LOOKING FORWARD: Chicago Shows We're Excited About
Here's the thing: Diversity does happen on Chicago stages. We just want to see MORE of it. One way we can help that is to support productions that embrace inclusion - it will only encourage theaters to do it more: Buy tickets to shows that feature casts of different ethnicities, abilities, gender identities, body types. Then write to producers and tell them you want to see more of it. Sometimes decision makers are led by numbers and this is one way we can all make a difference.
That said, here are some shows we're excited about that you can see THIS WEEK:
The Hypocrites presents AMERICAN IDIOT directed by Steven Wilson
playing now through October 25 at The Den Theatre’s Heath Main Stage 1329 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood
Based on punk rock band Green Day's Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum album of the same name, AMERICAN IDIOT follows three lifelong friends, forced to choose between their dreams and the safety of suburbia in a post 9/11 world. The musical features hits including "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "21 Guns," "Wake Me Up When September Ends," "Holiday" and the blockbuster title track, "American Idiot." A critical smash on Broadway and in London, AMERICAN IDIOT received a 2010 Tony Award nomination for Best Musical and won the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.
Tickets Prices: $28 – $36. Buy tickets here
The cast includes Isa Arciniegas, Marcos Barnes, Becca Brown, Elisa Carlson, Jay W. Cullen, Whitney Dottery, Dakota Hughes, Brian Keys, Michael Kurowski, Luke Linsteadt, Alex Madda, Aubrey McGrath, Steven Perkins, David Daniel Smith, Janelle Villas, Malic White, Krystal Worrell, and Alexander Zukoff.
Rasaka Theatre presents WASHER/DRYER directed by Kaiser Ahmed
playing now through October 11 at Victory Gardens Theater 2433 N Lincoln Ave Chicago IL
Washer/Dryer is a new farce that throws a modern, multicultural marriage into the pressure cooker of tight New York City living. When Indian- American Sonya elopes with Chinese-American Michael, she thinks she has finally found her happily-ever-after, and possibly even fulfilled her grandmother's wish for marriage. But when Michael discovers that Sonya's apartment is "Single Occupancy Only," and a colorful cast of nosy neighbors and relatives show up to complicate matters further, the couple is forced to re-evaluate their dirty laundry and decide whether all is really fair in love and real estate.
Tickets Prices: $30 Buy tickets here
The cast includes Bryan Bosque, Cheryl Hamada, Erika Napoletano, Rasika Ranganathan, Abbas Salem
Remy Bumppo Theatre presents LOVE AND INFORMATION directed by Shawn Douglass
playing now through November 1 at The Greenhouse Theatre 2257 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago IL
When troubleshooting fails, searching returns no hits, and there's no app for that - who do you turn to? In her groundbreaking new play, the prolific Caryl Churchill pushes through societal firewalls and live-streams the life-long desire for human connectivity. Mirroring the fragmented mind of the post-modern age, Love and Information explores the most advanced and glitchy operating system in existence - the human brain.
Tickets Prices: $15 - $52 Buy tickets here
The cast includes David Darlow, Linda Gillum, Emjoy Gavino, Andrés Enriquez, Gregory Fenner, Raymond Fox, Jennifer Glasse, Mary Poole, Frank Sawa, Penelope Walker
The Goodman Theatre presents DISGRACED directed by Kimberly Senior
playing now through October 25th in the Albert Theatre 170 N Dearborn Street, Chicago IL
Can anyone ever truly escape their past? Having distanced himself from his Muslim upbringing, Amir Kapoor is quickly climbing the corporate ladder at his powerful Manhattan law firm. When Amir and his wife Emily, a Caucasian artist inspired by Islamic painting, host a dinner party for Amir’s African American co-worker and her Jewish husband, the initially pleasant evening quickly erupts into a volatile cultural debate over race, religion and class in the modern world. Winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and helmed by the play’s Broadway director Kimberly Senior, Disgraced delivers unflinching insight into the complexities of cultural assimilation and the struggle to define one’s identity in today’s global society.
Tickets Prices: $20 - $84 Buy tickets here
The cast includes J. Anthony Crane, Behzad Dabu, Nisi Sturgis, Bernard White and Zakiya Young
Lifeline Theatre presents MISS BUNCLE'S BOOK directed by Dorothy Milne
playing now through November 1 at Lifeline's space 6912 N Glenwood Ave Chicago, IL
Audio Description and Touch Tour Saturday October 10
Barbara Buncle is just an ordinary, unassuming spinster passing an unremarkable existence in the sleepy village of Silverstream. But when the Great Depression wipes out her nest egg, she tries her hand at writing and publishes a novel – under an assumed name – about her quaint hometown and the oddball characters that inhabit it. When the book becomes a surprise bestseller and her neighbors’ foibles are thrust into the national spotlight, Miss Buncle must navigate a madcap storm of accusations, rivalries, and romances. A rollicking look at life imitating art and art imitating life, in a world premiere adaptation of the 1934 novel by D.E. Stevenson.
Tickets Prices: $20 – $40. Buy tickets here
The cast includes Peter Greenberg, Katharine Hildreth, Elise Kauzlaric, Kristina Loy, Martel Manning, Katie McLean Hainsworth, Tiffany Oglesby, Sean Sinitski, Jenifer Tyler and Chris Vizurraga,
