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Steppenwolf Theatre Company concludes its 32nd season with the world premiere Superior Donuts by ensemble member and Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts and directed by ensemble member Tina Landau. The production will run June 19 - August 17, 2008 in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre.
Ensemble member Tracy Letts received the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his critically-acclaimed play August: Osage County, currently playing on Broadway following a sold-out run at Steppenwolf in 2007. Mr. Letts is also 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.
Superior Donuts deals with Arthur Przybyszewski (Michael McKean) who owns a decrepit donut shop in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. Franco Wicks (Jon Hill), a black teenager who is his only employee, wants to change the shop for the better. This provocative world premiere comedy, set in the heart of one of Chicago's most diverse communities, explores the challenges of embracing the past and the redemptive power of friendship.
Superior Donuts was developed as part of Steppenwolf’s New Plays Initiative. Steppenwolf is recognized as a national leader in the development and production of new work for the American canon. Through this initiative, the company maintains ongoing relationships with writers of international prominence and rigorously discovers and supports the work of early and mid-career playwrights.
Special Offer Alert: Click Here for Half-Price Tickets to Superior Donuts
The Neo-Futurists Announce 20th Anniversary Season
The Neo-Futurists announced their 20th-Anniversary Season and begin it with a special presentation of their long-running, flagship show, Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind at Theater on the Lake. This marks the ninth time that the the Neos have been invited back to Theater on the Lake.
The 20th Anniversay Season Includes:
Fake Lake
August 14 – September 20, 2008
Performances take place in and around the Welles Park Swimming Pool,
2333 W. Sunnyside in Lincoln Square
In 1998 a young woman was invited to go camping with a group of people she had known for only a few days. This is not the premise of a horror movie, but the story of a stunningly beautiful yet environmentally devastating man-made lake that serves as the context for a coming-of-age story about youth, sex, and the end of invincibility.
A Very Neo-Futurist Christmas Carol
November 20 – December 23, 2008
An alternative holiday show and environmental experience taking place throughout The Neo-Futurarium, A Very Neo-Futurist Christmas Carol is a re-telling of Dickens’ famous tale, with various chapters and themes represented as short vignettes. Created by the performing ensemble and hosted by the Grim Reaper, this show is equal parts deconstruction of the Dickens story, new and political takes on the original, and gripping personal tales that relate to its themes.
Beer
January 29 – March 7, 2009
10 year old Boon sneaks into a brewery. Out of curiosity he samples various ales and lagers and soon finds himself in the land of Beer. The brewery comes alive. Through puppetry, song and stories, the story of the land of Beer is told.
TML 20
April 16 – May 30, 2009
To celebrate The Neo-Futurists’ 20th-Anniversary Season, past and present Neos participate in a special run of Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind, bringing the late-night hit to prime-time and even accepting reservations! The cast and menu of 30 shorts plays change each week of the run, just as with the flagship TML, with offerings including a combination of 'best-of' favorites and new material.
Also, The Neo-Futurists continue their ongoing show Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind: 30 Plays in 60 Minutes. This signature show, performed since 1988, is the longest-running production in Chicago history. Too Much Light is an ever-changing attempt to perform 30 plays in 60 minutes. Each week the ensemble adds between two and twelve new plays to the menu. Every performance creates an unreproducible, living-newspaper collage of the comic and tragic, the political and personal, the visceral and experimental. It runs Fridays and Saturdays at 11:30pm and Sundays at 7:00pm.
Theatre With a Cause
The Laboratory Theatre Project will present the Chicago premiere of Rainy Day People at the Viaduct Theater, running June 5th to June 29th. Remaining true to their mission statement of collaborating with local charities, The Lab is honored to partner with the Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation. In an effort to raise awareness and support for children with Bipolar Disorder, the Lab will host a benefit following their June 7th performance. All proceeds from ticket sales and the benefit will be donated to the Foundation.
The Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation is dedicated to fostering awareness, understanding and research for Child and Adolescent Bipolar Disorder. The Foundation is on a QUEST FOR THE TESTTM to find an empirical test for Bipolar Disorder so that early detection becomes a reality. The Foundation was established by Joyce and Dusty Sang in memory of their only child, Ryan Licht Sang, who began exhibiting symptoms of Bipolar Disorder at age five and courageously struggled with this serious mental illness until he passed away at the age of 24.
The June 7th event will include a post-show reception with playwright Todd McCullough, hors d'oeuvres from Lemon Grass Catering and a cash bar. There will also be a raffle featuring prizes from Koi Chinese & Sushi, Sarah’s Pastries and Candies, and several local artists. Admission is $25 and tickets can be purchased at www.viaducttheatre.com or by calling 773-227-8521.
30 Years At The Gardens
Relatively Close is the culmination of Victory Gardens Artistic Director Dennis Zacek's 30th anniversary season, and his twelfth new play collaboration with James Sherman. To honor the occasion, former Chicago Tribune Chief Critic Richard Christiansen will lead a pre-show discussion with Sherman and Zacek to review their long artistic history at the Gardens.
The pre-show discussion will be at 6:00pm on June 19th and is free but regular ticket prices to Relatively Close still apply.
Golda's Balcony Extended and Spring Gala Benefit
By popular demand, William Gibson’s one-woman drama, Golda's Balcony, is extended through the end of June at Pegasus Players. The critically acclaimed, Jeff-Recommended production officially opened on Monday, May 5, and will continue at Pegasus Players, 1145 W. Wilson Avenue in the O'Rourke Center at Truman College, through June 29.
Also, Pegasus Players will celebrate 29 years of exemplary theater and community outreach in Chicago at its annual spring gala benefit, featuring special guest Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky as well as select scenes from Pegasus’ critically-acclaimed, Jeff-Recommended production, Golda's Balcony. The benefit will be held at Pegasus Players Monday, June 16, from 6 - 9:00pm.
The evening will include cocktails, a light supper and dessert, silent auction, and scenes from the current production of Golda’s Balcony starring Janet Ulrich Brooks and directed by Pegasus Player' Artistic Director Alex Levy. The cost per ticket is $75. For more information contact Pegasus Players at 773-878-9761.