Jackalope Theatre Company is proud to announce its 16th season to be performed at its new home in Edgewater, Berger Park, 6205 N. Broadway Ave. The 2024 season includes the previously announced one-man thriller in rhyme, The Smuggler, February 16 – March 16, by Ronán Noone, directed by Gus Menary and starring Andrew Burden Swanson and shares the second production in the season, the world premiere of The Singularity Play, May 18 – June 22, by Jay Stull and directed by Georgette Verdin. Season subscriptions may be purchased for $55 with single tickets starting at $15. Subscriptions and single tickets are on sale now at JackalopeTheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at 773.340.2543.

“We’re thrilled to announce Jackalope’s 16th Season of plays, both housed at Chicago Park District’s Berger Park Coach House,” Artistic Director Kaiser Ahmed said of Season 16. “I'm incredibly excited to share these surprising and thought-provoking premieres with our Chicago audiences. The company's commitment to producing new works remains as unflinching as these two sharply written scripts. Come experience the awe up close in the intimate lakeside black box theater we now call home." 

Jackalope Theatre’s 16th season includes:

CHICAGO PREMIERE

The Smuggler

February 16 – March 16, 2024

Written by Ronán Noone

Directed by Gus Menary

Starring Andrew Burden Swanson

Berger Park, 6205 N. Sheridan Rd.

Previews: Friday, Feb. 16 and Saturday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Press Opening: Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Performance Schedule: Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $15-35

The Smuggler is a thriller in rhyme. It is 2024. Tim Finnegan is a clever and enterprising Irish immigrant tending bar on the island of Amity, an affluent summer enclave off the coast of Massachusetts. When his child falls ill and he loses his job, Tim is drawn into the dark world that exists only in the shadows of the wealthy island. One part “Breaking Bad,” one part Beowulf, The Smuggler is a ripping modern yarn of corruption, morality and giant rats that asks what it means to call yourself a "Citizen.”

WORLD PREMIERE

The Singularity Play 

May 18 – June 22, 2024

Written by Jay Stull

Directed by Georgette Verdin

Berger Park, 6205 N. Sheridan Rd.

Previews: Saturday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, May 19 at 3 p.m., Monday, May 20 and Wednesday May 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Performance Schedule: Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.

Tickets: $15-35

In an unused room at the Google offices in Manhattan, a theater troupe has gathered to rehearse a new play written by an advanced AI named "Denise." In an art that relies so substantially upon our human-ness, what does it mean to cede the stage to artificial intelligence? Who are we when reflected by the intelligence we’ve created?

ABOUT RONÁN NOONE, PLAYWRIGHT THE SMUGGLER

Ronán Noone (he/him) believes in playing with a myriad of elements to find the right way to tell a good story; a necessary story that tells us who we are, where we have been and where we are going. He believes in stories that resonate beyond the theatre’s door and that add ideas to the national conversation. He believes in the playwright as a thinker traveling in the direction of their fear. His play The Smuggler won the Best Playwright award at the 1st Irish Festival of New York in January of 2019. The Second Girl (Thirst) was the inaugural winner of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) Excellence in Playwriting Award (2015) and an Edgerton Award winner in 2014. Additional plays include The Atheist, Brendan, Scenes from an Adultery, The Lepers of Baile Baiste, The Blowin of Baile Gall, The Gigolo of Baile Breag (The Baile Trilogy), The Compass Rose, Little Black Dress and A Small Death.

ABOUT GUS MENARY, DIRECTOR THE SMUGGLER

Gus Menary (he/him) Most recently, Gus directed David Greig's adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's Solaris at Book-It Repertory Theatre in Seattle, where he served as Artistic Director. While there, he oversaw the pivot to audio plays during the COVID shutdown and produced world-premiere audio adaptations of authors such as Octavia E. Butler, N.K. Jemisin, and Oscar Wilde. As part of Book-It’s return to the stage, he produced world-premiere stage adaptations of Amy Tan’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter and Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, as well as many other modern adaptations. As director, he led the productions of Julian Glover’s Beowulf and Bilal Dardai's world-premiere adaptation of Jamyang Norbu's The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes. Previously, he served as the Artistic Director of Jackalope Theatre. Under his leadership, Jackalope produced world-premieres by Ike Holter (Prowess and The Light Fantastic), Lloyd Suh (Franklinland), Idris Goodwin (The Raid), and Calamity West (In the Canyon, Rolling), among many other national and regional premieres. Onstage, he directed Aaron Loeb's Ideation, Kenneth Lin's Life On Paper, Shawn Reddy's My Name is Mudd, Andrew Swanson's Lunacy! and Moonshiner, and Ike Holter's The Light Fantastic and Exit Strategy.  

ABOUT JAY STULL, PLAYWRIGHT THE SINGULARITY PLAY

Jay Stull(he/him )is a theater-maker from New York City. His work has been developed or produced by Ars Nova, The Alliance Theater, The Amoralists, The Bloomington Playwrights Project, New York City Center Off Center, the New Light Theater Project, New York Theatre Workshop, Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater, the Gym at Judson, PlayCo, Roundabout, The Tank and the Theater, Dance, and Media concentration (TDM) at Harvard College. His written work has been supported by Yaddo, the New York Foundation for the Arts and the New York State Council for the Arts and the Sewanee Writers’ Conference. He is an alumnus of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, The Civilians R&D Group and the Early Career Directing Fellowship at Clubbed Thumb. MFA: Columbia. 

ABOUT GEORGETTE VERDIN, DIRECTOR THE SINGULARITY PLAY

Georgette Verdin (she/her) is a Cuban-American freelance director, the associate artistic director of Northlight Theatre and a member of Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. Recent directing credits include: Dial M for Murder (Northlight Theatre); the revival of Night Watch (Raven Theatre); the United States. premiere of The Writer (Steep Theatre); the world premieres of A Mile in The Dark (Interrobang Theatre Project/Rivendell Theatre Ensemble); Enough to Let the Light In (Teatro Vista); Chagall in School (Grippo Stage Company) and Spay (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble). Verdin is a three-time Jeff nominated director and was the 2022 Michael Maggio Directing Fellow at Goodman Theatre. From 2015-2023, she served as artistic director of Interrobang Theatre Project, an award-winning storefront theatre known for gutsy productions that tackled socially-relevant issues. She was profiled in NewCity’s 2023 “Players: Who Really Performs for Chicago Right Now” and in Chicago Reader’s “Best of Chicago 2022.” She is an associate member with Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

ABOUT JACKALOPE THEATRE

Jackalope Theatre Company expands the definition of American Identity by engaging with communities to produce works that celebrate diverse perspectives. Jackalope is a premier home for new and exciting Off-Loop Theatre based in Chicago's Edgewater and Rogers Park neighborhoods. They are committed to cultivating new voices that contribute to an expanding American culture and mythology. Each season, Jackalope produces full-length plays, new play development programming and provides free classes in partnership with the Chicago Park District.

Today, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) announced program selections for Winter Series: Of Hope, the second installment of Season 46, Abundance. The engagement will include the world premieres of three unique works, alongside an encore of audience favorites, Love Infinite by Randy Duncan; and Dear Frankie by Rennie Harris. The Winter Series will be presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (220 E. Chicago Ave.) Feb. 23 through March 3, 2024.

“Of Hope speaks to our anticipation and promise for the future,” explains HSDC Artistic Director Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell. “Our Winter Series will feature three inspiring world premieres that will further shape who and where we are as a company: dynamic, broad and eclectic.”

The mixed repertory Winter Series: Of Hope will serve as a breath of fresh air for audience members with a combination of inventive world premieres and beloved revivals. Program A (Feb. 23 – 25) will present an encore of Randy Duncan's Love Infinite, hailed as "athletic and balletic and crowd-pleasing" by Irene Hsiao with the Chicago Reader, along with the recent HSDC commission Dear Frankie by Doris Duke award-winner Rennie Harris. The world premiere of a new duet by Resident Artist Aszure Barton completes the program. 

Program B (Feb. 29 – March 3) will feature two world premieres: Echoes of our Ancestors by acclaimed director and choreographer, Maria Torres, whose contributions have paved the way for Latinx artists, and another by HSDC alums Alice Klock and Florian Lochner, known together as FLOCK. While Klock and Lochner have individually choregraphed pieces for the company, this will be FLOCK's first work on HSDC. The program will also present another chance to experience Rennie Harris’ tribute to Chicago house music, Dear Frankie.

For those interested in deepening their engagement with Hubbard Street, tickets are also on sale for the special Opening Night event on Thursday, Feb. 22: Bold Moves for Bold Voices, a fundraising event and performance that brings together rising artists and innovative leaders in our community. Led by HSDC Artistic Director Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, the curated conversation will give audience members an inside look at the process behind creation with award-winning writer, producer and educator Tarell Alvin McCraney (Oscar-winner for Moonlight, Geffen Playhouse Artistic Director, MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient) and acclaimed choreographer and HSDC Resident Artist Aszure Barton, whose newest work will premiere during the program.

Tickets for Season 46 Winter and Spring programs are now available by calling the Hubbard Street Box Office at 312-850-9744 ext. 5, or by visiting www.hubbardstreetdance.com/season-46/tickets/ and range from $15 to $95. Midseason Subscription are also available for those interested in unlocking a great suite of benefits for Winter and Spring Series and beyond, and start at $52. Visit www.hubbardstreetdance.com to learn more.

Hubbard Street is grateful to Season 46: Abundance partners Athletico Physical Therapy, Chicago Athletic Clubs, and the Illinois Arts Council for their continued support.

The Season 46 Winter Series: Of Hope performance schedule is as follows:

Winter Series: Of Hope

Thursday, Feb. 23 – Sunday, March 3, 2024

at the Edlis Neeson Theater, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

Friday, Feb. 23, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 24, 8 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 25, 3 p.m.

PROGRAM A Featuring:

Love Infinite by Randy Duncan

A World Premiere by Aszure Barton

Dear Frankie by Rennie Harris

Thursday, Feb. 29, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, March 1, 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 2, 8 p.m.

Sunday, March 3, 3 p.m.

PROGRAM B Featuring:

Echoes of our Ancestors by Maria Torres

A World Premiere by FLOCK 

Dear Frankie by Rennie Harris

About Hubbard Street Dance Chicago

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s mission is to bring artists, art and audiences together to enrich, engage, educate and change lives through the experience of dance.

For 46 years, Hubbard Street has been one of the most original forces in contemporary dance – bringing top choreographers and works to Chicago and beyond. Hubbard Street’s ever-evolving repertory, created by today’s leading choreographic voices, makes them a company that dancers aspire to join and performance venues all over the world are eager to host. To date, the main company has performed globally in 19 countries and 44 U.S. states.

At home in Chicago, Hubbard Street performs 20 times a year and delivers renowned education programs in 50 classrooms across 17 Chicagoland schools. HSDC Education utilizes the choreographic process to teach essential problem-solving skills, creativity, and collaboration - expanding our reach beyond traditional concert dance audiences, ensuring that everyone has access to world-class dance and instruction.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago grew out of the Lou Conte Dance Studio in 1977, and Conte served as Artistic Director for 23 years. Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell began her tenure at the company in March 2021. In January 2022, HSDC moved to their new home in Water Tower Place on Michigan Avenue.

Visit hubbardstreetdance.com for more information.