police officers should bring proper identification to the Royal George Theatre box office to receive the discount.  Recently extended through June 8, no other production in recent Chicago history has garnered the kind of rave reviews as A Steady Rain. 

A Steady Rain explores love and rage on the streets of Chicago, as a routine domestic disturbance call sends two Chicago cops, Denny (Randy Steinmeyer) and Joey (Peter DeFaria), on a harrowing journey that will test their loyalties and change their lives forever.

2008 Waa-Mu Show Takes Audiences to New York, L.A. and Chicago

Northwestern University’s 2008 Waa-Mu Show "Skylines" will focus on the East Coast, West Coast and Midwest as it follows recent Northwestern graduates to New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

In a tapestry of big city settings and musical styles the show is filled with original songs, sketches and dances and covers a wide range of subject matter from New York subways to the joys and woes of being a Chicago Cubs fan.

The annual student- and alumni-written show -- now in its 77th year -- features a cast of 38 student performers and is being directed for the 15th consecutive year by Northwestern theater faculty member Dominic Missimi. Missimi directed the highly-praised musical production of Les Miserables which runs through May 11 at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. His wife Nancy served as costume designer for Les Miserables and is also designing costumes for the 2008 Waa-Mu Show.

"This year's 'Skylines' visits three great cities that have been stomping grounds for a number of Waa-Mu shows," said Missimi. "Many of our past Waa-Mu shows have featured countless songs and sketches in New York City. My sixth Waa-Mu Show was set entirely in the Big Apple. As for Chicago, many Waa-Mu shows have enjoyed spoofing our favorite Chicago institution, the Cubs, a tradition we enjoy repeating this year. And in a school (Northwestern’s School of Communication) that has an enormous roster of alumni who are Hollywood stars, how could we not have visited LaLa land on innumerable occasions?"

Tickets to the show range in price from $11 to $27. Call 847-491-7282 to purchase tickets by phone.

The House Theatre of Chicago who have brought Chicago innovative productions this year such as The Sparrow and The Nutcracker have announced a gala event.  The House invites Chicagoans to participate in The Third Annual Gathering of the Secret Order of the Magic Pearl, to be held Friday June 20, 2008 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Carmichael’s Chicago Steak House, 1052 W Monroe St.

Become privy to the best-kept secrets in Chicago, as members of the Secret Order of the Magic Pearl take part in arcane rites and impassioned speechmaking.  For those who remain cautious, representatives from the Order claim that facial tattoos will be optional this year.  The glorious evening will feature a scrumptious buffet to nourish the soul, live entertainment, and silent and live auctions.  Among the plethora of smashing prizes will be a week’s stay in Manzanillo, Mexico, and a weekend in New York City.

The Annual Gathering of the Secret Order of the Magic Pearl is an integral fundraising event for the ever-innovative House, which offers anywhere from three to six productions per season.  Since 2001, The House has provided Chicago with intrigue and hijinks, hilarity and creativity.   The evening’s festivities will be hosted by Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me.

"Like a lot of fans of The House Theatre of Chicago, I don't just want to see their shows. I want to be in them.  I want to save the world, have cool fights and make things fly with the power of my mind," says gala host Peter Sagal.  "Sadly, they say they don't have a role that's quite right for me, but I do, every year, get to host The Annual Gathering of the Secret Order of the Magic Pearl, which is not only a solemn and musical invocation of art, community, and evil-fighting, but it's also the kind of party I used to dream about being invited to when I grew up and got to hang with the cool people.  I understand this year they might let me sing."

Individual tickets are $100 and can be ordered through The House Theatre of Chicago's website at www.thehousetheatre.com.  For more information, please contact The House Theatre of Chicago’s office at 773-769-3832.]]> http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=355 http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=355 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:44:58 -0500 Continental Divide: Mothers Against & Daughters of the Revolution, October 6 - November 9, 2008, and the one-women show, The Shape of a Girl, March 2 - April 12, 2009: as well as a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s popular musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, May 4 - June 14; and Pegasus Players' 23rd Annual Young Playwrights Festival, January 12 - February 12, 2009.

"For Pegasus Players' 30th Anniversary, we are excited to be presenting a variety of new works and old favorites," said Levy. "This season we have chosen to present two Chicago Premieres, one of which corresponds with our country's fierce election season and the other - a strong one-woman show. We are also thrilled to be able to continue our great relationship with composer Stephen Sondheim as well as many other artists who have helped Pegasus make it to this significant anniversary."

Pegasus Players' 30th Anniversary season includes:

Continental Divide: Mothers Against & Daughters of the Revolution
By David Edgar
October 6 - November 9

Corresponding with one of our country’s biggest presidential elections, this topical two-play cycle - to be performed in repertory - is set against the backdrop of a bitterly fought gubernatorial election. Mothers Against follows Republican Sheldon Vine’s campaign as they prepare for an upcoming debate, while Daughters of the Revolution follows Democrat Rebecca McKeene’s campaign as a key appointee tries to discover who knows about his potentially embarrassing criminal past.

The 23rd Annual Young Playwrights Festival
January 12 - February 1, 2009

A Chicago tradition and one of the most decorated festivals of its kind; Pegasus Players’ Young Playwrights Festival will be growing in scope in 2009. In addition to the traditional main stage series of winning plays written by Chicago public high school students, audience members can experience readings and shorter plays submitted by students from around the world as part of Pegasus Players; Global Voices Initiative.

The Shape of a Girl
By Joan MacLeod
March 2 - April 12, 2009

This one-women show deals with the code of silence and tacit complicity which surrounded the Reena Vick murder in Canada in 1997. Vick was bullied and eventually murdered by a group of teenage classmates in Victoria. The plays deal with the fine line that separates this extreme act and the everyday occurrence happening in our schools and communities.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
By Larry Gelbart, Burt Shevelove and Steve Sondheim
May 4 - June 14, 2009

Continuing Pegasus Players’ long relationship with one of American theater’s greatest composers, this classic Sondheim comedy is the story of a slave named Pseudolus and his attempts to win his freedom by helping his master win the girl next door. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum marks Pegasus Players 16th Stephen Sondheim production, more than any other theater in the United States.

Season subscriptions are now available at the Pegasus Players box office at 1145 W. Wilson Avenue or by calling 773-878-9761. Five-show subscriptions range from $75 to $100. For more information visit www.pegasusplayers.org.]]> http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=354 http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=354 Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:08:15 -0500 Steppenwolf Theatre Company has announced the lineup for First Look Repertory of New Work, the 4th annual program featuring three developmental productions of new plays presented in rotation and accompanied by a series of readings, lectures and events around the development of new work. First Look Repertory of New Work runs in The Merle Reskin Garage Theatre, 1624 N. Halsted St., July 23 - August 10, 2008.

First Look Repertory of New Work is a developmental process that culminates in performance before an audience, rather than in a staged reading or workshop presentation. Scripts undergo significant revision during the workshop/rehearsal process and may be revised even after being publicly presented during First Look Repertory of New Work. They are presented with full, if minimal, design support because in our view, the design process is an integral aspect of developing the play. The intent is to develop the plays for future production at Steppenwolf and other theaters across the country.

First Look has gained both local and national recognition since its inception in 2005. Six of the nine plays presented during First Look’s first three seasons have enjoyed subsequent productions at other theaters, including: Men of Tortuga by Jason Wells produced by Asolo Repertory Theatre in Florida; Butcher of Baraboo by Marisa Wegrzyn produced by 2econd Stage Theatre in New York; 100 Saints You Should Know by Kate Fodor produced by Playwrights Horizons in New York; Spare Change by Mia McCullough produced by Stage Left Theatre in Chicago; Gary by Melinda Lopez produced by Boston Playwrights’ Theatre in Massachusetts; and When The Messenger is Hot by Laura Eason produced by 59E59 Theaters in New York.

The First Look Repertory of New Work 2008 productions are:

Pursued by Happiness
by Keith Huff
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 - Sunday, August 10, 2008

An unexpected meeting between two 40-something biochemists touches off a whirlwind romance. But when it’s time to meet the parents, a series of shocking revelations test the new couple’s relationship in this dysfunctional dark comedy from the author of A Steady Rain.

Keith Huff, a resident playwright with Chicago Dramatists, is the author of A Steady Rain, currently running at The Royal George Theatre and slated to premiere Off-Broadway this fall.

Perfect Mendacity
by Jason Wells
Thursday, July 24, 2008 - Sunday, August 10, 2008

When a top secret, internal memo from a scientific research facility is leaked to the media, Dr. Walter Kreutzer is forced to take a lie detector test about its origins. With his career on the line, Walter gets tangled up in investigations of bioterrorism and racially motivated killings. As suspicions escalate that Walter’s wife is involved, the play’s riveting plot twists uncover the insidious hypocrisy of government sanctioned discrimination.

Jason Wells' previous play, Men Of Tortuga, was produced in First Look 2005, and subsequently at Asolo Rep in Sarasota, Florida.

A plagiarism case involving a famous author is the backdrop for this romantic comedy set in a high-powered law firm. A series of questionable love letters fuel this breezy cross-examination of negotiating modern dating and relationships.

Sarah Gubbins recently completed her MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage at Northwestern University. Fair Use was named one of the Finalists in this year’s Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Competition.

Steppenwolf also announced the continuation of First Look 101, a three-month experience providing rare access to the new play development process leading up to the 4th annual First Look Repertory of New Work. First Look 101 runs May 19 – August 10, 2008.

First Look 101 will take enrolled members on a one-of-a-kind backstage journey through Steppenwolf’s new play development process. The program is open to anyone interested in, and wanting to know more about, creating new plays. Space is limited to 101 members.

Individual tickets to First Look Repertory of New Work cost $20. A First Look Pass to all three plays is available for $45. Tickets are available at www.steppenwolf.org or by calling Audience Services at 312-335-1650. First Look 101 costs $75 ($45 for students with valid ID) and includes access to all First Look 101 events, plus tickets to all three First Look Repertory productions. To enroll in First Look 101, contact Audience Services at 312-335-1650. Space is limited to 101 members.

Tickets for First Look Repertory of New Work and First Look 101 go on sale to the general public on Monday, May 5 at 11:00 am.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=353 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=353 Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:49:47 -0500 The Kid From Brooklyn: The Danny Kaye Musical, the critically-acclaimed new musical based on the life of entertainment legend Danny Kaye, is coming to the Mercury Theater, 3745 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago, for a limited engagement previewing May 28, opening June 7 and running through August 24, before making its way to New York City in the spring of 2009.

This local engagement follows an unprecedented sell-out run in Los Angeles’ El Portal Theatre, where The Kid From Brooklyn now holds the record for the longest-running, highest-grossing show on the mainstage of the El Portal Theatre. The show’s engagement was twice extended because of popular demand for tickets.

Directed by Peter J. Loewy, with book by Mark Childers and Peter J. Loewy, and musical direction by Charlie Harrison and David Cohen, The Kid From Brooklyn stars Helen Hayes Award Winner, Brian Childers as Danny Kaye and Karin Leone as Sylvia Fine, with Christina Purcell and Adam Lebow. The show was first produced at the Broward Stage Door Theatre in Ft. Lauderdale by Loewy/Leone Productions.

Based on the turbulent and triumphant life of Danny Kaye, this intimate musical portrayal chronicles Kaye’s career and his relationships on and off the stage as we follow the rise of Danny Kaye from an undisciplined improvisational comic to his success under the guidance of his wife, Sylvia Fine. An amazingly versatile pair of supporting players appears and disappears throughout the performance creating distinct and believable portrayals of a myriad of luminaries who are interwoven with Kaye and Fine: Eve Arden (with whom Kaye was both professionally and romantically linked from the time they first paired on Broadway), Samuel Goldwyn, Kitty Carlisle, Cole Porter, Vivien Leigh, Billy Rose, Laurence Olivier, and handfuls of other fascinating characters. Backed by a live four-piece ensemble, musical highlights include Tchaikovsky, By Jingo, Minnie the Moocher & Inchworm. The Kid From Brooklyn features the work of musical greats, including Sylvia Fine, Rodgers & Hart, Frank Loesser & Cole Porter, to name a few.

Danny Kaye’s fame began when he became the first man (at least the first in recorded history) to sing a song in which he named 54 Russian composers in 38 seconds. The song was "Tchaikovsky." The place was Broadway's Alvin Theater on January 21, 1941. The show was Moss Hart's musical, Lady in the Dark. Hart had discovered this young mobile-faced, nimble-tongued redhead in a small Manhattan basement nightspot and written him into the play with the now-famous 11-minute part of a temperamental photographer who had developed the art of tongue-twisters. The number brought the second act to a standstill. Danny Kaye never stood still in his profession again.

He was born David Daniel Kaminsky, the son of an immigrant Ukrainian tailor. After having dropped out of school in his teens, he got early experience as a comedian on the Borscht circuit of summer hotels and camps in the Catskills. With the help of his wife, composer-lyricist Sylvia Fine Kaye, who provided much of his musical material, he continued to gain prominence. She wrote many of the songs and gags that brought him to the attention of Samuel Goldwyn in 1944.

Starting with the film Up In Arms, he was for a decade one of the screen's biggest comedy and musical stars--often as disaster-prone, manic clown with good intentions and a plethora of words flung out haphazardly and at a dizzying rate. Films he made during this period included Wonderman, The Kid From Brooklyn, The Court Jester, Merry Andrew, Me and the Colonel, and The Inspector General. He also starred in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Hans Christian Andersen, White Christmas, and The Five Pennies and was the recipient of a special Academy Award in 1954.

Kaye was a familiar face on television. He starred in his own musical-variety series, The Danny Kaye Show, for four seasons (1963-67). It won him an Emmy Award in 1963. He also received an Emmy for his 1975 appearance on Danny Kaye's Look-In and the Metropolitan Opera, part of The CBS Festival of Lively Arts for Young People series.

Tickets for The Kid From Brooklyn: The Danny Kaye Musical, are priced at $42.50 for Wednesday and Thursday performances and $48.50 for performances Friday through Sunday. Preview performances are priced at $32.50 for Wednesdays and Thursdays; and $38.50 for performances Friday through Sunday. Tickets are available by phone at 773-325-1700 or online at www.thekidfrombrooklynmusical.com. The performance schedule for The Kid From Brooklyn is Wednesdays at 2pm, Thursdays at 8pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm; and Sundays at 2pm.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=352 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=352 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:07:40 -0500 The Comedy of Errors staged by CST Artistic Director Barbara Gaines, whose collaboration with Second City veteran Ron West brings an additional comedic twist to the production. Set in 1940, during the golden age of film, Shakespeare’s comedic classic unfolds as an eccentric group of stage and screen actors gather on an English movie set during World War II in the midst of the London blitz to film the play. Performed in Chicago Shakespeare’s Courtyard Theater, The Comedy of Errors begins previews Sunday, April 27, 2008 and runs through Sunday, June 29, 2008.

Chicago Shakespeare Artistic Director Barbara Gaines stages The Comedy of Errors for the first time in her distinguished career. Collaborating with Ron West, Gaines’ production sets Shakespeare’s earliest comedy - in which Antipholus and his servant Dromio land in Ephesus searching for their long-lost twin brother - as a play-within-a play in which an eccentric group of stage and screen actors gather on an English movie set in the midst of the London blitz to film The Comedy of Errors as a gift to the troops in war-torn Europe. Set in the golden age of film, the cast is populated with a mélange of glamorous movie stars and theatrical characters - each performing a role in The Comedy of Errors. Backstage antics abound as the onstage story of Antipholus and his servant Dromio unfolds and mistaken identities make for hilarious complications as the two men search for their identical twins lost since infancy. Comedic chaos gives way to clarity and a baffling day on the set makes for a joyous conclusion to The Comedy of Errors.

"This has been a project I’ve wanted to work on for many years," says director Gaines, "and this season it finally comes to fruition. Ron West is a tremendous talent and together we’ve developed a script in which Shakespeare’s play is fully realized within a theatrical context that further compounds the chaos and humor of The Comedy of Errors."

Barbara Gaines, Founder and Artistic Director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, has directed more than 30 of William Shakespeare’s plays throughout her career. Her work has been honored with several Jeff Awards for Best Production and Best Director. In partnership with Executive Director Criss Henderson, Gaines has broadened the Theater’s artistic palate to encompass -alongside Shakespeare’s canon -theatrical presentations for students and families, musicals and collaborations with international theater artists. In 2005, Gaines was awarded the prestigious Honorary OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in recognition of her contributions strengthening British-American cultural relations and in 2007 the Public Humanities Award by the Illinois Humanities Council.

Collaborating with Barbara Gaines is the talented writer/director/actor Ron West (The Second City’s Romeo and Juliet Musical: The People vs. Friar Laurence, The Man Who Killed Romeo and Juliet, at CST in 2005). West began his acting career with the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in Cleveland, OH. He has also been seen on both the silver screen and television, most notably in recurring roles on 3rd Rock from the Sun and Malcolm in the Middle. He received the Joseph Jefferson Award for directing Curious George Goes to War (The Second City e.t.c.).

Tickets are $44-70 and can be purchased by calling Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Box Office at 312-595-5600 or by visiting the Theater’s website at www.chicagoshakes.com.

Half price tickets are also available for this show.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=351 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=351 Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:51:10 -0500 Hizzoner: Daley the First has found a home at the new Frank Sinatra Performing Arts Center, 1431 W. Taylor St. The open-ended run begins Sunday, May 18 at 2 p.m. in "The Upstairs Room," in the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, a temporary space until the Frank Sinatra Performing Arts Center opens later this year.

Ron Onesti, president of Onesti Entertainment and producer of Hizzoner, says "Hizzoner is the perfect show to open the Frank Sinatra Performing Arts Center. Daley, Sinatra and, of course, Taylor Street have long Chicago roots and the combination of all of these in one location is a dream, a world class production on a street with world class restaurants. This production and facility will give people another reason to come to Taylor Street." Doug Peterson, producer of Hizzoner added, "This is an exciting time for the production. Not many productions, after more than 300 performances, get the opportunity to move into a brand new, state-of-the-art theater. We are looking forward to reviewing the production and giving audiences and even better experience at the Frank Sinatra Performing Arts Center. We look forward to making long lasting relationships with our new neighbors and giving everyone an experience they will not forget."

Mayor Richard J. Daley (1902 - 1976), authoritarian politician, family man and dynasty builder, whose life was inextricably bound to Chicago, the city he loved, is explored in Hizzoner: Daley the First. Written by and starring Neil Giuntoli, it is directed by Stefan Brun and opened March 2, 2006 at Prop Thtr to critical acclaim. Hizzoner is a theatrically intimate look at the man atop Chicago's political machine and a major influence on national policy and politics - Richard J. Daley. Set in the changing and tumultuous history of the 1960's and 1970's, Hizzoner offers a behind-the-scenes view of a world rarely scene beyond City Hall as well as personalities who worked with Daley and some - like Jesse Jackson - with whom he had a crucial crossing of paths. There is also a glimpse into how "Da Mare" may have seen himself.

Giuntoli, a Chicago native and relative of Chicago’s Mayor Anton Cermak has written four plays and has a long list of additional credits including movie and television roles in "Shawshank Redemption," "Memphis Belle" and "Waterworld" among others. His notable TV guest appearances include "The Jeff Foxworthy Show," "CSI: NY," "CSI," "Monk," "NYPD Blue," "Ally McBeal," "Chicago Hope," "Seinfeld" and "ER."

The Frank Sinatra Performing Arts Center has begun its initial build-out phase. Located on the lower lever of the National Italian Sports Hall of Fame on Taylor Street, the venue will seat 220 patrons for live theatrical presentations, concerts and special events. During the construction of the Center, the second floor exhibit hall will be transformed into "The Upstairs Room," a temporary theatrical experience showcasing great entertainment until the Arts Center is completed.

Ron Onesti, The Onesti Entertainment Corporation president and executive producer, has also produced Emmy Award winning television presentations. It was his dream to create an enterprise that makes fantasy come to life. "The first thing we do is to create a vision," Onesti said. "The fun part is watching it materialize and come to life."

Hizzoner: Daley the First opens in "The Upstairs Room" on the second floor of the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, 1431 W. Taylor St. Sunday, May 18 at 2 p.m.. Tickets go on sale April 18 at 10 a.m. and may be purchased at 312-421-7462 or www.hizzonertheplay.com.]]> http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=350 http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=350 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:48:43 -0500 Mary Poppins, will be joined in the season by Grease, A Chorus Line, A Bronx Tale and Xanadu.

The complete 2009 season lineup includes:

Grease
January 6 - 18, 2009

The one that you want is back! Grease, Time Magazine’s 2007 pick for “#1 musical of the year,” is rockin’ across the country in this new production direct from Broadway. Take a trip to a simpler time of poodle skirts, drive-ins and T-birds. “Bad boy” Danny and “the girl next door” Sandy fall in love all over again to the tune of your favorite songs: “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’” and “We Go Together” as well as additional songs from the hit movie: “Grease,” “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and “You’re the One That I Want.” So throw your mittens around your kittens and “Hand Jive” the night away with the show that will make you want to stand up and shout, “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop A-wop-bam-boom!” Grease!

A Bronx Tale
March 9 – 22, 2009

Academy Award-nominated actor Chazz Palminteri returns to the stage in an unforgettable performance fresh from a successful run on Broadway, where it was praised by the critics and adored by the public. In A Bronx Tale, the celebrated play on which he based the legendary movie, Palminteri vividly depicts a young boy's rough childhood in the 1960s-era Bronx and the unforgettable people he encountered. A classic coming-of-age story about reaching your true potential and trusting your heart, A Bronx Tale is directed by four-time Tony Award-winner Jerry Zaks.

Mary Poppins
Limited Engagement Begins March 11, 2009

Beginning in March 2009, the world's most famous nanny will arrive at the Cadillac Palace Theatre! Combining the best of the original stories by P. L. Travers and the beloved Walt Disney film, the Tony Award-winning Mary Poppins is everything you'd hope for in a Broadway musical—and like nothing you'd ever expect. Produced by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, the show includes such wonderful songs as “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” and, of course, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” The NY Daily News hails Mary Poppins as “a roof-raising, toe-tapping, high-flying extravaganza!” Don't miss all the magic of Broadway’s super hit musical, and let your imagination take flight.

A Chorus Line
April 14 – May 3, 2009

In an empty theatre, on a bare stage, casting for a new Broadway musical is almost complete. For 17 dancers, this audition is the chance of a lifetime. It's what they've worked for - with every drop of sweat, every hour of training, every day of their lives. It's the one opportunity to do what they've always dreamed - to have the chance to dance. This is A Chorus Line, the musical for everyone who’s ever had a dream and put it all on the line. Winner of nine Tony Awards, including “Best Musical” and the Pulitzer Prize for drama, this singular sensation is the longest-running American Broadway musical ever. Now A Chorus Line returns. Come meet the new generation of Broadway’s best. “A Chorus Line is back, and it’s thrilling!” -John Lahr, The New Yorker

Xanadu
Limited Engagement Begins January 2009

The most celebrated musical comedy in years is also one of the biggest surprise hits in Broadway history. Turning a famously bad film of the same name into an inspired comic gem, Xanadu has critics and audiences leaping to their feet! This wildly funny musical delivers a surprisingly touching story about the nine magical muse-daughters of Zeus, who comes to earth in 1980 (disguised in roller skates, leg warmers and Australian accents) to inspire humans to create truly great work and discover the meaning of the universe's greatest secret: the Gift of Xanadu. Zeus' most important decree is they can’t fall in love with any mortals! But all that changes when the young Kira meets the handsome artist Sonny, who needs her help in achieving his greatest dream. It is only when Sonny teaches Kira the true meaning of inspiration, that the secret of Xanadu is revealed! People of all ages agree: Xanadu is an unforgettable, must-experience (roller skating) theater event. The 90 minutes of non-stop fun are set to a legendary score by Electric Light Orchestra and John Farrar, including such hits as "Xanadu," "Evil Woman," "Magic," "Have You Never Been Mellow" and many more. The New York Times raves, "Ingenious and Criminally Funny" and The New Yorker calls it "Brilliant--The most fun you'll have on Broadway."

The line-up will also feature the opportunity for priority purchase of the following 2008-09 Off-Season specials:

Monty Python’s Spamalot: The Third Coming
January 20 – February 1, 2009

Winner of the 2005 Tony Award for Best Musical, Monty Python’s Spamalot - the outrageous new musical comedy lovingly ripped off from the film classic “Monty Python and The Holy Grail” – triumphantly returns to the home of its World Premiere for a limited engagement. Directed by Tony Award-winner Mike Nichols, with a book by Eric Idle and music and lyrics by the Grammy Award-winning team of Mr. Idle and John Du Prez, Monty Python’s Spamalot tells the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as they embark on their quest for the Holy Grail. Flying cows, killer rabbits, taunting Frenchmen and show-stopping musical numbers are just a few of the reasons audiences everywhere are eating up Spamalot.

Rain: The Beatles Experience
March 3 – 8, 2009

Experience what Beatlemania was all about! From Ed Sullivan to Abbey Road! 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: The Beatles Experience covers the Fab Four from the earliest beginnings through the psychedelic late 60s and their long-haired hippie, hard-rocking rooftop days. Rain: The Beatles Experience 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. “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 Beatlemaniac favorites as “Let It Be,” “Hey Jude,” “My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Come Together” and “Can’t Buy Me Love.”

Shout! – The Mod Musical
April 20 – July 20, 2008

Shout! is a fast-paced journey through the infectious and soulful pop anthems and ballads that made household names of stars like Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield and Lulu. In this Austin Powers-like musical, hits like “To Sir With Love,” “Downtown,” “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” “Son of A Preacher Man,” and “Goldfinger” frame the journey of five women during the liberating days of the 1960s that made England swing! The first edition of Shout! appeared on stage at the Duplex in New York in 2000 and then transferred to London’s Jermyn Street Theatre, where it was nominated as Best Musical by WhatsOnStage. Shout! had the London critics raving during its sold-out run there in 2001. The Times cheered, Shout! “captures all the soulful heartbreak of the ‘60s diva songbook.”

2009 Broadway In Chicago Season Series ticket holders will receive special benefits, including savings up to 25%, priority seating at each venue, ticket exchange privileges, pre-paid and discounted parking, access to gift cards to give tickets as gifts, as well as the first opportunity to purchase additional tickets to future Broadway In Chicago productions, including those not currently listed in the Season Series. Season ticket packages will go on-sale Friday, May 9 at 10:00 a.m., and are available by logging onto www.BroadwayInChicago.com or calling the Season Ticket Hotline at 312-977-1717.

Single tickets to each individual production will go on-sale at future dates to be announced. 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 312-902-1400.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=349 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=349 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:35:50 -0500

Hallie Gordon, Artistic Director of Theater on the Lake, comments, "Theater on the Lake is one of Chicago's most beloved and affordable summertime activities that combines the beautiful lakeside setting and the best of the city's off-Loop theater ensembles."

Designed in 1913 and constructed in 1920, the Theater on the Lake building was originally built as the Chicago Daily News Fresh Air Fund Sanitarium, a recuperation ward for babies suffering from tuberculosis and other diseases. The pavilion housed 250 baby cribs, nurseries and rooms for older children. Doctors and nurses contributed their services and children were treated to fun-filled days in "the country." Free health services were provided to more than 30,000 children each summer until 1939, when the sanitarium closed.

During World War II, the structure reopened as a USO Center for soldiers and sailors. After the war, the Chicago Park District used the venue for then-popular barn dances. In 1952, it was converted into the Theater on the Lake performance venue and showcased productions staged by the Park District’s many community theater organizations. In 1996, the programming evolved into its current format, and the Chicago Park District began inviting professional theater companies to remount their best works.

The 2008 Theater on the Lake season is as follows:

Greasy Joan & Company
The Misanthrope
By Moliere
Directed by Libby Ford
June 11 - 15

Full of love triangles, lies and lots of laughs, The Misanthrope packs a social punch with its critique of corrupt society. Greasy Joan re-imagines Molière's classic comedy, turning the world of opulence into a maze of catastrophic illusion by setting the play in a dystopian environment. Alceste, the misanthrope, loves Celimene, the most popular woman in society, despite the fact she participates in behavior that makes him loath society. In this world of dangerous lawsuits and ridiculous accusations, Celimene dares not reveal her true affections for Alceste for fear of retribution from the three jealous marquises. Uncompromising philosophies of love and society make a humorous disaster out of misunderstanding and missed opportunities.

Pegasus Players
Jitney
By August Wilson
Directed by Jonathan Wilson
June 18 - 22

Jitney tells the stories of the men working in a Pittsburgh taxi station where tensions run high as the city threatens to shut down the company. Jitney is Pulitzer-prize winning playwright August Wilson’s acclaimed first play and the 1970’s installment in his renowned cycle of ten plays that depicts African-American life in Pittsburgh’s Hill District during the 20th century.

Schadenfreude
Schadenfreude
June 25 - 29

Over the past decade, Schadenfreude has performed at countless venues around the world including The Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, Lollapalooza, The Second City, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (Los Angeles), HERE (New York City) and twice at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The ensemble has headlined numerous sold-out venues at annual Chicago Improv Festivals and was awarded the first festival highlight award in 2002. Schadenfreude has branched across numerous mediums including a weekly show on Chicago Public Radio, countless short films, and even cell phone downloads. The group has completed two screenplays and is currently working with WTTW Channel 11 to create and perform a new weekly comedy program called 'IL-Informed.'

The Neo-Futurists
Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, 30 Plays in 60 Minutes
July 2 - 6

Too Much Light is an ever-changing attempt to perform 30 plays in 60 minutes. Now in its 20th year, it’s a high-energy, whip-smart collage of the comic and tragic, the personal and political, the visceral and experimental. TimeOut Chicago says, 'Here are the best parts of Chicago theater: low in maintenance, high in creativity, broad in appeal' and The Chicago Reader calls it 'unashamedly live and democratic theater.'

Chicago Dramatists
Cadillac
By Bill Jepsen
Directed by Edward Sobel
July 9 - 13

Howard Austin treats every customer at Lindy Motors like they’re special - not at all the stereotypical used car salesman. Valuing loyalty and service, he has built his career on principles, in an industry mired with sharks and hucksters. But as the hours tick away on the last selling day of the month, those principles are challenged and he must choose between his own career and a customer’s life-long dream. Debates of ethics and morality erupt in the most unlikely of places: a used car lot.

Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
Songs for a New World
Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Directed by Elizabeth Margolius
July 16 - 20

Lauded composer Jason Robert Brown (composer-lyricist of the hits The Last Five Years and Parade) has had the world talking about Songs for a New World ever since its exciting premiere. With a small, powerhouse cast and a driving, exquisitely crafted score running the gamut of today’s popular music, Songs for a New World is a great example of the next generation of musical theatre.

The House Theatre of Chicago
The Attempters
By Shawn Pfautsch
Directed by Marika Mashburn
July 23 - 27

Danny Hackles is a 17-year-old boy with a righteous guitar, a silver tongue and a chaotic mind who believes he is destined for fame. Abandoned by his family, he seeks to fill that void with fame at any cost. Through his journey, he abandons the people who love him most, and he must come to accept and present himself as who he is -- with no tricks, no spectacle, and no speeches.

Shattered Globe Theatre
Suddenly Last Summer
By Tennessee Williams
Directed by Kevin Hagan
July 30 – Aug. 3

In this tale of the darker side of old world Southern privilege, a family seeks the truth about the life and death of one of their own. New Orleans matriarch, Violet Venable, is on the verge of ordering a lobotomy for her niece Catherine, who has been institutionalized for her account of the events surrounding the death of Mrs. Venable's son, Sebastian. Set on preserving Sebastian's memory - and erasing her own role in the unspeakable acts that led to his demise - Mrs. Venable will go to any length to discredit Catherine's account. Shattered Globe brings back the production that Windy City Times said, 'oozes with gorgeous, carnivorous sensuality' and Chicago Sun-Times called 'ominously beautiful.'

The Chicago Park District’s Theater on the Lake is located at Fullerton Avenue and Lake Shore Drive in a historic building that offers breathtaking views of Lake Michigan. The schedule for all performances June 11 - Aug. 3 is Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 6:30 p.m.

Single tickets are $17.50 and a season subscription to all eight plays is available at a discounted price of $110. All tickets go on sale Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 2 p.m. at the Theater on the Lake box office at Fullerton Avenue and Lake Michigan or via phone at (312) 742-7994. Beginning June 3, the box office is open Tuesdays - Saturdays, 2 - 8 p.m. and Sundays, 3:30 - 7:30 p.m.

For more information about the Chicago Park District, visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com or call 312-742-PLAY.]]> http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=348 http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=348 Thu, 10 Apr 2008 08:15:03 -0500 A Steady Rain, Chicago Dramatists' hit production now playing through June 8 at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted. On any rainy day through April 30, you can get $10 off tickets to all performances. For tickets, call the box office at 312-988-9000 and mention the code STEADY. This offer is subject to availability and not valid on previously purchased tickets.

Producers Frank Gero, Ray Gaspard and Jono Gero recently announced that the show has been extended through June 8. No other production in recent Chicago history has garnered the kind of rave reviews as A Steady Rain and it is one of the highest rated plays on top rated play list of the site. The critics have called Keith Huff’s new play "a gritty, rich, thick poetic and entirely gripping noir tale" (Chris Jones, The Chicago Tribune); "some of the most dazzling acting you will ever see anywhere" (Hedy Weiss, The Chicago Sun-Times). A Steady Rain received huge critical acclaim over its sold out six week run last September and October at Chicago Dramatists, earning a nod on almost every Chicago theater critic's "Top 10 Theatrical Productions of 2007" list including the Chicago Tribune, The Daily Herald, New City, UR and more. The highly praised cast and artistic team have remained the same.

A Steady Rain explores love and rage on the streets of Chicago, as a routine domestic disturbance call sends two Chicago cops, Denny (Randy Steinmeyer) and Joey (Peter DeFaria), on a harrowing journey that will test their loyalties and change their lives forever.

A Steady Rain has received workshop productions at New York Stage & Film’s Powerhouse (July, 2006) and the Barrow Group Theater of New York (February, 2007). These workshops, in addition to staged readings and other developmental programs at Chicago Dramatists, have led to a final product of intimacy, grace and power.

Playwright Keith Huff is the recipient of a Drama-Logue Award, the Cunningham Prize, the John Gassner Award, the Berrilla Kerr Award, and three Illinois Arts Council Playwriting Fellowships. He has developed plays at American Repertory Theater, The O'Neill Theatre Center National Playwrights Conference, The Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, New York Stage and Film, Steppenwolf, Berkeley Rep, Victory Gardens, The Eureka Theatre, Studio Arena Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, Premiere Theater & Performance, Eye of the Storm, Echo Theatre, Collaboraction, Act One/Showtime, Alice's 4th Floor, Live Bait, Florida Studio Theatre, WordBridge and Midwest PlayLabs. His plays have been produced Off-Broadway and nationally.

The performance schedule for A Steady Rain is Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Ticket prices range from $40 to $50. All tickets for police officers, firefighters and other uniformed personnel are $25 and available with the appropriate ID. Student and senior discounts are also available. Tickets can be purchased at the Royal George Box Office, 1641 N. Halsted, Chicago, or by phone at 312-988-9000. Tickets can also be purchased through Ticketmaster, 312.902.1500, Ticketmaster.com or all Ticketmaster ticket centers.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=347 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=347 Wed, 9 Apr 2008 08:43:08 -0500 August: Osage County.

August: Osage County, a "darkly funny family drama" directed by Steppenwolf ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro, is currently enjoying an open engagement on Broadway, following its sold-out run at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 2007.

When their patriarch vanishes, the Weston clan must return to their three-story home in rural Oklahoma to get to the heart of the matter. With rich insight and brilliant humor, Letts paints a vivid portrait of a Midwestern family at critical turning point.

Tracy Letts became a Steppenwolf ensemble member in 2002 and is an artistic associate. He is the author of Man from Nebraska, which was produced at Steppenwolf in 2003 and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize; Killer Joe, which has been produced in Chicago, London and New York; and Bug, which has played in New York, Chicago and London. His newest play, Superior Donuts, will have its world premiere at Steppenwolf in June 2008. Mr. Letts has appeared at Steppenwolf in Betrayal, The Pillowman, Last of the Boys, The Pain and the Itch, The Dresser, Homebody/Kabul, The Dazzle, Glengarry Glen Ross (also Dublin and Toronto), Three Days of Rain, Road to Nirvana, Picasso at the Lapin Agile and the Steppenwolf for Young Adults production of The Glass Menagerie. He appeared in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Alliance Theatre Company) directed by ensemble member Amy Morton. Previous Chicago stage credits include The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (A Red Orchid Theatre), Conquest of the South Pole (Famous Door), Bouncers (the Next Lab) and his directorial debut at the Lookingglass Theatre with Great Men of Science Nos. 21 and 22. He has appeared on television in The District, Profiler, Prison Break, The Drew Carey Show, Seinfeld and Home Improvement. Film appearances include Guinevere, U.S. Marshals and Chicago Cab.

August: Osage County opened on Broadway Tuesday, December 4, 2007 and was voted #1 play of the year by Time, The Associated Press, Entertainment Weekly, and TimeOut New York. Charles Isherwood of The New York -The Times called August: Osage County, most exciting new American play Broadway has seen in years. Joe Dziemianowicz of New York Daily News says Letts' perspective is bracingly fresh. You're laughing hysterically one minute and appalled the next. Clive Barnes of The New York Post writes August is One Hot Drama.

The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is presented annually to a distinguished play by an American author, preferably original in its source and dealing with American life. For more information, go to www.pulitzer.org.

August: Osage County will play its last performance at The Imperial Theatre (245 West 45th Street) on Sunday, April 20th at 3:00 p.m. and will reopen at The Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street ) on Tuesday, April 29th at 7:30 p.m. August: Osage County performs Tuesdays - Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2:00 p.m.; Saturdays at 8:00 p.m.; and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at Telecharge.com or by calling (212) 239-6200. Outside the New York Metro area call (800) 432-7250.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=346 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=346 Mon, 7 Apr 2008 14:30:16 -0500 With its annual one-night-only presentation of three 10-minute, celeb-authored plays, Chicago Stories is always the city's most dramatic spring gala, plus a wonderful reflection of Victory Gardens' dedication to the playwright. As many as 500 VIPs and supporters are expected to cheer on Victory Gardens' first-time playwrights on their opening - and closing - night.

Victory Gardens Artistic Director Dennis Zacek will direct all three short plays, which star professional actors from Victory Gardens' stages. In addition to a night of celebrity theater, guests at Chicago Stories will enjoy pre-show cocktails and appetizers, an extravagant silent and live auction and raffle, and a delicious gourmet meal in the Four Seasons' Grand Ballroom. Proceeds will help underwrite costs of producing world premieres, providing education programs for Chicago Public Schools, offering assistive devices and services to the disabled community, and making theater available to underserved audiences.

Jeff Garlin no doubt will give a comedic edge to his Chicago Stories debut play. He co-stars in and executive produces the award-winning HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. Garlin spent three seasons on NBC's Mad About You and has appeared in such films and TV series as Full Frontal, Daddy Day Care, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Everybody Loves Raymond and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. A Chicago native and alumnus of The Second City, he has toured the country as a stand-up comedian and has written and starred in three critically acclaimed solo shows.

No stranger to writing, Stuart Dybek will put pen to paper for Victory Gardens for a live, condensed version of his popular, gritty Chicago tales. Stuart Dybek is the author of three books of fiction-I Sailed With Magellan, (adapted and staged by Victory Gardens last season to critical acclaim), The Coast of Chicago (2004 "One Book, One Chicago" selection), and Childhood and Other Neighborhoods-plus two collections of poetry, and numerous anthologized short stories. A recipient of a 2007 MacArthur "Genius" Grant, Dybek is a Distinguished Writer in Residence at Northwestern University, and a member of the permanent faculty for Western Michigan University's Prague Summer Program.

Chicago philanthropist Allen Turner is writing his first play to support Victory Gardens at Chicago Stories. Turner is Board Chairman of Columbia College of Chicago and also heads the Newberry Library's D'Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian Studies. An accomplished musician and composer, Turner was founding Board Chair of Victory Gardens Theater. He served as Chairman of the Board of the Goodman Theatre, MCA, and National Jewish Theater, as well as McCall's magazine. He is also a member of the Pritzker Organization, and was formerly Chairman of Hyatt International Corporation's Executive Committee.

Last year's Chicago Stories gala featured plays written by CBS2 entertainment reporter and film critic and Chicago Sun-Times columnist Bill Zwecker, retired Chicago Tribune chief theater critic Richard Christiansen, and the husband/wife duo Lisa Madigan, Illinois Attorney General, and Pat Byrnes, cartoonist for The New Yorker. The event was a smash, attracted nearly 500 people, and raised a record $226,000 for Victory Gardens.

By lending their time and talent to support the theater's new play mission, Victory Gardens' 2008 Chicago Stories playwrights are joining this elite list of Chicagoans, including:

• Actors Gary Cole, David Eigenberg, Aaron Freeman. Richard Kind, John Mahoney, William L. Petersen, Aidan Quinn and George Wendt
• Architect Stanley Tigerman
• Auctioneer Leslie S. Hindman
• Authors Sara Paretsky and Sugar Rautbord
• Businessman James S. Kemper, Jr.
• Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson
• Chicago Sun-Times editor Nigel Wade
• Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert
• Chicago Tribune columnists Mike Royko and Bob Green
• Judge Susan Getzendanner
• Orchestra leader Stanley Paul
• Philanthropist Susan Pritzker
• Physicist Leon Lederman
• Politicians Carol Moseley-Braun, Judy Baar Topinka and Jesse White
• Radio personalities Roy Leonard, Kathy O'Malley and Scott Simon
• Real estate magnate Samuel Zell
• Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
• Sports journalists Dan Jiggetts, Rick Telander and Tim Weigel
• Sports marketing consultant Stedman Graham
• TV news anchors Bill Kurtis, Jay Levine, Mary Ann Childers, Harry Porterfield and Warner Saunders
• TV personalities Ted Allen and Alpana Singh
• University of Chicago scholar Martha Nussbaum
• U.S. Attorneys James R. Burns and Scott R. Lassar

Tickets are $300. Tables of 10 start at $3,000. For reservations, call Kate Oczkowski, Victory Gardens Director of Events and Individual Giving, (773) 549-5788 ext. 2140

"Fifty years later, the tragedy of Emmett Till has lost none of its currency-and has assumed an emotional and political significance of almost mythic proportions," said Artistic Director Robert Falls. "Ifa's new play is an emotionally and theatrically ambitious work in which we examine our own lives and actions through the prism of an epoch-defining moment in history. We produce this stunning new work at the Goodman with considerable pride."

In her script notes, playwright Ifa Bayeza describes Till as written "in the footsteps of an old man; a memory; a mystery; myth; a deconstructed, reconstructed jazz play." Using factual accounts and creative interpolation, Till is based on the brutal 1955 Mississippi murder of the 14-year-old Chicagoan Emmett Till for allegedly whistling at a white woman. The decision of his mother, Mamie, to have an open-casket funeral fueled a life-long struggle to force America to confront its legacy of enslavement and Southern terrorism. Emmett's murder-and the national revulsion which followed-is believed by many to have sparked the modern civil rights movement, and remains one of the most pivotal incidents in a monumental era.

"Like many people, I knew the basic blueprint of Emmett's story and was profoundly affected as a youth on the frontlines of racial integration," said Bayeza. "In all of my research for this piece, there was very little to be found about Emmett-I wondered, who was this boy whose summer trip to Mississippi changed the course of an entire nation? There was such a difference between the way Emmett was described by William Bradford Huie in Look magazine-as a sexually aggressive, predatory thug-and the way his mother spoke of him, how he whistled because he stuttered. I thought that there was a real mystery play between those two worlds. Till is based on history, but I am drawn to and am highlighting the mythic and epic elements of this saga."

Over ten years in the making, The Ballad of Emmett Till began as a one-act and expanded into a full-length play in four movements. Bayeza first presented excerpts of Till at the Arna Bontemps African American Museum in Alexandria, Louisiana, where she was named the 2003 Arna Bontemps Centennial Scholar. In June 2005, Movement One of Till received its first public staged reading at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Directed by Sue Lawless, the play was then presented as part of the Juneteenth Legacy New Plays Festival. In September 2005, Bayeza read Movement One in a solo presentation at the Stillman College conference "The Murder of Emmett Till and the Civil Rights Struggle" in Tuskaloosa, Alabama. Also in September, the Fountain Theatre of Los Angeles hosted a staged reading of Movement One directed by John Wesley-who appears as Moses in the Goodman's production.

Till was then selected by Brown University's Rites and Reason Theatre and Providence Black Repertory Company as the inaugural project for RPM Mainstage-a new play development partnership established through Brown's Office of the President. Bayeza began a six-month residency to develop the full-length Till, culminating in the first staged reading of all four movements at Providence Black Repertory Theatre in March 2006, directed by the late Marsha Z. West. In July 2006, Bayeza directed a reading of Till at New Federal Theatre in New York City and in September, Till was included in Goodman Theatre's New Stages Series, directed by Clinton Turner Davis. In summer 2007, Till was named one of eight plays included in the National Playwrights Conference at The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut, where Bayeza spent a month-long residency and the play enjoyed two script-in-hand readings directed by Kate Whoriskey. The Goodman's world premiere production is directed by Oz Scott, a longtime creative colleague of Bayeza, who also directed her sister Ntozake Shange's play for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf-for which Bayeza served as the dramaturg and set designer at the New Federal Theatre and The Public Theater.

The Ballad of Emmett Till will run April 26 - June 1 and tickets $23 to $55 and may be purchased online at GoodmanTheatre.org, at the Goodman Theatre Box Office, 170 North Dearborn Street, or charged by phoning 312-443-3800.]]> http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=344 http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=344 Thu, 3 Apr 2008 10:15:17 -0500 Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage will go onsale to the general public Friday, April 4. The National Tour of Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage will open during a limited engagement in Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph St.) with a revised performance schedule beginning September 28 through December 7, 2008.

Following its record breaking, sellout premiere in Australia and New Zealand, Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage is currently playing to sold-out houses in London’s West End and Hamburg, Germany. A production scheduled to open in Toronto this November is already setting sales records in Canada.

Proclaimed "The biggest live theatre sensation of all time" by The Observer newspaper in London, Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage received four stars from The Times, The Independent, Financial Times, Evening Standard, Mail on Sunday, Sunday Times and Time Out London.

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage is a coming of age love story involving the talented and headstrong dancer Johnny Castle and Frances "Baby" Houseman. During her family's summer vacation at the popular Kellerman's resort, Baby, a doctor’s daughter with dreams of joining the Peace Corps, meets Johnny, the guy from the wrong side of the tracks. Against all odds, they fall in love, learning life-changing lessons along the way. Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage, follows the highs and lows of their summer romance. The original story of Dirty Dancing has been expanded for the stage. While keeping magical moments from the film, in the theater, Baby and Johnny’s relationship is developed further; there is more sensational dancing; and, more music, joining favorite songs like the Academy Award-winning "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life," "Hungry Eyes," "Hey Baby" and "Do You Love Me?"

The acclaimed creative team responsible for the record-breaking London production of Dirty Dancing -The Classic Story On Stage will bring the show to the United States.

Executive Producer Kevin Jacobsen OAM said, "Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage broke records in Australia and New Zealand, and broke box office records when it opened in Hamburg, Germany. Following Hamburg we launched in London’s West End with the largest advance in theatrical history. Dirty Dancing opened at the Aldwych Theatre in 2006 with record advance sales and this historical record is being maintained to this day. The London production received overwhelming reviews from the UK critics. Sales in the UK continue to be extremely strong and Toronto is also breaking box office records in advance sales at the Royal Alexandra Theatre prior to the opening in November. We hope that American audiences will be as eager to see the show as audiences throughout the rest of the world have been."

Writer and creator Eleanor Bergstein added, "I originally wrote the movie because I love to dance. Since the movie opened, the openhearted audience response has made me believe that everyone has a secret dancer inside them, one they feel could connect them to the physical world in the way they dream. As I learned how many people watched the movie over and over and over, I began to think that what they really wanted was to share more intensely in the event, to step through the screen and be there while the story was happening. And if that was true, then its natural form was live theater - audiences watching live bodies dancing here and now in the present - on the log, on the bridge, on the dance floor and in the staff quarters at Kellerman’s. Writing it for the stage, I was also able to add more Baby and Johnny scenes, more about the family, more songs I couldn't afford last time, and, most exciting of all - more dancing."

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage will premiere in Chicago for a limited engagement September 28 - December 7, 2008 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph St.). Individual tickets range in price from $35 - $95 and will be available to the general public starting April 4, 2008 by calling 312-902-1400 or going to ticketmaster.com. A limited number of premium tickets are available ranging in price from $125 - $150.]]> http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=343 http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=343 Thu, 3 Apr 2008 10:00:03 -0500 The Snow Queen, and a TBA project starring William L. Petersen, to complete its 2008/09 season of "theater so close, it touches you."

The season kicks off October 3-November 9, 2008 with a major revival of Eurydice, an astonishingly fresh take on the Greek Orpheus myth by Sarah Ruhl, author of The Clean House, Passion Play, and Dead Man's Cell Phone, and one of the most important young voices in American theater today. Victory Gardens Associate Artistic Director Sandy Shinner will direct.

"Even stronger the second time around," (Chicago Sun-Times), Chicago folk legend Michael Smith's smash hit musical The Snow Queen, based on Hans Christian Andersen's beloved winter tale, directed again by Tony Award-winner Frank Galati, with puppets by Blair Thomas & Co. and choreography by Jim Corti, is gathering momentum for her third straight year as Chicago's #1 alternative to traditional holiday fare, November 28-December 28, 2008.

Next are two consecutive world premieres by members of the Victory Gardens Playwrights Ensemble. Living Green, by Gloria Bond Clunie (Shoes, North Star), is a timely drama about an upper middle class black family considering a move back to the "old neighborhood," January 23-March 1, 2009. Victory Gardens Resident Director Andrea J. Dymond will direct. Class Dismissed by Jeffrey Sweet (Flyovers, The Value of Names), directed by Victory Gardens Artistic Director Dennis Zacek, is a comedic drama set in the free-spirited 1960s about youth and living with the consequences of how you spend it. Performances are March 20-April 26, 2009.

Playing May 15-June 14, 2009 is the Chicago debut of Aditi Brennan Kapil's Love Person. One of the hottest new plays among regional theaters devoted to new work, this intriguing love story, performed in English, Sanskrit, American Sign Language, and projected e-mail, explores language as a portal and barrier to human connection. Sandy Shinner will direct.

Closing Victory Gardens' 35th season is Chicago's must-see theater event of 2009. William L. Petersen, star of CBS-TV's CSI, will return to the theater where he earned his Equity card to star in a new project to be announced, directed by Dennis Zacek, July 3-August 9, 2009.

"Collectively, next season's productions do what new plays do best - explore the hot-button issues on our minds right now," said Zacek. "Responsibility to one's community, language and communication, love and loss, and class divisions in the U.S. are just a few of the topics that will be artfully investigated on our stage next season."

Five-play subscriptions to Victory Gardens' 2008/09 season are on sale now for only $80-$185. Five play packages include Eurydice, Living Green, Class Dismissed, the TBA starring Bill Petersen, and a choice of Love Person or The Snow Queen. Six-play packages are $96-$222. All performances will be staged at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue. For subscription information, call the Victory Gardens box office, 773-871-3000 or visit www.victorygardens.org]]> http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=342 http://theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=342 Mon, 31 Mar 2008 08:18:56 -0500 Lookingglass Theatre Company proudly announces the company's 21st season, to include the World Premiere of The Brother’s Karamazov adapted and directed for Lookingglass by Ensemble Member Heidi Stillman; Thornton Wilder’s Our Town co-directed by Anna D. Shapiro and Jessica Thebus; and The Arabian Nights adapted and directed by Ensemble Member and Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman. The 2008-2009 Season will be performed at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson.

"This season is about being a part of a community which, after 20 years, epitomizes what an ensemble is - wherein the power of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts," comments Artistic Director David Catlin. "Our 21st season will illustrate that we are all connected and are all responsible for one another as citizens of the world. Through stories, creativity and collaboration we can redeem ourselves. We can transform ourselves - change, charge, and empower."

Lookingglass Theatre Company’s 2008-2009 Season Up Close:

The Brothers Karamazov
By Fyodor Dostoevsky
Adapted and Directed by Ensemble member Heidi Stillman
October 15 - December 7, 2008

Russian patriarch Fyodor Karamazov is a one of literature’s most lecherous, greedy and delightfully despicable fathers. When his eldest son discovers they are competing for the affections of the same woman, concealed tensions erupt into a storm of passion, deceit and betrayal. Ensemble member and Lookingglass Artistic Director of New Work Heidi Stillman, award-winning adaptor and director of Charles Dickens' Hard Times, brings new life to Dostoyevsky's epic masterpiece of murder, greed and treachery.

Our Town
By Thornton Wilder
Directed by Anna D. Shapiro and Jessica Thebus
February 11 - April 5, 2009

The citizens of Grover's Corners share the ultimate tale of community in this American classic, directed by Steppenwolf ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro and Steppenwolf Artistic Associate Jessica Thebus. The Lookingglass Ensemble infuses the play with a singular chemistry you won't see anywhere else. In the hands of these renowned artists, Thornton Wilder's masterpiece is disarmingly beautiful, utterly compelling and painfully funny.

The Arabian Nights
Adapted and Directed by Mary Zimmerman
May 20 - July 12, 2009

Tony Award-winning Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman returns to the Water Tower Water Works, following the successful run and three city tour of Argonautika, with her Lookingglass Original adaptation of one of the world's most enduring works of literature. When he discovers his wife in the arms of another man, King Shahrayar vows to ruthlessly murder every virgin in the kingdom. His brutality is interrupted only when he encounters the cunning maiden Scheherezade, whose captivating stories may just save her life. This boldly re-imagined visual feast celebrates the redemptive power of story telling.

Lookingglass Theatre Company is located in the heart of the Magnificent Mile shopping district inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. Subscriptions to Lookingglass 2008-2009 season will go on sale April 15, 2008, starting at only $81 for all three plays.]]> http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=341 http://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=341 Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:41:10 -0500 Chicago Shakespeare Theater Artistic Director Barbara Gaines and Executive Director Criss Henderson have announced CST's 2008/09 Season. In 10 newly-imagined and classic works throughout the coming year, fierce rivals and witty fools collide on stage in the Theater's ninth season on Navy Pier.

The 2008/09 season of rivalry and revelry begins in June 2008 and runs through June 2009 as follows:

Much Ado About Nothing
June 25 - August 3, 2008, Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare
The world premiere of the hip-hop musical adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing