Displaying items by tag: A Red Orchid Theatre

Birds of North America, written by Anna Ouyang Moench, is a story of a father daughter relationship spanning a decade and weathering personal and worldwide conflicts while sharing their love of birdwatching.  Admittedly family relationships can be tricky at best.  Especially as children age into adulthood and make their own life choices and important decisions.  It is difficult for a parent to see them in a new light or role and the default of overly attempting to manage and advise them is not the best fit. 

In this scenario we find ourselves in a backyard of Baltimore, Maryland in a beautifully imagined set design by Morgan Laszlo.  We watch the relationship of John, the father (John Judd) and Caitlyn (Cassidy Slaughter Mason) ebb and flow throughout autumnal days and evenings on a backyard deck.  We can see that John is in the autumn of his years and struggling with an internal conflict if his life’s work has mattered, is significant or made a difference in the world.  Like many men of his generation, he prefers to keep the conflict internal.  And, Caitlyn wants to discuss deeper and more adult topics with her Dad…as long as they are not about her or his opinion of her.  Caitlyn goes through it, as they say, in the ten years of autumns of this piece.  Young love, marriage and many things that follow.  Ups, downs, disappointments, career crisis, what does it all mean?  

In the meantime, she and her Dad continue to communicate through spotting birds, hearing them, listening to their calls and determining what is a significant sighting.  All events we can march through relationships with.  There are scenes when they are hearing each other but not really listening as intently as they do for the elusive birds.  Does that mean they care about the birds more than each other? Or is it easier to tiptoe around landmines of emotion. Our two actors, Judd and Mason forge a believable poignant relationship on stage.  The pain each of them go through is palpable but not overt.  The most beautiful sort of acting that draws in an audience, especially in an intimate space that Red Orchid Theatre has to offer.

The sound design by Ethan Korvne also helps to set the scene and enhance the birding aspect of the show.  If you close your eyes for a second and listen to the bird calls it almost seems as if a fall breeze might pass by.  The pacing of the show and transitions are smooth and make the decade pass by in a credible page-turning manner giving you just enough time for thoughts of where they are headed next. It’s easy to see how this garnered seven Jeff Award nominations.

Whether or not you are a birding enthusiast (and my show companion is and loved it!) this is a piece about families, relationships, communication and remembering to listen without distraction, a tool we can all use in our lives.

BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA, now playing at A Red Orchid Theatre in Chicago through October 4, 2026.

https://www.aredorchidtheatre.org for ticket and performance time information.

Mary Beth Euker is a founding director of Cricket Theatre Company in Lake Zurich, Illinois, has appeared in shows at Devonshire Theatre in Skokie and Woodstock Opera House and directs in Lake Zurich at various schools and for Cricket.

Remy Bumppo Theatre Company’s 30th Anniversary Season continues with "Exploring The In Between: A Conversation About Mid-Sized Theatres in Chicago," Monday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. in Theater One at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. This one-night-only event, moderated by Chicago theatre Historian and Author Mark Larson and Associate Director of the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum Matt Randle-Bent bring together Chicago theatre voices from four storied companies: Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, A Red Orchid Theatre, Teatro Vista Productions and About Face Theatre to discuss how midsized theatres have shaped our city’s cultural ecosystem and what role might they play in what is to come. Tickets are on sale now for $35 at TheaterWit.org or by calling the Theater Wit Box Office at 773.975.8150.  

“Exploring The In Between: A Conversation About Mid-Sized Theatres in Chicago” is a night of discovery, conversation and envisioning. “Exploring the In Between” excavates the history, heart and value of midsized theatres in Chicago featuring Remy Bumppo Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Marti Lyons, A Red Orchid Theatre Founding Artistic Director and Board Member of The Red Orchid Theatre Guy Van Swearingen, An Artistic Collective member of Teatro Vista Productions and a Core Ensemble Member of Remy Bumppo Theatre Company Charin Alvarez and About Face Theatre’s Director of Education and Artistic Programing Dionne Addai. 

Ticket sales benefit Remy Bumppo Theatre Company. 

ABOUT REMY BUMPPO THEATRE COMPANY

Remy Bumppo Theatre Company expands and enriches their community’s view of the world, and their own, by producing both the great plays of the past and the important plays of today. As an ensemble-driven theater company, Remy Bumppo authors a more humane culture that listens to, and seeks to understand, the voices, the ideas and the stories of one another. 

Since its inception in 1996, Remy Bumppo has produced a blend of modern classics and complex contemporary works, presented in an intimate setting with clarity, wit and passion. We invite audiences to engage directly with the art through conversation with the artists.

A Red Orchid Theatre is pleased open its 34^th Season, exploring the theme of "world on fire," with the Chicago premiere of Will Arbery's politically-charged drama Heroes of the Fourth Turning, directed by Ensemble member dado*, playing October 29 – December 6, 2026 at 1531 N. Wells St. in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood. Casting to be announced shortly. Single go on sale Tuesday, September 29, 2026 at aredorchidtheatre.org or by calling (312) 943-8722. Season subscriptions are currently available. 

About the Production:

It's nearing midnight in Wyoming, where four recent graduates have gathered to celebrate their beloved mentor and professor Gina, newly inducted as president of their tiny Catholic liberal arts college. The reunion spirals into spiritual chaos, clashing generational politics and a vicious fight to be understood. Offering grace and disarming clarity, this haunting play speaks to the torn heart of a country at war with itself.

*Denotes A Red Orchid Theatre Ensemble Member

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title: Heroes of the Fourth Turning

Playwright: Will Arbery
Director: Ensemble member dado*
Cast: to be announced shortly

Location: A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, October 29 at 7 pm, Friday, October 30 at 7 pm, Saturday, October 31 at 7 pm, Sunday, November 1 at 3 pm, Thursday, November 5 at 7 pm and Friday, November 6 at 7 pm

Opening: Sunday, November 8 at 6 pm

Regular run: Thursday, November 12 – Sunday, December 6, 2026
Curtain Times: Thursdays and Fridays at 7 pm; Saturdays 3 pm & 7 pm; and Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be a performance on Thursday, November 26 (Thanksgiving); there will be an added Industry Night performance on Monday, November 23 at 7 pm.

Tickets: Previews: $33 – $44*. Regular run: $55*. Access, student, senior, and group discounts available. Single tickets go on sale Tuesday, September 29, 2026 at aredorchidtheatre.org or by calling (312) 943-8722. Season subscriptions are currently available. *Ticket prices include a processing fee.

About the Artists:

Will Arbery (Playwright, Heroes of the Fourth Turning, he/him) is a playwright and screenwriter from Texas. His play Heroes of the Fourth Turning premiered at Playwrights Horizons in 2019 and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and the winner of an OBIE, Lucille Lortel and New York Drama Critics Circle Award, among other honors. It was named one of the "new canon" plays by American Theatre. Other plays include: You Hateful Things (upcoming London premiere), Spite House (upcoming New York premiere), Corsicana (Playwrights Horizons), Evanston Salt Costs Climbing (The New Group), Plano (Clubbed Thumb) and Wheelchair (3 Hole Press). He was the recipient of a Whiting Award in 2020. Will wrote on the fourth season of Succession, for which he won the WGA Award for Episodic Drama. He is the creator of two upcoming shows with FX: Seven Sisters (starring Elizabeth Olsen) and The Marriage Plot (starring Sadie Sink). Texas Monthly flagged him as one of the most influential cultural figures of the past 50 years out of Texas, and The New Yorker has called him the playwright of the moment.

dado (Director, Heroes of the Fourth Turning, she/her) last directed the world premiere of JoJo Jones' Veal at A Red Orchid, and before that Six Men Dressed Like Joseph Stalin by Dianne Nora. In 2025 dado directed Lobster by Kallan Dana for the Wirtz Center at Northwestern and Dance Nation by Clare Barron for UIC, where she currently serves on the faculty. Other projects dado has directed are Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. by Alice Birch with The Feast Collective, Right Now by Catherine Anne Toupin (Facility Theatre), Anny Ouyang Moench's In Quietness at A Red Orchid and The Lover by Harold Pinter (with Yasen Peyankov at Facility Theatre). She has also directed The Ruse of Medusa by Erik Satie (Facility Theatre) and Killing Game by Eugene Ionesco (A Red Orchid). Next spring she will direct The Cherry Orchard for UIC's mainstage. 

Production sponsor: Terrance and Carol Coleman and Dawn and Jim Kink.

About A Red Orchid Theatre:

A Red Orchid Theatre has served as an artistic focal point in the heart of the Old Town community of Chicago since 1993 and was honored with a 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Over the past 33 years, its Resident Ensemble has welcomed into its fold an impressive array of award-winning actors, playwrights and theatre artists with the firm belief that live theatre is the greatest sustenance for the human spirit. A Red Orchid is well known and highly acclaimed for its fearless approach to performance and design in the service of unflinchingly intimate stories.

A Red Orchid Theatre is: Karen Aldridge, Lance Baker, Kamal Angelo Bolden, Esteban Andres Cruz, Dado, Mike Durst, Sherman Edwards, Myron Elliott, Jennifer Engstrom, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Joseph Fosco, Steve Haggard, Levi Holloway, Mierka Girten, Larry Grimm, John Judd, Karen Kawa, Karen Kessler, Travis A. Knight, Danny McCarthy, Shade Murray, Brett Neveu, Sadieh Rifai, Grant Sabin, Michael Shannon, Guy Van Swearingen, Doug Vickers and Natalie West.

Sponsor Information:

A Red Orchid Theatre remains grateful for the support of our board, donors and loyal audience who continue to champion our ambitious and powerful storytelling. These sponsors help to create a platform for our talented Ensemble to reach new audiences, and ensure that we remain a source for honest, compassionate, and aesthetically rigorous theatre-making.

A Red Orchid Theatre's 34^th Season is sponsored by The Bayless Family Foundation and Heidi Hoblit Graham. Heroes of the Fourth Turning is sponsored by Terrance and Carol Coleman and Dawn and Jim Kink.

Interested in sponsoring a production? By partnering with us as a sponsor, you will help to take our work to the next level of artistic excellence, while also receiving deeper access to our artists and the creative process. To learn more, please contact Development Director Stephanie Shum at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (312) 943-8722. 

A Red Orchid Theatre, under the artistic direction of Kirsten Fitzgerald, is pleased to announce its 34^th Season, featuring a world premiere adaptation and two Chicago premieres, all exploring the theme of a "world on fire." The season kicks off this fall with the Chicago premiere of Will Arbery's politically-charged drama Heroes of the Fourth Turning, directed by Ensemble member dado. The season continues next winter with the Chicago premiere of Keiko Green's imaginative dark comedy You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!, directed by Terry Guest and featuring Ensemble Members dado and Sadieh Rifai. The 34^th Season concludes next spring/summer with a world premiere adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's haunting classic Rosmersholm, adapted by Ensemble Members Steve Haggard and Shade Murray, directed by Shade Murray and featuring Ensemble Members Sherman Edwards, Steve Haggard, Travis A. Knight and Natalie West.

Subscribers are also invited to join A Red Orchid for a revival of last year's sell-out hit Birds of North America, a critically-acclaimed father-daughter drama by Anna Ouyang Moench, directed by Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald and featuring Ensemble Member John Judd with Cassidy Slaughter-Mason.

Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald comments, "There is very little I am certain of these days other than the importance of live theatre. The world is on fire. From the intensely personal to the whole big earth and the ethereal beyond, it is imperative that we challenge ourselves and each other to remain curious in the face of the flames and burning embers. To hold each other up while holding our feet to the fire is the task at hand with every creative endeavor at A Red Orchid Theatre.

When Shade Murray and Steve Haggard shared their curiosity about the challenge of adapting Ibsen anew, the ensemble responded with a resounding 'tell us more!' To be in collaboration with long-admired new-to-us artists such as Will Arbery, Keiko Green and Terry Guest is a huge honor. That each of these artists trusts us with their stories and vision fills me with immense gratitude and pride.

This season you are cordially invited to gather face to face (or shoulder to shoulder), breathe together, experience your own humanity and that of others near and far, interrogate your fears, find joy, stoke your curiosity and rekindle wonder."

Season Subscriptions:

Regular run subscription: $142.50* ($95* preview subscription).

Regular run subscription + Birds of North America: $190* ($142.50* preview subscription).

Season Subscriptions are now on sale at aredorchidtheatre.org  *Pricing includes processing fees

A Red Orchid has also announced Travis A. Knight will be stepping down as the company's Associate Artistic Director, as he heads to Broadway with Paranormal Activity. Knight will remain active as an Ensemble Member, returning for the 34^th Season's final production.

A Red Orchid Theatre's 34^th Season:

October 29 – December 6, 2026

Heroes of the Fourth Turning – Chicago Premiere!

By Will Arbery 
Directed by Ensemble Member dado 

Press Opening: Saturday, November 7, 2026 at 3 pm & 7 pm

It's nearing midnight in Wyoming, where four recent graduates have gathered to celebrate their beloved mentor and professor, Gina, newly inducted as president of their tiny Catholic liberal arts college. The reunion spirals into spiritual chaos, clashing generational politics, and a vicious fight to be understood. Offering grace and disarming clarity, this haunting play speaks to the torn heart of a country at war with itself.

February 4 – March 14, 2027

You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World! – Chicago Premiere!

By Keiko Green 
Directed by Terry Guest 
Featuring Ensemble Members dado and Sadieh Rifai

Press Opening: Saturday, February 13, 2027 at 3 pm & 7 pm

Since Greg's terminal diagnosis, he's felt a deep connection to the Earth—and to save himself, he'll need to save the planet. Viv desperately wants to savor every last minute with her husband. Meanwhile M, our emcee, searches desperately to find meaning in the chaos of their final year with Dad. A heartfelt family story and joyful theatrical event, as magical as the world itself. 

May 6 – June 13, 2027

Rosmersholm – World Premiere Adaptation!

By Henrik Ibsen 
Adapted by Ensemble Members Steve Haggard & Shade Murray 
Directed by Ensemble Member Shade Murray 
Featuring Ensemble Members Sherman Edwards, Steve Haggard, Travis A. Knight and Natalie West 

Press Opening: Saturday, May 15, 2027 at 3 pm & 7 pm

A reimagining of Ibsen's masterpiece in which hard truths, wild rumors and the supernatural slowly become indistinguishable from one another. 

Former pastor John Rosmer is wrestling with the cryptic circumstances of his wife's death, a fractured political climate fueled by toxic rumors churned by a tabloid press, and his own reckoning with God. By his side is the idealistic, young graduate student Rebecca West, who shall prove to be either his salvation or his mortal undoing...

And we haven't even gotten to all the ghosts. 

Season Add-On:

September 10 – October 4, 2026

Birds of North America

By Anna Ouyang Moench
Directed by Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald
Featuring Ensemble Member John Judd with Cassidy Slaughter-Mason

Press Opening: Thursday September 10, 2026 at 7 pm.

John and his daughter Caitlyn are birders. As they scan the skies over their backyard in suburban Maryland looking for elusive birds, years go by. Relationships begin and end. Children grow up and parents age. The climate and the world change in small and vast ways. Birds of North America takes a close look at the relationship of a father and daughter over the course of a decade as they struggle to understand the parts of one another that defy understanding. 

About the Artists:

Will Arbery (Playwright, Heroes of the Fourth Turning, he/him) is a playwright and screenwriter from Texas. His play Heroes of the Fourth Turning premiered at Playwrights Horizons in 2019 and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and the winner of an OBIE, Lucille Lortel and New York Drama Critics Circle Award, among other honors. It was named one of the "new canon" plays by American Theatre. Other plays include: You Hateful Things (upcoming London premiere), Spite House (upcoming New York premiere), Corsicana (Playwrights Horizons), Evanston Salt Costs Climbing (The New Group), Plano (Clubbed Thumb) and Wheelchair (3 Hole Press). He was the recipient of a Whiting Award in 2020. Will wrote on the fourth season of Succession, for which he won the WGA Award for Episodic Drama. He is the creator of two upcoming shows with FX: Seven Sisters (starring Elizabeth Olsen) and The Marriage Plot (starring Sadie Sink). Texas Monthly flagged him as one of the most influential cultural figures of the past 50 years out of Texas, and The New Yorker has called him the playwright of the moment.

dado (Director, Heroes of the Fourth Turning, she/her) last directed the world premiere of JoJo Jones' Veal at A Red Orchid, and before that Six Men Dressed Like Joseph Stalin by Dianne Nora. In 2025 dado directed Lobster by Kallan Dana for the Wirtz Center at Northwestern and Dance Nation by Clare Barron for UIC, where she currently serves on the faculty. Other projects dado has directed are Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. by Alice Birch with The Feast Collective, Right Now by Catherine Anne Toupin (Facility Theatre), Anny Ouyang Moench's In Quietness at A Red Orchid and The Lover by Harold Pinter (with Yasen Peyankov at Facility Theatre). She has also directed The Ruse of Medusa by Erik Satie (Facility Theatre) and Killing Game by Eugene Ionesco (A Red Orchid). Next spring she will direct The Cherry Orchard for UIC's mainstage. 

Keiko Green (Playwright, You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!, she/her) is a playwright, TV writer and performer based in Los Angeles. Plays include: You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World! (South Coast Rep; Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Company One), Empty Ride (Old Globe), Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play (Old Globe; SF Playhouse; Porkfilled Productions), Hells Canyon (Theater Mu; WET), Gorgeous (Raven Theatre/Rivendell), The Bed Trick (Seattle Shakespeare Co; Artists Repertory Theatre), Sharon (Cygnet Theatre) and Hometown Boy (Actors Express; Seattle Public Theater). Her plays have been developed at the Kennedy Center, the National New Play Network, Playwrights Realm, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Seven Devils and twice by the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. Awards/Honors: LA Critics Circle (Ted Schmitt Award), Susan Blackburn Prize Finalist, Kilroys' List, San Diego Critics Circle Award (Outstanding New Play), Gregory Award (Outstanding New Play). She holds commissions from Atlantic Theatre Company, Signature Theatre (DC), Seattle Rep/South Coast Rep. Current/Past Affiliations: Old Globe Resident Artist, Geffen Writers Group, Chance Resident Playwright, Theater Mu's Mu Tang Clan, Seattle Rep Resident Writers Group, ACT Core Company Member. TV: AppleTV's "Margo's Got Money Troubles" and Hulu's Interior Chinatown. BFA: NYU Drama–Experimental Theatre Wing, MFA: UCSD Playwriting. IG: @keikothegreen 

Terry Guest (Director, You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!, he/him) is a four-time Jeff Award winning playwright, actor, director and teaching artist. Works include: OAK, At The Wake of a Dead Drag Queen, The Magnolia Ballet, A Ghost in Satin (Williamstown Theater Festival), Marie Antionette and the Magical Negroes, Nightbirds (Goodman New Stages Residency), Andy Warhol Presents the Cocaine Play and Milo Imagines the World. He is a Joyce Award, Jeff Impact Fellowship and National New Play Network Best New American Play award winner, two-time Goodman New Stages resident and Hermitage Fellow. IG: @terryexplainsitall

Steve Haggard (Adapter/Cast, Rosmersholm, he/him) is an actor and writer based in New York City. He's performed at A Red Orchid in 33 to Nothing, 3C, The Aliens, Accidentally Like a Martyr, Sender and The Mutilated. He recently ended a three year run on Broadway as Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. His Chicago acting credits include many shows at Writers Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, Timeline, Northlight, Rivendell, Steppenwolf and American Players Theatre. He is a graduate of DePaul University and a proud member of the A Red Orchid ensemble.   

Shade Murray's (Adapter/Director, Rosmersholm) first directing project at A Red Orchid was Kimberly Akimbo followed by Abigail's Party, Butcher of Baraboo, Aliens, Mud Blue Sky, Accidentally Like a Martyr, Pilgrim's Progress, Sender, 3C, Evening at the Talk House, Small Mouth Sounds and Grey House. He is currently a psychotherapist at Thrive Psychology in St Joseph, MI. 

About A Red Orchid Theatre:

A Red Orchid Theatre has served as an artistic focal point in the heart of the Old Town community of Chicago since 1993 and was honored with a 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Over the past 33 years, its Resident Ensemble has welcomed into its fold an impressive array of award-winning actors, playwrights and theatre artists with the firm belief that live theatre is the greatest sustenance for the human spirit. A Red Orchid is well known and highly acclaimed for its fearless approach to performance and design in the service of unflinchingly intimate stories.  

A Red Orchid Theatre is: Karen Aldridge, Lance Baker, Kamal Angelo Bolden, Esteban Andres Cruz, Dado, Mike Durst, Sherman Edwards, Myron Elliott, Jennifer Engstrom, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Joseph Fosco, Steve Haggard, Levi Holloway, Mierka Girten, Larry Grimm, John Judd, Karen Kawa, Karen Kessler, Travis A. Knight, Danny McCarthy, Shade Murray, Brett Neveu, Sadieh Rifai, Grant Sabin, Michael Shannon, Guy Van Swearingen, Doug Vickers and Natalie West.  

Sponsor Information: 

A Red Orchid Theatre remains grateful for the support of our board, donors and loyal audience who continue to champion our ambitious and powerful storytelling. These sponsors help to create a platform for our talented Ensemble to reach new audiences, and ensure that we remain a source for honest, compassionate, and aesthetically rigorous theatre-making. 

A Red Orchid Theatre's 34^th Season is sponsored by The Bayless Family Foundation and Heidi Hoblit Graham. The return engagement of Birds of North America is sponsored by Zell Family Foundation (Lead Production Sponsor) and Northern Trust (Production Sponsor). Heroes of the Fourth Turning is sponsored by Terrance and Carol Coleman and Dawn and Jim Kink.

Interested in sponsoring a production? By partnering with us as a sponsor, you will help to take our work to the next level of artistic excellence, while also receiving deeper access to our artists and the creative process. To learn more, please contact Development Director Stephanie Shum at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (312) 943-8722. 

Set in a debt collection call center, Do You Feel Anger? captures how a toxic workplace manifests itself in today’s theoretically more “enlightened” world. Much of that toxicity, at least in this 2019 script by Mara Nelson-Greenberg, is propelled by male bonding and power.

But it’s not an oppressive tale. The artfully drawn script approaches this office from hell by showing what characters would be like if they are allowed to express emotional impulses with no filters whatsoever, and they do so to the max, without the slightest bit of empathy for their targets. The sorry state of affairs that results becomes a reduction to the absurd, with a pack of males hitting relentlessly on women both literally and figuratively.

With first-rate performances across the board and well directed by Kady Nordstrom for Here’s the Exit Theatre Co., the production (I saw the final performance June 28) was set in a site-specific location - an actual shared office space near Ravenswood and Montrose in Chicago was used for the performances.

At the opening Sofia (Dina Monk), recently hired as an empathy coach at a debt collection agency as a measure to fend off hundreds of lawsuits, clearly has her work cut out for when she begins to lead them through exercises intended to develop compassion for others. Though we never see them actually engaged in their debt collection work, one can only imagine how strong arming debtors makes for a noxious workday.

Joe Metcalfe as Jon in Do You Feel Anger?

The audience is introduced to Jon (Joe Metcalfe) first, already in character before the show begins, as he looks across our faces with a power-mongering smile, issuing blunt directives, at odds with his sinister grin, that we must turn off electronic devices and refrain from photos. This is our first warning of how it will go.
To Jon, Sophia’s training is a meaningless exercise. His oft-stated aim is to get her to sign off quickly on a document affirming the staff has successfully completed the course. He expects this effort to be over in two or three days. No, Sophia warns him, it will take four or five weeks. We learn that Jon is not just a boss, but an erstwhile participant in much of this bad behavior.

The very first of the workers to address Sophia is Eva (Laila Rodriguez), who lets slip that she is mugged daily (it is an absurdist work, after all), usually in the break room, by a masked marauder. After years of enduring this, Eva has given up hope, and fashioned what defenses she can. After Sophia begins to encounter lewd remarks from the males, Sophia offers her advice: her successful defense against relentless sexual approaches by the men is to have a boyfriend, which seems to suspend the advances. When Eva discovered her boyfriend was a murderer, she reluctantly dropped him, knowing what she would face back at work as an “unspoken for” woman.

We soon meet Eva’s co-workers: always-angry Howie (Hudson Therriault) barely constraining himself from running amok with a bat when his bile rises; then Howie’s co-worker and bro, Jordan (Makari Robinson-McNeese), a sweet and gentle soul who goes along to get along - further enabling the bad behavior, then joining in.

We watch Sophie struggle to generate empathy in the workplace, but everything we see suggests that Jon has given implicit permission to his workers to disregard it. But Sophie is effective and makes a small amount of headway. We see Eva build some trust as Sophie assures her she will have her back.

These office dynamics take a toll on Sophie, and gradually she also compromises. “Give me one more week,” she pleads with Jon, who works against her efforts, even adopting the woke language. “If you expect them to accommodate other people’s feelings, then their feelings should be accepted, too,” he argues. “I’d let these guys keep some of their customs.” Among them are entreaties to Eva for oral sex and jokes about piss charts.

This isn’t a play that delivers a hopeful resolution. Sophie joins in one of the men’s not-suitable-for-work jokes, and eventually conjures up her own imaginary boyfriend to keep the men at bay. Compromises aside, she carries on and makes some headway with the employees, including Jon. Nelson-Greenberg’s script suggests why the workplace might be better today than it was in the era of the 1960s Mad Men, but there are no guarantees of safety for women. What we really see is the shapeshifting nature of toxic masculinity in the office, now dressed up in new terminology, but still the same as ever.

Do You Feel Anger had its Chicago premiere at A Red Orchid Theatre’s stage in 2020 This site-specific revival at the Platform Coworking loft near Ravenswood and Montrose had some pluses, but minuses as well that detracted a bit. Seating was not on risers, so lots of craning your head to see the action. The loft was a plus for immersion in a realistic environment, but acoustics were less than perfect, as was lighting, and the occasional CTA train arrived at sometimes inopportune moments. But the play is so good it didn’t matter much to us in the audience. Here's the Exit Theatre Company, founded in fall of 2024, is worth keeping an eye on. 

If you’ve ever worked in an urban coffee shop, chances are you’ve encountered at least one ultra-paranoid kook who believes the government is spying on them. Often they’re filling out long journals or manifestos. Or perhaps that one crazy uncle we all seem to have who believes in way too many conspiracy theories. These loveable, but disturbed weirdos commonly refer to themselves as “targeted individuals.” 

Hanna Kime’s new play The Targeted makes its world premiere at A Red Orchid Theatre. In it, she empathetically explores the lives of these folks and what draws them to their beliefs. Though it is at times humorous, Kime’s play is not exploitative. Rather, she builds an entire ecosystem for not only those affected by this kind of thinking, but the ways in which others profit from it. 

Grace Dolezal-Ng directs a bonafide dream cast of some of Chicago’s best actresses. They turn the main stage at The Chopin into a woodsy, weekend retreat called The Solidarity and Truth Summit. Rhonda (Kirsten Fitzgerald), Didi (Natalie West) at first seem very nice and chummy when welcoming newcomer Sherry (Sadieh Rifai), but as the weekend wears on, fractures begin to form. Rhonda is immediately mistrustful of Mia (Stephanie Shum), another newbie who is very upfront about not being a believer in government tracking conspiracies; she’s only there to support her misguided younger brother Eric (Glenn Obrero). The power structure becomes more complicated once the organizer of the summit, Jeff (Lawrence Grimm), starts giving whacky lectures.

In 95 minutes of quick-moving scenes, each character reveals how this affliction has sabotaged their personal lives. At the beginning, you can almost convince yourself these people are normal, just with some strange ideas. Sadieh Rifai plays Sherry with such naive conviction that you can’t imagine a simple, suburban housewife could ever be tempted by this rabbit hole. Through her character, Kime makes a thinly veiled parallel to the “Q-Anon” to “Trad Wife” pipeline. In contrast, Kirsten Fitzgerald’s Rhonda is hard as nails and her desire to control the weekends’ narrative speaks directly to just how dangerously persuasive conspiratorial ideology can be.

The central storyline presents itself in the relationship between Eric and Mia though. As a non-believer, Mia is outnumbered and it’s not long before she begins questioning her own sanity. Stephanie Shum plays the voice of reason with a quintessential authority. Her character’s demand for truth shows how frustrating independent thinking can feel in group settings.

While there is certainly a rubber-necking quality to the topic at hand, Kime never treats her characters as some sort of Netflix documentary sideshow specimens. Natalie West plays one of the weirder believers but her quirky softness makes her one of the show’s most endearing characters, even if she is hawking metaphoric snake oil for a living.

In the end, Kime lets the audience make up their own mind as to whether these folks actually believe what they’re talking about, or whether they’re just extremely lonely. It’s hard to criticize conspiracy theorists in an era in which almost every aspect of our federal government seems to be conspiring against its people. Kime builds a case for compassion with The Targeted.

Through June 21st at A Red Orchid Theatre. At Chopin Theatre. 1543 W Division St. 773-278-1500.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com. 

The Gift Theatre, led by Artistic Directors Brittany Burch and Jennifer Glasse, announces its 25^th Anniversary "Homecoming" Season. The landmark 2026 season features the return of the company's signature short play festival, a major Chicago premiere, and a new work by ensemble member Netta Walker, staged at iconic venues across the city including A Red Orchid Theatre, Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater, and a return to Jefferson Park at the Copernicus Center.

The 25^th Season includes the annual short play festival TEN 25^th, March 25-April 4, 2026, to take place at A Red Orchid Theatre. The Chicago Premiere of Marble by Marina Carr, August 2-30, 2026, will mark a return to the company's home neighborhood. Hayward, a world premiere by new ensemble member Netta Walker, October 14-November 22, will be presented at Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater. The season will close with a one-night event in December, the 25th Anniversary Benefête Performance at Jefferson Park's Copernicus Center.

Artistic Directors Brittany Burch and Jennifer Glasse comment, "As we look ahead, we're recommitting to our origins in Jefferson Park and actively exploring pathways to bring The Gift home again. Our 25th Anniversary 'Homecoming' season reflects that spirit—beginning with a winter gala and continuing this spring with TEN 25th at A Red Orchid Theatre and continuing with Marina Carr's captivating drama Marble, and Hayward, a new play by one of The Gift's newest ensemble members Netta Walker. We celebrate 25 years of intimate, ensemble-driven work by coming home—to our artists, audiences, and the neighborhoods that shaped the company."

Subscription packages are now on sale at thegifttheatre.org or by calling 773-283-7071. The Homecoming Subscription Package, $105, includes TEN 25^th, Marble and Hayward. The Homecoming Subscription Package+ Subscription Package, $170, includes TEN 25^th, Marble, Hayward and the 25th Anniversary Benefête Performance.  Subscribers save up to 15% off regular ticket prices, priority seating, free ticket exchanges and guaranteed seating to limited-run productions.

The 25^th Anniversary Homecoming Season is:

TEN 25^th

The Gift's Ten-Minute Play Festival of New Work

at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N Wells St. in Chicago

March 25 – April 4, 2026

Tickets, $25, thegifttheatre.org and (773) 283-7071

TEN 25th features the work of Gift ensemble members Cyd Blakewell, Erica Weiss, Gregory Fenner, Jennifer Glasse, Jennifer Rumberger, John Gawlik, Kenny Mihlfried, Pat Weber, Paul D'Addario and Shanésia Davis.

TEN 25th features 10-minute world premiere plays from Chicago playwrights John Gawlik, Jennifer Rumberger, Gregory Fenner, Kimberly Dixon-Mays, Dolores Diaz, Stephanie Alison Walker, Emilio Williams, Jermaine Jenkins, and Brett Neveu.

MARBLE
Chicago Premiere by Marina Carr

at Copernicus Center – Kings Hall, 5216 W Lawrence Ave in Chicago

August 2 – August 30, 2026

Tickets, $45-$50, thegifttheatre.org and (773) 283-7071

individual tickets will be on sale this spring

Marble follows two married couples, Ben and Catherine, and their friends Art and Anne, whose comfortable lives begin to splinter after a shared dream triggers suspicion and desire.

A surreal and haunting exploration of two couples whose lives collide through shared dreams, this production anchors the company's homecoming to the neighborhood where it was founded.

HAYWARD

World Premiere by ensemble member Netta Walker

Directed by AmBer Montgomery

featuring ensemble members Shanesia Davis and Gregory Fenner

at Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater, 1700 N. Halsted St in Chicago

October 14 – November 22

Tickets, $45-$50, will be available this summer through the Steppenwolf box office.

A reimagining of the classics Hamlet and Electra. The play follows the main character Luna, who on the day of her father's funeral, confesses to her siblings that she has seen her father's ghost. Staged in Steppenwolf's intimate 1700 Theater, this production continues The Gift's commitment to ensemble talent and bold new narratives.

25th ANNIVERSARY BENEFÊTE PERFORMANCE

at Copernicus Center — Gateway Theatre 5216 W. Lawrence, Chicago, IL

December 7th 2026

Tickets $75, thegifttheatre.org and (773) 283-7071 tickets will be available this spring

The season will close out with a spectacular, one-night-only celebration honoring a quarter century of The Gift Theatre. This 25th Anniversary Benefête Performance, will be a night featuring our favorite scenes from over the years performed by ensemble members —the artists who have shaped this theatre across generations.

About The Gift Theatre
The Gift Theatre is a storefront nonprofit founded in Chicago's Jefferson Park neighborhood, committed to creating accessible, inclusive, and impactful theatrical experiences. Our identity is defined by intimacy, collaboration, and a belief that live storytelling can inspire and transform both artist and audience. Our programming isn't bound by genre but guided by character-driven, emotionally rich storytelling rooted in truth. Whether surreal or starkly naturalistic, each play we share reflects our commitment to creating spaces of deep connection—among artists, between artist and audience, and within our community.

The Gift Theatre ensemble includes its newest members Jennifer Aparicio, Shanésia Davis, Angela Morris, Jennifer Rumberger, Netta Walker and Patrick Weber. They join fellow ensemble members Daniel Ahlfeld, Cyd Blakewell, Brittany Burch, Hillary Clemens Harbor, Jenny Connell Davis, John Kelly Connolly (in memoriam), Paul D'Addario, Brendan Donaldson, Will Eno,

James D. Farruggio, Gregory Fenner, Ed Flynn, Gabriel Franken, John Gawlik, Maggie Andersen Gawlik, Emjoy Gavino, Jennifer Glasse, Andrew Hinderaker, Chika Ike, Evan Michael Lee, Sarah Luse, Marti Lyons, Alexandra Main, Martel Manning, Laura Marks,Kenny Mihlfried, Benjamin Montague, William Nedved, Darci Nalepa, Keith Neagle, Lynda Newton, Sheldon Patinkin (in memoriam), Maureen Payne-Hahner, David Preis, David  Rabe, Mary Ann Thebus (in memoriam), Michael Patrick Thornton, Hannah Toriumi, Erica Weiss, Jay Worthington, and Kyle Zornes.

Jojo Jones’ “Veal,” premiering at A Red Orchid Theatre in Old Town, is among the recent wave of plays set in a post-apocalyptic near future - the better to show how core social values and structures might play out for individuals placed abruptly in a clean-slate setting. The increasing frequency with which this plot line appears on stages and screens tells us much about the trending thoughts of playwrights, who likely are voicing societal angst about the state of things - and reasonably so.

Directed by dado, the apocalypse in “Veal” is loosely defined but certainly political in nature, a revolution that has reset things. We do know this much: it has resulted in the character Chelsea (well played by Alexandra Chopson) to be installed as Queen of North America. That simple fact packs loads of information: that the U.S., Mexican, and Canadian governments have fallen, their respective Constitutions trashed, and a monarch now rules.

That Queen Chelsea is likely a despotic type is suggested immediately by her regal demeanor in royal array, on a throne, and by her side a servant, Unnamed Male Concubine (Jasper Johnson) who sits silently a step below. When Chelsea descends from her throne to walk upon the floor below her, the silent Concubine unbidden gets on his hands and knees, and with infinite care wipes up the floor where Chelsea has trodden, then resumes his vigil on the step below.

Soon enough three characters arrive: Franny (Jojo Brown), Lulu (Carmia Imani) and Noa (Alice Wu), all of whom were in middle school with Chelsea 13 years ago. In fact, we learn, this setting is the very middle school they attended, a place this monarch has chosen as the site for her palace. She has resurfaced the floor with imported marble and demolished the gym.

“My advisers kept telling me to use the White House, but I’d never been there,” Chelsea lets her classmates know, and they all offer obsequities as they converse with her. Their fear and trepidation is palpable as they try to avoid taboo subjects or potentially incite Chelsea's anger.

“The Revolution was weird,” offers Franny, as Chelsea benevolently asks if they are hungry, then orders her Concubine to provide a repast for the visitors. This ends up being Lunchables that are 13 years past their expiration date, still sitting from their school days. This tips us off that Queen Chelsea harbors some resentments from those days.

Gingerly, they decline the food, except for LuLu, who having allowed that she was hungry, is now ordered to eat, and Chelsea shows her tyrannical side. After this set-to subsides, Franny reveals the reason for this visit: to petition the Queen of North America for medicine for her sister and she begins gingerly on her sibling’s behalf. “We all knew you would be successful,” Franny says of their middle school days. “But Queen of North America?!”

After that, a bit more groveling. “The revolution - huge fan - kinda messed up the supply chain,” Franny says, and lets Queen Chelsea know she cannot find insulin for her sister, a Type 1 diabetic, to which Chelsea replies, indirectly, that she is always being asked for things.

“You know, it is so hard. I keep getting people telling me I’m like Nero, or Caligula.” Though the subject of “Veal” is completely absorbing, every now and then I found myself thinking of current events and another despot who rules by whim, and loves to surround himself with sycophants.

As the action advances, Queen Chelsea dispatches the Unknown Male Concubine to look into insulin availability, but signals there will be a price to pay, and the play moves into territory somewhere between “Mean Girls” and “Carrie.” The dramatic tension hinges on whether and how much Queen Chelsea’s former classmates will debase themselves in the hopes of securing the insulin for Franny’s sister. Queen Chelsea forces them to re-enact the classroom scenes in which she suffered their bullying and ostracism. But eventually the trio reaches a limit, each on their own terms, and ultimately Queen Chelsea tires of the game.

The performances are really excellent, especially Alice Wu as Noa, and Jojo Brown, who does the lion's share of the dramatic heavy lifting as Franny. Accolades for the most intriguing character go to Jasper John as the Unknown Male Concubine, a largely silent role with huge stage presence.

“Veal” runs through November 9, 2025 at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells in Chicago.

“Six Men Dressed Like Stalin,” now at A Red Orchid Theatre in Chicago and directed by dado, draws upon the true story of Felix Dadaev, drafted in 1942 to stand in for Josef Stalin, Premier of the Soviet Union.

The character Soso (Esteban Andres Cruz) is based on Dadaev. Like him, Soso is a juggler, ballet dancer and magician; bore a striking resemblance to Stalin; and was mistakenly declared killed in action in WWII. What became the KGB snapped up Dadaev, but this was to be no ordinary stand-in for the Soviet leader. Dadaev was carefully educated, so that he could credibly play Stalin in high-level discussions with other government leaders, and prepped to mimic Stalin’s tone and movements.

Playwright Dianne Nora uses this history as a jumping off point, imagining how the Stanislavsky Method, which demands the actor become the character emotionally and psychologically (and originated in Russia), might have been applied to polishing Soso’s performance. She takes another real-life figure, Alexie Dikiy (John Judd), one of the Soviet Union’s foremost actors, as the basis for her character Koba, who in the play trains Soso in Stanislavsky techniques.

Now we’re at the heart of the action: the Method mentor Koba reshaping the inner Soso to become Stalin. Having been declared dead at the war front, Soso presents fertile ground for recreation as the Soviet leader. For two grueling years, Soso reported daily at 6 a.m., and Koba instructed him. Soso hadn’t really acted before, he was a stage performer. Eventually, he has trial runs - walking across the street as Stalin - and returns elated, developing confidence in his role.

There are vibrant moments. At the opening the actors break the fourth wall, describing the setting and their characters before settling into the performance. Placards with time and date are hung before us, providing a timeline. And in a striking bit of avant garde showmanship, we witness state secrets being divulged to Soso as he and Koba gesticulate wildly under strobe lights and blaring operatic themes.

The intensity of the relationship between the two - Koba, an actor's actor, trying to force feed stage excellence into Soso, a street performer - is a constant: Kobo frustrated, Soso struggling. Gradually we understand that Soso has, indeed, become Stalin. But for me, there is not much in the emotional engagement that might be expected. Mostly, I came away bewildered.

A timeline in the lobby of A Red Orchid tells the remarkable backstories of Felix Dadaev and Alexie Dikiy, and gives context for “Six Men Dressed Like Stalin.” Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction, and perhaps even more interesting.

“Six Men Dressed Like Stalin” runs through June 22, 2025 at Chicago’s A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells. 

*Extended through June 28th!

Something special has been afoot at Chopin Theatre for the past few weeks: the world premiere of “Turret,” written and directed by Levi Holliday. Created as a vehicle for two-time Oscar nominee Michael Shannon, the production by A Red Orchid Theatre (Shannon is a founding member) has turned into so much more, signaling to the Chicago theater community what it takes to produce a sell-out show that generates infinite buzz as it progresses toward the end of its run, extended to June 22 to accommodate the crowds.

In fact, in anticipation of Shannon’s star-power draw, A Red Orchid Theatre decamped from its tiny digs on Wells street for the more capacious, historic Chopin Theater building at Milwaukee and Division. Still, that was not enough. Discounts, rush tickets, and the like fell by the wayside and would find people crowding the lobby in the hopes of snagging a seat.
Shannon ends his run on June 16 - and he is epically good in the role of Green, the mentor and master of Rabbit (Travis A. Knight). The audience will come for Shannon, but Knight really steals the show in this post-apocalyptic tale of two men sequestered in a vault, and the evolution of their relationship.

The story has some big reveals that tie-up the plot lines at the end - but leave some questions open-ended, too. As compelling as the story line is, the staging (Scenic Design by Grant Sabin); lighting (Mike Durst); and sound design (Jeffrey Levin, sound designer and composer) is as constantly powerful as the dialog. Work by Movement Director Drew Vidal and Fight Director Paul Deziel (assisted by Wes Daniel) may lead you to ask, “Is this a dry run for a film?” It’s that good.

“Turret” is that rare type of show that had me saying, “I love this” within 60 seconds of the curtain. Lawrence Grimm, who makes a brief but scintillating appearance as the third character, Birdy, is also understudy to Shannon, and will take on the lead role of Green when Shannon departs.

How to get a ticket? I live just six blocks from the theater, so I stopped over 10 minutes before curtain to buy that rare commodity - a ticket resold because its owner had not claimed their seat. There were just a few available that night.

While Shannon as Green turns in a truly excellent performance, so does Grimm as Birdy and I would urge you to see him when he takes on the role of Green for the extended run. The surprise here is Knight, who is on stage constantly as Rabbit, a voluble and expressive personality that is the antithesis of the terse Green. It is Rabbit that playwright Hollaway uses to make the dynamic of his relationship with his mentor Green accessible.

For me, the play is an exploration of the relationship of a father figure with a son. And Rabbit at a certain point begins to exert his will, defying Green to explore whether there are other survivors, and what might be left of the world. “I don’t want to be a pollywog anymore.”

The complexity of this relationship, when the son naturally matures and asserts his individuation and personhood separate from the father, was the essence of the story for me. Yet as this happens, the father suffers his own setbacks, becomes vulnerable, and Rabbit must rise to the role of caregiver and nurturer. Just like real life. “Turret” has been extended through June 22 at The Chopin Theatre and comes highly recommended.