MadKap Productions is pleased to announce the cast and creative team for The Lightning Thief: a Percy Jackson Musical, a special Theatre for Young Audience presentation which will run for 10 live performances between June 7 and July 28 at the Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave in Downtown Skokie.

The Lightning Thief: A Percy Jackson Musical, is an of the popular young adult Percy Jackson book series by Rick Riordan, with a book by Joe Tracz and a score by Rob Rokicki.  In 2017, it was nominated as Best New Musical for a Drama Desk award, an Outer Critics Circle award, and an Off-Broadway Alliance award.  It is the story of a 12 year-old boy named Percy Jackson who finds out he’s the son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea.  While at a summer camp for demigods, he is sent on a quest with his friends Grover and Annabeth to recover the source and symbol of Zeus’s power, his master lightning bolt, which was allegedly stolen by another god.  If they don’t find the bolt on time, the gods of Mount Olympus will go to war, wreaking havoc on the mortal world as they do.

The production is directed by Miranda Coble.  Musical direction is my multi Joseph Jefferson award winner Jeremy Ramey with Choreography by Bianca Thompson.  Maddy Shilts produces for MadKap Productions.

The diverse ensemble cast features P-Jay Adams as Percy Jackson, Isha Singh as Annabeth, Joey Prette as Grover, Maddy Shilts as Luke, Anna Seibert as Sally, Patty Roache as Chiron, Margaret Higgins as Clarisse, Zach Moore as Mr. D, and Kitty Phillips as Thalia.

The Lightning Thief: A Percy Jackson Musical opens Friday, June 7 at 7:30 pm., with additional performances Sat June 8 at 7:30 pm, Thu June 13 at 7:30 pm, Fri June 14 at 7:30 pm, Sat June 15 at 7:30 pm, Thu June 27 at 10:30 am, Thu July11 at 10:30 am, Fri July 26 at 2:00 pm, Sat July 27 at 2:00 pm, and Sun July 28 at 7:30 pm.  Tickets are $35 general admission, and $25 for students and seniors and can be purchased online at SkokieTheatre.org or by phone at 847-677-7761.

MadKap Productions is celebrating their 10^th anniversary at the Skokie Theatre.  In addition to plays and musicals, they also produce concerts, cabaret, and comedy shows.  They will be announcing their 11^th season on March 29 at the opening for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Music Theater Works is proud to announce its annual gala, the Producers Gala, All that Jazz, Saturday, May 11 at 6 p.m. All That Jazz, at the Kenilworth Club at 410 Kenilworth Ave., begins at 6 p.m. with a cocktail hour and is followed by a sit-down dinner, the presentation of the third annual Joyce Ruth Saxon Award for Excellence to Bridget McDonough, live and silent auctions and entertainment from Music Theater Works’ artists. Black tie/cocktail attire is encouraged. Funds raised at All that Jazz support Music Theater Works education and artistic programming. Tickets are $250 each with table sponsorships starting at $2500 for ten people. For sponsorship information contact Lisa McGowen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and to reserve tickets go to MusicTheaterWorks.com.

“Everyone at Music Theater Works looks forward to the Producers Gala each year,” said Producing Artistic Director Kyle A. Dougan. “It gives us an opportunity to have many of our sponsors and supporters in one room to celebrate past accomplishments and look forward to the new season. This year, we honor Bridget McDonough, one of the founders of the organization, as the Joyce Ruth Saxon Award for Excellence recipient during this night of fine dining, fundraising and unforgettable performances.”

The third annual Joyce Ruth Saxon Award for Excellence will be awarded to Bridget McDonough for his years of dedicated and generous support of Music Theater Works. The Joyce Ruth Saxon Award for Excellence, named in honor of the longtime supporter of Music Theater Works who passed away in 2022. The award is given each year to an individual who has made an impact on the art of music theater in Chicago, through artistic expression, public advocacy or significant financial support; recognizes the importance of engaging the entire community in the public, private, arts and business sector; is instrumental in the creation of great art and has demonstrated through their actions, works, and words their personal and profound commitment to our beloved art of musical theater in Chicago. The 2023 award recipient was Howard Hallengren.

ABOUT BRIDGET McDONOUGH, 2024 Joyce Ruth Saxon Award for Excellence Recipient

Bridget McDonough was employed in arts management from 1978, when she graduated from Northwestern University, until her 2019 retirement as general manager of Music Theater Works, which she co-founded (as Light Opera Works) in 1980 with Philip Kraus and others. Prior to founding Light Opera Works she worked for The Organic Theater Company in Chicago, The Troupe in Colorado Springs and Actors Equity Association.

She has served on the boards of many arts and civic organizations both nationally and locally in the Chicago area.  She is past president of the Rotary Club of Evanston and the North Shore International Network, where she still holds memberships. She served on the boards of the Evanston Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, Evanston Chamber of Commerce, Evanston Arts Alliance, National Alliance for Musical Theatre, Chicago Music Alliance, Around the Coyote, as well as the School of Communication Alumni Board at Northwestern University and the tourism committee of Chicago’s North Shore Convention and Visitors’ Bureau.

Ms. McDonough was honored by the Evanston YWCA with their “Women on the Move” Award in 1991 and by the Evanston Chamber of Commerce with their 2009 Public Service/Nonprofit Person of the Year Award.

She is currently on the board of the Musicians Club of Women and Season of Concern in Chicago, the Tubac Nature Center in Arizona, and Write 4 Art in Los Angeles. She is a member of the advisory board of the Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre in Montana.Ms. McDonough served as an international judge at the Second Vladimir Kurochkin International Competition of Young Artists of Operetta and Musicals in Yekaterinburg, Russia, and VIBE (Vienna International Ballet Experience) in Missoula, Montana. She currently is serving as an international juror for Ballet Beyond Borders. 

Prior to her career in arts management, she studied dance and theater in Milwaukee and Chicago.

ABOUT MUSIC THEATER WORKS

Music Theater Works is a resident professional not-for-profit music theater founded in 1980. During its 43-year history it has presented more than 150 productions and intimate presentations. Music Theater Works is a professional theater company whose mission is to present works for the musical stage including historic repertoire, revitalizing the Golden Age of Broadway and earlier works, celebrating the Great American Songbook and introducing modern classics. 

Throughout Women's History Month this March, many Chicago theatres are presenting productions that encourage and celebrate the vital role of women in American history.

Additional details about each of the Women's History Month offerings are available at ChicagoPlays.com and HotTix.org, Chicago's local, discounted ticketing service.

"We invite Chicagoans to celebrate women this month by taking in one of the many shows on our stages," comments League of Chicago Theatres Executive Director Marissa Lynn Ford. "Women's History Month is a reminder of women's strong voices and triumphs today and throughout history. In addition, we have a tradition of uplifting women both on and off our stages. We salute the women artists in the industry and the excellent work they create on our stages."

The following is a selection of work in Chicago available in February in celebration of Women's History:

Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really, Wirtz Center at Northwestern University

Through March 3, 2024

In this thrilling new adaptation that bounces between horror and humor, playwright Kate Hamill confronts the sexism in Bram Stoker's original work. By upending the familiar tropes of damsels in distress and dashing villains, Hamill reimagines the vampire classic as a full-throated feminist battle cry driving a gleeful stake through the heart of toxic masculinity.

Mothers, The Gift Theatre

Through March 3, 2024

Three moms, a stay-at-home dad, and a nanny watch their kids play at Mommy-Baby Meetup. One mom is the queen bee and one is here to shake things up. The dad just wants to fit in, and the nanny doesn't say a word. When catastrophe comes, the five of them have to figure out how to survive a war and each other. MOTHERS examines the primal heartache of raising children in a disintegrating world.

Richard III, Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Through March 3, 2024

Tony Award nominee, Paralympic champion, and bilateral above-knee amputee Katy Sullivan makes her Chicago Shakespeare debut in Edward Hall's first production as artistic director. Full of scathing dark comedy and high-stakes family drama, a divided kingdom provides fertile ground for the charismatic, unscrupulous Richard to seize power and exact revenge—and no one is safe from his tyranny. This marks the first major US production of Richard III to feature a woman with a disability in the title role.

Plays for Women!: A collection of overlooked suffrage plays, Ghostlight Ensemble

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Ghostlight Ensemble presents Plays for Women!: A collection of overlooked suffrage plays — a reading of short suffrage works, most of them largely unknown and rarely performed, to coincide with March as Women's History Month. This is a co-production with the Richard H. Driehaus Museum and is part of Ghostlight's For Your (Re)Consideration series.

WIPEOUT, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble

Through April 6, 2024

Chicago's only Equity theatre dedicated to advancing the lives of women through the power of theatre, presents the world premiere about three women, friends for decades, who throw themselves into their first-ever surfing lesson with the help of a young instructor. As the women learn how to paddle and navigate the currents of the Pacific Ocean, they also learn how to navigate their friendships, their fears, and just how hard it can be to let it all go. Set on surfboards, WIPEOUT is a poignant comedy about friendship, grief, and the unpredictable tides of life.

Mother Courage and her Children, Trap Door Theatre

Through March 9, 2024

Mother Courage becomes a parasite of war as she, hell bent on her own survival, celebrates the Thirty Years War as the source of her prosperity. Considered one of the greatest plays of the 20th century, Wartime virtues become fatal to their possessors in this stark, anti-capitalist, and music filled play.

Flood, Shattered Globe Theatre

Through March 9, 2024

An apartment on the 19th floor. All Edith wants — it's not too much to ask, is it? — is to sit and have some tea with her husband, someday, when he's done with building his masterpiece. The kids don't call enough, and when they do, they seem full of accusations. Meanwhile, outside their apartment, the waters are rising, rising, rising... This Chicago Premiere is a dynamic comedy about love and companionship across gender and generational divides.

Meditations on Being, Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble

March 1 - 9, 2024

Stories from and about our community. It is told through dance, storytelling, poetry, music, video installations, and art. What do we know about the people we see every day, the nature that surrounds us, and the gift of the moment? What do we remember? Playing with our friends on the playground, the sound of water or the beating of our heart when in solitude.

ECHO, Chicago Sinfonietta

March 15-16, 2024

Join the Chicago Sinfonietta in celebrating Women's History Month with ECHO, a stunning program featuring a lineup of works that highlights the artistry and creativity of women in music.

Pretty Woman, Broadway In Chicago

March 12 - 17, 2024

Pretty Woman: The Musical, based on one of Hollywood's most beloved romantic stories of all time, springs to life with a powerhouse creative team led by two-time Tony Award®-winning director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray, Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde).

My Fair Lady, Broadway In Chicago

March 12 - 17, 2024

Boasting such classic songs as "I Could Have Danced All Night," "The Rain in Spain," "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" and "On the Street Where You Live," My Fair Lady tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a "proper lady." But who is really being transformed?

La Pinche India, Aguijón Theater Company

Through March 17, 2024

Gigi is an upper-class girl who one day wakes up turned into an indigenous woman. Given her new appearance, her life changes completely and she begins to realize all the privileges she had as a green-eyed blonde. Her search for a new identity leads her to discover a great secret that had always been there: racial discrimination.

Silent Sky, Citadel Theatre

Through March 17, 2024

When 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt began work at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she wasn't allowed to touch a telescope or express an original idea. Instead, she joins a group of women "computers," charting the stars for a renowned astronomer who has no time for the women's probing theories. As Henrietta, in her free time, attempts to measure the light and distance of stars, she must also take measure of her life on Earth, trying to balance her dedication to science with family obligations and the possibility of love. SILENT SKY explores a woman's place in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries, when women's ideas were dismissed until men claimed credit for them.

On Your Feet!, Broadway In Chicago

March 19 - 24, 2024

ON YOUR FEET! is the inspiring true story about heart, heritage and two people who believed in their talent—and each other—to become an international sensation: Emilio and Gloria Estefan.

Notes from the Field, TimeLine Theatre Company

Through March 24, 2024

This strikingly intimate piece presents snapshots from a variety of real people, documenting their intersections with the American dream and the obstacles that work to block them from it. Utilizing verbatim dialogue pulled from more than 250 accounts from students, faculty, prisoners, activists, politicians, and victims' families, Notes from the Field takes audiences on an emotional journey through the faults and injustices of an American criminal justice system that seems more focused on incarceration over education. Deeply human, profoundly moving, and full of moments of humor, compassion, and resilience, it's a masterful work that asks you to observe, be present, and join the call for urgent and necessary change.

Party at the Pantheon: A Modern Greek Stoner Comedy, The Factory Theater

Through March 23, 2024

Orpheus is still big mad after his girlfriend, Eurydice, died. It wasn't his fault. Good thing his friend, Dionysus, can throw a sick party. Hopefully Sisyphus can keep these two on speaking terms long enough for the disco ball to drop. Now all they gotta do is find some food, some drink, and some music for this thing. Peep them and a cast of characters straight out of English Class, in this modern take on the ancient classics.

The Penelopiad, Goodman Theatre

March 2 - 31, 2024

It's her turn. Penelope has waited 20 years for her husband to return from the Trojan War. Now, as authorial control shifts to Odysseus' long-suffering wife—and the 12 faithful maids who have long tended to her—we discover a new perspective on the domestic vigil. This ancient tale told anew by "one of the most admired authors in North America" (NPR) gives voice to those left behind.

Love Song, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company

March 21 - April 21, 2024

Beane has always been different. Joan, his sister, is his only real bridge to the outside world, but she is consumed with her own life, climbing the corporate ladder and sparring with her husband, Harry. When Beane falls madly in love with Molly, Beane's world suddenly expands, and the seismic shift forces all of them to reexamine their own relationships and discover new facets of human connection. An off-kilter romantic comedy, Love Song by John Kolvenbach is a quick-witted exploration of the countless complexities of love and the endless capacity of the heart.

The Good, Curious Theatre Branch

March 29 - April 20, 2024

What is goodness? How are we supposed to be good and interesting? Is the pressure to be good, to be proper, to not hurt others, to not transgress, actually a way to hold one down? Can someone be not good but in tiny ways no one might notice? And what about the word, "virtue"?

Inanimate, Theater Wit

March 22 – May 4, 2024

Erica has never quite fit in. She was never popular in high school and—as the years have gone by—she's felt more and more disconnected from the people in her life. Even her sister seems more preoccupied with her political ambition for town counsel than their mother's recent passing. Normally, that would be just fine with Erica, but she's been asking herself if this was all she could expect: a job at the local grocery and evenings alone.

A Streetcar Named Desire, Paramount Theatre

March 13 - April 21, 2024

NEW ORLEANS. The heat is sweltering; the liquor flows, and the secrets are thick as humidity. Pull up a chair and join the high-stakes game of cards. To your left is Stella Kowalski, married, loves her husband and will do anything for him. On your right is Stanley Kowalski, hard drinking, hard playing and hard fists that get used a lot. Across from you is Blanche DuBois, vulnerable, alone and ready to break. Streetcar confronts us with the tenuous relationship between reality and illusion, hope and despair and the brutal battle for beauty and tenderness when the world feels like it's conspiring against you. The players are in place. The cards are dealt. Hold on for your life.

Improvised Jane Austen, iO Theater

Saturday Evenings at 8pm, Tickets currently on sale through June 1

Improvised Jane Austen tells a tale, on the spot, in the style of the most beloved 19th-century author. In each original story, you may be introduced to headstrong heroines, steadfast suitors, meddling mothers, charming cads, auspicious aunts, silly sisters, boisterous brothers, verbose vicars, fastidious fathers, and any number of Austenesque auteurs! The audience can expect to laugh heartily, be wooed to tears, and be made to think on how much, and how little, has changed in two hundred-plus years.

For a comprehensive list of Chicago productions, visit the League of Chicago Theatres website, ChicagoPlays.com. Available half-price tickets will be listed at HotTix.org. Chicago theatres prioritize safely gathering. Patrons are encouraged to confirm current protocols at each theatre. Shows and protocols are subject to change.

About Chicago theatre 

Chicago theatre is the leader in the U.S. with more than 250 theatres throughout Chicagoland, comprising a rich and varied community ranging from storefront, non-union theatres to the most renowned resident theatres in the country, including 6 which have been honored with Regional Tony Awards, and the largest touring Broadway organization in the nation. Chicago's theatres serve 5 million audience members annually and have a combined budget of more than $250 million. Chicago produces and/or presents more world premieres annually than any other city in the nation. Each year Chicago theatres send new work to resident theatres across the country, to Broadway, and around the world. For more information, visit www.chicagoplays.com.

The League of Chicago Theatres' Mission Statement

Theatre is essential to the life of a great city and to its citizens. The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theatres, which leverages its collective strength to support, promote and advocate for Chicago's theatre industry. Through our work, we ensure that theatre continues to thrive in our city.

The gang's all here! International smash hit The Choir of Man is thrilled to announce its Chicago cast, featuring a mix of Chicago area natives and all-star The Choir of Man veterans direct from the UK. A critically acclaimed theatrical sensation, known across the globe as "the ultimate feel-good show," The Choir of Man is 90 minutes of indisputable joy for all ages. Performances of The Choir of Man begin on March 27, 2024, at the Apollo Theater, 2550 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. The press opening is scheduled for Wednesday, April 3 at 7:30pm.

The cast of The Choir of Man includes Marc Akinfolarin, Paul Deegan, RJ Griffith, Ifan Gwilym-Jones, Norton James, Cal T King, George Knapper, Benji Lord, Mark Loveday, Shane McDaid, Kristian Morse, David Shute, and Kevin James Sievert.

Bringing the music to life each night is an incredible live band, including Rafe Bradford (Bass), Seth Pae (Violin, Viola, Keys), Scott Simon (Drums), and Kelan M. Smith (Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin).

A mug-clinking success, The Choir of Man comes from the creative minds of Andrew Kay (Soweto Gospel Choir, Bluey's Big Play, and the award-winning North by Northwest) and Nic Doodson (The Magnets, Gobsmacked, and Noise Boys), with lead producers Stephen Lindsay and Brett Sirota, Scott Prisand and Matthew Weaver (Rock of Ages and Soul Train) and The Everywhere Group. The music is arranged and orchestrated by the show's Musical Supervisor Jack Blume, while dialogue takes the form of spoken word monologues written by performance poet Ben Norris. The movement direction and choreography is by original cast member and tap dancer Freddie Huddleston.

Completing the creative team are Oli Townsend (Scenic Designer), Verity Sadler (Costume Designer & Co-Scenic Designer), Richard Dinnen (Lighting Designer), Sten Severson (Sound Designer), Norton James (Resident Associate Director), Michael McBride (Resident Musical Director), Debbie O'Brien (Casting Director UK), and Claire Simon (Casting Director, USA).

Welcome to The Choir of Man, the best pub in the world. It's a party. It's a concert. It's a theater experience unlike any you've had before. Featuring pop, classic rock, folk melodies, and pub anthems, The Choir of Man has something for everyone. A cast of nine (extra)ordinary and multi-talented guys combines hair-raising harmonies, foot-stomping singalongs, world-class tap dance, and poetic meditations on the power of community in this riotously enjoyable homage to that popular gathering place—your favorite local pub. With a real working bar on stage, come ready to drink in the excitement. Raise a glass with us! Cheers!

For the first time, The Choir of Man will be performed by a mix of local artists and British and Irish actors. Director Nic Doodson said, "We're thrilled to welcome our Chicago-based friends' world-class talent to our pub, The Jungle. The Choir of Man is all about community and the strength we have when we come together, and there is no better example of this than mixing local and international actors. The talent, energy, and unique Chicago personality that Kevin and RJ bring to the show is really exciting and will make this not only a world first for our show but also give the show a very unique and special voice. We can't wait to share a pint with everyone!"

The Choir of Man is an uplifting celebration of community and friendship where everyone is welcome. It's 90 minutes of feel-good, foot-stomping entertainment unlike anything else in Chicago! Brimming with hits from artists such as Adele, Paul Simon, Katy Perry, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Luther Vandross and more, the cast features world-class tap dancers, singers, and instrumentalists, ensuring that there is something for everyone in this feel-good show.

Single tickets for The Choir of Man start at $35. Tickets for performances through May 26, 2024, are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com, by calling (773) 935-6100, or by visiting the box office at the Apollo Theater. Group reservations (10 or more people) are currently available through Group Tix and Tours at 312-423-6612 or www.grouptixandtours.com.

The Choir of Man was first presented at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017 and has since been performed at venues around the world, including the Sydney Opera House and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Since 2018, The Choir of Man has been a resident show on board the Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Encore cruise ships. The West End production now in its second year was nominated for a 2022 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play.

For more information, visit www.choirofmanchicago.com. Follow the guys on Instagram (@choirofmanchicago) and Facebook (/choirofman).  

About the Artists

Marc Akinfolarin (Bore) Theatre includes: Moose in Crazy for You (Gillian Lynne Theatre), Prince and Ensemble in Hex (National Theatre), Moose in Crazy for You (Chichester Festival Theatre), Reverend Dobson in Anything Goes (Barbican), Sergeant of Police in Pirates of Penzance (Palace Theatre), Adrian in The Last Ship (Toronto and US Tour), Zeke/Lion in The Wizard of Oz (Pitlochry Festival Theatre), Spamilton (Menier Chocolate Factory), Sir Bedevere in Spamalot (UK Tour/Mercury Colchester), Alf in Peter and The Starcatcher (Royal and Derngate), Ed Bishop in Floyd Collins (Wilton's Music Hall), Ensemble in Jesus Christ Superstar (U.K/European Tour), Ensemble in Sweeney Todd (English National Opera), Bystander in Assassins (Menier Chocolate Factory), Porgy & Bess (Royal Danish Opera), Emmeline/Better/Shilling/Antimony in Christmas Carol (Birmingham Rep), Buster in The Color Purple (The Menier Chocolate Factory), Sparrow in Soul Man (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Alternate Clopin and Quasimodo in Notre Dame de Paris (Asian Tour), Smokey Joe's Cafe (Landor Theatre), Reuben in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK Tour). Trained at the Arts Educational Schools, London

Paul Deegan (U/s Poet, Maestro, Hardman) Paul is half English half Irish, and grew up in a small town in the UK called Spalding. He graduated from Mountview Academy of Theatre arts in London where he achieved a bachelor's degree in Musical Theatre. Paul is returning to The Choir of Man after previously playing Poet the second ever cast of the show in 2018. You may have seen him on a Royal Caribbean stage where Paul has been performing all over the world for the last few years, achieving seeing over a quarter of the world in 2023! Paul is delighted to be making his US debut with The Choir of Man.

RJ Griffith (Hardman) RJ Griffith, a Chicago singer-songwriter and actor, inspires through his music and performances. After making a name for himself at Chicago's historic Black Ensemble Theater he's excited to be welcomed into the amazing family of the Olivier Award Nominated show The Choir Of Man! RJ's music has been featured in films and played on top radio and TV stations. He has toured nationally and performed at major events, including sports games. 

Ifan Gwilym-Jones (Maestro) Ifan is from the seaside town of Barry in Wales. He has been playing piano since the age of 5 and also plays flute and saxophone. He studied Musical Theatre at The Royal Academy of Music in London. Some of his favorite credits include; Perchik in Fiddler On The Roof, John Tallentire in The Hired Man, The Dentist in Little Shop of Horrors and 5 seasons as a vocalist at the Thursford Christmas Spectacular. Ifan is also a member of the vocal group The Vintage Boys, performing worldwide singing hits from the 1950s & 60s. Ifan has been part of The Choir of Man family since 2022 and has performed the show in Canada, Australia and on board Norwegian cruise lines. He is thrilled to be bringing The Jungle to the Windy City! Iechyd da!                    

Norton James (U/s Beast, Bore) Norton has been a part of The Choir of Man family for the last six years, performing the show on both Norwegian Cruise Line cruise ships, the show residency in Cleveland, Ohio, and playing numerous venues across Australia, including the Sydney Opera House. He is very excited to be joining the Chicago company. Theatre credits include: The Choir of Man (Melbourne, NCL Escape/Encore, Adelaide Fringe, Canberra, Sydney Opera House, Cleveland); Jersey Boys (UK Tour); Spamalot (UK & International Tour); Preludes (Southwark Playhouse, London); Parade (LTW, London); Love Story (Union Theatre, London); Mickey & The Magician (Disney); 12 Tenors (European Tour). TV/Film: Guardians of The Galaxy (Marvel); Jurassic World Dominion (Universal); The Cleaner (BBC). Training: Performance Preparation Academy, Guildford.

Cal T King (Beast) Theatre: The Choir of Man (Tampa, Florida; Norwegian Cruise Lines), The Cyril Offense (LML Productions), Les Misérables (Bullfrog Productions), Beauty and the Beast (Bullfrog Productions). Short Film: "The Limelight." Training: Rose Bruford College.              

George Knapper (Handyman) Theatre credits include: Puck in Love Birds (Pleasance - Edinburgh Festival); Ensemble in West End Men (GLive Theatre - Guildford); Peter Pan in Peter Pan (Lyceum Theatre - Crewe, Qdos Entertainment); Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Various UK Theatres, Qdos Entertainment); Benjamin in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (UK Tour, Bill Kenwright Ltd); Handyman in The Choir of Man (Norwegian Encore - NCL, The Avalon Theatre - Canada, Gluttony Festival - Australia, The Arts Theatre - London, Straz Center - Tampa). George trained professionally in musical theatre at Performance Preparation Academy (PPA) in Guildford.

Benji Lord (Joker) Theatre: The Choir of Man (Norwegian Escape), Dreamboats and Petticoats: Bringing on Back the Good Times! (World premiere, UK Tour), and The Ruff Tuff Cream Puff Estate Agency (World premiere, Coventry Belgrade). Credits whilst training include Spend, Spend, Spend, and Richard III.

Benji is also the frontman and rhythm guitarist for Indie Pop band, Polar Playground, whose music is available to stream on all platforms. He played Double Bass in the music video for George Ezra's Christmas single, "Come on Home for Christmas." Benji trained at The Brit School, and Guildford School of Acting              

Mark Loveday (Barman) is an original member of The Choir of Man and has spent the last few years touring extensively around the globe, performing at venues such as the Sydney Opera House, The Kennedy Center and London's West End. He also made his screen debut in the British Independent film 'Rise Of The Footsoldier Part 3' in 2019. Mark is a graduate of Drama Studio London and was formally a chorister at 'Her Majesty's Chapel Royal Choir' at St James Palace, working for the Late Queen Elizabeth II. He is delighted to return to Chicago with the Choir of Man and hopes to bring a little bit of East London pub culture across the pond with him.

Shane McDaid (Poet) Shane, hails from Dublin, Ireland, and has been performing for as long as he can remember. He has spent the last decade (plus a bit) in the UK in various productions. He loves travelling the world and is delighted to be at The Apollo Theater to share the stage with such a remarkable bunch of lads. Select theatre credits include: Titanic the Musical (UK, Canada, Germany, China), The Choir of Man (NCL Encore), Angela's Ashes the Musical (Irish Rep Theatre; NY), Madagascar the Musical (UK Tour), Spamalot (UK Tour), Film/TV: 32A (feature film, Janey Pictures), Rock Rivals (ITV series), Fair City (RTE series). I can promise you one thing - and I'll do it in the Irish language: 'Tá an craic agus ceol go leor.'                       

Kristian Morse (U/s Hardman, Barman, Romantic, Joker) Recent Credits include The Corn is Green at the National theatre London, Thursford Christmas Spectacular and 'Bah' in Stiles and Drew's musical, Three Little Pigs at the Dorking Halls. Other roles include, Roger, Vince Fontain & Teen Angel in Grease the Musical for Royal Caribbean as well as Wishee Washee in Aladdin, Dick in Dick Whittington, Silly Billy in Jack and The Beanstalk, Ensemble in Peter Polycarpou: The Songs of My Life at The Garrick Theatre London, and also featured in the World Premier of Duncton Wood at the Union Theatre. Kristian is very excited to be making his The Choir of Man debut in Chicago and will be dedicating his performance to his Bamp, who would have loved to have been here to watch. Kristian graduated from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in 2014.

David Shute (U/s Romantic, Joker, Hardman, Barman) David is thrilled to be getting the chance to introduce the wonderful people of Chicago to the Jungle, having only recently finished his run at the Straz Centre in Tampa, Florida. The US has always been so welcoming, and Chicago has been his dream for some time. David was born and raised in Macclesfield in Cheshire and trained at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, graduating in 2013 and becoming an avid fan of Liverpool F.C. in the process.

David's other credits include; Once: The Musical (Barn Theatre), The Choir of Man (Straz Centre, Tampa/ Arts Theatre, London/ Adelaide Fringe/ Avalon Theatre, Niagara Falls/ Edinburgh Fringe/ Coventry, City of Culture/ Norwegian Cruise Lines) Ballad of Rudy (New Wolsey Theatre), All or Nothing: The Mod Musical (Arts Theatre, London/ UK Tour), The Stick Man (UK & International Tour), We're Going on a Bear Hunt (UK & International Tour), What the Ladybird Heard (UK & International Tour).

Kevin James Sievert (Romantic) Kevin James Sievert is an actor, singer and musician based in Wisconsin. A classically trained tenor, Kevin's musical and vocal performance experience spans pop/rock music, opera and musical theatre. In 2017, Kevin made his professional debut at Skylight Music Theatre in Milwaukee, WI, in Hot Mikado​ (Pish-Tush) and Urinetown (Robbie the Stockfish/Dance Captain). Kevin returned to Skylight in the 2018-2019 season in ​Five Guys Named Moe (Little Moe), where he received a nomination and became a finalist for the Footlight People's Choice Award for Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Musical (Professional). Other recent regional credits include Disney's Newsies (Ensemble), Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour), The Gospel at Colonus (Balladeer) and his 2022 Chicagoland Debut in Spring Awakening (Otto/us Moritz). Kevin James Sievert is represented by Gray Talent Group, Chicago.            

Fact Sheet / The Choir of Man

Title:                        The Choir of Man

Created by:            Andrew Kay and Nic Doodson

Produced by:        Andrew Kay and Nic Doodson, Stephen Lindsay and Brett Sirota, Scott Prisand and Matthew Weaver, and The Everywhere Group

Cast:                           

Marc Akinfolarin, Paul Deegan, RJ Griffith, Ifan Gwilym-Jones, Norton James, Cal T King, George Knapper, Benji Lord, Mark Loveday, Shane McDaid, Kristian Morse, David Shute, and Kevin James Sievert.

Creative Team:           Andrew Kay (Creator & Producer), Nic Doodson (Creator, Director & Producer), Jack Blume (Musical Supervisor, Vocal Arranger & Orchestrator), Freddie Huddleston (Movement Director & Choreographer), Ben Norris (Monologues Writer), Oli Townsend (Scenic Designer), Verity Sadler (Costume Designer & Co-Scenic Designer), Richard Dinnen (Lighting Designer), Sten Severson (Sound Designer), Norton James (Resident Associate Director), Michael McBride (Resident Musical Director), Debbie O'Brien (Casting Director UK), and Claire Simon (Casting Director, USA).

Dates:                       

Performances begin March 27, 2024

Previews: March 27– April 2, 2024

Press Opening: Wednesday, April 3 at 7:30pm

Regular Run: April 4 – May 26, 2024

Schedule:                 

Tuesdays:      7:30 p.m.

Wednesdays: 7:30 p.m.

Thursdays:    2 p.m. (2^nd and 4^th Thursdays of the month) and 7:30 p.m.

Fridays:         4 p.m. and 8 p.m. (every 1^st & 3^rd Friday of the month) and 7:30 p.m. (every 2^nd & 4^th Friday of the month)

Saturdays:     4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Sundays:       2 p.m.

Location:                  

Apollo Theater, 2550 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

Tickets:                    

Previews: $35 – $59

Regular Run: $35 – $109

Group reservations (10 or more people) are currently available through Group Tix and Tours at 312-423-6612 or www.grouptixandtours.com.

Box Office:               

Apollo Theater, 2550 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago;

(773) 935-6100 or Ticketmaster.com

Broadway In Chicago is ecstatic to announce that individual tickets for the 25th Anniversary Tour of MAMMA MIA! will go on sale on Friday, March 1. The ultimate feel-good show based on the songs of ABBA, will play Broadway In Chicago's James M. Nederlander Theatre (24 W. Randolph St.) for a limited three-week engagement, April 30 – May 19.

Since premiering in London in 1999 and on Broadway in 2001, the irresistible musical has captured the hearts of millions around the globe. The sunny, funny tale of a mother, a daughter, and three possible dads on a Greek island paradise, all unfolding to the storytelling magic of ABBA's timeless songs, has now been seen live on stage by 65 million people across the world and turned into two record-breaking movies – MAMMA MIA! The Movie and MAMMA MIA! Here We Go Again.

To date, MAMMA MIA! has been seen in 50 productions in 16 different languages grossing more than $4 billion at the box office.  

MAMMA MIA! opened on Broadway in 2001 where it played for a record-breaking 14 years, first at the Winter Garden Theatre, then at the Broadhurst Theatre. The show also toured North America from 2000-2017 with four different touring companies spanning this period.

Also produced by Judy Craymer, MAMMA MIA! The Movie became the highest grossing live action musical film of all time upon its release in 2008. A second film, MAMMA MIA! Here We Go Again, opened in July 2018 and is the most successful live musical movie sequel of all time. The films starred a host of stars including Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Amanda Seyfried, Dominic Cooper, Lily James, and Cher.

With music & lyrics by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, MAMMA MIA! is written by Catherine Johnson, directed by Phyllida Lloyd, and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast. The production is designed by Mark Thompson; with lighting design by Howard Harrison; sound design by Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken; and musical supervision, additional material and arrangements by Martin Koch.

The North American tour is booked by The Booking Group with casting by Tara Rubin Casting.

MAMMA MIA! is produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East, and Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal. Amy Jacobs of Bespoke Theatricals is the Executive Producer in association with Work Light Productions.

The special edition cast recording of MAMMA MIA! is available on Decca Broadway.

For information about MAMMA MIA! visit www.mammamiathetour.com

Follow on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook @MammaMiaTheTour

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Performances are Tuesday through Thursday at 7:00 p.m. (with Wednesday matinee at 1:00 p.m. on May 8 and May 15), Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 1:00 p.m. (with an additional performance on Sunday, May 5 at 6:30 p.m.)

TICKET INFORMATION

Individual tickets for the 25th Anniversary Tour of MAMMA MIA! will go on-sale to the public on Friday, March 1 and range from $52.50 - $137.50 with a select number of premium tickets available. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more  information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO

Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 24 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago's Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, Auditorium Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place.

For more information and tickets, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

Facebook @BroadwayInChicago ● Instagram @broadwayinchicago ● TikTok @broadwayinchicago ● #broadwayinchicago

World renowned ambassadors of Dance and Culture, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to its Chicago home – the landmark Auditorium Theatre at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive – for its 55^th engagement here, with six dynamic performances, April 17-21, 2024.  Celebrating its 65^th Anniversary season in 2023-24, the company will perform three distinct programs certain to appeal to both longtime Ailey fans and new audiences discovering this joyous company for the first time: AUDIENCE FAVORITES, ALL-NEW, and AILEY CLASSICS.  Tickets, starting at $40, are now on sale at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater | Auditorium Theatre.

In 1958, Alvin Ailey and a small group of young Black modern dancers took the stage in New York City and forever changed the perception of American dance and culture. One of the country's groundbreaking greats, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is recognized by US Congressional resolution as a vital American "Cultural Ambassador to the World", promoting the uniqueness of the African American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of American modern dance in a universal celebration of the human spirit.

Led by Associate Artistic Director Matthew Rushing, the acclaimed Ailey dancers will showcase their passionate spirit and extraordinary technique in three specially themed programs. AUDIENCE FAVORITES features Kyle Abraham's critically applauded Are You In Your Feelings? and a new production of Ronald K. Brown's tribute to Judith Jamison's profound influence Dancing Spirit, along with the Company's traditional program closer, Alvin Ailey's beloved must-see masterpiece Revelations. ALL-NEW presents a pair of exciting new works commissioned especially for Ailey: Amy Hall Garner's rousing, high spirited tribute to her grandfather, CENTURY; and Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish's dreamlike duet reminiscence of romance, Me, Myself and You; in addition to updated productions of the audacious Following the Subtle Current Upstream by Alonzo King and the tour de force Solo by Hans van Manen. AILEY CLASSICS offers a newly curated two-act program sampling a variety of classic works by Alvin Ailey culminating with his signature Revelations.

"Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's annual engagement at the Auditorium Theatre is a recognized highlight of the Spring arts season, and we're pleased to be able to announce the exceptional program lineup so far in advance to help the Company's legion of Midwest fans plan their schedules," said Auditorium Theatre CEO Rich Regan. "We look forward to welcoming back the Company led by Matthew Rushing, with whom we've had the pleasure to work for much of his 30 years with Ailey, with a diverse program for Chicago audiences."

"We're excited to return to our Chicago home with Ailey's 65^th Anniversary season featuring new works by exciting choreographic voices, along with a special program of classics by our legendary founder Alvin Ailey," said Associate Artistic Director Matthew Rushing.  "I share the audience's excitement in watching the Company's extraordinary dancers, some of whom hail from the area, share their artistry on the Auditorium stage to carry on a cherished legacy of inspiration."

2024 AUDITORIUM THEATRE PROGRAM

AUDIENCE FAVORITES (Program A)

• A new production of Ronald K. Brown's Dancing Spirit(2009), set to music by Duke Ellington, Wynton Marsalis, and War, which pays tribute to the women of Ailey by evoking the elegance, dignity, and generosity of Judith Jamison and borrowing the title of her autobiography.

• Are You in Your Feelings?(2022) In his third commission for the Ailey company, Kyle Abraham's newest work is a celebration of Black culture, Black music, and the youthful spirit that perseveres in us all. Scored to a "mixtape" of soul, hip-hop, and R&B, it explores the connections among music, communication, and personal memory.

• Alvin Ailey's American masterpiece, Revelations(1960) has been seen by more people than any other modern dance work and has moved audiences around the world through its powerful storytelling and soul-stirring music, evoking timeless themes of determination, hope, and transcendence. Springing from Ailey's childhood memories of growing up in the south and attending services at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Texas, Revelations pays homage to the rich cultural heritage of the African American and explores the emotional spectrum of the human condition.

AUDIENCE FAVORITES will be performed Opening Night, Wednesday, April 17, at 7:30pm, and Saturday evening, April 20, at 7:30pm.

ALL-NEW (Program B)

• Amy Hall Garnerlaunches her residency with her first work for the Company entitled CENTURY (2023), a deeply personal piece inspired by her grandfather on the eve of his 100th birthday. Taking a cue from his spirited essence and set to the music of Ray Charles, Count Basie, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and more, CENTURY is a celebration of life, resilience, and joy.

• Former Ailey dancer Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrishpremieres a new duet titled Me, Myself and You (2023). A dreamlike dance about reminiscence, it is set to Damien Sneed and Brandie Sutton's rendition of "In A Sentimental Mood," conjuring the memories of love and passion for a woman who is asking herself if she should let go or forge ahead.

• Described by choreographer Alonzo Kingas "a piece about how to return to joy," a new production of Following the Subtle Current Upstream (2000) mirrors life's boisterous waves and reminds us that everything in nature seeks to return to its source. King's movement -- abstract but steeped in meaning -- sets the dancers in constant flow to an eclectic score by Zakir Hussain, Miguel Frasconi, and Miriam Makeba.

• A new production of Hans van Manen's Solo(1997), a tour de force among three dancers that challenges the Ailey men's daring agility and grace.  An explosive display of virtuosity and wit launches the performers into an exhilarating whirlwind of movement and musicality.

ALL-NEW will be performed Friday, April 19, at 7:30pm, and Saturday, April 20, at 1pm.

AILEY CLASSICS (Program C)

This special two-act Ailey Classics program is comprised of excerpts from some of Alvin Ailey's beloved  20^th century ballets including Memoria (1979), Night Creature (1974), Pas de Duke (1976), Masekela Langage (1969), Opus McShann (1988), Love Songs (1972), Reflections in D (1962) and For 'Bird' – With Love (1985). In Act 1 Memoria honors the life of a cherished friend and Night Creature fuses Ailey's buoyant choreography with Duke Ellington's sparkling music. Act II features the strong yet serene solo Reflections in D along with highlights from the spirited duet Pas de Duke, the commanding choreography in Masekela Langage, the comical meandering of Opus McShann, the lyrical solo from Love Songs, and the magical Charlie Parker tribute For 'Bird' – with Love. Ailey's American signature masterpiece, Revelations, concludes the program.

AILEY CLASSICS will be performed Thursday, April 18, at 7:30pm, and Sunday, April 21 at 3pm.

Performance Schedule and Tickets

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs at the Auditorium Theatre: Wednesday, April 17 at 7:30pm; Thursday and Friday, April 18-19 at 7:30pm; Saturday, April 20 at 1pm and 7:30pm; and Sunday, April 21 at 3pm. Tickets start at $40 and are now  available atAuditoriumTheatre.org, by calling 312.341.2300, or at the Box Office at 50 E Ida B Wells Drive in Chicago, IL. Click here for phone and in-person hours.

Discounted tickets forgroups of 10 or more people are available. The Auditorium Theatre offers $20student rushtickets to full-time college students and a Student Savings Clubfor both college and high school students. Click here for more information on discounted tickets.

About Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recognized by U.S. Congressional resolution as a vital American "Cultural Ambassador to the World," grew from a now‐fabled March 1958 performance in New York that changed forever the perception of American dance. Founded by Alvin Ailey, posthumous recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation's highest civilian honor, and guided by Judith Jamison beginning in 1989, the Company was then led by Robert Battle from 2011 to 2023. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed for an estimated 25 million people in 71 countries on six continents, promoting the uniqueness of the African American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance tradition. In addition to being the Principal Dance Company of New York City Center, where its performances have become a year‐end tradition, the Ailey company performs annually at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, The Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, CA, and at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark (where it is the Principal Resident Affiliate), and appears frequently in other major theaters throughout the world during extensive tours. The Ailey organization also includes Ailey II (1974), a second performing company of emerging young dancers and innovative choreographers; The Ailey School (1969), one of the most extensive dance training programs in the world; Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs, which brings dance into the classrooms, communities, and lives of people of all ages; and The Ailey Extension (2005), a program offering dance and fitness classes to the general public, which began with the opening of Ailey's permanent home—the largest building dedicated to dance in New York City, the dance capital of the world—named The Joan Weill Center for Dance, at 55th Street at 9th Avenue in New York City. For more information, visit www.alvinailey.org.

Bank of America is Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Tour Sponsor.

About The Auditorium Theatre

The Auditorium Theatre, located at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive at Roosevelt University 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 Theatre is grateful for the support of our 2023-24 Season Global and Made in Chicago Dance Series Sponsor: The Florian Fund; our Student Matinee Series Sponsors: Deborah and Bruch Crown, Denise Littlefield Sobel, and The Robert Thomas Bobins Foundation; our Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Production Sponsor: Denise Littlefield Sobel; and our Ailey Opening Night Sponsor: Helen Hall Melchior.  The Auditorium Theatre 2023-24 Season is made possible in part by support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and the Illinois Arts Council Agency. The Auditorium's official hotel partner is the Palmer House, a Hilton Hotel.

This Auditorium Theatre's 2023-24 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 Theatre and a complete listing of events at the Auditorium Theatre, please visit AuditoriumTheatre.org.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents a perfect introduction to Shakespeare's work for young audiences with a 75-minute abridgement of Romeo and Juliet, adapted and directed by Mikael Burke. This production reimagines Shakespeare's tale of young love found—and tragically lost—in the 1980s. During a four-week run of weekday matinees, Chicago Shakespeare welcomes thousands of middle and high school students from across the region to the Courtyard Theater. In addition, performances are open to the public on Saturdays at 11:00 a.m., through March 16, 2024. After each performance, the actors remain on stage for a question-and-answer session about the production. Tickets for public performances start at just $26 for students ages 18 and under.

Verona burns under summer's heat—and the division of two prominent families. Against a backdrop of violence and an endless cycle of vengeance, this adaptation of Shakespeare's text poses a profound question—can true love survive in a divided community? Combining Shakespeare's original verse, dynamic staging, and a high-energy 1980s setting, Short Shakespeare! Romeo and Juliet offers a new lens for young people to experience this enduring tale.

Adapter and director Mikael Burke said, "It's a cautionary tale that proves if we can't figure out how to disentangle love from violence in our world, violence will always win. And every time it does, we stand to lose the greatest and purest things in life. That was true 400 years ago and is certainly still true today. Love and violence are scarily and upsettingly tied together in this play in a way we don't always consider, but Shakespeare really commands us to pay attention to how closely these two things are related—and hopefully compel us to action."

Burke is a Princess Grace Award winner and Jeff Award nominee, with credits at Goodman Theatre, TimeLine Theatre Company, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, and more in Chicago, as well as regionally with Yale Repertory Theatre, Theatreworks Hartford, Forward Theatre, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, and more. He previously served as the associate artistic director at About Face Theatre and is an adjunct faculty member at DePaul and Roosevelt Universities.

The company of Romeo and Juliet features Kenneth La'Ron Hamilton as Romeo and Felicia Oduh as Juliet. The company also includes Adeoye (Prince/Apothecary), Bobby Bowman (Gregory/Lord Montague), Ronald L. Conner (Lord Capulet), Jack DeCesare (Paris/Abraham), Barbara Figgins (Nurse), Rasell Holt (Mercutio), Carolyn Kruse (Lady Capulet), Ian Maryfield (Tybalt), Alex Benito Rodriguez (Benvolio), Donovan Session (Sampson/Peter), and Jonah D. Winston (Friar Laurence). Understudies include Benjamin Jenkins, Diego Longoria, Carlos Olmedo, Bradford Stevens, Priscilla Torres, and Sarafina Vecchio.

In addition to Burke, the creative team for Romeo and Juliet includes Scenic Designer Alyssa Mohn, Costume Designer Gregory Graham, Lighting Designer Eric Watkins, Sound Designer and Composer Ethan Korvne, Intimacy Director Courtney Abbott, Fight Choreographer Rachel Flesher, Choreographer Frankie DiCiaccio, Verse Coach Tyler Meredith, Assistant Director Christina Casano, Casting Director Bob Mason, Costume Design Assistant Janelle Smith, Stage Manager Danny Fender, Assistant Stage Manager Lucy Whipp, and Production Assistant Gianni Carcagno.

Chicago Shakespeare's Short Shakespeare! series is part of the Theater's nationally recognized Team Shakespeare education programs, which have impacted two million students to date. Chicago Shakespeare brings Shakespeare's work to life in the school curriculum—through live performance, professional learning for educators, comprehensive teaching resources, and opportunities for students to perform Shakespeare. These initiatives—in concert with the free citywide Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks tour and summer family musical series—exemplify the Theater's steadfast commitment to young audiences.

Accessible and enhanced performances for Short Shakespeare! Romeo and Juliet include:

• ASL-Interpreted & Open-Captioned performance
  Sat, March 9, 11:00 a.m.
  All dialogue and lyrics are translated into American Sign Language by two certified interpreters. Also, a text display of the words and sounds heard during a play, will be synced live with the action onstage.

More information at www.chicagoshakes.com/romeo or on social media at @chicagoshakes.

Short Shakespeare! Romeo and Juliet is presented to the public on Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. from February 24–March 16, 2024, in Chicago Shakespeare's Courtyard Theater. Single tickets ($26 for audience members age 18 and under; $42 for adults) are on sale now. Special discounts will be available for groups of 10 or more. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit the Theater's website at www.chicagoshakes.com.

ABOUT CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER

Regional Tony Award-recipient Chicago Shakespeare Theater produces a bold and innovative year-round season—plays, musicals, world premieres, family productions, and theatrical presentations from around the globe—alongside nationally recognized education programming serving tens of thousands of students, teachers, and lifelong learners each year. Founded in 1986, the Theater's onstage work has expanded to as many as twenty productions and 650 performances annually. Chicago Shakespeare is dedicated to welcoming the next generation of theatergoers; one in four of its audience members is under the age of eighteen. As a nonprofit organization, the Theater works to embrace diversity, prioritize inclusion, provide equitable opportunities, and offer an accessible experience for all. On the Theater's three stages at its home on Navy Pier, in classrooms and neighborhoods across the city, and in venues around the world, Chicago Shakespeare is a multifaceted cultural hub—inviting audiences, artists, and community members to share powerful stories that connect and inspire. www.chicagoshakes.com.

Court Theatre, under the leadership of Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre, is proud to announce its 70th season. The 2024/25 season will feature Eugene Lee's searing and rhythmic East Texas Hot Links, directed by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson; the groundbreaking musical Falsettos, with music and lyrics by William Finn, book by William Finn and James Lapine, produced in partnership with TimeLine Theatre Company, and directed by Nick Bowling, TimeLine Theatre Associate Artistic Director; A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry's tale of class and aspiration, directed by Associate Artistic Director Gabrielle Randle-Bent; and finally, Berlin, the exhilarating world premiere by Mickle Maher based on Jason Lutes's graphic novel of the same name, directed by Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Charles Newell.

Court's 2024/25 season spans genre and form, with productions that speak to our current moment with clarity and heft. The season begins with a skillful work of lyricism, simultaneously a love story and a thriller; it continues with a shimmering musical about family, followed by a South Side classic rooted in lived history and liberation; and it concludes with a fast-paced world premiere.

The landmark 70th season is a celebration of milestones. This season is the year in which Charles Newell will transition from Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director to Senior Artistic Consultant and the year in which Court will welcome its new Artistic Director. Furthermore, each production in the season is representative of a milestone of its own and is imbued with a keen sense of foresight; staging these plays at this moment instigates a fascinating exploration of what it means to live in a present that was imagined by works of the past. The 2024/25 season is here, and the time is now.

"The lineup for the 2024/25 season is jaw-droppingly good," shares Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Charles Newell. "These productions interrogate community; the cost of striving for a better life; and the very ways we tell stories, all of which are themes that feel particularly resonant. The timeliness of this season speaks to the enduring power of classic theatre and the continued need to revisit these stories. We can't wait to share this season with our audiences."

"Court continues to push the boundaries of what classic theatre can be, and that is clearly reflected in the 2024/25 season," says Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre. "Each of these plays has an acute sense of relevance and urgency; now is the time to tell these stories with these artists. The work that we're doing offstage to complement and support the art – our engagement programming, our education initiatives, collaborations with the University of Chicago, a producing partnership with TimeLine Theatre, and deepening our relationships across the South Side – will only enhance these creative endeavors."

The 2024/25 Court Theatre Season Up Close:

EAST TEXAS HOT LINKS

By Eugene Lee

Directed by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson

September 6 – September 29, 2024

Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, East Texas Hot Links is a gripping character study, a lyrical masterpiece, and portrait of community. It is 1955 in the piney woods of East Texas and racial tensions are high, yet the Top O' the Hill Café remains a haven. There, regulars share stories, joke, unwind, and trade friendly barbs. The café is a refuge that keeps the outside world at bay, until a mysterious omen forces the outside in.

Court's 2024/25 season opener is a tribute to Resident Artist and Director Ron OJ Parson's (Two Trains Running) first production in Chicago, his deep collaboration with playwright Eugene Lee, and the founding of Onyx Theatre Ensemble, the storied theatre company that first produced East Texas Hot Links in Chicago thirty years ago.

By returning to Top O' the Hill Café decades later, Parson asserts East Texas's place in the modern theatrical canon, honors the legacy of Onyx, and obliterates the line between America's fraught past and its charged present.

FALSETTOS

Music and Lyrics by William Finn

Book by William Finn and James Lapine

Co-produced with TimeLine Theatre Company

Directed by Nick Bowling, TimeLine Theatre Associate Artistic Director

November 8 – December 8, 2024

Tony Award-winning Falsettos is a tribute to family and its many forms; a playful interrogation of faith and identity; and a celebration of the beauty, complexity, and necessity of love.

Marvin has left his wife, Trina, for his male lover; Trina has married Marvin's therapist; and their son, Jason, is grappling with his parents' divorce and his looming Bar Mitzvah. Everyone's world has been upended and now they must explore what their new lives may hold. Featuring a sung-through score and set against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic, Falsettos is a humorous and heartbreaking web of ex-spouses, co-parents, new lovers, and the lesbians next door.

TimeLine Theatre Associate Artistic Director Nick Bowling (The Lehman Trilogy) returns to Court Theatre – where he began his career almost thirty years ago alongside Charles Newell – to make his Court directorial debut with this celebratory co-production with TimeLine Theatre Company. Groundbreaking in its depiction of queerness, Falsettos shines with ingenuity and contemporary relevance.

A RAISIN IN THE SUN

By Lorraine Hansberry

Directed by Associate Artistic Director Gabrielle Randle-Bent

February 7 – March 9, 2025

Winner of the Tony Award for Best Play, a Pulitzer Prize, and the first play written by a Black woman to be produced on Broadway, Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is a stunning portrayal of a family's fight for dignity and the right to dream.

As the Youngers await their recently deceased patriarch's life insurance check, they allow themselves to imagine a bigger life – a life with room to breathe – until those plans are thrown into jeopardy. Hansberry's language rings as wise and prescient as ever in her moving answer to Langston Hughes's question, What happens to a dream deferred?

Staged sixty years after Lorraine Hansberry's passing, Associate Artistic Director Gabrielle Randle-Bent (Antigone) brings Hansberry's masterpiece home to Chicago's vibrant South Side and Court's stage for the very first time.

BERLIN

WORLD PREMIERE

By Mickle Maher

Based on the graphic novel by Jason Lutes

Directed by Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Charles Newell

April 25 – May 18, 2025

Berlin is an unforgettable mosaic of intersecting narratives set amidst the decline of Weimar Germany. This original commission brings Jason Lutes's exhilarating and acclaimed graphic novel to life.

Fascism is taking hold; revolutionaries are organizing; creatives are trying to capture the ineffable nature of their changing city; and – as everything falls apart – everyone is faced with a choice: abandon Berlin or fight to survive.

Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Charles Newell (The Gospel at Colonus) directs Mickle Maher's propulsive adaptation, an ever-shifting kaleidoscope of everyday people trying to survive one of the most remarkable moments in history. Set almost one hundred years ago, Berlin speaks to our current moment, and our future, with undeniable urgency.

Subscription Information

Three and four-play subscriptions to Court's 2024/25 season range from $114 to $280 and are on sale now. To purchase a subscription or to receive more information, call the Court Theatre Box Office at (773) 753-4472, or visit Court's website at CourtTheatre.org. Individual tickets for all productions will be available in summer 2024.

Court Theatre reimagines classic theatre to illuminate our current times. In residence at the University of Chicago and on Chicago's historic South Side, we engage our audiences with intimate and provocative experiences that inspire deeper exploration of the enduring questions that confront humanity and connect us as people.

Recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions in 2016, TimeLine Theatre was founded in 1997 with a mission to present stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. TimeLine Theatre Company is currently helmed by Artistic Director PJ Powers and Executive Director Mica Cole. For more information about TimeLine, visit timelinetheatre.com.

Audiences can now see Message In A Bottle, a new dance theatre production choregraphed by Sadler's Wells' Associate Artist Kate Prince at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre for a limited run, from February 28, 2024 to March 3, 2024. Produced by Sadler's Wells and Universal Music UK, Message In A Bottle is a dance theatre production set to the music of 17-time Grammy Award-winning artist Sting. Tickets are now available for this smashing production. Prices range from $32 to $95 with a select number of premium tickets available for all performances. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Current Broadway In Chicago subscribers can add to their subscription by calling (312) 977-1717.

Performance Schedule

Wednesday through Friday 7:00PM (Thursday, February 29 Matinee at 1:00PM)

Saturday at 2:00PM and 7:30PM

Sunday at 1:00PM and 6:30PM

Sadler's Wells and Universal Music UK present Message In A Bottle, a new dance theatre production by Sadler's Wells Associate Artist Kate Prince, set to the music of 17-time Grammy Award-winning artist Sting. Message In A Bottle made its world premiere at Sadler's Wells' West End venue, the Peacock Theatre, on Wednesday 19 February 2020. Gravity-defying lyrical hip hop dance and breath-taking music combine in a moving story of humanity and hope.

Message In A Bottle sees a village alive with joyous celebrations suddenly come under siege. In the chaos, three siblings - Leto, Mati and Tana - are separated from their parents. They undertake a perilous journey to new lands and set out on their own extraordinary adventures. Songs include Every Breath You Take, Roxanne, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Walking On The Moon, Englishman In New York, Shape Of My Heart and Fields Of Gold.

The soundtrack to Message In A Bottle also features new vocals by Sting and new arrangements by Grammy and Tony award winner Alex Lacamoire (Hamilton, The Greatest Showman), with guest vocals from award-winning actress and singer Beverley Knight MBE and Lynval Golding (The Specials).

About Kate Prince MBE

Director and Choreographer

Kate Prince is a director, writer and choreographer. She is also the Artistic Director of ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company which she founded in 2002. Kate is an Associate Artist at both The Old Vic and Sadler's Wells, where ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company is also a Resident Company.

In 2005 Sadler's Wells commissioned the company's first full-length work, Into the Hoods, conceived and directed by Kate. The show's premiere in 2006 met with widespread critical acclaim and Into the Hoods went on to become the first hip hop dance show to transfer to the West End in 2008, after two critically successful runs at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Kate's further work with ZooNation includes the Olivier-nominated Some Like It Hip Hop (The Peacock, 2011- 13, 2019 and two UK tours), Groove on Down the Road (Southbank Centre, 2013-14), ZooNation: Unplugged (Sadler's Wells, 2013), The Mad Hatter's Tea Party (Royal Opera House, Linbury Studio, 2014 and Roundhouse, 2016), Into the Hoods: Remixed (The Peacock, 2015-16 and UK tour), and SYLVIA (The Old Vic, 2018). The company created special performances for Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday celebrations and for the Laurence Olivier Awards in 2011, creating new choreography for West Side Story with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

For TV, Kate's credits include work for Strictly Come Dancing, So You Think You Can Dance, The Royal Variety Show, Top of the Pops, Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Take Away, CD:UK, Blue Peter, Strictly Dance Fever, Sport Relief, The Album Chart Show, Discomania and PopWorld. Her film work includes choreography for Everybody's Talking About Jamie, StreetDance 3D and The Holloway Laundrette, which she wrote & directed for BAFTA/Channel 4.

Other theatre work includes Everybody's Talking About Jamie for Jonathan Butterell (Sheffield Crucible & West End, nominated for Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer), Enda Walsh's Ballyturk (National Theatre), Stephen Mear's Shoes (Sadler's Wells and The Peacock), I Can't Sing: The X-Factor Musical (London Palladium) and A Mad World My Masters (Royal Shakespeare Company), both for Sean Foley.

With ZooNation she has also created choreography for sporting events, including the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Handover Ceremonies (2008), the Opening Ceremony of the Tour de France (2007) and the IOC opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics at the Royal Opera House. In 2018, ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company became an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation and a registered charity, in recognition of its mission to inspire the next generation of theatregoers and theatremakers. In 2020, Kate was the subject of the BBC Imagine Documentary series presented by Alan Yentob entitled Kate Prince: Every Move She Makes.

Kate has been nominated for five Olivier Awards, a South Bank Sky Arts Award, a WhatsOnStage Award and two Critics' Circle National Dance Awards. Kate has an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Winchester and in 2019 Kate received an MBE for services to dance.

Most recently Kate co-wrote, directed and choreographed SYLVIA at the Old Vic, for which she was nominated for the Gillian Lynne Olivier Award for best theatre choreographer.

Kate's proudest achievement is being Leo's wife and Ella's mum.

About Sting

Music and Lyrics

Composer, singer-songwriter, actor, author, and activist Sting was born in Newcastle, England before moving to London in 1977 to form The Police with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers. The band released five studio albums, earned six GRAMMY Awards® and two Brits, and was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

One of the world's most distinctive solo artists, Sting has received an additional 11 GRAMMY Awards®, two Brits, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, four Oscar nominations, a TONY nomination and has sold 100 million albums from his combined work with The Police and as a solo artist. He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has received the Kennedy Center Honors, as well as honorary Doctorate of Music degrees from Northumbria University (1992), Berklee College of Music (1994), University of Newcastle upon Tyne (2006) and Brown University (2018).

Sting, managed by Martin Kierszenbaum/Cherrytree Music Company, has appeared in more than 15 films, a variety of TV shows and authored two books, including The New York Times best-selling memoir, Broken Music. In 1989 he starred in The Threepenny Opera on Broadway.  His most recent theatre project is the Tony®-nominated musical The Last Ship, inspired by his memories of the shipbuilding community of Wallsend in the northeast of England where he was born and raised.

In 2019, an album entitled My Songs, featuring contemporary interpretations of his most celebrated hits, was released, and followed by a world tour and acclaimed Las Vegas residency of the same name. Sting's latest album, The Bridge, showcases his prolific and diverse songwriting prowess, representing various stages and styles from throughout his unrivaled career. Most recently, Sting produced Shaggy's album, Com Fly Wid Mi which finds the reggae icon performing the Sinatra songbook in a reggae style and earned a Grammy Award nomination for it.

Earlier this year, Sting became a Fellow of the Ivors Academy – the highest honor reserved for those who have reshaped and redefined the art and craft of music creation, while his hit song, "Every Breath You Take" was added to Spotify's 'Billions Club,' having amassed over 1 billion streams on the platform with the correlating music video surpassing 1 billion streams on YouTube. His critically acclaimed My Songs world tour is currently underway and finds the 17-time Grammy Award winning artist performing his most beloved songs with an electric rock ensemble. Full tour itinerary can be found here.

Sting's support for human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, and Live Aid mirrors his art in its universal outreach.  Along with wife Trudie Styler, Sting founded the Rainforest Fund in 1989 to protect both the world's rainforests and the indigenous people living there. Together they have held 19 benefit concerts to raise funds and awareness for our planet's endangered resources. Since its inception, the Rainforest Fund has expanded to a network of interconnected organizations working in more than 20 countries over three continents.

For the latest news, official fan club access and more, please visit: www.sting.com

About Sadler's Wells

Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance organisation. We strive to make and share dance that inspires us all. Our acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap. 

We commission, produce and present more dance than any other organisation in the world. Since 2005, we have helped to bring more than 200 new dance works to the stage, embracing both the popular and the unknown. Our acclaimed productions tour the world. Since 2005 we've produced 64 new full-length works and performed to audiences of more than two million, touring to 51 countries. 

Each year, over half a million people visit our three London theatres - Sadler's Wells Theatre, Lilian Baylis Studio and Peacock Theatre. Millions more attend our touring productions nationally and internationally or explore our digital platforms, including Sadler's Wells Digital Stage.  

Sadler's Wells East  

In 2024 we're opening a fourth London venue in Stratford's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Sadler's Wells East will house a 550-seat mid-scale theatre, as well as facilities for the new Rose Choreographic School and the hip hop theatre training centre, Academy Breakin' Convention.  

Sadler's Wells East joins the rich cultural heritage of Stratford, opening in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as part of the East Bank development alongside the BBC, UAL's London College of Fashion, UCL and the V&A. Sadler's Wells East will support artist development and training, and the creation of new work. It will build the infrastructure for dance and make it accessible to more people. Sadler's Wells East will house a flexible theatre presenting a wide variety of dance performances. Community will be at the heart of Sadler's Wells East with a large open foyer that can be used by everyone as a meeting or performance space. There will also be dance studios and world-class dance facilities for dancemakers to train, create and rehearse productions. 

Supporting artists 

Supporting artists is at the heart of our work. We have associate artists and companies, which nurture some of the most exciting talent working in dance today. We host the National Youth Dance Company, which draws together some of the brightest young dancers from across the country. Sadler's Wells Breakin' Convention runs professional development programmes to champion and develop the world's best hip hop artists, as well as producing, programming and touring groundbreaking hip hop performances. 

Learning and community links 

Around 30,000 people take part in our learning and engagement programmes every year. We support schools local to our theatres in Islington and Stratford, designing experiences for children and young people to watch, explore and critically engage with the arts. We also run Company of Elders, a resident performance company of dancers aged over 60 who rehearse with renowned artists to make new work for public performances locally, nationally and internationally. 

Sadler's Wells is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. 

www.sadlerswells.com 

Stay up to date with everything Sadler's Wells on social media 

Facebook: @SadlersWells 

Twitter: @Sadlers_Wells 

Instagram: @sadlers_wells 

YouTube: Sadler's Wells Theatre 

About Broadway In Chicago

Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 24 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago's Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and presenting Broadway shows at the Auditorium Theatre.

For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com

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Sweetback Productions, in collaboration with Labyrinth Arts, is proud to announce Hamburgers and Disappointment: Plays about Enoughness, a festival of works by Barrie Cole playing in repertory, May 2 - 19 at 7:30 p.m., at Labyrinth Club, 3658 N. Pulaski Road. Performances of Schedule 1 includes I Love You Permanently and Fruit Tree Backpack runs on Thursdays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Schedule 2 that includes Capacity and Meaning is Tricky runs on Fridays and Sundays at 7:30 p.m. In addition, for those who may not be able to attend, a digital play, Elevator Tours, will be available for digital download for $10.  Press nights for Hamburgers and Disappointment: Plays about Enoughness are Schedule 1, Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m., and schedule 2, Sunday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are now on sale at SweetBackProductions.com.

“All of us at Labyrinth are proud to be co-producing this festival of Barrie Cole’s works,” said Artistic Director and Founder Diane Hamm of Labyrinth Arts. “We look forward to welcoming audiences, both familiar with her work and those experiencing them for the first time, to experience the complete relationship cycle created by Barrie.”  

Hamburgers and Disappointment: Plays about Enoughness, is a new festival of four short, two-character plays by Chicago-based playwright, Barrie Cole. The festival includes performances in repertory:

SCHEDULE 1

Performed on Thursdays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.

Fruit Tree Backpack

Written by Barrie Cole (she/her) 

Directed by Jayita Bhattacharya (she/her)

Ceil (Kristy Lockhart, she/her) and Anna (Julia Williams, she/her) traverse the various rooms inside the exhausting, sweet, metaphorical mansion of love.

I Love You Permanently

Written by Barrie Cole (she/her) 

Directed by Jen Moniz (she/her) 

Jay (Jeffrey Bivens, he/him) wants to be with Lee (Vicki Walden, she/her), but is unable to leave his abusive relationship. They meet one last time and try to find out if it is possible to have an entire relationship in the span of one cold night.

SCHEDULE 2

Performed on Fridays and Sundays at 7:30 p.m.

WORLD PREMIERE

Capacity

Written by Barrie Cole (she/her) 

Capacity is a world premiere and completes Cole’s collection of two-person plays about relationships. The play explores a thorny friendship between a playwright (Kelly Anchors, she/her) and an actor (KellyAnn Corcoran, she/her) who were both, at different times, married to the same man.

Meaning is Tricky

Written by Barrie Cole (she/her) 

Originally directed by Jen Moniz (she/her)

Roommates and former lovers Mark (David Isaacson, he/him) and Clare (Diana Slickman, she/her) navigate Clare's burgeoning new relationship with a TV-obsessed man in an open marriage whose wife operates a flower kiosk.

AUDIO PLAY 

Elevator Tours 

Written by Barrie Cole (she/her) 

Originally directed by Jen Moniz (she/her)

A special audio play with animation. Ruth (Carolyn Hoerdemann, she/her) has just moved into a new apartment when her recently divorced friend Will (Colm O’Reilly, he/him), comes to stay with her. They discuss life as a spectacle, art and sex.

The creative team for Hamburgers and Disappointment: Plays about Enoughness includes: Pamela L. Parker(set/props designer, she/her); Diane Hamm (producer/lighting designer, she/her); Kelly Anchors (producer/costume designer, she/her); Paul Brennan (film/sound designer, he/him); Charlotte Lastra (stage manager, she/her); Hannah Tymosko(stage manager, she/her); Timothy Hiatt (photographer, he/him) and Jules Darling (graphic designer, they/them).

ABOUT BARRIE COLE, playwright

Barrie Cole has written 14 plays, numerous monologue works, as well as essays, hybrid-works and more. Her plays have been produced by Theater Oobleck, Curious Theatre Branch and others.The Chicago Reader said about Cole: “Her ambiguously concrete work layers childlike simplicity over seasoned melancholy to produce piercing, wondrous images of charming, discomfiting transformation.”  

ABOUT JEN MONIZ, director, I Love You Permanently

Jen Moniz is an immigration paralegal, artisan gelato maker and writer, performer, producer and director of fringe theater. She is originally from California and has called Chicago home for 17 years. She has previously directed Mexico, Room, Elevator Tours, On Loss, To Relax and Laugh, Meaning is Tricky and Reverse Gossip.

ABOUT JAYITA BHATTACHARYA, director, Fruit Tree Backpack

Jayita Bhattacharya is a multidisciplinary theatre artist originally from Southern California, who has made her home in Chicago as an ensemble member of Curious Theatre Branch. Directing credits include What Is Even Happening?!!! by Kristin Garrison, Lizzie Borden Is Smashing by Sue Cargill and The McGuffins Run the 440 by Beau O'Reilly. She wrote the plays To End to Seem to End, today like a kind of shivering and Should We Put It Out? (The Smoke). Bhattacharya has also appeared in numerous Curious and Rhinofest productions through the years, including The Skriker, 4:48 Psychosis, Evanston Which Is Over There, The Buzz that is the Buzz and most recently, the revival of Hit Me Like a Flower.

ABOUT SWEETBACK PRODUCTIONS

Sweetback Productions was founded in 1994 by Kelly Anchors and Mike McKune. They started with a string of hit late night parodies of cult films that includes; Plan 9 From Outer Space, Female Trouble, Super Pussy Vixen, Go Faster! Kill! Kill!, Scarrie, The Musical!, The Birds and Freaks. Sweetback now focuses on more obscure and original work, most recently, Deep Fried and Suck My Nose, which featured three generations of family actors weaving their love through their pain while tap dancing and singing hymns; Bipolar Bitch, a mystical ride into psychosis and Dorothy Mae and the 1978 Holiday Rambler Ramblette, an outdoor extravaganza detailing Kelly’s roadtrip across the southwest during the Trump re-election season. Sweetback is beyond thrilled to be producing this festival of Barrie Cole’s plays, a playwright that Anchors was lucky enough to work with in Clumsy Sublime. Find them on Facebook.

ABOUT LABYRINTH ARTS AND PERFORMANCE COLLECTIVE

Labyrinth Arts and Performance Collective, a 501 c 3 not for profit, is organized for the purpose of building the creative community and developing wisdom through art.  The Collective believes that making and sharing meaning is key to being with artistic projects as a means of interactive exchange towards meaningful experience and encourages consciousness.  Risk taking requires compassion and holding space for fearless, free self-expression, the Collective believes that joy is the highest expression of being and inherent in all creative acts. And believes in artistic autonomy where the artistic project takes precedence over a single executive's vision.  

Recent past projects included the Labyrinth Film Fest 2024, variety shows 2023, music shows 2023, comedy showcases of John and Paul 2023 and play development in 2023. More information on their website or on Facebook. 

Sweetback Productions, in collaboration with Labyrinth Arts, is proud to announce Hamburgers and Disappointment: Plays about Enoughness, a festival of works by Barrie Cole playing in repertory, May 2 - 19 at 7:30 p.m., at Labyrinth Club, 3658 N. Pulaski Road. Performances of Schedule 1 includes I Love You Permanently and Fruit Tree Backpack runs on Thursdays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Schedule 2 that includes Capacity and Meaning is Tricky runs on Fridays and Sundays at 7:30 p.m. In addition, for those who may not be able to attend, a digital play, Elevator Tours, will be available for digital download for $10.  Press nights for Hamburgers and Disappointment: Plays about Enoughnessare Schedule 1, Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m., and schedule 2, Sunday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are now on sale at SweetBackProductions.com.