LOOKING FORWARD Chicago Shows We're Excited About
Continuing our support of productions that embrace inclusion for artists and audiences, below are shows, some of which, you can buy tickets to THIS WEEK that we feel are moving our community in the right direction. Let your wallet do the talking. Buy tickets to shows that celebrate inclusion. Then write to producers and tell them you want to see more of it. Decision makers are led by numbers and this is one way we can all make a difference.
Kingdom
By Michael Allen Harris+ Directed by Kanomé Jones
March 8 - April 7, 2018
Den Theatre 1331 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago
When the state of Florida legalizes same sex marriage, Arthur and Henry (his partner of fifty years) come to terms with their differing opinions on the necessity of becoming husbands, even as their son Alexander finds himself wading through some rough new waters of his own. Kingdom is the story of an entirely-LGBTQ African American family that lives in the near-literal shadow of Orlando’s magical kingdom, as they struggle to create a life together that captures a little bit of that same magic. Tickets for Kingdom are pay-what-you-can. You can purchase tickets here.
+Kingdom was developed in conjunction with The Paper Trail, BNT’s new play development program
The cast, artistic, and production team include Michael Mejia-Beal, Christopher McMorri, Watson Swift, RJW Mays, Byron Coolie, Echaka Agba, Nikki Marquardt, Julia Farrell, Rose Hamil, Devon GReen, Caswell James, Marci Rodriguez, Michael Joseph, Grover Hollway, Rylee Freeman, Chloe Baldwin, Elizabeth Gomez.
You For Me For You
By Mia Chung
Directed by Elly Green
March 4 - April 8, 2018 Richard Christiansen Theatre at 2433 N Lincoln Avenue, Chicago
Two North Korean sisters plan an elaborate escape from the “Best Nation in the World,” only to be separated at the border. Now in two strange and separate worlds filled with outrageous characters, they must navigate barriers of language and bureaucracy, reckon with the ways that culture and country can shape us, and discover that survival requires sacrifice. Playwright Mia Chung weaves myth and striking imagery into a deeply affecting and surprisingly funny adventure, portraying the endless lengths to which two sisters will go to find one another again. Tickets for You for Me for You are $20. You can purchase tickets here.
The cast, artistic, and production team include Patrick Agada, Gordon Chow, Katy Carolina Collins, Helen Joo Lee, John Lu, Jin Park, Jean E. Compton, Ellen Willett, Ben Chang, William Boles, Jessica Mondres, Izumi Inaba, Cat Wilson, Christopher M. LaPorte, Chad Hain.
A Story Told in Seven Fights
By Trevor Dawkins
Directed by Tony Santiago
March 1 - April 7, 2018
The Neo-Futurarium 5153 N Ashland Ave, Chicago
A Story Told in Seven Fights finds Creator and Neo-Futurists Ensemble Member Trevor Dawkins leading a group of stage combatants smashing their way through the true stories of fistfights and theater riots that erupted within the Dadaist and Surrealist movements at the turn of the 20th century. This will be Dawkins’ second Prime Time production (the Neo’s non-late night and long form theatrical programming) and the Neo-Futurist debut for former Oracle Productions’ Tony Santiago. Tickets for A Story Told in Seven Fights are $10 - $25. You can purchase tickets here.
The cast, artistic, and production team include Jen Ellison, Rasell Holt, Arti Ishak, TJ Medel, Kendra Miller, Stephanie Shum, Jeff Trainor, Olivia Wallace, Gaby Labotka, Alon Stotter, Eleanor Kahn, Steve Labedz, and Kate Hardiman.
Time is On Our Side
By R. Eric Thomas Directed by AFT Artistic Director Megan Carney
March 1 – April 7, 2018
Theatre Wit 1229 W Belmont, Chicago
Besties Annie and Curtis struggle to produce their queer history podcast until the discovery of a secret family journal launches their high stakes adventure to unravel mysteries of the early LGBTQ rights movement. Hopping from the Underground Railroad to Rosa Parks to Celebrity Jeopardy, this hilarious and moving story of friendship, family, and love redefines how personal the political can get. Tickets for Time is On Our Side are $20 - $38. You can purchase tickets here.
The cast, artistic, and production team include Maggie Scrantom, Rashaad Hall as Curtis, Esteban Andres Cruz, Riley Mondragon, José Manuel Diaz, Robert Kuhn, Christopher Kriz, Claire Sangster, Blake Burke, Catherine Allen, and Dana Nestrick.
Merchant on Venice
By Shishir Kurup Directed by Liz Carlin-Metz March 20 - April 15, 2018
Greenhouse Theater 2257 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago
A tragi-comic, raucous, dark and irreverent work, Kurup’s play is set on Venice Boulevard in present day Culver City, California – a section of the Los Angeles area where hatred and intolerance among Hindus and Muslims has grown to a boiling point. With rock-and- roll and Bollywood-influenced music, blank verse and present day pop references — replete with Indian, American and Latino jargon that reflect the sound of the South Asian Diaspora as well as the polyglot crackle of Los Angeles — the play explores how the preponderance of power in one sector of a community can marginalize a minority, and provoke reactionary and retributive responses. Tickets for Merchant on Venice are $25. You can purchase tickets here. Senior, Student, Industry, and Group tickets available through the Greenhouse Theater box office at 773-404-7336.
The cast, artistic, and production team include Sunny Anam, Simi Bal, Anand Bhatt, Luisa Blanco, Suzan Fakhoury, David Fink, Dennis Garcia, Kamal Hans, Anish Jethmalani, Murtaza Kapasi, Alka Nayyar, Siddhartha Rajan, Madrid St. Angelo, Priyank Thakkar, Ben Veatch, Craig Choma, Rachel Sypniewski, Rich Norwood, Tracee Bear, Gregor Mortis, Bailey Howard, Emily Antoff, Kathleen Dickinson, and Kevin Scott.
The Wolf at the End of the Block
By Ike Holter Directed by Lili-Anne Brown March 29 – May 5, 2018
16th Street Theater 6420 16th Street - Berwyn, IL
Chicago. Fall. One night, a boarded up bar on the dark side of the block becomes a terrifying crime scene. In the next 48 hours, the neighborhood digs deep into escalating mystery, working against time to separate fact from fiction. But as the clock ticks down, the clues spiral into a razor sharp jigsaw, and what began as a simple mystery quickly twists into a personal, pointed and political thriller. By one of Chicago’s most exciting playwrights, WOLF comes to 16th Street after its thrilling world premiere at Teatro Vista. Tickets for The Wolf at the End of the Block are $22. You can purchase tickets here.
The cast, artistic, and production team include Alberto Mendoza, Gabriela Diaz, Tony Santiago, Stephanie Diaz, Christian Isely, Jose Manuel Diaz-Soto, Cat Wilson, Jesse Gaffney, Rachel Sypniewski, Barry Bennett, Justin Sacramone,Casie Morell.
