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.
Roots in the Alley
Adapted by Carlos Murillo Based on a Play by Lucas Baisch Directed by Julie Ritchey
April 6th - May 5th
Honey and Blanca are twin fish out of water in Chicago until they stumble into the Ceiba Network, an online game with real world consequences. Our hero sisters struggle to level up in a mysterious digital underworld where they discover something strange to them—a heritage worth fighting for. In the new play Roots in the Alley, the Mayan creation myths of the Popul Vuh are reinvented, provoking questions about history and heritage. Best enjoyed by everyone 8 and older. Tickets are $12 for youth (14 and under) and $17 for adults. You can purchase tickets here.
Dontrell, Who Kissed The Sea
By Nathan Alan Davis
Directed by Chika Ike
March 4th - March 31st
Eighteen-year-old Dontrell Jones the Third decides it is his duty and destiny to venture into the Atlantic Ocean in search of an ancestor lost during the Middle Passage, but his family isn’t ready to abandon its prized son to the waters of a mysterious and haunting past. Blending poetry, humor, wordplay and ritual, DONTRELL, WHO KISSED THE SEA is a present-day hero’s quest exploring the lengths and depths we must go to redeem history’s wrongs. The play has been called “a mesmerizing blend of magical realism and poetic social comment” by the Los Angeles Times and “the most important play on DC stages” (DC Theatre Scene.) Tickets are $15-$20, you can purchase tickets here.
We’re Gonna Die
By Young Jean Lee
Directed by Josh Sobel
Monday’s from March 26th - April 16th
A singer takes the stage, backed by her rock-band compatriots, to share Young Jean Lee's life-affirming show about the one thing we all have in common: "we're gonna die." We're Gonna Die is a full-voiced reminder while our world is in crisis that even in our most trying, tumultuous and isolating moments, we are not alone. Comprised of real stories from real people confronting the challenges of real life and our inherent mortality, woven through a riveting and electrifying pop-punk sound, this limited-performance revival will get your blood pumping and your heart singing along. Named one of the best of last year by the Chicago Tribune, Time Out Chicago, Newcity Stage and Rescripted, Haven Theatre is thrilled to blow the roof off and melt some faces once again with Young Jean Lee's life- and humanity-affirming rock concert event, We're Gonna Die! Tickets are $18 and can be purchased here.
Women Laughing Alone with Salad
By Sheila Callaghan Directed by Devon de Mayo
March 9th - April 29th
Dangerous, fierce and funny, Women Laughing Alone with Salad bursts out of the bounds of internet meme-dom and onto the stage in a four person comic tour-de-force about friendship, salad, sex, bodies, yoga, salad, men, envy, women, pharmaceuticals, diets, salad and uppers and salad. A satire about how we live with ourselves. Or, possibly, how we can't. Note: This presentation contains nudity. Tickets are $24 - $70 and can be purchased here.
Through the Elevated Line
By Novid Parsi Directed By Carin Silkaitis
March 7th - April 15th
Having fled Iran where he was imprisoned for being a gay man, a damaged Razi arrives at his sister’s doorstep in Chicago only to disrupt the life she and her American husband built together. As the Chicago Cubs vie to make history, rivalries of a different kind simmer in the Uptown two-flat that Razi tries to call home. With echoes of A Streetcar Named Desire, Novid Parsi’s world premiere drama probes the boundaries between family, loss, prejudice, and desire. Tickets are $15 - $30 and can be purchased here.
