Open Space Arts (OSA), who recently won some of the top honors in the Joseph Jefferson Awards for 2024 productions, wraps up its dynamic second season in April and May with three programs of staged readings and the international premiere of SCANDALOUS BOY, David Atfield's historical queer love story. All performances will be at Open Space Arts, 1411 W. Wilson Avenue (1/2 block east of Clark St.).
 
The series of staged readings will begin on April 25 with BREAKING THE CODE, Hugh Whitemore's powerful 1986 drama about Alan Turing, the brilliant mathematician who pioneered modern computing and played a pivotal role in World War II by deciphering the German Enigma code. BREAKING THE CODE intertwines Turing's groundbreaking achievements with his personal struggles, particularly his persecution for homosexuality—a factor that led to his tragic demise. The play offers a profound exploration of the man behind the genius, highlighting the societal injustices he faced and his enduring legacy in the fields of cryptography and computer science. BREAKING THE CODE will be directed by Jack Dugan Carpenter and will be performed one night only, on Friday April 25 at 7:30 pm. Suggested donation is $10.00.
 
Following BREAKING THE CODE will be a riveting 90-minute program of new short plays called 100 DAYS featuring characters affected by the current political landscape. Curated by PlaywrightPower.com and directed by its co-founder Tara Blau Smollen, the production will feature eight compelling new 10-minute plays written since the last election, selected from 167 submissions. 100 DAYS will open on April 30, the 100th day of the new administration, with the same plays repeated on May 1, 2, 3, and 4. Performances will be Wednesday, April 30 through Saturday, May 3 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, May 4 at 3:00 pm. Suggested donation is $10.00.
 
The readings series will conclude with a staged reading of NOCTURNAL ADMISSIONS, a thrilling and provocative screenplay by Christian Reda, winner of the 2025 Queer Expression Writing Contest for Stage and Screen. This gripping romantic melodrama blends crime, suspense, and forbidden love in a story that challenges power and prejudice. Joe Kowalski, a 20-year veteran of the LAPD, is assigned to protect Hector "Angel" Cruz, a young Latino hustler and the sole witness to the murder of a married senatorial candidate he was hired to escort for the evening. As Joe fights to keep Angel safe, the last thing he expects is to fall in love. NOCTURNAL ADMISSIONS will be performed on Saturday, May 10 at 7:30 pm. Suggested donation is $10.00.
 
Open Space Arts' 2024-25 season will conclude with a fully staged production of SCANDALOUS BOY by David Atfield, in its International Premiere since its world premiere in Atfield's native Australia. The play is the story of the love between the emperor Hadrian and Antinous in pre-Christian Rome but framed in a twenty-first century setting with the statue of Antinous coming to life in modern Australia to tell his story. SCANDALOUS BOY will be directed by Benjamin Mills and will run from May 23 through June 8. Cast and production team will be announced soon.
 
All performances are at Open Space Arts's hyper-intimate 20-seat theater at 1411 W Wilson, in Chicago.
 
LISTING INFORMATION
 
BREAKING THE CODE
By Hugh Whitemore
Directed by Jack Dugan Carpenter
Friday, April 25, 2025 – 7:30 pm
Open Space Arts
1411 W. Wilson Ave.,
Suggested donation $10.00
Website: www.openspacearts.org
 
Hugh Whitemore's powerful 1986 drama about Alan Turing, the brilliant mathematician who pioneered modern computing and played a pivotal role in World War II by deciphering the German Enigma code.
 
100 DAYS
Curated by Playwright Power.com
Directed by Tara Blau Smollen
April 30 – May 4, 2025
Wednesday – Saturday at 7:30 pm. Sunday at 3:00 pm
Open Space Arts
1411 W. Wilson Ave.,
Suggested donation $10.00
Website: www.openspacearts.org
 
A riveting 90-minute program of new eight compelling new short plays featuring characters affected by the current political landscape. Curated by PlaywrightPower.com and directed by co-founder Tara Blau Smollen.
 
NOCTURNAL ADMISSIONS
By Christian Reda
Saturday, May 10, 2025 – 7:30 pm
Open Space Arts
1411 W. Wilson Ave.,
Suggested donation $10.00
Website: www.openspacearts.org
 
Staged reading of a gripping romantic melodrama screenplay that blends crime, suspense, and forbidden love in a story that challenges power and prejudice. Joe Kowalski, a 20-year veteran of the LAPD, is assigned to protect Hector "Angel" Cruz, a young Latino hustler and the sole witness to the murder of a married senatorial candidate he was hired to escort for the evening. As Joe fights to keep Angel safe, the last thing he expects is to fall in love.
 
SCANDALOUS BOY
By David Atfield
Directed by Benjamin Mills
May 23- June 8, 2025
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 6:00 pm
Open Space Arts
1411 W. Wilson Ave.,
Tickets $30.00
Website: www.openspacearts.org
 
The story of the love between the emperor Hadrian and Antinous in pre-Christian Rome but framed in a twenty-first century setting with the statue of Antinous coming to life in modern Australia to tell his story.
 
BIOS
 
Hugh Whitemore (Playwright, BREAKING THE CODE) was a distinguished English playwright and screenwriter. He began his writing career in British television, contributing original teleplays and adaptations of classic works by authors such as Charles Dickens and Charlotte Brontë. Whitemore twice received the Writer's Guild of Great Britain award. His notable works include STEVIE (1977), focusing on poet Stevie Smith, and PACK OF LIES (1983), depicting the events leading to the arrest of two Americans spying for the Russians in London. Whitemore's work for American television includes CONCEALED ENEMIES (1984), about the Alger Hiss case; and THE GATHERING STORM (2002), focusing on a troubled period in Winston Churchill's life. Both earned him Emmy Awards. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and an Honorary Fellow of King's College, London.
 
Jack Dugan Carpenter (Director, BREAKING THE CODE) is a distinguished director and actor with extensive experience in the Chicago theater scene. He has collaborated with numerous theater companies, including The Plagiarists, where he served as Managing and Development Director from 2011 to 2025. His directorial credits with The Plagiarists encompass productions such as MÜNSTERSPIEL, SOME LIKE IT RED, GILGAMESH, THESE SAINTS WILL BURN, WAR SONG, MATRYOSHKA, AND CAESURA: A BUTCHERY. Beyond The Plagiarists, Carpenter has directed CHARLEY'S AUNT, THE WOMAN IN BLACK, MEASURE FOR MEASURE, and FIGMENTS with Saint Sebastian Players, as well as THE ALCHEMIST and THE ARMAGEDDON DANCE PARTY with Nothing Special Productions.
 
Playwright Power.com (Curator, 100 DAYS) Playwright Power empowers playwrights to spark change and inspire dialogue through impactful theatrical storytelling. Created in response to the 2024 election, the organization solicited new short plays featuring characters affected by the current political landscape, culminating in this electrifying 90-minute program.
 
Tara Blau Smollen  (Director, 100 DAYS) is an award-winning actor, director, playwright, and theater professor. She holds an MFA in Acting from the National Theater Conservatory in Denver and has worked extensively Off-Broadway and in regional theaters across the U.S. As the former Artistic Director of Porchlight Theater Company, her children's plays reached over 10,000 students in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a playwright, she was a finalist in Lifeline Theatre Company's 3rd Annual BIPOC Adaptation and Showcase for Sisters, an African American reimagining of Chekhov's THREE SISTERS. Her recent direction of Jen Silverman's THE MOORS was named one of the best plays in the Bay Area in 2024 by THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE.
 
Christian Reda (Screenwriter, NOCTURNAL ADMISSIONS) is an accomplished screenwriter with a diverse portfolio spanning multiple genres. His works include THE ISLAND HOUSE (horror/thriller), LADY IN A JAM (action/romance), SIX NIGHTS TO DESTINY (sci-fi/romance), and NOCTURNAL ADMISSIONS (romantic melodrama/thriller).

David Atfield (Writer, SCANDALOUS BOY) David Atfield is an Australian stage writer and director, based in Canberra, where he has been Writer/Director/Producer at The Street Theatre since 2018, and Writer/Producer at Canberra Theatre Center since 2021. David moved to Canberra in 1992 to work with Company Skylark, writing and directing plays for them, and later that year formed BITS (A Break In the Silence) Theatre Company. His plays include LOVELY LOUISE, about silent film star Louise Lovely, PINK TRIANGLES, a play about the Nazi persecution of homosexual men. In 2000 he directed a production of it, again at the Street Theatre. Other plays include CLEAN, EXCLUSION, and CHIAROSCURO.  His 2014 production of SCANDALOUS BOY was named one of the top five productions of the year by THE CANBERRA TIMES and the script was short-listed for the Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation Playwriting Award, New York
 
Benjamin Mills (Director, SCANDALOUS BOY) is an actor, designer, director, and Chicago theatre jack of all trades. His design work has been seen at Theatre L'Acadie, Open Space Arts, and Big Noise Theatre. Most recently seen on stage in SPRING AWAKENING, GREY GARDENS THE MUSICAL, THE LEARNED LADIES, BONNIE AND CLYDE THE MUSICAL, and a three-show tour with Great Works Touring Theatre. Benjamin is a Company Member/Resident Costume Designer with Theatre L'Acadie. SCANDALOUS BOY marks Benjamin's Chicago directorial debut.
 
OPEN SPACE ARTS, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is dedicated to combating homophobia and transphobia through the transformative power of creativity and cultural expression. Our mission is to foster inclusivity, promote understanding, and empower marginalized communities by utilizing various artistic mediums to challenge discriminatory beliefs and attitudes. OSA won some of the top honors in the Joseph Jefferson Awards for work produced in 2024, including Production of a Play – Short Run (COCK), Direction of a Play – Short Run (Michael D. Weber- LIGHT SWITCH), Performer in a Principal Role – Short Run  (Philip Andrew Monnett – LIGHT SWITCH), and Performer in a Supporting Role – Short Run (Sonya Robinson – COCK) .

Additionally, Open Space Arts has produced SUNSETS: TWO ACTS ON A BEACH, ROSENBERG, MASSAGE THERAPY, MERCY KILLING, MR. PARKER, "it's been ten years since everyone died. a play about final girls." and THE KRAMER PROJECT in live performances. OSA also produces the Queer Expressions Film Fest, a hybrid fest of streaming and in-person events, which runs from November 1 to July 1 annually. Open Space Arts is led by David Zak.

 The Auditorium (Chicago’s Landmark Stage® at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive) proudly welcomes back the eclectic energy of hometown favorite South Chicago Dance Theatre (SCDT) with IN/WITHIN, a mixed repertory program in one performance only Saturday, May 3 at 7:30 PM.  In addition to debuting two World Premieres – IN/WITHIN, a wildly theatrical one-act production choreographed by SCDT Founder & Director of Vision and Strategy Kia S. Smith, and FOLK, by New York-based Guggenheim Award-winning choreographer Kate Weare – the veteran choreographer and former longtime Artistic Director of River North Dance Company, Frank Chaves, will be honored with SCDT’s 5^th Cultural Hero Award. IN/WITHIN tickets, starting at $39.00, are available at auditoriumtheatre.org or by calling The Auditorium’s Ticket Service Center at 312.341.2300.

Beginning the evening on a joyous note, choreographer Frank Chaves will be honored with South Chicago Dance Theatre’s 5^th Cultural Hero Award, paying tribute to a member of the Chicago dance community who has made an invaluable impact on our city. Chaves served as Artistic Director of River North Dance Chicago for 23 years, before officially retiring in December 2015. Having produced more than 20 original works for the company, he is concentrating solely on his choreography, creating new works and finding new homes for his existing body of work. Chaves currently resides in Sarasota, Florida where he has been dealing with a degenerative spinal cord disease, syringomyelia, diagnosed over ten years ago. As a Cultural Hero, Chaves joins past awardees August Tye (2018), Pierre Lockett (2019), Millie Cruzat (2021), and Sarita Smith Childs (2022).  

The Company Premiere of Chaves’ Temporal Trance (1998) starts the IN/WITHIN program. He has referred to this signature work for River North Dance Chicago as an “exploration of three very different qualities of movement, culminating in a mesmerizing feast for the eyes, soul and spirit.” Temporal Trance features a soundtrack by Peter Gabriel, Vangelis, and Gabrielle Roth and The Mirrors, and is dedicated to Chaves’ mother, Maria.  Following is the World Premiere of Weare’s FOLK (2025), exploring the idea of “village” as a space where we commune together, despite differences and difficulties, all set to a score drawing from traditional Jewish and Italian music. Closing the first act will be the SCDT audience hit, Taiwanese choreographer Tsai His Hung’s Under the Skin (2024), in which dancers move from darkness to light, to an experimental score by Taiwanese musician Yi Chun Hung. The second half of the program is comprised of Smith’s IN/WITHIN, a one-act World Premiere fusing athleticism, dialogue and scenic design that promises to be unlike any other SCDT piece! IN/WITHIN, a work of contemporary dance theater, delves into the imaginary landscape of the lead performer as she ventures through the characters, objects and ephemera of her subconscious mind.  Irrationally juxtaposed scenes spark joy and delight, absurdity, melancholy, empathy and actualization. 

“The Auditorium is pleased to again showcase South Chicago Dance Theatre in its third annual Spring engagement. Kia is a rising star on Chicago’s dance scene and audiences can always expect high energy and enthusiasm from her company,” said The Auditorium CEO Rich Regan.  “River North Dance, under Frank Chaves’ direction, was a frequent guest on our stage, and we look forward to welcoming him home for this well-deserved honor.”

“This program is especially meaningful to me,” said Smith.  “I fell in love with Frank’s Temporal Trance as a college dance student, and it’s a milestone for my company to now add it to our repertoire. Kate Weare is a mentor with a global presence, and I’m so honored that she has set FOLK on our company. The juxtaposition of this work and Tsai His Hung’s experimental crowd pleaser Under the Skin, should keep audiences on their toes.  And finally, IN/WITHIN, my first theatrical work, represents me and my voice more than any other work I’ve choreographed. I envision this is the start of a new era for South Chicago Dance Theatre, with an emphasis on ‘theatre’ and a more narrative-driven model.”   

About South Chicago Dance Theatre

South Chicago Dance Theatre (SCDT) is a multicultural organization seamlessly fusing classical and contemporary dance styles as well as preserving historic dance work. With Choreographic Diplomacy™ at the heart of the organization, SCDT creates, performs, and teaches dance on a local, national, and international platform. Since its 2017 launch, the Main Company has toured regionally, nationally and internationally to the Netherlands, South America, Vietnam and South Korea and commissioned the choreographic work of renowned artists. Its collaborative initiatives have included music ensembles, television, opera, art museums and public schools through a range of performances and educational programs. Recent recognition includes support from the Princess Grace USA Foundation, and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Foster Innovation Award. Kia S. Smith has been honored with a 3Arts Make A Wave Award and a Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist Award, and participated in the Choreography Fellowship at the School at Jacob’s Pillow. She was named one of Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch for 2024. For information, visit southchicagodancetheatre.com.

About The Auditorium

The Auditorium, located at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive in Chicago, is an Illinois not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community, and educational programming to all of Chicago and beyond as The Theatre for the People. The organization also is committed to the continued restoration and preservation of this National Historic Landmark that originally opened in 1889. The Auditorium’s 2024-25 performance season features a dynamic mix of cultural events from ballet to rock and roll and everything in between. For more information on The Auditorium and a complete listing of events at The Auditorium please visit AuditoriumTheatre.org.

Artistic Director Braden Abraham and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma announce Writers Theatre's 2025/26 season. The five-play season is marked by four productions never seen before in Chicago and two add-on special engagements.  

Following Hershey Felder's sold-out, acclaimed appearance at Writers Theatre in the 2023-24 season, Felder returns to launch this season with his brand-new musical play Rachmaninoff and the Tsar. The season continues with a musical adaptation of Shakespeare's As You Like It by Tony Award winner Shaina Taub (Suffs), directed by Artistic Director Braden Abraham with music direction by Michael Mahler. Celebrated Chicago director Lisa Portes joins Writers for the first time to direct Two Sisters and a Piano, by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz, followed by the Midwest Premiere of the off-Broadway/Broadway hit Job by Max Wolf Friedlich, directed by David Esbjornson. The subscription season caps off with the Midwest and Chicago Premiere of Tom Stoppard's epic, Tony Award-winning play Leopoldstadt, directed by Carey Perloff. The season also includes two productions available as add-ons to subscription packages: the one-night only special event of Hershey Felder's Great American Songbook Sing-Along, and a limited engagement of sleight of hand magician Harry Milas' The Unfair Advantage.  

Season Packages are available online at www.writerstheatre.org, and at the Box Office by calling 847-242-6000.

Writers Theatre Artistic Director Braden Abraham comments, "I am immensely proud of our 25/26 season at Writers Theatre; it's a line-up rich in unique personal experiences and global perspectives at a time when cultural resilience has never been more vital. Spanning many different times, places and genres—from Vienna in the early 20^th century to Havana in the 1990s, from a music-filled Forest of Arden to a private office in San Francisco—these extraordinary stories invite us to consider who we are, where we come from, and how we find connection in a complex world."

Rachmaninoff and the Tsar, As You Like It, Two Sisters and a Piano, and Leopoldstadt will be performed in The Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre. Job and The Unfair Advantage will be held in The Gillian Theatre. Both spaces are in Writers Theatre's award-winning building at 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe, designed by Studio Gang Architects.

Writers Theatre 2025/26 Season includes:

Chicago/Midwest Premiere, part of the play's world premiere season

Hershey Felder and Jonathan Silvestri in

Rachmaninoff and the Tsar  

The Music of Sergei V. Rachmaninoff 

Book by Hershey Felder 

with Hershey Felder as Sergei Rachmaninoff and Jonathan Silvestri as Tsar Nicholas II 

Directed by Trevor Hay 

August 13 – September 21, 2025                                

Press Opening: August 15, 2025

Having safely escaped Russia during the 1917 revolution, beloved composer and pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff performed all over the world before eventually making his home in sunny Beverly Hills. Privately longing for the Russia that he knew and loved as a young man, one memory in particular continues to haunt him—Tsar Nicholas II. Hershey Felder's newest musical play will feature the virtuoso actor/pianist in the role of Rachmaninoff alongside British-Italian actor Jonathan Silvestri in the role of Nicholas II. Featuring the composer's most beloved works, Rachmaninoff and the Tsar promises to be another mystical musical journey in the inimitable Hershey Felder style that audiences have come to know and love.  

One Night Only

Hershey Felder's Great American Songbook Sing-Along

September 7, 2025              

Tickets, starting at $110, available summer 2025 

With his signature style and lots of audience participation, Hershey Felder's Great American Songbook Sing-Along takes audiences through 100 years of American music—beginning with Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, George and Ira Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim ... The Sound of Music, South Pacific, Fiddler on the Roof, Showboat and more! Audiences are encouraged to sing along with Felder as he leads them through the familiar notes of their favorite songs. 

The Chicago/Midwest Premiere of

As You Like It 

A Musical Adaptation of William Shakespeare's As You Like It 

Adapted by Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery 

Music and Lyrics by Shaina Taub 

Directed by Braden Abraham 

Music Direction by Michael Mahler 

October 30 – December 14, 2025       

Press opening: November 7, 2025                             

Facing exile at home, Orlando, Duke Senior, his daughter Rosalind and niece Celia seek safety and refuge in the Forest of Arden. Lost amidst the trees, these wounded souls end up finding a community of acceptance and transformational love, where all are welcomed and embraced. Featuring an original folk-pop score by Shaina Taub (Tony Award-winning composer of Suffs), this musical adaptation of Shakespeare's classic is an immersive dream-like tale of faithful friends, feuding families and chance encounters.  

Two Sisters and a Piano  

Written by Nilo Cruz 

Directed by Lisa Portes 

February 26 – March 29, 2026 

Press opening: March 6, 2026

Trapped under house arrest, novelist Maria Celia and her sister Sofia can still hear the rumors of the Russians' departure from Cuba in 1991. While awaiting news from Maria's exiled husband and dreaming of their freedom, the two sisters find their small world unexpectedly shaken by the arrival of a romantic young piano tuner and a charismatic military officer infatuated with Maria's writing. Pulitzer Prize winner Nilo Cruz (Anna in the Tropics) weaves an authentic tale of oppression, human spirit, and intertwining fates in a world of shifting global politics.  

The Chicago/Midwest Premiere of

Job 

Written by Max Wolf Friedlich 

Directed by David Esbjornson 

April 9 – June 14, 2026 

Press Opening: April 17, 2026

Jane, an employee at a big tech company, has been placed on leave after video of her screaming breakdown at work went viral. Her employers tell Jane she must be evaluated by crisis therapist Loyd before she can be reinstated to the job that gives her life meaning. Their first session together, however, quickly escalates into an epic showdown with a shocking and disturbing twist. A Broadway and Off-Broadway sensation, this intense psychological thriller skewers the insidiousness of the internet, the meaning of work and the ramifications of a secret revealed. 

The Chicago/Midwest Premiere of

Leopoldstadt 

Written by Tom Stoppard 

Directed by Carey Perloff 

June 4 – July 19, 2026                                                      

Press Opening: June 12, 2026

At the dawn of the 20th century, Vienna is the heart of European culture. While an extended family gathers in the elegant Merz home for the holidays, two brothers-in-law passionately debate their conflicting visions for the future of their family and the Jewish people––a tension that will echo through the generations that follow. Traversing decades of joy and strife, from 1899 to 1955, the latest Tony and Olivier Award-winning masterpiece and most personal play from Tom Stoppard follows one family's reckoning with a past it cannot escape and a future it cannot control.

Frequent Stoppard collaborator Carey Perloff directs this stirring and epic story of love, betrayal, family, and enduring bravery. 

Writers Theatre would like to acknowledge the following dedicated donors who have committed generous, foundational funds to help bring this important Chicago and Midwest premiere to our community. Thus far, Major Inaugural Sponsors include Sara and Dan Cohan, The Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation, and Alec and Jennifer Litowitz. Inaugural Sponsors include Susan and Don Belgrad, Lloyd Morgan, The Mark and Tricia Rothschild Family Trust, Lizzy Takiff Scheinfeld, Mary Pat and Andy Studdert, the Takiff Family Foundation, Rich and Elaine Tinberg and Craig and Linda Umans. We thank them for their passion and commitment to Writers Theatre and unwavering support for groundbreaking theatrical works. 

Season Add-On

The Unfair Advantage  

Created and performed by Harry Milas 

Produced in the US by Pemberley Productions and Parrot Ox, in association with PitStop Productions 

The Gillian Theatre 

December 3 - 28, 2025 

There will be no press opening for this production

Sleight of hand specialist Harry Milas lifts the veil on the world of card cheating, taking audiences on a journey of deception into a world that very few have experienced and even fewer talk about. During this hour-long intimate experience---performed for an audience of just 35 people---Harry will reveal step by step how magicians, card cheaters, and mentalists fool the world. Expect part performance, part tutorial as Harry exposes many of the best tricks and illusions he knows, displaying the skills that led to him becoming a security weapon for the world's top casinos. 

Before participating in the experience, audiences will be asked to sign a legal contract of confidentiality. Please bear this in mind when electing to take part.

The Unfair Advantage is not included in the season subscription packages. Subscriber tickets, $65, are available now only to subscribers. Non-subscriber tickets are $75 and will go on-sale next fall. Each performance is limited to 35 people.

SEASON PACKAGES

Writers Theatre is offering a variety of subscriptions with an option for every theatregoer. Each subscription includes a deeply discounted ticket price, ranging from $275-$375 for one ticket to the five-play series, Flex subscriptions, with options for either four tickets ($280) or five tickets ($350), are available.

Season package subscribers receive the new Writers Theatre concierge service for ticket exchanges and questions. Exclusive subscriber benefits include: complimentary ticket exchanges (upgrade fees may apply), special "subscriber-rate" prices on additional tickets, advance access to special events and programs, easy, free parking, exclusive discounts in bar items and merchandise, discounts on rental of Writers Theatre event spaces on Writers Theatre merchandise, event rentals, and more. For a complete list of benefits visit writerstheatre.org.

Season Packages are available online at www.writerstheatre.org, and at the Box Office by calling 847-242-6000.

Single tickets will go on sale for each show approximately two months prior to first preview. Single ticket prices start at $35.

AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES 

Throughout the season, Writers Theatre offers a variety of audience enrichment and special programming. This includes regularly occurring offerings like the Family Matinee Series, The Green Room artist interview series and podcast, and The Final Word Audience Discussion Series. Please visit writerstheatre.org/events for a full listing of upcoming offerings.

Writers offers Open Captioning on select dates for each production. Please visit writerstheatre.org/accessibility for more information.

ABOUT WRITERS THEATRE 

Writers Theatre boldly looks to the future as it begins its 34^th season. Having captivated audiences for years with its dedication to creating the most intimate theatrical experience possible, the theatre is now a major Chicagoland cultural destination with a national reputation for excellence, being called "America's finest regional theater company" by The Wall Street Journal. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Braden Abraham and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma, the company is charting a path forward for the next 30 years. 

Since its founding in 1992, Writers Theatre has stayed true to its core values: valuing the power of the written word and uplifting the artists who bring that word to life. The company has produced over 140 productions—everything from inventive interpretations of classics to groundbreaking new work. In 2016, Writers Theatre opened a new, state-of-the-art facility designed by the internationally renowned Studio Gang Architects. The new facility has allowed the Theatre to accommodate its growing audience, while maintaining its trademark intimacy. 

Writers Theatre now welcomes more than 60,000 patrons each season and has helped establish the North Shore of Chicago as a premier cultural destination. Through its Literary Development Initiative, which has been responsible for the nurturing and premiering of over 30 world premieres, the theatre has established itself as a major originator of new theatrical works. Serving as an extension of the Writers Theatre mission, the Education programs engage an average of 10,000 students each year with active learning opportunities centered around the written word.  

Kokandy Productions is pleased to announce the official selections for the annual Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, a celebration and showcase of the growing field of musical theatre creators from Chicago and beyond. The 2025 Festival will feature concert presentations of five new musicals over the course of one weekend from April 3 – 6, 2025 on The Chopin Theatre Mainstage, 1543 W. Division St. in Chicago. Tickets ($20 per performance) are now on sale at bit.ly/CMTF2025.

Now in its 8^th year, CMTF was created with the belief that there's a wealth of musical theatre creators in Chicago and around the country, but the high risks of producing new musicals offers limited opportunities for emerging authors to have their work seen and heard. CMTF is designed to provide much-needed artistic resources for writers to have their work supported, explored, and most importantly – performed! Since its inception in 2014 by Underscore Theatre Company, CMTF has brought 60 new musicals to Chicago stages. Following a four-year hiatus, CMTF returned last year under the stewardship of Kokandy Productions.

Festival Producer Nicholas Reinhart comments, "Each year, we are amazed by the creativity, passion and innovation that today's musical theatre writers bring to the table, and this year was no exception. After receiving nearly 100 submissions from across the country, we are thrilled to present five new, original musicals, including two musicals geared towards young audiences and families. We are continually proud to foster a space where bold storytelling and fresh musical voices can flourish, and we hope audiences join us at The Chopin in April."

Executive Producer Scot Kokandy adds, "CMTF 2025 has been sponsored by an anonymous donor, whose generosity will help this year's festival thrive."

The full-line up and performance schedule includes:

Thursday, April 3 at 7:30 pm: Bend Toward the Light

Friday, April 4 at 7:30 pm: Man of the People: The Trials of Huey Long

Saturday, April 5 at 2:30 pm: Queen Bea

Saturday, April 5 at 7:30 pm: The Muses

Sunday, April 6 at 2:30 pm: Big Wig

Bend Toward the Light

Music by Sarah Slipp
Book and Lyrics by Bryce Palmer

A sung-through, two-hander musical that explores the fractured relationship between Asher Fitzgerald and his twin sister, Willow over the course of a real-time interrogation, as Asher recounts a recent trip that he and Willow took together into the woods to recover a time capsule that they buried in their childhood.

Man of the People: The Trials of Huey Long

Book, Music and Lyrics by Wyatt Andrew Brownell 

The one-of-a-kind story of Louisiana political icon Huey Long. From his beginnings as a poor young salesman, Huey rises to the highest levels of success in American politics, making many friends and many more enemies along the way.

Queen Bea

Book, Music and Lyrics by Scott Evan Davis & Jason Marks

In a royal kingdom where honey flows, a reluctant bee discards her calling to accept the responsibility of becoming Queen. But can a wise firefly, and a near death experience by a praying mantis convince Beatrice to return home before it's too late to save her colony?  

The Muses

Book, Music and Lyrics by Liam P. Mulligan

William Albright, a struggling opera composer, finds that his best friend and muse, Laura, is engaged to an electrician after being gone on a week-long Spring Break trip. On Laura's wedding day, William appears before the wedding to tell her how he loved her, and then he leaves her to begin a five-year search for closure filled with 8 doppelgänger "Lauras" based on the Greek Muses. 

Big Wig

Book and Lyrics by Jonathan Keebler
Music by Ryan Korell
Conceived by Bryan McCaffrey
Based on the book by Jonathan Hillman

This irrepressible musical celebrates drag kids, individuality and self-confidence from the perspective of a fabulous wig!

In addition to the five musicals selected for performance, the CMTF selection committee would like to commend the following musicals as finalists for the Festival: New York Letters (Book by Mare Rozzelle, Music and Lyrics by Glenn Prangnell & Mare Rozzelle), Quillén (Music and Spanish Lyrics by Pablo Concha, Book and English Lyrics by Jamie Buxton), Savage: The Unconquerable Wanda Savage (Book by Nicolette Blount & Lindel Hart, Music and Lyrics by Nicolette Blount), Star Machine (Book by Hollee Temple & John Temple, Music and Lyrics by Gideon Temple & Hank Temple) and Who Needs Love? (Book by Keith Huff, Music by Joel Evans, Lyrics by Adryan Russ).

CMTF 2025 Artist Biographies

Sarah Slipp (Music, Bend Toward the Light) is a composer, flautist, orchestrator and music teacher from New Brunswick, Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from Acadia University and studied Graduate Musical Theatre Writing at NYU Tisch. Sarah is passionate about using music as a dramatic language to help deepen an audience's experience of a story.

Bryce Palmer (Book and Lyrics, Bend Toward the Light) is a bookwriter, composer and lyricist. He studied Theatre & Music at Vanderbilt University, where he finished in the top 100% of his class and graduated Sicut Vix ("just barely"). MFA: NYU. He is a proud member of the BMI Lehman Engel Advanced Songwriting Workshop and The Dramatists Guild.

Wyatt Andrew Brownell (Book, Music and Lyrics, Man of the People: The Trials of Huey Long) is an actor, musician, songwriter and playwright based in Lubbock, TX. He began writing songs at fifteen, but first ventured into writing for the theatre during his senior year at West Texas A&M University with the one act piece BFA Project: The Musical! Since graduation, Wyatt has continued to work as both an actor and a writer. Man of the People is his first full-length work.

Scott Evan Davis (Book, Music & Lyrics, Queen Bea) is a multi-award-winning NYC-based composer, lyricist, vocal coach, musical director and social media personality. His musical Indigo premiered in 2023 and will play London's Curve Theatre in May 2025. Named New Yorker of the Week for his work with autistic artists, and his songs have been performed worldwide.

Jason Marks (Book, Music & Lyrics, Queen Bea) is a Richmond, Virginia-based award-winning actor, singer, composer and music director. He has performed on regional stages all over the United States, and his original works for young audiences have toured with Virginia Repertory Theatre, and been seen by thousands of school children across the nation.

Liam P. Mulligan  (Book, Music & Lyrics, The Muses) is a composer, writer and music director who studied at Moravian College and Carnegie Mellon University. He has written musical and dramatic works for stage, screen, and concert hall. Mulligan regularly serves as arranger, music director and conductor for theatrical productions and new musical workshops in Pennsylvania, New England and New York City.

Jonathan Keebler (Book and Lyrics, Big Wig) is a NYC-based lyricist and bookwriter. Notable works include A Most Average Musical, Gay Card and Meet and Run. His work is licensed by MTI and Uproar Theatrics. He is a member of the Theatre Now Writers Lab and the Dramatist Guild. Music available on streaming.

Ryan Korell (Music, Big Wig) is an award-winning composer, arranger and orchestrator whose work has been featured globally. Credits include Gay Card, Meet and Run, Love in NY and The Bridges of Madison County (Broadway). He is an alumnus of Vanderbilt University and NYU Tisch. Find his music on any streaming platform.

About Kokandy Productions

Founded in 2010, Kokandy Productions seeks to leverage the heightened reality of musical theatre to tell complex and challenging stories, with a focus on contributing to the development of Chicago-based musical theatre artists, and raising the profile of Chicago's non-Equity musical theatre community.

The company's artistic staff is comprised of Derek Van Barham (Producing Artistic Director), Scot T. Kokandy (Executive Producer) and Adrian Abel Azevedo & Leda Hoffman (Artistic Associates). The Board of Directors includes Preston Cropp, Scot T. Kokandy, Danielle Sparklin and Katie Svaicer.

For additional information, visit www.kokandyproductions.com. 

Hell in a Handbag Productions is pleased to continue its 2024/25 Season with the world premiere of Scary Town, Artistic Director David Cerda's semi-autobiographical tale about growing up, seeing things differently and questioning your very existence – as told through the lens of a little brown bunny. Directed by Cheryl Snodgrass, Scary Town will play April 9 – May 11, 2025 at Handbag's intimate artistic home The Clutch, 4335 N. Western Ave. in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Tickets are currently on sale at handbagproductions.org or buytickets.at/hellinahandbagproductions/1618086. 

Merry Town is the happiest town where all the animals live in harmony and wear cute outfits. Deven Bunny has lived there all his life and has always been taught it's the best place ever. But he's not a child anymore (he's turning 13) and suddenly he starts seeing things differently. When Deven discovers a deep dark family secret, it changes everything he thought knew about everything. Part Richard Scarry storybooks, a dash of soap opera and a loving touch of David Lynch for good measure, Scary Town is an adult children's play about growing up in a lie and living not so happily ever after.

The cast includes ensemble members Grant Drager*, Ed Jones*, Stevie Love*, Scott Sawa* and Danne W. Taylor* with Colin Callahan, Sophia Dennis, Al Duffy and Jerod Turner. Understudies include: Kelly Anchors, Wendy Hayne, Brandon Nelson, TJ O'Brien and Jack Oleg.

Comments Artistic Director and playwright David Cerda, "I've wanted to tell my story for what seems like forever, but I kept putting it off because I didn't want to write a traditional dysfunctional family drama. I wanted to capture the melodramatic nature of my life where ridiculousness is reality, and reality is ridiculous. Sharing my childhood story through the lens of some of my favorite storybook characters helped me discuss some complex and painful experiences without dragging everyone into an abyss of despair. I know people expect to laugh when they see one of my shows and I hope they do – but I also want to tell my truth, which isn't always pleasant."

The production team includes Marcus Klein (Scenic Designer), Rachel M. Sypniewski (Costume Designer), Liz Cooper (Lighting Designer), DJ Douglass (Sound Designer), Maggie O'Brien (Props Designer), Jabberwocky Marionettes (Puppet Designer), Syd Genco* (Makeup Design), Keith Ryan* (Wig Designer), Tom Daniel (Technical Director), Michael S. Miller* (Graphic Designer) and Veronica Kostka* (Stage Manager).

*Denotes Handbag Ensemble Member

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title: Scary Town

Playwright: Artistic Director David Cerda*
Director: Cheryl Snodgrass
Cast (in alphabetical order): Colin Callahan (Deven Bunny), Sophia Dennis (Betsy Bunny, Trixie Bunny) Grant Drager* (Mrs. Fox, Benny Bunny) Al Duffy (Penelope Porcupine), Ed Jones* (Mrs. Wanda Water Buffalo), Stevie Love* (Mrs. Betty Bunny), Scott Sawa* (Officer Aardvark, Uncle Brian Bunny), Danne W. Taylor* (Granny Bunny) and Jerod Turner (Willie Worm). Understudies include: Kelly Anchors, Wendy Hayne, Brandon Nelson, TJ O'Brien and Jack Oleg.

Location: The Clutch, 4335 N. Western Ave., Chicago, IL 60618

Previews: Wednesday, April 9 at 7:30 pm, Thursday, April 10 at 7:30 pm and Friday, April 11 at 7:30 pm
Press performances: Saturday, April 12 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, April 13 at 3 pm
Regular run: Thursday, April 24 – Sunday, May 11, 2025
Curtain Times: Thursday, Fridays and Saturday at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm & 7 pm. Please note: there will be an added performance on Monday, May 5 at 7:30 pm (Industry Night); there will not be a 7 pm performance on Sunday, May 11.

Tickets: Previews: $22. VIP reserved previews: $30. General admission: $35. VIP reserved: $43. Tickets are now on sale for all performance at handbagproductions.org or buytickets.at/hellinahandbagproductions/1618086.

About the Artists:

David Cerda (Playwright) is a founding member and Artistic Director of Hell in a Handbag Productions, now celebrating its 23^rd  year anniversary. As resident playwright, he has written many Handbag productions as well as acted in them. His play, The Drag Seed was recently produced at LaMaMa Experimental Theater and his Golden Girls Lost Episodes parody shows have been produced around the country and was featured in Golden Con: Thank you for being a Fan, the world's first fan convention dedicated to all things Golden Girls at Chicago's Navy Pier. Cerda is a proud inductee into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame and recipient of a Jeff Award for lifetime achievement for his 23 years (and counting) of work and service to the community. He lives in Chicago with his partner, Christopher.

Cheryl Snodgrass (Director) is an alumni ensemble member of Hell in a Handbag and returns to her artistic home for Scary Town. This is her ninth directing project with HIAH (Die Mommie!  Die!, Haywire, Rip Nelson's Halloween Spooktacular, SCARRIE: The Musical, L'Imitation of Life, The Birds, The Drag Seed and A Fine Feathered Murder) and her sixth David Cerda scribed show. Cheryl has worked extensively as a visiting artist at Mill Mountain Theatre and Studio Roanoke (Roanoke, VA). She has also directed for Sweetback, Glass Apple, Trap Door, The Foundlings, Tellin' Tales, Jonny Staxx Presents, Filet of Solo and Penobscot Theatre Company (Bangor, ME). 

About Hell in a Handbag Productions:

Hell in a Handbag is dedicated to the preservation, exploration, and celebration of works ingrained in the realm of popular culture via theatrical productions through parody, music and homage. Handbag is a 501(c)(3) Not for Profit. For additional information, visit handbagproductions.org.

A.B.L.E.—Artists Breaking Limits & Expectations—a Chicago-based nonprofit that creates theatre and film for, with, and by individuals with Down syndrome and other intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) is thrilled to return to Chicago Shakespeare Theater with a re-imagining of the gothic classic Frankenstein running April 25-27, 2025.

The production will transform the Upstairs Studio into a run-down punk club called The Arctic. Music journalist Roberta Walton (played by Ryan Foley) is on site to cover the closing of the club, but instead finds a disoriented Victor Frankenstein (played by Marissa Bloodgood and Andrew Kosnik) and a much more interesting story! The neurodiverse ensemble - composed of 9 actors with varying disabilities and a team of facilitators - will play multiple characters as they bring Frankenstein's memories to life. The production blends music, movement, and scenes devised by the group into a powerful exploration of ambition, isolation, and the balance between the head and the heart. 

Writer and co-director Lawrence Kern, anchored this version of Frankenstein in the punk world to honor the rebellious spirit of the disability community. "Most people have a very clear picture in their head of what this story looks like with green makeup and neck bolts," says Kern. "We always want to challenge assumptions at A.B.L.E., to surprise our audiences, and leave room for our actors to put their own spin on things."

Through the 10-week rehearsal process, Kern and co-director Katie Yohe led a highly collaborative process that included actors developing their own choreography, infusing personal reflections and storytelling into the script, and developing scenes in the manner that best suited each individual performer. The result is a deeply personal production. "The Creature is really misunderstood and I know how that feels," says actor Zach Wandel. "When you move through the world with a disability, people treat you like a kid. And when you're an artist, like me, people don't take you seriously, or think your art is less than. But we deserve a chance." 

Before the show on Saturday April 26th, the public is invited to participate in a free 75-minute interactive workshop with the ensemble to learn more about how A.B.L.E. developed this adaptation. Audiences can experience some of the games and activities A.B.L.E. used to bring their ideas to the stage, get a touch tour of key costume pieces and props, and try A.B.L.E.'s signature "dropping in" method. This exclusive opportunity is only available to 20 ticket holders - space can be reserved when purchasing tickets.

A.B.L.E. is committed to ensuring everyone feels they belong in the theatre. In addition to supporting disabled actors onstage and backstage, all 3 performances include numerous accessibility supports for audience members of all ages and abilities. Open captioning is integrated into the design of the show. All performances are relaxed, and audience members will receive a social story before the show to help audience members know what to expect from their trip to the theatre. The performance on April 27th will be dual ASL interpreted. Yohe says,  "We hope we can set an example for our community of what true inclusion looks like both onstage and off."

Performances:

Friday April 25 at 7pm
Saturday April 26 at 2pm (free pre-show workshop at 10:30am)
Sunday April 27 at 2pm (ASL interpreted)

Run-time approximately 90 minutes

Chicago Shakespeare's Courtyard Theater
800 East Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611

Tickets: Pay-what-you-can general admission ranging from $15-$45
Online: chicagoshakes.com/frankenstein
Phone: 312.595.5600
In person: at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater Box Office

Accessibility at all performances:

• Open captioning
• Relaxed performance including a designated movement zone
• Sensory support tools
• Wheelchair Access
• Masks are required for all attendees out of consideration for our immunocompromised community members

Frankenstein is sponsored by Charcoalblue. A.B.L.E.'s 2024-2025 Season is partially supported by The Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development, The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, FunFund, Fs Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council, The LaChapelle Family Foundation, The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ Ministry Fund, The National Endowment for the Arts, and generous individuals like you!

ABOUT A.B.L.E.

A.B.L.E. - Artists Breaking Limits & Expectations - is celebrating their 9th anniversary of creating theatre and film for, with, and by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Whether in person or online, all A.B.L.E. programs strive to foster agency, and nurture lifelong skills like communication, collaboration, and creativity. A.B.L.E.'s ensembles have produced more than 30 projects for the stage and screen, ranging from original work devised by the group, to Shakespearean classics, to award-winning feature films. A.B.L.E. also shares their unique approach for creative arts programming through workshops and residences with schools, community centers, and other organizations that serve people with disabilities, and also disability inclusion training for businesses. By placing disability in the spotlight, A.B.L.E. strives to shift societal preconceptions, and build more inclusive, empathetic communities.  Watch past shows, meet the team, and go behind the scenes at ableensemble.com

ABOUT CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER

A Regional Tony Award recipient, Chicago Shakespeare Theater produces a bold and innovative year-round season that includes Shakespeare, original plays, musicals, family programming, and international theatrical events. CST is committed to serving as a cultural center across its three stages—the 700+ seat Yard, 500-seat Jentes Family Courtyard Theater, and the 200-seat Carl and Marilynn Thoma Theater Upstairs as well as in classrooms, neighborhoods, and venues around the world. CST has a deep commitment to education and lifelong learning with robust programming for students, teachers, and lifelong learners, and engagement with communities across the city. Onstage, in classrooms and neighborhoods across the city, and in venues around the world, Chicago Shakespeare is a multifaceted theatre—inviting audiences, artists, and community members to share powerful stories that illuminate the complexities, ambiguities, and wonders of our world. www.chicagoshakes.com.

About Face Theatre announces the return of Re/Generation Studio, a weekend of community building, education, and performance to help build the future of queer theater. Re/Generation Studio will be held March 28-30, 2025, with free events at The Alice at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St and About Face Theatre HQ, 1922 W. Irving Park Rd.

All events and workshops are free and open to the public. Re/Generation Studio is recommended for ages 12 and older. Attendees are encouraged to register in advance at aboutfacetheatre.com/regeneration/, or in-person at the events. Early registration is encouraged to help About Face prepare space and food, and some events may reach capacity. See individual event listings below for more details.

Re/Generation Studio 2025 is a powerful expression of the About Face mission to advance LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance. Through a dynamic series of events, attendees can participate in new play development, dreaming and planning sessions, a wellness circle, intentional meetups and discussions, and other opportunities to connect and learn. 

"Re/Generation Studio was born out of vulnerable, passionate, and hopeful exchanges in the Fall of 2021. The pilot year was organized around a series of Saturday afternoon play readings. One of those plays, Lavender Men, was so well received we decided to move it forward into full production in our 22-23 season. The second time around, the Re/Gen schedule was expanded into a festival format adding workshops and intentional community gatherings. One of the devising sessions led to a new model for developing work and that has been a major focus of our current season. Building on this remarkable trajectory, we are thrilled to introduce our third round of Re/Gen Studio with special thanks to our generous colleagues at The Goodman," comments Artistic Director Megan Carney. "At About Face we are dedicated to ongoing evolution for the field and our culture. Re/Generation Studio is one of those bright spots in our theatre ecology."

About Face first premiered Re/Generation Studio in February 2023. It was envisioned as a space for reconnecting and re-imagining after the social and creative isolation of the pandemic. The first iteration of Re/Generation Studio included five play readings and workshops, featuring a wide variety of playwrights, directors, actors, and audience members. The overwhelmingly positive response to these workshops proved that Chicago's creative communities are eager for a chance to rebuild community bonds and engage in collective dreaming and creating.

The current Re/Generation Studio 2025 schedule follows. Additional events will be announced soon.

New Play Reading Workshop: Phases of the Moon

Written by Bryna Turner

Directed by Keira Fromm

Friday, March 28 at 6:00pm

The Alice at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn Street

Before she mastered the art of losing, the poet Elizabeth Bishop was a socialist vegetarian in a peacoat at Vassar College during the Great Depression. Following "Bishie" and her friends over a single lunar cycle during their senior year, Phases of the Moon begins with a ceremony gone awry and asks what's real under all the pretending.

Creative Sound Play for All

A Music and Wellness Workshop with Zahra Baker and Dionne Addai

Saturday, March 29, 2:00pm-2:45pm

The Alice at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn Street

Join us for a 45-minute workshop on practicing how to use your voice amidst community. We'll experiment with sounds and learn about the ways that sounds and reverberation can be used for self-soothing and regulation. All ages and experience levels are invited to engage in this workshop and wellness circle.

New Play Reading Workshop: Untitled Queer Romance or The Subject of You

Written by Michael Turrentine

Directed by Catherine Miller

Saturday, March 29 at 3:00pm

The Alice at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn Street

Matthew and Pat have met, gone on a few dates, and are awkwardly adorable. Autumn and Talia have been together for years and still have a spark about them. Lyle and Deja are about to embark on a journey neither are ready for. However, while we see Matthew and Pat in the midst of starting their relationship, Autumn and Talia are going from their ending to their beginning. "Untitled Queer Romance" is an exploration of how and why we connect, what differences we choose to highlight over our similarities, and makes us ask the question "Why are we here, together?"

Town Hall for Theater Directors and Makers: What do we need now?

Saturday, March 29, 5:00pm-6:00pm

The Alice at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn Street

As our producing landscape evolves and career development paths can feel murky, what support and opportunities do we need in order to grow in our craft? What kinds of community and institutional support would help? Directors and theatre artists of ALL experience levels are welcome − whether you've been directing and creating for years, or maybe you're curious about doing it someday − We want to hear from you! Please join us for this town hall discussion at Re/Gen 2025 to identify ways we can close gaps, share resources, and level up our field to sustain the people paving the way for the future of theatre. LGBTQ+ directors and makers will be centered though everyone is welcome at this Town Hall. About Face plans to organize and uplift our findings to the larger Chicago theatre community to help build the future.

New Play Reading Workshop: An Army of Lovers

Written by R. Eric Thomas

Directed by Mikael Burke

Saturday, March 29 at 6:00pm

The Alice at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn Street

Page Freemont, an aging queer activist is invited to the sleek, enclosed campus of a global communications company, by Chuck Dillahunt, an estranged friend from her early days. The company wants to give her an award at their first Pride celebration. She accepts but she does not come in peace. An Army of Lovers is a play about radical acts of existence, corporate culture as an oxymoron, and the freedom to be public.

Theatre for Learning and Liberation

Sunday, March 30 at 2:00pm

The Alice at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn Street

Calling all students, teaching artists, organizers, and educators! What makes a space inclusive and affirming? How are you navigating systems to connect in a meaningful way? What's working and what do you need? Let's connect, share resources, and strategize for the moment. This session is a space to share tips, games, and techniques about theatre as a tool for teaching and learning. No matter where you are in your teaching artist, peer educator, mentor, or student journey, we hope you'll come out for this interactive and fun session. Please plan to stick around to participate in About Face Theatre's interactive touring show, Life Out Loud: Voices of Pride starting at 3pm.

Performance and Discussion: Life Out Loud: Voices of Pride

Based on original writing and stories from the archives

Directed by Dionne Addai

Theatrical Consultation by Lexi Saunders

Featuring Haven A.J. Crawley, Sharon Pasia, and Ua Smith

Sunday, March 30 at 3:00pm

The Alice at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn Street

Three friends journey through a gallery filled with stories from LGBTQ folks from the past and present. Together we'll look back to move forward, gathering inspiration to inform our current choices, and build confidence in our voices. This interactive play uses monologues and improv to introduce the audience to gender expansive and inclusive vocabulary as well as healthy coping mechanisms and boundary setting.

Life Out Loud: Voices of Pride is one of our current touring programs. Since 1995, About Face has reached thousands of people each year by taking the power of theatre on the road to support personal and organizational growth. We provide touring workshops and performances that combine fun, interactive, and accessible theatre-based activities to increase a sense of belonging, invite brave dialogue, and move individuals and groups toward action. Join us for this session to enjoy some theatre for social change in action!

Trans Workplace Inclusion in 2025

Sunday March 30 at 4:30pm-6:00pm

The Alice at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn Street

In light of the current political climate, there have been questions about the state of workplace DEI initiatives and a targeting of the trans community. This 90-minute training is offered as part of the Trans-Inclusive Chicago Campaign from Chicago Therapy Collective and will focus on creating or maintaining practices that build a safe and welcoming workplace for trans employees. This session will explore hiring and workplace best practices, bystander intervention, and individual and institutional allyship. We look forward to seeing you there and collaborating to transform workplaces across our city

READING WORKSHOP ARTIST BIOS

Phases of the Moon Artists:

Bryna Turner (they/them)

Playwright

Bryna Turner is a Brooklyn-based playwright originally from Northern California. Their play At the Wedding had its world premiere at LCT3 at Lincoln Center Theater. It received the Laurie Foundation's Theatre Visions Fund Award, a NY Times Critic's Pick, and was featured in the NYT Best of 2022 "Unforgettable Theatrical Moments" category. Their play Bull in a China Shop also premiered at LCT3 and was a NY Times Critic's Pick. Other plays include Phases of the Moon and How to Separate Your Soul from Your Body (in ten easy steps!).

Keira Fromm (she/her)

Director

Keira is a Chicago-based, Jeff Award-nominated freelance director. She is a proud artistic associate at About Face Theatre where she's directed The Brightest Thing in the World, Bull in a China Shop, Significant Other, Bright Half Life, and A Kid Like Jake. Other recent favorite directing credits include: The Liar, The Moors, and A Doll's House (American Players Theatre), Mary's Wedding (Peninsula Players Theatre), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Milwaukee Chamber Theatre); The Last Match (Writers Theatre); Top Girls and hang (Remy Bumppo); The Columnist (American Blues Theatre); The How and the Why (TimeLine Theatre), Charles Ives Take Me Home (Strawdog), Broadsword (Gift Theatre), and Fallow (Steep Theatre). Keira received her MFA from DePaul University, is a Lincoln Center Directors Lab alum, and is a member of SDC, the professional directors union.

Untitled Queer Romance or The Subject of You Artists:

Michael Turrentine (he/him)

Playwright

Michael Turrentine is excited to workshop his newest play with About Face. Mainly an actor in the city working at many theaters including The Gift Theater, Steppenwolf, The Lyric Opera, Marriott, Paramount, Drury Lane, and many more, Michael has also written several plays, podcasts, and shorts including Mare (workshopped at Broken Nose Theater) and If Only Once (workshopped at Commission Theatre).

Catherine Miller (they/them)

Director

Catherine has been casting for AFT since Mosque4Mosque, in addition to dramaturging The Brightest Thing in the World and acting as artistic producer of the 2024 Re/Gen Studio. Catherine is the resident casting director for Raven Theatre and American Musical Theatre Project at Northwestern University, in addition to having recently cast productions for Chicago Childrens Theatre, Theatre Wit, Backstitch Arts, and Jackalope Theatre, among many others. Additionally, Catherine has done dramaturgy and gender consulting work for Paramount Theatre, Diversionary Theatre, Cygnet Theatre, and Actors Theatre of Louisville, while also guest lecturing/teaching at Acting Studio Chicago, Northwestern University, The Theatre School, Notre Dame University, Roosevelt University, Columbia College, among others. They were a 2021 3Arts Make A Wave recipient and was featured in American Theatre Magazine's Role Call. They were also on NewCity Magazine's 2020 + 2019 Players: The Fifty People Who Really Perform for Chicago and the Windy City Times' 30 Under 30 list. Catherine has a BFA in Dramaturgy/Criticism from The Theatre School at DePaul. 

An Army of Lovers Artists:

R. Eric Thomas (he/him)

Playwright

R. Eric Thomas is delighted to be working with About Face again after 2018's production of his play Time Is On Our Side. He is the winner of the Barrymore Award for Best New Play, the Dramatists Guild Lanford Wilson Award, and the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Drama. He is also the "Eric" of Asking Eric, the popular nationally syndicated daily advice column found in over 100 newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. A proud member of the WGA, he was on the writing staff for the Peabody Award-winning series Dickinson (AppleTV+) and Better Things (FX) and is currently developing multiple projects for film, television, and stage. His books include the national bestseller Here For It, Kings of B'More, a 2023 American Library Association Stonewall Honor Book, and Congratulations, The Best Is Over!, an instant USA Today Bestseller.

Mikael Burke (he/him)

Director

Mikael Burke is a black queer director, deviser, and educator based in Chicago. A Princess Grace Award recipient in Theatre (2017) and Joseph Jefferson Award-winning Director (2024), his recent credits include: Milo Imagines the World by Christian Magby, Christian Albright, & Terry Guest (Rolling World Premiere, Chicago Children's Theatre, Chicago, IL & Children's Theatre Company, Minneapolis, MN); King James by Rajiv Joesph (Forward Theatre, Madison, WI); Oak by Terry Guest (World Premiere, Urbanite Theatre, Sarasota, FL); Othello by William Shakespeare (Theatreworks Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO); Short Shakes! Romeo & Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Chicago, IL); Notes From the Field by Anna Deveare Smith (TimeLine, Chicago, IL); The Salvagers by Harrison David Rivers (World Premiere, Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, CT); Tambo & Bones by Dave Harris (Refracted Theatre, Chicago, IL, winner of 8 Joseph Jefferson Awards); Blues For an Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage (Remy Bumppo, Chicago, IL); Clyde's by Lynn Nottage (Theaterworks Hartford, Hartford, CT, winner of 1 CCC Award); The Magnolia Ballet by Terry Guest (About Face Theatre, Chicago, IL, winner of 2 Joesph Jefferson Awards). Mikael has also been recognized with a Black Theatre Alliance Award for Directing (2022), and as one of New City Magazine's 50 Players of Chicago in 2023 & 2025. Mikael is an Artistic Associate at Remy Bumppo Theatre Company in Chicago, as well as at About Face Theatre, where he previously served as Associate Artistic Director. He's also an adjunct faculty member at DePaul University and Roosevelt University, and a proud member of SDC. MFA Directing, The Theatre School at DePaul University. 

About Face Theatre has a long history of building community and engaging with its audiences through touring shows, educational workshops, and play readings. AFT's education programs first started in 1999 with About Face Youth Theatre. Re/Generation Studio is part of the company's continuing evolution to respond to the needs of its community to advance LGBTQ+ equity.

ABOUT FACE THEATRE advances LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance. AFT envisions an affirming and equitable world in which all LGBTQ+ individuals are thriving and free from prejudice and discrimination. About Face Theatre is also dedicated to being an intentionally and increasingly anti-racist organization. Due to the intersectionality of our identities, we understand our work to advance LGBTQ+ equity as directly connected to movements for racial justice.

Fresh off her critically acclaimed and Tony-nominated run in Broadway's Days of Wine and Roses, Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Mark Cortale are pleased to present Tony Award winner and musical theatre icon Kelli O'Hara with Music Director Dan Lipton, performing a program of beloved American Songbook classics and modern Broadway favorites. O'Hara will play three performances only April 18 & 19, 2025 in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Tickets ($89 - $139) are now on sale at steppenwolf.org/kelliohara or by calling the Box Office at (312) 335-1650.

Hailed by the New York Times as "Broadway musical's undisputed queen," O'Hara will perform highlights from her incredible body of work which spans twelve Broadway productions. In addition to riveting musical performances, O'Hara will share stories and personal memories drawn from her landmark stage career in an intimate setting.

Performance schedule:

Friday, April 18, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 19, 2025 at 3 pm
Saturday, April 19, 2025 at 7:30 pm

About the Artists:

Kelli O'Hara has established herself as one of Broadway's greatest leading ladies. The Tony Award winner, Emmy, SAG and Grammy-nominated actress has appeared in twelve Broadway shows for which she has garnered eight Tony Award nominations.

She won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, along with Grammy, Drama League and Outer Critics nominations for her portrayal of Anna Leonowens in The King and I. O'Hara's other Broadway credits include Kiss Me Kate, The Bridges of Madison County, Nice Work if You Can Get It, South Pacific, The Pajama Game, The Light in the Piazza, Sweet Smell of Success, Follies, Dracula and Jekyll & Hyde.

O'Hara received an Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of Katie Bonner in Topic's hit web series, The Accidental Wolf, and can currently be seen on HBO's The Gilded Age, which was nominated for a SAG award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for Season 2. Additional film and television credits include Showtime's Master of Sex, 13 Reasons Why, Blue Bloods, All My Children, All the Bright Places, Peter Pan Live!, Sex & The City 2, Martin Scorsese's The Key to Reserva, The Good Fight, N3mbers and Car Talk.

In 2015, she made history as the first artist to make the crossover from Broadway to Opera when she made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Lehar's The Merry Widow opposite Renee Fleming and in 2018 returned as Despina in Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte. She was last seen at The Metropolitan Opera in the world premiere of Kevin Puts' The Hours, as Laura Brown, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Opera Recording.

O'Hara is a frequent performer on PBS's live telecasts, The Kennedy Center Honors and performs often alongside The New York Philharmonic and The New York Pops. Along with her two Grammy nominations, her solo albums, Always and Wonder in the World, are available on Ghostlight.

O'Hara recently completed a critically-acclaimed limited Broadway engagement of the new musical Days of Wine and Roses, which also garnered rave reviews during its Off-Broadway run at The Atlantic Theatre Company last summer. She won the Outer Critics Circle Award and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical in addition to receiving Tony and Drama League Nominations for her role. Upcoming projects include Season 3 of The Gilded Age.

Dan Lipton conducted The Band's Visit and Sting's musical The Last Ship on Broadway. He's arranged music and led bands for Sutton Foster, Kelli O'Hara, Mandy Gonzalez, Brian d'Arcy James, Judy Kuhn, John Lithgow, Martha Plimpton and Audra McDonald, performing at the White House, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, on Live with Kelly Ripa, The Today Show, PBS Great Performances, Late Show with David Letterman and with major symphony orchestras across the country.

Music supervision and orchestrations: An Officer and a Gentleman (U.S. tour), The Other Josh Cohen (Off-Broadway), The Drama Desk Awards. Music direction and onstage musician: Twyla Tharp's How Long Blues (Little Island) under T Bone Burnett, The Coast of Utopia by Tom Stoppard (Broadway), The Bridge Project (BAM, Old Vic) with Ethan Hawke directed by Sam Mendes, Herringbone with BD Wong directed by Roger Rees (La Jolla Playhouse).

He scored the feature film All These Small Moments (Orion Classics) starring Molly Ringwald and provided music for the podcasts Arts Educators Save the World (Story Pirates) and The Key of Love (Emerald Audio Network) from bestselling author Jenna Blum.

Pianist on three Grammy-nominated albums, he can be heard on piano in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime Video) and Rebecca Hall's award-winning film Passing (Netflix). His latest collection of jazz-pop covers with singer Colby Beserra, Jukebox Saloon Vol. 2, is streaming everywhere.

Accessibility:

Steppenwolf is committed to making the theatergoing experience accessible to everyone. Assistive listening devices (ALDs) are available for every performance and all our spaces are equipped with an induction hearing loop. Our building features wheelchair accessible seating and restrooms, push-button entrances, a courtesy wheelchair and all-gender restrooms, with accessible counter and table spaces at our bars. For additional information regarding accessibility, visit steppenwolf.org/access. If you have questions or would like to make a specific request, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call our box office at 312-335-1650.

Sponsor Information:

United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf salutes lead sponsors Allstate Insurance Company, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, Caroline and Keating Crown, Good Chaos, John Hart and Carol Prins, Joyce Foundation, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Northern Trust, Anne and Don Phillips, Pritzker Traubert Foundation, Shubert Foundation, Inc, Walder Foundation, and Zell Family Foundation. Steppenwolf also acknowledges generous support from premier sponsors ArentFox Schiff, Andrew and Amy Bluhm, Ann and Richard Carr, Chicago Community Trust, Conagra Brands Foundation, Steven and Nancy Crown,  CRC Group, Julius Frankel Foundation, FROST CHICAGO, Kirkland & Ellis, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, The Orlebeke Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Sacks Family Foundation, Smart Family Foundation of Illinois, Gary Sinise Foundation, and Vinci Restaurant. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council. This project is partially supported by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.   

About the Presenters:

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation's premier Ensemble Theater with 49 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions — from Balm in Gilead and Grapes of Wrath to August: Osage County, Downstate and The Brother/Sister Plays — have made this theatre legendary. Founded in 1976, Steppenwolf started as a group of teens performing in the basement of a church. Today, the company's artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theatre, whose vitality is defined by its appetite for bold and innovative work. Every aspect of Steppenwolf is rooted in its Ensemble ethos, from the intergenerational artistic programming to the multi-genre performance series LookOut, to the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education and Engagement which serves nearly 15,000 teens annually. While grounded in the Chicago community, more than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Steppenwolf also holds accolades that include the National Medal of Arts, 12 Tony Awards, and more. Led by Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, Executive Director E. Brooke Flanagan and Board of Trustees Chair, Keating Crown —Steppenwolf continually redefines the landscape of acting and performance.

Steppenwolf's Mission: Steppenwolf strives to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. We succeed when we disrupt your routine with experiences that spark curiosity, empathy and joy. We invite you to join our ensemble as we navigate, together, our complex world. steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

Mark Cortale is currently lead producing Table 17 by Douglas Lyons starring Tony Award Winner Kara Young that opened Off-Broadway at MCC on September 6, as well as the Broadway musical Floyd Collins by Adam Guettel and Tina Landau that opens at Lincoln Center Theater on April 21, 2025 at The Beaumont. Last season Mark produced the critically acclaimed three-time Tony nominated new musical Days of Wine and Roses starring Kelli O'Hara and Brian d'Arcy James, with music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, book by Craig Lucas and directed by Michael Greif. He also produced the Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel nominated Off-Broadway musical Midnight at the Never Get by Mark Sonnenblick in 2018. He recently celebrated his twelfth and final season as Producing Artistic Director of The Art House in Provincetown where he presented artists that included Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Sutton Foster, Jessie Mueller, Christine Ebersole and Megan Mullally. Mark is the Producing Artistic Director of the developmental theatre lab New Works Provincetown which he founded in 2020. In conjunction with producing partners Jonathan Murray and Harvey Reese, he has commissioned five works to date including the following shows currently in development: Maiden Voyage with book and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and music by Carmel Dean, Beautiful Little Fool with book by Mona Mansour and music and lyrics by Hannah Corneau, Love is Strange, with book by Craig Lucas, music by Daniel Messé and lyrics by Nathan Tysen & Daniel Messé and Table 17 by Douglas Lyons.

Theater Wit, in collaboration with the Crown Family Center for Jewish Studies at Northwestern and Northlight Theatre, hosts CityTalk: A Series of Conversations on Assimilation, Antisemitism and Culture. This free, unprecedented series of curated talks and convenings with distinguished experts in Jewish history will be presented throughout the Chicago area, March 23 – May 9, 2025. 

The events are free, and advance registration is required. For more information and registration, visit https://citytalkchicago.org/.

CityTalk crafts public conversation to create live, inclusive events to bring people together and encourage a humane perspective about safety, security and fundamental human rights for all. CityTalk invites everyone to take part and brings curiosity, courage and compassion to the table as we explore how the stories of our past shape the possibilities of our future.

CityTalk features presentations and discussions by nationally renowned scholars, artists and thought leaders, acting as a springboard for a space as nuanced and thoughtful as Prayer for the French Republic. These programs will explore historical, social and cultural themes of Jewish assimilation, integration and identity across America and Europe centered in an academic, humanistic, and intersectional perspective.

Jeremy Wechsler comments, "The questions raised by Prayer for the French Republic are too urgent, too layered, to be confined to a single production—even the largest in Theater Wit's history. We need a city-wide conversation. CityTalk is our way of making that happen, offering Chicagoans a rare chance to grapple with the present through the lens of history. In this moment, Americans are being confronted with fundamental questions about safety, identity, and the nature of our society. We cannot navigate the choices ahead without understanding the peril. History and conversation is our best ally in the days to come."

Winner of the 2022 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best New Off-Broadway Play, Prayer for the French Republic explores the profound and often painful intersections of faith, family, culture, and country — and what it means to be Jewish in the 21st century. Set in the shadow of Marine Le Pen's far-right political rise, the play's themes resonate deeply with the current cultural and political climate in America, where questions of assimilation, identity, and safety remain deeply urgent.

The CityTalk schedule is as follows: 

Rebuilding Jewish Life in France After the Holocaust: American Jewish Aid and the Choice to Stay

Laura Hobson Faure, University Professor; Chair, Modern Jewish History at University Paris 1-Panthéon- Sorbonne

Date: March 26, 2025 at 7:00pm

Location: Mah Tovu Chicago, 7315 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60645

Laura Hobson Fauer's book, A 'Jewish Marshall Plan': The American Jewish Presence in Post-Holocaust France examines the complex interactions, exchanges, and solidarities created between American and French Jews following the Holocaust. Through financial aid, cultural support, and institution-building, American Jewish organizations played a pivotal role in revitalizing French Jewish life. Yet, the decision to stay in France—rather than emigrate to Israel or the United States—was not just about material recovery. It was a deliberate act of reclaiming identity, belonging, and a future in the country that had betrayed so many of its Jewish citizens.

Jewish Identity and Edmond Fleg: Lessons for Today

Sally Charnow, Professor of Modern European and Postcolonial History, Jewish Studies, Women and Gender Studies at Hofstra University

Date: April 9, 2025 at 7:00pm

Location: Theater Wit

In this lecture, historian Sally Charnow explores the diverse forms of Jewish resistance in wartime France, drawing from her book, Edmond Fleg and Jewish Minority Culture in Twentieth-Century France (2021), to highlight how cultural survival became a form of defiance.

Antisemitism in France: Past, Present, and Future

with Maurice Samuels, Betty Jane Anlyan Professor of French and Chair at Yale University

Date: April 11, 2025 at 7:00pm

Location: Theater Wit

Drawing from his extensive research on 19th-century French Jewish history, including his award-winning book The Right to Difference: French Universalism and the Jews, Samuels examines the evolution of antisemitism from the post-revolutionary era to the present. He will discuss the rise of the so-called "new antisemitism," characterized by its distinct features in contemporary France, and analyze the nation's responses to this persistent issue.

The Arc of Memorial Vernacular: Holocaust Memory and the Evolution of Public Memorials

James E. Young, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Founding Director of the Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies at University of Massachusetts at Amherst

Date: April 24, 2025 at 2:00pm

Location: North Suburban Synagogue Beth El 

Drawing from his book The Stages of Memory: Memorial Art, Loss, and the Spaces Between (2016), as well as his latest research, Young will explore how the design, intent, and reception of memorials continue to shift in response to historical and political currents. What should a memorial do? Who is it for? And how do different societies confront their pasts through public art? By placing Holocaust memory in conversation with other forms of memorialization, this lecture provides a framework for understanding how historical trauma is remembered—and reinterpreted—in contemporary society.

Assimilation After Revolution: Jewish Emancipation in Post-Revolutionary France

Adi Saleem, Assistant Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures and Judaic Studies at University of Michigan

Date: May 1, 2025 at 7:00pm

Location: Segal Visitors Center Auditorium, Northwestern Evanston Campus, 1841 Sheridan Rd

In this lecture, historian Adi Saleem examines the complex and often contradictory role of assimilation in French history by comparing two key moments: the debates surrounding the emancipation of Jews before, during, and after the French Revolution, and the shifting legal status of Algerian Jews and Muslims in the early colonial period.

Yiddish Paris: Jewish Cultural Pluralism and Antifascism in Interwar France

Nick Underwood, Assistant Professor of History and Chair of Judaic Studies at The College of Idaho

Date: May 3, 2025 at 2:00pm

Location: Theater Wit

Underwood explores the ways in which Yiddish-speaking Jews in interwar France navigated questions of belonging, pluralism, and political engagement. Drawing from his book Yiddish Paris: Staging Nation and Community in Interwar France (Indiana University Press, 2022), Underwood highlights key institutions—Yiddish theaters, cultural associations, and intellectual networks—that flourished during this period, fostering a unique synthesis of Jewish and French identity.

French Intellectuals and the Jewish Question: Antisemitism, Universalism, and the Shifting Politics of Jewish Identity

Jonathan Judaken, Goldstein Professor of Jewish History and Thought at Washington University in St Louis

Date: May 4, 2025 at 10:00am

Location: Congregation Rodfei Zedek - 5200 S Hyde Park Blvd in Chicago

In this lecture, historian Jonathan Judaken traces the evolving discourse around the "Jewish Question" in French intellectual life, exploring how key moments—such as the French Revolution, the Dreyfus Affair, the rise of fascism, and the Holocaust—have influenced national debates on Jewish inclusion, nationalism, and political belonging. As antisemitism resurges and political alignments shift, understanding these historical patterns provides essential insight into today's challenges of Jewish identity, political belonging, and the broader struggle for justice.

Medieval Jewish Paris: A Virtual Tour

David Shyovitz, Associate Professor of History and Religious Studies, Director of the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies at Northwestern University

Date: May 7, 2025 at 7:00PM

Location: Theater Wit

Long before the Jewish expulsion from France in 1394, Paris was home to a thriving Jewish community, deeply embedded in the city's intellectual, economic, and religious life. Though much of that history has been obscured by time, its traces remain in medieval records, archaeological discoveries, and the streets of Paris itself. In this immersive virtual tour, historian David Shyovitz reconstructs the world of medieval Jewish Paris, exploring its vibrant culture, its struggles under Christian rule, and the forces that ultimately led to its disappearance. Drawing on historical texts, maps, and contemporary scholarship, this talk will bring medieval Jewish Paris to life, and explore broader themes of persecution, resilience, and the shifting place of Jews in medieval Europe.

American Jews, the Melting Pot, and Cultural Pluralism: Then and Now

Daniel Greene, Historian, US Holocaust Memorial Museum; Adjunct Professor of History at Northwestern University

Date: May 8, 2025 at 7:00pm

Location: Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation - 303 Dodge Ave in Evanston

Historian Daniel Greene explores the evolution of the melting pot metaphor and its alternatives, tracing the emergence of cultural pluralism—which envisions the nation as a federation of diverse ethnic groups, each maintaining its heritage while participating in a shared civic culture. Drawing from his book, The Jewish Origins of Cultural Pluralism: The Menorah Association and American Diversity, Greene examines how American Jews helped shape ideas of pluralism and influenced present-day debates about national identity, multiculturalism, and diversity.

ABOUT PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC

CityTalk is presented in conjunction with the Northlight Theatre and Theater Wit co-production of Joshua Harmon's celebrated play Prayer for the French Republic, directed by Theater Wit's Artistic Director Jeremy Wechsler, running April 10 – May 11, 2025, at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. Tickets are now on sale through the box office, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie; 847.673.6300; northlight.org.

In 1944, a Jewish couple in Paris desperately awaits news of their missing family. More than 70 years later, the couple's great-grandchildren find themselves facing the same question as their ancestors: "Are we safe?" Following five generations of a French-Jewish family, Prayer for the French Republic is a sweeping look at history, home, and the effects of an ancient hatred. Winner of the 2022 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best New Off-Broadway Play, this celebrated work is from the author of Bad Jews and Significant Other.

The cast includes Janet Ulrich Brooks (Marcelee Salomon), Rom Barkhordar (Charles Benhamou), Rae Gray (Elodie Benhamou), Max Stewart (Daniel Benhamou), Lawrence Grimm (Patrick Salomon), Maya Hlava (Molly), Henson Keys (Pierre Salomon), Kathy Scambiatterra (Irma Salomon), Torrey Hanson (Adolphe Salomon), Alex Weisman (Lucien Salomon), and Nathan Becker (Young Pierre Salomon).

The creative team is Jeremy Wechsler (director), Joe Schermoly (set designer), Mara Blumenfeld (costume designer), JR Lederle (lighting designer), Joseph Cerqua (sound designer), Nicolas Bartleson (prop designer), Katie Klemme (stage manager), and Jyreika Guest (resident violence and intimacy coordinator).

About The Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies

The Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies at Northwestern University is a hub for transformational undergraduate and graduate education, innovative faculty and student research, and accessible and engaging communal programming. The Crown Center houses the Jewish Studies Program, an interdisciplinary unit of the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, which brings together faculty from across the humanities and social sciences. Undergraduate students can major or minor in Jewish Studies ​or Hebrew studies, and can choose from dozens of annual courses on the full gamut of Jewish thought, history, literature, and culture--from the ancient world of the Hebrew Bible to the modern history of the State of Israel. The Crown Center also houses the Jewish Studies Graduate Cluster, which offers graduate students across the university advanced training and research support for interdisciplinary work in Jewish Studies.

Faculty affiliated with the Crown Center are award-winning educators and scholars, who approach the fields of Jewish and Israel Studies from diverse chronological, geographic, and disciplinary vantage points. The Center hosts a steady stream of visiting professors and postdoctoral fellows from Israeli universities, and facilitates collaborative research between students and faculty at Northwestern and those in major Israeli universities.

The Center also serves a broader public audience through an extensive array of vibrant public programs. It hosts four annual lectureships, cultural and artistic performances, and other educational opportunities and events.

About Northlight Theatre

Northlight Theatre is proud to be among the largest and longest-running nonprofit theatres in the Chicago area. Founded in 1974, Northlight aspires to promote change of perspective and encourage compassion through its mainstage productions, dynamic education and community programs, and dedication to new work.

Now approaching its 50th Anniversary Season, the organization has mounted over 250 productions, including more than 45 world premieres. Northlight has earned 230 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and 36 Awards, as well as 11 Edgerton Foundation for New Play Awards. As one of the area's premier theatre companies, Northlight is a regional magnet for critical and professional acclaim, as well as talent of the highest quality.

About Theater Wit

Founded in 2004, Theater Wit is a cultural hub of the Chicago theater landscape, specializing in contemporary works of comedy, intellect and heart. Under a unique, playwright-centric second production process, Theater Wit has become a nationally recognized producer of new work by writers like Anne Washburn, Will Eno, Itamar Moses, Joshua Harmon and Madeleine George.

Under founding Artistic Director Jeremy Wechsler's leadership, Theater Wit has grown from a small $40K annual budget to a leader in the Chicago landscape with an annual budget of $750K. In 2007, he supervised and designed a new home for Theater Wit, a three-theater facility that hosts Wit's own award-winning work and gives a home to a number of Chicago's best neighborhood theaters with over 500 performances per year from 20+ companies in a typical season.

Lyric Opera of Chicago today announces the company's 2025/26 Season, its first complete season under the leadership of new General Director, President & CEO John Mangum. A rich mix of traditional operas and other live performances anchored by the incomparable Lyric Opera Orchestra and Lyric Opera Chorus, the season includes two world premieres, two Lyric premieres, three new-to-Chicago productions, an expansion of the sold-out Movie Nights at Lyric series, a solo recital by one of opera's most legendary stars, and performances by some of the biggest names in musical theater. Lyric also deepens its mission to be the cultural hub for live performance in Chicago by commissioning and producing the work of two iconic Chicago pioneers: alternative rocker Billy Corgan, who presents world-premiere concerts reimagining his era-defining album with The Smashing Pumpkins, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, for the operatic stage to celebrate its 30th anniversary; and Chicago Poet Laureate avery r. young, who writes and stars in the world-premiere musical work safronia.

"Next season is filled with a tremendous range of lavish and powerful opera productions that we are excited to share with our audiences," says John Mangum, General Director, President & CEO of Lyric Opera of Chicago. "I'm just as excited about a series of special performances and productions that open the aperture and expand the definition of opera and what an American opera company can be. The season clearly illustrates how this company continues to push the art form forward and create new work that can only happen in Chicago."

"I am also excited to continue the great partnership I share with Lyric's Music Director Enrique Mazzola, and to have Lyric audiences experience his electrifying musical leadership," continues Mangum. "Next season, Enrique will conduct the work of five different composers, an eclectic and wide-ranging list that includes Cherubini, Mascagni, Leoncavallo, Orff, and Mozart. Outside of the opera house, Enrique continues to be a strong advocate for our art form throughout the city and a champion for our city in his travels around the world. He has truly earned his title of 'Chicago's maestro-around-town.'"

The company's 71st anniversary season opens on Friday, October 10, 2025, with the Lyric Opening Concert & Gala. Continuing the event's tradition ushering in the start of Chicago's new cultural season, this special concert shines a spotlight on some of Broadway's most beloved talents and showcases a different side of the Lyric Opera Orchestra's vast musical expertise. More information will be announced soon.

The opera season continues the next evening with the Lyric premiere of Cherubini's tragedy of infidelity and vengeance, Medea, October 11–26, 2025. Conducted by Maestro Mazzola and presented in the Lyric coproduction directed by Sir David McVicar, Medea stars Chicago's hometown diva Sondra Radvanovsky, for whom this production was created, in the title role. Performances also feature returning Lyric favorites Matthew Polenzani as Giasone, Zoie Reams as Neris, and rising star Elena Villalón in her Lyric debut as Glauce.

Following its sold-out, one-night-only premiere with Singin' in the Rain earlier in the current season, the Movie Nights at Lyric series expands to include two performances of two beloved films, both steeped in the musical theater tradition, and each powered by the Lyric Opera Orchestra performing the score live on stage in harmony with the film shown on a huge screen above them. The first film is presented October 16 & 18, 2025, and the second film is presented on April 10 & 11, 2026; movie titles will be announced soon.

The season continues with a pair of Italian verismo one-act operas: Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana & Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, on stage November 1–23, 2025. Known together as Cav/Pag, opera's most thrilling double bill is conducted by Maestro Mazzola and presented in director Elijah Moshinsky's Lyric production by revival director Peter McClintock. Cavalleria rusticana stars Yulia Matochkina as Santuzza and SeokJong Baek as Turiddu in their Lyric debuts alongside Lyric favorite Quinn Kelsey as Alfio. Kelsey also appears as Tonio in Pagliacci together with returning favorites Russell Thomas as Canio and Gabriella Reyes as Nedda.

November also brings Orff's blazing cantata Carmina Burana to the stage, for three performances only, November 14–18, 2025. Conducted by Maestro Mazzola and with more than 225 artists on stage — the combined forces of the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Lyric Opera Chorus plus a large children's chorus from Uniting Voices Chicago and soloists Jasmine Habersham, David Portillo, and Ian Rucker — Orff's themes of the fickleness of fortune, the joys and sorrows of love, and the fleeting nature of existence are brought to vivid life.

A blockbuster month at Lyric continues with world-premiere performances celebrating the 30th anniversary of the decade-defining album by the legendary Chicago alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins: A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness, for seven nights only, November 21–30, 2025. Iconic frontman Billy Corgan reimagines his magnum opus by marshaling all of Lyric's technical and artistic forces — including the epic sound of the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus and special guest artists — for an immersively original sonic and visual experience that blurs the boundaries of opera, rock, and performance art. Featuring newly commissioned arrangements and orchestrations by Corgan and James Lowe, who also conducts, as well as costumes from House of Gilles by Gilles and Chloé Mendel Corgan, these historic performances promise to further magnify the legend of the original album and expand the definition and intention of opera.

"It is thrilling to collaborate with Lyric head John Mangum, my musical partner James Lowe, and all of the artists at Lyric in reimagining this very special and historic album, and to discover how Lyric's full operatic treatment is helping me experience my own compositions in powerful new ways," says Billy Corgan. "Opera and rock both tell stories of heightened emotions, and I am excited for both fans of my music and traditional opera fans to hear some truly inspired work; for the balance here is to honor both traditions in a magisterial way."

Tickets for A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 11 at 10:00 a.m. at lyricopera.org and are available to Lyric subscribers now, as part of a subscription package.

The winter brings a pair of operas that examine the romantic passions of women through startlingly different lenses. Salome, Richard Strauss's explosive opera of obsession and depravity, returns to Lyric for the first time in nearly 20 years, January 25–February 14, 2026. Conductor Tomáš Netopil, the incoming Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Prague Symphony Orchestra, makes his Lyric debut leading a supersized Lyric Opera Orchestra through Strauss's groundbreaking score. Sir David McVicar's decadent and provocative production, revived by Julia Burbach, is set in 1940s fascist Italy and is presented in North America for the very first time. The demanding title role of Salome is sung by Elena Stikhina in her Lyric debut; returning stars Brandon Jovanovich and Tanja Ariane Baumgartner play her demented parents, Herod and Herodias; and Nicholas Brownlee makes his Lyric debut as the object of her deadly affection, Jochanaan.

In repertory with the dark and demanding Salome is Mozart's lighthearted romantic comedy Così fan tutte, on stage February 1–15, 2026. Maestro Mazzola conducts Mozart's sparkling score, and Michael Cavanagh's new-to-Chicago production, set in a 1930s-era seaside country club, is revived by Roy Rallo. The opera — the second in Lyric's exploration of the Mozart/Da Ponte trilogy of operas, following the current season's The Marriage of Figaro — stars Jacquelyn Stucker as Fiordiligi, Cecilia Molinari as Dorabella, and Anthony León as Ferrando, all in their Lyric debuts, along with Ian Rucker as Guglielmo, Ana María Martínez as Despina, and Rod Gilfry as Don Alfonso.

International superstar Renée Fleming makes her much-anticipated return to the Lyric stage for one night only on Thursday, February 5, 2026, with a program based on her 2023 Grammy-winning album and performed with pianist Inon Barnatan. Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene, created in partnership with the National Geographic Society, which designed the recital's captivating video elements, blends classic Romantic-era works and contemporary selections in a program that captures the evolution of the human experience in nature.

The unforgettable music of Puccini returns to Lyric when Madama Butterfly takes the stage, March 14–April 12, 2026. Conducted by Domingo Hindoyan and presented in a beautiful new-to-Chicago production from Lyric's own Matthew Ozawa, this critically acclaimed presentation reckons with the opera's outdated stereotypes and challenges audiences to reconsider their point of view while respecting the opera's beloved scenic and musical traditions. Karah Son, one of the leading Butterflys of our time, makes her Lyric debut in the title role; the opera also stars Evan LeRoy Johnson as Pinkerton and Nozomi Kato as Suzuki, both in their Lyric debuts. Ozawa's striking new vision for the opera's traditional Japanese setting is executed by an all-female and all-Japanese design team, bringing new dimensions to the age-old story.

Paired with the classic Madama Butterfly is an acclaimed contemporary Spanish-language opera in its Lyric premiere: El último sueño de Frida y Diego (The Last Dream of Frida and Diego), by composer Gabriela Lena Frank and the librettist Nilo Cruz (librettist for Lyric's world premiere Bel Canto in the 2015/16 Season), March 21–April 4, 2026. Conductor Roberto Kalb and director Lorena Maza, reprising their roles from the work's 2022 world premiere and both in their Lyric debuts, lead this colorful, surrealist production in which Frida and Diego's art comes to life on stage, powered by Frank's lush, evocative music inspired by Mexican folk music traditions. Daniela Mack stars as Frida, and Alfredo Daza makes his Lyric debut as Diego. Ana María Martínez returns for a second appearance in the season as Catrina, and the rising star countertenor Key'mon W. Murrah makes his Lyric debut as Leonardo.

Lyric concludes its opera season with another world premiere: safronia, an Afro-surrealist opera featuring music and libretto by Chicago Poet Laureate avery r. young, for two performances only, April 17 & 18, 2026. safronia is young's moving story of the Great Migration, told through the eyes of a family returning from the northern U.S. to their southern hometown to reckon with the ghosts of their past. First conceived following young's galvanizing appearance in Lyric's Twilight: Gods in the 2020/21 Season, safronia marries folklore, poetry, and history with gospel, blues, funk, and soul. These vibrant, immersive, concert-style performances are directed by visionary storyteller Timothy Douglas in his Lyric debut.

"safronia is a deeply personal story to me — it is my story, but it is also our story, and I am honored to tell our story in our city's great temple of culture," says young. "When words and music combine in opera, their powers take on even greater resonance and meaning. I can't wait for Chicago to meet safronia and to come along on her operatic journey."

Continuing Year-Round Programs at Lyric

The excitement of its current 50th anniversary season will continue as The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, Lyric's world-class artist-development program, marks another season of excellence in the 2025/26 Season. Members of the Ryan Opera Center Ensemble will appear in a variety of onstage roles, and several notable alumni of the program — including Matthew Polenzani, Quinn Kelsey, Lauren Decker, Ryan Capozzo, and Ian Rucker (who is finishing his tenure in the Ensemble this season) — will return to Lyric next season. The Ryan Opera Center Final Auditions, at which more than 20 finalists representing the world's finest emerging artists audition for a spot in the Ryan Opera Center's 2026/27 Ensemble, will be held Sunday, September 14, 2025. Rising Stars in Concert, the program's annual showcase of its current Ensemble, will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2026.

Ryan Opera Center artists and members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra come together to signal a new cultural season is ahead with one of the city's most anticipated free events: Sunday in the Park with Lyric, an annual concert conducted by Maestro Mazzola in the Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park, will be held Sunday, September 7, 2025.

Lyric Unlimited, the company's Learning & Civic Engagement division, is dedicated to education and community initiatives that connect Lyric to the city of Chicago through collaborative programming. One of Lyric Unlimited's most popular events for Chicago families — Explore Your Lyric, a day of fun and adventure for all ages at the Lyric Opera House —  is set for Saturday, April 18, 2026.

          Lyric Unlimited's Opera in the Neighborhoods program also returns in the 2025/26 Season with both school and public performances of a powerful opera for young audiences. Katie: The Strongest of the Strong — An opera for all —  composed by Faye Chiao with a libretto by Anton Dudley, is inspired by the true story of Katie Sandwina, a circus strongwoman in the early 1900s who helped lead the women's suffrage movement. Opera in the Neighborhoods performances reach more than 5,000 students and their families each season through Lyric's longstanding annual tours that include both school-based and public performances.

Lyric also plans an expansion of its existing program of Student Dress Rehearsals in the 2025/26 Season. In the current season, more than 2,000 Chicago students will attend dress rehearsals of operas, and current goals are to double student participation at dress rehearsals in the next season.

"All year long — whether on the stage with our world-class performances, backstage with our renowned artist-training programs and topflight design shops, or out in the community in classrooms, parks, and other spaces around the city — Lyric is the cultural hub for all of Chicago," says Mangum. "We look forward to continuing to bring Chicago audiences together to see and hear universal stories told through the singular power of live music and the human voice."