Displaying items by tag: Nova Entertainment

Nova Entertainment is pleased to announce the upcoming performance schedule and updates for CIRCA Pintig, with a visual rebrand and productions playing from October through December at the Rizal Center, 1332 W. Irving Park Road, plus a touring production traveling across various Chicago venues. The visual rebrand will be shared early October and the CIRCA Pintig performance schedule includes: Not Alone Anymore: Asian American Solo Show Festival, at the Rizal Center, from October 17 - 18 and a touring production of Debut: Coming of Age in Filipino America by Nate Cozens at Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., Bughouse Theater, 1910 W. Irving Park Rd. and Rizal Center, 1332 W. Irving Park Rd.. Tickets are currently on sale both productions at CIRCAPintig.org. Ticket prices range from $15 - $100. For more information about upcoming CIRCA Pintig shows visit CIRCAPintig.org.

Updates & Schedule for CIRCA Pintig Events Include:

Circa Pintig's Visual Rebrand

To be shared in early October, CIRCA Pintig's updated brand will reflect the refreshed focus on Filipino American Theatre. With Hail Mary/Maria playwright, RJ Silva, as Artistic Director and Producer Noel Henry stepping in as Artistic Producer, CIRCA Pintig aims to continue to successfully gather a strong Filipino American audience and share more with those who want to support stories like Hail Mary/Maria.

Not Alone Anymore: Asian American Solo Show Festival

October 17 - 18 at the Rizal Center, 1332 W. Irving Park Road

Festival Schedule: Saturday, Oct. 17 and Sunday, Oct. 18 from 2 - 8 p.m.

Tickets: on sale now; community ticket (per show): $15, general admission (per show): $20, festival funder (per show): $30, festival pass (access pass for all shows): $100

Co-produced with Asian American Arts Chicago, Not Alone Anymore Festival celebrates Asian American solo plays and is the first of its kind in Chicago. The festival is programmed during Filipino American History Month, and closes on October 18 — the date that marks the first documented Filipino presence in the continental United States in 1587. Not Alone Anymore runs at the Rizal Center, home of the Filipino American Council of Greater Chicago since 1974 and named for the Philippine national hero José Rizal. Asian Americans remain among the least visible groups on American stages, especially in Chicago. Solo performance addresses this issue more directly than any other theatrical form. One artist in their own words, using their own body, in a room with people who came to hear them.

Saturday, Oct. 17

2 p.m. - Lauren Kee

5 p.m. - Huy Nguyen

7 p.m. - Workshop "How to Make A Solo Show" led by the festival artists

Sunday, Oct. 18

2 p.m. - CIRCA Pintig Artistic Director & Hail Mary/Maria Playwright RJ Silva presenting his solo show, You Eat So Well!

5 p.m. - Lani Montreal

6:30 p.m. - Festival Closing Party with Dinner, Mocktails and Meet the Festival Artists

Debut: Coming of Age in Filipino America

Touring November - December

Written by Nate Cozens

Directed by Artistic Director RJ Silva

Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., Bughouse Theater, 1910 W. Irving Park Rd. and Rizal Center, 1332 W. Irving Park Rd.

Performance Schedule:

Filament Theatre: Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. (preview), Friday, Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 7 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m.

Bughouse Theater: Thursday, Nov. 12 - Friday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. 

Rizal Center: Thursday, Dec. 3 - Friday, Dec 4 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: on sale soon

29-year-old Filipino drag queen Jomar is at a crossroads, so he decides to throw himself a Filipino "debut," a celebration traditionally for Filipina girls when they turn eighteen into womanhood, as a way to give himself a new start into his thirties. And while his family is supportive, they struggle to keep up with their diva's demands. But as the venue falls through, and the lechon is nowhere to be found, ultimately Jomar finds that the love given to him by his family is all he needs in order to love himself. Get hyped as CIRCA Pintig brings the loud, fun and flamboyant energy of a Filipino party in this one-act production that will tour Debut across multiple theaters in its fall run.

Debut's cast includes AJ Lingad (Jomar); Stephanie Fongheiser (Ysabel); Larry Leopoldo (Regino); Ginger Leopoldo (Gloria); Nina Mae Vidal Howard (Lola Corazon); Steven Cristi (Zack); Rich Adrian Lazatin (U/S Jomar/Zack); Mari Joy (U/S Ysabel) and Jill Raz (U/S Gloria/Jill).

ABOUT CIRCA PINTIG

For 34 years, CIRCA Pintig has been at the forefront of Filipino American theatre in Chicago, creating powerful, socially relevant productions that educate, entertain and inspire. The company remains committed to amplifying diverse voices, developing new works and addressing pressing social issues through the power of theatre.

ABOUT NOVA ENTERTAINMENT

Nova Entertainment is a Chicago-based production company founded from the success of the podcast "Boys Love Boys Love." Husbands Adam Reed and RJ Silva have centered their enthusiastic and lively brand of storytelling and content to other media, always leading with their passion for witty, warm and genuine connections as they venture into theatre, film and digital content. Nova has produced the web series "Eat Cute" on YouTube, and the solo play You Eat So Well!The-Novas.com and contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Nova Entertainment is pleased to announce the upcoming performance schedule and updates for CIRCA Pintig, with a visual rebrand and productions playing from October through December at the Rizal Center, 1332 W. Irving Park Road and a touring production traveling across various Chicago venues. The visual rebrand will be shared early October and the CIRCA Pintig performance schedule includes Not Alone Anymore: Asian American Solo Show Festival, at the Rizal Center, from October 17 - 18 and a touring production of Debut by Nate Cozens at Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., Bughouse Theater, 1910 W. Irving Park Rd. and PrideArts, 3656 N. Halsted St. Tickets are currently on sale both productions at CIRCAPintig.org. Ticket prices range from $15 - $100. For more information about upcoming CIRCA Pintig shows visit CIRCAPintig.org.

Coming of age stories resonate more profoundly when they mirror the lived reality of a real person.  That’s why the firecracker of a play, Hail Mary/Maria, that’s just begun its far too short run at Theater Wit, is must-see theater for just about anybody who counts themselves as a member of the human family.  If you’ve ever been young or wracked with self-doubt, Hail Mary/Maria proves there are avenues that lead to clarity and self-actualization.  Making the play act as a raucous, hugely humorous and often touching guide on how to find them.

Very much a reflection of playwright RJ Silva’s own experiences, the story follows the life of Kid (Juan Sedonio), a teenager who immigrated to the US with his mother from the Philippines when he was in the seventh grade.  Now in an all-boys high school, he’s a little bit of a loner and completely hooked on the exploits of his favorite pro-wrestler, Maria.  He’s also, with great misgivings, about to embark on his first journey into romance.

A badass brawler with heart, it’s Maria we first meet when the play opens. She pumps up the crowd with her bravado, high voltage smile and saucy hair flips.  A stark contrast with the subdued and self-enclosed Kid, Maria’s the bolt of energy that serves to ignite a story that’s about to match her spirit.

The core of the play starts innocently enough in school with Kid, which is short for Kindness, sitting alone listening to music through his earbuds.   He’s joined by another student who casually strikes up a conversation.  Confident and friendly, the boy is feeling Kid out, trying to learn more about him.  He trips over the typical stumbling blocks when it comes to pronouncing foreign names and learning new things about a different culture.  But there’s no animus. He’s open and curious. They both tap into their recall and remember being aware of each other from previous school encounters.  Blond and self-assured, the new arrival’s name is Jack and it’s clear he wants to be friends.  Since Jack (Aidan Leake) is really into the new Avatar movie, we can tell it’s the original he’s talking about and that the play’s setting is fifteen years or so in the past. 

We can see too from their exchange that Kid, although on the surface quiet and retiring, has some spunk to him.  Once he begins talking about why he’s such a fan of the wrestling phenom, Maria, played with zestful impeccability by Carina Lastimosa, we get a glimpse of his animated side.  To Kid, she’s an underdog who became the top dog. An inspiration.  There’s a lot of pride that comes pouring through in his admiration for her.

We meet Kid’s other role model at home.  It’s his Mom, Marie (Marie Tredway).  The quintessential Filipina nurse; tireless, indispensable, magnanimous, Marie’s got an iron core that’s fortified and sustained by her faith and belief in Mama Mary.  A figure most of us know as the Blessed Virgin Mary.  In Kid’s household, she has a shrine set up in her honor and consulted by Kid as well as his Mom for guidance and advise.  Filling two roles, Lastimosa shows how easily she can portray widely divergent personalities.  As Mama Mary, she beautifully personifies a potent blend of compassion and enlightened understanding when responding to Kid’s solicitations.

Scenes that take you inside Kid’s home are some of the most moving and treasured in the production.  Thanks in no small part to Katelyn Montgomery’s wonderfully evocative set.  They’re portals into a world rich in tradition, strongly held belief and the type of family values that insure cohesion.  Attributes that on one hand are wonderfully sublime and on the other almost quaint. The types of characteristics that may have once flourished in the American culture as well; but have long since dissipated or atrophied.    

Very much a collaborative effort, Hail Mary/Maria is directed by Mr. Silva’s husband, Adam Reed.  The unconventionality of the central character is complemented by an equally unorthodox directorial approach in Mr. Reed’s debut directing effort.  One that fills the one-act performance with heaps of emotional and physical dynamism while encouraging plenty of audience interaction.

Pro wrestling of various shades have long been extremely popular in the Philippines.  From the responses of the audience Saturday night, it has a strong following in this country too.  Rather than conjuring it only through the imagination, Hail Mary/Maria brings it live and center stage, giving the uninitiated a taste of its electric appeal.   The ploy works beautifully, making Hail Mary/Maria as much a rewarding visceral charge as it is a splendid theatrical offering. 

From that initial conversation between Kid and Jack, you somehow know Jack had more than friendship on his mind when he sat down next to Kid that day.  And he likely sensed that Kid was interested in him, too.  As we all know, a lot can be transmitted in a simple glance.  

Kid and Jack inch their way toward understanding one another and liking each other even more as their familiarity grows.  Something that triggers trepidation and even fear in Kid.  How can he reconcile who he is with what he thinks should be? How that dilemma is resolved is what makes this project so appealing.  There’s a wholesomeness to it that feels very honest.  The solid gold cast help make Hail Mary/Maria a treasure.  Both Sedonio and Leake fill their roles with the kind of intangibles that make what they present on stage memorable.  A statement that’s just as true for Lastimosa and Tredway.  You can’t help but want to see them all in other works that showcase their skill and gifts as well as this project one does.

The only pressing question now might be, what’s the fledgling entertainment enterprise going to roll off their runway next?

Hail Mary/Maria

Presented by Nova Entertainment

Thursday, August 20^th  - 7:30pm

Friday, August 21^st – 7:30pm

Saturday, August 22^nd  -  2:30pm & 7:30pm

Sunday, August 23^rd  -  2:30pm

Venue:  Theater Wit in Theater 2

1229 W. Belmont Avenue

Chicago, IL  60657

For more information and tickets:  https://www.theaterwit.org/tickets/productions/602/performances

Highly Recommended